The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-24 00:00:00

CONSERVATIVE DEMONSTRATION IN
ESSEX.

SUDBURY, SATURDAY.
The annual meeting of the "Hinckford Conserva-
tive and Agricultural Club was held last evening

at Castle Hedingham, near this town. The muster
of the members was considerable, and there'were no

less than five local M.P.'s present—viz., Mr. Perry
Iffatlington, who presided, Mr. Charles Du Cane,
the Right Hon. W. Beresford, Mr. T. J. Miller, and
Mr. P. 0. Pdpillon. There were also mustered
about the chairman Mr. Ashurst Majendie, Sir W.

Bowyer Srnijth, late M.P. for South Essex, Major
Du Cue, the Rev. J. Cox, and several of the local

clergy.
The usual loyal toasts having been given from
the chair,

Mr. PAPILLON, M.P., proposed " The Bishop and
Clergy of the Diocese," observing that he was quite
sure the members of the association, as true Church-
men, valued highly the union between Church and

.State. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev. H. MAJENDIE, in responding to the
toast, said the state of the Church was in some re-

spects highly encouraging. Restorations were being
made of ancient churches, while new churches
Tieing almost in splendour with older buildings
were rising through the piety and munificence
of private individuals. Education was also
making rapid strides, and so far all seemed well.
At the same time, Churchmen could not close their
eyes to the fact that danger awaited the Church of
England, as measures deeply affecting her welfare
were every year brought forward in the House of
Commons. He referred to the bill for the uncondi-
tional abolition of church-rates and the Endowed
schools Bill, and he feared that those measures
would again be brought forward ; and if they
were, he believed the Conservative party—and
especially those members of it who were now pre-
pent—would stand by the Church. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN proposed "The Army and Navy."
(Cheers.) The hon. gentleman observed that we had
been called a nation of shopkeepers; perhaps in a
certain sense a nation of shopkeepers we were ; and
if Mr. Bright should have his way a nation of shop-
keepers undoubtedly we should be. (Hear, and
laughter.) The rulers of our country had, how-
ever, he was glad to say, wisdom enough to see
that a sense of the higher interest would not al-
ways lead men in the right direction, and that
it was sometimes necessary to control indivi-
duals by force, as well for their own sake as for
the sake of the public generally. We had had, as
Englishmen, a great mission to perform. We had
peopled distant portions of the globe ; through our
colonies we had spread abroad our language, laws,
and religion ; and it was our duty to see that those
colonies were properly and efficiently protected. It
was our duty, for instance, to secure to our fellow-
countrymen in India perfect safety and protection,
to enable them to carry on the Government with
firmness and effect ; and, if we wished to retain our
present position in thb scale of nations, we must
look well to our national defences at home, and see
that danger from without was impossible. No one,
he presumed, believed that if a foe did get a footing
upon the shores of En glad he would be able to re-
tain his hold. No one who knew the character and
resources of England could entertain this idea for
a second; but, nevertheless, it was our duty to pre-
sent such a front to those who did not know us
well as would remove the idea of an invasion from
any mind which had formed ambitious designs in
the matter. (Hear, hear.)
Major Du CAVE replied, and observed that, while
he believed courage would never be found wanting
in the naval and military services, what was now
required was an educated courage, and anything
which was likely to place the soldier on a proper
footing tended to give him still greater confidence
in himself in the hour of need. England had dur-
ing the last few years gone through very great and
serious trials, and there might be one yet in store
for us which would tax our utmost energies. He
did not wish to place too much reliance on idle
rumours, but when this feeling got a deep hold in
the nation it demanded respect. It might be satisfac-
tory to state that within the last few day the com-
missioners appointed to inquire specially into the
state of the defences of the country had made a
visit to Harwich—a circumstance which showed
that the Government were fully alive to the im-
portance of the subject. The volunteer corps which
were being, raised would enable all to become dis-
ciplined soldiers ; and by this means if the hour
should ever come when the utmost strength of the
country was required, every one would be enabled
to add his mite to the great means of protection
which he felt confident the country would ever
afford.
Mr. ASHIIRST MAJENDIE, in a speech of consi-
derable length, proposed the next toast, the "Mem-
bers for North Essex." (Loud cheers.) Referring
to the church-rate question, Mr. Majendie said it
was painful to see the Prime Minister pronouncing
a judgment as to the opinion of the people of Eng-
land which was not supported by facts. If a meet-
ing were called at the Tower Hamlets, at which
the abolition of church-rates and other taxes was
suggested, the proposition would probably be car-
ried by acclamation ; but such a course would not
be in accordance with the opinions of the people of
England generally. The people of England, he
believed, were attached to their Church, and, how-
ever free trade might prevail on other points, they
did not desire to see free trade in churches. The
Church of England was the poor man's Church,—
the ancient Church of the people—and great credit
was due to Mr. Du Cane for his exertions in
support of this view of the matter. (Hear,
hear.) The Conservative party no longer
ruled the country, but the Conservative party
was not gone, and never would be gone
as long as true principles prevailed in the country.
The Conservatives were now the most powerful
party in England ; and he believed Lord Derby
and Mr. Disraeli were ready at any time when
called to office to obey the commands of their Sove-
reign. But for a strange combination of parties in
the house the country might now have been in pos-
session of an honest Reform Bill, but it was other-
wise determined. As to Mr. Bright, who was an
important member of what was, after all, a very
small ;)arty, it might be considered, perhaps, that
he wa:4 a .dangerous person ; bat there was such
Food sense among Englishmen that he (Mr. Ma-
jendie) was sure they would not be led away by the
idle clamour of a powerful demagogue. The times
of Charles I. were a melancholy period of our his-
tory, and resistance to arbitrary power might be
considered necessary ; still the execution of the
King was a national crime. But how did Mr.
Bright speak of it ? Why, in one of his speeches
he saidos" You know that one Monarch came to a
very sudden and unpleasant end at Whitehall, be-
cause he would not give up any portion of his ab-
solutism." What an infamous, scandalous, base,
low, mean sneer was this! There were, he (Mr.
Majendie) believed, true noblemen in the present
Government who would not propose to her Ma-
jesty to admit such a person as Mr. Bright into
het councils; if they did, those he addressed knew
the spirit with which such an insult would be re-
ceived. Mr. Bright had also attacked that impor-
tant portion of our constitution—the House of
Peers—who had never condescended to give an
answer to him. He (Mr. Majendie) believed the
people looked to the peers .and the gentlemen of
England as their truest supporters, as they had ori-
ginated laws for their benefit and resisted.the con-
duct of certain of the manufacturers, who looked
to nothing but their own gain. Mr. Bright asked
with a sneer, " Where is the British constitution ?"
and said he had never seen it ; but Englishmen had
the benefit of seeing it ever before them, and
he (Mr. Majendie) trusted that by the blessing
of God they might ever enjoy their privileges. It
should be remembered that a noble person who
underwent a tyrannical persecution some time since
for expressing a hope that some measures of liberty
might be given to France referred to England, as,
the land of freedom, quoting the lines sung on the
occasion of a visit of ther.Queen to a provincial town:
"Now pray we for our country
That England long. may be,
The holy and the happy,
And the gloriously free."

(Loud cheers.)
Mr. W. BERESFORD, M.P., on rising to respond,
was warmly applauded. The right hon. gentleman
said, since the association last met a very eventful
year had elapsed. Much of what had occurred in
that short time might well be scrutinised and exa-
mined. In the first place' a very extreme and strong
Reform Bill had been brought forward, not by
those who would be the most fit and appropriate
promoters of such a measure, but by the leaders of
the Conservative party in the House of Commons.
Those leaders had previously to their acceding to
office in 1858 opposed every innovation in our re-
presentative system, but they nevertheless brought
forward a strong Reform Bill. That bill produced
a dissolution of Parliament; when the new house
met a further result was a change of Government ;
and, therefore, he might fairly state that much
which was eventful had occurred within the last
12 months. He did not approveand who with
straightforward views could have approved P—the
course which was taken to arrest the progress of
the Ministerial Reform Bill. (Hear.) He had felt
it his duty to stand by Lord Derby, and to vote
with his Government against the resolution of Lord
7. Russell, not because he was enamoured of the
Reform Ilia which was under discussion, but be-
cause he plainly saw—and it was evident to the
meanest capacity—that the object of Lord J. Russell

was to drive the occupants of the Treasury benches
from their position, and to appropriate their places
to his own party. On a retrospect of the last few
years he (Mr. Beresford) regretted to be obliged to
say that he could not see a very great and distinct
difference between a Conservative and a Liberal
Government when they were in actual possession,
and installed. Conservatives in power were all for
progress, and in that enlightened mode they not only
talked, but acted extremely liberally. .They actually
proposed and passed the very measures which they
had vituperated, and of which they had shown the
danger. Again, it vies only fair to say that the
Whigs when in office frequently assumed an ex-
tremely Conservative front and position. Long
disquisitions on Liberal-Conservatives and Conser-
vative-Libetals had been heard from Whig Trea-
sury benches ; and in the late session—and particu-
larly towards the close of it—he heard many mem-
bers on his own side deprecate any proceeding
adverse to the present Government, as the Conser-
vative element in the Cabinet was very predominant.
For his own part, instead of hailing with pleasure
this approximation to the same creed between an-
tagonistic parties, who for a century and a half
had held diametrically opposite opinions upon poli-
tical matters and political conduct, he viewed it
with some suspicion and alarm. It arose, he feared,
from a dereliction of principle, through an over-
weening desire to obtain power. In his opinion,
one of the strongest and best elements of a good
government in this country, and the best security
for our free institutions, was the existence of two
contending parties in the State, each thoroughly
embued with a faithful and conscientious belief in,
and firm adherence to, its own views, each convinced
that it was decidedly right, and that its opponent
was decidedly wrong. One party thus became a
check upon the other, and the impartial umpire be-
tween the two was the great body of the governed
who upheld those who promoted principles and ob-
jects most in accordance with general public
opinion. When this system of popular rule was
allowed fair play, and developed itself, the country
was well governed ; but with an amalgamation or
approximation of parties successive changei of
Administration occurred quickly one upon the
other ; a geed and strong Government was out of
the question; and each Administration, no matter
from which side it might be drawn, was forced to
take up the views and projects of its predecessors,
without its members adhering to their own
ideas and putting forward what they thought
best for the country. He was afraid he had
digressed somewhat in these remarks, but he felt
deeply the serious character of the state of affairs to
which he had called attention. (Hear.) The resolu-
tion of Lord J. Russell being carried put a close to
the Ministerial Reform Bill; but it did not put a
close, as the noble lord had hoped, to the Govern-
ment of Lord Derby. That Administration had the
disagreeable alternative before them of either suc-
cumbing to the crafty device by which they were
defeated, or of appealing to the verdict of the coun-
try. They chose the latter alternative; but upon
the assembling of the new Parliament a junction of
adverse interests—into the amalgamation of which
it was not his province to inquire—placed Lord
Derby's Government in a minority on a direct vote
of "No confidence." He (Mr. Beresford) voted with
the minority, and he had not repented of the vote
which he then gave. He had not approved all that
Lord Derby had done and was doing ; what was
more, he could not agree with that noble lord's Ad-
ministration in much they had conceded ; but ho
wished to give them what they had not obtanied—
viz., fair play, and he owned also that he had a
firm and, he trusted, a conscientious dislike to that
constant and eternal change of Government which
was now the order of the day. It was, moreover,
worthy of remark that although the foreign policy
of Lord Derby's Government was much impugned
when they were responsible for it, yet, as soon as
they were no longer answerable for it, the succeeding
Minister on his accession to office publicly declared
his intention to procceed in the same course: (Hear.)
Therefore, as far as the foreign policy of Lord
Derby's Government was concerned, he (Mr. Beres-
ford) was [fully justified in giving them the confi-
dence which they deserved. Again, Lord Derby's
Government on acceding to office manfully and at
once attended to the defences of the country—a most
important subject, in regard to which they did their
duty. Lord Derby's Government not only attended
to the general national defences, but also augmented
the naval preparations of the country, and used every
means to develop our maritime resources; and if
England had a proper and efficient fleet she need fear
no enemy. (Hear.) Next session, probably, the policy
of the new Government would be fully developed,
and among the measures which would be brought
forward no doubt a Reform Bill would be the most
prominent. He should wait till he saw the objects
of that bill and the means by which the latter were
to be secured before he gave an opinion on the sub-
ject ; for it syould ill become him before he saw the
details to hint the course which he should pursue
in regard to them. Last year an attempt was made
to elicit his opinions in regard to the then coming
Reform Bill. He declined, however, to be then
drawn out; and if he did so with regard to the bill
brought forward by the Conservatives, he thought
he might justly claim the same permission with re-
gard to the bill to be brought forward by those who
might naturally be supposed to be more ardent re-
formers. The unjust attempt at the total and un-
conditional abolition of church rates was, however,
a clear and recognised subject. It was useless to
look at the details or the way in which such iniquity
and spoliation were to be carried out ; his opinions
on the subject were distinct, firm, and unalterable.
He looked upon the scheme of church-rate abolition
as an effort to take away from the Church property
which had been recognised for years as belonging
to it, and which had been given by our ancestors to
those sacred fabrics in which we adored our God,
and in which our forefathers were buried. Let Con-
servatives stand by church rates ; and, if they were
to be defeated, let the good old British man-of-war
still have her colours flying, her courage up, and
her determination undaunted. (Hear.) Upon one
more subject he wished to say a few words—viz.,
the motion made last session for throwing open the
office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland to Roman Ca-
tholics. That scheme, of course, with his Protestant
ideas, he did not much admire; and he thanked God
there was still in the British House of Commons a
strong Protestant party, who were determined to
resist the plan. The exclusion of Roman Catholics
from the woolsack both in Irel9.nd and England was
one of the few Conditions inserted in the Relief Bill
as a safeguard against the many immunities granted
to Roman Catholics in that measure. He could not see
the irreproachable conduct which the Roman Chtho-
lies had displayed during the last few years which
required that they should be conceded fresh immuni-
ties. The Protestant party resisted the measure,
and their ardour was somewhat damped in that re-
sistance when Mr. Disraeli rose and proposed that
the whole affair should ba referred to a select com-
mittee. For his (Mr. Beresf6rd's) part, he consi-
dered that to refer such a matter to a select com-
mittee was an acknowledgment that we might
make any concession which the aggressive policy
of Rome might ask for. By the determined oppo-
sition offered to the scheme the promoters were ob-
liged to withdraw it, notwithstanding the encou-
ragement they received frBm an unexpected quar-
ter ; but they threatened to produce it again next
session, and he alluded to the subject now to draw
the attention of constituencies to it. The feelings
of the people of England were all right; but they
required to be reminded of these insidious manoeu-
vres, and he trusted the Protestant constituencies of
England would jog the memories of their repre-
£ entatives—a course which was always attended
with a certain weight and effect—if they wished to
be protected from a fresh aggression from Rome.
The right hon. gentleman, after congratulating the
meeting on the continued success of the association,
resumed his seat amid loud cheers.
Mr. Dtr CANE, M.P., who was very cordially re-
ceived, said the association held its meeting at a
time of no great political strife ; but the general
aspect of political affairs was far from being devoid
of deep interest. Since the last gathering the
country had gone through one of those periods of
political excitement so devoutly wished for by the
young aspirant who had a seat to gain, and so de-
voutly detested by the cunning old stager who had
a seat to lose—he meant, of course, a general elec-
tion, which in Essex had reduced the goodly pro-
portions of Liberalism to a mere skeleton. It was
well said of that uncompromising champion of Re-
form, Mr. Bright, that upon his own platform at
Huddersfield or Birmingham he roared like a very
lion ; but that within the walls m
o.f the House of Com-
monsaaml
aet
() transformedoiron
anshwenato a sucking dove.
Ithehce bec
aseof nf doo nn
ntsteration at Chelms-
fordanadpii) feared corn-
menetehde Rbyefboremin, suckingchamp
doves ;
test was applied them as to Mr. Bright,thitemsignhet
possibly be found that in the House of Commons
their reform ardour, like the courage of Bob Acres'
would ooze out of their fingers' end. (Loud laugh-
ter.) Next March, possibly, there might be another
combination, and another cunning resolution to
stave off a settlement of the reform question for an-
other year. The Government of Lord Derby, on the
reassembling of Parliament, was met with a direct
challenge; and considering how often, during its
brief reign, its adversaries had kept up a bombard-
ment upon the outworks of tne Treasury, he did
not know that they had any gre t right to testify
any considerable amount of surprise at so summary
a proceeding. But the vote and the evidence upon
which that vote was moved were very different
matters; and the whole affair reminded him of a
poem which he read in his childhood, and in which
a veteran soldier was represented g iving an eloquent
description of the horrors of war and a well-fought
battle-field to his grandchild. At the conclusion of

his narrative the youth asked the extremely simple
yet pertinent question—
" What did they kill each other for ?
Nay that I do not know, quoth he,
But 'twas a famous victory."
(Laughter.) Great things were heard before Parlia-
ment met about Conservative bribery and corrup-

tion, but as far as the battles of the com-mittee -rooms
and the archeological researches of Gloco,ster and
Wakefield had yet proceeded, the Liberals had suf-
fered very considerable damage by the blowing up
of their own magazines—(laughter) ; and he trusted
that, for some time, at least, the last had been heard
of the Pharisaical vauntings of the impure defendeks
of Parliamentary purity. The country was told by
Lord J. Russell that the production of one reform
bill—which, whatever might have been its demerits,
was at least framed in a genuine and honest spirit
—was not enough, but that a second bill should
have been introduced. The noble lord came into office
shortly afterwards, and, with scarcely a syllable of
explanation, the subject of Parli2mentary reform was
quietly postponed till next session. Again, Lord
Palmerston, although not a single despatch had been
published on the subject, declared that Lord Derby's
foreign policy had been unsatisfactory, and that it
was dangerous to the honour of England that the
management of foreign affairs should be any longer
intrusted to Lord Malmesbury. Things would be

safer, perhaps the noble Lord thought, in his own
hands, although of his reckless meddling policy in
China two years since it was to be feared we were
reaping the fruits in the sad disaster on the banks of
the Peiho. No sooner, however, was the noble lord
again seated on the familiar cushions of the Treasury
benches than he declared that, as regards foreign
policy, the Ministry would be only too delighted to
tread in the footsteps which their predecessors had
chalked out for them. (Laughter.) Every one must
admire the Protean dexterity with which the noble
lord could change his tone in so short a time.
(Laughter.) But it was said when the present Mi-
nistry came into office, " See the breadth of the
basis upon which they are established ; they have
some of the Conservative element in them as well
as the Radical, and as the time goes on, and they
get quietly settled down in their places, the ulterior
tendencies of the one will be overawed and kept in
check by the moderate counsels of the other." He
(Mr, Du Cane) had every desire to accord to the
present Ministry that fair and honest trial which
was so generously recommended on his retirement
from office by Lord Derby, and he deprecated with
his right hon. colleague frequent Ministerial
changes ; but when they were told about the Con-
servative element in the Palmerston Ministry, let
them see what it amounted to. He did not deny
that, looking at the past, the present Ministry was
entirely destitute of a Conservative element; but
since its accession to office its members had been
strange dissemblers of their love for Conser-
vatism, if, indeed, they had not kicked it down
stairs. But little of the Conservative element had
been seen in domestic legislation, and more than
once the cloven foot of Radical ascendancy had been
apparent. Take, for instance, the Endowed Schools
Bill and the Church-rate Abolition Bill. He
would not pause to comment upon the unblush-
ing manner in which Lord Palmerston and Lord
John Russell scattered to the winds in a few
brief moments the principles which for upwards of
a quarter of a century they had espoused with re-
gard to church rates as essential to the welfare of
the State; but he would ask where was the Con-
servative element of the present Ministry upon that
memorable occasion. Mr. Gladstone, when a poli-
tician unattached, had a few weeks before declared
his confidence in the Government of Lord Derby ;
but where was the well-known eloquence of Mr.
Gladstone as a Cabinet Minister, in defence of the
Established Church ? One of our most amusing
dramatic writers had introduced in a well-known
play a celebrated statesman of the- time of Queen
ElizalAth whose profound wisdom was so apparent
upon his countenance that he was only required to
appear upon the stage to look solemn and serious
and to shake his head. The Conservative element
in the present Cabinet was of a very similar Eliza-
bethan character. It was in effect said to Mr. Glad-
stone, " You look so wise and profound, and the
wisdom and the depth of your intellect are so legibly
depicted upon your countenance, that we will not
trouble you to speak upon this question, but look
solemn and serious and go into the Conservative
lobby while we carry on the work of Church spolia-
tion. You can thus gull your Conservative friends
into the belief that they are still quite safe, as there
is a Conservative element in the Government."
(Laughter.) With regard to reform he (Mr. Du
Cane) did not think that the question should be
made a mere stalkinghorse by which this or that
Minister might be hurled from office till, the pas-
sions and feelings of the people being thoroughly
aroused, we were forced from the path of wise
statesmanlike progress down the precipitous slope
of democratic innovation. He believed it to be a
Conservative policy V inaugurate changes in our
representative system in acoordance with the grow-
ing civilisation of the country; but let so grave a
subject be approached with calm and impartial de-
liberation. How any Cabinet in which Lord John
Russell formed the connecting link between that
ardent democrat Lord Palmerston and that sturdy
Constitutionalist Mr. Milner Gibson could concur
in the provisions of a Reform Bill might be a mat-
ter for curious speculation—(laughter)—but he
(Mr. Du Cane) trusted that the forthcoming mea-
sure would be such as to secure the approval of
moderate thinking men, and yet afford a settlement
of the question for many years to come. To such
a measure he should be only too happy to give his
active co-operation ; but if the democratic element
in the Cabinet prevailed, it would be the duty of
the Conservative party to rally its united forces in
defence of the institutions of the country. It was
essential that, a fair balance should be preserved of
the elements of education, intelligence, and pro-
perty, and at the same time it would be right to
admit within the franchise the most deserving of
the working classes. But in the face of the late
disclosures at Gloucester and Wakefield, and in the
face of the warning addressed to the country
through the medium of the builders' strike, he
would never give his consent to any measure which,
lila the proposals of Mr. Bright, treated the con-
stitution of England as a mere matter of arithmetic,
and admitted the working classes to the suffrage
in mere numerical masses. (Cheers.) If one class
were made the sole depositaries of political power,
it was perfectly evident that the same combinations
which trades' unions could form for the purpose of
overawing masters numerically, could be formed by
constituencies for the purpose of overawing mem-
bers of Parliament—(hear, hear)—who would not be
so able as the masters to protect themselves. (Hear,
hear.) With regard to foreign affairs, the hon.
gentleman said if Italy, free from the Alps to the
Adriatic, was permitted to enjoy the blessings of
constitutional government, then he would fain be-
lieve that the inscrutable man to whom the destinies
of France were committed wished—especially tak-
ing into consideration the recent amnesty—that, so
far as he was concerned, his empire should be based
upon peace. But a man whose power was based
upon 500,000 bayonets was not absolute master of
his situation ; he must find occasional vent for the
military ardour of that vast host upon whom he leant
for support; and, absolute as his power might be,
and great as might be the force of his own intel-
lect, he could not himself, by the force of his own
solitary will, oppose the inclinations of a united
nation. There were some who thought that the
conclusion of the peace of Villafranca was but
the prelude, to a rupture with England, and others
again laughed to scorn the very idea of a French
invasion, and treated it as a mere bugbear to frigh-
ten children; but he thought it was possible to
preserve a medium between those two extremes.
We did not know whether the whole French nation
were burning to wipe out the disgrace of Waterloo,
but we knew that it was essential for the position
of this country and for the protection of her vast
commerce and colonial possessions that she should
remain mistress of the seas. 'We were on terms of
alliance with France and friendship with Russia,
and he trusted that this state of affairs might con-
tinue; but let us remember the memorable advice
given by Lord Lyndhurst, and not be content t) re
main in dependence upon the forbearance of any
power, relying solely upon our own vigour and in-
telligence. Let Mr. Bright or Mr. Cobden devote
their great intellectual powers to the correction of
any waste of the public money in the dockyards,
and they would earn for themselves the thanks of a
grateful country far more than by attempting or-
ganic changes in its institutions; but let the House
of Commons have bona fide ships and men as a quid
pro quo upon such retrenchment. (Hear, hear.)
The hon. gentleman then briefly touched in approv-
ingicithis
übtermssee ,
conclusion
sickbeddeclared
o'er
that
therifleawtihe,
he ,
tfhor corpsprospectspoant oe:po ifwc
cast
to;
huoael
fnddd
never
seapv doe adverting
edarel tnl i
Conservativeonewyg
forsoe
itahtei
ofnut;re. said (hl:o,uivdaschfaevesu.r)
is native hue of present Conservative resolution
The CHAIRMAN, in giving "
believed
or
thet h e Prosperity to the As-
atbeledteod partyt or g a n i-
o thesecure an
they
of
s a
efficientt organi-
sations, o n s
' as
performancelle
He had no doubt to which party he who was State,
sin-
cerely attached to the existinc, institutions of thecountry should belong ; and he believed the Conser-
vative creed was more in accordance with the best
interests of the State than the politics of those who
talked so largely about intelligence and the progress
of reform. Conservatism was much more strongly
represented in the House of Commons now than
when Lord Derby accepted office last year, no other
Administration being possible in con,equellee of the
quarrels of his opponents. Lord Derby's conduct
merited liberal treatment from his opponents, but
how was it returned ? Why, when his accession to

office hid served their purposes, they intimated to
him' " Our sections are reconciled, and we now want
your place. It is true that you came to the relief
of the country at a critical period ; it is true that
you appointed men of intelligence to fill the public
offices ; it is true that you introduced a Reform
Bill ; it is true that you maintained neutrality in
the Italian war ; but we want your place." He
(Mr. Watlington) maintained that the doctrine held
by Lord John Russell that it was not necessary to
' produce a reason for this course, simply because Mr.
Burke had said that it was not, was monstrous and
insulting t-) the people of England. But all the
Liberals did not think reason superfluous in the
matter, and some of them gave their reasons, and
very bad reasons they were. The Liberals imputed
the increased strength of the Conservative party to
the most corrupt practices in the elections ; but the
disclosures which had been made would not put the
immaculate Radical party in the most favourable
possible light ; in fact, the evidence adduced con-
victed the Liberal party of the grossest bribery and
corruption. With reference to the present pro-
spects of Conservatism in the House of Commons
and the country generally, he believed that the Con-
servative cause had benefited greatly by the reform
tour of Mr. Bright last year. His extreme lan-
guage, his thorough-going Radicalism, his open
hostility to some of our most cherished institutions,
including the House of Lords, and his declaration
that no measure of reform would be satisfactory
without the ballot, had alarmed many professed
Liberals, and gained converts to Conservatism. The
Conservatives ought, therefore, to feel much indebted
to Mr. Bright. (Applause.)
The Rev. J. Cox acknowledged the toast at con-
siderable length. The rev. gentleman said he en-
-tirely differed from Mr. Beresford in what his right
hon. friend had said as to the fusion of parties ; so
far from this being the case, he thought the line of
demarcation between the Conservative and so-called
Liberal, or Whig Radical party was never more dis-
tinct than it was at present. Conservatism meant
the maintenance of the institutions of the country
in King, Lords, and Commons, while the Liberals
now raised a cry of Parliamentary government,
which meant the government, of+the House of Com-
mons only. He had in vain endeavoured to procure
an explanation of the " phrase civil and reigious
liberty ;" but it appeared to mean opposition to the
Church. (Laughter.) The real battle-ground about
to be taken up was, he thought, th© church-rate
question, which involved the separation of Church
and State. Mr. Miall and the political Dissenters
did not deny that this was their object ; and Mr.
Drummond, the able member for Surrey, had also
correctly described the church-rate agitation as a
war a ;la outrance against the Established Church.
Mr. MILLER, M.P., for Colchestea, responded to
the toast of "The Members for the Essex Bo-
roughs," and observed that no one felt more deeply
than he did the importance of maintaining the
Conservative cause and resisting those innovations
for whith the present age was, characteristic, and
which he feared would, if they were not firmly op-
posed, overthrow us both in Church and State.
Mr. PAPILLON, M.P., also very briefly responded.
A few other toasts having been given the pro-
ceeding terminated.

PROFESSOR ANDERSON IN AUS•

TRALIA.

In a letter dated Melbourne, August 17, 1859, the
Professor says :—By the last mail but one I sent you
a letter from Bendigo, descriptive of things thea-
trical here at the antipodes. As I have rambled over
some ground since then, and am back again in Mel-
bourne, I will now trouble you with another epistle,
in which I will endeavour to chronicle a few of the
events that have recently occurred, and describe
some of the places in which I have lately been.
•Bendigo, where I performed two months since,
has four places of amusement, the Haymarket Thea-
tre, the. Shamrock, Abbott's Lyceum, and the Vic-
toria. The Haymarket was built by Mr. Coleman,
a gentleman who once had an entertainment in
England which he entitled " Masks an Faces." It
is a wooden structure, and holds about 1,000 people.
Like most of the theatres out here, it is attached to
a hotel, and both theatre and hotel were, at the
time of my playing there, in the occupancy of
Messrs. Howard Vinson and T. P. Brower. The
last-named of these gentlemen is the brother
of Mr. Brower, who was once one of my com-
pany at home, and has himself, for some time
past, been the manager of the San Francisco Min-
strels. Mr. Vinson is an American actor, whose
wife (Miss Kate Ward) endeavours to rank as a
" star" in Australia. Mr. Howard is a Manchester
man, not connected with the profession, but well
acquainted with colonial life, and so sharply colo-
nial in his dealings that he contrived to get posses-
sion of £lO of my money, which I could not see the
justice of his possessing. They publish nightly at
the theatre a thing called " The Curtain," in which
they put what they like, without asking leave con-
cerning any one who may be at the theatre, and
by-and-by send in an account which rather sur-
prises you. The one presented to me was of this
character, and as I demurred to paying it Mr.
Howard coolly took possession of the amount from
amongst the money in my money-taking box. They
have a little sharp practice at home, but nothing to
what they indulge in out here.
The second place of importance as a theatre in
Bendigo is the Shamrock, where you get dancing
and singing, as well as a " nobbler," for sixpence.
Four or five years ago the proprietor, Mr. Heffer-
nan, paid £l4O per week salaries to performers, and
charged nothing whatever for admission thereto.
Abbott's Lyceum is a very nicely-fitted up place
with a small stage in the rear of a large American
bar. It has been recently occupied by Mrs. Butler,
the widow of Samuel Butler, the tragedian. The
Shaksperian Readings given by this lady proved
utterly unattractive in Bendigo. To use an illus-
tration which Mr. Farquharson Smith used the
other day when telling me of his recent Indian ad-
ventures, "If you would but just throw a summer-
sault over the piano they would be in extacics ; "
but then don't read Shakspere to the Bendigonians.
Their fourth place of amusement, the Victoria, is
below criticism, being merely a place for the delec-
tation of the roughest of the strange assemblage con-
gregated in Bendigo.
They call the township in which the places of
amusement are situated by the name of Sand-
hurst, Bendigo being the title of the district. All
around Sandhurst there are " as they arc
termed, Or valleys, between the hills, burrowed
everywhere by the gold-seekers. Each of these
gullies is a little township in itself, and has its dis-
tinct place of amusement in the shape of a large
saloon attached to a hotel. There are Eagle-hawk
Gully, Iron-bark Gully, California Gully, head-
horse Gully, and I do not know how many else be-
sides Then there is Epsom, with its own little
theltre at Kangaroo Flat with its concert saloon.
From Bendigo, I went down to Castlemaine and
played a fortnight at the Theatre Royal there,
which, together with the hotel adjoining, belongs
to Messrs. Gyngelland Rainer. The theatre is sub-
stantially built of brick, holds about 1,500 persons,
has a good stage, and was opened not many months
ago by Miss 'Mary Provost, a Californian trage-
dienne, who has achieved popularity in the colonies.
After rux ning my magic here for ten nights to very
crowded houses, I gave " Rob Roy" in an entirely
new form. There was no company, and I therefore
had recourse to my own family in order to place
the piece on the stage. It was impossible to play
it in its entirety, so we made selections from
the various scenes. I " doubled" for Rob
Roy and the Bailie, and you will wonder how
I managed t) do trat, but done it was.
My son played Rashleigh Osbaldistone and Captain
Thornton ; my eldest daughter impersonated Mattie,
Francis Osbaldistone, -Diana Vernon, and Helen
_ _

M'Gregor ; while a relative of mine, Mr. Robertson,
was the Dougal. There was a very crowded house,
and the performance appeared to give the greatebt
satisfaction.

From Castlemaine I drove down the road as far
as Tarradale, and stopped to give my magical per-
formance there in Mr. Johnston's hotel, the price of
admission was five shillings. The room had nearly
400 people in it on each of the two nights that I
played. Where they were stowed, or how they
found a seeing place, I scarcely know. The stage
was the smallest on which I had ever performed.
Opposite it were three windows ; these were thrown
open, and some drays put aside. The late corners
were admitted at the door on payment, passed up
the room, and out of the windows, and then stacked
up on the drays in the open air. If they did not
have the best place for seeing, they at least had the
coolest, and as they seemed to enjoy it, I suppose
that it was nothing very much out of the way for
them to be so accommodated. Many of them had
ridden 14 or 15 miles to see me. The hotel was
full in every room, and while some bad their night's
sleep on the billiard tables, others arranged them-
selves in rows before the fire in the kitchen. My
son found a bed on the stage, and Mr. Hingston hail
dignified a bagatelle-table bed all to himself.
My next remove was toKyneton, an agricultural
town on the road down to Melbourne. There is a
largeil
its
rooms at
demeanour, the Royal
and Hotel
rejoices
ens Kilyi n e
itst o np,rwo
propriety,
iceht
yi s,
preferredfie d b. y thegoi
nnaganma
toofoofatnhaeelTvihyea_bturieußrooyoaml,
called
tleafsi
. yneton is full of churches and schools, is quiet
that I had made the righrs 1 reason. not to regret
kepthils t
thenig
hAtstthoelifutelluhnio'uses, and theeneti": I performedfour
moving down towards
, .\\Toaotanment at the
ti e Black Forest, gave one
Londea and Liverpool Arms
at KS noon I stopped at the Junction Hotel,
by Mr. Emden, the brother of Mr. Emden, of the
Olympic in London.
Ten miles through the flack Forest brolinc,ht me