Author: Brande

Publication: Caledonian Mercury

Published: 7 May 1831

Place of publication: Edinburgh, Scotland

Publication type: Newspaper/Periodical

Featured individuals:
Henry Brougham (1778-1868)
John Wilson Croker (1780-1857)
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764-1845)
Francis Jeffrey (1773-1850)
John Lowther (1793-1868)
Robert Peel (1788-1850)
William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806)
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792-1878)
John Scott, Earl of Eldon (1751-1838)
John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (1782-1845)
Philip Henry Stanhope (1805-1875)

No full copy of this poem is available.

Archive/Library: National Library of Scotland
Classmark(s): Reel no: 30396
Pages(s): 4

The speaker addresses a crowd of men, perhaps in a pub, drinking to 'the great Reform!'.  The speaker takes a moderate line, saying he doesn't care who is named a Lord and doesn't want to 'demolish the State', but simply wants a 'true Reform'.  This stance was in contrast to many Radicals who were outspokenly opposed to the House of Lords, which was mainly populated with individuals who wanted to scupper the passing of the Reform Bill.  The speaker calls for a more representative parliament - filled with those 'who may tell our tale' - and it specifically commends the pro-Reform Whigs and several Whig politicians. The poem is attributed to The Globe, a London newspaper, and it previously appeared in the Glasgow Chronicle on 06-05-1831.