The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-22 00:00:00

CHEAP.

CASTLN

[PRI.O-2 4D. STAMPED sr)

MR. DONALD NICOLL AT EROME, M. P.

On Friday evening, the member for this borough,
Mr. Donald Nicoll, invited his constituents to meet
him and receive an account of his stewardship.
Accordingly, a large gathering of the electors pre-
sented themselves in the Assembly-room of the
Market-place, and Mr. Coombs having been called
to the chair, commenced the business of the even
lug, and having I ead a letter from the Rev. S.
Manning, expressing his regret that ill-health would
cause him to he absent, but at the same time highly
euloisiog Mr. Nicoll's public conduct, the hon.
menater was then introduced to the meeting, and
was received with tumultuous cheers, which, being
duly acknowledged, Mr. Nicoll proceeded to state
that he had invited his constituents to meet him in
accordance with a custom which he could wish was
more general throughout the length and breadth of
the land. He thought the annual meeting between
representatives and the represented gave a whole.,
some result ; while it was a good check upon repre-
sentatives,
it was also a source for the protection of
those who were honest in their intentions. For
instance, that was the time for any elector who
really had, or faneied ho had, a grievance. Then
should he come forward and meet the representa-
tive face to face, and demand an explanation ; con-
sequently, no excuse existed for anonymous letters
to newspapers, or the secret whisperings suggested
through interested and political opposition. Mr.
Nicoll, in the course of the evening, complained of
anonymous attacks through the medium of the
local journal—the Somerset and Wilts Journal—
which, while professing to be neutral, ho clearly
showed had contrived to fire several broadsides at
himself and at the Liberal party generally ; and,
with singular oversight, had passed over many of
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been commented on with just severity. Therefore,
the hon. member characterised the neutrality as
being one-sided. The intention of following
such a policy having been denied by the reporter
representing the above journal, a slight passage
of arms ensued, but the meeting unanimously
adopted the conclusion Mr. Donald Nicoll had
arrivedat. However, to return to the hon. gentle
man's address, which occupied two hours, and
comprised general comments upon every important
vote given by him during the last session. He thus
proceeded :—Mr. Nicoll said that he would take
for his text-book the printed list of the divisions,
and, as they were arranged alphabetically, the first
bore the title of adjournment ; and he should never
forget the advice given to him by that veteran re-
former Joseph Hume, when he (Mr. Nicoll) had
to present a petition at the bar of the house, during
his shrievalty of London and Middlesex, Mr.
Hume said if you ever enter this house let me give
yon a bit of advice. Stop late, and see the house
adjourned as often as you can ; that is the time the
Government hacks carry through the house many
bills which hays not excited public notice, but
which have nevertheless been found most obnoxious
in their results. Accordingly, he (Mr. Nicoll) had
stopped late,' and had gone home inthe past session
at broad daylight, and as he would presently show
he had done some service by waiting for the small
hours beyond midnight. In alluding to the ballot
Mr. Nicoll spoke most hopefully of the result of
that great question. He said, notwithstanding
Lord Palmerston had taken away many good men
and true to aid in receiving her Majesty at the
opening of the Atts Exhibition at Manchester,
which was appointed for the only day open for the
discussion, yet 189 voted in favour, which, with
28 pairs and 2 tellers, recorded the fact that 219
members of the present Parliament were at all
events ready to stand by this important principle,
being now, in point of fact, the only true test of
Liberalism. Government contracts next came
under consideration, and he had been prevented
servingon that committee through Government in-
fluence, it being presumed that by his occupation
in life he must necessarily have been behind the
scenes, and therefore knew some of their sore
points. Many members of the house wished to
have the benefit of his practical knowledge upon
the first question that came before the committee—
namely, the clothing contracts, and he availed
himself of his right to attend in the committee-room,
and the result is he has given notice of a motion
which, unless the Government consent to the en-
largement of the report by the committee, he (Mr.
Nicoll) will endeavour to call the attention of the
heuse to the gross waste at present perpetrated, and
which only resulted in discomforts to the army,
and was capable of illustration by referring to the
early mismanagement of the stores during the
Crimean campaign. The Crowded Dwellings Bill,
Mr. Nicoll said, was an attempt under the garb of
philanthropy to give the police most dangerous
power, not even excelled in Naples itself. The
poor man's house would have been no longer his
castle. He (Mr. Nicoll) spoke and voted against
the bill which was withdrawn but with great reluc-
tance on the part of the Ministry. The Divorce
and Matrimonial Causes Bill occupied a great part
of the session, indeed more than 20 divisions were
taken on the question. Mr. Nicoll supported the
main principle of the bill—namely, to make acces-
sible to the less wealthy members of the com-
munity that relief which could alone be previously
obtained by the possesser of a few spare thousand
pounds. Mr. Nicoll also voted for the proposition
to abolish that empty gew-gaw, the Lord-Lieu-
tenancy of Ireland, and which cost the coun-
try 100,0001. per annum, and had not now the
old excuse to offer in its favour, seeing that rail-
roads, quick steam-boats, and the electric tele-
graph had so materially shortened the distance
of the real seat of Government. With regard to
the Maynooth question, they all knew how he
intended to vote on that question. Like the
Minister's Money Bill, he voted against its continu-
ance. The latter was also an Irish question, but
which strongly resembled our English Church-rate
matter. The Oaths or Jew Bill, as it is called, was
next referred to, and Mr. Nicoll regretted that
the obstinacy of the Lords was very likely to
bring the Commons into dangerous collision. Mr.
Nicoll said that he voted for the admission of Jews
into Parliament upon the principle of religious
liberty, and that constituencies had the right to
return whom they thought best capable of represent-
ing their views, without incurring the unconstitu-
tional interference of the other house of Parliament.
Mr. Nicoll, in referring to the annuity of the
Princess Royal, said that the whole house voted
on the main question, viz., that of giving to Eng-
land's eldest daughter a sum which was fre-
quently exceeded by our merchant princes under
similar circumstances. Moreover, by custom it was
recognised that, in exchange for the Crown lands,
which descended to our sovereigns with as good a
tit] eas the lands held by the Lords of Longleat
and Marston House, the Queen and her family
should receive from Parliament reasonable grants
of maintenance. Mr. Nicoll wished that nothing
more unreasonable than this existed ; indeed, if
but a tithe of the minor jobs of Government were
reduced, the grant to the Princess Royal would ap-
pear but as a drop in the ocean. The Probates and
Letters of Administration Bill received Mr. Nicoll's
support, as it tended to make cheap law in the
direction of every man's door, and he voted against
the Superannuation Act Amendment Bill, which,
it is computed, will ultimately increase the salaries
of the civil servants of the Crown to the extent of
200,0001. per annum ; and with regard to this bill,
Mr. Nicoll, believing that the Government offered
but a tame resistance, he tested their sincerity by
dividing the house, but without success. Mr.
Nicoll seconded Lord Raynham's motion for an in-
quiry into the workhouse system, and against the
Bill for the Site of Public Offices. The hon. gen-
tleman dwelt at some length upon the extravagant
notions of the Government in this respect, which
Sir Charles Barry had said would cost about twelve,
but more probably. twenty millions. To this bill
Mr. Nicoll believes he had the honour of giving a
final coup de grace, as it was about to be brought
under consideration before a thin house, and at two
o'clock in the morning, whereupon Mr. Nicoll
moved the adjournment of the house ; but this bill,
with some others, being withdrawn, the division
was not proceeded with. The completion of the
survey of Scotland was on a scale of 25 inches to
the mile received Mr. Nicoll's support, because so
much had already been done that to leave off then
was, in his judgment, absurd and wasteful. Mr.
Nicoll would not have voted for the survey had it
been a new question, but he was in a similar position
to a man who had inherited a house commenced by
an extravagant predecessors who had left his suc-
cessor the duty of placing a roof to lender the
whole valuable ; but not to do this, and to leave
the timbers to rot, and the whole to become very
nearly worthless, would be just the result that was
obtained by the adverse vote on this question. Mr.
Nicoll voted against the proposition to give
10,0001. towards a chapel for the wealthy English
residents in Paris, and described his speech in the
house against the illiberality of our Ambassador in
that capital. This concluded a description of past
votes with the exception of the recent short session,
and Mr. Nicoll stated that he supported the idems
shy for Ministers ; and, in allusion to the three
great que4tionq are looming in the distance,