The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-16 00:00:00

G
~z~GJ

The Attorney-General and Sir Morton MCI

at Bristol.

- 0

Tuesday being the anniversary of Edward Col-
ston, it was celebrated in Bristol with the customary
demonstrations. The friends of the Dolphin Society
(Conservative) dined at the Victoria Rooms, under
the presidency of Major Bush, and the Anchorites
(Liberal) dined at the new St. James's Hall, Grey-
hound Hotel, Broadmead.
Sir J. ROL; M.P., replied to the toast of " Her Majesty's
Ministers," given at the Dolphin Society's dinner. The it-
torneY-General, on rising, was received with loud applause.
After some preliminary remarks, he said the toast told him
that they not only permitted but encouraged the introduc-
tiOn of political topics —(hear, hear)—especially those hav-
ing reference to those great Conservative awl Liberal prin-
ciples with which they were all identified. (Hear, hear.)
Now, he did not think he should be wrong in pronouncing
the political era in which they lived one of the most im-
portant long known in this land. He was aware it was the
tendency of human nature always to magnify the import-
ance of the present moment—to forget the difficulties of the
past, while their political vision was not strong enough 14.
see into the future; and therefore they were often too dis-
posed to think there was something special and peculiar in
the present moment, and that they had trials to which they
had not been subjected before. But making allowance for
all this, ho would venture to think—and c3uld not too much
impress it on those present—that they were living in au era
of the greatest importance and danger to their Constitution,
(Hear, hear.) And he would tell them why ho thought so.
The wisdom,.firmuess, and moderation of their ancestors
had given them aConstitution 'consisting of a mixed monar-
chy, under which they had obtained an intellectual, civil,
and religious freedom in a degree and manner which cer-
tainly never before existed in the known world. Coupled with
this there had been from time immemorial, as the founda-
tion of all civil society, a recognition of the rights of pro•

_ .
perty, the supremacy of law and order amidst all our free-
dom. (Hear.) Their freedom had never degenerated into
licentiousness. That being so, he would say that the pre,.
-sent *as an era of importanee, because democracy-was mak-
ing a desperate effort to take the stronghold of our Con-
stitution, and notwithstanding the large measures and in-
fluence of democracy in their councils, it would not be

satisfied unless it got the absolute ascendancy. (Hear.)
The learned gentleman then drew a comparison between
the theory of the present political agitators and the practi-
cal results that would follow the adoption of their views,
and contended that the trades unions wore beginning to
merge into one-:the questions of the rights of labour and
the rights of property. Political economists and theorists
led those whom they addressed to believe that if they car-
ried universal suffrage, and extonled their number in the

[louse of Commons, all they needed would be obtained, and
the rights of labour being triumphant, they could attack
their rights of capital and properly. (Hear.) It was this par-
tisanship between the theoretical politician and the trades

unionist that be so much dreaded, and which he believed
was making steady advances. But he believed also that
all classes of the commuuiiy, and of all politics except ex-

treme politicians, seeing the danger in which they were
placed, were endeavouring to oppose the movement. (Lear,
hear.) Should this movement sucemUie _bupposes they
would begin by abolishing the laws of primogeniture. The
next step would be to stop settling property on the next
generation. All that could be done at present. Then they
would be deprived of the power of disposing of property
after death; and then they would limit the extent of pro-
perty each individual should be allowed to enjoy. Under
. .

these circumstances it behoved all classes to- consider what
course should be taken to avert the evil. It was impossible
for hint to enter into details, but it was their duty to main-
tain the Constitution with firmness and moderation. With
those who advocated the handing over the wholo'power of

,ho House of Commons to a mere numerical majority they

must hold no parley—they must keep them at arm's length.
(Cheers.) There must be no surrender. (Cheers.) If this
course be pursued he ventured to think that, as in the 17th
century the wisdom, firmness, and moderation of their an-
cestors saved them from an absolute monarchy and in the
18th century from a narrow oligarchy, so in the 19th cen-
tury their Constitution would stand as it had hitherto
stood, and would resist democracy as in earlier centuries.
(Cheers.) Moderation was desirable, but moderation was
not inaction. (Cheers.)
Mr. BERKELEY, M.l'., responded at the Liberal dinner to

Lo toast of "The Health of the Members for the City of

lristol." Touching-6n the subject of Parliamentary reform,
[e said if Lord Derby should crod nee a measure of reform

which he (Mr. Berkeley) thought to be an onward step; it
should have his support. But be disbelieved in their bring-
ing in any measure of reform at all, and if they did, he be-
lieved that it would .be so hollow and doceittul that it
would fall to the lot of their members oppose it. (gear,
hear.) And now did not those present think that they were
going a little too fast? liovi were we to have reform in this
country ender the existing state of things ? While the
composition of the Home of Commons was as it was,
while the electoral body -who sent the members to Parlia-
ment was it was, lie
,said, reform was almost tz3eless.

(Cheers.) When he looked about the country and saw the
state of degradation into which the constituencies WCal
plunged, when ho saw noblemen standing up and equivo •
toallmanner
w,itn•.evshsecz
whoeveruudet es
tahmeiyntnatiigohnt;
be and'et,tisnvsgehtotiininngitghahent mebleeaacinialelllsel example
upon to tell the truth, anything but
good, he must say that it presented a fearful spectacle.
(Hoar.) He took Totnes purposely, because it reflected
upon the Liberal party. There were but two ways in which
wo could obtain reform. One was by altering the whole
state of election, by altering those miserable committees of
the House of niiituons, in which no justice was done
either as regarded law or equity. That must be done in
order to obtain reform, or there must be a revolution to
gain it. Who was there prepared Co say they would have a
revolution ? None of those present. They knew in this
country that bad as the state of things might be, they could
compare this country with any other in the world. (Hear,
hear.)

Sir M. PETO, on rising, was received in the most flatter-
ing manner possible. When silence had been restored,
the hon. baronet oirerved that he thanked his friends most
heartily for that very kind reception. Last year he made
some remarks which he feared were misapprehended by
many persons in the country. lie recommended the ap-
pointment of a commission to fully ascertain all the facts
which could be known upon which a Reform Bill should
be based, and that the Reform Bill should be postponed for
a year. A great many of their friends in the country
deemed that rather to be the advice of an insincere Re-

former; but he could not help feeling, with 17 years' expe-
rience of the House of Commons, that their object was the
obtaining of a sound Reform Bill, and that a year lost in
the preliminary investigation would not be practically
year lost in the cause of reform. (Hear, hear.) They
were met that night to look at things as they existed, and
ho asked them whether there was at the commencement
of last year that earnestness on the part of the people gene-
rally which was calculated to impress a new House o
Commons with the necessity for a Reform Bill. (Hear,
hear.) He said unaffectedly there was
.not. And
Fornow,
what was the position of the present Ministry? For
Bill forone,
ho was not prepared to expect a sound
• bill was broughtm
any such source—(hear, hear)—butifacoursewhich
forward, he was prepared to take theA
la his
indicated.pe (Applause.)
fousea.c)cepAtnicl.t_if
the honouredbi
Il was
a colleague
sound
he vr
(applause)—and where it was wanting. e was prepared,
with the help of other menthols of the House of Com-
mons, to add to it that which
allow him WILS wa. Mang. (Hear, hear.)
They would, perhaps, nOW to mention an in-
stance which occurred when Lord Palmerston and Lord
Russell resumed the Ministry in the last Parliament. He
had the honour of being asked by Lord Palmerston to se-
cond a motion to be made by Lord Httrtington, stating
the house of Commons had no confidence in
the aTory Administration. Ho ventured humbly to write
to Lord Palmerston stating that he would not do
anything of the kind, and ho declined to take that action,
because he felt that until the Tory party should committ
themselves by some overt act, to show that they were not

in accord withtheprinciples of the majority of the country,
it was a short-sightod policy to turn them out. (hear.)
ID therefore declined the honour, and it was undertaken
by the hon. member for Middlesex. He was not prepared
to be a party to anything like an action to turn out tho
Tory 'Administration without giving them a fair trial—
.

---
(applause) - and ho knew that his honored collea.ge would
not be wanting in the same act of justice. As to a Reform
Bill, he was not prepared to take anything less than the
bill of last session. (Hear.) Referring to the importance of
au efficient army, the hon. baronet said no man with any
reflection could have looked upon that war between Aus-
tria and Prussia, and have seen the collapse of Austria in
the short period of a few days, without reflecting on what
might possibly be; the fate of his own country. There
was no greater friend of peace iu that room than ho was ;
but he was prepared to say this that it was the bounden
duty at the present moment of every party in this country
—whether Conservative, Liberal, or whatever they.might
be—to see that the various services in this country should
at the present time be placed in the highest possible state
of efficiency. (Applause.) He then touched upon the pre-
sent position of our navy. With regard to the Board of
Admiralty, he had often stated that he did not conceive it

possible that whilst the board existed as at present consti-
tuted wo c.Juld have an effective or useful administration.
The first thing we should do was to alter our plan entirely
with regard to our foreign stations. We had 01 small and
effective vessels ; and he said that in the place of them wo
should have a smaller number of thoroughly effective ships.
Then he said tbat the second thing requiring to bo done was
the replacing of our obsolete wooden line-of-battle ships by
iron frigates. We had the Victoria in the Mediterranean,
the Duncan in North America, and the Princess Royal in
China—all wooden line of-battle-ships with something
like 800 souls on board of each—and if war were to break
out to-morrow morning with America, she had a vessel in
those seas which would annihilate either of these vessels
in five or ten minutes, and he asked if that was the posi-
tion in which the country should be placed ?