The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-21 00:00:00

CITY ELECTION_

IMPORTANT MEETING OF TEIE FRIEN IS
OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL, MR. PATTISOI
SIR GEORGE LARPENT, AND BAR' J N
JZOTHSCHILD.

A most numerous and highly important meeting ; of
the friends of the Liberal candidates for the represe
lion of the city of London took place yesterday, at -the
London Tavern, for the purpose of hearing .the
statements of the different candidates of the around:; on
which. they sought the honour of representing the city
of London. Long before the hour appointed for
the commencement of the meeting, two o'clock,
the large room of the tavern was crowded.
by
excess, as well as every avenue leading to ite
persons of great respectability. The outside of theh
tavesm was literally besieged, and that part of Bish ops-
kat,-street presented more the appearance ot a
fair than one of the ordinary thoroughfa res
of London. The cause of all the excitement was dc,u.bt-
les the announcement that had been made that it, was
the intention of Lord John Russell to be present fc r the
purpose of explaining the grounds on which he s. Right
to r epresent the city of London in a new Parliamei it.
Lord John Russell, accompanied by Lady John
Russell, arrived shortly before two o'clock, and
was loudly cheered by the persons outsid.e, as
were also the other candidates upon their ar-
rival. On Lord John Russell appearing on the
platform in the large room the cheering was deaf ming
in the extreme, and lasted for several minutes. O, a the
platform we noticed Lady John Russell, his Excel lency
Mr. Bs;ncroft, the American Minister, Mr. Pattis.oti, Sir
Georg,: Larpent, Baron Rothschild, Lord Marcus Bill,
M.P., Mr. Trelawny, M.P., ;General Sir De Lacy
Evans, MP., the Right Hon. Vernon Smith, M.P.,
John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., Sir William
Someirville, M.P., Sir NV illiam Molesworth, M.P.,
Lord R. Grosvenor, M.P., Sir Denis le Merchant, M.P.,
I'. A. Taylor, Esq., D. Salomans, Esq., W. Hawes, Esq.,
the Rig ht Hon. Edward Ellice, M.P., and Nathaniel
Meyer Rothschild, Esq..
Shortly before two o clock, J. A. Smith, Esq., MX.,
was called to the chair, and proceeded to address the
immens e assemblage.
The HoN. CILURMA.N, in coming forward, was met
with ;resit cheering, coupled with considerable con-
fusion in parts of the room. As soon as silence
was, in some measure, restored, he said—
Gentlemen, before I address to you the few words with
which I shall think it necessary to trouble you, I beg to
draw your attention to the object which has called
us toge ther here to-day, which is one than
which u one can be more important under a constitu-
tiotnal government, that of expressing a deliberate
opinion .as to the qualifications and fitness of those four
gentlen en who seek the honour of representing the
city of London in Parliament.—(Cheers.) I am sure
there 'is not a single individual around me who
will not feel that a meeting with such an object
ought to be conducted with calmness, order, and
temp, r, and I am sure I shall not appeal in vain to those
wowed me, when I ask, however inadequate I may be
prop Orly to discharge the important duties cf the posi-
tion .in which I am placed, for the cordial support of
those present in enforcing order, and securing to
every- one a fair, quiet, and impartial hearing.—(Cheers.)
Gentlemen, we are, as I stated before, met together to-
day to give an opinion as to the fitness of those gentle.
men who seek to represent us in Parliament. but more
eip(icially to meet Lord John Russell—(Tremendous
cheering)—whose official duties have hitherto prevented
him from appearing before you.—(Cries of " No more
bishops.") With respect to the other gentlemen who seek
our suffrages, their opportunities of meeting the electors
have been and will be so numerous, and they have
'declared their opinions so openly, and in fact, on all
natters of public interest, they have given such full and
frank assurance as to their conduct in future,
that I feel it will not he necessary for me to
say one word with respect to them further
t ham as a member of the committee who recommended
tl iem to your support, to express the great gratification
th ev feel in knowing that they have been regarded with
sun .h
satisfaction by a large portion of the constituency.—
(Chu sers.) But, gentlemen, I do feel that it is right to say
a few words with reference to Lord J. Russell.—(Cheers.)
ghat. Noble Lord is a Minister of the Crown, and as
such labours under c. rtain disadvantages as a candi-
date. —(Cheers.) He is prevented by the weight and
importance of official duties from personally taking any
steps to resist that opposition with which, in the
present; election, he is threatened.—(Cheers.) But
still nnore, he is prevented by that reserve, incum-
bent u pots him as a Minister of the Crown, from
giving those frequent and free expressions of all his
4.)F inions which he otherwise would do, and making
st etements which he cannot do without a violation of
pt tblic duty.—(Cheers, hisses, and cries of " That's 'all
nc insense.") But, if the Noble Lord has that Idis-
a4 'vantage, he possesses one great advantage over
't o of those Hon. Gentlemen whom I hope to see
sly ortly in Parliament (Cheers) —he can appeal
-to a long public life of consistency—(Cheers)—
xts .honourable to him as it is rare among public men—
(Gr eat cheering)—and I venture to believe that that
long -tried public life is a better guarantee as to his con-
cluct :in future than any explanations, any assurances,
ilowcier strong—(Cheers)—and any explanations, how-
.ever. explicit, as to his future intentions.—(Cheers.)
lie can also appeal to a name and family,
whose boast and whose glory it has been
*to employ their weight in the State, their wealth, their
possessions, and, when necessary, even their lives—
<Trcraendous cheering)—in securing the liberties, and
extending the power of the people.—(Continued cheers.)
3.,0rd John Russell can say, and say with a proud sense
.of his right to say it, I have ever trusted the people, and
Ti call upon the people to trust me.—(Cheers.) I
:believe that the people will respond to that call--
/(Cheers)—and I am satisfied that no trifling difference
if opinion, no disappointment at the short coming of
▪ ny particular measure, will diminish that confidence
hich is due to the long-tried and consistent friend of
liberty in England.—(Great cheering.) I believe, '
ea Iso, that the people, who are always just to
Ith 'ose who deserve it, and who have served them
faithfully, though not in accordance with the will and
raskiority of the House of Commons—l believe that the
vecvle will not forget the noble sense he entertained of
Jilts a'uty, though his power to do good, as far as the
alouse of Commons was concerned, was crippled by the
majorities of that House ; neither will the people forget
the Noble Lord's carrying on the Government under
Restraints and disadvantages which it is now for you and
the constituencies of the empire to remove.—(Cheers.)
rut, gentlemen, I feel that Lord John Russell can
ustly claim the confidence of the people and the Liberal
Warty throughout the kingdom ; I feel that there is one
;section of that party on whom his claims ought to tell
-with double force—that section which is not more dis-
etinguiehed by their numbers than their talents, their
energy and their zeal. I allude to the Dissenters.
.—(Cheers.) I think I may ask, without any
:fear of the answer, what other public man in
;England has done as much as the Noble Lord, not
only to establish that great principle, that it is contrary
;no less to justice and fairness than to the princii.les of
'Christian charity, to visit religious labourers with civil
disabilities--(Cheers)—but sid-.o has done what he has
a'one in removing those several prejudices against the
L'issenters which were once so strong, but which have
ane w disappeared so entirely as almost to create a doubt
whether they ever existed?—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I
vial not believe, until I see it, that the Dissenting EI.)
sof Great Britain will forget the deep obligation they
Awe to the Noble Lord, but will allow for a difference of
opinion upon a point on which great differences of
opinion exist among even the Dissenters therns eh'es .
..—(Cheers, hisses, and great confusion.) Gentlemenl
will not occupy your time longer, but will conclude with
these words, that if public services and persevering in-
elustry in the performance of duties which are for the
best interests of the country, give any one a claim to the
honour of representing the city of London, which Lord
Bohn Russell seeks at your hands, I feel no doubt that
Ghat Noble Lord will shortly be triumphantly returned
vas one of the representatives of the city of London in
:.Parliament.—(Cheers.)
Lord Joint RUSSELL then rose and presented himself
Ito the meeting amidst the most vociferous cheering, and
She waving of hats and handkerchiefs, intermingled with
which there were some hisses, which seemed to us to
proceed from a small section of persons in the middle of
the meeting. After waiting some moments for the
aiurpoee of procuring silence, which, however, he
was unable to obtain, the Noble
Ro
address the
meeting. He had but uttered
the prefatory word
" Gentlemen;' when great
uproar broke out, which lasted some time. When
fie: had partially subsided, the Noble Lord proceeded to
pay—Gentlemen, I am here bNefor
as a candidate—
(Noise and uproar)--for the honoureyou of representing you
sat the approaching election for the city
Gentlemen, amat thee b same timen
of
h
4Continued noise.)London.—
There to reply to the charges which have
made
/against me—(Cheers and hisses)—and to explain to
you
ithe reasons why it is stated, and on account of what it
jig stated, that I am disqualified from appearing
jhefore you as a candidate for your suffrages. [Here the
'uproar, which had partially subsided, broke out with re-
newed force. What its object was, or what were the ex-
oclamations used, we are utterly at a loss to divine.]—.
(Cries of
"Shame," and .‘ Disgraceful.") It is said, in
She tirst place, that, as a Minister of the Crown, I ought
not to be a candidate for the city of London.—(Con-
tinned noise.) Gentlemen, I believe such an objection
is contrary to the popular genius of our Constitution,
sand I believe nothing more will conduce to the harmony
of that Constitution than that persons possessing the
confidence of the Crown should seek ft r the suffrages of
a rge bodies
of the people.—(Cheers.) I can conceive
lnothinC more advantageous to the Crown than that per-
mons representing large communities should be able to
wishe
(carry the o
s, the opinions
cto the f t, and the requests of those
cannot agree, therefore, of
the throne.—(Loud cheers.)
i that, as a Minister of the
Crown, I am disqualified
In the next place, it is said—mm your service.—(Cheers.)
and this is male a charge—
s proof
charge utterly without
against me—(Cheers)—
ghat I am the causeof the contest which is
snow about to take place in u
of London,
and that it is at my instigation theat city
• contest has
arisen.—(Cries of '• No, no, certainly and cheers.)
It is common to all Members who have no"
the honour of a
rest in Parliament, that they are desireut
not to provoke a contest (Laughter and• to
avoid and
and I must own that, for '
myself, gentlemen, CI heers)-
rule.-.(Cheers and alarnee7tt,•rare'
exception to that gener.l rule.
But, gentlemen, I am sure I should be exercising
post undue interference with the rights and privile-eeas