Mr. Ferrand assembled his constituents, at Knaresborough, on Tuesday, to
give them an account of his stewardship. He took a lugubrious view of the Parliamentary session; accusing Sir Robert Peel of having "betrayed" Protestantism through the instrumentality of the Alaynooth grant, and foretelling that a more "dreadful blow" was yet in reserve, and would era long be struck, in the payment of the Popish priests. He launched out against Free Trade and the League; claiming this journal as art au- thority—
" The Spectator newspaper, which has advocated the principles of Free Trade with immense talent and ability, and attacked me last year for asserting that if Sir Robert Peel remained in power for ten years one half the land of England would change hands, did a few days ago, in a leading article of equal talent and ability,: warn the Free-trailers that the result of a total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws would produce irretrievable ruin throughout the country."
[Mr. Ferrand mistakes us: we believe in no such result. What we say is, that those who might suffer incidental injury, perhaps ruin, by the repeal of the Corn-laws, have a right to demand that the measure be so planned as to save their just interests; and that the neglect of considerate justice might be ultimately injurious to all classes.]
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