The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-06 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER ELECTION.

A meeting of the committee for conducting the election
of Sir John Hobhouse was held on Saturday evening at
Richardson's Hotel, Govent-garden. About thirty of the
electors were present.
Mr. DE VEAR was called to the Chair.
The minutes of the meeting at the Crown and Anchor
Tavern having been real,
Mr. BROWN rose and asked the Chairman if Sir J.
Hobhouse had agreed to allow himself to be put in nomi-
nation ?
The CHAIRMAN had seen Sir John Hobhouse previous
to the meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern,-and
John had expressly said that, although he would take no
part in the election, he should certainly accept the seat if
they did him the honour to elect him.
Mr. BROWN hoped that Sir John won'd come among
the electors to explain some parts of his late political
conduct. He could assure the meeting that when can.
vassing for Sir John he had found it very difficult to ex-
plain that conduct to the electors; and that many of the
electors were firm in the belief that the whole of the late
transaction, namely, Sir John's resignation of office and
of his seat fir Westminster, was a mere trick—(Hear,
hear)—a mere plan devised to deceive them. The electors
said that his resignation of the office of Secretary for Ire-
land had only nominally taken place, and that it was kept
open for him to step into again, as soon as his seat in
Westminster was secured. He (Mr. Brown) would say
that the electors were in some measure borne out in that
opinion by the fact, if fact it were, that the office was
still open, and that his resignation had not been accepted
by his Majesty. The electors also asked why he had re-
signed his seat after resigning his situation. There could
have been no occasion for the resignation of both. If it
was the Honourable Baronet's intention not to give his
support to the Government, but to serve his constituents,
it would he Sufficient that he should resign office, but
there was no occasion that he should resign his seat. He
(Mr. Brown) acknowledged that these were questions of
which he could give no satisfactory explanation ; and as
he understood that other gentlemen had found the same
difficulty he thought it the duty, as well as the interest,
of Sir J. Hobhouse to come among the electors, and to
give them the desired explanations.
Mr. TEJOU defended the conduct of Sir John Hobhouse.
Mr. DE YEAR then read a letter from the Marquis of
Anglesea to Sir John Hobhouse. It merely stated, how.
ever, that he had received his (Sir John's) letter an-
nouncing his resignation, and that he felt great regret that
Ire sheuld no long-r have the advantage of his services as
Secretary for Ireland.
Mr. WYLDE complained of the milliner in which the
minutes of the meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern
had been made up. It did not appear from them that
any notice had been given by Sir John Hobhouse whether
he should take his seat or not, if elected. He had been
asked what pledges the electors had that Sir John would
vote for the repeal of the house and window tax; and
how were they to know that he would not immediately
return to office if returned triumphantly to Parliament by
the electors of Westminster ? He (Mr. Wylde) thought
it quite necessary that lie (Sir John) should make a de-
claration of his intentions upon those points. The elec-
tors were entitled to such an explanation ; it was their
right, and a right acknowledged by Sir John Hobhouse
himself on a former occasion. He (Mr. Wylde) and all
present were most anxious for Sir John's success, and
would do all they could to promote it.—(Hear, hear.)
Rut he had, for his own part (and he bad heard the same
from other gentlemen), found a great, nay, unconquerable
difficulty in giving the electors a satisfactory explanation.
Mr. DE YEAR thought that it Was perfectly understood
that Sir John Hobhouse would accept of the seat if elected.
He (Mr. D., Year) had called on Sir John (as he hail for-
merly stated), and told him that some of the electors were
doubtful upon that point. Sir John's reply was that he
would not come forward as a candidate; but if elected he
certainly would accept of the seat.
Mr. FEARON agreed with the members who had already
spoken that they were in a very difficult situation. It was
most desirable that it should he cleared up, and he would
suggest that a public meeting of the electors should be
called on Monday, at which Sir John Hobhouse should be
requested to attend.
Several gentlemen then stated that they had canvassed
a large part of Westminster, and that they found great dif•
ficulty in obtaining the suppot t of the electors, on account
of the obscurity in which Sir John Hothouse's conduct
was involved. One elector said that he had canvassed the
greater part of the parish of St. George, Westminster, for
Sir John Hobhouse, and such was the prejudice against
him, on account of his conduct with regard to the repeal
of the house and window duties, that he was able to secure
only one vote from among a hundred voters which he had
canvassed. He (the elector) was a stanch
John ; but he could tell the meeting that if something were
Anne immediately, Colonel Evans would be returned
triumphantly.—(Hear, hear.)

Mr. BROWN defended the vote given by Sir J. Hob-
house. He did not blame the Hun. Baronet; he thought
that he was the victim of the Administration.—(Hear.)
The Government had put Sir John on the horns of a
dilemma. They had forced him either to oppose the Go-
vernment of which he was member, to vote contrary to
the interests of his constituents, or to resign. He had
been put in that dilemma by Lord Althorp, and he (Mr.
B.) would say, that it was most unwarrantable in Lord
Althorp to do so.—(Hear, hear )

Mr. ABBOTT was of opinion that they ought not to
have a representative in Westminster who was a Member
of the Government. They ought to have one who could
preside at their public meetings, and attend to the other
business of the city.

An ELECTOR thought it necessary that they should have
some information. If none were given he had no doubt
that the result of the election would be unfavourable to
their wishes. Being one of the deputation which waited
upon Sir John Hobhouse previous to the debate on Sir
Key's :notion, he could unequivocally state that at h.lf-
past ten on Monday night Sir John Hobhouse promised
him and the other members of the deputation that
he should vote for Sir John Key's motion ; yet Sir
John resigned the following morning_ His (the elector's
opinion), however, was, that Sir John had not at
that time sufficiently considered the effect of the
junction of the two questions of the malt and the house
and window duties—(Hear)—and that as soon as he had
seen the dilemma in which he was placed, he had resolved
on resigning both his place and seat. He (the elector)
thought he could not have taken a more decisive or
honourable part. Was his conduct not better, although
he had much more at stake, than that of Dr. Lushington,
Mr. W. Brougham, or, he would add, Sir Francis Bur-
dett?—(Hear, hear)—for he did not wish to screen Sir
Francis when in the wrong, as he certainly was on that
question. At the.same time, however, that he considered
Sir John Hobbouse's conduct quite right, he thought that
the electors were entitled to the information.
Mr. DE YEAR said, that at the time of the interview
of the deputation with Sir J. Hobhouse he had resolved
to give tip his office, but not his seat.

A long and desultory conversation then took place, at
the conclusion of which the question was put and carried
by a large majority—" That Sir John Can Hobbouse be
r. quested to stand as candidate for the representation of
Westminster; and that he be further requested to come
among the electors, in order, by his personal presence, to
aid the erectors in procuring his return."
The requisition was then signed by all the electors pre-
sent, and a deputation was appointed to wait upon Sir
John Hobbouae and present it. Some other business was
then disposed of, after which the meeting dispersed.

Mrs. DlcxoNs, the celebrated vocalist, died
on SJturday morning at her house in Regent street. She
made her first appearance at Covent-garden in 1793, as
Ophtlia, and retired from the stage in 1818. There is
an excellent portrait of her in Matthews's Theatrical
Gallery.
INVERNESS BURGH ELECTION.---No fewer
than four candidates have already taken the field for the
representation of this district, namely—Major Cummitia
BRUCE, Mr. STEWART, Mr. BAILLIE (nephew of the
Member for Bristol), and Mr. CHISHOLM, of Chisholm.
The two former were candidates at the last election, when
Mr. STEWART was beaten by a majority of only seven
votes.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—An accident of the
most distressing nature took place at the farm-house of
car Athnensaenr,viocne NoYfeAditrie. ANDREW s
AtiaNyD CORRIE, the
,
the 24th ult. A
servant
e girl,e in
farmer there, while in the act of putting on a por, had her
clothes set on fire. No person was in the house at the
time but herself. and not having the power, or the presence
of mini, to extinguish the flames, before she could run out
and give the alarm, she was so dreadfully burnt that she
died next morning.
ROYAL ACADEMY REFORM.—The jealous,
exclusive, and encroaching spirit which has been so often
imputed to the proceedings of the Royal Academy has
never been exposed with
is so much effect in a small com-
pass asfound in a certain article in this month's number
of the New Monthly Magazine. Whoever the writer
I nay be, he has made out, both on fact and princip e, such
a case of abuse on the part of thes:; snug representatives of
Art, as will be admitted to call for reformation, in its pe-
culiar way, as imperatively as did the late corrupt system
of Parliamentary elections,