The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-28 00:00:00

NORTH ESSEX.

The nomination for the northern district of Essex took
place yesterday, at Braintree. In the morning, before seven
o'clock, we were roused from a sound sleep by a band of mu-
sic, the noise of which was sufficient to counterbalance the de-
ficiency of science, brawling out " Hurrah for the Bonnets of
Blue." These disturbers of the quiet inhabitants turned out
to be of the suite of John Payne Elwes, Esq., a gentleman
whose pedigree the legendary lore of the country people traces
from the celebrated miser of the same name. He is, we are
informed, alandowner in the county, and resides at Ingatestone.
The following may serve as a proof of the estimation in which
he is held by a portion of the community in this neighbourhood,
who have no charge of penurious habits to bring against him,
but, on the contrary, speak of his generosity in private life;
the remark applies to the notion some of the people have of
his attainments. A rather blunt homespun yeoman to whom
we had occasion to put a few questions, delivered himself
nearly as follows "I am but a poor man, and has no business to
say anything, but I knows summut about his house, and if he has
got but a letter to write, he must get one of his domestics to do
it for him." We attach no importance to this improbable asser-
tion, but we mention it as a fact that did take place, and'one
that even his friends to a certain extent were not very anxious
to deny unqualifiedly. We were also told that every horse in
the place had been secured for the Blue party, that is the
Elwesites.

The other candidate was John Disney, Esq., Chairman o'
the Quarter Sessions of this district. His colour was yellow.

The hustings were erected in a field in the vicinity of the
town, and consisted of three large waggons. About eleven
o'clock Mr. Elwes came to the place preceded by a band of
music, and followed by a large cavalcade and pedestrians. Mr.
Disney entered the waggon unaccompanied with any parade.
On the hustings, besides the High- Sheriff, G. W. Gent,
Esq., we observed Quintin Dick, Esq., M. P. for Maldon, and
Sir Henry Smythe, M. P. for Colchester, who were in the
waggon set apart for the friends of Mr. Elwes.
The preliminary measures having been gone through, and
the proclamation read,
Mr. BULLOCK put in nomination John Payne Elwes, Esq.,
as a proper person to represent them in Parliament. The an-
nouncement was followed with immense noise and uproar.
Mr. MAGENDIE seconded the nomination.

Mr. LENNARD stood forward to nominate Mr. Disney.—
( Cheers.) When he remembered the active part the Re-
formers in the North of Essex had taken in the passing of the
Reform Bill, by which many whom he now addressed had ob-
tained their franchise, it was time they should awake from their
slumber, and exert themselves to forward the effects of the
Reform Bill. It was a duty which they owed the people of
England, to repair the injuries perpetrated upon the country
by the opposite faction. He would call upon the people to
array themselves in the struggle against those who would sa-
crifice them for place and power. He cited the instance of
the question of Catholic Emancipation, which they had at first
opposed ; but when, to serve their own purpose, they not only
brought it in, but gave ten times more power to the Papists
than they had ever asked for. The Reform Bill had been de-
nounced by the Tories as fraught with the most mischievous
consequences to the community, and' yet, within two years,
when they came into power, they pretended to support the
provisions of that very Reform Bill. Could it be for a moment
supposed that the people of England could have reliance on
such men that they would carry that measure of reform into
effect in all its integrity ? These were damning facts ? They
had been rather taken by surprise, for they had not been in the
secret of the Peerage which had been conferred upon the man
who had declared that he would advocate the cause of Reform.
—( Laughter. )
Mr. ELWES having been first on the ground had the pre-
ference of first addressing the people. The present was a
peculiar period in the history of the country, when it behoved
every man to support the Church and State. He was sur-
prised that so large a body of the Dissenters had arrayed
themselves against the Church. Some allusion had been
made to the Malt-tax, but he would ask them to recal to re-
collection the conduct of the Hon. Member for Maldon in the
Administration of Earl Grey, who had been ready to do any-
thing to get his friends into power. He would not make a
long speech—(from a spectator before the hustings, " Because
you can't.") He had no doubt that they would be highly
gratified, and the Hon. Gentleman, the other candidate,
would be equally gratified in giving them a long speech ;
but if he did go into Parliament, he would do all that was
consistent with the principles of the constitution. He thanked
them for the success he had met with in his canvass, and he
had no doubt his return would be the result by an overwhelm-
ing majority.—( Cheers and disapprobation.)
Mr. DISNEY wished to give the electors the opportunity of
carrying out the principles of the Reform Bill. Circum-
stances had brought forward Mr. Elwes, and circumstances of
an opposite nature had induced him reluctantly to come for-
ward. They ought not to be afraid of the cry which bad been
raised respecting Popery, for there would be less danger to
apprehend from an educated people than from those who were
ignorant. Independently of which, by giving them education
they, would be laying the foundation for their being converted
to Protestantism, and smooth the path by which the people of
Ireland would-be conciliated.—( Hear, hear.) His conduct,
as a political man, was generally known to them, and his prin-
ciples were summed up in two resolutions, which he had the
honour to propose for the adoption of the South Essex Re-
form Association a few days ago, viz., that the surest mode of
supporting the constitutional monarchy, and legislative autho-
rity of these realms, is by maintaining the free exercise of the
rights of suffrage, and choosing honest and independent Re-
presentatives in the House of Commons. In his opinion, the
surplus property of the Irish Protestant Church should be
applied to purposes of education, as a means used for reclaim-
ing the Irish Papists. He was friendly to the commutation of
tithe, and removing everything connected with the religion of
the country calculated to make it odious to the people.--
( Hear, hear.) He had held the office of Coroner for Brid-
port fifteen years, and had been obliged to qualify for that
office, and he would do so again if the occasion required it--
(Hear.) He had not been relieved by the Test and Corpora-
tion Act, or by Catholic Emancipation ; still if they returned
him he would go into the House and support the Administra-
tion of Lord Melbourne, as be conscientiously believed it to
be framed for the benefit of the country.—( Hear, hear.)
With respect to Corporation Reform, he would say that he
went to the same length as Lord John Russell. Great abuses
had crept into Corporations, and he would tell them what had
occurred to a voter on one occasion who had gone to the poll
to give his vote. He was asked whether he intended to vote
for the liberal candidate ? And on answering in the affirmative,
he was told he was not qualified, although the man's house had
been rated at, and he had absolutely paid IN. ; they got ano-
ther officer to say it was only worth Si., in order to prevent
his vote being taken ; thus insulting the voter, and robbing
him of 21., which, according to their own shewing, he had a
right to.—( Shame, shame.) If he had a starling he would
teach him to utter the words Reform, Reform—Retrench, Re-
trench. It is true that his Mon. Friend (Mr. Lennard) had
voted for the ,Malt Tax two years ago, but he would remind
the freeholders that his Hon. Friend had voted lately against
that tax in consequence of his being requested to do so by his
constituents.—( Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Disney) was not prac-
tically an agriculturist; he could not hold the plough, but he
wished to render to them every service in his power. The
Hon. Candidate sat down amidst enthusiastic cheering.
Sir JoHN TYRRELL said they had already forty-five lawyers