The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-10-11 00:00:00

GREAT CPNSEIWATIVE DINNER OF HERE-
FORDSHIRE.

Herefordshire, Wednesday Night, Five o'Clock.
The conservatives of this county dined together here
this evening in the Shire Hall. The display was one of
the most magnificent we have seen in any part of the
empire. All the wealth, influence, and intelligence of
the county was congregated to manifest that, although
Herefordshire has never been boldly prominent in the
assertion of its political opinions heretofore, this :com-
parative inaction has at length ceased, and the proceed
ings here this evening, together with the firm and zealous
conservative spirit evidenced by all who were present,:
will serve to mark this county as one amongst the mos
devoted to the preservation and maintenance of the con-
stitution and the independence of the estates of parlia-
ment. In a word, the character of the meeting and the
proceedings formed a marked contrast to those by which
the recent whig -radical congregations have been distin-
guished ; here there was no disunion, no under-current
squabblings, no quarrelling—the produce of intemper-
ance; every portion of the proceedings of the evening
was characteristic of a great meeting met for the purpose
of asserting their determination to uphold the institntions
of the country which have been its pride and the source
of its prosperity against the inroads of revolutionists. At
an early hour in the morning the equipages of the no-
bility and gentry began to arrive, and indeed it was with
considerable difficulty that lodgings could be procured
last night at any of the hotels in the city, the number of
applicants for tickets being much greater than even had
been anticipated. All which it had been originally con-
templated should be issued was 500, the number of per-
sons which the great hall could "accommodate; but by
twelve o'clock to•day the applications became so numer-
ous and pressing that the grand jury room was laid with
tables for additional guests, and eventually the long pas-
sage leading from the street to the Shire Hall was ap-
propriated to the same purpose. By these means the
committee were enabled to issue nearly 300 more tickets,
which were most anxiously sought for, and were all sold
in an hour after they were printed; and yet there were
more. than 200 persons who had sought admission, but
who were unable to procure it. What then becomes of
the boasting of the whig-radical party of the neighbour-
hood, that the conservatives of Herefordshire could not
" get up" a dinner ? The answer is a triumphant one.
But there is much reason to rejoice that these boastings
have been made audible, as they have had the effect of
rousing the conservatives to their duty, and the effect
will react witl► a vengeance upon the radical party; for
we can predict with good reason that the number of their
representatives in this county will be sadly lessened, if
not rendered a cypher, at the next election.
The interior of the Shire Hall was yesterday hand-
somely decorated with festoons of evergreens, inter-
spersed with blue and white favours (the county colours)
behind the chair; upon the raised platforms, which
usually serves the purpose of a hustings, was erected a
triumphant arch appropriately ornamented with bunches
of laurel and banners. Upon it was inscribed—" The
institution in Church and State ;" and immediately be
hind it was placed a banner inscribed "The Hereford-
shire Conservatives—not for party, but for their country's
good." Immediately over the entrance within the room
were the letters " W. R." in variegated lamps,surrOund-
ed by laurel wreaths, and upon each side heraldic banners
inscribed, "Loyalty to the King, submission to tl►e law,
and justice to the people"—" Church, King, and Con-
stitution, virtute non vi :" whilst around the rooms were
fixed other inscriptions in blue and white—" Our glori-
ous Constitution," "The Conservative Cause," " Church
and King," "King, Lords, and Commons," " Fear God
and honour the King," "The land we live in," "Success
to agriculture," "Speed the plough," &c. At half-past
three, there being then nearly 800 persons assembled, the
chair (in the absence of Lord Eastnor, who had met with
an accident) was taken by Sir Edwin Scudmore Stan-
hope, Bart.

After the cloth was removed, and " Non nobis" sung,
the Chairman proposed the following toasts :—" His
Majesty King William the Fourth"—" The Queen"—
"The Princess Victoria"—which were all followed by
tremendous and enthusiastic cheering.

The Chairman said that the next toast was one of ma-
nifest importance, and was so completely adapted to the
purposes for which they had met, that he had again to
regret the absence of the noble lord that was to have
filled the chair. There was, however, no man more de-
voted to conservatism than himself. but his devotion did
not confer on him the ability to deliver his opinions as
he could wish ; he Would do his best, however, to induce
them to drink that toast with the zeal becoming Britons
and Protestants. (Hear, hear.) It was " Tlie conser-
vative cause throughout the United kingdom, and may
it be everywhere triumphant"—(loud cheers, which last-
ed several minutes. They had not met there that day
for party or for factious motives. (Hear.) No, they
had met there as conservatives, with the determination
to maintain the constitution in Church and State, and to
preserve the institutions of the country from being tram-
pled under foot. (Hear, and cheers.) Tue. period had
arrived when it behoved every man to make up his mind
her to be a conservative or a destructive. (Hear.)—
Men might call themielves tories, whigs, or radicals; but
a man must now either be a conservative, resolved to
maintain the constitution, or a destructive, determined
to pull it down. (Hear.) He would not say on which
side that meeting ranged itself He was sure they had
met with the determined purpose of upholding the con-
stitution, and one moment's reflection would tell them
that they did right. (Loud cheers.) Did not that con-
stitution confer liberty upon the subject,-and enable any
man, however humble, if he possessed sufficient talent,
to aspire to the first stations in the land ? (Hear.) Why,
therefore, should they not maintain it, instead of running
after a phantom of liberty and equality which began in
revolution and rebellion, held its course through blood
and rapine, and would have its end in tyranny and op-
pression ? (Loud cheers.) He rejoiced, however, that
the thinking people of England were coming to their
senses. (Hear, hear.) He rejoiced that the spirit of
conservatism was fast spreading through the country.—
(Hear, and cheers.) Englishmen were naturally loyal
and attached to their institutions, and, being so, they
were naturally conservatives, and they well kneW that
the conservatives were their friends, and that the whigs
were their enemies, and the very friends of the whigs
themselves said so. (Hear, hear.) He would, in order
to show this, read to them an extract from a pamphlet
p,.alished by one of them who had been led on by'ihern
to make a certain claim ; but when he had d9ne so, and
gained
them, as all others had, that gentleman had said,
" that however he suffered from the tories, yet they prac-
tised what they professed—were consistent in their pro-
fessions; they assisted each other, and were grateful to
their supporters—(hear, hear)—whereas the whigspos-
sc,:sed principles which they were ashamed or afraid to
cart y into action. They made promises which they did
not fulfil, were ungrateful for that support by which they
were kept in power, and repaid the confidence of the peo-
ple with disappointment and disdain." (Hear, and
Cheers.) This was the opinion of a whig, he would say
a radical, supporter of the Government; and he would
ask, was it in the hands of such men the destinies of the
country should be entrusted ? Should such a trust be
confided to men who are stigmatised by their own sup-
porters as faithless, and upon whom no reliance must be
placed ? (Hear, and loud cheers.) Let the conserva-
tives of England go forth then, proud of the justice of
their cause; let them unfurl their banner, inscrib'ed as
that v,luch was now placed over their door, " Fear God,
and honour the King." Let them place their trust not
in this man or that,. but in the God of Israel, and there
was no doubt that they would be victorious. (Loud
cheers.) The Chairman concluded by proposing the
toast.

Earl Somers said that before he entered upon the sub-
ject of the toast which had been just given, he would
state to the meeting that nothing but severe indisposition
could have detained his son, Lord Eastnor, from the
meeting. He was, however, less annoyed at this when
he considered the able mane-r in which the duties of
chairman were performed by their president. Loud
applause. Now, in regard to the toast which had been
proposed, it would certainly be a desirable thing that lie,
occupying as he did, the important situation of his Ma-
jesty's lieutenant of the county, should support the ad-
ministration—(hear) ; but, he would how could lte
do it?—(" hear," and loud cheers.) How could he do
so, when their conduct appeared to his understanding to
tend to the destruction of the old established, excellent,
and well-tried constitution of the country ? (Loud
cheers.) He could not conceive from their conduct that
they had any other views than to substitute for it a
more democratical shadow ; and seeing this, he was
bound to condemn and to withhold his approbation from
them. (Cheers.) There had certainly been one or two
measures carried by government of which he approved.
He considered that the new poor law was calculated to
remove frOin property an increasing burden, and to in•
duce the poor to recover their independence, while at the
same time they supported themselves and their families.
(Cheers.) The Tithe Commutation Bill he also con-
sidered a good measure, as removing a source of eternal
dissatisfaction between the clergy and their parishoners,
and would be of essential benefit to the farmers. (Hear,
hear.) Having said thus much, on the one hand regard-
ing the government, he would now conic to the dark
side of the picture,. (Hear, hear.) They knew, when
Earl Griey caused the Reform Bill to be introduced
into the house of u
be
commons, that he declared, both pub-
licly and privately, that although, it tvas a st rong- measure,
he had caused It it; introduced as a final one, which
would prei-ent. the necessitytof further concessions to the
spirit of democracy ;how
_far hid the present ad-
ministration. born e..ont thin declaration ? for the present
government was but a weak ramification of that which
had been thrown out. (Hear,
hear.)
day lnstead of the
final, every
Reform, Bill beingthey found them
urging democratic measures. (1-thr.
Could they then
rely upon such men, or, on the.contrary, should not they