The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-02 00:00:00

~~~~~~

when the bill for the redistribution of matt, .4
brought in, there will be some discussion, and we
shall begin to discover what is the tone d the house
with regard to that proposition as well as this. The
gentlebmiLn who have been hungry for a redistribu-
tion (laughter)—who have quoted in the
House of Commons extracts from speeches
of mine made about seven years ago,
wherein it was stated that a redistribution
of seats was as important as a franchise
bill, and who have quoted those extracts to show
how ineousistentl was in supporting this Franchise
Bill and not joining them in insisting upon a redis-
tribution bill—these gentlemen who have boei eien
don't know where, but in a very high p
thusiastn—(laughter) —in favour of redistribution
of seats, it is just conceivable that next Monday
their enthu: iasm will have greatly evaporated—
(laughter)—ainl they will begin to find that the
danger which they discovered in the Franchise Bill
was very small indeed compared to the imminent
peril of the other. (Continued laughter.) If this
should be the case, if we don't find a great number
of the 33 coming back to their old friends—if we
find that that large party, upon whom I look some-
times with astonishment and often with pity—
(laughter)—.in the House of Commons, make the
same fight against the two bills they have made
against the Franchise Bill, what is the course that
we ought to pursue ? It is evident the time has come
when the great question must be again decided,
whether the great liberal party and population of
this country shall submit to that small reactionary
minority which has been so loud in the House of
Commons during thelastthree weeks. My own opi-
nion is that that reactionary party is a very small
minority in thecountry, andthatthough they polled
313 votes to our 318 that is no measure whatever of
_the position in the country. And more than that, I
believe it is no measure of the position they hold
amongst the middle classes of the country, if the
working classes for the moment were put entirely
ho
ou greatwt of .the
sos
soon
struggle--I
gi
tglquestion.comes.e_T
don't
(chcheaen we
reersm. should
lEofuvil
if it
Every tcomeday is t
otdoue this
during
which the discussion on this question is continued,
whether in Parliament or the country, there will be
a more entire Cohesion between the intelligent middle
classes and the great multitudes of the working
classes of the people.- (Cheers.) That took place in
1831 and in 1832, and at the last that union became
BO complete, and their power so demonstrated, that
opinion swept, as it were, like a whirlwind from one
end' of the country to the other, and that great
Tory party which had ruled England for
al
a 0
ic.,o
by
syeverca,vrrse-
. discovered(Cheers. scarcely
) Letusthien
wn
at i oai
nns tl
tyh evenew nh what
to
ini
so nhe p
eellarosutsneiogfhtCwomhemnoynosu.
Next Monday nighatsswinilgl bine tthh
will have any distinct intimation of the temper of
parties there. When we see that the same opposition
is to be made, that probably the bill or bills and the
Government may be in jeopardy, then I think
nothing could be more wise than that the whole
Liberal party throughout the country should
give that expression of support to the Govern-
ment which would convince the Government
that change of their bills, or withdrawal of their
bills, or postponement of their 'bills, or the resigna-
tion of the Government, would be a fatal policy.
(Cheers.) The bill in 1831 was not carried without
a dissolution of Parliament. It may be that this
bill must go through the same ordeal. I believe
that every day's discussion will make the result of a
dissolution more certainly in favour of Reform, and
I hope that when we separate—the many here from
various towns from the North of England—we shall
do all we can amongst our neighbours to prepare
them for the struggle that may be impending. Re-
collect what you gained by the struggle of your
fathers in the year 1832. You gained an amount of
freedom and of good legislation which centuries be-
fore had not given you. I will not say recollect, but
measure what good you will gain for your children
and your children's children, if you now by one grand
effort enable the Government successfully to pass the
bill.

The hon. member sat down amidst great cheering.

After a vote of thanks to the chairman the meet-
ing terminated with three cheers for the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and more cheers for Earl Russell.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, as
Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, held a levde
yesterday at the Horse Guards. Nearly 150 officers
attended.

Yesterday being the anniversary of the birth of
Prince Arthur, her Majesty's ships Victory and
Duke of Wellington, with all others in commission
in Portsmouth harbour, the Pallas at Spithead, and
the Irresistible at Cowes, hoisted the Royal Stan-
dard and national ensigns at their mastheads in
honour of the day. At noon a Royal salute was
fired.

The Cherub and Minstrel, unarmoured screw
gunboats, fitted out for service in North America
and the West Indies, having made a satisfactory
trial of their machinery, will go out of Portsmouth
harbour to Spithead to-morrow, where they will
receive their remaining stores and undergo their
official inspection prior to sailing for their destina-
tion. They are reported to sail on Thursday
evening or Friday morning from Spithead, and it is
expected that the armoured screw corvette Pallas,
6, Capt. M. Connolly, will convey them on, their
voyage as far as Madeira.

The band and remainder of the 66th Regiment
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Devonport.
They were disembarked at the dockyard, and for-
warded at 4 p.m. by special train on the London
and South-Western Railway to Aldeishott Camp
via Farnborough.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Richard B. Wilkinson,
to the Amazon ; Dr. Thomas Milne, assist.-surg.,
to the Mullet; Charles 11. Slaughter, assist.-surg.,
to the Jackal ; Arthur Ilavergal, master's-assist.,
to the Salamander ; Munro Scott, master's-assist.,
to the Challenger ; Thomas E. Goodwin, clerk
additional, to the Duncan ; S. J. Davis, clerk, to
the Formidable, as supernumerary.
The undernamed gentlemenhave been nominated
naval cadets:—Randolph A. A. Lambert, Harry C.
Reynolds, and Clement Swetenbaum.

thaAtlßt.heJoimmtsshonNisenO B
confidenceS TI N ACT. The
of
Dir.be. Jo
With
in his own policy is extremely rcmarka
more than two-thirds
of Repre-
House Senateseut:pado
in and
nearly three-fourths of the
to him, with the
sentatives in open Times thinkshnson
whoopposition
instructionse
hoendorsedaftth e
lukewarmo his
their con
ww.ihtnihoiaa unconscious that he is
knowledge that
BO against the express
Democratic r
~, : . Johnson re-
mainssoulnartv Mr
nfirpmre,ss,
estvietnuefnrtsom, and
the
It is true that he still enjoys a well-
earnedpersonal popularity,
especially at New
York, and is vigorously backed
however, by no means exercises
up by the chief
organs of public opinion in that •
city. The
the influence which isoften
attributed to it, and Mr
Johnson's own election, no less than President Lin-
colnbeaten. 's re-election, are recent proofs that Republican
principles command an overwhelming majority in
the North. The I 2 '
mes admires the calm attitude of
Mr. Johnson, but even his followers are beginning
to doubt whether he thoroughly understands the
nature and intensity of Northern sentiment. Them
are generally two ways of carrying a point, and the
way selected by Mr. Johnson looks too like an in-
opportune defiance of a very formidable antagonist.
" C'est magnifique, mail ce n'st pas la guerre," and
a little conciliation of the triumphant North, as well
as of the vanquished South, might perhaps have been
more politic _ _

FRENCH SPIRITS.—The Director of Customs has
showing that the quantity of
published official returns,
spirits distilled in Franco between the Ist of October last
and the Ist of April amounts to 1,433,487 hectolitres ;
1,190,343 hectolitres were withdrawn from the stores during
the same period, of which 181,016 hectolitres were exported,
and 1,009,327 hectolitres consumed at home. By comparing
these figures with the produce during the corresponding
six months of the preceding season, it will be found that
there were 401,837 hectolitres more spirits distilled during
the last six months, and 322,705 more hootolitros consupied.