Eta Cauntrn.
Lord Durham landed at Plymouth, from the Inconstant, on Friday: and on Saturday the address from the inhabitants of Devonport and Stonehouse, mentiotied last week, was presented to his Lordship by the Alayor, in the Town-hall of Dcvonport. The hall was handsomely decorated with flags, banners, and evergreens. On the platform stood Lord Durham, with Lady Durham and their two daughters, Lady Elizabeth Bulteel, Mrs. Ellice, (the lady of General Ellice,) Miss Buller, Sir William Molesworth, Mr. Rundle, M.P. for Tavistock, Mr. Thomas Duncombe, the Honourable Mr. Villiers, Sir John Doratt, and many gentlemen and ladies of Plymouth and Devonport and the vicinity. The body of the hall was completely filled with about 1,500 persons. Lord Durham was enthusiastically cheered on his firta appearance; mid the Mies and genllemen who accompanied him were cordially received by the meeting. The Mayor having read and pre sented the address, Lind Dut ham rose and spoke as follows— Mr. Mayor and Cr, ntlemen—I beg of you to accept my war mese thanks for dos express refs of good-will and esteem with which you have greeted my return to Eng' int.
" You never have reason to repent the confidence that you have placed in me, or the declaration which loll bee this day male of your aerofoil:dims a a:, government in British Norrli America.
" So far as it seetne.1 to me imperatively necessary, in order to allay the most alarming irritation and excitement in the Croadae, and to lead inen's !Muds
from the contempla of present evils to the prospect of future remedies, I have already explained the nature and stripe of the policy which I puisued at Governor-General. Upon that subject I shall, when Parliament meets, be prepared to make a tepresentatiun of facts wholly unknown here, and disclosures of which the Parliament arid people of this country has no conception ; and shad then feachaaly denian I from the assembled Legislature, that justice which neither they nor the people of England ever will deny to a public servant who has faithfully and honestly discharged the duties assigned to bin. " What relates to myself, however, is of no importance when compare I wit!. the intetests of your fellow subjects, the inhabitants of Br itish North America. To the furtherance of those interests. I have publicly and solemnly declarer! that I would devote myself with singleness of purpose, and independently of all party considerations in this cuuntty. I sin glad of aa opportunity, ut the very moment of landing in England, to repeat that pledge. Ike necessity for thio course is well understood by the people of British Ametica, and will, before lung, be also comprehended by the people of England ; involving as it does the very existence of British supremacy all over the world, and the efficient maintenance or weak abandonment of that national policy which is expressed by the words Ships, Colonies, and Commerce ! ' " Referring to the conclusion of your address, and to the principles which have governed my political conduct at home, I can with truth assure you, that they are unchanged and unchangeable. They were formed on the maturest deliberation, and have been strengthened by observation, as each succeeding event demonstrated to my mind their soundness and policy. My attachment, therefore, to the cause of that reform of our institutions to which you allude; cannot be doubted. It has been tested by the share which I took in the preparation of that Reform Ii:11 to which this important town owes its political privileges ; and it has been confirmed, I should imagine, beyond all question by my declarations to the people of Scotland in 1834. I nted not make any new professions: I have nothing to add to, nothing to retract from, those declarations ; which, in my. conscience, I believe to be expressive of principles alike conducive to the honour and dignity of the throne, the security of property, the prosperity of industry, the promotion of wise and liberal institutrona, and the general happiness of the people."
Tumultuous cheers were given on the conclusion of Oh speech, and Lord Durham retired from the platform.
There were then loud calls for Sir William Molesworth ; and Sir William having first proposed "three cheers for Lord Durham," (which were heartily given,) addressed the assembly " I beg to return you my best thanks for the manner in which you have re. ceived me; and you will allow me to express my gratification at finding so large
and respectable a meeting assembled to do honour to the natee lord, who has just retired, and who—but I will riot, however, at the present moment enter into any detail of the causes which have induced the noble lord, and in my opinion most justly induced hint, to surrender his office of Governor of the Canada*. All I will say is this, that information which I have received within the last few months, has induced toe in every respect highly to approve of the conduct the noble lord pursued in Canada ; and at the same time to believe that the plans and Pleasures which he will be prepared to lay before the assembled Houses of Parliament, will be the wisest and bast fitted to preserve that portant portiun of her Majesty's dominions. I feel that I cannot trespass on your patience. I will conclude, then, hy saying this—that I feel it to be the duty of all sincere and honest awl real Reformers to unite themselves together, aud assist Lord Durham in carrying out his views ; which I believe more than any t..ing else will tend to secure peace aod tranquillity to this country."
Mr. T. Woolcombe delivered a short speech, in which he referred to the Tory imputations on Lord Durham's " moral courage "—
There were base and calutnomus slanderers, wlto had dared to assert that the noble earl, who hid been driven to appeal fir justice to his country, and who had boldly come home to face his foes, had shown a deficiency of moral courage, by that prompt nod personal appeal to the bar of his country. They had already shown that they believed the nalde ear: would make out a triumphant case, that would cover his slanderers with confusion. Let them join then with him in giving three hearty cheers for the British Colonies of North America ; for a speedy and happy settlement of their prtsent dituacted state of affairs ; and fur the brave Earl ut Durham.
The cheers were given with enthusiasm, and the meeting broke up.
From the adjoining borough of Plymouth, a deputation waited on Lord Durham, with a complimentary address, oe Saturday afternoon. Dr. Hamilton, the principal spokesman on the occasion, referred to the Lope s entertained of benefit to the Popular tatise from his Lordship's return to England .. Deeply, however, as we mown, in common with a large majority of our fcllow couutrytnen, the disgraceful hitt igses by which you have been interrupted in your merciful and magnanimous earecr—and sensible as we are of the great and intim:mutable loss sucained by our fellow-subjects in Canada by your lairdship's depliture froin that distracted land, we cannot but hail with joy your auspicious return to this cuuntry• at the present momentous crisis ; when, to the numerous other grounds of national dkenntent arising from the factious I oistanee upposial to every measure of public impoivement, at e likely to be added the i igours of a winter of mere than nolinary severity, and the sufferings arid privations to almost every class of the community, r ul hg from the cruel and oppressive, no less than unwise and impeiitic,opereion of Coru-laws! 1;lider such cirsumstances, we had your Lordship's return with leelings of uuthixed giatifi,stisn, and turn our eyes to you us the Palinut us, whose skilful pilotage promises to conduct the vessel of the state uuharwcd ami,ist the dangers awl the tempests which beset ha."
Lord Durham's reply, being of course written befweliand, contained no allusion to doinestie politics, for dm aildiess to which it responded contained tlOtte. lie said
" Gentlemen—I thaok you most sincerely for this flattering testlmony of your leg ird and confidence. It is indeed gratif■ing to me to find the saute feeling of sympathy which cheered rue on leaving the thsres of North America greet me on itly arrival ill my native laud. " If I have received, as I have, more numerous testimonies of repot from oil clas-es is the Not th American Piovisces than ever before were presented to any of their riSeas, it it Istes toy determiliation to reeogiiize nu party distinctions, to Oct n ith justice and impartiality tow:tells ;CI and to ley the foundations of those wise and safe amelioratieos in the i ,eitutions or the Colonies ss hich were s. imperatively requited. "I hate the happins,s ti Limey, that in ens ing the remains of a disastrous rebellion, and ad:Moist,: big ju:tiee, I have lOut iOUlgi it fleet:, ary to shell one " I lispe I liill be suopoited by the Parliament and People of England, whogi intet ests are alike involved in the solution of the great question, as to sellether these vast and most valuable Colonies are to he preserved to the British einpile, or to be abaudimed, and with them the supremacy of British milieu ee." Addresses were presented to Lord Durham on his journey to London, at Tottles, Exeter, Ashburton, and Iluniton. The following is his Lordship's reply to the Exeter address, which was presented before a crowded assembly in the Guildhall of that city " I receive eith feeling: of deep gratitude the address with which you have honoured me. Your eta dial expressi ms of sympathy and approbation, so truly characteristic of that spit it of justiee which ever govetns the conduct of Englishmen, are most cheering, and inspire me with a confideut hope that your fellow subjects in British America will receive from the People of England that support and counteuauce to which they are eminently entitled. "I am proud to say, that my administration of affairs in British America, which you are pleased to praise, has won me the regard and confidence of all the loyal, welhatfected, aud eulightened classes in that vast country. " My course of policy has been to administer strict justice, but not bloodthirsty vengeance ; to respect the rights of all classes, but at the same time to endeavour to raise them still higher in the scale of freedom andicivilization ; to apply temperate but sure remedies to all abuse,: ; and, finally', to enter upon such a course of legislation as would not leave untouched or unredressed any tvelbgrounded complaint or grievance. " You know, and have adverted to, the circumstances which compelled me to terminate this course of action. They are, indeed, deeply to be deplored. And the late intelligence front Canada shows how injuriously the best interests of the empire are affected by proceedings foueded on party feeling and political aniavisity. " nit the lamentable events in Canada would inevitably take place, was foreseen by ale ; and every preparation was made, consistently with the means at my disposal, for meeting thent vigorously and efficiently. But thrill per. manent suppression, and the impossibility of their recurrence, must depend on the Government at home, who have long been apptized by me of the certainty of their occurrence, and on the British Parliament, who cannot, must not, shrink from the fullest and earliest Pup, ii y into a sable c %which regards not merely the lives and properties of so large a portion of her Majesty's subjects, but the highest and most important interests of the empire."
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