The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

to the committee that no useful result could be
obtained by further correspondence, and they re-
commended the Court to re-affirm their readiness to
undertake the charge of the burial-ground as trus-
tees for the public, defraying the cost of watching,
maintaining it in a proper condition, planting trees
and shrubs, keeping up the gravel walks, and pre-
serving the tombs ; so that it may form, within pro-
per hours, and under proper regulations, a decent
and ornamental " open space" in the metropolis, co-
venanting that in the event of failure in these re-
spects it should revert to the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sioners. They further recommended that they (the
committee) should be authorised to second the en-
deavours of any of the parties interested should they
apply to Parliament, or make appeal to the public,
with the view of securing the ground in perpetuity
from the possible perversion to other uses than those
to which it had been for centuries sacredly devoted.
Mr. REED, in moving the adoption of the report
and that it be referred back to the committee for
execution, stated that the last offer of the Ecclesias-
tical Commissioners was to submit the matters in
dispute to arbitration, but he contended there was no
legal issue upon which to arbitrate. He dwelt upon
the circumstance that the property had been in pos-
session of the corporation for 500 years, and upon its
interesting historical associations as a place of sepul-
ture for 200 years, stating, by the way, that though
the consecration of the ground could not be vouched
1,000 cartloads of bodies were removed thither from
St. Paul's in 1543. It was consecrated ground to all
intents and purposes, and he hoped it would never
be allowed to pass from the Corporation without
some further investigation, and without their join-
ing with parties interested in preserving it from
desecration in an appeal to Parliament or otherwise
to avert such a result. (Cheers.)
The spirit in which the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sioners are alleged to have acted in the negotiations
with the Corporation was stigmatised in a discus-
sion which followed as pettifogging, mercenary, and
disingenuous by Mr. Bedford and Deputy Burnell.
The Commissioners, said Mr. Burnell, arrived at the
conclusion that the ground was worth £lOO,OOO,
and asked what the Corporation would give for
the privilege of preserving it. It had probably, he
said, never before entered into the minds of any but
some of the highest personages in Church and State
to evince such a spirit when the object sought to be
attained, by the Corporation at least, was the pre-
servation from desecration of a place devoted to the
holy purpose of human sepulture. He could only
regard it as a proof of their being " willing to wound
and yet afraid to strike," and of how grievous an
offence it was in the eyes of High Churchmen to be
a Nonconformist or a Dissenter. (Hear, hear.)
An amendment was moved by Mr. GOVER to
refer the report back to committee, with power to
consent to a reference to an approved legal arbi-
trator of the question whether the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, as reversioners, will, on the expira-
tion of the present lease, be entitled to the £24,000
odd mentioned in the report, or any, and if any,what
part thereof, or to concur in stating a special case
on the subject for the opinion of one of her Majesty's
superior courts of law or equity. This was lost on
a division, and the original motion for the adoption
of the report, and for referring it back to the com-
mittee to be carried into effect, was passed.
The court then adjourned.

Conservative Demonstrati-n at Colchester.

COLCHESTER, Jan. 17.
The Conservatives of Colchester entertained at
dinner last evening their two selected Conservative
candidates, Colonel Learmonth and Mr. E. R. Kars-
lake, Q.C. Between 600 and 700 sat down to din-
ner, and the proceedings were most enthusiastic.

Mr. C. 11. llawkins occupied the chair.
After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts,

The CHAIRMAN proposed " The better Health of

Mr. Miller, M.P.," the sitting Conservative member
for the borough, whom -he warmly eulogised ; and
next in succession he gave the toast of the evening,
"The healths of C9l. Learmouth and Mr. Karslake,"
stating that, in the event of a single vacancy occur-
ring, Mr. Karslake would probably be first put for-
ward, with the consent of Col. Learinnnth. •
The toast was drunk with three times three.

COL LEAR3IONTII, in returning thanks, said this
was the first occasion on which he had the pleasure of
meeting his friends at Colchester. The party appeared
to be growing, and to-night they had a bumper
meeting. A more brilliant or splendid assembly he
had not seen in his time. It was a great surprise
and a great encouragement to go on and endeavour
to carry the point which all present had at heart.
They were all bound to carry on to, he hoped, a
successful issue the great contest which would come
off soon in the borough ; and, for his own part, he
was quite ready whenever he was called upon to do
his best to win the day. We had now a prospect in
a very few weeks of hearing the Queen's Speech,
which would be delivered from the Throne by her
Majesty in person, and which would be the poli-
tical programme of the next session. Of course any-
thing he could say upon the future course of poli-
tical matters must be naturally speculative, as no
one knew, not even the Under Secretaries of State,
what the programme of the Government was to be,
so well, and as he thought so prudently, had they
kept their secrets. Under these circumstances he
would only review the conduct of the Government
during the recess ; and he believed all parties—
even the Radicals—admitted that the administra-
tive ability displayed by the Government during the
recess had been very great. At the first outset a
trap was skilfully laid for the new Government,
and they narrowly escaped falling into it, although
they showed great ability in escaping from it. He
meant the trap which was laid for the Government
by the Reform League and Mr. Edmond Beaks.
The Reform League people knew perfectly well
that they had no right to hold meetings in the park;
but when the Conservative Government came into
office they thought there was a good opportunity
to place them in direct antagonism with the
people. They signally failed, however, in this, for
instead of finding in Mr. Walpole a man who would
shut his door in their faces, and give them no satis-
faction, they met with a most courteous gentleman,
who treated them with more politeness than they
deserved. It ought not to be forgotten that Sir
George Grey had come forward, and in the most
manly manner admitted that he should have acted
in the same way that Mr. Walpole acted. An-
other demonstration was made by the same people
in the winter, and they found a place to speak in
in the park of a Conservative nobleman, so that
there again they were checkmated. He thought all
must admit that in other particulars the Govern-
ment had carried on matters in a most statesman-
like manner. He referred more particularly to Ire-
land, which had been for many months past in a
most fearful state of anarchy. Lord Abercorn had
administered the affairs of Ireland with very great
success and ability ; and he might say that the
gravity of the Venian conspiracy had vanished
chiefly through the present Lord Lieutenant. In
Scotland the Lord Advocate had gained golden
opinions from both sides, and was doing wonders
for the Conservative party as well ; therefore, in that
country and in Ireland the Conservatives had not
lost from having their friends in office. A good deal
of abuse had been lavished upon the House of Com-
mons, and more particularly upon the Conservative
members of that house, but he need scarcely allude
to that ; it was too puerile, and had been well
answered by those who were better able to speak on
the subject than he was. To return more particu-
larly to the object which they had in view in Col-
chester, he believed that Conservatives might lead
others to their own way of thinking ; but he would
wish them to do so in no other way than by argu-
ment and by putting things clearly before their
neighbours. They ought to ask them whether they
wished the country to be in a state of safety,
and to preserve their old institutions (repairing
of course, where there was need of repair), of
whether they wished to sweep them all away.
He thought, if any man ral for five minutes,
he would say that he wished to keep things as they
were, as if we followed the advice of theßright party
we should all be pretty well swept into the sea
together. (Laughter.) He (Colonel Learmonth)
thought that if Conservatives held to their • opinions
and explained them.to members of the opposite party