The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1836-10-11 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE RADICAL FEED AT HALIFAX.  By those who were there, and by those who were not, O'Rourkes noble feast will ne're be forgot.  HALIFAX, Ttmsosv.—Neither will the Abyssinian banquet of the radiclas, which was held here last night at the theatre It only wanted " blue fire" and " a little tail" to make it a complete Pandemonium. Yet, let us " give the devil his due."— Bad as " the boys" were, they were a shade less bad than their brothers the whigs. Although they were about double the number of brawlers present, there were not many more than half the somber of drunkards ; but as every why has its wherefore, in strict justice we are bound to .add, it was because the price of the ticket did not allow such a qaantity of drink per head, or rather per stomach. Like their co-peers the whigs, they dined at diver pot-houses in the town, and found themselves at are union on the boards of the playhouse. Shade of Sbakespear, what a horde of raggamuffin murderers of language —what a troop of clippers of the King's English ! But to begin with the beginning. Feargus made a triumphal entry into the town on the morning of Monday, in an open hackney, drawn by " four-greys" (like a mail coach ) He was accompanied by three " fools" of the town. Thousands of the unwashed and unemployed Sallied out to meet him, and it might be termed " proud day" for him and Ireland, if one half of the crowd was not prostitutes, and the other half thieves and idlers. When the dinner people had gorged themselves with carron (the dinner and wine were only 3s. 6d. each), an adjournment took place to the theatre. Michael Stocks, jun. a son of Old Stocks, presided, and never was there such a wooden representative of that appellation. He talked for a few minutes of the prospects of his party, and spoke tench of laying his hand upon his heart, (his glass to his mouth,) which was a litt'e of a mistake. He then prattled of the House of Lords, and said it would be all as well to " introduce democracy into its constitution •" mentioned the sympathies of the people (whereat each fellow drank a bumper, twice filled, sad cheered to his heart's content,) and concluded by expressing his satisfaction that the radicals had determined to die hard. (Great emzzling and grunting in their drink.) What a laughable young (?) man is E Protheroe, jun., Esq. He was (the fool !) content to play second fiddle to Fergus O'Connor, an Irish adventurer. Was that English or gentlemanly ? if the unfortunate young man (we suppose we must call him so, as he patronizes the ladies, and toasts them on all occasions,) if, we say, the unfortunate young man had a spark of right independent feeling he would have seen all the radicals in Europe " ten fathoms deep" before he degraded himself by " breaking their breed," after the scene at the Piece-ball on Friday night. But other things as well us poverty—mis-directed ambition, for instance-;-makes us acquainted with strange bedfellows—(l mean no pun)—as it was, he was " all things to all men"—promisilig everything —Fergus was Fergus. Need I say any more ? You who recollect his senatorial career understand all that is meant to be conveyed ; but others may not be so mindful of his peculiar power and glory. If ever there was a realization of the terms " red•bot, rampant, absurdity,' his oratory exhibited it—pro public') bone. A Mr. Coolly, one of the Thomson:, one of the Hills, a Mr. Tetley, and divers others, " honourable men"—" we all are honourable"—formed the dramatis persona. The thing went off without any accident.