Elie Cowan%

The reelection of Lord Morpeth and Sir George Strickland for the West Hiding of Yorkshire was celebrated, on Friday last, at a public dinner by the Liberals of Doncaster and the neighbourhood. Sir Frincis Lindley Wood was in the chair : the most distinguished guests were E irl Firzwilliam, Lord Milton, Lord Howard of Effingham, Mr. Parker, Mr. Childers, Mr. Wrightson, and Mr. Baines. The report of the speeches occupies five closely-printed columns in the Dwicasti r Gazette; but it will only be necessary to make a few ex- tracts to show the spirit which prevailed at the meeting. Earl Fitzwilliam, alluding to Lord Morpeth's official situation in coanexioa with his election for a large constituency, observed-

" Times there have been when the holding of office has been considered, and perhaps to a certain degree not unjustly considered, as almost incompatible with the representation of a great and opulent community. But you will observe, that under the present constitution of Parliament there is no mm who can enter into the 'louse of Commons except through the medium, more or less, of popular favour ; and under those circumstances it is impossible but that the Crowo must select from those who have been elected by the People. And I say that it rralecta more honour upon the Crown, and it will be attended with more adv carp to the People, when those who are selected are chosen from amongst tlais,: who II we the greatest number of constituents. in that great number of constituents is found one of the great seem ities that the individual so selected wort he one who will act upon principles consistent with the good of the people at large."

lle spoke earnestly in defence of the Poor-law-

" I do not wish to say any thing that may wound the feelings of those who m ly have been defeated ; but there is one particular circumstance Which it appears to me I could not pass over in silence, without, by that edema, deterioriating from one of the great merits of those gentlemen whom you have elected. The circumstance to which I allude is the endeavour that was made to excite the feelings of large masses of the people against this° gentlemen, upon grounds, I ant sure, the most untenable in argu- ment, and upon grounds which, if it could have been some five or some tea yearn ago prophesied that those gentlemen would have sought to attain ol!ttaal paver, it would have been impossible for persons entertaining their opinitma to appeal to popular feeling, anti to endeavour to excite those who have no property against those who have property. I say that one of the great claims which those gentlemen had to your support at the late elec. tion is to be found in the fact, that when heaven above (if I may so nay) frowned, and when the ground trembled beneath them, they stood firm to their princodes, and never shrunk from defending and expressing theirapprobation of that great measure of which I have sahl before other companies numerous like the present, that I believed it was the most beneficial legislative enactment that ever orrice. dell front the Parliament of Great Britain. I have stated it in islorthamptan, and I will state it here in Doncaster, that the reform in the ad-

ministration of the Poor-law is the act which of all others reflects tre greatest credit on the wisdom of Parliament, and upon the perseverance and determina- tion of those Ministers of his 'Majesty who proposed the law to the imperial

assembly. Now, gentlemen, let me not be misunterstoad upon the subject. I admire that law, not upon the wretched and .paltry ground that it has a ten-

dency to save the money of the rich. GnICI0119 heaven ! is there any man, I repeat the question, who can conceive it posiible that the Parliament which passed that law had that object only in view ? No, gentlemen, I think if that law has diminished the poor.ratese that that is the very smallest

benefit which it has confered upon the country. It is not that it has diminished the poor-rates, and thereby (as has been falsely and basely"

insinuated) enabled the landed gentry in the same degree to raise their rents. No, I despise any such paltry ground of approbation. I approve and admire the Poor-law Amendment Act chiefly because it has made the idle industrious

-.because it has converted the wretched pensioner upon the public into the in- dustrious maintainer of himself and his family. I speak, gentlemen as a wit- ness on this subject. I speak as a man who has seen—who has been dragged incessantly, whilst I have been in the country, into the administration of

law. You may not have seen it in the district of Doncaster; bat when I have seen the streets of Peterborough, previous to the existence of that law thronged by idle and unemployed labourers, and when I remember that the carrying of that law into effect has acted as a talisman. so that now not a single unemployed person is to be found, it would be impossible for a e not to see tNt salutary benefits which have been produced by it."

Lord Fitzwilliam then stated, that he was convinced by his own experience that the introduction of the Poor-law into the Northern and manufacturing counties was necessary, although the evils which it would correct were not of precisely the sante character as those whick prevailed in the North of England. Mr. J. W. Childers said that Reform was progressing— Lord Melbourne had received a sort of pledge from the Duke of Wellington that he would, in the next sossion, offer no factious opposition to the measures connected with Ireland, and on which so much previous discussion had taken place. Ile was proud to state that Reform was progressing ; and it was his opinion that the present Government would be the humble instrument of re- dressing the wrongs of Ireland. It was quite a delusion to 'suppose that the Tories could carry on their factious opposition to those liberal measures which had the sanction of the majority of the nation. He might say that this delu- sion was not shared in bv a majority of the Tories in the House of COO:IMO= ; and Sir Robert Peel might be included in the number.

[Suppose, Mr. Childers, that the Duke and Peel should still think it politic to oppose Ministers, would Reform then be progressing? The Whigs seem to have little reliance except oa the tender mercies of the Duke of Wellington. He is the statesman to whom they are continually pointing as the person to carry Lord Melbourne's meer sures.1 Mr. Parker, speaking in reply to the toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers," said—.

He might state that he believed her 'Majesty's Government were disposed to grant to Irishmen all to which they were entitled. They had never sur- rendered to fear what they had refused Cu reason. This was a principle upon which they hail acted, and were prepared to act for the future. The Govern- ment of Lord Melbourne would never rest satisfied till they had admioistered to Ireland the benefits of which she had so long been llepriVe(% [It is to be wished that the Lord of the Treasury Lad been a little more specific in his promises.] Lord Howard of Effingham does not relish Peerage Reform— He confessed that he was a disciple if Loid Jolla Russell with regard to any organic change in the House of Lords. Aa to any °I genic change in that house, it was only necessary to take a retrospect of what had happeued during the last few years with regard to it ; and if the People would only follow up what they had so zealously commenced, lie was convinced that that House must give way, and that the just liberties af the People must be granted. It was the duty of Reformers to keep in a Liberal Government, by whew instrumentality they would alone be enabled to reduce thc Tory majority in the House of Lords.

Arr. Baines, in a long speech, lauded Whig Lords and Whit :Ministers.

Lord Milton spoke of the causes of his defeat in Northampton- shire— " My opponent,: came against mime with all the power of the Tory landlord,, and all the power of the parsons ; and, gentlemen. they beat me. But in the West Riding it was different. Iltrre you crime against them with the irresis- tible power of popular intelligence—intelligence testiltieg front the situation in which you are placed—intelligence re.ulting from the o,rcupations in which volt are engrigerl—and itmtelhig.iee restriting from the wealth which vou have indult.. triously accurmilated. A Ed what has beeri tiro end of this intelligence? Why, that pat have returned for the West Riding two Liberal .Members to serve le the House of Commons.. On the contrary, Nardi Northamptonshire has sent two Tories, not to represent the constituency of that county, for they will most certainly misrepresent the great maanity of its inhabitants. I know full well, for I witnessed it mm my canvass, what was the real feeling of that county. I saw that the number of my colours was at legiat one hundred to one to the colours of my opponent ; but notwitlistandirig that strong manifestation of the of the opinion of the people in my &rout- tile infhience of the Tory landlords, as I have said helot e, conaigned me to def'erit, and left me in posses-h1 a the borough which I have 11,IW the honour to represent."

Lord Fitzwilliam spoke again in the course of the evening, in pro- posing the toast of "Civil and Religious Liberty - " and intimated that a change was in progress among the country gentemee, and that by re- sistance to organic reforms Ministers would regain many wha had de- serted them— He thoNlit the landed geatry hol been making a great mistake. and in that mistake they were correctly represented by the House of Lards. Certain the ries and schemes had been suggested iii and out of Parliament, greater changes than had been contemplated by the Reform Bill ; and he looked forward to the firmness of the Government to dispel these chimeras ; anti if this Parliament should be. as he firmly believed it would, one of long duration, his belief was that befoie another election took place they would have many of those whom he would call the lest sheep of Israel, returning to the fold, and being present at such a table as they were now roaembled at. Ile would mention nc names—private friendship anti respect forbade It; but he believed many name, would suggest themselves to those who were now present as likely to grace such a festival upon a future occasion. These alarms, he believed, under Whig government. would lie dispelled ; and when that was the case, they might depend upon it that the course which the House of Lords would pursue would be very different to that which they had hitherto pursued. He looked forward, therefore, with considerable confidence to the future session, iu which the.pre- sent Parliament would manage the affairs of the country.

Several other speeches were delivered, but they contained nothing remarkable.

On Tuesday, a party of Middlesex Tories dined together at Uxbridge, to celebrate the triumph of Captain Wood over Mr. Hume. We have looked over the speeches, ( Mr. Pownall was the principal orator,) but cannot find any Lelf-dozen lines worth quoting: the whole affair seems to have been stupid and commonplace.