The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-09 00:00:00

SOUTH LANCASHIRE ELECTION

On Wednesday the election for the southern division of
Lancashire took place at Newton, when Lord Francis Eger-
ton and Mr. Wilbraham were returned without opposition.
Notwithstanding the confident boascings of the supporters of
Mr. Townley that that gentleman was sure of being elected,
they very prudently sent, on Tuesday, an official letter to the
conservative committee, announcing that their candidate had
withdrawn from the poll. Notwithstanding the unfavourable
state of the weather, Newton presented a very animating ap-
pearance. About ten o'clock the conservative candidates
arrived at the hustings in carriages, drawn by four horses,
and accompanied by an immense number of their ardent
supporter,,, and preceded by bands of music, with a large
quantity of banners, exhibiting appropriate mottos and de-
vices. Soon after ten o'clock, the usual formalities having
been gone through, the High-sheriff called on any elector
who had a candidate to nominate to come forward and pro-
pose him.
Sir JOHN GERARD then, amidst loud cheers and in a very
animated strain, proposed Lord Francis Egerton as a fit
and proper person to represent the southern division of the
county in parliament, which was seconded by Sir Thomas
Brancker.

J. I. BLACKBURE, Esq., M.P., proposed, and Mr. Er
twistle seconded the Hon. Bootle Wilbraham.

No other candidate being proposed,
Lord FRANCIS EGERTON then presented himself to the.
multitude, and the cheering was renewed and continued for
a considerable length of time. When silence had been in
some degree restored, he proceeded in nearly the following
terms, but, owing to the distance at which we stood from his
lordship, several of the sentences were very imperfectly
heard. hie said, that although he was not altogether a young
member of parliament, yet that of late years it had been so
little his habit to be returned to the House of Commons
without a severe struggle for the honour, that on the present
occasion he assured the electors he felt more difficulty than
he had experienced on former occasions—that he scarcely
knew how to behave himself, how to thank them, or how in
general to conduct himself. (Hear, and laughter.) The
present was the third occasion upon which he had come for-
ward either to request or to thank them for their given suf-
frages. When he had come forward originally, almost a
stranger to the county, and subsequently, when he had been
a second time returned to parliament, he was warned in every
instance that his attempt was a vain one. He was told that
public opinion in the county was against him, and that there
was no room for a conservative amid the wedged masses of
whiggery which existed. He had not, however. shrunk
from this warning. He well knew that no personal interests
of his own could weigh in sach a contest, and that no adven-
titious circumstances of rank or wealth could be any recom-
mendation in the eyes of the independent achievers of their
own fortunes in Liverpool and Manchester; yet he had been
tempted by those whom he thought he could trust, that a
triumph, without the use of bribery, but a triumph of
opinion, was to be won in the county, and he thought, for
the sake of the country at large, that such a triumph was worth
contending for and winning. (Hear.) And with the support
of the electors of the hustings; and the joint assistance of his
late and present colleague, they together had given a complete
confutation to those who doubted of their success, by the
Arabic numerals of the poll. (Great cheering.) Though a
similar triumph had crowned their exertions on the present
occasion, he had been again warned of the result. He had
been told that he had won before in consequence of various
accidents having occurred, but that now the circumstances
were altered. In the first place, he had been told that a
gentleman, a friend and respected neighbour of his own, who
on the last occasion had given him his arm from the Legh
Arms up to that the place of execution, (hear, and laughter)
—that his respected friend, Mr. Trafford, refused him his
support on the present occasion. Now he (Lord Francis)
thought it right to observe, before he proceeded further, that
if he thought his return for the county depended on the sup-
port of ally single arm, however influential that arm might
be, lie never would have put his fortunes to the hazard of an
election. (Hear, hear.) But, as he was saying, Mr. Traf-
ford's arm had been freely given before ; he knew not in what
he had offended ; and he knew as little why it should have
been withdrawn. But although he was ignorant in these
respects, he had the satisfaction of knowing that it was not
to any personal conduct he was to attribute the loss, and
that nothing had occurred on his part to diminish the friendly
relationship which had existed betwen him and the gentle-
man in question. Sorry, indeed, should he (Lord Francis)
be, if from the excitement of election strife, or from any
quarter with which he might be connected, occasions for
differences should arise of so serious a nature as to cause
sudden changes of opinion. He would not say more on thi,
subject, except to take that opportunity of returni.
thanks to his noble friend, Sir John. Gerard, for his kind
assistance on that occasion, and to state, unworthy as ho
was to be the object of such services, that in doing him the
honour to propose him to the notice of the electors, be had
given the most complete, dignified, and contemptuous reply
he could to accusations which it would be almost degradation
to him—(vehement applause)—which, he repeated, it would
be almost degradation to him to notice in detail, knowing, as
he did, the quarter from which they had emanated. (Loud
cries of "hear," and cheers.) He (Lord Francis) would not
touch further on what he conceived to be a disgusting topic.
(Hear, hear.) The address he had published, had bsereannfcooroaf
long time before the electors. It contained. the sub
• ty's ministers.
been forced on their attention by her
behind.
his opinions on the questions of leading interest which had
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the electors with the constistu. taiosntoof thethe pLesdeenotrmninneistorfycwona!
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for their attention
would be greatly increased. (Hear, hear.) The question
of sugar was one upon which he had given his opinion at
more length in parliament than it would be convenient for
him to do on that occasion. The subject had been discussed
for six nights in the house, and though it appeared to him.