The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-10 00:00:00

that of an independent Member of Parliament.—(Hear.) •
But I am happy to say that the ♦ote of the House of
Commons which struck down the Ministry of Lord Mel-
bourne did not destroy the principles which that Minis-
try advocated.—(Loud cheers.) And, gentlemen, I for
one will acknowledge that I never had the slightest
fear that it would produce that effect.—(Cheers.)
I was thoroughly convinced from the best con-
sideration I could give to the interests of this great
country, that those principles were founded in truth,
and must ultimately and speedily be triumphant.—(Loud
cheers.) I did not fear that those who succeeded us
would follow any essentially different course from
that which we ourselves had pursued ; and, accord-
ingly, although I have been nominally a mem-
ber of the Opposition, and sat on the oppo-
site benches to the Government of the day, yet
there has been scarcely any important measure which
that Government during those five years have brought
forward which I have not by my humble vote contributed
to support.— (Cheers.) Those measures were, some of
them, measures of enlarged religious freedom—some of
conciliation and justice to Ireland—some of them measures
of free trade calculated to enlarge and extend the com-
merce of this country ; and the crowning measure of all
has been that great measure which the assent of the
Crown has just stamped with the authority of the law
of the land—l mean the complete and final repeal of the
corn- laws.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I can assure you—and
those among you who know my private tastes and habits
will believe in the sincerity of that assertion—that no five
years of my Parliamentary life were ever spent with
satisfaction equal to those during which, without the
toils, and anxieties, and responsibilities of official life, I
had the satisfaction of seeing those principles for which
I have always contended carried into execution; and also
the gratification, by my humble vote, of lending my best
support to their success.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen,the office
to which the gracious favour of my Sovereign has called
me is, as you have been reminded by one of my friends,
not the least responsible or the least onerous of those
which are undertaken by the servants of the Crown. I
can assure you that, in taking my share of the Govern-
ment of Ireland, I accept the office in no spirit of pre-
Qttniption with regard to toy qualifiaction for the duty.
This, at least, I trust I may say, that no ettort on my
part shall be wanting to fulfil those duties ; and if I
shall be able to contribute, even:in the smallest degree,
to the happiness, contentment, and prosperity of that
part of her Majesty's dominions, I shall look back
to the day on which I took office as the happiest and
proudest of my life.—(Cheers.) I trust that the little
acquaintance which I possess with the local affairs of
that country will be compensated by finding myself sur-
rounded in the Administration by Irishmen, long and
intimately connected with the affairs of that country,
and deservedly respected by the inhabitants; and still
more do I rejoice that I shall have to serve under a
Lord-Lieutenant who has been for the greatest part of
his life a resident landowner—(Cheers)—and who from
his disposition and ability is, I am sure, eminently quali-
fied to carry into effect those gracious wishes and in-
tentions which it is well known her Majesty feels in an
especial degree towards that portion of her dominions.
I trust that in the government of Ireland we shall be
able to follow up those principles on which the govern-
ment of all free countries ought to be conducted—l
mean, to support the law that it may be respected, and to
improve the law that it: may be beloved.—(Loud cheers.)
I can assure you I highly value the honour of repre-
senting so steady, so consistent, and intelligent a body
of constituents. With regard to other political subj acts
I do not know that I need trouble you by going into
detail. I have always stood upon these hustings as a
liberal candidate and a reformer.—(Hear, and cheers.)
At the same time I have always told you that there
is not a Conservative in this town or county who is
more deeply attached than I am to the great institutions
of this country, or who is more thoroughly satisfied the
true interests of the community consists in our
preserving and maintaining them unimpaired.—(Cheers.)
But I believe, at the same time, that in order to maintain
institutions unimpaired, it is absolutely necessary to take
care that they do not stand in the way of all such im-
provements as may be required either by the al-
tered circumstances of society, or by the in-
creasing intelligence of the age. I believe that
Englishman is the truest Conservative, and best
supports the institutions of the country, who
takes care that there is nothing in them which cannot
be reconciled with great and necessary improvements.—
(Cheers.) I love and reverence the mixed con-
stitution of this country, and if I saw the
just prerogatives of the Crown or the just
prerogatives of the peerage assailed, I would de-
fend them just as firmly as I would the rights and
liberties of the Commons of England, to which I
belong.—(Hear, hear.) I feel it necessary to say this,
because I stand here on popular principles, and am
surrounded by the friends of popular principles in
this town, and because I have lent my assistance
to the furtherance of many measures which I trust and
hope will have the effect of enlarging the liberties of
the people, and extending wide the principles of reli- ,
gious liberty to those classes of my fellow-countrymen
who may dissent from the Church of England—whether
. as Protestant Dissenters, or as Roman Catholics—
(Hear, hear, and cheers)—and have always felt it
my duty in public life to do nothing which would shake
those great fundamental institutions of the country—
(Hear, bear)—on the contrary, those institutions have
not a more sincere friend than myself.—(Cheers.) The
lion. Member again thanked them for the high honour
conferred upon him, and retired amidst loud and pro-
longed plaudits.
The Hon. Member was afterwards " chaired," a very
superb car, drawn by four horses, being used for the oc-
casion.