The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-30 00:00:00

we might find it as difficult to get rid- of him as of
Mr. Entwisle. We have placed free trade principles
on a firm basis in South Lancashire.—(Cheers.) We
have done a good deal in b iroughs, but there never
has been a county election in this country in which
the total, immediate, and unqualified repeal of all
monopolies was made the test. In this first county
election we were placed in unfortunate circumstances.
The opposition had the combined power of all the
landed interest in the county, and yet it was only
yesterday morning that the advocate of monopoly
trembled in his shoes at the prospect of the majority
he had, on the previous day been diminished, if not
destroyed. The monopolists make a fine chuckle and
glorification, because out of 14,000 voters, 4,000 of
whom were mere serfs, we had not obtained the majo-
rity. But whatever exertions they make at the next
election they will prove unavailing before the progress
of enlightened, independent, and honest principles.
(The Hon. Gentleman sat down amidst thunders of
applause.)
Earl DUCIE said he had to announce to the
meeting that he had received a communication from
Mr. Milner Gibson, intimating that circumstances over
which he had no control prevented his being in town,
and attending at the League this evening. It now
became his duty to state that this meeting stood
adjourned to this day week. When he was address-
ing the meeting in the early part of the evening, he
was afraid that he had spoken too diffusely upon a
dry and almost threadbare subject—(Cries of " No,
no.")—and there was one statement which he did not
read, and for not doing so it was possible that he
might be called to account; but he abstained from
reading this document merely on account of its sheer
absurdity, and because he should account himself a
fool if he placed any faith in it.—(Cheers.)
Mr. COBDEN then rose, and, amidst enthusiastic
applause, proposed " Three cheers for the best prac-
tical farmer in England—the Earl Ducie." It is
needless to say that this was responded to with every
emanation of heart and of due appreciation of the high
merits and total forgetfulness of the prejudices of
caste which induced the Noble Earl to join in the
struggle for buying in the cheapest market and
selling in the dearest.
The meeting then separated with the utmost order
and decorum.

SOUTH LANCASHIRE ELECTION
(From the Manchester Guardian.)
It will be seen, from the details which we give
elsewhere, that the election for this division of the
county has terminated, like those which have pre-
ceded it during the last nine years, in a Tory
triumph, Mr. Entwisle having been returned, after
an unusually severe struggle, by a majority of 578.
So close -was the contest at different periods of the first
day of election, that some of Mr. Brown's friends, who
had previously despaired of success, began to entertain
some hope of a favourable termination; and when,
at the close of the day's poll, it was found that, out
of 11,500 votes polled, Mr. Entwistle had obtained
a majority of only 341, or rather less than three
per cent. of the whole number, the chance of final
success appeared to demand a strenuous effort on
the second day, to beat down the Tory majority.
The attempt was consequently made ; and for
a time, in Manchester, at least, it appeared not
unlikely to have a favourable termination, as the
returns from the booths in the town, coupled with
those first received from the neighbouring districts,
gave Mr. Brown a majority of 108 on the day's
poll. Later accounts, however, and returns from
more distant polling places, did not bear out this
favourable prospect. It was found, as is usually the
case under similar circumstances, that the electors
who do not feel sufficient interest in the contest to
record their votes the first day, are better inclined to
swell the triumph of the winning, than to soften the
defeat of the losing party. Before noon, the tide
turned decidedly against the Liberals ; the Tory ma-
jority was gradually increased, until, at the close,
at four o'clock, it amounted, as we have already
stated, to 578 votes.
We imagine that few of our readers will need to
be informed, that, however much we might desire
to witness the return of a thorough free trader like
Mr. Brown, our expectations of his success were by
no means sanguine. From the very first occurrence
of the vacancy in the representation, we considered
an election at the present time, and under existing
circumstances, a very untoward event for the Liberal
party, as, in our judgment, they could neither avoid
a contest, nor escape a defeat. It was quite clear,
that the battle must be fought under the auspices
of the Anti-Corn-law League ; and, whatever may be
the merits or services of that body, we have never
thought it likely to carry an election in such a con-
stituency as that of the Southern Division of Lan-
cashire. It appeared tolerably clear to us that,
whatever advantages might be derived from the
organisation of the League, or its influence in some
quarters, they would be outweighed by the unanimous
and determined hostility of the landowners, and the
unfriendly feeling of very many parties amongst the
manufacturing and commercial classes, who, though
in the main friendly to freedom of trade, are disposed
to view such associations as the League with great
jealousy and distrust. Under these circumstances,
we could see nothing to counteract the effect of the
votes of four thousand 501. tenants- which
were pretty sure to, be, and we believe were, recorded
in favour of Mr. Entwistle. The wonder is, under
all the circumstances, that the candidate of the League,
fighting against the whole aristocratical and landed
influence of the county, and contending with many
adverse prejudices, should have been able to poll so
many votes, and to run so close a race with his oppo-
nent. We imagine that, by sagacious and discerning
men, this result will he considered another " fact,"
fraught with deep and important meaning.
It will be seen from the returns of the polling that
the total amount of votes recorded on the occasion
was upwards of 14,500 ; exceeding by about six
hundred those given at the election of 1837. This is
a result which, we believe, has surprised almost every
one concerned in the election, as few expected that
the poll would reach that of the previous election,
notwithstanding the increase in the number of voters
on the register.
voted for the free trade candidate ; but
Of the independent freeholders of the division, a
swamped and overwhelmed by the
?brigs emma
jaojroirtiytyw
as
tenant voters. Indeed it will be seen that the Tory
majorities at Newton and Ormskirk, where these votes
are most abundant, amounted to upwards of 900,
exceeding by more than 300 the entire majority on
he poll.