The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-09 00:00:00

NOTTINGHAM

The election is one of the most exciting that
have ever taken place in this town. The Conser-
vatives are making a great push, and Lady Jenkin-
son is busily canvassing for her husband. The other
candidates are all actively engaged. On Monday
evening there was a mass meeting in the Market-
place, more than 30,000 persons being present ; Sir
R. Clifton presided, and Mr. Osborne vindicated
himself from the charge of splitting the Liberal
party in the borough.
Mr. OSBORNE said that the Liberal deputation
who waited upon him in London made a distinct
proposition to him, asking him in case Lord Am-
berley did not accept their requisition, whether he
would stand under their auspices. His reply was,
" What do you take me for ? I am a gentleman
unaccustomed to play double parts, or to go with
opnuetaptianrty askedwhen It
oa mb e pledged tot
oanother."the
e next
day (Sunday.) He unwillingly assented, but took
the precaution to have a witness in the room. That
morning the deputation had publicly denied his
statements. As soon as heheard of it he telegraphed
to his friend in London telling him of the denial
that had appeared, and saying, " I will stand or
fall by your testimony as to the truth of what I
said." It was a warning to him not to have any
more private interviews with the three gentlemen of
the Liberal Society. " Liberal Society" did they
call it ? A more illiberal set of men to have usurped
a name not belonging to them it had never been his
fortune to come in contact with. It seemed to him
that they were actuated not by the spirit of libe-
rality but of persecution, and were determined to
hunt him down. They were desirous of affixing a
stigma to his name, and acted on the principle of
throwing dirt, for some of it might stick. But they
did not know the man with whom they had to deal;
he was not a man to fly or turn his back upon his
opponents. He would meet them foot to foot, and
if he could not give them a sound Liberal thrash-

ing in this conflict, he should call his supporters
exceedingly injudicious seconds and worthless
bottle-holders. He was not going to mince matters
with this coterie or clique. He had had something
to do with men who

" Forget the dunghill where they grew,
And think themselves the Lord knows who."

And feeling that he was supported by the honest
and unpurchased electors in the town, he was deter-
mined not to submit to dictation on the part of those
who wished to throw dirt on an honest and straight-
forward man, and to drag him down from the re-
spectable position he had hitherto occupied. What
man with the spirit of an Englishman in his heart
would be satisfied with a set of men, however
wealthy and respectable they might be, who sent
their emissaries east and west, right and left, to
select two members for their choice ? It reminded
him more of the middle ages than of the year 1866.
(Cheers.) They were told that the Liberal party
—and who were the Liberal party if not those before
him that night ?—had done so and so. He wanted
to know who were the more Liberal—the men who,
in the light of day, accepted a stranger after listen-
ing to his sentiments, or the men who went through
the back streets, here and there, in Birmingham,
London, Manchester, and Liverpool, begging for
candidates ? This was no common contest. It

was a contest where their freedom and their rights
were at stake, and if they did not willingly support
him as the exponent of independence, they would
henceforth be branded among the constituencies of
England as a body of serfs—as a body content to
take the nomination of their candidates from that
class which was styled " No. 30," meeting in a room
which, like another place, was paved with good in-
tentions. (Cheers.)

Lord Amberley and Mr. 11. Coasham addressed
the electors and non-electors in the Market-place,
on Monday evening.

Mr. COSSIIA3I taxed Mr. Bernal Osborne w

coming down to divide the Liberal party at Notting-
ham. He said Mr. Osborne might say what he
liked, but he came here the nominee of the Tory
party. He came to damage the Liberal cause. He
came to endeavour to transfer the Liberalasentiment

in the town to the Tory side. (Hear, hear.) He did
hope before Mr. Osborne's reputation was quite gone
he would retire. He had come here not half so
honestly and so honourably as Sir G. Jenkinson.
(Cheers.) Since he (Mr. Cossham) left Nottingham