The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-15 00:00:00

TAMWOItTH, TUESDAY.
The anniversary meeting of the Sparkenhoe
Farmers' Club was held to-day in this town, and
was largely attended by the neighbouring gentry
and farmers.

The annual dinner took place in a large marquee
erected in the field in which the show was held,
and in which about 1,100 ladies and gentlemen sat
down to an excellent cold collation, under the pre-
sidency of Mr. Spooner, M.P., who was supported
by his hon. colleague in the representation of War-
wickshire (Mr. Newdegate).
After the removal of the cloth,

The PRESIDENT proceeded to give the usual
loyal and patriotic toast. In giving The Health
of the Queen" he observed that he had heard with
regret that in another part of the kingdom the
name •of the Queen had either been altogether
omitted or had been made secondary to a toast
which in this country was one of the most objec-
tionable that could be proposed. 'Whatever might
be the case in Ireland, he trusted, and indeed he
believed, such a thing could never take place in
this country. (Hear, hear.) It was an insult
which might in the course of time be forgotten, but
it was one that by an assembly of loyal English
farmers could never be forgiven. (Cheers.) Such
a Sovereign as we now had was an honour
to the age, and to substitute for her venerated name
that of the Pope was a direct insult to the Protes-
tantism and loyalty of the country---(cheers)—such
an insult as would not readily be erased from the
minds of her more loyal subjects. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN next proposed " The Health of
the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese," and in doing
so expressed the great pleasure he felt in witness-
ing the interest which the clergy now took in those
aagriculturalrc odferi derived from the
great
gatherings,
r o n hteh nn e
cfi being,ot ss t ias
which
s lt he
ehe was,
laouring quite
classesvatereour se they
had with the clergy. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev. Mr. MOULD, vicar of Tamworth, in re-
sponding, said that he was at all times rejoiced to
be present at a meeting of this description, know-
ing, as he did, the great advantages such associa-
tions had conferred upon the labouring classes.
They lived at a time when enormous progress was
made in every branch of the arts and sciences.
They could not be insensible of the fact that the
science of agriculture participated in that progress '
and was advancing with rapid steps ; and the cul-
tivators of the soil had that day given tangible
proofs of what they could do to promote the na-
tional interests, as well as those of their own class.
They knew how much could be done in dealing
with the land. The old adage used to run—

This is a beautiful world to live in,.
To lend, and to spend, and to give in ;
But to beg or to borrow, or seek for one's own,
It's the very worst world that ever was known.
Now, the land that they cultivated was of just the
opposite character, and farmers had discovered that
the more they lend to the land the more it returns
to them, so that the interest of the cultivator went
hand in hand with the interest of the landowner
and the great national interest. By the means which
had been taken to draw out and develop the in-
tellects of the husbandman, the farmers of England
were now enabled to do work which never could
have been effected while the minds of the peasantry
were in their former ignorant condition. They saw
what great good these societies were doing in all
parts of the country by teaching the working classes
and training them to skilled labour, thereby pro-
moting their own happiness and ,that of everybody
around them. (Hear.) He trusted that he should
always see the clergy working hand in hand with
the society, and that the Tamworth Agricultural
Association might continue to enjoy the esteem of
allconnected with it. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. NEWDEGATE, on 'rising to propose the next
toast, was received with loud cheers from all parts
of the room. The hon. gentleman said—Sir, permit
me, in the first place, standin' here at Tamworth,
to convey to you the deep satisfaction with which
I view this assemblage—on a site where the
shadows of past differences have been lengthened
far beyond the measure of their appropriate day ;
and let me congratulate you ladies, that you
are here, as you ever are, the harbinger of peace.
(Cheers.) I would that I could speak to the whole
town of Tamworth to tell them how glad I am to
see that those of their neighbours who are engaged
in cultivating the soil have again come to hold out
to the sons of commerce the hand of friendship. No
time could be more appropriate for this meeting
than the present. It has pleased Providence to
grant to the agriculturists of this country, notwith-
standing the present somewhat inconvenient
drought, a yield in the cereal crops which bids fair
to remunerate them for the skill and enterprise
they have displayed in the cultivation of their
farms. (Cheers.) But there is an old adage, and
that is that farmers are never happy unless they
have got something to grumble at. The real an-
swer to that is, that they can afford to grumble
where commerce finds it more prudent to hold her
tongue. (Laughter.) But, even if commerce were
not so prosperous as it was, still I think it well
that they should come here and tender the hand of
friendship with their best wishes that the co-ope-
ration of agriculture may tend to support coin•
merce, and that unity of interest, which is the
strength of every nation, may again prevail and be
exemplified in the union between Tamworth and
its neighbours. The particular toast which I
have to propose to you on the present occasion is
" The House of Lords." (Cheers.) In other coun-
tries you may find representative assemblies elected
more or less according to the will of the people.
In other nations you will find Sovereigns with
power more or less absolute or more or less con-
trolled, but in England alone you will find a
balance of power, which is established by the exist-
ence of three co-ordinate estates, that of the Sove-
reign, the House of Lords, and the House of Com-
mons. The House of Lords is appointed arbiter
between the will of the people and the discretion'
of the Sovereign. Often has that house interposed
its independence, which is its most glorious cha-
racteristic, to stay the arbitrary invasion of the
Crown, or check the wanton impulses of the people.
(Cheers.) Depend upon it that the debt which
England owes to its House of Lords ie far
greater than those who think lightly of our
interests can estimate it at. I believe
that the House of Lords is independent
because it is hereditary, and it is that, therefore,
which gives it its true value. The ladies must
ever feel deeply interested in everything that is
hereditary—those ladies who may be the wives and
mothers of peers hereafter have a deep responsibi-
lity cast upon them, for they have the first mould-
ing of the minds of our future hereditary legislators
—and the history of the House of Lords proves
that the peeresses of the kingdom are entitled to no
small praise for the care which they have taken of
the education of our youthful nobility. I beg to
propose " The Health of the House of Lords,"
lamenting that we should have been deprived of the
presence of the distinguished members who have
been prevented attending by illness, but I ask you
to drink this toast, because the House of Lords is a
great ChrAtian institution in England, and the cm,
bodiment of the independence of the country against
arbitary power. (Hear.) Long do I hope it will
continue to be so, and long do I hope that England
will continue to be the sanctuary of freedom and
the glory of the world. (Cheers.)
Mr. WEBSTER proposed " The House of Com-
mons," which was drunk with cheers. This asso-
ciation, with others of the like nature, eschewed
party politics, but it was somewhat difficult to steer
body
composed of politic in proposing the health of a
composed of all shades of politics and all parties.
He must say that he gave great credit to the House
of Commons as a whole' for the spirited manner in
which they conducted the business of the country,
and the country was bound to return them its
thanks for the valuable services they had performed
The House of Commons had lately made an expedi-
tion to visit the• Emperor of the French. They had
seen a great deal of what had Lc,: e,,,,
bourg, and the country had a right to know what
the impressions were which those fortifications had
made upon the minds of hon. members. Many of
them had expressed their opinion upon the subject.
They might be meant for peace, but they looked
much. more likely for war. They would remem-
ber that war could not be carried on without
the sinews, and he thought the visit of the' House
of Commons to Cherbourg would be very likely to
be a means of obtaining those sinews. (Hear.)
When the estimates came before them next session
he thought there would be very little cavilling at
`granting the necessary yotes for our coast defences.