The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-10-16 00:00:00

it, .14,.11110....,.3,44b, .

( Tremendous e:)eering.) Lie gave them--

Me South Lan-

Con set native Association."

Nothing could exceed the effect produced by the speech of
the oob.le chairman. The ironical parts.were given with a cool-
ness of sarcasm which told wonderfully upon the audience, and
kept them. as will be seen by the indications interspersed, in an
ecstasy of laughter and excitement throughout. •
Lord FRANCIS Eiaette.osetheri rose and said that it was for-
tunate for him that the toast he was going to propose required
less comment than the last, for the memory of the services of
the noble lord on his right to the association would be sufficient
if he (Lord Francis Egerton) was not speaking to the immedi-
ate friends and neighbours of the noble lord, with whose virtues;
both public and private, they were well acquainted. The toast
he wished to propose to them was—" The health of the Earl of
Wilton, president at their last anniversary."
The toast was enthusiastically drank amid loud cheers.
The Earl of WILTON, in return for the compliment, rose and
was received with loud cheers. He said that it was always with
feelings of much pleasure that he had on every public occasion
met the gentlemen connected with this division of the county
and its neighbourhood, and it was with feelings of gratitude he
had to say it had ever been his tot to obtain from those gentle-
men feelings of respect—on no occasion could he meet them
with more infinite pleasure than upon the anniversary of the
establishment of this great and important association, over which
he had the honour to preside last year. Great and important.
he thought was that meeting of last year when he looked round
and saw the consequences that had resulted from it. (Cheers.)
Not only in the county of Lancaster had conservative associa-
tions started up and strengthened theinselles, but he was proud
to say they had spread themselves to nearly every county in
England. (Cheers.) The example of forming associations of
a legal, loyal, peaceable, and well-regulated nature for the de-
fence of our rights and liberties, civil and religious, was first
set in this county, and had diffused itself far and wide in arrest-
ing that storm which last year threatened, and he believed still
continued to threaten us. (Cheers.) He might say this when
he said that never in any session of parliament were sentiments
'inure revolutionary. uttered than in that which had just gone to
its account. (Cheers.) Never had opinions been broached
more subversive of law and more entangled with intrigue, under
the clap-trap name of reform, to undermine all our institutions
in church arid slate, than in this last session. (hear.) lie
hoped they would all bear witness that he had never made use
of expressions ill-timed in reflection upon the characters of
others, but he felt it impossible to sit still and see the govern-
ment of this country act and go hand in hand with such a mats
as Mr. O'Connell. "If any doubts existed in their minds of the
character of the existing administration, they would be dissi-
pated when they knew that within the last few days that man
(Mr. O'Connell) had been received at the table and at the pa-
lace of the representative of their King, whose brother but the
day before he had most basely abused, to- whom he had made
use of expressions that ought to pet him out of the pale of
Society, (Loud cheers, and cries of 4'. Shame, shame" !)
It was impossible to witness such circumstances as these with-
out deprecatiug them. The itinerant missionary, in his travels
lately through this kingdom, had had the audacity to.attsek and
attempt to degrade that portion. of the. legislature to which he
(the noble lord) had the honour .to belong. . With all that per-
son's sagacity it was astonishing to him that he should have
been led into such an error. It was difficult at all times to
reply to the dictator of a selfish and degraded mind, and also
to defeat the motives of the designing ; but whatever Mr.
O'Connell had chosen to state was known to be untrue. If be
might judge from the feelings of the ceuetry, and the dense
population of the county with which he was more particularly
acquainted, a fair criterion he would say was given that the
spirit of attachment and
.good feeling which has been a link
between all classes of society still existed.. That good under-
standing, he was proud to saw, still was prevalent towards those
whose birth, education, or talent had raised them to a higher
station in society (cheers.) He thought they would agree.
with him that/the current of public opinion ran in favour
of the House of Peers. He (the noble lord) would ask
why it did so. Why, happily for the independence of the coun-
try, a love of fair dealing had always characterized the acts of
the House of Peers, despite of the popular clamours during the
last session of parliament. (Cheers.) The people of England
could not be blinded to the fact, that in the House of Peers
there was legal talent, and statesman-like experience which
was not to be found in the other legislative body. They were
well aware that the independence of the House of Peers, in a
great measure, arose from the fact that they had greater oppor-
tunities of judging for themselves. 'When their duties in par-
liament had concluded, the peers returned to their houses to
live in social intercourse with those around them, to mix with
their neighbours, and diffuse amongst. them that which educa-
tion had taught them to diffuse. They also attended to the
wants of the poor, and he believed the House of Peers were en-
titled to that tneed of respect which no man of honest disposi-
tion, he thought. would refuse to concede to them. (Loud
cheers.) He had to apologise for occupying their time so long
in speaking of a branch of the legislature with which he was
himself connected, but the unfounded attacks that had been
made by Mr. O'Connell, in conjunction with the government
newspapers, could not be too forciffly repelled. It was highly
gratifying to him to see the meeting they had that day wit-
nessed, and he knew he was addressing an assembly, not
more remarkable for its numbers than for its character
and independence of which it was composed. He would
impress upon each person present not to sit down with the
opinion that the country would survive the -attacks that hail
been made upon it, but each to be alive, and eager again to
see that day dawn upon the country when the hopes of England's
unnatural children should be laid low. (Loud cheering.)
He hoped that the institutions which constituted the glory arid
freedom of the country would not be shaken ; and the time was
nat far distant when an indignant people would see the nieces-
city of throwing off the yoke of a weak and compromising, go-
vernment, and not suffer them to fill up their catalogue of de-
linquencies by heaping insult upon insult upon their country.
(Cheers.). He thought that the time was not far distant, what-.
ever might be the different shades of political opinion, when
that statesman whose integrity and whose industry had raised
him to that high station wince he had held but for a short time
would be recalled for the benefit of the nation and his own
honour. (Loud cheeri.) 'The noble earl concluded by eel.-
gisiug the noble chairman, of whom he might say that the con-
stituency of South Lancashire could not have chosen a repre-
sentative whose honesty and integrity, whose abilities, whose
commercial relations in the country and highly cultivated mind
rendered him peculiarly adapted to fill the situation. He was
confident elaeet tlaair 40.10 reresentatiee wouldeein..fiarehering.
his own commercial, political, and religious views, be acting in
Concert with .his constituents, and that they would not repent
of the choice they had made. The noble lord concluded by
proposing the. health of 'Lord Francis Egei ton.
Lord FRANCIS EGERTON then rose amidst vehement and
long-continued cheering, and said, Gentlemen it is impossible
for me, however other • occasions will call upon me to ad-
dress you, not to take this occasion of thanking you for the
manner in which von have drank my health. I estimate this
c,iinpiiment most hi lily, because it convinces me, that not only
on this occasion, tart -on other occasions in the execution of
those duties which you have entrusted to my care in oerliainent,
you have overlooked those deficiencies and rewarded me with
your friendship, whiA is the best reward I could receive.
You sent me to parliament . under circumstances which
enabled me to support the minister, not for any power which
he could bestow, but because you thought his system of govern-
ment was the best adapted to the best interests of the country.
(Cheers.) I did my best to give him my support with the mem-
bers of England. We were however overborne by an infusion
from Scotland and Ireland—we were overborne, but it was not
on that account I should be led to relinquish those arduous and
onerous duties which you have imposed upon me. In other
circumstances, had the power of that great minister been con-
solidated, I should have been disposed to think that my mi-
nistry had been accomplished. (No, no.) Such, however,
was not my good fortune, and I feel it my duty to continue by
him, and / feel that I shall reap from you that approbation
which will add fresh stimulants towards the performance of my
duty. (Cheers.) I will not trouble you further than to return
you my toad acknowledgments for the manner in .which you
have thank my health. (Loud cheers.) The noble lord then
said, with your permission, gentlemen, I shall call upon Mr. •
Fitchett of Warrington, for a song. Mr. Fitchett immediately
complied with the noble chairman's request, and sung the fol-
lowing sung, which was loudly cheered throughout:—

SONG,
ON THE OPENING OF THE SOUTH LANCASHIRE CONSERVATIVE
HALL, AT NEWTON, ON THE STH ocTO/111R, 1835.

TUNE—Death of Abercrombie.

'Mid peril's dark hour, o'er Lancastria's wide plain,
Whete commerce, with science and arts in her train,
Hails the muses and graces, her suns, firm and good,
First in phalanx of emulous union stood,
In support of; their king, their religion, and laws,
These rush'd to assert THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.

Chorus—ln support, &C.--
From this parent stock, ever Britain now grows
The tree, not confin'd to the scene where it rose,
But alike thro' our empire its far-spieuding shade
Sheds the dew of its shelter,—its health-giving aid;
For whate'er genial soil its kind influence draws,
There flourishes too THIS CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.
Chorus—For whate'er, &c.
Assembled, behold ! as by magical call,
Wittily canopied spell of this palace-rais'd hall,
(Pleas d loyalty's temple,) in brotherly baud,
The virtue, intelligence, wealth of the land;
True friends, who their country to shield never pause,
But whose.watch-word is Still THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.
Chorus—True friends, &c.
Presence here of her best—her high-born—her grac'd peers,
Combin'd heart and hand, the proud festival cheers:
Her merchants; like princes, crowd too to the deck,
Nor in tempests will yield the state vessel a wreck :
Honest industry's piitrons, whom unity draws,
Prove the people's best guard THE cONSERVATIVII CAUSE.
Chorus—Honest industry's, &c.

tier sons here Lancastria arrays not alone;
But her beauty a witchery claims of its own,
Where the soul, as it brightens the heavenly face,
Shows a model of goodness, that hallows its grace :
While the fair, who prize worth, deign their valued applause,
Their smile shall still breSS THE CONSERVATIVE CACSR.
Chorus—While the fair, &c.
Oh, England—our country! illustiions name!—
Oh, nation of heroes,—of virtue.—and fame !
No faction shall wound thee! Tho' dangers beset,
Thy sons are still Britons, and true to thee vet :
Brutal clamour's base rage thy rous'd lion o'erawes,
Fur his voice still protects THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.
Chorus—Brutal clamour's, &c.
The pride of this'day the glad signal shall be, •
That Britannia shalt still he united and free: •

Thousand beasts, new-inspied, the same courage shall warm,
And the flag of Old England shall beam o'er th storm;
For our heritage—homes; monarch, altars, and laws,--
Eternal shall IiVe.THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.
Chorus—For our heritage, &c.

Lord FRANCIS EGERTON again rose and said, gentlemen, I
have a toast to propose to you, upon which a single comment
would be ill bestowed. I give you the health of " The Duke of
Wellington." (This toast was received, as might have been
anticipated, with the most vehement and continued cheering, iu
giving which' the whole assembly stood up, and when " one
cheer more" was called for, it was given in such 'a manner as
would have endangered the safety ofa less substantial building.)

Mr. WALTON then sung, iu the most tasteful manner, " The
British Grenadier."
Alr. T. B. HMISFA LI. said that the next toast was one which
could not with propriety emanate from the chair, and the duty
of proposing it had been assigned to him. Before doing so,
however, he would beg, in addition to the congratulations which
had been already offered on their great accession of numbers
since their last. meeting, to offer his congratulations on behold-
ing in that noble fabric, in which they were then for the first
time assembled, a substantial evidence of the demi minatiou of
the men of Lancashire to uphold 'to the last those sound con-
stitutional principles which they all admired end loved—( cheery)
—principles which he was convinced, with their noble chairman,
were rapidly spreading not unit' in that county, but in every
town and county throughout the .land. He was convinced that
those principles were now set in, and set in with a correut which
all ;he radicals of England could not stem h. ers) - even

TIE I,i'-k'TTizi)..ooi, STAN 6 Aiia

though they he aided by the popish allies of the present govern-
ment—(cheers)--and supported by all the zeal, and all the
talent, and all the influence of that noble lord who represented
the northern division of this county, of whom their noble chair-
Man had spoken in terms of the highest praise, and which.he
believed they would all agree was not unmerited. But he could
not forget that that noble lord had thought proper a short time
ago to make, what he humbly conceived they would adjudge
to be, not only a most injudicious but a most uncalled for attack
tin conservative associations in general—an attack which he
would do that noble lord the justice to believe had been made
from an ignorance of the design of such associations, from an
ignorance of their mode of operation, and from an utter igno-
rance of the benefits which. had resulted from them. (Cheers.)
But he must say, notwithstanding the great respect which he
entertained for that noble lord, he did think it ill became bun to
be one of the foremost to attack conservative associations, when
it waa„,yfell known that it was that very goverment of which he
*as himself*. member which was the indirect, if not the direct,
means of culling them into existence—it was that very govern-
ment of which he was nfinself a member which first raised, then
fostered and-matured. those political unions, against the inroads
and operations of which these associations were but formed as
necessary harriers of defence. (Loud cheers.) Tue letter,
however, in which that attack was made having been so ably
and so satisfactorily answered by a gentleman who he believed
was present in that room, he ought perhaps to apologise for
having alluded to it. He would, however, beg to claim the pri-
vilege, asa member of that association, which the present oppor-
tunity qilbrded him, of adverting for a moment to a few of the
events which had occurred since their last great meeting, which
was held at Liverpool in November last. And he would ask,
was there a single individual who was present at that meeting
who could ever forget the expression of unbounded joy and
gratitude to our beloved monarch which burst from every heart
—which was echoed and re-echoed by the assembled thousands
at the mere announcement of the fact that the Melbourne ad-
ministration had then ceased to exist. (Cheers.) In vain (lid
the radical supporters of the government assign reason after
reason for this noble act of our most gracious King—in vain did
their dastardly cowardice, with unblushing effrontery, assail our
beloved Queen. (Cheers.) The people of England well knew
that it was the spirit of George the 'I hind (loud cheers) which
animated the bosom of his illustrious son, when with the one
hand he dismissed—[Here Mr. H. accidentally struck his hand
against one of the tamps of the chandelier, which fell to the
ground, and caused some amusement for the moment.] Mr.
Borstal! continued, when with the one band be dismissed
the Melbourne ministry, and with the other called to his
councils that great man, whose honours had ,just been
sung, and whose name deservedly commanded respect not
only in England, but in every court in Europe. (Hear,
and cheers.) It was, as they well knew. during the tempo-
rail, absence of Sir Robeit Peel that the Duke of Wellington
tool( upon himself the whole responsibility of the government.
It was on the return of Sir Robert that the first reformed parlia-
ment wart dissolved:and then (said Mr. H.) commenced the
great straggle for their constitution, then was it that they wiped
away that deep stain_ which Tested, upon them, in having re-
turned a Melyneux' and a Wood to parfidineet as their repre-
sentatives—then
was it• that they had the proud satisfaction of
being represented by their noble chairman and his honourable
colleague—(cheers)—then was it that so many counties, in
coinmou with their own, so nobly did their duty. There was
Berkshire, and Derbyshire, and Norfolk, and Suffolk, and
Essex, (cries of "Shropshire,") and Shropshire, and others,
too numerous to mention, not, however, forgetting; the :sub-
sequent triumph of sue men of Devon, (cheers.) who, with the
eves of England fixed upon them, hurled the fell leader of our
church's foes from that usurped pinnacle of ambition where the
whirlwind of parliamentary reform had momentarily placed
him. (Continued cheering.) Still (said Mr. H.) their victory
was not complete—the conservatives were yet in a minority in
the House of Commons, and Sir • Robert Peel had well told
them that they must regaiu their ascendanry there. Mr. Can-
ning had also said, " Give the reformers a House of Commons,
constituted as they wish, and the peerage aud the throne might
endure for a day, Out would be swept away with the first angry
vote of such an House of Commons." (Cheers.) He would
not detain them by any lengthened reference to the brief ca-
reer of Sir Robert Peel; suffice it to say, that after a short, a
stormy, and a factious opposition, he resigned untarntshed—
he resigned untarnished into the hands of his sovereign that
trust which had been so recently confided to him. Then was
fulfilled the prediction of Sir James Graham, that if the people
of England permitted that administration to fall, there would
be no medium between it and a death's bead and cress-bones
administration. (Loud cheers.) The refuse of the whig,s again
'forced themselves into honour, or rather, as it had been observed
that evening, into place, for the power it was well kilOWll wits
in.other hands, even in the hands of that man who haul not only
nominated the Attorney and Solicitor-General for Ireland, but
bad his veto on the appointment of the Lord Lieutenant also. It
had (said Mr. II.) been a matter of surprise to some how O'Con-
nell and the Melbourne administration could by possibility be
brought to unite; for of ell the men, and they were nut a few, of
whom O'Donnell had spoken in the blackest and the grossest
terms, there are none whom he has treated with such sovereign
and utter contempt as those whom he justly termed the base
and treacherous Whigs. For his own part he could not have
conceived that men could have been found so totally lost to
every principle of self-respect as to place themselves in the de-
graded and humiliating position in which his majesty's minis-
ters now stood with regard to O'Connell. It was perfectly curi-
ous to look at the humiliating policy of the whigs, and to
observe on the other hand O'Connell's conduct towards them.
How he tampered with them whets he chose—how he bambuo-
zled them when he pleased—how he made them his abject tools,
aud theu spurned them from him
He cast off the Whigs, as a huntsman his pack;
For he knew when he pleased he could whistle them back.

(Continued cheering.) The refuse of the whigs being again in
power under the patronage of O'Connell, they proceeded to
bring before parliament two most important measures--the
corporation reform bill and the Irish chinch bill. The former
of these being now the law of the land, he would not further
allude to it than to express his confident hope, that every gen-
tleman whom he had the honour to address would use his ut-
most endeavours to make it work for the best. With regard to
the Irish church bill, however, he dare hardly trust himself to
speak.• He must, indeed, confess that it was a matter of sur-
prise to. him, notwithstanding their friend O'Conueli's character
of the whigs, to see the persevering pertinacity with which they
c1t114.r.. to \tilt was termed the appropriation clause. In vain
wieit iirsiVed tli--Robert reel, awl that, too, from
their own commissioners' report, that there would be naprptos
to appropriate—in vain was it proved to
.them that arcane
of the Irish church had been grossly exaggerated, 'd that,
were the winks fund equally divided, there would not be more
than £lBO per annum for each clergyman, leaving those penni-
less who bad not 50 protestantsonder their charge—in vain were
they told that, if they would abandon that dishonest clause,
they' would be supported in- the abolition of pluralities, of non-
residence, of sinecures, and of every thing that was really bad
in the system. All would not du. Their cry was still the horse-
leech cry, "give—give—give—the surplus—the surplus—the
surplus,' and he firmly believed with no other object than to
practise a dishonest, a time-serving, a place-keeping delusion
on the Irish people. (Cheers.) And yet, gentlemen, when the
Irish protestants meet to expose these fallacies--when they
meet to defend themselves and their church froui the foul
calumnies which were cast upon them, were they to be told
that they were carried away with an unnecessary warmth and
zeal ? Before they acquiesced iu the truth of such a charge—
before they condemned their Irish brethren, he would entreat
them to place /themselves in their position, surrounded, as it
were, with every danger winch could possibly await either their
families or themselves—he would ask them to imagine the un-
hallowed invader on the very threshold of their temples—he
would ask those who come from the retirement of the various
parts of this county to cast their eves upon those sacred altars at
which their fathers hese knelt and worshipped—to look at their
own, their native village spires, and to say, if they were pre-
pared to see them given up to the popish invader, or would they
nut rather see them laid prostrate on the ground. (Cheers.)
Such were the feelings of their Irish brethren,—let the people
of England then, instead of joining in their condemnation. put
forth every energy, and fight side by side with them in resisting
that unhallowed and unjust attack which was now being made
upon them—an attack in which was leagued not only the in-
fidel and the papist, but, to their shame be it spoken, the very
government of the country. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.)
It was often asked what was it which hail led to that melan-
choly state of things in the sister laud? He answered it was
the black and withering touch of expediency' which had done
the injury—it was that unprincipled system of legislation which
had led on from step to step, until it had reached that fearful
abandonment of all principle, which could sanction the adoption
bylkhe House of Commons of the bill for the spoliation of the
Irish church, which, but for the timely aid of the peers of Eng-
land, would now have been the law of the land. It was the
system of expediency which induced them to repeal the test
act, whereby, as a nation, they renounced the principle of a
national church. It was that which induced them to pass that
unhallowed bill, commonly called the Roman catholic relief
bill, whereby, as a nation, they renounced protestantism, and
they were noun called upon to admit the jews, and they would
then renounce our ch:istianity altogether. How delusively
were we told, by the advocates of the popish press, admit hut
this Roman catholics, and you will restore peace and prosperity
to Ireland. But he confidently asked where was the peace—
where was the happiness—where the prosperity they were thus
delusively promised ? Let them show them if they could; but
if they failed to do so, us fail they assuredly must, then they
had a right to call for the fulfilment of that pledge which the
Duke of Wellington, the then prime minister of England,
gave, that if the bill failed in effecting these objects, he
would be the first mail to come down to the House of Lords
and move for its total repeal. He knew this was a proposition
at which the radical would sneer and the infidel would scoff;
but it .was one which sooner or later he .was convinced the
country would be compelled to adopt. Who' was it, he would
ask, who were foremost in their attack on the protestant church?
who .but those very inen who had entered the House of Com-
mons by means of this bill, and though bound by an oath to do
writhing to the injury of the protestant church, were doing all
in their power to effect its overthrow. (Cheers.) To further
these designs would be their determined effort both in England
and Ireland. But if they wanted to make Ireland a happy
laud, if they wanted to make her peasants a happy. people—
they must send the pure uninutilated word of the living God—
(cheers)—uot those mutilated—God-dishonouring—(cheers)—
those God-dishonouring extracts which were put forth by the
tuitional board, and which the papist and the sociniau would
agree to circulate, because evelything was excluded which
would militate against their doctrines, but should send them the
pure unadulterated word, which would strike at the very foun-
dations of popery and sociu anism, and would tell the people, in
opposition to the present ssitein of goveruMent, " Remove net
the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set up"—(loud
cheers)—which would tell the people in opposition to the pre-
sent system of govermnent " to fear God, to honour the King,
and to meddle not with them that are given to change." (Loud
cheers.) These (said Mr. H:) are scriptural—these are con-
servative principles. (Cheers.) I have dwelt so long on this
subject that time would fail me were Ito attempt even to trace
the outlives of foreign policy. England, though greatly hum-
bled, and sinking fast in the scale of nations, still stands, in
spite of whirs misrule, the foremost nation in the world. Look
(said Mr. H.) at any nation on the lace of the globe—look at
America, that boasted land of liberty, where, even now, man
.bangs his fellow man without either judge or jury—look at
Spain, torn by civil discord from one end of the country to the
indeed
ruling at France, where the king of the people is
ruling with a despotism and a tyranny ten times more severe
thau was ever thought of by the government of Charles X., and
for which of these countries would they change their native
land ?—and yet he firmly believed that if the people of Eng-
land consented to support the present government our beloved
country would rapidly sink from being the highest to be the lowest
nation in the world. (Hear, hear, and loud cheering.) We,
however, told that were the King again to dismiss his present
ministers, there would be difficulty in forming an efficient cabi-
net—but he would put it to every reflecting mind to say whether
the wheels of the gueeinment had nut better stand still than be
guided by an unsteady hand. He confessed when he looked at
the position into which the present men have brought the coun-
try, it reminded him of the unfortunate situation in which he
last saw the bons saalteagate of their noble eh ,irman. He, like
their beloved monarch, was placed in a situation of ironic corn-
-parative difficulty. Nut many weeks had elapsed since in pass-
ing through inie of the iodine streets of Liverpool, be saw a
private cariiage drawn to one tide of the road, pretty well
covered with iuud and dirt and bearing evident signs of having