The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-10 00:00:00

MR. LOWE. )LP., AT KIDDERMINSTER.

The WorShipful Company of Fishmongers gave
a court banquet yesterday evening at their hall,
King William-street. Though the dinner was
not a 'political demonstration, the number of in-
vitations being limited, yet the proceedings were
of some interest, as the Earl of Carnarvon took the
opportunity of declaring the total,dissent of the
Government from the recommendations of Sir
J. Young's purloined despatch relating to the
future policy to be pursued in the protec-
torate of the lonian Islands. Among the guests
invited were the Earl of Carnarvon, Lord
Chief Justice Campbell; Viscount Raynham, M.P.,
Vice-Chancellor Sir W. Page Wood, Admiral Col-
lier, the Hon. H. Campbell, Mr.Bovill, Q.C., M.P.,
Alderman Sydney, Sir R. Carden, M.P., Mr. R. J.
R. Campbell, M.P., Mr. J. Locke, M.P., the Cham-
berlain of London, Messrs. R. Mackintosh, R. Ogil-
vie, Dr. Wild, the Master of the Merchant Tailors'
Company, &c.
The Prime Warden of the Fishmongers' Com-
pany, Mr. Thomas Boddington, presid7d.
After the removal of the cloth, the PRIME WAR-
DEN gave " The Health of the Queen," with the
recent additions to the Royal titles of " Queen of
India and Empress of Hindostan ;" it is the first
time these titles have been given in public, with
that of the Sovereign of Great Britai n. After the
usual toasts of " The Prince Consort, " The Prince
of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family,"
and "The Army and Navy" (acknowledged by Ad-
miral COLLIER), had been drunk, ,
The PRIME WARDEN gave "The House of Lords,"
connecting with it the name of the Earl of Carnar-
von and the Colonial-office.
The Earl of CARNARVON, in returning thanks,
rather for the compliment paid to the Colonial-
office than the House of Peers, which he thought
was more worthily represented by Lord Campbell,
alluded to the condition and progress of British
Columbia, the newest English colony, from which
he said the accounts were very favourable. He
attributed that satisfactory state of things in the
recent settlement, in a great degree, to the tact.
judgment, and firmness of Governor Douglas; very
few men placed in his position would so soon have
appreciated the difficulties of the case, so readily
have accepted the responsibilities, or succeeded so
well in organising a new community. Ho believed
Governor Douglas had acted on the broad and safe
policy of dealing in a just and straightforward man-
ner with all, an that was a principle that applied
equally well to all people, to Greeks as to Eng-
lishmen. In the same spirit, the noble earl stated,
the Government would deal with the difficulties
presented by the condition of the lonian Islands.
In that spirit his right hon. friend Sir B. Lytton
had proposed a mission to the Protectorate to Mr.
Gladstone, who, of all men, from the circumstances
of the case and his own character, was most fitted
to conduct such a difficult task ; and Mr. Gladstone
had accepted that mission from a high sense of
public duty. It might be that all the objects con-
templated would not be effectually secured. There
might be some failure and disappointment, but he
was convinced that the Colonial Minister who made
the proposal would never have to regret the gene-
rous policy adopted, nor Mr. Gladstone the patrio-
tism that induced him to undertake so difficult and
arduous a commission. It was undoubtedly very
unfortunate that the despatch of Sir J. Young hail
gained publicity ; but now the whole hi3tory of the
case was known, he was sure the public would see
it was entirely an accident—such an accident as
would happen in the best regulated establishments.
(Laughter.) When such a misadventure had hap-
pened, it was the duty of the hrads of the depart-
ment to enforce such regulations as would prevent
the recurrence of anything of the same kind ; no-
body
had seen the sudden publicity given to that
despatch with greater dismay than himself—
(laughter)—but, while it was not the first time con-
fidential papers had been abstracted from a public
office, it must be admitted that it was the first tune
the person who committed it had been immediately
traced out. In one week the author of the act was
discovered, and only another week was required to
complete the chain of evidence necessary to prose-
cute him to a conviction. As to the policy de-
scribed in the despatch, it had never for a moment ,
'
received the slightest regard or countenance from
the Government. The Government wished, as far
as possible, to improve the lonian constitution and
to remedy the defects in its working.; but it could
never have entered into the contemplation of any
practical statesman, in endeavouring to improve, to
subvert it, or be false to those great obligations we had
entered into in the face of all Europe. In conclusion
the noble earl gave " The Health of the Prime
Warden of the Company."
The PRIME WARDEN, having returned thanks
for the compliment, gave "The House of Commons,"
wishing the members present health to get through
the labours of the next session.
Viscount RAYNHAM, M.P., acknowledged the
toast. In doing so he stated his belief that the
House of Commons, representing the feeling of the
nation, was fully convinced of the necessity of a
Reform Bill.
" The Health of Lord Campbell" was then given
by the PRIME WARDEN.
Lord CAMPBELL, who, on rising, was warmly
greeted by the assembly, returned thanks. He had
long known the Fishmongers'
.Company, its public
spirit,e its attachment to the constitution and order.
Lord Raynham had alluded to some plan of Re-
form ;he did not ;know whether that plan was to
from Birmingham or from Downlng-street—
, and it appeared that something alarming was ex-
pected from that quarter—bu, tcwherever it might
! come from the Fishmongers- ompany would re-
' ceive it in the spirit of independence. If it tended
to confirm the constitution and their. liberty,
they would receive
.it I.villingly ; if it tended
to overturn that constitution, they would manfully
resist it. They would oppose any alarming change,
but their love of orr would not
abuses . revent them from
doing all they could to correct alt might
be that in England the Whigs would become the
Conservative party ; if so, the Fishmongers' Com-
pany, as good Whigs, would become Conservatives.
Mr. Bova', Q.C., whose name had been joined
to the preceding toast, returned thanks for the Bar.
Vice-Chancellor Sir W. P. WooD, whose health
was next given, in acknowledging the honour, con-
gratulated the people of England on having secured
a pure and impartial administration of justice pre-
sided over by independent judges, checked by a
jury in all cases affecting life and honour, and as-
sisted, but also watched, by an able bar, with the
courts open to the public. He believed that the
administration of justice in England was unparal-
leled in the world. Its superiority was never more
evident than at the present moment, when, in an-
other country, a man of high character and talent
had been subjected to a trial in a court from which
the public was almost entirely excluded.
" The Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of

KIDDERMINSTER, THURSDAY.
The Right Hon. It. Lowe, M.P.,addressed a
large meeting of the inhabitants of idderminster
and neighbourhood last night at the public rooms,
which were crowded by upwards of 1,000 people.
The Mayor of th. 3 borough, Mr. Dixon, presided.
Mr. Lowe had dined on the previous evening at the
Lion Hotel with a number of his chief supporters, _
and had addressed them briefly on several political
topics, but left the question of reform for discussion
last evening,
Mr. LOWE, after some introductory remarks, re-
ferred to the war with China, upon which the last _
appeal to the people had been made. To that ap- -
peal the electors of the country had nobly responded,
and they saw the fruits of the policy which had led.
to that war in the opening of the traffic with China
and Atioan. But since that election a change had
taken place, and the Ministry, then so powerful,
had beeu hurled from power and had been succeeded
by others. It was the pleasure of the House of
Commons to depose that Ministry, and the country
had not reversed that decision. He bowed to it,
although,his opinions of Lord Palmerston were un-
changed. As regarded the present Government,
he was not disposed to find fault with them ; they
were very obliging, and had even divested them-
selves of a portion of their old principles to assume
those of which the Liberal party had always been
supposed to possess the monopoly. But such a
change of opinion on the part of the Conservatives,
while, no doubt, productive of loss to the Liberal
party, could not but conduce to the benefit of the
country. It might now be taken for granted that
all parties were united on the great principles of
free trade, religious toleration, and public economy ;
while other distinctions had vanished which for-
merly marked the Conservatives and Liberals.
Sheridan once said, when he saw a Highlander in
trousers,"Corivats are always CE thasiast ;(Laugh-
ter.) That was a fault which he had to find with
the Tory party. Not that they had adopted Libe-
ral opinions, to which they were quite welcome,
but that they had gone beyond them, had carica-
tured them, and made themselves ridiculous by
making them their own. (Hear.) He instanced
the India Bill and the proposition of a 110 house-
hold franchise for the election of the executive board
as an illustration, and he then went on to contro-
vert the statement in M. de Montalembert's cele-
brated pamphlet that the Liberal party had been
most anxious as soon as the Conservatives were in
power to unseat them. The Liberal party were
not on that occasion anxious to recover office. They
felt their time was not arrived, and that it was
best ;;the present Government should remain in
office until the unhappy differences which existed
amongst themselves could be made up, or that
when they again took the reins of government it
might be with the full strength of the Liberal
party. Mr. Lowe then came to the subject of
parliamentary reform. Many of those present,
no doubt, remembered the first Reform Bill. • At
that time the whole elements of society were trou-
bled from top to bottom, the most extraordinary
excitement pervaded all classes, and it was felt that
political -matters had come nearer and dearer to
them than their own private interests. He venture
to say that this country never feltmore dismay and
apprehension when it was feared the Reform Bill
was in danger ;nor ever exp2rienced such a thrill of
triumph as when it was at last successfully carried.
But what was the case now ? The question of re-
form was broached again ; but where was the en-
thusiasm, where were the crowded meetings, and
the petitions signed by thousands in favour of Par-
liamentary Reform P They took these things more
coolly now. Lord J. Russell's two bills of 1852 and
1854 were dropped, and no earthquake followed—
no one lamented that they were nipped in the bud;
and so it was with Lord Palmerston's third bill.
The fact was that their grievances pinched them so
slightly that seven years had passed over their
heads without a Reform Bill, and still they were in
a placid state of mind. After some further remarks
on the altered tone of the public mind, he said that
while it was hard to find a man who was not enthu-
siastic on the old Reform Bill, there were mani-
festations in many quarters of indifference a d even
hostility to a new bill. Therefore he considered he
was justified in assuming that up to the present
time the Reform Bill which they would next ses-
sion be called upon to consider had not been de-
manded by any large amount of popular sympathy,
but that the proposal had been treated with the
most galling indifference. When the Bill of 1832
was proposed and in agitation, they had a House of
Commons that did not regard the interests of their
constituents, and there were many things re-
quiring reformation that had since been altered.
They had a civil list overloaded with sinecures—
they had been swept away; the exclusive local
governments of that time, formed a junto who
kept the local government to themselves, had
yielded to representative government in towns
and their County Courts had given them cheap and
speedy law. These were a few of the matters that
had resulted from the passing of the- old Reform
Bill, 27 years ago. That bill gave to the people a
power of direction in the House of Commons and
an influence which they had never possessed be-
fore ; and the House of,Commons was now only too
anxious to meet the wishes of the people of the
country and to carry them out. If the House of
Commons had not appeared anxious on this ques-
tion of reform it was because the people had not
ur&ed them onward. He denied the truth of Mr.
Bright's statement at Birmingham, that the House
of Commons did not possess the sympathies of the
country, and if they would examine the evidence
which Mr. Bright had brought forward in proof of
his assertion they would see that the House of Com-
mons was not any wiser than the country generally.
They.had never found when the country had been
unanimous in wishing this or that to be clone that
the House of Commons had resisted the demand or
set itself up against public opinion. Mr. Bright said
the House of Commons was not favourable to free
trade in 1841, but neither was the country at that
time, and the Anti-Corn Law League had been
obliged to admit their membersby tickets for that
reason. Since the passing of the Reform Bill
they had had the invention of railways and
electric telegraph, which had brought mem-
bers and their constituencies nearer together,
and by which the influence of constituencies over
their representatives had been very considerably
increased, and had been brought to bear upon the
House of Commons ; and that had brought to bear
upon the House of Lords. Mr. Bright, for the
purpose of gaining a fleeting popularity, had en-
deavoured to raise a feeling against those placed in
a superior position to the remainder of the people ;
but if they were to abolish the House of Peers to-
morrow, the best thing they could do would be to
sct it up again next day. He considered the House .
of Peers an essential part of the constitution. Mr.
Lowe went on to say that he was an advocate for
further improvements in the representation of the
people based on the principle of the Reform Bill of
1832, varying its details to meet the improvements
and wants of the times, but he considered the prin-
ciples of the old Reform Bill were immortal, and
disconnected from the times. Any further reform
should be based upon the old principles. He was
favourble to lowering the franchise in counties, and
he considered that property and knowledge should
have a proper amount of influence in the country.
He considered the working-classes Were, in great
part, paymasters of the country—as a body, they had
great power, wealth, and knowledge, and as Emil
should have a due representation. The ballot was
only incidentally alluded to by Mr. Lowe, in con-
nection with the universal suffrage system of the
United States.
At the close of the address, a vote of thanks was
passed to the mayor for his conduct in
of the chaiKid -
r,
and Mr. Holloway, a Chartist member the
derminster town council, afterwards addressed the

Col. R. C. Moody, R.E., Commissioner of Lands
and Works at British. Columbia-, Captain R. D. Gossett,
8.. 8., Treasurer; and Judge Begbie, sailed from New Ycrk
on the 2d ult. for Vancouver's Island, via Panama, on their
way to the new colony.