The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-26 00:00:00

DINNER TO SIR 11. D. WOLFF.

The recently-formed Christchurch and Bourne-
mouth Conservative Association was inaugurated
on Monday last by a dinner given to Sir H. Drum-
mond Wolff, K.C.M.G., who unsuccessfully con-
tested the borough of Christchurch at the late ge-
neral election. Sir H. D. Wolff was formerly
public secretary to the Lord High Commissioner of
the lonian Islands, and was the representative of
the lonian States at the International Exhibition
in 1862.

The dinner was held in the Town-hall at Christ-
church, and the chair was occupied by Mr. Dart,
of Beech House, who was supported by Sir H. D.
Wolff, the Earl of Malmesbury, Mr. Eastlake,
M.P. for Falmouth, Capt. Pardoe, Sir P. Colquhoun,
Captain Lamb, Captain Pocock, the Rev. T. Nash,
and others.

The company consisted chiefly of persons be-
longing to the labouring classes, and uumberel
about 350.

Toe Earl of 111m..mEsnuttr, in responding to the
toast of " The House of Lords," said it was a body
which had long existed in this country—at times
(Mending the people against the Crown, at times
defending the Crown against the people, but at all
times defending the liberties of both, for centuries
up to that day. (Cheers.) They bad all heard it
stated that the /louse of Lords was becoming a use-
less, a lazy, and a superfluous body, but such a
charge was utterly groundless. The House of Lords
was the body which preserved the balance of power
between the Crown and the Commons. The people
of this country were intelligent, but they were also
impetuous, and when the sympathies of the
house of Commons were aroused it was likely to
be carried away by passion—a very dangerous
tendency where political questions were concerned.

The House of Lords, on the other hand, was
composed of men older and more experienced,
of men whose habits and disposition rendered

them more deliberate in their judgment. It
was for the House of Lords to consider whether the

people really desired that such and such measures

should be passed, and, if such were the case, whe-
ther the proposed measures would be for the benefit
of the country. He knew of no instance in which
that House had refused to accede to the well-consi-
dered demands of the people. Its debates might be
of a less exciting character, and not so interesting
for strangers to listen to as those of the House of
Commons, but it was for the safety of the State
that the House of Lords should continue to exist.
The Chairman proposed " The health of their
guest, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff."
Sir H. D. WOLFF said the numbers of the adver-

saries of the Conservative party had been too much
for them at the late election, and although they
might regret that such was the case, they must all
regard with satisfaction the dignified and patriotic
manner in which the members of the late Govern-
ment had retired from office as soon as they learnt
what was likely to be the verdict of the country
upon the question before it. They had not waited
for a formal ratification of the verdict by an adverse
majority in the Commons, but they retired at once
from places which they felt they could no longer hold
with dignity and with honour, and gave them up in
ample time to enable their opponents to prepare
such measures as they thought it right to submit to
the Parliament about to be assembled. They had
heard during the prolonged contest that had just
been brought to a close that the late Government
were about to treat the Irish Church question in the
same manner in which they had treated the question
of Reform. The two questions, however, stood upon
different footings. The late Government had a per-
fect right to deal in the manner they had done with
the question of Reform. It might be that they had
hurried, perhaps too quickly, to a conclusion the
question of lowering the franchise, but in doing so
they merely conferred the franchise on labouring
men, who, in consequence of their growing intelli-
gence, must have obtained that privilege at no dis-
tant date. That was an act of creation on their
part, but the diseudowment and disestablish-
ment of the Irish Church would be an act of
destruction to which he hoped and believed no

Conservative either in or out of office would lend
himself in the most remote way. 'While thus ex-
pressing the feeling they all held with regard to the
conduct of the late Government, it appeared to
him that Mr. Gladstone on earning into office
had chosen his colleagues with singular moderation.
There was iu the Government only one member of
advanced Liberal principles, and that member was
Mr. Bright. But with Mr. Bright was coupled Mr.
Lowe, and that these two athletes together repre-
stilted the principle of counter-irritation which
was so beneficial in medicine, and which he hoped,
would he equally beneficial to the country.
(Cheers and a laugh.) Mr. Bright had already
shown himself an accomplished courtier, and one
ready to adopt the complimentary language adapted
to the atmosphere of Courts, and he had shown
that he was desirous of cultivating the acquaintance
of the upper class by choosing as his private secre-
tary, not a working man, but a gentleman of agree-
able manners and cultivated tastes, who had the
reputation of being one of the most accomplished
d indies in London society. (Cheers and laughter.)
If they looked a little closer, they would find dotted
about the members of Mr. Gladstone's Govern-
ment—although not in the Cabinet—some few
of the followers of Mr. Bright, whose weight,
however, was entirely neuralised by that of

members of tho old Whig school of politicians,
which had always allied itself with Liberal
Statesmen with the view of opposing Liberal
measures. (Cheers and a laugh.) In fact, the new
Government appeared to him to have been formed
upon the principle of that common domestic re-
medy —a seidlitz powder, in which the alkalis were
so well combined with the acids that although a

temporary little effervescence might be got up no
permanent effect was made upon the constitution.
(Cheers, and a laugh.) If the Liberal Government
hadsthus shown moderation in its choice and its
leaders, the Conservative party on its side was
bound to act towards her Majesty's present Go-
vernment with an equal moderation. It was the
duty of the Conservative party to co-operate on all
occasions with her Majesty's Government with re-
gard to every measure which it thought beneficia
to the country, and in ether cases where it might
not approve measure to exact even from a majority
those concessions which the House of Commons
always yielded to the efforts of a compact and con-
scientious minority. (Cheers.) Who was it that
in this country had advocated the disestablishment
of the Church in Ireland ? (Cries of " Gladstone.")
But who bad supported him ? Why, the Indepen-
dents, the Congregationalists, and the Dissenters,
whose only object was to disestablish the Church
in England, and who were conscientiously opposed
to establishments of every kind. If the Congre-
gationalists in this country aided the Roman
Catholics in getting rid of the Established
Church in Ireland, and if they were
to assist the Free Kirk to do away with
the Established Church in Scotland, when it
came to their turn to attack the Church in England
their former allies would not be backward in assist-
ing them to reduce the Church of England to the

to the position of a dissenting body. That was
the object of the Liberal party in this country, and
the Church of England must look to such a state
of things as the ultimate object of their opponents.
Before he sat down he begged to propose " success
to the Christchurch and Bournemouth Conserva-

tive Association." It had begun well, and he hoped
it would be carried on successfully." (Cheers.)
The Earl of MALMESBURY proposed "The
Health of the Working Men of England," and re-
marked that, having been one of the members of
the Government which had conferred upon them
the franchise, he almost stood in the potition of a
godfather towards them. Seeing that one the £lO

line fixed by the Act of 1832 was abandoned it was
absurd to attempt to stop at any arbitration figure
—whether £B, £6, or £4— the Conservative Go..
vernment came to the determination to propose
household suffrage at once.

After some further toasts had been proposed the
company separated.

A coal mine has been worked at Chilliat, Alaska,
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