The Sun.
London, England, 1828-05-27 00:00:00

as well as the electors of Westminster at large.
(Applause.) He trusted that the electors of West-
minster would not in future trouble themselves
about trifling objects, but that theywould-look to,
and that their representatives would guide them-
selves alone, by the polar star of civil and religious
liberty. (Applause.) . They had,- in _ his -opinion,
sometimes dwelt too much on matters of compara-
tively little importance. On this point he would,
altering the line of a celebrated poet, to suit his pur-
pose, say—
" Clum, non animum mutant, qui trans do'nuni currunt."
" Those do not change their minds, who alter their
situation." No change of mind could be inferred
from an alteration in the place which a man Usually
occupied in the House of Commons. The mere
change from one side of the House to the other
argued nothing. .The only thing for men to do was
to watch the votes which their representatives gave,
and not to trouble themselves about the place in
which they sat. It was nonsense for any one to
talk to him of one man having his knees in the back
of another. The only point for their consideration
was, how he Conducted himself The Hon. Gentle-
man concluded by proposing the health of Mr. Hob.
house.—(Applause.)
Mr. HOBHOUSE, in returning thanks, observed,
that ten years had now olapsed since he first pre-
sented himself to the notice of the electors of' West-
minster, and they would allow him to say, that from
the first to the last moment, during which he had
been known to them, he had sought to win their
approbation by the strict performance of his duty.
If any part of his conduct seemed to give the lie to
that assertion, he was ready to meet and to rebut
the charge. His object had been to obtain that
greatest of all rewards—the ,confidence of the
electors of Westminster. (Applause.) His Hon.
Friend, the Member for Louth, in a speech full of
important information, had told them, very justly,
that they ought not to trouble themselves as to the
side of the House on which a Member sat ; and he
had very fairly said, that if the individual elected
steered his course by the polar star of public
principle, his constituents ought to be satisfied.
(Applause.) He thought that the Hon. Member
for Louth had showed the Meeting how little he
regarded the side of the House on which Members
sat, since he appeared to forget what part of the
House he (Mr. H.) was in the habit of occupying.
But, in the late vicissitudes, he would confess that he
did not think it worth his while to cross the House. If,
however, any good were to be done by his pursuing
that course, it was not in the malice of insignificant
mein to deter him from acting in that way which
best accorded with his feelings and principles.--
(Applause.) He hoped th 9 time would speedily
come, when there would be no side, technically so
called, in that House,—when the mere distinction
of faction would be buried in that oblivion to which I
it ought long since to hase been consigned.--(Ap-
plause.) If, in Ireland, the spirit evinced by the
electors of Westminster had been followed,—if the
example of Westminster had been pursued, in a
country where, as the Hon. Member for Louth well
knew, no such thing as a constituent body existed
until very lately,—if in the youth of that institution
so much vigour had been manifested, what might
not be hoped from the vigour of its more mature
years ? To that country which he had thus alluded
to, lie hoped the Imperial Parliament was now about
to do tardy but complete justice.--(Cheers.) It
seemed to him that the day was rapidly approaching'
when this consummation would be effected, when libe-
ral principles would be able to overturn the outworks of
strong but foolish and ridiculous prejudices, and to
grapple with the corruption of an old and an inve-
terate, but still a powerful system of exclusion.
( Applause.) He agreed in every thing that had
been said by his Hon. Friend, the Member for
Louth. lie was certain, while civil and religious
liberty was denied to a great portion of the inhabi-
tants of the sister isle, that there was no solid power,
that, in fact, there was no peace—for England.
(Applause.) The state of this country was extremely
critical. What, he would ask, had dissolved so many
administrations? They had had four administrations
in a short time, and now, it seemed, they were about
to have a fifth. When Lord Liverpool was at the
head of one administration, he was struck with disease
and rendered incapable. Mr. Canning found much
difficulty, subsequently, in forming an administration.
An invitation to accept office appeared to be viewed,
rot as an honour, but as a mark of disgrace. After
Mr, Griping's death another attempt was made
to form an adtniaistration, and the minister ern-
playej, found it a most disagreeable task. That
minister came like a shadow, and departed as one.
He was, he believed, a very kind and amiable man;
but it was a remarkable fact, that in the November
preceding, that identical minister sent in his resigna-
tion to Lord Liverpool, declaring that, from ill-health
and other circumstanees, lie onnld not take the lead
in the House of Cammons. Thus, like the bishops,'
who declared " Noti episcopali," those who were
applied to stated that they would not become Mini.
stems.. (Cheers.) Thus it was with his Majesty
in August last. One individual, who had been at
the head of the, Government, was struck down by
disease, and-another leak Shared the common fate of
mortality; what then was done? Why, application
was made to another individual, who, nst seven
months before, had declared that he was not willing
to take place. in the councils of the country. Well,
Lord Goderich, anxious to form an Administration,
sent to Lord Harrowby, who was ill. That excel-
lent man refused to take offiss, ansl then they pro-
cessled with their application to anotiw rt)vh re-
spected:Alividual, where they were equally uus4c,
cessful. Tite,y went to Nice, and "applied to the
Duke of Portland, 49 was also sick. (Laughter.)
At length in this di!estrea, J,prd Goderich too
office, and he held it for six weeks-,-no more.
What followed next ? Why, a Noble &iiso was
placed at the head of the Government, that Noble
Duke having explicitly stated, only six months be-
fore, that every body nsust look Ripon him as mad, if
lie took offices (,sitighter and applause.) Now he
had stated to the goyany a number of naked
'exaggerated facts, and hoc; gym one would 5u p 7
pose, that the Ministry of £ngi:44 w,Pl,e to he
chosen, like the Popes, not on account fir
their vigour, but on account of their infirmity.
,(Laughter.) He meant, in offering this remark, to
!slake to mockery, or to excite no laughter with re-
spect (tc. gteir 4'ms:ll4h—that was not his object,
that was not the gist of hip olispryation, for all were
liable to illness; but he mentioned tiles PF-Xs for
the purpose of asking oftiity the gm; flattop to which I
they bsionged, which ought to rssystosgicl t4IC4a
of the beit, wisest, and most disinteresseti ismp was
thus indifferently agsved ? He knew that that great
engine, the public press of this country, did much to
expasse this defects of the preset system. He
looked to tie Nsasy -in which it was moving lrghlic
opinion. That eng'sae. spd all it could do; but it did
not do all that it might iff.e'et'' ty.st different and more
liberal state of things. He had'obisersi.eed that notice
was Siss.en of the manner in which certain R4iijes
VOUld vote ass such and such questions, and wii;at,
er.s Svauld be. But in these cases
ninud that one
vasty was wholly neglec-
party was the
.pablie.-s7,(Applause.)
The pithlic y-scss never, named in Parlium6ni,iaitd
lttefi!de,aplasrv;:aiby.
tbhifeao
tt
shis plain reason,--ssluse the public' was riot 're-
pre,sessi.s4 there.—(APlPvelsert.t) the point of
The Duke of Wel-
that
gs.lll.3determitted
i tlary but ttetl;:a%
thought
lin
• wild gwteorn. 1 i.t!
n4,v,
,a,tintienxosdriitrilier
sometniagfrona
person, and they Tpi;lit .expect
his
d,etesisdnations
d most unsettled state
theirattentisys to the strange T. • • •
•t.
'Pit ,c0,,,,P.1 not avoid again calling
in which the Ministry appeltreOP k)e.,Pq7,l.9sts`r
constant alterations in the Ministry; tsle-Y
they
li)se the Frenchman, when "
Who is amongst us lie rang," for his
in truth ithe
did not know for an hour, as the phrase was,
,
who it was slta,t reipsd." Now he would
tell
t4ern how those matters were and
it
would slow them how banefully the syst6► Wyotight,
When a Minister was to be placed or displaced, a
great dear Of talk occurred between the member; in