Alston Herald, and East Cumberland Advertiser. — 1880-12-04 (Alston, Cumbria, England)

CLUB.  On Tuesday evening, the above club met at their usual rendezvous, the Waverley Temperance Hotel, Priestpopple, the president, Mr J. S. Moffatt, in thb chair. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, four new members were formally enrolled, namely, Messrs T. liedley, N. L. Cooke, C. Cooke, and P. Smith. The president then announced that the subject appointed for discussion that evening was the question: "Is the character of Napoleon Buonoparte worthy of admiration ?" and called Upon Mr Gregg, as the leader of the affirmative proposition, to open the debate.—Mr Gregg, after apologising for the short neas of time he had had to devote to the prepandiou of his subject, said they must not suppose that he considered Napoleon faultless, but he held that his good deeds far outshone his bad ones. His greatness as a general was undoubted, and as evidence of his courage he might refer to his conduct at the Bridge of Lodi, Arcola, &c.; as an instance of 1 his generosity to a conquered foe, the instance lie would I take was his treatment of General tVurnizer, and as an example of his humanity to his :oldiers--he referred to his retreat from Jaffa, when he gave up his own charger to help in carrying the wounded men to Egypt, walked three days' march on foot, and slept with "Mrs Green" the same as his men: He then described his conduct in -Egypt, his return to France where he found the people on the verge of another revolution, calmed the political tempest, and became Flint Consul as evincing his popularity with the French and his political. tact.-- .Mr Gibbon took the opposite side, in an equally able and .trenchant speech, contested the former speaker's arguments, charged Buonoparte with vulgarity, immorality, . cowardice, cruelty, and duplicity. In support of his arguments, Mr Gibbon referred to Napoleon's treatment of the JacObins, respecting the presumed attempt at his assassination on his way to the opera; his taking part in the composition of a political pamphlet, even correcting the M.S., and finding it unpopular, exiled his brother Lucien as the author, in order to hoodwink the populace. As an instance of his cruelty, Mr Gibbon recounted the incidents connected with the murder of the Due d' Enghieu, a point unanswered by the affirmative side, and unjustified in history.—Mr H. W. G lilies followed as assistant counsel on the affirmative side, and Mr Matthew Dodd as assistant counsel on the negative, and the points for and against the "Petit Caporal" were ably, candidly, awl good temperedly argued throughout. There were 26 members present, the majority of whom expressed their views on the subject of debate, opinions being apparently pretty nearly balanced. Mr Easter created some amusement by admonishing the Chairman, who had decided that reference to books was admissible, that there were a number of volumes on that side of the room, and that the debate might be prolonged into morning.—The Chairman: Such things ore allowed in the House of Commons.—Mr Easter: But the Commons sit all night. (Laughter.)—The Chairman, after complimenting the meeting on the ability, care, patience, and good temper which had characterised the debate, and expressing the pleaeure it had given him to be there to hear it, formally put the question for or against the character of Napoleon, when there voted for the affirmative side 12 and for the negative 10, majority 2. As will be seen several members did not vote. The proceedings closed at 10 o'clock p.m.