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

ELECTION INT PLLIO ENCE.

MR. B. OSBORNE AT DOVER.
On Monday evening a densely-crowded meeting
of the Liberal electors -Vole place at the AT olionian-
. hall, for the purpose of affording the candidates in
that interest an opportunity of expressing their po-
litical sentiments. The candidates invited to oiler
themselves wera Mr. Bernal Osborne, the Secretary
for the Admiralty, and Capt. E lward Rice, RN.,
son of the present representative of Dever. Capt.
Rice issued an address on Saturday, but early on
Monday morning it was rumoured that the gallant
Captain bad retired, and this rnmeur was semi
strengthened by an address from Sir Wm. Ruatell,
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 Wor-ifold,
who was supported by a large number of influential
members of the Liberal and independent ho ly.
Mr. EERNAL OSBORNE, addressing the mee.ing
rs " electors, freemen, and non-elec tors of Dover,'
said he had not been driven hers as to a harbour of
refuge. (A laugh.) He, moreover, veneered to
hope that in this case there would be no exaction
of " passing tolls." (Hear, and laugh'ea) For-
tunately for himself he bad bad—he said it with
gnat humility—numerous requisitions from other
constituencies, which had done him the honour to
invite his humble services for their representation.
But it might well be asked him, " Why have you,
representing as you do profitably one of the most
important constituencies, if not the most impor-
tant constituency. 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 Parl atnentary career, that,
without soliciting office—being independent
in his circumstances and pesi!ien—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. Con4ler-
ing that it was not an unlaiidahle ambition to aspire
to office in this country, if unaccompanied with dis-
graceful conditions, be accepted that invitation ;
but the county business of Middlesex was so greats
and the local interests were so varied, that it was
totally impossible for any man holding the position
of member for Middlesex and Secretary for the Ad-
miralty to do the business of one without neglecting
that of the other. For these reasons he bad lately,
with great pain—for he was not one of those who
liked to leave old friends and old support, rs—mado
up his mind to resign the trust he held as the repre-
sentative of Middlesex. He had heard since his
arrival in this town that two gentlemen were about
to make their appearance here who he felt justi-
fied iu saying, from his knowledge of their career,
were in politics neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, nor,
what he was sure was a great dainty in this town,
good red herring. (Laughter.) One gentleman was,
he believed, known to the electors of Dover—he
spume of Sir G. Clerk, whom they would probably
hear on the following night. Sir G. Clerk, let him
warn the electors of Dover, was not not the Sir G.
Clerk they saw here in 1847. At that time the hon.
bart. was brought in by the Liberal electors of this
town. He came forward as a free-trader, and—that
anomalous animal—a "Li b :ral Oo •Iservative. " Now,
if there was any more specious animal iu the
political world, any more deceiving, any wolf in
sheep's clothing greater than another, it WAS he
who told them he was a Liberal Conservative.
He therefore warned every Liberal elector in
that room—for 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. Another gentle-
man row came to Dover holding fast by Sir George
Clerk's tail; and he (Mr. Osborne) scaroely doubted
that the Dover eleet ors would keep him Cher 3. (blear,
bear.) His name was Hope; and he sincerely thought
that in this case Hope was without an anchor.
(Laughter.) Under any circumstances, he would
scarcely find a good holding in the harbour of
Dover. (Hear, hear.) The electors, like himself,
had no doubt been much astonished at what had
lately occurred. When the present Parliament met
no cloud was apparent ou the political horizon. It
scarcely needed a Palmenton or a Smithett to steer
the ship across the political channel. But what had
occurred? Probably (see of the most remarkable men
of this or any other day, instigated by passion, possi-
bi) by disappointment, possibly by ambition,-1
man who to the endowment of an Ignatius Loyola
added not only the tongue of aDcmosthenes, but the
impulses of a Re 1 Indilm—fur he scalped his eneroi-s
—had organised a serious opposition to Lord Pal-
merston. He referred to Mr. Gladstone, who was
the acknowledged head 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 bo
charyin forwing right hon. friendships; for the friend
of to-day was the enemy of to-morrow. Mr. Glad
stone, then, bad c-alesced.—and that it was a coali-
tion he did not hesitate to say, for Mr. Gladstone
had not denied it hitaself—he had coalesced with
that versatile and able gentleman Mr. Disraeli f)r
the purpose of expelling Lord Palmerston from
power. And what was his first move? With a power
of utterance and a mystific dim of language of which
it was totally impossible for him (Mr. 031.orne) to
give any iciPa, he_ ce deavoured to prove, when Sir C.
Lewis, with a sagacity of purpoee well becomino a
Chancellor of the Exchequer, brought forward in
his budget a proposition to take from the inc me-
tax what was generally known as the " war 9d"—
Mr. Gladstone endeavoured. to prove that in place
of taking off this 9d, he was taking off nothing at
all. In such a wilderness of words did he involve
the subject chat one might have pardoned poor Sir
Cornewall Lewis for 1 eing left under the impression
that, after all, be bad not in re die y tat en the 9tl.
off the inc-ane-t :x. (A laugh.) Happily for cv,i;
proprietor of a breeches pocket, Mr. Glad don was
unsuccessful in his attache A'l had read—no, he
hoped all had not reld—the Chinese debate. He
had the misfortune to l'slen to it for four nights.
Lawyer after lawyer rose and confined a plain and
simple case into an ac ion of trover—d sgraeeful to
the House of Commons, ho thought, but not very
puzzling, he was sure, to the people Of this coun-
try. There was a party called the peace party, and
he sot m.nly believed in his heart that that party
did more to bring on and centnu3 the war with
Ru.s-ia than any set er body of men in
country. He had had the opportunity, through
a ft-lead, at the time the war with the Emperor n?
Russia was waging, and while diecuisions on the
subject were going on in the House of Commons,
of seeing the speeches of two distinguished members
of that party translated into Russian. Those
s
sseeches were delivered l Mr. Gladstone and by a
man far before him, became he had rendered great
service to his country at a time wijen the cause of
free trade had to be batch d for; an.:l much did he
(Mr. Osborne) lament that Mr. Cob:len had taken
this cretchet into his head. He knew from certain
authority that so great an effect was produced on
the mind of Nesselrode by these speeches that the
Czar Nicholas presumed 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 him to the consideration of what
had caused this awful dissolution of Parliament.
Now, what were the circumstances of this Chi-
nese dissolution ? Did any man aliens imagine
that it was ou account of what bad been justly
termed the miserable affair of the Arrow ?
No, it was not the Arrow of the Canton waters,
but the archers sitting on the Ministerial side of
the house below the gangway, who aimed their
arrows at the Ministerial butt, hoping to hit the
hull'a-eYe of office that hadc caused the dissolution.
(" Rtar?" and a laugh.) The hon'gentlernan here
went with somcieueTtiinouneness into the consideration
of the China
Once let foreign nations,
and especially the Chinese
Eea we were ready to dis-
own our admirals and governors whoabwleerteoo
judge
dtghee
spot, and who -Were therefore better
kthis
of the emergency of the case Vann we in
country—(hear)—let them
see that, and England
would sink to a third-rate Power, while she would
never find any man of character willing or ablehtdo
serve her abroad. (Cheers.) A great
been made at Sir J. Bowling, and if any man evera
had occasion to utter the exclamation, " Save
me from my friends !" it was the Governor of
Hong Kong. He trusted that they, the people,
who never deserted fa man so long as he remained
true and honest, would not be led away by this out-
cry against Sir J. Bowling. He knew him to be
Innocent. He might be mistaken in some of his
views, but he knew him to be conscientious, and
so far from being inimical to China the complaints
of the merchants at Hong Kong had been that he
had been a great deal too kind towards the Chinese
and too much dispcsed to cultivate his original
views (for he was secretary to the Peace Society)
in carrying on transactions with that perfidious
-nation. So far was he from having been a-favourite
with English merchants that they manifested a
0
directly opposite sentiment. H - now came to the
domestic policy of this country. bad always,
before a well-known society was organised, bada- 811
strong notion of the necessity of what was called
Administrative -reform— (cheers) --and he knew'
that her Majesty's present Government long tefore
that cry became the fashion and the bobby of the
day—for these things were taken up as much

through fa-lion as were the dresses a the ladies
—had taken steps in furtherance of such a re-
form. Lord Palmerston first originated admini-
strative refo:m at the War-office—(hear,. hear)—
when le originated there the principle of selection
f merit, and took men, not according to the con-
riectons, which he had before alluded to, but f r
their working and essential requisites for the of
they were to fill. In an humble way he had endea-
voured to imitate that example. Holding the posi-
tion he did, he found that patronage was not only
irks:me to refuse, but that the whole system was
so unfair arid so disagreeal-ale to the giver, while, if
it was not disagreeable to the recipient, it must hive
fused him anything but satisfaction, that he pre-
vailed upon the Board of Admiralty to allow him to
divest himself of that patronage; and he challenged
anyone to say that he had given him mere patron-
age. He claimed, therefore, to be something of an
Administrative Reformer, for be had caused that
patronage to be ves'eil in the superintendents of
dockyard's, who, being naval men, had no preju-
dices—(oh)—or ought not to have. (Hear.) There
were other minor questions which he had had the
honour of assisting to carry what he believed was a
satisfactory solution. He thought it was right for
them to recollect that Lord Palmerston was, or had
been, the member of a Government which had
agreed upon a Reform Bill, which, in consequence
of that war which was provoked and carried on
mainly through the instrumentality and speeches of
the Peace party, Lord John Russell was obliged
to abandon with tears in his eyes. They asked him,
then, what he was going to do about reform, and
he, replied that he would take what he could get.
He might have ideas which his friends in the Mi-
nistry thought were too fast, and which he himself
thought would not probably be carried out in his
time. He was not one of those people who bad
ever possessed any very exaggerated notions on the
ballot ; he had never thought it a panacea for , all
the evils which beset electors ; 'but his reason
for supporting it had been this-- the con-
stituencies themselves are the best judges. ([dear,)
He had, he was sorry to say, had opportu-
nity of seeing great intimidation and disgusting
bribery. He was rather inclined -to think the bal-
lot would not do all that was wished, yet he re-
gardel it as the right thing, as the elector could
not he worse off than he was at present. (Hear.)
" How will you vote on Maynooth ?" he had heard
some three or four gentlemen say. He answered
plainly, that he would be no party to taking from
his Irish fellow-subjects that miserable 30,0001. a
year which was vote 1 them. (Cheers.) He had
no love for the political system of the Roman Ca-
tholic Church, but he bad a great love for justice.
He could not see—as he often did when he went to
his parish church, which was a church crying in the
wilderness (for the congregation consisted of some
50 people)—next to that church, and before a
ptiest of; the Roman Catholic religion, in a
chapel dilapidated and the people kneeling in
mud and puddle, a congregation of 800, without
feslins something of the injustice we should be
committing by taking from the men of that persua
sion the miserable 30,0001. a year voted for May-
nooth. After expressing his opinion in favour of
the abolition of church-rates, he said—When Sir J.
Walmsley moved his reselution that the Crystal
Palace should be opened on Sunday he opposed it,-
because he haitno wish to see th's country resemble
in its Sunday observances our friends across the
water. We were a different people and of different
habits. He did not mean to nibble at our neigh-
bours ; they had been brought up differently, and
had imbibed a different set of principleS on these
subject:. He was a supporter of her Majesty's pre-
sent Prime Minister, because he had seen that
man, when deserted by his colleagues, and while the
storm of war was raging and the event of the con-
test seemed doubtful, remain at his post. •In the
words of Lord J. Russell he (Mr. Osborne) said that
Lord Palmerston was not the Minister of Austria,
still less was be tho Minister of China ; and, if
Lord Palmerston remained at the helm, sure he
was that our foreign policy would be upheld with
glory, and that the domestic policy of this country
would Le adininistered to the satisfaction and
happiness of the people. (Prolonged cheering.) One
word more. This town had lately been made the
subject of a bill introduced in Parliament, called
the Passing Tolls Bill. Now ho had made himself
a little acquainted with the subject, and he was
sure that if the First Lord of the Treasury had
admiuistereclethe affairs of this country in the way
the commissioners and wardens of Dover had ad-
ministered their affairs, the Government would find
it very difficult to put its expenditure on a level
wi h the taxation. Ho found that the Harbour
Commiss;oners were very much in debt, and that
many gentlemen were in a great fright in the anti-
e.p it .on of power they had enjoyed passing front
them. It was not improbable he should have some-
thing to say to this. If he did he would take care
of one thing—be would see justice done, and would
take care that if Dover did not rise to be a more
consilerable port, than she wasat present, it shoald
Lot to for want of his exertion. But, above all, he
promised them, if he had anything to do with it,
the debts should be discharged, and the accounts
kept in a manner more creditable than it appeared
they hid keen. (Cheers.) •
At the conclusion of Mr. Osborne's address the
CHAIRMAN took the sense of the meeting as to
whsther, after this exposition of his opinions, Mr.
Osborne should still be asked to stand as a candi-
date for the suffrages of the Liberal electors ? • A
forest-of hands appeared in answer to this appeal,
and the Chairman declared the decision of the
meeting in favour of Mr. Osborne to be unani-
mous.

Sir. W. RUSSELL
_then came forward. He was
prepared to go with Mr. oAborne, who had just
given them a clear and brilliant statement of his
political views and principles. In almo,t every
point ad vert.2d to by Mr. Osborne-11,1 (Sir W. RU3-
Sel1) agree I with him and he should be happy in
attempting t) tide second hone to him. ("Hear,"
and_a laugh.)

Mr. 8.1)630RNE then moved a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, which was se,co2ded. by Srl W.
RUSSELL.

The CHAIRMAN briefly reTonled, awl after a
few words from the Rev. T. B. W. BRIGGS, the
meeting was brought to a coueluiion.

MANCHES ER.

On Saturday a numerous meeting of the electors
of Manchester, requi•it.oaists 4.f Lowe and Potter,
was held in the Corn Exchange, when :Alr. Alder-
man Nei'd, the chairman, announced the with
drawal of Mr. Lowe from the contest, and called
upon Mr. Heugh to expl in the circumstances.
Mr. HEUGU said they had sent a (leprVation to
L)utlin, with a requisition bearing 4,000 signatures,
which was nearly equal to the number which vo ed
for Captain Denman at the last election. . When.
they met Mr. Lowe, h) expressed his anxiety to
Come down to represent Manchester, but his friends
a" Kidderminster had tent an urgent deputation to
him, and he had felt himself bound in honour to
them,,on Wednesday evening law-, to declare that,
if elected, he would sit for Kidderminster; there-
fore he could not accede to the requisition. They
were greatly surprised that Mr. Lowe, having
given that pledge on Wednesday evening, did not
give them earlier information of his decisioril In
,the present CHAS of the country, considering that
the feeling was in favour of the policy of protecting
our commerce, it was the duty of Manchester to do
what it could to defend that policy. Their oppo-
nents now appeared to have purchased the influence
,of the Times, and had procured a leader to S'IOW
that Manchester ought to support Mr. Bright. But
in spite of Newall's-buildings, and their trying to
purchase Printing- ho u se-scpvi re, Manchester would
decide fir the policy of Lord Palmerston, and
would send to Parliament two Manchester men.
(Applause.) There was one min pre,eut (Sir J.
Potter) who hal accepted their requisition—(cheers)
—and there was another man who had now con-
sented to come forward and fight this b title against,
the dictation of the gentlemen at Newall'sibuild_.
ings, and against a coalition in the Route of Com-
mons in favour of the policy of Lord Palmerston,
and that was Mr. James Aspinall Turner. (Loud
cheers.) _ _

The motion was put and carried amidst vociferous
cheering.
Mr. TURNER then adelressed the meeting. He
had no wish to intrude himself upon the Manches-
ter community, but they would naturally wish to
know something about him. He came into Man-
chester, in 1819, as poor a youth as any in th,i
town ; but be was of respectable family. His father
bad been insolvent, and he himself, after struggling
in vain to retrieve the business, al-o became insol-
vent. He bad since paid all his debts--(cheers)--
and he had risen by honourable conduct and indus-
try. If it was the decided opinion of the majority
of the electors that the present members•should be
returned again, he should not be disappointed ; but
he believed they did not represent the feelings of
the great majority of the electors. He and Sir
John might h
Bright and Gibson, but compared with
at all events they knew as
much of Commerce
Gibson. He believed
Mr. Bright would
haesa lir.
gre. at loss to the House of
Commons, as be had been always a determined op-
postr of every measure which tended to interfere
with the liberty of the subject. He did not think
Mr. Gibson was a valuable member. If he (Mr.
Turner) went to Parliament, it would be with a
sincere desire to du his duty, to contribute to the
rt
progress of the country, and t 9 suppo their local
interests, as Mr. Brotherton had done. He had
always been connected with the friends of progress.
He felt it would be considered a great objection
that he and Sir John Potter were both of the '
mine religion (Unitarianism), and that not a popu_
ar one; but he would always respect the religious

opinions of other te Etc should never attempt
to pull down the church, but woiVd try to promote
the cause of civil and religious liberty. (Cheers.)
Reso;utions of support were unanimou?ly agreed
to.

STAFFORDSHIRE (SOUTH.)
Messrs Mathews and Foley will, no doub!, be
returned without opposition.

SUNDERLAND.

Mr. Hoare has retired from the contest, and-the
candidates now before the electors are Mr. Hud-
son, Mr. Fenwick, and Mr. R. Walters. These
three gentlemen have each addressed the electors.
It is a common impression in Sunderland, and a
circumstance not at all improbable, that Mr. Hud-
son will head the poll, and that the contest for the
second seat will be between Mr. Fenwick and Mr.
Ralph Walters.