The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-15 00:00:00

BERKSHIRE ELECTION

ABINGDON, JAN. 14.
At an early hour this morning the town of Abingdo'n was
awakened by all the din and tumult which generally ushers
in the day of election. At eight o'clock the friends of Mr.
Walter were seen passing through Abingdon from different
directions to Drayton-green, where they were to meet at nine
o'clock to escort that gentleman to the hustings. About the
same hour the friends of Mr. Pusey proceeded to Shippon-
field, to meet that gentleman, whom they afterwards escorted
to Cullam-bridge, where the friends of Messrs. Palmer and
Pusey returned back to the hustings in the market-place,
where these two candidates briefly returned thanks to their
friends for the gratifying escort which had been afforded to
them. Shortly afterwards Mr. Walter and his cavalcade
reached the hustings ; and after a short delay, which was en-
livened by the reiterated cheering of his friends, Mr. Walter,
took his station along with the other candidates near the High
Sheriff, who had just adjourned the. County Court from the
Town-hall to the hustings erected before it.
Mr. WROUGHTON proposed R. Palmer, Esq.
Mr. M. GOODLAKE seconded the nomination.
Maor HENRY COURT proposed John Walter, Esq., of Bear
Wood.
Mr. BUDD seconded the proposition.
Mr. RUSSELL (of Swallowfield) proposed Mt. Pusey.
Mr. G. ELLIOTT seconded the nomination.
Mr. MARSH contended that there were not more honourable
or straightforward men in existence, or who would do more
credit to the party sending them to parliament, than the two
honourable gentlemen ( Messrs. Palmer and Pusey) whose
names had been proposed. ['hough he differed very widely
from them in politics, he would readily acknowledge, that as
priv ate gentlemen or magistrates, or as members of parliament,
no two more fit men could be selected to represent the Con-
servative interest of the county--( Applause and some disap-
probation.) He would now come to a tender subject. He
had from his boyhood been accustomed to oppose the Tories.
He therefore felt great pleasure in coming forward two years
ago to give his aid to his hon. friend Mr. Walter. He not
only supported him as a Reformer, but as a Reformer most fit
to represent the Reformers of the county of Berks in Parlia-
ment. But, as an old classic author had said, " Tempera
mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis,"—" The Times change and
we change with them." The Times indeed bad changed. He
would not designate it as Mr. Cobbett had coarsely, not clas-
sically done—the bloody old Times, but he would call it that
vessel which had been freighted with so large a share of public
opinion and public confidence. That vessel which had so long
kept a steady course on the broad ocean of politics had within
a short time got amongst the rocks and breakers of Con-
servatism—( Cheers and laughter, and some disapprobation.)
He did not know whether his Hon. Friend, Mr. Walter, was
the figure-head of the vessel, or at its helm, or following only
in its wake, but this he would say, that not liking to trust him-
self longer in such a vessel in such dangerous shoals, he (Mr.
Marsh) had jumped overboard.—( Cheers.) He had a great
personal regard for Mr. Walter and his family, but he could
not allow on such an occasion as the present, or indeed on any
occasion, any personal consideration to interfere with his duty
to the public, and therefore he must sax, though he did it with
pain, that he could not give to Mr. Walter that cordial sup-
port which he bad given him two years ago.--( Cheers, and
disapprobation.)
No other candidate being proposed, the Sheriff declared that
Robert Palmer, Esq., John Walter, Esq., and Phillip Husey,
Esq., were duly elected to serve for the county in Parlia-
ment—( Cheers. )
Mr. PALMER then addressed the meeting. He would state
what he understood to be a Reformer, and he would quote the
language of Sir R. Peel, in his address to his constituents at
Tamworth.—( Here he read that passage of Sir R. Peel's
dress in which he declared his adherence to the spirit of the
Reform Bill, and which is too well known to need repetition
here.) He (Mr. Palmer) would adopt the same principles.
There might be abuses in the Church, and if they were pointed
out, he would vote for their removal ; but he must first be con-
vinced that the abuse existed, for he was not disposed to re-
cognize as abuses the objections of those who called the church
itself a nuisance.
Mr. WALTER then came forward and was received with loud
cheering. With him no change had taken place.—( Cheers.)
He adhered to those principles which first gained him their
suffrages.—( Cheers.) If others had come to their way of
thinking really and cordially, they and he had reason to rejoice
at it. If their accession was hypocritical and designing, it
must be soon apparent from their actions—( Cheers)—and he
thought it would then be time enough to reject the present Mi-
nistry, when a people, justly suspicious, and ever, as they
ought to be, upon the watch, observed in that Ministry the first
deviation from its professions. If that Ministry gave the people
anything, the people ought to receive it. If it sought to with-
draw anything from the people, or withhold that to which the
people had a right, then their rejection must inevitably follow.
—( Cheers.) The actual facts connected with the retirement
of the late Ministry would, no doubt, be laid before the country
very soon; but thus much was at least certain, that the Re-
formers out of the Ministry had had nothing to do with it.—
( Cheers.) He could only say, that such as he had been, such
he would continue to be. To say that he, a Reformer, or that
they who were with him Reformers, would accept nothing of
the present Ministry, seemed little short of madness. They
and he would accept all that they could get.—( Hear.)
His hon. friend Mr. Marsh had mentioned an epithet which a
certain celebrated writer bad bestowed on a certain London
journal. As his worthy friend was a great admirer of that
writer, he might, perhaps, be permitted to remind him that
that same writer had also bestowed an epithet on him (Mr.
Marsh), and had called him a jack-pudding and a merry-an-
drew.—( Cheers and laughter.) With reference to the ballot,
his worthy friend had made some remarks in which he for one
moment could not concur. *The ballot was practised in some
other countries—as, for instance, in France and America;
but in those countries it wanted the advantage of experience.
In one of them the Government, as they all knew, had of late
been perpetually changing, and in the other the Government
had not yet lasted more than half a century, and could not
therefore be set forth as an example,—( Cheers.) Whatever
advantage his hon. friend might attach in his own mind to that
form of election, it could not be denied th at the suggestion
implied a charge the most humiliating and derogatory to the
British character.
Mr. PUSEY next addressed the electors, and was received
with loud cheers. He did not stand there as the partisan of
any Government ; but he must say that the present Govern-
ment had not got a fair trial. Mr. Pusey declared himself
opposed to the ballot, and instanced its ineffectual working in
France and America. He declared himself favourable to all
those concessions to the Dissenters which, placing himself in
the situation of a Dissenter, he would wish to be conceded to
himself. He would vote for the removal of every defect or
abuse in the Church, and this he would do from his attachment
to the Church itself.
On the motion of Mr. PALMER, thanks were voted to the
High Sheriff, who briefly acknowledged the honour, after
which the meeting was dissolved.

GENERAL ELECTION.

THIS DAY.

MIDDLESEX.

The important contest for the representation of the Metro-
politan County commenced at nine o'clock this morning, and
excites everywhere the deepest interest. There are eight
different polling stations, and as some of these are distant from
twelve to sixteen miles from London, some delay necessarily
takes place before the hourly progress of the aggregate poll
can be ascertained in London. Among the placards put forth
by the candidates, is one by Mr. Hume's committee this morn-
ing, headed, " Effects of voting for Byng and Wood," which
is explained by a graphic illustration, in which the Reform til-
bury has a noble horse harnessed in front, and a mule behind,
pulling the contrary way. The following arc the polling sta-
tions :—Bedford, Brentford, Edgeware, Enfield, Uxbridge,
Hammersmith, King's-cross, Mile-end-road. The following
is the aggregate poll from all these places:—

STATE OF THE POLL.—TEN O'CLOCK.
Thomas Wood, Esq.
George Byng, Esq. 2OO
Joseph Hume, Esq l5B
ONE O'CLOCK.
George Byng, Esq 1,205
Thomas Wood, Esq.
Joseph Hume, Esq 953
The total number of votes for the County is 6,939.

THE SNOWY OWL.—At the break of day, one
morning, when I lay hidden in a pile of floated logs, at the
Falls of the Ohio, waiting for a shot at some wild geese, I
had an opportunity of seeing this fowl secure fish in the fol-
lowing manner :—While watching for their prey on the
borders of the " pots," they invariably lay flat on the rock,
with the body placed along the border of the hole, the
head also laid down, but turned towards the water. One
might have supposed the bird sound asleep, as it would
remain in the same position until a good opportu-
nity of securing a fish occurred, which I believe was never
missed; for, as the latter unwittingly rose to the surface, near
the edge, that instant the owl thrust out the foot next the
water, and, with the quickness of lightning, seized it, and
drew it out. The owl then removed to the distance of a
few yards, devoured its prey, and returned to the same
hole ; or, if it had not perceived any more fish, flew
only a few yards over the many pots there, marked a likely
one, and alighted at a little distance from it. It then squatted,
moved slowly towards the edge, and lay as before, watching for
an opportunity. Whenever a fish of any size was hooked, as I
:nay say, the owl struck the other foot into it, and flew off
with it to a considerable distance. In two instances of this
kind, I saw the bird carry its prey across the Western or Indiana
Shute, into the woods, as if to be quite out of harm's way. I
never heard it utter a single note on such occasions, even whet:
two birds joined in the repast, which was frequently the case,
when the fish that had been caught was of a large size. At
sunrise, or shortly after, the owls flew to the woods, and I
did not see them until the next morning, when, after witnessing
the same feats, I watched an opportunity, and killed both at
one shot.—Audubon.

A melancholy and striking illustration of the uncer-
tain tenure of human life occurred
.in Paisley on Wednesday
men were engaged in watching morning. While two young
the burying ground of Dr. Symington's church, one of them
became drowsy, and, as was supposed by his companion, fell
asleep ; but, after the lapse of a few hours, on proceeding to
awake him, he was shocked to discover that the ill-fated man
had sunk into the sleep of death—cold and stiff. The de-
ceased, who was on the eve of his marriage, was a,steady and
temperate young man, and much respected by all his acquaint-
ance.—Caledontan Mercury.