The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-24 00:00:00

CANTERBURY ELECTION.

The electors of Canterbury were surprised by a visit on
Tuesday evening from their representative, Lord Robert
Conyngham, who, at a meeting, communicated that he had
received an offer from Lord Melbourne of the situation of
Vice Chamberlain to his Majesty • on which he desired to take
their opinions. The meeting adopted the following resolu-
tions :
" That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the Adminis-
tration of Lord Melbourne is deserving the confidence and sup-
port of the country.
" That although we do not recommend Lord Albert Co-
nyngham to accept the tendered office ; yet from the parti-
cular state of the country, and the additional opportunity that
might thus be afforded him of promoting the liberal cause, we
cannot advise his Lordship's refusal of the situation ; reserving
to ourselves the privilege of expressing our opinions, and act-
ing upon them, should the measures of the present Administra-
tion not prove so satisfactory as contemplated.
" That in the event of Lord Albert Conyngham's accepting
office, we pledge ourselves to use our best exertions to secure
his Lordship's re-election ; it being understood, that in the
event of a majority of his constituents differing on material
points in the measures of the Government, ;Lord Albert Co-
nyngham will, on requisition, resign the appointment."
Lord Albert Conyngham has behaved with equal candour
and honour—submitting the matter entirely to the decision of
his constituents, and engaging to resign his courtly office if
ever a difference should arise upon some great question be-
tween the popular interest and the Government to ::Bich he is
attached, upon a requisition from the majority of his st;i:-
porters. We understand that a canvass was yesterday com-
menced with the most flattering prospect of success. It is
the general opinion that the Tories will not attempt to con-
test the return, though various rumours are afloat.—Kent
Herald.

CAMBRIDGE TOWN ELECTION.

(From the Cambridge Chronicle..-I.A Tory Paper.)

A large meeting of the friends of the Right Hon. Thomas
Spring Rice, was held at the Hoop Hotel on Tuesday
evening.
About half-past six, Mr. Rice, accompanied by his com-
mittee, entered the room amid much cheering, and on the
motion of Mr. Ebenezer Foster, Julian Skrine Esq. was
called to the chair.

Mr. SKRINE opened the business of the evening by intro-
ducing Mr. Rice, saying that they had known him both
in place and out, and he thought he was what every man
would desire for the representative of the borough, but as
he was there to speak for himself, he (Mr. S.) would not
trespass upon their attention.
Mr. E. FOSTER hoped he should be excused if he tres-
passed a few minutes on their attention to allude to pre-
sent circumstances. There was now a new Administration,
and he hoped it was one which would more accord with the
feelings of the people than the one dismissed. It was with
great satisfaction he found Mr. Spring Rice a prominent
member of it. The electors had been acquainted with the
Right Hon. Gentleman three or four years, they had known
him both as a member of the Government and a member of
opposition, and they had always found him acting for the
good of the nation end the welfare of his Constituents.
Mr. Foster then moved a resolution expressive of the satis-
faction of the Meeting at the return to power of Mr. Rice,
and pledging themselves to secure his re-election.—The mo-
tion was briefly seconded.
Mr. RICE said he must entreat the patience, the indulgence,
and the kindness of the meeting. He had now to speak to
those who concurred, and those who differed from him in opi-
nion ; and he must acknowledge that in his canvass he had
met with frankness and kindness, and he hoped he should
always endeavour to return it. It was important that difference
of opinion should be brought to such a meeting as the present,
but all the distinctions of Whig and Tory, Reformer and Con-
servative were merged in their being the British subjects of a
British Monarch.—(Cheers.) There should be no feelings of
1".;r hostility, and if he saw an opponent, whether under his
old title of Tory, or the new one of Conservative, who wished
for his country's good, he could not but view him with feelings
of respect. These were not mere compliments to draw men
to him, for he would never claim from one differing from him
the sacrifice of a shadow of his opinion. He was always
anxious to meet an antagonist in the arena for discussion, and
he thought it should be carried on with good feelings and with-
out personal hostility. He thanked them for listening to what
he had said, but though he expressed these feelings to his op-
ponents, it would not deter him from a strong enunciation of
his views. Ho thanked God that the appearance of that
room was not new to him. He had met them before. On
the first occasion it was not at his own suggestion, but at
the invitation of a great body of the electors. Since :then
there had been three contested elections ; the present hehope d
would not be a contest. If it was, he was prepared to fig ht
for the same principles he had fought for before, and he hoped
with the same termination. On the first occasion he had held
office under the Crown ; on the second he had held a higher
one; at the last he had ceased to be a member of the Govern-
ment. On that occasion he had taken the liberty of saying
that it had made no difference in him, and as he had not been
forgetful of the real interests of the nation when in office, so lie
would not forget the repair of its institutions when out. He
said he had not been a courtier when in office, and he would
not be a Radical out. He had promised to give no vote out
of office in which he did not fully concur. He had said on that
occasion that no one ought to dispute the prerogative of the
Crown to select its advisers, but he had told them that it was
for them to select their own representatives. They had chosen
him, and he had no speeches to unspeak, no vote to repent of,
no mis-doing to beg pardon for. He had never endeavoured
to catch votes by the mis- representation of his opponents, for
many of them he bore the greatest respect, particularly for the
Right Honourable Baronet who was lately at the head of his
Majesty's Councils.—( Great cheering.) He pvould be the
last man against whom he would raise a cry for mere party
motives. Professing these sentiments of respect for the
Members of the late Ministry, it might be asked why he op-
posed it? Was his respect and admiration swallowed up in
regret at being deprived of office? Those who have gone
through office know that the labour and care fully counter-
balance the advantages. But he was bound to give a reason.
The calm, thinking, middle classes had elevated the Whigs to
power. That party had thought themselves sufficiently popu-
lar to advance the popular rights, and sufficiently conservative
to protect the institutions of the country. They had given
the people the Reform Bill, and the people expected the laws
to be framed by a Reformed House of Commons to partake
of the spirit of that Bill. They expected it to be followed
out by a Reform in the Municipal Corporations, in local
administration of justice, and in the Church • and that the
grievances of the Dissenters should be redressed. They
expected that wherever Reform was wanted and could be
given, it should not be withheld. How stood parties ?
The Whigs had struggled for the repeal of the Test Acts,
for Municipal and Church Reform, and their opponents
had thrown difficulties in their way, and preferred things
as they were to any change. Their opponents had adopted
their measures, and the question was, should they be carried
by a Reforming or Unreforming Ministry ? He opposed them,
because if they were really Reformers, their change was mo-
rally wrong ; and if not, he believed them to be politically
wrong. On these grounds he had founded his opposition,
and this led him to the grounds of his accepting office. It was
not for the sake of office, but for the sake of facilitating the
progress of Reform. His noble friends had carried the Re-
form Bill, and they wished to have the working it out. One
of the first subjects (and the sooner the better) would be
Municipal Reform. Was there one more interesting to all
men ? The question was, Would they have it at the hands
of the Whigs, who had issued the Commission, or at the