The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-23 00:00:00

ELEu ri O Y LATT rLLIGENCE.

MR. B. OSBORNE AT DOVER.
On Monday evening a densely-crowded meeting
of the Liberal E :lectors took place at the Apollonian-
hall, for the i?sr rpose of affording the candidates in
that interest an opportunity of expressing their po-
litical sentin cents. The candidates invited to offer
themselves were Mr. Bernal Osborne, the Secretary
for the Adr airalty, and Capt. Edward Rice, RN.,
son of the 'present representative of Dover. Capt.
Bice issue I an address on Saturday, but early on
Monday rnorning it was rumoured that the gallant
Captscin had retired, and this rumour was soon
strengthened by an address from Sir Wm. Russell,
offering himself as a candidate, on advanced Liberal
opinions. This was immediately followed by a
short placard bearing the name of Captain Rice,
and formally announcing his intention to withdraw
from the contest, on the ground that by so doing
he would best aid the cause of Liberalism in Dover.
The chair was occupied by Mr. James Worefold,
who was supported by a large number of influential
members of the Liberal and independent body.
Mc. BERNAL OSBORNE, addressing the meeting
as " electors, freemen, and non-electorsof Dover,"
said he had not been driven here as to a harbour of
refuge. (A laugh.) He, moreover, ventured to
hope that in this case there would be no exaction
of " passing tolls." (Hear, and laughter.) For-
tunately for himself he _had bad—be said it with
great humility—numerous requisitions from other
constituencies, which had done him the honour to
invite his humble services for their repreientation.
But it relight well be asked him, " Why have you,
representing as you do profitably one of the most
important constituencies, if" not the most impor-
tant constitueucy. in Great Britain (he meant the
county of Middlesex) why have you left that
constituency, and why do you stand here before
the electors of Dover ?" He should make free
to answer those questions. It so happened,
in the course of his Part amentary career, that,
without
.soliciting office—being independent
in his circumstances and position—the compliment
was paid him.of being asked to join her Majesty's
Government. That was at the time when the cele-
brated coalition took place, which looked so fair,
but which had ended in dust and ashes. Cenaider-
ing that it was not an uolaudable ambition to'asto re
to office in this country, if unaccompanied with oil-
graceful conditions, .he accepted that invitation ;
but the county -business of Middlesex was so great,
and the local interests were so varied, that it -was
totally impossible for any man holding the petition
of member for Middlesex and Secretary for the Ad-
mir: lty to do the husineee of one without neglecting
that of the other: For these reasons he had I..tely,
with great paina-for lie was not one of those wh
.liked to !save old friancia and old supporlars—made
up his mind to resign the trest he held as the ref re-
sent wise of Middlesex. He had heard since his
arrival in this town that two gen thanica were about
to make their appearance here who ire telt justi7;
Red in saying, from his knowledge of their carer,
were in poiitics neither fish, flash, nor fowl, nor,
what he woe sure was a grant dainty in this town,
good red herring. (Lei sh er. ) One gentleman was,
he believed, known to tne electors of Dover—he
speie of Sir G. Clerk, whom they would pi obahly
hear on the following night. Sir G. Clerk, let him
wain the electors of Dover, was not not the Sir G.
Cle de they saw here in 1847. At than lime the hoe.
barb. was brought iu by the Liberal electors of this
town. He canoe forward as a free-trarier, and—that
anornalousanimal—a "Lib;radeoeservative." Now,
if there was any more srecious auittial in the
political world, any more deceiving, any Wolf in
sheep's clothing greater than another, it was lie
who to!d them he was a Liberal Conservacive.
He therefore warned every Liber elector in
that room---`or Sir George Clerk was a " cannie
Scotchman," and he knew from, long experience
how to wheedle a vote—(laughter) he warned
every Liberal elector in that room that this was
not the Sir George Clerk of 1847. An- ther gent`e-
Mao now came to Dover holding fast by Sir Georee
Clerk's tail; and he (Mr. Osborne) scaree'y doubted
that the Doverelezt ors would keep him there. (Hear,
hear.) His name was Hope ; and he siucerelythought
that in this else Hope was without an anchor.
(Laughter.) Under any circumstances, he would
scarcely find a good holding in the harbour of
Doyen (Hear, bear.) The electers, like himself,
had no doubt beeo much astonished at what had
lately occurred. When the present Parliament met
no cloud was apparent ou 'the political horizon. It
scarcely needed a Palmerston or a Smith:a to steer
the ship across the political channel. But what had
occurred? Probably osie or the most remarkable-men
of this or any other d sy, instigated by passion, pcssi-
bly by disappointment, possibly by ambition,—a
man who to the endowments of an Ignatius Loyola
added not only the tongue of aDemrwthenes, but the
impulses of a Ite-1 Indian—f 1' he scalped his enemies
—had organised a serious opposition to Lord Pal-
merston. He referred to Mr. Gladstone, who was
the acknowledged lead of the party which was gene-
rally called the Peelite party, and of which he be-
lieved Sir G. Clerk and Mr. Hope were members,
although he was not certain as to Sr G. Clerk. Mr.
Gladstone was now•hand in ,hand with his right
hon. friend Mr. Disraeli. And he would warn
hcn. gentlemen that of all friendships theyshould be
charyin for Ming right hon. friendships; for the friend
of to-day was the enemy of to-morrow. Mr. G ad-
stone, then, had csalesced—and that it was a coali-
tion he did not hesitate to say, for Mr. Gladstone
had not denied it himself—he had coalesced with
that versatile and able gentleman Mr. Disraeli for
the purpose of expelling Lord Palnierst in from
power. And what was his first move? With a power
of utterance and a mystification of language of which
it was totallyimpassible for hint (Mr. Osborne) to
give any idea, he endeavoured t, , prove, when Sir C.
Lewis, with a sagacity of purpose well becoming
Chancellor of the Exchequer, brought forward in
his budget a proposition to take from the inc one-
tax what was generally known as the "war 9(1"
Mr. Gladstone endeavoured to prove that in place
of taking off this 91. he was taking off nothing at
all. -In such a wilderness of words did-he involve
the subject that one might have pardoned poor Sir
Cornewall Lewis for being left under the impression
that, after all,. he had not in reality taken the 9d.
off the.income4 ix. (A laugh.) Happily for every
proprietor of a breeches pocket Mr. Gladstone was
unsuccessful in his attack. 1111 had read—no, he
hoped all had not reid—the Chinese debate. He
had the misfortune to listen to it for four nights.
Lawyer after lawyer rose and confused a plain aid
simple case into an ac ion of trover—ekgracefol to
the House of Commons, he thought, but not very
purzlimer he was sure, to the people, of this come-
try. There was a party called the peace party, and
he solemnly believed in his heart that that party
did more to bring on and continue the war with
Russia than any set or body of men in this
country. He had had the opportunity, through
a f .iend, at the time the war with the Emperor o
Russia was waging, and while discussions on the
subject were gong on in the House of Commons,
of seeing the speeches of two distinguished memb-re
of that party translated into Russian. These
spe-3ehas were delivered by Mr. Gladstone and by a
man far before him, hecarete he had tendered gre at
service to his country at a time woen the cause of
free trade had to be batil, d for ; an(r much (lid he
(Mr. Osborne) lament that Mr. Cob !en had takeo
-this crotchet into his head. He knew from certain
authority that so great an effect was produced on
the mind of Nessehode by those speeches that tics
Czar Nicholas p ;est-toned that we should never go
to war, or, having gone to war, we should be glad
to make peace on any terms. This more immedi-
ately conducted Lim to the conaideratien of what
had caused this awful dissolution of Parliament.
Now, what were the circumstances of this Chi-

nese dissolution 1 Did any man there imagine
that it was on account of what bad been justly
termed the miserable affair of the Arrow ?
NO, it was no% the Arrow of the C,,nton wat,ffe,
but the archers tsitt7ng on the Ministerial side uf
the house below the gangway, who aimed their
attrur.3 at the Mijdaterial butt, hoping to bit the
of cgwe thlt had caused the di solntien.
("Ilt:ar," and .a laugh.) The bon fYentleman h-re
went with .onie minuteness into the consideration
of Vag China que,tiim, Once let foreign natii,r)s,
and a specially the Chinesi.kee we were ready to 'dis-
own our at I enir 14 an 't
_Arernors wt.o were on the
spot, and w:to were -heuref better able to judge
of the einer;ency of the case than wt) in this
a')—let them that aed En ,ladt.
country—(h,
hird-rate Power, virloile she would
world sink to t
never fir„-I ally man of character Svilliitg or a,Lie to
serve her abroad. (Ch-trs.) A great run had
been mat!e- &rJ. 3'-'w ing, 'ridif any man ever
had oec ds ou o n ter the exdAniatHn, ". Save
me fi om my ft i rids I" it was the Governor of
Hong Kong,
t,os!ed that they, the people,c •
who never deserted 'a men so long as he remame
true and honest not be I,J away by this out-
cry against Sir ' would
J. Boweing. He knew him to be
innont. He might be m'Staken in come of hi;
views, but le knew him -ix) be conscientiou=, and
so far from being inimical to China
the complaints
of the merehan.s at Hong Kong had bet n that he
bad been a grelt deal too kind towards the Chinee
and - too much disp?'scd to cultivate his original
weiv3 (for he was secretary to the Peace Socte4)
in carry,ng, on transactions with that pelfidions
nation. So far was he from laving been a ravourite
with Enulish merchants that they nianift s'ed a
direct!y oiTosit s•s.ntiment. He now carne 'o the
cloine4tic policy of tA4 country. $e bad always,
bef ire a s e 1-k 110 V, n society was organi,,ed, had a
strung not ou of the neces.i-t3r of what was called
Ad .n w lye rw— (cheers) --and he knew
that her Maje.y's l res'ent Government long teforei.
that cry became tLe fashion wid -the hobby of the
dings were Wien up as much,.