The Conservatives of Totnes have procured as a second candidate
Mr. J. G. Teed, a barrister ; and they hope to exclude both the Whigs— Lord Seymour and Mr. Blount. Captain Child, who is supported by powerful Whig interest, will op- pose Sir James Graham at the next eleetion for Pembroke.
Mr. Ward has been visiting his constituents at Sheffield. On Wed- nesday, the great Circus adjoining the Cattle-market was completely filled with an assembly summoned to petition Parliament to repeal the Corn-laws, and hear speeches from their two Members. The meeting was called for one o'clock ; but an hour previously, a multitude of Chartists had forced open the doors, and taken possession of a large portion of the room. Nevertheless, Mr. Sheldon, a working-man, but not a Chartist, was placed in the chair by a large majority. The Chartists immediately commenced hissing and hooting ; and the Anti-Corn-law party adjourned to Paradise Square. The Chartists remained, and passed their own resolutions ; but the larger half of the meeting, in Paradise Square, adopted a petition against the Corn-laws ; one of the principal speakers being Mr. Benson, a Chartist.
Mr. Ward then came forward to address the meeting ; but soon after he had commenced his speech, the Chartists front the Circus arrived, and assailed him with a storm of hisses and groans. For some time Mr. Ward manfully withstood the clamour ; but finding it impossible to obtain a hearing, he gave way to Mr. Parker; who spoke briefly, promising to support the petition, whatever the course of Government. might he.
Mr. Vickers then announced that Mr. Ward seas ready to give an account of his stewardship ; and at length, Mr. Gill, a leader of the Chartists and their representative in the late N ational Convention, obtained for him a patient auditory.
Mr. Ward referred to his 'promises 'when elected in 1S37, and to his Parliamentary condoet to prove that he had kept those promises— He voted with Mr. Buncombe upou the Address, in favour of progressive Reform; with Mr. O'Connell for assimilating I he English and Irish Franchise; with Mr. Hume for Household Suffrage, thomdt he did not pledge himself to the details of Mr. Hume's plan : ;not with Sir I I usket h Fleetwood fur extending the ten pound household suffrage to counties as well as towns.Again, on the I ath of April, be voted fitr adding a. pledge in thvour of Reform in England to
the vote of confidence, which be had given to the Govern t :nem. upon Irish
effairs. Some were for reffising thid vote ; but with what justice could the Radicals have done this, when I hey admitted that Ireland was the one bright slier in the faelty system. and saw clearly that the difference between the policy of Lord Normanhy and that of Lord Roden, was proeisely that between justice and tyranny,—governimmt by conciliation, and government by brute three? Thu were bound by their own convictions to affirm " that it was expedient to persevere in the principles which littd given peace to Ireland" during four most critical years ; though the?. were not boutid to submit eternally to that caabt ion between Whigs and 'juries, which was resorted to systematically to deka t Radical views.
The Jamaica Bill was the result of the just dissatisfaction which this sp•tvin caused. Ten Radicals sot ed against the G vernment, and by SO doing broke it up. lie sins 110t one of the ten, because be thought the Govern- ment right ; but others differed from him. The M Misters resigned; Sir Robert . Peel was sent tar ; and, if a Tory Government was not formed, it was owing to his misunderstandings, and mismanagement with the Queen, to which it WRS Ii nnecessary then to allude. Thai led to t lie reillstallat ion of Lord Melbourne's Government ; hut it was evident that it could not go on without a change both of measures and of men. During the time thet its course remained Wt.- decided, he leal used whatever inneence he possessed as their representative, to convince both sections of the Liberal party of the necessity of union. Ile thought the (Tient unity favourable. Finality had done its work; and the Whigs had learnt that it was insanity to attempt to govern without the A riatoentcy and without the People ; repudiated by the countie.:, yet repodiating the towns ; having neither the Masses, nor the Middlc Classes, It:enmity with them, while ell the corrupt in- fluences were heartily ::gin: ist I I tn. As to a Radical I lovernment, the country was mit yet ripe for it, thonah its time VMS COMillg; 111111 they had therefore to choose hetween a Tory Get ma tinned, uncertain in its duration, and certain only in the mischief that it wo al I II() while in—and an improvement in the Mel- lawns. Goverment, both in pristeiples and hi men. Ile thought the Radicals cleat wisely and rightly in choosing flue last ; and 011 the part of Government great concessions had certainly liven made. The Ballot was made au open ■ ; mat : hopes were given (of a revision Of the II,r,vm Bin, within its origiual.hi,ct, which would be equivalent to a lare extension of the franehise in the too aa, if it included the repeal of the Ilate pa; Mg el:loses. The Penny Post- ego u as conceded, in spite of a iolent Coascrvative opposition ; and had been honestly carried out.
IL, spoke hopefully of the llovernment as reinforced by the acces- sion of Lord ciarendon, Mr. :Shell, al r. Wyse, and Mr. Clay ; and referred with indignation to the " treasonable denunciation of the Queen " by the Tories. Ile hoped hit only to see the Corn-laws re- pealed, but Colonizatioa, upaa the Wakclield principle, adopted upon a large scale.
Me. Gill said that Mr. \Vara had proved himself unworthy of their confidence. 'nos people WCIV 1.!1'0111.111 dOW11 by aristocratic oppression, and what were Mr. Ward's remedies? The Ballot—a mere mask for the pluutlerer—a cloak under which the tyrant might stab in perfect security. Then there was Penny Postage,—a very good thing for the rich, hut the poor 1ill none hut lawyers' let ters to receive, while the deficit in the revenue, wt it be SIM., at last, ft fidl upon than, 'elm ('inn -laws, it repealed, would Ming s down ; and Colonization was, at. best, transportation under ;:liother name. Ile load had the most frightfill letters from a friend in Van Dit man's Land as to tlie state of that tul cv, where the people were even motto mut Ily used than On y were st home : and why were the working mon of England to he traillowl(-1. N,.lien all ti,'' wanted was fair play lucre? Wire titer, not fifteen minims of limes of waste land, left unoc- cupied in order LI tn..itify the base passions (.1. the Aristocracy ? Why should not they be tilled ? A lid what right hail the Government to sell lands in the Colonic, flo- rich Infflo......-nool;fcr:: to ocrory, and to carry out the pour as Slaves As to the Coro-laws, there had heen two meetings that day in Sheffield, a lid the sense of the town was not expressed by flint held in Paradise Square. Ile said again, that it was an equitable distribution of the national wealth that the Peopl wanted, and there would he enough for all.
Mr. Ward delivered a spirited and effective reply ; and when a vote of thanks \V his proposed for his condoct in Parliament, the numbers on two show,: of hands were so nearly 'filmic(' I, ;Litt ,ven Mr. C ill allowed
that he emCd not claim the in Of time el( if,, s present, it is said that all w,..re for Mr. Ward ; who returned thanlaa, and was escorted home by a party of working men.
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