The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-03 00:00:00

CITY OF WESTMINSTER.

MEETING.-(THIS DAY.)

A meeting of the electors favourable to the interest of Cap-
tain Sir Thomas Cochrane, R.N., took place at the British
Coffee-house. Cockspur-street, Charing-cross, for the purpose
of devising the best means of securing the return of the Gal-
lant Captain at the approaching election. The meeting was
very respectably attended.
On the motion of Mr. SHUTER,
Mr. BA 'twin was moved to the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that having been called upon to preside
at this meeting he should merely explain its purport, and leave
the resolutions to emanate from those gentlemen who were fa-
vourable to the purpose for which they had met, viz., to secure
the return of Sir Thos. Cochrane.
The advertisement calling the meeting was then read by
the Secretary, as also the requisition addressed to Sir Thos.
Cochrane, with his reply, which appears in another part of the
Paper. They were received with cheers.
A GENTLEMAN enquired if Sir Thomas Cochrane was now
Governor of Newfoundland ?
The SECRETARY replied that he was not, and that he had
received very flattering addresses from the inhabitants on his
departure from that colony.
Mr. Wanroun moved the first resolution. He regretted
that it had not been confided to a person of more importance
than himself—not that any person was a more stanch friend
to the Constitution as by law established, nor that any person
in that city would do more to uphold it than himself; but be-
cause he thought that the observations of an individual of more
weight than himself would be received with more cordiality by
the meeting.—( Cries of " No, no.") Much abuse had been
heaped upon Conservatives, and upon persons profess-
ing Conservative principles, but if Conservative meant
the maintenance of the laws and the protection of property,
in opposition to revolution, anarchy, and confusion, he (Mr.
W ) boldly avowed himself a Conservative.—( Cheers.) He
did not mean to deny, that after so many centuries, blemishes
and excrescences might not appear upon the Constitution,
and he also agreed that those blemishes might require the
pruning-knife, but that pruningsknVe should be carefully, in
order to be successfully used, so that in repairing they did not
injure the fabric, and thereby crumble it into dust.—( Hear,
hear.) That constitution which was the pride of ages he, for
ere, was determined to uphold, and with it their national
character. It was always his wish that candidates should de-
clare their sentiments personally, inasmuch as those declara-
does were better when delivered from the lips of the candi-
dates than when put forward in a written form. But there

wts one point to which he would direct their attention—
it was with regard to tolerance of religion. ( Hear,
hear.) He had always felt that a national church was

necessary to the well-being of the State, but at the same
time his creed was that every man should worship God ac-
cording to his own way of thinking.—( Hear, hear.) Man
was not to be judged for his religious opinions by the tribunal
of man; he must look to a higher tribunal. He was gratified
to state that from what he had heard at a meeting last night
from Sir Thomas Cochrane that he was a tolerant of all re-
ligious opinions, but that he was still determined to maintain
the protestant church as a National Establisment.—( Cheers.)
He had to apologise for having trespassed so long on their
time ; he had no right to do so, but he felt strongly upon the
subject. He avowed himself a conservative and a protestant,
but at the same time he thought that every creed should have
a full tolerance in religious matters, and that they should not
•be restricted in any of their civil rights. At the same time it
was his fixed principle that the Church, as by law established,
should be preserved inviolate.
Mr. WALFORD here read the resolution, which was as
follows :

" 1. That in the present state of the country, it is the impera-
tive duty of every loyal subject to rally round the throne, and sup-
port the King in the lawful exercise of his prerogative. That his
Majesty having called to his councils a new Administration, com-
posed of persons of known Conservative principles, it is the opinion
of this meeting that every support in their power be given to a
candidate avowing andprofcssing his accordance with this resolution."
The resolution was seconded by Mr. CATER, and passed
with one dissentient voice.

Mr. SHUTER moved the second resolution. After the very
excellent and able speech of Mr. Walford, there was little
left for him to say in proposing the next. He was happy to
find the meeting was so respectable and unanimous, and that
their intentions had been carried into effect, with the exception
of only one voice. It was necessary, at the present time, for
all good and loyal men to rally round their King and constitu-
tion. A great deal of talk had lately taken place about the
Church and the Bishops, and all those who supported them,
but let them only once divide the Church from the State, and
what, he would ask, would become of the country. He trusted,
however, that enough would be found to support their King
and protect the liberties of the Church. He was satisfied
that Sir Thomas Cochrane would faithfully discharge those
duties, and he was the more convinced of this from a conver-
sation which he had with the Gallant Captain last night, in
which he declared his determination to maintain those rights
and privileges which as Englishmen they were entitled to.—.

( Cheers.) - The resolution ;as then read:—
" 2. That the declaration of Sir Thos. Cochrane, as expressed in
his answer to the requisition of the Electors, is so clear and satis-
factory, that in the opinion of this meeting he is a fit and proper
candidate to represent this city in Parliament.
Mr. CLARKE seconded the resolution, which was passed with
one dissentient voice.
The CHAIRMAN observed that Sir T. Cochrane was rather
late in proposing himself a candidate for the city of West-
minster, but he should like to have the opinion of any gentle-
man who was acquainted with the sentiments of the constituency.
A voice in the crowd cried out—" He has no chance."

The SECRETARY enquired if there was any Gentleman from
St. Ann's parish present who could state what the feeling was
in that quarter ?
A- voice in the crowd—'
parish."

." There is no feeling at all in that

Mr. SHUTER—SO much the better for us:--( Lalighter.)

Mr. MaRsRALL came forward, and stated he had resided all
his life in St. Ann's parish, and that he eould state positively
that one half of the electors, amounting► to about 400, were in
favour of Sir Thomas Cochrane.--( Hear, hear, and cheers.)
(The same voice in the crowd again exclaimed, " Only 17
voters of St. Ann's parish voted last time for Mr. Estcourt."
Cries of " Mr. Estcourt is not before us now.")
Mr. PONSONBT moved the third Resolution, and said, after
the very full explanation which had been already given of the
views and prospects of the meeting, he would not trespass
further on their time, but merely submit it to their consi-
deration.

Sir THOMAS COCHRANE here entered the room, and was
received with great cheering. A gentleman called " another
broadside." The cheers were renewed, and lasted for several
minutes.

The CHAIRMAN requested that Mr. Ponsonby's resolution
might be disposed of. It was accordingly read as follows :
" 3. That the communications received from the friends of Sir
Thomas Cochrane, from various districts, respecting the strong
probability of a successful issue on the present occasion, are consi-
dered by this meetirr, to be perfectly satisfactory, and fully warrant
him in proceeding to the election. And this meeting pledges itself,
by every means in their power, by their votes and interest, to pro-
mote and secure the return of Sir Thos. Cochrane to Parliament as
one of the representatives of Westminster."
Mr. FINCHAM seconded it, and it was carried unanimously.
Sir THOMAS COCIIRANE then came forward amid great
cheering and addressed the meeting as follows :—Gentlemen,
I feel, in presenting myself before you, that I shall have to
draw most largely on your indulgence-4 Cheers, and cries of
" No, no.") I have not been in the habit of addressing large
assemblies, and have been brought before you in a manner
most unexpected and unsolicited by me. I have not presump-
tuously obtruded myself.—( Cheers.) it is only within the
last two or three weeks that I have returned from a
Foreign Government, which has been in my charge for
nearly ten years.—( Cheers.) Gentlemen, I came back from
that country to my native home to retire into private life.—
( Cheers.) On my arrival at Portsmouth I found the country
in a state, I believe, almost unexampled.—( Cheers.) I was
deeply distressed, but not surprised at it, for although I was
far removed from England, I felt anxious, as every English-
man would do, as to the events that were passing in my native
land ; and I could not but see, by the signs of the times, that a
crisis was approaching. Such being the fact, I felt it, gentlemen,
to be the dutyof every man who had the interest of his coun-
try, his family, or his friends at heart, to come forward on so
important and momentous an occasion.—( Great cheering.)
But, gentlemen, entertaining those opinions, I little thought
that I should so soon have been called upon in my own person
to show that I would practice what I preached.—( Great
cheering.) I felt myself too insignificant to imagine I could
be called forward.—( Cheers.) I had not, however, been
many days in London, when I was asked whether I would
come forward as a candidate for the city of Westminster, I
said that it would be folly and presumption in me to push my-
self forward, and declined doing so. But a few days had
elapsed from the time I declined to stand for the city of West-
minster when I was told that a re-action had taken place in
that city.—( Tremendous cheers, and cries of, "No more rotten
boroughs 1") I was:told that the electors only wanted some ral-
lying point to bring them together that they might have again an
°ppm tunity of expressing their own sentiments—( Cheering)
—they had been so long ruled by a species of despotism—
( Cheering)—that they would be glad if a person came for-
ward to release them from that thraldom—( Cheers)—and
would support him to the uttermost.—( Cheers.) I was asked
if a requisition was presented to me, signed by a large portion
of the electors, if I would then come forward, I said, under
those circumstances I felt myself a servant of my country, and
that I would do so. This, gentlemen, is precisely the cause
of my leaving the honour of appearing before you.---( Cheers.)
Gentlemen, during my absence a material alteration has taken
place in the constitution of the country, by the passing of the
Reform Bill.—( Cheers.) A bill which lam free to confess,
in virtuous, prudent, and wise hands, may tend to the greatest
advantages. lam satisfied, that in such bands it will be used
properly and discreetly—it will renovate our Constitution, and
place it on a much firmer basis.—( Great cheering.) But
Gentlemen, if it is to be made an engine to tear up the
institutions of the country—if it is to be made an
engine to destroy every thing that is valuable to
Englishmen, then, Gentlemen, I say instead of renovating
it will be the grave of Britons' liberties—( Vehement cheering)
--for, Gentlemen, I am fully persuaded there is but one step
from democracy to despotism.—( Tremendous cheering.)
Everybody who knows anything of history, must be aware that
rebellion invariably ends in tyranny. It is true that the Con-
stitution of this country, like every other human institution,
requires reparation. It is true there are many parts of it that
are covered with wounds and ulcers, but every empyric, under
the pretence of lopping off the sore from the limb, should
not be allowed to destroy it altogether.—( Great cheering.)
You have now, gentlemen, a most clever operator at the head
of affairs. I consider the manifesto of Sir Robert Peel as a
document which, if properly acted up to, will ensure the happi-