The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-03 00:00:00

OXFORDSHIRE.

The election for this county took place yesterday.
There was no opposition, and the former members,
the Right Hon. J. W. Henley, Colonel North, and.
Mr. Vernon Harcourt, were re-elected. The pro-
ceedings took place in the Town Hall. The High
Sheriff presided.
Mr. J. H. Ashurst proposed the Right Hon. J.
W. Henley.
Mr. J. Lcchmere seconded Mr. He/ley's nomina-
tion.

Sir H. Willoughby, M.P., proposed Mr. G. G.
Vernon Harcourt.
Alderman Sadler seconded the nomination.
Sir Henry Lechmere proposed Colonel North.
Colonel Dawkins seconded Colonel North's
nomination.

No other candidate having been proposed,
The High Sheriff immediately declared Mr.
Henley, Mr. Harcourt, and Colonel North duly
elected.

Mr. HENLEY then came forward amid loud
and prolonged cheering. He said—Mr. High
Sheriff and Gentlemen, I have to thank you for the
great kindness with which you have been pleased
to again return me as your representative. (Cheers.)
It is one of the particular merits of your county,
and also of this city, that when they have once
taken gentlemen as their representatives so long as
they run straight the constituencies stick to them,
(Hear, and laughter.) That is the greatest encou-
ragement that any man can have to run straight,
because under such circumstances his doing so
brings with it its own reward. (Hear, hear.) Any
man in my position would have reason to be grate-
ful, and any man in my position should feel quite
unable to express properly the feelings which ani-
mate him. My position has been, perhaps somewhat
peculiar. Senit originally into Parliament as an
ordinary country gentleman, and a man never
hardly having anything to do with London, it has
twice fallen to my lot to have the honour of being
called to the councils of the Sovereign. Twice have
I come before my constituents after having ac-
cepted office; twice have I been generously returned
again after having accepted office, and with, I be-
lieve, the full assent both of those who agreed with
and those who differed from me in politics. (Cheers.)
I believe one and all gave me credit for taking
office from no unworthy motive, but from a feeling
that it was my duty to do so. (Hear, hear.) And,
gentlemen, it is a rule of my life that whenever I
undertake to perform any duty I endeavour to
perform it well. (Cheers.) In the course of the
autumn of last year, as you are well aware, her
Majesty's Government had to consider a very diffi-
cult question ; and it was my misfortune, in the
early part of the year, to be unable to agree with
the provisions of a measure which they felt it to
be their duty to bring before Parliament. The
question to which that measure had refer.
ence had:long been before the public mind ; succes-
sive Prime Ministers had had to deal with it; and
I believed, whether mistakenly or not, certainly
honestly, that what the country wanted under the
name of reform was some extension of the fran-
chise--(hear, hear, and cheers)—some extension of
the franchise both in counties and boroughs, not a
creation of new, but an extension of old franchises.
(Cheers.) I believed also that they wanted some
redistribution of seats. (Hear, hear.) Well, with
regard to the first of these questions, when I say I
wish to perform anything which I undertake to do
I wish to cotivey that I always go as far as I think
it right to go, but further I never shall go at any
time. (Cheers.) Now, I thought that the bill
brought in by the Government did not give ally
extension of the franchise in borquolls at ny
44.4 and
that the extension of tho franghiseln
with suchlliswascoupled, so far as I could judge,
condi-
tions that not only gave no extension of the
e ges fran-
chise in boroughs, but was building a wall—sayin
as plainly as could be, that nnog,
one time lilcely tonl)e „JI lqilwaa at any
agree with that ( par
. n, now, could not
Men the provision for
disfranchising all fieel-
live bereugha eon4sld.ers, hn happened to
eetveq tp be unjust, and

because I conceived it to be unjust I believed
it to be inexpedient. (Hear, hear.) These are
the reasons which made me dissent from the
Government bill. The natural consequence was
that I was obliged to quit the administration ; and
I have now the honour to stand before you, not as
a member of the Government, but as a man who
was a member of the Government, but who could
not remain in the position he held because he could
not conscientiously assent to a measure proposed
by the Government. (Hear, hear.) Here, again,
I believe I am fortunate enough to have the appro-
bation not only of those who agree with, but also
of those who differ from me in general polities ;
because all are of opinion that I have acted through
a purely conscientious motive. (Hear, hear.) Now,
gentlemen, with regard to the question, which is
of very great interest, and which has given us the
honour and pleasure of being here to-day--the
matter which led to the dissolution of Parliament.
I am one of those who thought that, in what must
be admitted to have been a difficulty, involving, as
it did, a change in the organic laws of the country,
it would be an advantage to let the bill go into
committee ; not because it would pass into law, for,
after the discussion that had taken place in the
House of Commons, I do not suppose anybody
thought that possible ; but in order that the dif-
ferent members of Parliament, representing all
sections in Parliament, and representing all, or
very nearly all, opinions out of Parliament, might
be afforded the advantage of having their views
discussed—that their sentiments might be venti-
lated—and that, after a full discussion of all the
arguments brought forward on every side, the
country might be in a better position to form a
matured opinion on the subject. (Hear, hear.) It
appeared to me that if this course were adopted, we
might come to a new Parliament with a better
chance of settling the question ; and I am one of
those who believe that it is desirable this question
should be settled. (Hear.) Other men took a different
view. Whether they were right or I was right, the
bill is gone. (Laughter.) Parliament is gone too. (Re-
newed laughter.) We shall have to meet again, and
I believe we shall not be much more forward when
we do meet again than when we separated. (Cheers
and laughter.) I never . pretended to be what is
called a " constitution monger." (Laughter.) I have
not given much attention to it; but when I saw
great discrepancies in the views of leaders in Par-
liament, and great discrepancies in the views of
those out of Parliament, I confess I would have
been glad of a discussion which would have enabled
us to come before our constituents when they should
have better material to enable them to form their
opinions on the matter. (Hear, hear.) Since then
a question has come up of fearful import to all—
grave to this country, and graver still I fear to
others. Fortunately, from our insular position
storms may rage sometimes without immediately
reaching us ; but I own that when I see three great
empires, Austria, Russia, and France, all or some of
them contending together against each other, and
when the question of liberty is raised between three
despots, I think liberty will stand a very ugly
chance. (Hear, and laughter.) Ido not think it
much matters who gets the upper hand. I believe
no country ever wins its liberties by the sword of
other countries. (Hear, hear.) People must get
liberty for themselves. Countries know their own
wants ; they know where the shoe pinches ; and if
other parties go to ease the shoe, they make it
perhaps pinch worse somewhere else. (Laughter,
and cheers.) I confess, when I see that the Emperor
of the French has put down everything like liberty
at home, and when I see him sending French soldiers
to snuff out all the liberties of Rome, I am not very
sanguine—l hope I may be disappointed—of the
liberty which he will set up in Italy. (Hear,
hear.) Under these circumstances it is to be hoped
—and it appears, as far as I can judge from what
has passed at public meetings, that all leading men
of this country, of whatever side they may be,
whatever may be their opinions on other subjects,
are of the same opinion—that this country will, if
possible, keep out of the squabble. Our part is to
look on, and if by friendly offices we can do good to
try and do it, but, as far as possible, not to meddle
in the quarrel. (Hear, hear.) But when I express a
hope that this will be our course I must not be too
sanguine. Englishmen, if they see a fight going on,
are very apt to pull off their gloves, and get into it
one way or another. (Laughter.) If they see one
party weak they are unfortunately apt to say, " You
should not hit that fellow when he is down. (Renewed
langhter.) I hope we shall have discretion enough
to keep out of it ; but I hope also that any Govern-
ment which may be in power will take care to keep
the resources of this country well supplied, and to
keep our forces in hand ready for anything.
(Cheers.) Nevertheless, it occasionally happens
that parties quarrelling hit their neighbour a punch
in the face ; sometimes if he does not interfere, and
at other times if he does. (Cheers and laughter.)
Therefore we shoUld be ready, and while doing all
in our power to keep out of the serape observe at
the same time a maxim of the olden time, and keep
our powder dry. (Cheers.) When hundreds and
thousands of men are in arms, when great and
powerful fleets are got together, and when they are
acquiring all the skill which practice in war can
give them, it doubly behoves us to take care that
our fleet is in good order, and that we should be
strong enough not merely to meet this country or
that country, but, as we have done before, to meet
them altogether. We have met them altogether,
and we have been successful in the strife. (Cheers.)
If a strife ever should come on—which God forbid
—if we should have to enter into one in a just
cause, I hope the God of Battles will do what He
did beforo—bring us victorious and triumphant
through our struggle. (Great cheering.) The right
hon. gentleman concluded by again thanking the
electors.

Mr. HARCOURT expressed his gratitude to the
electors for having allowed him to represent them
for so many years, on the principle of liberty, the
principle of exercising his own judgment.
Colonel NORTH then returned thanks.

On the motion of Mr. HENLEY, seconded by Mr.
HARCOURT, a vote of thanks was passed to the
High Sheriff, and the proceedings terminated.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—May 2.

The May General Sessions of the Peace for the
county of Middlesex commenced this morning at
Clerkenwell, before Mr. Pashley, Q.C., Assistant-
Judge; Mr. Creasy, deputy, and the following
justices were present :—Dr. Bateman, Mr. Hogarth,
Mr. Cox, Mr. Gould, Mr. O'B. B. Woolsey, Mr.
Beetham, Mr. A. Ballantine, Sir J. Tyler, Mr. H.
H. Harwood, Mr. White, Mr. Pownall, Mr. Kem-
shead, Mr. W. P. Bodkin, Mr. Woodward, Mr.
Burslem, Mr. Bashford, &c.
There were 72 prisoners for trial,—viz ,64 for
felony and eight for misdemeanour.
The Assistant-Judge briefly charged the grand
jury.
James Kett, 34, was indicted for having stolen
two mares, the property of Alfred Hall.
Mr. Smith appeared for the prosecution ; Mr.
Orridge was for the prisoner.
The theft charged against the prisoner was com-
mitted on the 19th of April, the animals being
stolen from a field near Bow. The evidence proved
that the prisoner was the person who committed
the act, but it appeared from a statement by Mr.
Smiles, of the House of Detention, that when
he was committed to that prison on the charge he
was suffering from delirium tremens, and was not
accountable for his actions, and that at the present
time he was not of sound mind.

The jury found the prisoner Not Guilty on the
ground of insanity, and he was ordered by the Court
to be kept in custody during her Majesty's plea-
sure.

James Graves, 65, pleaded
Guilty to two charges
of pocket picking, stealing a gold inkstand from
the person of George King, and a cardease from the
person of Charles William Hamilton Sotherley,
during the celebration of a marriage at St. James's
Church, Piccadilly._ _

He was sentenced to hard labour for one year.
Michael Macmanus, 18, was tried and found
guilty on a charge of stealing a gold watch, value
£9, the property of William Carter, from his per-
son, at the White Lion Grounds, at Hackney Wick,
during the wrestling on wood Friday. He had
been previously convicted, and the Court sentenced
him to three years' penal servitude.
George Robinson, 18, was indicted for stealing a
gold watch, value £lO, from the person of a young
lady named Ellen Miller. This robbery was com-
mitted upon the prosecutrix as she was crossing
the Holborn end of Chancery-lane. She detected
the act, seized the prisoner on the spot, and gave
him in charge. He passed the watch, and went on
' his knees and begged forgiveness.
The jury found him guilty. Nothing of his
previous character was known,
The Assistant-Judge sentenced him to months'
hard labour.
William Clements, 18, George Tester, 20, and
Henry Robinson, 22, were severally convicted of
defrauding recruiting-sergeants of "the shilling,"
after they had been declared unfit for her Majesty's
service on prior enlistment. Clements
acntesri'as to
fusoenr-
tenced to six, and Tester and Robinson
months' hard labour. _

A number of cases of larceny of no interest were
disposed of in the Second Court..

PROPOSED RIFLE CORPS AT PORTSMOUTII.--At
the quarterly meeting of the Portsmouth Town Council,
held yesterday, the following resolution was proposed and
unanimously agreed to :`6 That in the opinion of this
counoil it is desirable to establish a volunteer rifle corps
within the limits of the borough of Portsmouth, and that
the Town Council be requested to communicate with the
proper authoritles3 Asking for Uzi) necessary assistance,"