The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-07 00:00:00

will not think it their duty to accomplish by any means
whatever. Negotiations are about to commence, as I
have told you—to commence under the best auspices—to
commence simultaneously with the fullest preparations
for war, if war is to be carried on. (Loud applause.)
There will be no relaxation of our preparations, no re-
linquishment of our gains in the war, and no delay
of any kind, which would be very much to be depre-
cated. The negotiAtlons will be in the bands of the
best statesman that can be selected—the Earl of Claren-
don, the present Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Gentlemen, I have expressed my opinion frankly
on the causes of the war, and I wish I could speak more
positively in regard to the future ; but I think you will
have gathered from what I have said the principles
which I think ought to guide the Government—and
which I think will guide the Government and the coun-
try in the negotiations and in the prosecution of the
war, if the war must be continued. I hope you will
think that I ought not to go into the particular condi-
tions upon which we ought to insist. (Hear.) I hope
you will think that that is a topic upon which I ought
not to speak, and on which I ought not to be questioned.
I have told you the principles on which the Government
will be guided, and I hope these principles will meet with
your approbation. (Hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen, I
have really nothing to add upon the topics on which I
have spoken to you ; but I should be doing injustice to
my own feelings if I closed my address to you without ex-
pressing the obligation which I feel more and more every
time I stand before you, for the continued kindness
I have received at your hands. To those from whom
I have received these repeated acts of kindness
I feel mere grateful on this than perhaps on any other
occasion, as also feel the honour the greater. (Hear,
hear.) I tender my thanks to my honourable friends
who have moved and seconded my election to-day in
such kind and eloquent terms. I thank my political
friends whom I now see before me, and many of whom,
I am proud to say, combine also the character of per-
sonal friends; I thank them for being here to-day, and
for so receiving my nomination. (Applause.) I feel ex-
tremely thankful for the confidence which they have
placed in me ; and I also thank those who, so far from
having generally been political supporters of mine I
must rank as political opponents, that they have thought
proper to abstain from opposition. (Hear, hear.) I duly
appreciate the motive by which they have been actuated,
and which does them great honour. They have ab-
stained at this crisis of our history from anything which
might have the appearance of divided councils among
ourselves, or of crippling or embarrassing her Majesty's
Government in the important duties which that Go-
vernment has now to discharge. That I understand to
he the motive by which they are actuated, and to them
I offer my thanks, along with my own friends, on the
conduct which they have thought fit to pursue. I hope
that neither they nor any other portion of the consti-
tuency will have reason to regret the termination of
these proceedings. If I can benefit you, command my
best exertions. I shall shrink from no labour to dis-
charge my duty to you in Parliament, I shall do all in
my power to serve you, and in so doing I shall know no
distinctions of sect or party. (Applause.) Having said
thus much, I have now only to thank you for the kind-
ness with which you have received me, and the honour
which you have conferred upon me—an hononr which I
consider the highest that a man can receive. (Cheers.)
The meeting soon afterwards separated, and the right
hon. member returned to town the same afternoon.