The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-23 00:00:00

211 E REPRE SBA rATION OF TILE

CITY OF LONDON.

MEETING IN THE GUILDHALL.—(THIS DAY.)
A very large meeting of the electors of the City of Lon-
don was held this day, in the Guildhall, for the purpose of
meeting Lord John Russell, and hearing from his lord-
ship a farewell address on his retiring from the repre-
sentation of the City of London in the Commons
House of Parliament.
The platform was filled by leading men of the City, and
altogether much excitement prevailed. His lordship passed
through the hall on his way to the Chamberlain's room at
10 minutes to two, and was very cordially received.
Lady Russell and the family of the noble lord occupied
a gallery in the ancient building.
On Lord Joux Rue SELL making his appearance in front
of the platform he was received with the most enthusiastic
cheering and waving of hats. Silence having been in
some measure restored,
Sir JAMES DIME came forward and said they had met
that day to hear from Lord John Russell a farewell address
from him on his retirement from the representation of the
City of London, which he had held for the last twenty
years, with great honour to himself and the City of Lon-
don. He proposed that Mr. Thomson Hankey preside on
the occasion.
The motion having been agreed to,
Tnomsoer HANKEY, Esq., explained the object of the
meeting, which was to take farewell of the noble lord as a
representative of the City of London. The noble lord
had for many years been the ardent champion of every
good measure, and it was with mingled feelings of pleasure
and regret that they met the noble lord that day. The
latter was occasioned by the severance of a tie that had
existed for twenty years between the City of London and
the noble lord, and the pleasure was produced by the honour
that WELS to be conferred on one who had achieved so much
for the benefit of mankind in general. He trusted that
when the noble lord quitted that hall the meeting would
give him such a cheer as would remain ixed in his memory
while life lasted. (Cheers.) He had every confidence in
the electors of the City, and as the noble lord had done his
duty he trusted that the citizens of London would not for-
get theirs. (Cheers.) He had great pleasure, therefore, in
giving place to the noble lord.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL then came forward, and was
received with vociferous cheering and waiving of hats.
The noble lord said, where he had so often had
the honour of addressing the citizens of London upon many
impending struggles, he now came to return thanks for the
twenty years unvarying ;support he had received at their
hands during which time he had had the honour to repre-
sent the City in the Commons House of Parliament.
(Cheers.) He should have been only too glad had he had
the strength to continue to discharge the duties of that
high and honourable position ; but, after sustaining it
to the best of his ability for twenty years, during the'
forty-seven years he had spent in the, House of Commons
amid all its anxieties and excitement, it appeared to him
that the time had come he could no longer, consistently
with his views of the great responsibility of the trust,
continue the honour of representing that great and
important city in Parliament. Her Majesty, on his repre-
senting to her his wish to retire from the representation of
London, had thought fit to signify her gracious inten-
tion to elevate him to the peerage. (Loud cheers.)
He felt deeply the honour that was to be conferred, but he
also felt dreadfully the moment that would come
when he should have to bid adieu to those who for twenty
years had generally supported him through good report and
through evil report. (Cheers.) He thought he should
have hardly been acting fair had he not come to
that hall on such an occasion to take a retrospect of
those twenty years, and see whether they had been
usefully employed. When he first made his ap-
pearance amongst them it was at the beginning of the great
struggle between free trade and protection, and on the part
of free trade you gave me your support. It was true that,
on the question being brought to an issue, they were de-
feated as a party ; but then the principle was triumphant.
But eventually the great question was triumphant—
(cheers) ; and since then sugar and other articles of colonial
produce had been cheapened, the timber duties had been
equalised, and many other equally important questions had
been victoriously carried. (Cheers.) Then another topic
of congratulation was that the great work of civil and reli -
gious liberty had been completed. That had to be accom-
plished by hard and severe 'struggles, as it was not
until many years after the contest had began that
his hon. friend and colleague Baron Rothschild was enabled
to take his seat in the midst of the Commons of England
as one of the representatives of the City of London. He:
and he was proud to say many others, thought a man's re-
ligion should not be an objection against him, as religion
was a principle which was peculiarly God's province.
(Cheers.) While many great and good measures
have been accomplished, there were others that still
remained to be: worked out, and amongst them was the
representation of the people. (Cheers.) On that subject
he brought in a bill last year, which was considered as a
dangerous innovation, because by it he extended the fran-
chise to all householders who paid £6 per annum to the
rates. (Cheers.) The bill was met with great objection,
but he looked upon the proposition as most moderate, and
one not the least calculated to alarm the lovers of the
Constitution. He did not anticipate any serious danger by
admitting such householders as he proposed to the privi-
leges of the elective franchise, because he felt certain that
a class more loyal to the Crown or attached to the Consti-
tution could not be found. (Loud cheers.) The reason of
the difference that existed between the present and
the past times, when reform was undertaken, was
that in years gone by the most flagrant abuses existed,
such as made every one indignant and produced universal
discontent. When the measure, sweep ing away and dis-
franchising 150 nomination boroughs, and giving in place
votes to such places as Manchester, Birmingham, and
Leeds, was proposed by Earl Grey, the enthusiasm of the
people was so great that the bill became law, because there
was no force in the House of Commons to oppose it.
theh e subject people
be
must show
a Ministershowaetro eongaunldd
comeunm rwistfaokabalred with anyfeelingon
prospect of success. (Cheers.) He retained, and should
ever continue to do so, the firm trust he had ever place in
the people ; and when any measure for enlarn believeded
tlheca-t
tive franchise was proposed and carried,
everything would be respected which deserve hed
the representation of the people. (Cheers.) There
was another measure which still required the sanction
respect in
of Parliament and thepopular voice, and that was a measure
for the improvement of the bankruptcy law, and he had
had the great satisfaction of giving his vote in favour of
the measure, which received from the bankers, merchants,
and traders the most unequivocal support. While he re-
turned them his most grateful thanks for the triumphant
manner in which they had sustained him, he could not but
remember the painful part of his task, and that was the
parting from them. He felt something like that great
emperor who, three centuries ago, was anxious to know
what posterity would say of him, and therefore had his
obsequies performed with great pomp and:splendour, him -
self, however, acting as chief mourner. (Laughter.) He
must say he felt something like that chief mourner on the
present occasion. (Loud cheers.) He did not, however,
so deeply grieve, because he trusted he could still
be useful to his country, though in another sphere,
and he trusted that nothing would disturb the progress that
had been so grandly achieved. One of the old poets says—
To have done, is to hang quite out of fashion,
To be a rusty nail in monumental mockery.
That was not his intention. (Loud cheers.) There
was much to be done, and he did hope
to be enabled to take part in these actions.
When he recollected the names of Canning, of Cobden, of
Bright, and others, he remembered that though they dif-
fered in politics, they all worked for one great end. Some
professed civil liberty, others raised a trophy of
free trade, and carried it throughout the length
and breadth of the land, others sought to improve
the representation of the people, yet why should
there be any intolerance on the subject? Why should not
they all co •operate, and do battle as one united whole ? All
would receive a lesson by imitating an institution that
had just sprung up, he meant the Volunteers. (Cheers.)
One, it was true, wanted to march a little faster,
another a little slower, but they had been told, and
they had profited by the advice, that unless they
marched in line they would be useless for all defensive
operations. So it would be with reformers. Some wanted
to walk fast, others to pick out their way through the
strongest opposition; but let all act with discipline, and
the contest would be over, because they could not but
march from triumph to triumph. (Loud cheers.) He had
finally to thank all present for the support that had been
given to him for so many years. He should continue to
watch with the greatest interest the City of Lon-
don, He should! expect: the electors to main-
tain the same principles that built up the great fabric of
the constitution, and destroyed the shade* of restriction.
(Cheers.) He should expect them to defend that free-
dom they had secured by every means in their
power. [A man in the body of the hall shouted out,
" Three cheers for Wood," but the invitation was not re •
sponded to.] He felt deeply grateful for the kindness he
had always received, because it had placed him in a posi-
tion of saying, I had the honour of being one of the represen-
tatives of the City of London in Parliament. That thought
had on many occasions given strength to his voice and
power to his arm, and to the last day of life he should re-
main thankful for their benefits, and grateful for their
support.
The noble lord then retired amidst the most deafening
cheers.
A loud cry then arose for " The Lord Mayor," and
" Wood, Wood."
Mr. Wood stood forward and having addressed a few
words to the assembly,
The proceedings7terminated,