The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-10-07 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOrL STANDARD.

DISGRACEFUL PROCEEDINGS OF THE WHIG

RADICALS AT HALIFAX.

(From a Correspondent of Ike Times. )

On Friday evening last a scene of licentiousness and confu-
sion occurred at a dinner at Halifax given by the whig-radicals
to their sitting member, Mr. Charles Wood, of the Admiralty,
and Edward Protheroe, jun., of Bristol notoriety, the unsuc-
cessful cantlidate at the last election, quite unprecedented in
the annals of electioneering and political festivities. This din-
ner had been announced for a considerable time previous, and
every trick in the way of whig puffery had been resorted to for
the purpose of swelling the number of the guests on this occa-
sion. Such was the determination to make up a grand meeting
in point of number, without reference to quality, that upwards
of sixty tickets for the dinner were given away by one very
wealthy individual engaged in manufacture to his workmen, our
informant on this point having himself had the offer of one,
Which he declined, although repeatedly pressed to accept it.—
Thus was the company made up by these liberal whig-radicals
for the purpose of practising, by a display of numbers, one of
the grossest deceptions which have ever come under'our ob,sey-
vation.

The conduct of an assemblage so constituted was Such as:
might have been expected. By the early hour of nine o'clbck'
the room exhibited great conflision, arising partly from the ef-
fects of the wines, &c., to which these gentlemen were but lit-
tle accustomed, and partly from the quarrelsome spirit origi-
nated by the juxta-position of the whigs and radicals whom
even the good things of the table were unable to reconcile. The
police officers, who were in attendance, in vain attempted to
preserve order, and the chairman repeatedly threatened to ab-
dicate his office if silence was not obtained, such was the de-
moniacal confusion that the speakers (M.P.'s and others) were
obliged to leaie the meeting clandestinely without the usual
salutations required by good breeding. The principal guests,
nearly all of thern dissenters,—say Independents, Baptists, New
Connexion, Methodists, Unitarians, &c., of great religious pro-
fession, were seen oddly associated with ladies of equally liberal
character, and it is a remarkable proof of the progress of phi-
losophical feeling, that certain civilities were observed to take
place betwixt some gentlemen and these ladies not common on
public occasions of this description. Bottles and glasses were
seen flying up and down in the room, many of them being di-
rected against the heads of orators themselves when advancing
sentiments disagreeable to their patriotic auditory. MI order,
with respect to movement, was entirely abolished, and gentle-
men proceeded to their desired positions in various parts of the
room over chairs, tables, &c., creating a scene of confusion and
destruction amongst the crockery, glasses, &c., which it is
wholly impossible to describe. In the midst of this horrible
confusion the unfortunate editor of the whip radical journal of
the town•was upset, and deposited with the books and papers
under the table. He received a slight injury nn the knee, and
almost immediately quitted the room, the confusion in front of
the chair making it impossible to hear anything more of the
speeches. Much do we regret to state, that many of' the ladies'
were in a state of exhilaration which might fairly rival the con-
dition of their companions of the other sex. We ought to ob-
serve fiat the ladies had been admitted on the authority of
tickets, costing 2s. 6d. each, their liberal inviters being deter-
mined they should contribute handsomely towards the expenses
of this delightful and magnificent festival. Such is whig.radi-
cal gallantry. An attempt was made about midnight to dis-
perse the company, by the ingenious expedient of putting out
the lights, but without success, the darkness being very justly
considered as more appropriate to the proceedings then going
forward than the light. 'the police were continually called
upon to separate the pugnacious lovers of freedom in different
parts of the room. One of the combatants resisted the inter-
ference of the constable with great energy and indignation, de-
manding of the officer if he knew who he was ? The officer in
reply, stated he did not know • him, nor did he care as to that
point. The offender then, with much dignity, informed the
constable that he was the chairman of the watch committee, and
of course not amenable to subordinate authority. This consis-
tent.•
and exemplary "chairman of the watch committee" had,
however, the misfortune to get a severe milling, and to have his
hat crown knocked out, an insufferable indignity, it must be
confessed, to a person of his high official standing. It would
be impossible to enumerate all the instances of misbehaviour
and licentiousness which occurred on this'occasion ; but the
disgust produced by such a demonstration or wirig-radiAl so-
briety, piety, decorum, and consistency, is deep and general
amongst all ranks and classes in the neighbourhood.

GREAT PROTESTANT DEMONSTRATION IN

GLASGOW.

(From the Times.)
GLASGOW, SATURDAY EVENlMG.—Considerable excitement
has been created in this town by the discovery of an organised
conspiracy among the Roman- Catholics of the place, which
might have been productive of the most fatal consequences.
Three meetings of the Glasgow Protestant Association have
been held within the last fortnight, convoked for the purpose of
directing the attention of the public to the progress and present
state of Popery in Ireland, at which Mr. J. C. Colquhoun, of
Killermont, late M. P. for Dumbartonshire, a gent.aman well
known for his zealous exertions in behalf of the Protestant
clergy of that country, and in defence of the established church,
presided. The first of these was addressed by the Rev. Di.
Cook, of Belfast, the Rev. Dr. Stewart, of Broughshare, and
Mr. Pringle, M. P. for Selkirkshire; the second -by the Rev.
Mr. O'Sullivan. and the Rev. Michael Crotty, of Birr; and the
third by Mr. O'Sullivan, and several clergymen of Glasgow.
The meetings were held in Hope-street church, which on each
occasion was crowded by a numerous audience. Admission to
thefrrst two was obtained by tickets, for which 6d, was charged.
in aid of the fnnds of the association. The interest excited by
the statements of the eloquent speakers was intense, and, in
onYer to give the working classes an opportunity of being pre-
sent, tickets for the third meeting were distributed gratis. At
an early hour of the morning of Thursday, the day appointed,
the shops at which they were to be procured were literally be-
sieged by troops of persons, the appearance and demeanour of
Many of' whom showed them to be Irishmen and Roman Ca-
tholics. At the hour of meeting (half-past six o'clock in the
evening) the church was crowded in every part with an, assem-,.
blage which could not have consisted of less than 2,000 persens.
The platform was occupied by the most influential gentle-
men of the city and neighbourhood; among whom we observed
Mr. Forbes, M.P. for Stirlingshire, and Mr. Smoilett, younger,
of Bonhill. The first speaker, the Rev. Mr. Paterson, of St.
Andrew's Church, Glasgow, was frequently interrupted in the
course of the observations which be addressed to the meeting
by a number of persons stationed in various parts of the build-
ing, known to be Roman Catholics, and who were evidently
acting in concert. A multitude of individuals of that per-
suasion, who had arranged themselves in the passages of the
gallery, were observed to be particularly clamorous, and
many of them, infuriated by the masterly exposure of the
errors of Popery made by the rev. speaker, gave expression
to the malignant spirit which actuated them in the most re-
volting execrations. Their turbulence became at length so
outrageous. that the chairman was forced to send for the
police, in order to protect the meeting. After a considerable
interval, during which the utmost alarm and agitation pre-
vailed among the audience, order was restored by the arrival
of a large body of that force, and the proceedings were al-
lowed to close without any acts of open violence. After the
dismissal of the meeting, a most respectable clergyman of
this city, of whose name we are in possession, observed a group
of persons in Hope-street, who had been particularly active
in creating a disturbance, one of whom was in the act of
emptying his pockets of a quantity of stones and other missiles,
exclaiming at the same time, " If we had got at the gas-pipe,
how we would have smashed the Prote'stant scoundrels on the
platform." The clergyman was probably deterred from giving
the ruffian into custody by the number and aspect of his com-
panions, as well as the apprehension of creating a riot. It is
evident, from these expressions, as well as from fragments of
sentences, heard from various persons in the meeting, that a plot
had been formed to cut off the supply of gas, and assail the gen-
tlemen on the platform with missiles which might have been pro-
ductive of fatal consequences to almost every person upon it.
Providentially the miscreants were not enabled to effect their
barbarous purpose, but it is dreadful to reflect that had they
succeeded in extinguishing the lights, they might, from the
position which they occupied in the gallery which gave them
the command of the whole meeting, have carried it into execu-
tion, with perfect ease; and most probably with entire impunity.
Previous to the meeting, a Roman Catholic priest was seen in
the vicinity of the church, and talking with knots of persons of
that denomination, many of whom, if we are not mistaken,
took an active part in the attempt to get up a riot. Had the
plot, we have detailed been successful, we have not the least
doubt that the most fearful consequences to the Roman Catho-
licinhabitants would have ensued, and that the perferviduni in-
',genium Scotorum might have been excited to deeds which
would base even more than parallelled the frightful scenes
enacted in London and other towns towards the:close of the
last century. As it is, the foul attempt will not be soon forgot-
ten. In connexion with this subject, it is gratifying to be able
to state that a most decided reaction has taken place among the
working classes of Glasgow, and that, were the mendicant of
Derrvnane again to 'pollute it with his loathsome presence, he
• would be hooted from its precincts with all the contempt and
abhorrence which he has so richly earned by his infamous
career. His dastardly treachery on the factory question has
thoroughly disgusted the few of his supporters here who have
any pretensions to respectability, and has been denounced in
.the columns of a Radical print, edited by the gentleman who
presided at the soiree at which he was last year entertained by
the trades. _

We have much pleasure in mentioning that Mr. Campbell,
a merchant of this city, distinguished for the princely munifi-
cence of his charity, who lately gave 2,000 guineas to aid the
scheme of church extension now in progress in Scotland, has
offered to mike a provision of 501. per annum for a period of
five years for any number of Romish clergymen, not exceeding
30, who may have been hitherto deterred by the fear of destitu-
ion, as urged by the Rev. Mr. Crotty, from becoming converts
to Protestant principles. The sum is ton small to be regarded
as at all approaching to a bribe, and sufficient to afford a de-
cent maintenance until they can procure the charge of Protes-
tant congregations.

P. S. We may add, that a great Conservative festival is
talked of here, and will probably be held before Christmas.
The Conservatives of the west of Scotland seem to be shaking
off the apathy in which they were till lately plunged,