mittee every night for the purpose of relieving as much as possible the Bill of its severe and unjust clauses. He believed it might be so amended as to become a good law if the ratepayers were allowed to elect as guardians, men of respectability and confidence, without their being subject to the despotism of the three Commissioners. He hoped he had acted in accordance with their feelings in this and all other measures that had been before the House of Commons. They had now a most important measure before them, on which the Ministers had thought proper to advise her Majesty to appeal to the sense of her people. It was simply to ask if they would be relieved by receiving to their benefit the remission of the taxes which were now levied on certain articles of this country, or whether they would still allow that amount to go into the pockets of the corn and sugar monopolists, who, while they pretended to represent the people in Parliament, looked only to their own advantages. Nothing was more common in Parliament than to hear it said that such and such an interest must be consulted - that the West-Indian interest must not be touched - that the agriculturists' interest must be protected; but they very seldom heard that the public interest and the interest of the poor had been consulted [Cheers]. Now, he thought that there should be but two interests to consult - firstly the interest of the British people, and secondly, the interest of the country at large. He knew no other interest, and if they returned him again, he should ever act on that principle. The £20,000,000 they had paid for the abolition of slavery was not to create a monopoly to the injury of this country. Then the interest of the farmer must go with the nation. If the prohibitions duty - miscalled Protection - could be kept on by the land proprietor, they would take care that the people should consume bread at a high price, while they themselves revelled in indolence and partook of cheap bread elsewhere. The Tories had not told them what they intended to do if they got into power. All they heard was from Sir Robert Peel, who said he would make the revenue and expenditure equal, and, in order to do that, he refused to listen to the arguments on the Corn Laws, and said there was no other system he could adopt but that of laying on new taxes which would oppress the people and endanger the State. He (Mr. Hollond) was glad to find that the first two members returned to the new Parliament were Liberals. If the Tories unfortunately succeeded in obtaining a majority to uphold their false pretensions, he was satisfied that the people would soon waken to a proper sense of their position, and would compel them either to resign or to carry out the measures proposed by the present Ministers. He had only further to say that he would do to the best of his ability to prevent the election of Tories by voting against them.
Comments on Mr. Putland's error and Mr. Planta's speech
There being no other person proposed, the two gentlemen were declared duly elected amidst the cheers of their respective supporters and other friends. They were afterwards chaired round the town in a most imposing manner, but in separate and distinct processions. The remainder of the day was spent in mirthful and rational recreation. The Mayor (Mr. W. Duke) was the returning officer, to whom thanks were given for his impartial conduct. It was generally understood that there would not be a third candidate, and that if even at the last moment, there should come a surprise of that sort, the constituency had been so well canvassed by the two ex-members as to leave not the shadow of a chance for a third candidate. The -
