The Sun.
London, England, 1835-11-05 00:00:00

FESTIVAL AT CASTLE-DOUGLAS.

DINNER IN HONOUR OF THE RIGHT HON
CUTLAR FERGUSSON, ESQ.
(Abridged from the Dumfries Courier of Wednesday.)
tiieMo.nday last, the 26th October, was, in every sense of
boa:jard, a white day in the thriving town of Castle-
s• On that day a number of the electors in that
Met of the county had resolved to marls the high esti
Inibaetri°ll. in which they hold the talents, worth, integrity, and
Ilsi:ntY of their representative, the Right Hon. C. Fer-
the r;' by giving him a public dinner. At five o'clock,
tte
,(11.air was taken by Major Culton, of Auclinabony, in
NA,lrason-Hall of the Burgh. The dinner was provided
lin s• Douglas, of the Douglas
.Arms ; and fully one
nd the Stewartry
and forty sat down to dinner. The Member fen
tor,tewastry was accompanied by his friends Prince Czar-
Count Zamoyeski, and Lord Dudley Stuart, M.P.
'rArundel ; and their presence lent no small additional
that and zest to an occasion of itself so interesting. The
otl? former are known as amongst the most illustri-
sof the Polish exiles. Prince Czartoriski possessed
estates in
Poland equal to the possession of the most
Wealthy of the English nobility ; and is well-known to
_ _
ht ,1 a man of distinguished ability, integrity, and as
tirse the Secretary of the late Emperor Alexander.
nelphew, the Count, sias an officer in the late Polish
sarraY of independence ; and endured the perils, wounds, and
in a robs, incident to the desperate struggle of the Poles
he_ 1,
i4O. The Prince may be fully sixty years of age ; his
4Ola s silvered o'er, and a contemplative countenance is
wtened up by a keen dark eye ; Count Zamoyeski, we
id think is at least 6 feet 4 or 5 in,thes in stature—
'Proportioned, and boasts of a face alike intelligent and
peasant.
th% the removal of the cloth, the CHatamats said, after
Nysinsual toast,—Gentlemen, this must bo a bumper.
thalg,lout further preface, I beg to propose our hearty
o_4B to our Right Hon. Representative, for his conduct
"ng the last session of Parliament, coupled with our most
sees_ •
,eeeire wishes for his health and long life. The toast was
knoriv:rd. in the most devoted, affectionate, and enthusiastic
tot. PERGUSSON rose amid general applause, and spoke
tors Yas follows :—Mr. President, Gentlemen, and Elec-
k of the Stewartry of Kircudbright—When I came
of:ngst You in 1826, I had to contend with the opposition
spitiM"t powerful Government ; and this county had the
o: to return an independent Representative against the
°Pinent, and against the most strenuous efforts of the
tar:)°atit families of the county.—(Loud applause.) I
tatit, nad the honour to be elected six times the Represen-
-1,4'7 of the Stewartry. And under what circumstances
!stl thus elected ? I was returned unanimously alike by
ei, dand close constituency, and the new and extended
forni-1, APplause.)
to d During the great struggle for th
mee Re-
sat I suppor every measure for its attainnt—l
peri " and took part in the debates of this all-important
I s,°". Though the Session extended to ten months, I say
tlisse
never absent from a single debate.—(Applause.) In
is ,
kat never looked to office ; those who know me inti-
lskse;Y can attest , the truth of this statement. I do not
a of my means, but they placed me beyond requiring
itsiornolunaents. It is not unlikely that I might have had
hands, before I did accept •, and only when tendered into
Cl'
rllands, by Earl Grey, freely and unasked, did I make
Si,
.1 mind to join the Government. Lord Stanley and
%waffles Graham at this time had seceded from Lord
left 7 a Government ; and for the very reasons that they
g joined —(Cheerino.) I will not trouble you with
detail of all the measures of the last Session, but confine
theYself t°a few of the most. important. As to my vote on
election of Speaker, I have no apology to offer.—
es• ear.) I supported Mr. Abercromby on account of the
that "nee of his political sentiments with my own, and
iLhavorepeotfho,sther liberal Members ; and since his election I
° seen no cause to regret it. I also voted for Lord
amendment on the Address, and again we left
ittneol.ate Ministers in a minority ; and what did this Address
ont ? It only recommended to his Majesty's con-
Re ration the absolute necessity existing for Municipal
D°'ln----for placing the Corporations under vigilant
ll° lila
4eue r control ; and subsequent proceedings show the
cle4 ssttYsor this step. I have seen the report. of a speechr
Sorv,red the other day by Sir W. Follett (Sir. R.
.Pee s
nd leiter-General) to his constituents at Exeter, in which he
mils that he was convinced of the necessity of the elec-
th°,', of the municipal officers by the people. It is a pity
the learned Solicitor-General had not imparted his
,A/nvictionon this point to Sir R. Peel, who opposed Lord
u:rPeth's amendment, when all that that Right Hon.
ntlema would consent to was merely the consideration
Itor the report when it was laid on the table. Now, Sir
t)° t might have known of what abuses self-elected Cor-
brations were capable, in the absence of popular controul,
10 fact (among many) that in the case of Leicester
'One
pnwig. of the corporate funds had been squandered for the
JPose of securing; the election of the Corporation condi-
ll• Sir R. Peel, however, says that on reading the Re-
;Fi nn(' the Commissioners he was satisfied of the necessity
Corporate Reform. It is my conviction that, had he
hellelatned in. power, his measure of Reform would have
than lafinitely less effective than that now given, crippled
tllntugh,
sit may be, as contrasted with its
w original form—
kte m measure would have been sadly anting, in the
lindatPrinciple of fuil and efficient control. Much less
the the Dissenters occasion to be pleased at his efforts for
rea,removal of their grievances. But I will give another
I t11,3n, for wishing to see the late Ministry out of office—
al,tY believe that had they remained in power, we should
thee,:last Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) Indeed so sensible were
vtithberal Irish Members of this, that to a man they
np held frorn him their confidence ; and joined us in our
liiipj)sitimt• Now they taunt us with unworthily
!swin' received the support of those Members. But I will
kit; without fear of contradiction, that a more unfounded
ba,„4lnY was never uttered by any class of men, or for any
tiesr°,,se, than that there was a coalition betwixt the par-
t° °f Lord Melbourne and Mr. O'Connell, or that on the
tool' taking office he was bound to him more than he was
Dle,rig to the nation by his public professions and princi-
Irla But I should like to know if those who boast so
it.'"l,l` of their political integrity—if the Government of
Robert Peel would have refused the support of the
ot.
Memberss.(l, ember for Dublin if it had been offered to them ?
°Lid applause.) I firmly believe that they would have
tlpeed •
't as a mighty accession of strength, for I have seen
for tb"aine party applauding Hunt and Cobbett to the echo
iih'e Purpose of winning them over ; yes, I have seen
Si, t the rival of one of the most accomplished of orators,
the obert Peel, and actually more than divide with him
echeers of the opposition benches. And would they
to refused the Member for Dublin after this? I know
as itwhat the late Solicitor-General means by " a coalition
founded in principle as any that ever darkened or
The deed the history of political intrigue in the country."
Will
are reported to have been his words. Are they,
ob
ask, applicable to the case of Lord Melbourne ?
itbacti?,alition, to be disgraceful, must be founded on the
ado
of principle to gain over an opponent.
termed Lord Melbourne surrendered one principle or al-
Ilsr, One opinion which he formerly prcfessed, for the
t'OrrdSe °f gainin.'' the votes of the Irish Members ? Can
scho Melbourne be blamed for receiving the votes of men
thnjuPport him for his public principles, and the belief
the i)IF Is prepared to do justice to Ireland ? Again as to
silos lasenters ; will we be blamed for accepting of their
tionVt, although they are opposed to the provision sane-
°f "by the State to the Church ? Have we ever heard
And tninister who rejected their aid for such reasons ? No.
atipo celebrated person has said, that "until I find their
tlrk,:ft inconsistent with the Constitution, I will not with-
Wili.raY confidence from them." In the speech of Sir
t.Q4:4111 Follett, to which I have already alluded, that
iii tLitled Gentleman-states that there is now no meaning
Dkrty e names of Whig and Tory—that there is only one
44, in the country whose exertions are devoted to the
qnr()",t of our Constitution, and the maintenance of the
tb,,rair,e'', and that the other is banded together for the sub-
of both. Now, lam of opinion that we should de-
Ilivale Constitution, and support the Church—subject
Noe': to the amelioration of those abuses which circum-
nol have rendered needful.—(Applause.) But yet I
•ssite d belong to the party of the late Attorney-General
krs does not claim me as one of them ; and yet I sup-
ettl•
'loa e Constitution and the Church as sincerely and
v
'petit • as he can. I do not belong to a Govern-
' liol to subvert the Church or the Constitution—for
tt'adate that any Government would be composed of
ttNe .4, knaves or possessed of intentions the most de-
found t've to themselves,' who should in the present age be
tp 'Att. •
mg against the existence of the Constitution
Ri,• Ch
sVip. ur . tl'
•—(Loud applause.) And what right has
Horn Follett to impute to the Whigs these
kttiTv3e intentions—a class which is possessed of pro-
'4liie"n't has a stake in the State as great as that to
anion he llWhigs) which numbers
)e ongs—a class (the
ttlt bBt. it tl
trsle great body of the merchants, manufaes
41,Ntie,illtnraders
and a great proportion of the county
"n
—the overwhelming tr.ajoray of those known as
it • "ildcli s
Ilt;14 th class, and this is the best of them all, since
hate Productive awl industrious class.—(Applause.)
then, has Sir William Follet to charge these
vekit-}l3----; representing at once the great bulk of the
l uteiltio enterprise, and intelligence of the nation—with
i
"rtlecins of subverting its Constitution? LOs4olol My be
tlio6 Qv.°7 day and let us be impressed with the truth
'lC—that no good can result to one party by
hlah.n o
g
e motives of another, igid
e• I • adding insult to
Iti[!An i.e. Will now allude briefly to the Lpiestion of
bro pal
,Reform. I supported that Bal
Net/ '0 Parliament by Igo Majesty's Ministers ; and
that
at 41 Ministers did not act erroneous)}'
nte,.,.,easaire alter it finally came from the Lords. I, for
ke3eci'lla).deeidedly against the risking its loss altogether, by
I" it, for with all its imperfections, it creates a rent