The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-28 00:00:00

MR. BERNAL OSBORNE, M.P., ON THE
,INDIAN CRISIS.

• A
grand banquet took place at Dover on Thurs-
day ()Veiling -to .celebrate the- return of two Liberal
members for that borough in the persons of Mr. R.
B. Osborne and Sir W. RUssell, Bart. It will be
recollected thit in the last Parliament Dover was
represented by one Liberal (Mr. E. R. Rice, who
lately retired"frOm public life)and one Conservative
(Lord Chelsea),.with whose politicalfortunes, mixed
up as they were with a recent contest in the metro-
politan county, the public are somewhat familiar.
At the last general election, however, the Ministe-
rialisbs in Dover secured both seats for their own
eandidatee, deeating their opponents,Sir G. Clerk
and. Mr. G. W. Hope, by large majorities. So sig-
nal a triumph has not crowned the.exertions of the
Liberals of this borough for many years past, the
representation in several previous Parliaments
having been divided between the Whigs
and the Conservatives. Another source of
exultation to the Liberal interest was fur-
nished by the fact that, though the seat of one of
their members had been challenged on the score of
corruption, and some disposition was at first evinced
to press the charge, yet the authors of the petition
withdrew it at the eleventh hour, thus sparing their
opponents the vexation of a struggle in committee.
Such a victory, therefore, it was thought, ought
not to to allowed to pass without due commemora-
ft fen. Hence the Liberal demonstration of Thurs-
day. The festival was held in what by a local para-
dox is termed the " New" Town Hall, the remote
antiquity of the structure having given rise to the
somewhat apocryphal tradition that it was the iden-
tical chamber in which the recreant King John
"signed away" his kingdom to the Pope., The
building was tastefully decorated for the occasion,
and the proceedings went off with great spirit. The
party was a very numerous one, between 400 and
600 of the electors sitting down to dinner. A gal-
lery specially fitted up f, l. the ladies was also fully
occupied. One of the borough members, Mr. Os-
berne, was able to take Fart in the ovation, that hon.
gentleman's gallant colleague, Sir W. Russell, who
recently sailed Frith, his regiment for India, having
been called upon to share in sterner engagements,
and, let us hope, in more splendid triumphs than
any known to the arena of politics. Among the
company present were Mr. Hugessen, M.P. far
Sandwich, Co'. Thomson, Capt. Noble,- Messrs.
Steriker Finnis (who presided), T. Birch (the
Mayor), S. M. Latham, T. B. Bass, M. Church-
ward, and many other local magnates. -
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
duly honoured,
The CHAIRMAN, in highly eulogistic terms, gave
" Tke Health of the Borough Members."
The toast was drunk amid velem nt applause.
Mr. It. B. OSBORNE, M.P., on rising to respond,
was greeted with enthusiast is cheers. Having b: iefly
acknowledged the warm and flattering reception
which the assemblage had aecorded him, the hon.
gentl men procee led to explain that he would have
gladly met ha supporte-s eat leer after the bate con-
test to thank them for their generous exertions on
his behalf, hut the fact was he had at first stood in
a rather p ouliar position. (A laugh.) Although
he had been triumphantly returned by the free and
nnbought voices of the constituency, without even
the time-honoured formality of a personal canvass,
he was hailed, to his no small surprise, on his return
to London, with the accusation that he owed his
election to the combined influence of bribery and.
intimidation. Such were the calumnious insinua-
tions noised about against him in various circles,
and it was in vain that he indignantly denied them.
People—whether from any knowledge of the pre-
vious character of the borough- he knew not—
laugh)—would not believe his disclaimers; and
he had not been many days in the new House of
Commons before a petition WAS presented charging
him with all the crimes of which a member of Par-
liament only could be guilty. This, he owned,
startled him, because his banker's book, and the
published account also, would have shown that his
election was singularly free from any taint ofiauepi-
don. However, he soon began to smell a rat
—(a laugh) ; for in the course of a week from
the re-assembling of Parliament a communica-
tion was made to him by Sir W. Russell, his re-
spected colleague, to the eff.:ct that an offer had
been made to him that it he would consent to retire
at the expiration of the last session the petition
against him should be withdrawn. (A laugh.) Sir
William, with the manly frankness which belonged
to him, at once consulted him as to his wishes on
the subject. Now, the nest of opposing a petition
was much greater than that of gaining a seat. Par-
liamentary lawyers would not speak in one's favour
for nothing. (A laugh.) But, considering not only
the cast upon himself, but the insult offered
to that constituency, he had advised his gallant
colleague to resist all such overtures, and treat
then with tho contempt they deserved. (Cheers.)
Subsequently this offer was several times re-
peated, and though within three weeks of the
clots) of the session the petition still stood lew
on the list the committee was at length nomi-
nated ; but no seoner was it nominated than
the petition was abandoned. He had hid
great difficulty in tracing the real originators
of the petition. He acquitted its ostensible au-
thors, •Messrs. Hammond and Clayton, whose signa-
tures were a mere lesal fict:on like the obsolete
endorsement of "John Doe and Richard Roe" on
the back of an old writ. At last, however, he
found a solution of the mystery. They had all
heard of Mr. Disraeli's sage prognostication about
"the coming man," whose advent upon the poli-
tical arena was to make all things smooth and
straight. Well, judging from the anxiety dis-
played to obtain a seat for him, he was sure this
coming man could be no other than his discomfited
opponent, Mr. G. W. Hope—(laughter)---who had
canvassed almost every borough in the kingdom,
but without success. That gentleman had, like
Ulysses, seen many cities but gained no seat. It
was to be hoped, however, that, like his classic pro-
totype, he had gained wisdom. Yet, if he should
ever be induced to visit Dover again, he trusted
that, like his mythological namesake who remained
at the bottom of Pandora's box, Mr.• GIL W. Hope
wtOtild always be found at the -bottom of the poll.
(Cheers.) Adverting next to the labours of the
past session, Mr. Osborne remarked that it
almost required .the c -institution of Old Parr and
the patience' of -Job to go through the logis•
Intim of the dog-days, and especially of such dog-
days h.S She last. For an official supporter of the
Government there was no rest. He was called upon
in the flay to make rehouse, and in the evening to
lieep °Life What with the late hours and the bad
odoureeSind thdsis universal geniuees who promoted
the one and prolonged the other, who spoke on all
tubjetctlee fatigued an listensrs, and impeded all
be4eae-a very. lucky member of Parlia-
..ment,who•could stand before his constituents at the
• end of the session with the hilarity and the physical
'strsngth_ 'Which heleeweenjoyea. The Conservative
leader in the Commons, in one of those oracular
Seaton-See' tlf Usewhicile were more remarkable for
' their gertgireiky• .conception thin for the aeon-
• ilicy of turfatneut,: told the country that the
Thttlitici'srtAijEilt4in the late dissolution was simply
'•-teri` evalefaSet StStert"sllow would that prediction hear
" 'Mint` 4e6 theizesults ? The late session,
• tpto►rots t 3 thsted.lority for three months, saw the
accomplishment of more work than had been
-seielliehredsby:stleyllbrmer Parliament that ever sat in
Westniitistree' Among the measures which then
is passed utter law, most of which were far more useful
• thtra sheiwy, were the reform of abuses in the Eecle-
iriartticalz Courts springing from their testamentary
eejatSsdiction : next the Fraudulent Tiustses Act,
s. rand the act for the Winding-up of Insolvent Joint-
Stock Companies, both of which were of first-rate
importance to the commercial community ; then
the abolition of Ministers' Money, which, though
it only applied. to Ireland, had swept away a more
obnoxious and more irritating injustice than even .
chuich-ra'es ; and last in his catalogue—which it
would weary them to lengthen further—came the
celebrated Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Bill,
with the wise and salutary provisions, and/ let him
add, the great social importance of which they
must all be familiar, and the obstinate and pro-
tracted hostility t
since the dgi:uctes to which 11 not Lean equalled
gentleman
ne
the: the Corn-laws. (sear.)
The hon,
glanced at the private
. business transacted thneELaesgislature, singling cut
'for especial reference the si tNV ay Bill,
in which his constituents were ptatieetnuotly infterlesdted.
. Arriving .at the all-engrossing
notp tingle,° Indian
affairs he asked—What ear does
. eart dots not throb at the recital of the muel fate
+ men killed, not defence of their country, but
stiaesinated in cold blood by those whom they for-
molly led tominta..ryl What family in this laud has
not to mourn the loss of some laved else murdered
in this sal outbreak ? When I look to my friend,
your chairman I cannot fell to te collect that one
of the first victims to this revolt or it is uo
lOrter a mere mutiny—ins Col. Fionfi,'Of the 11th
Bengal Inf., ntry, who while expostulating with his
men was suddenly shot down; not, I are happy to
say, by Vie' soldiers of his own corps, but by men
of the 20th N. 1., who had been instigated to rebel.
But what am I tOsay of the unheard-of atrocities,
. the diabolical tortures to which our ill-staried
to.:. countrywomen were subjected ? I cennot tru t riity-
p„ self to dilate on such horrible scenes. The Sepoy
s karekeeted bieuself.from all restraint, and, not cpn-
tent with tl.roeine off his allegiance to his flag, has
cast wide his affinTties to human nature.
• "'The. sole joy the spirit knows
In his forced Bight is patirdelini; et he goes."
Let us on this occasion, I pray, HaVe no Nee sen-
timen'ality—no mawkish, maudlin' bilanthrck.
Let us have no nt about mercy to the miscreant •
who have not only imbrued their hands in the blood