The Sun.
London, England, 1832-10-17 00:00:00

TOWER HAMLETS' ELECTION.

Yesterday evening a most numerous and highly
tespectable, meeting was held at Mr. De Fontaine's
Riding•school, Worship-street, Shoreditch, for the
purpose of meeting Colonel Leicester Stanhope, and
hearing from him an exposition of the principles on
which he claims the honour of representing the
Tower Hamlets in Parliament. We should think
that not less than 1,500 persons were present.
Mr. B. WADDEN was called to the chair, and in-

troduced the business of the evening in an eloquent
and much applauded speech. After adverting to the
services redered by Colonel Stanhope to the cause
of liberty in Ireland, in Greece, in India, and else-
where, he urged upon them the importance of elect-
ing men on whom they could rely—men who would
carry out to their fullest extent the great principles,
the dereliction from which made Reform imperative.
He then referred to the state of Ireland, and to the
abominable system of tithes. No maa who re-
garded Ireland with any degree of attention, but
must be convinced that tithes ought to be at once
extinguished.—(Cheers.) Triennial Parliaments
were also wanting, to put an end to that odious
system of corruption which had been so long carried
on. He concluded by introducing Colonel Leices-
ter Stanhope.—(Cheers.)
Colonel STANHOPE then rose, and was very
warmly greeted. He was the only candidate out
of eleven who had presented themselves to their no.-
, rice, who had given written pledges.—(Hear, hear.)
The reason why they had not given written pledges,
was probably because they did not feel it prudent
so to do. But what was prudence but the practical
application of wisdom ? and if it were prudent for
them to be acquainted with the character of their
Representatives, surely it would not be imprudent
for those who sought that honour to give them faci-
lities for acquiring that information. They might
depend on it there were no colours like black and
white.—(Cheers.) Those were the colours of the
British standard, and the emanations of the human
mind were displayed upon it. The first duty of a
Statesman was to ameliorate the condition of the
suffering portions of the community. Such being
his opinion of the duties of a Statesman, he would
take that opportunity of enumerating the means by
which that end would, in his opinion, be best at-
tained. The first thing that was necessary was, to
have an honest Parliament—a Parliament that
would promote cheap government—(Cheers)—
the improvement of trade—tile advancement of
knowledge—and the atolition of all monopolies.
—(Continued cheers.) Parliaments should be tri-
ennial. According to the old law of this country,
Parliaments were annual ; but in 1694 they were
niade triennial. The security of secret ballot was
indispensable —(Applause.) Each man would then
be at liberty to vote according to his own interest,
and thus the public interest would be promoted;
for the general interests of individuals con,tituted
the public interest. Owing to the manner in which
the Reform Bill was drawn up, the gibberish in
which Acts of Parliament were involved, at least
one half of the constituency were deprived of the
right of voting.—(Cries of " More"—" Shame,
shame: ) Their first endeavours should therefore be
directed to remedy this defect. For the purpose of
advancing knowledge, he advocated the establish-
ment of schools in very parish and village, and of
libraries of useful knowledge for the working classes;
but the most important step of all, for that purpose,
was the abolition of a'l taxes on knowledge—(lm-

mense cheering)—and the substitution, in its place,
of a small postage. It had been said that the mails
would not be sufficient for the purpose; if so, let
omnibuses be engaged.—(A laugh.) With regard
to our religious establishment, he thought it most
unjust that 12,000,000 of Dissenters and Catholics
should be called on to pay towards the support of
the church of which he was a member.—(lt is.)
He was, therefore, for the entire abolition of tithes.
—(Approbation.) That part which belonged to
the Church as a corporation should be sold for the
benefit of the public, and paid into the public
exchequer; and that part which belonged to
individuals should be sold, and the produce paid to
those individuals; for he was a respecter of pro-
perty—landed property, funded property, and also
property in labour. Every pastor should be provided
for by his own flock. He had high authority for
this; he understood that Dr. Lushington had ex-
pressed himself in favour of an abolition of tithes.
This would create a great rumpus in the part of the
country where he resided. He lived opposite the
Palace of the Bishop of London—( A laugh)—and
when he heard that one of his ecclesiastical judges
had been speaking in favour of the abolition of tithes
it would fall on him like a thunderbolt. The ad-
ministration of justice was a fertile field of abuse,
and he agreed with the illustrious Bentham in his
opinions on this subject. They must get rid of fee-
gathering, as they had got rid of it in France, be-
fore ally efficient remedy could be applied. That
mountain of parchment which contained the Statute
Law should be reduced. Would they believe it ?
The Statute Law of England occupied thirty-nine
immense volumes; and of those, the statutes passed
from Magna Charta to the commencement of the
reign of George the Third filled only seven and a
half. He was favourable to the system of codifi-
cation. The next step was cheap government ;
and he was inclined, in common with his friend
Mr. Hume—(Applause)—to fall back to the stan-
dard of 1792. The standing army should be reduced,
and one step towards it would be the extinction of
tithes, the collection of which in Ireland alone cost
us 25,000 men. A standing army was, in his opi-
nion, unconstitutional. He was favourable to free
trade, but the great preliminary was a free trade in
coin.—; Loud cheers.) He would vote for the re-
duction of the duty at once to 12s. a quarter, and
for the subsequent reduction of is. annually. With
regard to the East India Company, he thought some
advantages attended it, but that its trading ought to
be separated from its sovereign character ; that the
tax on tea ought to be abolished, and that all British
subjects should be allowed to settle there. He was
the first man who raised his voice in India to advo-
cate a free press.—(Cheers.) The silk manufacturers
were, he thought, ill-used—they ought to have given
them a free trade in corn before they gave a free
trade iu silk. He expressed his abhorrence of West
India Slavery, and his determination to vote for any
measure that Mr. Wilberforce might sanction. He
would emancipate all children born of slaves—all
who could read and write, and place those who
could not on the footing of apprentices in this
country. An efficient Act to give the parishioners
a voice in the Vestries ought to be passed without
delay ; and as to flogging in the army and navy, his
detestation of the system was well known. He con-
cluded by thanking them for the patient attention
with which they had heard him.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. CHILD moved a resolution expressive of con-
fidence in Colonel Stanhope, and pledging the meet-
ing to support his return.
Mr. SMITH seconded, and Mr. LEMON supported
the motion, which was carried unanimously.
Mr. COOPER and Mr. ALLEN moved and second-
ed a motion for the appointment of a Committee
for that purpose, which was carried.
It was then stated that a subscription had been
commenced to bring the Colonel in free of expense.
Thanks were voted to the Chairman and the
meeting separated.
After the recent stormy discussions in this be-
rough, it may be proper to say, that the meeting,
though large, was one of the most orderly we ever
witnessed.

A few days ago, as the Lincoln coach was
driving up to London, it met a drove of sheep and oxen,
which, it appears, could not be got out of the way before
the horses came upon them, and all fell in the midst of
the sheep with a great crash, killing several of them, and
maiming others. None of the passengers were injured.
In half an hour afterwards the down coach in the same
connection overtook the iden ical drove of sheep some dis-
tance from Bale's-hill, mar Watford, and before the horses
could be pulled up they were all thrown down amidst the
flock, and the coachman was viuhntly pitched from his
seat. Several sheep were also killed here, and the coach-
man so much injured that he was taken to the Bull, at
Walton, in a dangerous state.—Herts Mercury.