The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

CONFIDANCE IN THE GOVERNMENT.

A large and influential meeting of the electors of the
City of London, comprising merchants, bankers, traders,
and others, was held yesterday afternoon at the Guildhall
—the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor presiding—" to take
into consideration the decision recently come to by the
House of Commons, relative to the affairs at Canton,
and to express its high confidence in her Majesty's
Government."

Long before two o'clock, the hour for commencing
the business of the meeting, the hall was densely crowded.
The interval between the assembling of the electors
and the commencement of the business of the meeting
Was devoted to the usual ebulitions of popular feeling on
such occasions as these. The names of the favourites on
the popular side of the question were loudly cheered,
whilst those on the opposite side were received with
groans, hisses, and other unmistakeable tokens of dis-
approbation. The whole being interspersed with a
variety of songs of liberty, the Marseillaise Hymn
being the favourite, the strains of which rever-
berated through the vaulted ball, to the surprise and
astonishment of those sober guardians of the building
--Gog and Magog.

At two o'clock the Lord Mayor arrived, and was
loudly cheered. He was accompanied by Messrs.
Raikes Carrie (candidate), J. Dillon, Crawford (candi-
date), Sergeant Ballantine, W. J. Hall, Deputy Dakin,
Oliveira, Edwin James, Q.C., Sheriff Keats, Alderman
Wire, Whitehurst, Alderman Sir J. Duke, M.P. (can-
didate), and other gentlemen of influence.

The LORD MAYOR, in opening the business of the
leading, said that be had called it at the request of 800
electors of the City. Hecalled on them to give all an im-
partial hearing. The reading of the object of the meet-
ing was received with mingled expressions of approval
and disapprobation.

Mr. Menus Crawls, M.P., then came forward amid
some confusion (principally caused by some 20 or 30
roughs" stationed in front of the platform). The hon.
gentleman said that, often as the citizens of London had
met in their ancient hall, he believed they bad seldom
*asembled on any occasion when the best interests of the
country were more deeply at stake than at the present
moment, for, as he understood the question, they were
met, not to glorify any man or any Minister, however
able and successful he might be, but the great question
proposed to the sound understanding and practical com-
mon sense of the people of London was this—whether,
having had a Government which had redeemed the dis-
asters of the late war, which bad brought that war to a
conclusion under most difficult circumstances—which
had established an honourable peace, and under which,
no matter what its merits cr demerits might be, the
country was now flourishing—(cheers, and cries of "No,
no")--that Government was entitled to the confidence
of the country. (Cheers, and cries of "No, no ;
there are plenty of working men starving.") He
assured those persons who cried " no," that if they
were unemployed he was extremely sorry for it, for he
bad always the good of the working classes at heart. He
bad often addressed large masses of the working men of
the country, and he would not have been on the plat-
form that day but for them, for he was utterly unknown
when, some 20 years ago, in proposing Mr. G. Groteas
one of the members for the City, he had uttered senti-
ments which touched the hearts of the working men of
Northampton, and they had asked him to represent them
in Parliament. He acquiesced, and if any one who heard
him would go to Northampton and ask wbat his cia-
racter was, he thought they would get an answer which
would satisfy them that he was not insensible to the
wants of the deserving, industrious, and unemployed
poor. He was one of those who, at this moment, was
endeavouring, with the aid of persons more influential
than himself to make another bridge to high-paid labour
in distant colonies, where the thews and sinews of men
'were estimated at their full value, and where, if they
would be frugal, a compe'euce awaited every man. He
was prepared to maintain, notwithstanding the cry of
" No," that with few exceptions the commerce of the
country was thriving. In a ldition to this, the Govern-
ment had premised large reductions of expenditure, and
they bad taken off the " war 9d." (A vuic3—" 'feat
don't affect us ;" and another—" Yes it does, you fool r)
Now the question be would put to the meeting was,
" Will you disturb everything ? Wdl you upset the ex-
isting Government ? (Cries of No, no ; Palmerston fur
ever ; three groans for Lurd J. Russell.) They all knew
that the sense of the country had already given its ver-
dict on the matter. If the good old Duke had been alive
nothing would have been heard of this question. He
embodied in his own mind thecommoo sense of England
and his maxim was, " Choose the best men you can for
difficult positions, and when you have honestly chosen
them, honestly support them." ((Alters.) T,:e head and
front of the Government offence was, that they ad
endeavoured to support a man who was tent a distance
of 15,000 miles to represent the interests] of England,
and upon whom the greatest re-pousibiiity was thrown.
The Government were no more responsible fur the un-
fortunate events in Gains, than he wa', or any other man
in that hall. They had heard a great deal of abuse about
S.r J. Bowring. He knew something of that gentleman
from having sat with him for malty years in Parliament,
and he believed it would be impossible to find a more
ferbearng man, or one lees likely to provoke hostilities
with a friendly people. The people of England had a
great deal to do with this question. If Sir J. BJwrieg
tied an aristocratic name, or was the youeger sea of
some great ducal family, with ind ientiat political con-
xions, very little woutd have been heard of this mat-
ter. But Sir J. Bowring was a man of the people ; he
sprang from the people, and he was sent to Parliament
by working men as the disciple of Bentham, whose poli-
tical doctrine was " the greatest happiness for the great-
est number." (Cheers.) Such was Dr. Bowring, and
fie appealed to an assembly of Englishmen, who boasted
Maui:Haves of their Lye of fair play—(hear)—whether
they would turn round and crus'a those whose only oi•
fence was supporting the man whom they believed to be
incapable of an unjust or cruel act. (Hear.) He asked
them again whither they wished to throw the Govern-
ment overboard in order that they might dive down dark
-waters for the chance of picking up a 'other 3 (Cheers.)
'Would they have Lord Derby ? (No, no) Lord Derby
Lad told them that he could not take the Government—
<" We don't want him")—for that, without Lord Pal-
merston and Lord Clarendon, be could sot form an Ad-
ministration. (Hear.) Or would they like to see a
coalition—(no, no)—and Gladstone, Sidney Herbert, and
the small, but talented, band of Peedtes forming an Ad-
ministration I (No, and great uproar.) Tie boo. gentle-
man concluded by moving the following resolution :
" That Lord Palmerston having undertaken the Go-
vernment of this country under circumstances of ex-
treme difficulty, and in the crisis of a great war which
he successfully carried to the issue of an honourable
peace is entitled to the thanks of the country, and hav-
ing by an adverse vote of the House of Commons been,
in fact, censured for his policy in reference to the pro-
ceedings at Canton—this meeting feels called upon to
express its conviction that from the position of affairs
in China and the past proceedings there, no other course
was fairly open to a British statesman, or was compat-
ible with safety to the property and lives of our fellow-
countrymen in that quarter, and with the honour and
dignity of the nation."
Mr. J. DILLON, in seconding the resolution, observed
that peacauaakors and placehunters had united to put the
Government in a position of great difficulty. Of the
peacemakers he would say that they were no doubt
honourable, crotchety, and well-meaning men ; but
every one knew that " well-meaning people" produced
a world of mischief. (Hear.) Now, one word with re-
spect to the placehunters, who had supported the peace-
makers with the view of taming out the Administration.
The real question for the country was, not Sir John
Bowling, but Lord Palmerston. (Hear, hear.) It was
not Commissioner Yell, but the Earl of Derby, (We
don't want him.) The China question was passed and
gone, and the real question now was whether the coun-
try would prefer to see Lord Palmerston in power or
see him supplanted by Lord Derby. (No, no.) Teat
was the question, and no other. Let those who were for
L;rd Palmerston hold up their hands. (An immense
majority of the meeting responded to the call amid loud
cheers.) That which had taken place in China was not
a separate tact, but part of a system which had been in
vogue for the last 20 years. Lord Palmerston had not
originated that system, but, if Lord Darby were in office
to-morrow, he would support it. It was impossible nut
to lament the late hostilities at Canton, but there was
no British statesman with a brain to think, and a heart
to feel, who could refuse his support to the course
adopted by Lord Palmerston. (Cheers.) A great deal
bad been said of the traffic in opium, and of the tribute
of silver, but he asked whether, if Lord Darby were in
power, would prohibit the opium trade, or whether, if
Mr. Gladstone were in office, he would return the silver
the
tribute toChinese. (Certainly not.) No, they
would not, and their conduct in division
the late
was only the dishonest trick
of a party to get
into office, andtcthheeecristi (Cheers.) The
of London ought to resist
it to a man.
work and wanted employment. (o,ch,po6ition was out of
would manage things better than thir cry
was
thdat !hp,
tration, and that they would do thee leke ent A mf inthise-
men
Oveerargteh o
country at an eighth less than the
(Laughter.) He (Mr. Dillon) asked the citizens of e Lwoany:
• doe whether they were prepared to abandon the bet
interests of the nation in order to bring a lot of men into
power who were only hungering after place t (No, no.)
Lord Palmerston was a man about whom there was a
great difference of opinion ; but if the country wished to
make him a reformer to their mind, let them return
reformed Parausnent, and depend upon it Lord Palmer-
ston would nut he unwilling to lead it. (Loud cheers.)
Let them remember that, whatever the noble lord's an-
tecedents were, be bad performed one act at least to
entitle him to the thanks of the people of England. At
a moment of great peril, when the reputation of the
country was at stake (mad the reputation of England was
more precious than her wealth), Lord Palmerston inter•
posed, carried on the war with
vigour, and concluded it
with a glorious and honourable peace. (Loud cheers.)
Whatever might be said to the contrary, there was no
denying the truth of the assertion, that, during the lain
war, Lord Palmerston had shown the wisdom of a states,-
man and the vigour of a man. (Rear, hear.) He (Mr.
Dillon) therefore called upon the citizens of London to
show an example to the country, by resisting the incur-
sions of those European Chinamen, who had boarded the
vessel of the State, dragged down the flag of the Empire,
massacred the character of our envoys in distant coun-
tries, and poisoned the food of the people. (Cheers.)
Mr. SAMUEL MORLEY said the question which the
meeting had to decide was one of progress or no progress.
Ile wished to remind the country that we had a home
policy as well as a foreign policy, and that while we felt

grateful to Lord Palmerston for the ability and energy
with which he had brought the Russian war to a conclusion,
there were other men, other features, in the conduct of the
war which proved the incapacity of the official system
under which the country was governed. Lord Palmer.
ston was a member of the Government, and remained in
it during the dreary period of the war, when the most
terrible disasters occurred to the army. (Uproar and
cries of " Off.") Of the 30,000 soldiers who fell in the
Crimea, 20,000 died of disease and the direct results of
cold and starvation, while Balaklava was full of clothing
and food, which were kept from the famishing troops by
the incompetence of those who were entrusted with the
discharge of important duties. (Hear, hear, and uproar.)
He declared that corruption was as rampant among the
governing classes of this country as ever, and the coun-
try must tell Lord Palmerston that, if he expected the
people to support him, he must be faithful to them.
The conduct of the Government with reference to Sir
John M'Neill and Col. Tulloch was not such as to in-
spire the country with confidence ; and as for Lord Pal-
merston, he defied any one to prove that the noble lord
had ever exhibited any anxiety to pass measures for the
substantial welfare of the people. (Confusion, and a
voice, " What of Lord Derby ?") They might depend
upon it there would be no fear of Tory principles getting
the upper hand, if the people would be but. true to
themselves. He believed that at no period of the his-
tory of this country was there more wealth among the
higher classes than at this moment, or more poverty
among the poor. (Hear.) Mr. Morley concluded, amid
great upoar, by moving the following amendment :
"That this meeting detests Bureauacy, which is con-
tinental despotism, of which Sir George Grey, the Home
Secretary, is the director. That this system has been
acted on by Lord Palmerston's Government, and is
closely connected with, and dependent on, the Episcopal
Church of the land; and because this church is the rallying
point for jobbing corruptionists and centralising tyrants,
increases taxation, and is one of the causes of 'the pre-
sent awful state of society, this meeting declares its
belief that it is the bounden duty of every one to
exert all constitutional means to sever the Church from
the State, and will vote for no man at the ensuing elec-
tion that will not give this pledge."
Mr. GASSIOT seconded the amendment, and recom-
mended the meeting to be firm, and only return such
men to the House of Commons as would secure a re-
formed Parliament. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Alderman ROSE supported the original motion
amidst great uproar, and expressed his opinion that if
consuls and commanders were to be sent to distant
countries with difficult and important missions, the Go-
vernment and the country were bound to support them
in their exertions to maintain the honour and dignity of
the British flag. (Cheers.)
Mr. EDWIN JAMES, Q.C., who was received with much
apparent good feeling, said an appeal was about to be
made to the country on the decision of the House of
Commons, and the city of London, as the foremost con-
stituency of that great empire, was called upon to record
its feelings as to whether Lord Palmerston had the con-
fidence of this country or not. (Loud cheers, uproar,
and cries of "Yes 1") It was natural that in the course
of such a discussion as had taken place that day some of
the topics introduced should have been discursive and
at large from the question at issue, but nevertheless he
would venture shortly upon their patience in addressing i
to them a few remarks in support of the original reso
lution. (Much cheering.) The amendment which had
been moved by his friend Mr. Morley was one which
none could dissent from, and it affirmed an abstract pro-
position of the principle of which he was himself a sup-
porter, and which he was glad to see Mr. Morley had
supported so long and energetically ; but still it was
quite consistent that the orignal resolution, expressing
the entire confidence of the public in Lord Palmerston
at this juncture, should be preferred to any abstract
proposition, however laudable in itself. It was not
a question, as his friend Mr. Morley had put it, whether
or not Lord Palmerston was to hold the Ministry for ever
—the question really was, whether that meeting con-
sidered that Lord Palmerston had disgraced himself ?
(Loud cries of " No, no 1") Was it a disgrace to have
upheld the national honour against a deliberate insult of-
fered to the British flag ? The matter had been fully
discussed by all the lawyers of the House of Commons,
and each had made a case according to his own political
views. (Cheers.) But it was notes question of law, but
of common sense and feeling. (Cheers.) Did any man
in his own heart doubt for a moment but that that bar-
barian Yeh bad offered an intentional insult to the Bri-
tish flag I (Cheers.) That was his motive, and he hail
suoceeled in it ; and was it not a miserable quibble of
his apologists to talk of the colonial register of the lorcha
having expired ? Ha Chinaman knocked down an Eng-
lish merchant, and the latter sought redress, would it be
considered any excuse for the Chinese to say that the man
he so assaulted was a Portuguese, on the ground that
though he had traded and bought and sold with him as
an Englishman, yet that there was a flaw in the regi-terol
his baptism, and so he would consider him a Portuguese
while he attacked him ? (Laughter and cheers ) People
spoke of the opprea,ion of Palmerston's policy, but he
would like to know what war Lord Palmerston had ever
commenced ? Lord Pelmerston, at least, was actuated by
a jealous sense of the national honour, which had certainly
not been the case either with the Earl of Aberdeen or
Gladstone. What was his conduct with regard to
France in 1840, when M. Thiers was French Minister,
and anxious to pick a quarrel with England, and he asked
for the remains of the greatest captain that had ever lived,
Napoleon, to be carried back to France I What was
Lord Palmerston's answer to that request when be gave
his consent ? "That he trusted the animositiee which had
,e) long divided France and &gland would be buried in
the same grave ; " and from that date bad commenced
the good feeling winch had continued to increase till it
led to the strict alliance which joined the two countries
at the present day. Lord Palmerston's pol.cy had never
been an aggressive one. (Cheers, and cries of "No,"
and " Yes," and great uproar.) At this very name the
despotic Cid ,urts of Europe trembled—(great cheering)—
and tie (Mr. James) could imagine tee joy and exulta-
tion which hailed the division of the House of Commons,
brought about by one of the most unprincipled political
combinations that ever existed. (Caeers, and cries of
"No ') He could imagine the exultation of such Courts
as that of Prussia, which craved to surprise and deep .11
Switzerland—a Court like that of Russia, with her sleep-
less gaze always directed to the frontiersot India. Those
despotic Courts, however, might withhold their exults.
Lion for the present, as ho believed the verdict of the
English people would not endorse the decision of the
House of Commons. (Tremendous cheering.) He, bow
ever, quite agreed with the principle of Mr. Morley's
amendment, and thought that every Minister, even Lord
Palmerston, should be told that he must go with, the
stream of social and political progress, and he trusted soon
to see his lordship at the head of such& strong Liberal ma-
j nity as would compel him to do so. He trusted to see in
such a case the working classes better cared for—(rnuch
cheering)—and thefranchise liberally extended, (Cheers.)
If Lord Palmerston was not chosen, whom were they
to look to ? Did they wish to have Lord Derby and
Mr. Disraeli sitting in the same Cabinet wish Gladstone,
Aberdeen, and Lord John Russell ? (Groans, and cries
of "No, no 1") Let them look at the question thus,
and recollect, if they did not have Lord Palmerston,
whom they would have to take instead. No one wanted
Lord Palmerston for ever; but all required him for
this juncture, for the keeping of the national honour
was safe with him. (Cheers.) For such reasons he called
upon the city of London to come forward and give an
example to the rest of the constituency, and lead them
to place confidence iu a statesman who had never de-
serted their interests. (Great cheering, which was con-
tinued for some time, with calls for the resolution to be
put.)

The LORD MAYOR then put the amendment, for which
some 20 or 30 hands were held up.
The original motion was then put, and carried by an
overwhelming majority, amid loud and continued cheers
for Lord Palmerston.
The Loan MAYOR declared the original resolution
carried.

Mr. R. W. CBAWFORD observed that he came there °Pa
as one of the merchants of the city of London, deeply
interested in the questions engaging public attention, to
express the feelings be entertained with reference to the 11
great political contest about to take place. Whatever !
might be the opinion of the meeting with respect to the
circumstance which had led to the war in China, he was
there, not to argue about the miserable lorcha, or to I
discuss the merits of any political section, but to express
his opinion that, in the present crisi', the country was
bound to give a hearty, steadfast, and cordial support to
the Government. (Cheers.) He wished to express his
disapproval and his reprobation of the combination which
had placed those who were parties to it in the predica-
ment of coming before the grand jury of the country.
He was bound to say that while agreeing e ith a good
deal that had fallen from Mr. Morley, he did not look
upon Lord Palmerston as a thorough-going politician,
but he would support him on the present occasion, be-
cause he believed he was the only man fit to carry on
the government of the country. (Cheers.) The noble
lord had not supported the ballot, nor extension of the
franchise, nor the repeal of Jewish disabilities ; and on
all these points he (Mr. Crawford) would go further
than the noble lord, but he would give him a cordial sup.
port as long as he would show himself anxious to pro-
mote the great social and political measures on which
the happiness and contentment of the people depended.
(Loud cheers.) He begged to move—
" That a committee, consisting of Sir J. Duke, Bart.,
M.P.,Mr. Raikes Currie, M.P., Mr. J. Dillon, Mr. R.
W. rawford, Mr. T. Dakin, Mr. E. James, Q.C., Alder-
man Rose, Sir C, Crosley, Mr. H. Lloyd, Mr. J. H.
Elliott, Mr. W. L. Hall, Mr. B. Oliveira, M.P., Mr. G.
Allan, Mr. R. Besley, Mr. T. J. Holt, Mr. R. Obbard, and
Mr. T. Christy, be appointed to draw up an address em-
bodying the spirit of the foregoing resolution; that the
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor be hereby authorised to sign
the same, by order and on behalf of this meeting; and
that the committee be a deputation to present the same to
his lordship."

Mr. LA.WRENOr seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously adopted.
On the motion of Sir J. Dim; Bart., M.P., seconded
by Mr. WAITHMAN, a vote of thanks was unanimously
awarded to the Lord Mayor for his readiness in calling
the meeting, and for his kindetess in presiding.
The LORD IvIAYon, in acknowledging the compliment,
expressed a hope that all constituencies would impress
upon those they elected the duty of attending more
closely to the wants of the poor.
jr. OSBORNE, a working man, begged permission to
propose the following resolution :
" The citizens of London heartily sympathies with their
countrymen who have been .suffetfug
loyment during the whole winter,
t suffering and want, anti pledge them-
! through their representatives, to assist them in
we.res,
endeavours to emigrate and settle in the Britishe olo-
their en
tfurhnoefmroerbtwyu unfortunate
ttuesoi using
ni,9s."

The motion having been seconded by another work-
ing man, was carried by acclamation.
Three hearty cheers were then given for Lord Pal-
merston, and the meeting separated.