The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-27 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE BIRMINGHAM LOYAL AND CONSTITU-

TIONA L. ASSOCIATION.

Front the Standard.)

BIRMINGIIA.SI, TEN O'CLOCK, Flimsy NIGHT.—The conser-
vatives of Birmingham have this day added another glorious
laurel to their high fame, as loyal adherents to the British con-
stitution of King, Lords, and Commons, and have also given
an illustrious example to their contemporaries throughout the
empire, by their celebration of the second anniversary of the
institution of the above-named society. It must be cheering in the
highest degree to our loyal fellow-subjects, to learn that in this,
the very focus of the consolidated principles of whiggery, radi-
calism, republicanism, and every species of levelling destructive-
ness, the conservatives celebrated their festival, not in one, nor
in two, but not less than ten convivial meetings. The largest
public building in Birmingham—the Town-hall, being under re-
pair, and the theatre, the next in size, offering space for the
accommodation of a few hundreds only, the Committee of the
Association were obliged to divide their members into sections,
and the following are the houses where the several conservative
divisions were entertained :—Dee's Hotel, where the principal
members dined; Vauxhall, W. C. Alston, Esq., President;
White Hart, J. Simcox, Esq.. President; King's Head, G.
Whateley, Esq., President; George Inn, Digbeth F. Mole,
Esq., President; Union Inn, W. H. Gem, Esq., President;
Dolphin Inn, H. M. Griffiths, Esq., Presitent ; Rose Inn,
W. W. Richards, Esq., President; King's Head, Dudley-
street ; Dartmouth Hotel, West Bromwich, W. Izon, Esq.,
President; making in all nearly 3000 persons.
Previous to the separation of the constitutional body to their
different houses of re-union, the committee met at Dee's Hotel,
and agreed to a
.report. This report was very long, and detailed
the circumstances which led to the origin of this society, viz.,
the unwarrantable assumption of power by the Birmingham
Political Union, and the tendency of that society to 'evolu-
tionary principles. It then proceeded to congratulate the
conservative society upon their successful exertions in the re-
gistry courts; upon the beneficial effects of the dissemination
of conservative tracts, and other books of like character, and
concluded by making an appeal to all to defend the church and
the throne.
The arrangements and the refreshments were, at all the branch
houses, of the most satisfactory description.
Mr. Dee having arranged his tables in the ball-room of the
Royal Hotel in the most tasteful manner, and covered them
with an almost indefinite variety of luxury and abundance,
about three hundred gentlemen entered the apartment at four
o'clock. The glittering of the plate, the reflection of the lights
in the gilded mirrors, the canopy of the gorgeous banner of
the association overhead, and the aspect of the organ in the
back ground, produced an effect of convivial and almost cathe-
dral magnificence which we do not remember to have felt at
any other pOlitical festival. Several members were adorned
with the medal of the association, which is worth describing.
It is executed by Mr. Ingrain, of Birmingham, in exquisite
relief. The adverse exhibits a group of allegorical figures—
Britannia seated in the chair of state, supported on the right
by religion, and on the left by justice, represents the principles
of the British government. The lion crouching at the feet of
Britannia, denotes the viligance, courage, and determination
with which the British people guard the constitution ; and the
legend declares, in the memorable words tittered by the barons,
exactly 600 years ago, and breathing the same conservative
spirit then as now—

" Nolumus Leges Anglim Mutari."

The company included the following :—The Right Hon. the
Earl of Dartmouth in the chair, supported on the right by W.
S. Dugdale, Esq., M.P.; George Barker, Esq.; and on the
left by the Hon. Mr. Hewitt, and the Rev. Edward Dale, rector
of Smethwick. The second table was presided at by the Right
Hon. the Earl of Bradford, president for the ensuing year sup-
ported on the right by T. Hawkes, Esq., M.P., and W.
Whatley, Esq.; and on the left by the Rev. R. Bedford and the
Rev. R. L. Freer. The third table was presided at by Richard
Spooner, Esq., late chairman of the association, supported on
the right by John Meredith and Isaac Anderton, Esq., and on
the left by J. B. Hebbert, Esq., secretary to the Loyal and
Constitutional Association of Birmingham, and T. H. Hasluck,
Esq., James Beswick, Esq., late deputy chairman of the asso-
ciation, presided at the fourth table, supported on the right by
J. G. Reeves, Esq., and W. Redington, Esq.; and on the left
by W. Darwall, Esq., and James Worthington, Esq.
The vice-presidents were J. Mason, Esq., deputy-chairman
for the ensuing year; E. Armfield, Esq., treasurer; J. Rawlins,
and J. Guttridge, Esqrs.
Amongst the general company were C. H. Molyneux, Esq.,
R. Best, Esq., W. Houghton, Esq., S. Partridge, Esq , C. R.
Cope, Esq., . James, W. Anderton, C. Barker, W. Maxwell,
J. M. Knott, and J. F. S. Perkins, Esqrs.; the Rev. G. Bans,
H. Woolley, S. Crane, E. Davis, &c. In short, at this and the
branch festivals were collected all the Conservatives of respect-
ability in commerce, intellect, wealth, and station, in and within
twenty miles of Birmingham.
The arrival of the noble chairman and his noble and hon.
friends was greeted with a burst of applause, which lasted
several minutes.
At the conclusion of the dinner a number of fair and elegantly.
dressed ladies—a pleasing specimen of Birmingham beauty and
grace—entered the room, and were loudly cheered. They were
provided with excellent accommodation on the raised seats
behind the orchestra.
" Non nobis Domino" having been sung in masterly style
by the professional gentlemen,
The Chairman proposed the health of " the King."—Three
rounds of the conservative fire, and plaudits innumerable.—
" God save the King," in which the company enthusiastically
joined. The lines—
" Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,"
were received with the most emphatic applause, and anlather
roundx,f cheers followed.
" The Queen" was next given, and was received with similar
demonstrations of loyalty.
" The Princess Victoria and the other branches of the Royal
Family" were then drunk, with the usual accompaniments of
respect and affection.
Quartett—" Hail Star of Brunswick."
" The Army and Navy" were next given.
Trio—" When Britain, on her sea-girt shore."
" The Established Church of England and Ireland." (En-
thusiastic cheers, all standing and waving hands and handker-
chiefs.)
The toast was drunk with three times three, and the conserva-
tive fire repeated; and then a series of cheers in " the old-
fashioned way." It is impossible to describe the enthusiasm
with which the toast was received.
The Rev. Mr. Woolley (of Shenstone) rose to return thanks.
It was difficult for him adequately to express his feelings of
gratitude for the enthusiastic manner in which the noble chair-
man and the other members of the loyal and constitutional
association had been pleased to receive the mention of the
Established Church in England and Ireland—a manner con-
sistent with the Loyal and 'Conservative Association of Bir-
mingham. (Cheers.) It was unnecessary for him to enter
into any justification of their enthnsiasm, for he knew it pro-
ceeded from a conviction that the Liturgy, the Canons. and
every part of the Liturgy of that church, were founded on the
Word of God. (Cheers.) They challenged their opponents
to contradict their assertion, that the Word of God was the
basis of all their faith and their principles—that the Established
Church of these kingdoms was the church of God on earth.
(Cheers.) Still, under circumstances like the present, he
could not advocate narrow-minded feelings or bigotted conduct
towards those who differed from them in faith. (Cheers.) The
Church of England and her sister Church of Ireland would
i
have acted upon a different principle. They issued no anathe-
mas against those who were wanderers from their fold.
(Cheers.) No, they rather followed them and invited them to
come in, (cheers,) because they believed that within that fold
they would find the word and the truth, as it was in God.
(Cheers.) But, while be would do away with every idea of
bigotry in feelings or in conduct, towards those who differed
from them, he thought that his station as a clergyman of the
Established Church, and the circumstances of the times in
which they lived, required from them a manly, a firm, and'a
decided declaration of unalterable attachment to that church,
and to evince those sentiments by the strongest form of words
and actions. (Cheers.) They were now united by two golden
links—the church and the state (cheers ;) and, while thus
united, they need not fear the attempts of insidious factions nor
armed enemies, to sever the connexion. (Cheers.) He re-
garded the compliment they paid to the church as an approval
of its faith and discipline' and that they were decided supporters
of it, (cheers,) determined to defend it in time of danger. The
spirit of the clergy was tiow united with the feelings of the laity.
mom his heart and soul he rejoiced in such manifestations of
that identity as he now witnessed ; and, as long as the clergy
had the opportunity of witnessing such feelings amongst the
laity, their church would triumph alike over the secret insinua-
tions and the open assaults of its enemies. (Loud cheers.)
The Chairman said the next toast was, " Our glorious Con-
stitution in Church and State." (Loud cheers.)
Mr. Spooner said, it was impossible for any man, animated
with a British heart, and feeling now as all Britons did feel, not
to see that the noble lord had left out on this occasion a sub-
ject to which the eves of the whole kingdom were turning: he
meant that essential portion of the constitution, the noble house
of which he (the noble lord) was himself a member. (Great
cheering.) He felt that the noble president, as well as the no-
ble vice-president, would forgive him for presuming to appear
before the meeting in any way as an advocate of the toast
given; but he could not stiffer—the association would not suffer
—a toast of so much importance to pass without some reference
to that branch of the-constitution on which the safety of tire-
country depends, (cheers,) and upon whose firmness they now
relied; and the association rejoiced in the opportunity of telling
the two noble lords now present to go on in the manner in
which they had commenced, (cheers,) and of calling on them
not to scared by a phantom which assumed the popular name,
the people
champion
but whi)ch bad nothing within it but shadow, and which in the
hour of trial would at once vanish. (Cheers.) Who defended
stood p
an lae
r ?
it
thi
na Whysra
the
beggar
e g aHgoru soer
ao of fvLa go
truear db, realso.nd (Cheers.)hlaidb dreat
yre. dared to
butt Wo
a vitupe-
rate?—(increased houseot
u was
it
which e
increasedinchthenersm)—asta
anaiicaninnwh mannero was
a denunciationdenounced,ave
randate ?
denounced (
could be constitutionally propounded—a man who was de-
nounced in the curses of the ministers—denounced by the King
himself as a traitor (hear) ; and yet this very man at this mo-
ment Was the knoWn, the acknowledged supporter and advocate
of the ministry, who dared thus to trifle with the commission
with which the King had intrusted them. And he would ask
them if it was fit that they should see their glorious constitution
of church and state thus betrayed without marking in an espe-
cial manner their confidence, their trust in, and their gratitude
to the House of Lords, and to express their full determination to
support them in the full, complete, and firm convictions that in
them, and in them alone, they relied? Every man who was
anxious for nothing else but a fair reward for honest labour
looked with confidence at this moment to tbat branch of the
legislature to secure him against the revolutionary and anti-
English spirit that had now entered into the house that they
called the House of Commons; and tie would say that, in ap-
pealing from
them now, the country was acting in the ways it
did when it had appealed against the crown—(bear)—in fact,
they were appealing against those who, though in the character
of representatives of the country, did yet not represent it.—
(Loud cheers.)
The toast was then drunk with nine times nine.
The President then gave " Prosperity to the Loyal and eon-
stitutional Association." (Loud cheers )
The nest toast was " The Duke of Wellington." It was
drunk with the most enthusiastic applause.
Mr. Dugdale, M.P.. proposed " Lord Lyndhurst and the
House of Lords." (Enthusiastic cheers.)
The Chairman rose to acknowledge the toast. He (the
Chairman) had the most perfect confidence in the House of
Lords and its leader; and, though he had acted but a humble
part in the proceedings of tha • t bOdy, he was not less staunch in
his principles or less determined d to his duty than their
leader (loud cheers); and as long as they bad the honour to
' of the
be supported by the respectable portioncountry, repre-
sented by assemblages such as
that he had now the honour to
address, he could assure the country that the House of Lords
would do their duty. (Great cheers.)
The next toast was " The health of the President of the
Association—the Earl of Dartmouth." (Cheers.)
The Chairman rose to return thanks. Their association was
not formed for the promotion of party objects,—hut, as the re-
port of their committee had shown, to defend and propagate
Conservative principles, which were now happily extending
themselves on all sides throughout the country. (Loud chee rs.)
What were those principles? What was the character of a