The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-07 00:00:00

Lanarkshire

Linlithgowshire
Orkney

Peeblesshire
Perthshire ..
Renfrewshire

Ross and Cromarty
1 Roxbitrghshire ..
, Selkirkshire ..

Stirlingshire ..
Sutherlandshire ..
Wigtonshire ..

PLACES.
Armagh • .
Athlone ..
Bandon ..
Belfast ..

Carlow .. ..
Carrickfergus ..
Cashel • • . .
Clonmel .. ..
Coleraine .. ..
Cork (deceased) ..

Downpatrick
Drogheda ..
Dublin ..

Dublin University

Dundalk .
Dungannon
Dungary on
Ennis .
Enniskillen
Galway .

Kilkenny ..
Kinsale ..
Limerick ..

Li6burne ..

C. Londonderry ..
Mallow ..
1 New Ross ..
1 Newry ..
Portarlington

THE MEETING OF THE LIBERAL
PA_RTY.

A meeting of the Liberal members of the House
of Commons was held yesterday afternoon, at
Willis's Rooms, and was attended by 274 gentle-
men, representing the various sections of that party.
The proceedings were opened by

Lord PALMERSTON, who observed that the issue
upon which Government had dissolved Parliament
was not the question of Reform, or any other mat-
ter of legislation, but simply and solely whether or
not they possessed the confidence of the country.
He thought that the late election had given a con-
clusive answer to that question, and that it was the
business of the Liberal party to determine whether
or not they should accept the challenge which had
been given them. He believed it would be the
more manly and straight forward course to do so,
and he briefly sketched out the terms of the pro-
posed amendment, expressive of a want of confi-
dence in the present Government, which he stated
that Lord Hartington end Mr. Hanbury were
respectively willing to propose and second, should
the meeting deem it advisable for them to do so. In
adverting to the war in Italy, his lordship dwelt
on the signal failure which the Government had
met with in their endeavours-to maintain peace be-
tween the contending parties, and contended that a
Cabinet, which had manifestly lost all weight in
the Councils of Europe upon so momentous a
question as that of peace and war, was not fit to be
any longer entrusted with the conduct of our foreign
relations. He also insisted very strongly on the duty
of maintaining a strict neutrality, which he said the
speech of Lord Derby, previous to the outbreak of
the war, had tended to impair ; and declared that
he could not foresee any circumstance which would
render the hostile intervention of England necessary.
Lord J. RussELL next addressed the meeting.,
and, after strongly deprecating the continuance of
the Government in the hands of a minority, which
he characterised as most unconstitutional and dan-
gerous, expressed his hearty desire either to co-
operate with Lortl Th,;.ltwx.qon. in the eeePt of that
noble loid beiiir ctlkd upon to form an kdminis-
tration, or to avail him.:4211 of his assistance, in the
event of his being required to conduct the affairs of
the country himself. His lordship adverted in the
course of his speech to the state of the Liberal
party, and expressed his opinion that in the event of
a Liberal Government being formed it was essential
that the three great sections of that party—the old
Whigs, the Peelites, and the advanced Liberals-7
should each be represented in it.
Mr. BRIGHT, who followed Lord John, spoke of
the dissensions which had hitherto existed in the
Liberal party, for which he considered himself in
some measure responsible, hut which he both
accounted for and vindicated, on the ground that
the old members of that party, who had carried
the Reform Bill of 1832, had not acted up to
the principles which inevitably flowed from that
measure, but had made a point of excluding from
any share of power all those independent members
who usually sat below the gangway, and who con-
sidered that they had duties to perform to their
constituents as well as to the nominal leaders of the
party to which they belonged. If, however, they
were willing to act henceforth on a more compre-
hensive system, he should have no hesitation in
sinking minor differences, and in giving such a
Government his most cordial support. He was not
quite satisfied, however, with what had fallen from
Lord Palmerston on the subject of our foreign rela-
tions ; and if he thought that peace was more likely
to be secured by keeping the present Government
in office, nothing should induce him to assist in
turning them out.
Lord PALMERSTON explained that, in his opinion,
nothing was so conducive to the interests of Europe
and the preservation of peace as the maintenance of
a strict alliance between England and France.
Mr. S. HERBERT strongly advocated a decided
movement on the part of the Liberal members, and
said that even if unsuccessful it would do them no
harm, and would at least have the effect of deter-
mining the question as to whom the country was
to be governed by.
Mr. ROEBUCK repeated the substance of his
speech at Milford Haven, and declared that he felt
no confidence in the sudden change which had taken
place in the relations between Lord Palmerston and
Lord John Russell. He reminded the meeting that
this country had both commenced and ended the
war with Russia at the instigation of France, and
decl red his absolute want of confidence in Lord
Palmerston, who had already, he said, forfeited the
confidence of the "country, by truckling to that
Power.

- -
After some remarks by Mr. CONINGIIAM and Mr.
TionsmAN, the former of whom deprecated any tone
of hostility towards France, while the hitter ques-
tioned the policy of the movement which had been
recommended by the leaders of the party, Mr.
ELLICE, in a short but forcible address, impressed
upon the meeting the necessity of immediate action,
which, he said, was not to be regarded as an act of
aggression against the Government, but simply as
an acceptance of the challenge which had been
given them by Lord Derby.
Mr. M. MILK Es and Mr. LINDSAY then addressed
the meeting, which shortly afterwards separated.