The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-11 00:00:00

THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE

LATE MR. COBBETT.

The Cobbett Club held their Annual Public Dinner on Wednes.
day evening at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, Strand, in celebra.
tion of the birth of the late Mr. William Cobbett, M.P. About
fifty gentlemen sat down to dinner, and among the company was
Mr. O'Connell, M.P. Mr. Fielden, M.P., filled the Chair.
The cloth having been removed,

The CHAIRMAN rose and said, that they had met that evening to
celebrate the anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest cha-
racters this country had ever produced.—(Hear, hear.) Mr.
Cobbett was a man who raised himself from humble life by his
own exertions, and not at the expense of the poor, for he was truly
and literally the poor man's friend —(Hear, hear.) Now he (the
Chairman) believed that the man who stood foremost in advocating
the rights of the poor was the the best member Of society—he be-
lieved that whoever endeavoured to uphold the rights of the poor was
taking the best course to secure the rights and well-being ofthe rich.
He need not enlarge upon the merits of Mr. Cobbett. He was
sure that his writings were well known to every one whom he had
the honour to address. They knew the difficulties he had to en.
counter through life; they knew the battles which he fought in sup-
port of the principles which he so manfully and ably maintained.—
(Cheers.) His was a life of trial, more, perhaps, than that of
any other individual of his age ; but, always undaunted, he was
ever ready to stigmatise those of whose conduct he saw reason to
disapprove. Mr. Cobbett was not deserving of his regard merely
for his public services while living, but because he had left behind
him lessons which might guide posterity. If ever there was a
politician in this country whose writings were worthy of being per
petually read, it was Mr. Cobbe:t. His productions were ever
new, for he possessed the happy power of imparting, by the truth
and novelty of his illustrations, an interest to the driest details,
while he rendered the most intricate subject so intelligible to
every capacity, that he who ran mighl read. Whatever was the
confusion which this country might fall, we would find in the
writings of Mr. Cobbett, a something to fall back upon; he had
taught us that by clinging to the valuable institutions handed down
to us for generations, we might at any time be saved from the
crimes which had stained the first revolution in France. Such
was the man whose memory he proposed to them that evening as
a toast.

The memory of Mr. Cobbett was then drank by the company
standing, and in silence.

Mr. SANKIE proposed the tout of " Trial by Jury," which was
duly honoured.

Mr. MARTIN proposed the toast of " Universal Suffrage, Vote
by Ballot, and Annual Parliaments."

The next toast, which was spoken to by Mr. M`Roa, was "The
people, and may they take no part in the present struggle between
land and the loom, except irasmuch as it may tend to forward the
rights of popular representation."
Mr. WELLS in proposing the toast of" Our faithful ally, the Na-
tional Debt," adverted to the dangerous and precarious state of the
finances of the country. lie believed that Government could not
have carried on of late the business of the country, if they had not
been living upon the SAvinge_Banks money—(Hear. hear)—and
he would recommend to the Members of the House of Commons,
whom he saw then present, to place upon the books a motion to re.
peal the 9th of Gco. 4, which enabled the Government to play with
the Savings'-Banks deposits.
Mr. O'CONNELL, who rose to address the company amidst loud
cheers, said that the recommendation of the gentleman who had
preceded him, reminded him of a counsel who, addressing a judge,
said to him, " My Lord, I shall put this point upon the record;" to
which his Lordship's reply was, "and a pretty figure it will make
there."—(Laughter.) Ile could assure the Hon. Gentleman, that
if he were to bring forward' such a motion, however much
he might approve of it himself,it_would have not hance of meeting
with a fair consideration from the present House of Commons.
He could expect no remedy for the evil complained of from the
House. He would tell them more, that a worse House he had
never seen. He had sat in several Parliaments, but he had never
known one from which the people had so little to expect as that
of the present day..--(Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman
then proceeded to say that he had come there that evening to testify
his high respect fur the character of that wonderful man, \Valiant
Cobbett.—(Hear, hear.) He had had the pleasure of his ac-
quaintance, and he had read his works for some thirty.six yews
with renewed and increasing pleasure. He was a truly astonishing
man—he thought him one of the greatest men this country or
Europe had produced for centuries. By the force of his own talents
and his unaided energies, he had raised himself from an humble rank
to the highest position which could be attained in this country.
He had worked his way through all difficulties, and he who had
begun his life as a cottage boy, ended it as the representative of the
English people in the English House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. O'Connell then proceeded to advert to the present condition of
the country, and after recommending a union among the middle
and labouring classes as the only means of attaining justice for
either, concluded by proposing the toast of " Civil and Religious
Liberty all over the World."

toast acknowledged, and several others were afterwards
drank, his wa
wes
find we are unable to notice from the
press of other intelligence. The eompny separated at a late hour,
after having spent the evening in the greatest conviviality.
wt
,t
k arc sorry
to

The Cassel Gazette states, from Hanover, 27th ult.,
that a motion had been carried In both Chambers for an appli-
cation to the Government to prorogue both the States till
Easter, hut it was not thought that the Government would
give its consent.
The
Council
of Hayre has voted a reso-
lution to the give either a million of francs,
or will guarantee 4 per cent. on five millions of francs to sub-
scribers at Havre, for any Companyrhe Municipal
effeettha ti
undertaking to construct
the railroad from Rouen to that town.
CONSERVATIVE MEMBER FOR WESTMINSTER.—
We must express our regret that Captain Rous has not taken
any opportunity to explain or to contradict the blasphemous,
and therefore, in a company of Christians, ungentlemanlike
language imputed to him in the debate of Fridey. We
do not allude to his sneer at the clergy ; in such sneers he
may enjoy himself, in the good company of Mr. Robert
Owen and the like, unmolested by us ; but we refer to his
sneers at the duty, the value, and efficacy of prayer to the
Creator. To say that such sneers are stupid and vulgar, and
unbecoming a gentleman, is to treat them too mildly ; but we
shall go no further at present—we hope that the Conservative !
Member for Westminster has been misreported.— Standard.
We perceive that the anniversary of the St. Patrick's
Benevolent Society, one of the roost benevolent of the many truly
benevolent societies with which the metropolis abounds, will be
celebrated as usual this year on St. Patrick's Day. The Presi-
dent on the coming occasion will he the Earl of Fortescue, late
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and his Lordship will be sup-
ported by a strong body of Vice-Presidents and Stewards. It
is satisfactory to know, that whatever difference of p
opinions may obtain on Irish topics, the support of this Institu-
tion is one in which the co-operation of all classes and shades
of Irishmen, and Englishmen too, is found united. While
the Ministry finds representatives in the Earl of Ripon, the
Earl of Devon, and Mr. John Young, M. P. ( Treasury), the
Opposition sends as its charitable delegates, the Duke of
Leinster, Lord Palmerston, and Lord Duncannon, with many
others from the advarse parties which might be easily enume-
rated.

f.
tiGrr
Glossop
oL,
col soh oakiri,
the.—lv
aoOsffif n lri
t,cleon:ifotitl, ay
hisl
y enteredGr morning
r,eettab the 2
and
d Duke
ke9t
considerableolf-t t
Norfolk,t 1 t.iaabout
nlagatt
done to the iron safe by an attempt being made to beak i-
open. A reward is offered. There are hundreds out of ems
ploymcnt in the neighbourhood of Glossop, and how they live
it is hard to tell. Every succeeding week masters are lower-
ing wages. which are already at starvation point, and how the
poor people are to live it is impossible to tell. Robberies are
becoming very common again. Not a week passes, but hen.
roosts or pantries are plundered for something to eat.— Corres-
pondent of the Derbyshire Chronicle.
LIBEL.--Mr. George Wyse, brother of the ex-
Member for Waterford, has obtained a verdict, with 7501.
damages, against the proprietor of the Waterford Mail, for
having inserted in his Journal an anonymous communication,
charging Mr. Wyse with perjury, by alleging that that gentle-
man had falsely sworn, during the late election for Waterford,
that he was six months residing in that city, he having been
all that time, according to the libel complained of, a visitor on
the Continent.
On Thursday afternoon last as a lady was proceed-
ing in one of the Bank omnibuses, from Lombard-street to
Charing-cross, she was robbed of her purse containing a lOW.
Bank of England note No. 3,979, dated 9th of February, 115.12.
This is about the tenth omnibus robbery which has occurred
within the last week.
th e: l
time,u r n
ea hdnai.bnde
tsAhweli
:sr
e.t lnhaantn Ilan,hds
OFFICIAL POSTPONEMENT OF THE EARTHQUAKE.
—On Wednesday Blaby and Ellis, the ushers of the Thames
Police Court, received a letter bearing the seal of the Police
Commissioners, and enclosin,g a printed notice decorated with
the Royal arms, which they handed to Mr. Broderip, the
Magistrate, who laughed heartily at the joke. The letter was
to the following effect :—" Commissioners of Police-offir.e,
Great Scotland-yard, March 8, 1842. Gentlemen,—l am di-
rected by the Commissioners to request that you will affix the
enclosed notice in the office. that it may be as serviceable as
possible to the subjects of her Most Gracious Majesty the
Queen. By order, R. Ellerby, clerk. To Messrs. Blaby and
Ellis." The notice, which was printed in large type, was as
follows :_« Important News to the Public.—The earthquake,
which was to have taken place on the 17th of this month, is
put off till the 25th. By authority."
ALARMING EXPLOSION IN LAMBETIL—Some alarm
was created in the Lower-marsh, Lambeth, yesterday morn-
ing, at about 11, in consequence of an explosion of chlorite of
potash, and in the manufacture of lucifer matches, on the
whoPLe rnwi saess mixing Ai
nigr. the Thomas
composition Ha11,
andt
burned in a dreadful manner. The fire occasioned by it was
er
yr seeend eebnyw aatshn observed sperilvgi
extinguished before it had done any serious mischief.
Yesterday morning, betwcoeocenen,u,
police
eight, t ,
he
to
man named John Concrief, forty years of age, in the employ
of Mr. Williams, builder, of No. 57. Museum-street, Blooms.
Scotland-
yard. auahrrsedye.
, pi
oimafTeeeththdewe
instant
cartnothns t
aa horribleanhtetstretcherwh the
s e calamitous
ad,
imevaii
atnt hong,ud
sab
iyi
dbeing
gatepost crus
Charing-cress Hospital, but lifo was found to be extinct. . ,