Star. — London, England, 1819-11-20 00:00:00

applause. He said that he scarcely kit himself at ltd to the thanks which had just been voted to im , as in calling the Hall together he had only per_l „ e d what he deemed to be his duty—( Cheers ), 114 i to thank them for the 'orderit manner in licit the general business of the day had been con» though he could have wished that they had 4 j illie lawyers say, travelled out of the record Na,; a vote of censure upon a very worthy brothel• a o:rate of his, then absent, Mr. Alderman At i( Sane symptoms ofilisapproontion in the crowd), A 23 n.it ashamed to own Alderman Atkins as his ) I,m Magistrate; or tat confess his own conviction that Gentleman had always acted with the very intentions—( /fiat's ),—They would de him the cite to give hi redit for sincerity on this sub opinion might differ from his, .v..:ver, as an Englishman, he had a right Chro...s).'—He again returned them ..ks for the compliment which they had paid him, 1.1%,u.ed them that he should always fed it his 10 ,rand manfully forward whenever the rights iranchises of the City were invaded—(Vocifirows ,o4ation). • . _ ,fc. CnooE then moved that the Resolutions be' erzised in the usual Morning and Eiening Papers, ich, being seconded, was put and carried. qr. THOMPSON moved that the Thanks 'of the' be given to Mr. Favell and Mr. Perring, for, ;r able exertions in moving and seconding the o .,:t;ons which had been proposed. 7: Z.:. n having been seconded and put, was unanimously, and with great applause. l'Arns.a returned thanks for the honer of i t obation. It was now forty years since he mien a Liveryman of this great City, during period he had exerted himself to the utmost of p ver to promote their interests; and, while he I liviqs to heave or a hand to raise, they should !xerted in d4ence of the rights and privileges of C.A. of London, and the liberty of the whole ipir.:—lGiee applause). 11:. PERRINO would have confined himself to %ly returning thanks, but for a suggestion made, he had expressed an opinion unfavourable to the anal right of petitioning. So far was he from hin. , .; to confine the right of meeting and petition to the Livery of London, that he considered that It 0:0 corner-stone of the Cnostitntion—(.4/n/anse). wished every town, parish, borough, and village the kingdom, to meet and to petition. But he ernessett disapprobation of large and turitul ry Sleetiogs, because they afforded phusiblef re for preventing all Meetings, and for taking ty the right of meeting or petitioning at l'esll tt ap i elause). _ _ ;r.l'unmisom then moved, that the Livery give rkters and led off in carrying his motion into till Guitikall rang again to a most vociferous ink; of three times three cheers.---The Crier then dyed the Hall, and all departed in peace. Of 2 talk ler • He!' w hit duc:i oot, to pi gag kios- NAP the I best B os tic 011 to rl,l asti ow! e Jsei 4 1.1c1 t Leir Rev. hll crr.: their 113,1 that his p tad be ti tbtl Emp; Ii: thercl that ye;/en iigto right Ile w it thi tad vary tests away ;feat time. /cirri TOi The Driut .kakit York titasle I Inn ;coo •i• , c: cry non Cis I:rsc Lo: f nk, 1'7.011 I. IL Iva ; Li. frya bop 1 41 4.1, cit 11.1 It, e . ty I Tes t: .141 • • ••• i••• .0111CSHIRE ',EST RIDING MEETING Paursdn, a numerous 'teeing of the Magistracy, lay Lieutenants, Clergy, Gentry, and other In 'nuts, o( the West Riding of the County • of W3l held at the Court House, Wakefield, to sider the propriety of publicly testifying the ai tde of the Riding to Earl FITZWILLIAM, for his i• and valuable lervices, and their regret at his lova' from the Lieutenancy. We never before, .tr.essed so numerous an assemblage of men of k, property, and influence in this Riding, and' pry part of that capacious building, the Court use, was filled to overflow by the Gentry, Yeo nry, and other Inhabitants, from various parts of s populous District. Amongst the respectable nonages present, were the follnwing: Lord Stourton, Lord Althorp, lion. E. Petre, Iten. E. Stour- Sir F. L Wood, Ban. Sir W. Milner, Bart. Sir George Ran. Sir F. Smith, Bart. Sir John Itamsden, Bart. Bryan Ilugh P :rker, Esq. Rev. John Lowe, Colonel Dear , Rev. Lamplusk Hird, Ben;amin Dealtry, Esq. S. W. - 04 , Esq. J. P. Heywood, Esq. Joseph Scott, Esq. John Ful r.N. Rev. 11. S. Milner, LLD. E L. Hodgson, Fig. IL Smyth, M.P. Thomas Walker, Esq. John Egremont, F.sq. faun Bryan Cooke, Fr q. John Maude, Esq. Galley Knight, High Sheriff fur the County of Nottingham, Samuel Shore, • (Liver Gascuigne, Esq. Lempriere, Esq. Colonel to CNA, L W. Childers, Esq. B. Sayles, Esq. John styles, Vanua Wentworth, Esq. Rev. Mr. Vincent, W. Bright, s. Captain P. Cook, Shipley Watson, Esq. Dr. Crowther, arson Bumble, Esq. George Walker, Esq. Jas. Brown, Lot li to Williams Brown, Esq. Bretvin, F.sq. Bowden lifz, Esq. Dr. Hird, Charles Waterton, Esq. Benjamin Gas- I, Es!. M.P. Daniel Gaskell, Esq. Colonel Vincent, Basis ' lleytvotrl, F.eq. Francis Maud, Esq. T. Branson, Esq. ' thus, Esq. 11ev. Mr. Simpson, William Lupton, Fag. 41 IcAtham, Esq..T. W. Tuttle, Esq. Norrison Scatcherd, 'lamer Oates, Esq. Wm.WAlker, Esq. Edward Tew, By. r-K.to Lte, Esq. Thomas liischoff, Es* W. Busileidi Fat Pain , den, Esq. F. 0. Edmonds, F.sq. F. Havektrovrel, Rat. fr. Mr. Trebeck, John Lee, Esq. S. Tempest, Estl• ate. atc 0a the motion of SAMUEL SHORE, Esq. sezonded Btx.ismiN DEALTRY, Esq. HUGH PAIWIttIIt, ES(I. 'fin called to the Chair, and addressed the Meeting Cie following terms : " Gentlemen—We are assembled by an Adverr imnent, most numerously and respectably signed, o:der to consider of the propriety of publicly tea :1:1,3 the gratitude of the West Riding, for the of the late Lord Lieutenant, during his coll. is office; and of adopting such Resolutions ni!y appear most conducive to that object ; and, air., when I look around me, and see the nue and respectable assemblage in this place, al must congratulate myself upon the sups rt by this means derived to the obiect of the Meet. I cannot but find additional reasons to la., . . , yo , ir selection of a rcrson to fill the situa 4ich I have the how ar to be placed, has •=a upon one mere able to do jthtice to your :cc, :tad t!!exfore lam to throw myself upon your in.hilgeace, and entreat you to second my elf , rts in meeting the busines of tiv" "tieallcnien, there is no person within lit) ecol ''..."l wi:croen the West Riding of the Counl of Yoe k has beet assembled as a body distinct from the County at large—but this is necessary, on the pre sent occasion, from the very motive of our meeting; which,-being convened for the express purpose of de liberating upon the propriety of making our acknow ledgthents to the Earl Fitzwilliam, for his late admi nistration of Lord-Lieutenant of this Riding, must be confined to that District over which his jurisdic tion extended. But, Gentlemen, although it was ne' cessary, on this account, that the Meeting should be thus confined, as it respected this District, .it was not necessary that it should be" so, as it respected the individuals, or the different ranks of society in that District. The Lord-Lieutenant, by virtue of his office, presides over every individual within the pale of his jurisdiction. The Nobility, the Clergy, the Gentry, the Magistyati, and all the other classes, comprised under thO general denomination of Inha• bitants, are equally the objects of his care and pro tection, and, therefore, ought equally to have an op portunity of expressing their sentiment', and exer• cising their opinion in a business in which every person must feel himself very deeply interested— With regard to the motive for the removal of Earl Fitzwilliam from the important station he held, I must deprecate all discussion on this point, a&foreign to the declared intention of the Meeting. We use not met here, Gentlemeu, as a party, but a Riding, and our object, and only object, in this view, is to con sider whether the serv i ces o f our l ate Lord' Lieu ttnant have or have not any claims upon our acknow ledgments and, if they have, then to determine upon what may seem to us the proper way of expres sing them. If we attend, then, to the proposed object of our Meeting, it will riecesiatily confine us to weigh his services by their merits—for, -by these merits alone, and, Gentlemen, I might here avail myself, if T did not feel in some degree restrained by the.sjtua tion in which I am placed, to expatiate upon these merits, as exemplified in the vaticarcaets of thardig nified liberality, disinterestedeet t L ..*nd - imptitidiity, which adorned every part of hiaorldsiiip's cohduct— that true and real spirit of entulatiOn Which is so ne cessary to soften the rigours of authority, and which were so conspicuous in his Lordship's character— together • with that unwearied care and atten tion to . promote (what his, high situation de manded of him, and what, according to his own opinion, he believed to be such) the real prosperity. of the country. These merits; 'Gentlemen, proceed-. ing from principles, depend not upon office, and ton. sequently may surviv.eit; and, thereforeccontemplat mg them in this view, •I haseonly further td observe they are such as his. Noble successor may reflect .upon with great satisfaction—a satisfaction only to be heightened and improved by the approbation of his neighbours and countrymen, and by the unanimous vote of thanks to which I hope our present discussion may lead. I must now leave the further discussion of this business to those Gentlemen who have any Resolutions to offer, and have only again to.beg that the speakers will confine their observations to the object for which we are called together." dome Fota. A RTON, Esq.- 0 It is a great satisfaction to me w observe so numerous a Meeting on this occa'. sion; and I cannot but extremely regret, both as it regards myself, and the Noble Lord who is the sob ject of this Meeting, that the task had not been in• trusted to abler hands. I am, however, perfectly convinced, that all of you know how to appreciate the valuable services of Earl Fitzwilliam. The pe riod of his administration has been a most eventful one ; and the time when he was appointed was emi- , nently one of great danger, alarm, and diffreulty and. in every part, not only of his private life, but of his arduoui piddle situation as Lord Lieutenant, he . was governed by the purest principles of honour, 'virtue, and patriotism—and he has secured the estee veneration, and affection, of every class of the cum: mttnity in every part - of the West Riding. The' Noble Earl entered upon his office independent, and generally esteewed—and he retired from it venerate d,,, beloved, and respected, and as independent as whew , 'he entered upon it. I will not further occupy your time, but proceed to read the Resolution, which you must be anxious to hear."••••fle then read the first Re solution. ----- JOHN C. RAMSDEN, Esq. rose to second the Reso lution. The question which had called them toge-. ther was one of the highest moment —Why was it that Earl Fitzwilliam had been 'dismissed "froth the Lieutenancy of the West Riding ? " Is it," said he, " because Ministers have thought that Earl Fitzwil ham—that a man of his rank, situation, and above all, his character, was not to be trusted in any way by the Ministers? No, Gentlemen, I think that is not the case. But it makes me suppose that mea sures are about to be adopted which it was consie dered Lord Fitzwilliam could not be a party t 0..- (Cheers). Gentlemen, we know what has passed, not only in this County but through the whole Country, and that our already enormous military establish ment is to be increased—(Ckers: one voice called, Order,' and immediately exclamations of hear him, burst from Me whale Meeting). Gentlemen, if measures are about to be adopted, which --law would not acknowledge, it is much better that the force of this County should be placed in other , hands than those of Earl Fitzwilliam, for I know, full well, he would be the last man to approve of any povrer, or to acknowledge any power para mount to that of the laws--(Loud thesrs).-i-The laws of the land we have all long lived under, and happily, but we are none of us yet prepared to be lieve that the law will not be strong enough to court• teract the evil designs of its enemies. I believe it trust it will it is the duty of every man in these days to watch the designs of the wicked, and see that they are punished according to that law, and according to no other. I cannot help thinking that Lord litzwilliam has been removed from his office, because stronger measures are about to be adopted for what reason iemains to be shewn to Parliament, %%hose duty it is to controul those who would wish to create mischief. It is well known that the true state of the country would never be reported in A more core rect way than it always has been by Lord Fitswilltam. 1 am c .afident, indeed--.nay, 1 would pledge myself, that in the hands it has nuw fallen into, it would be represented a. fairly, if the Noble Lord were lef. to , lima elf, to ter -resent it. But we know that we are no* about to have an inquiry into very serious transactions, an f we also know the manner in which that inquiry will probably be made. We have had enough of Gre*n Bags—(Cheers —we know the constitution and forma tion of them—(heear). We know that the contents of them are such only as the Secretary of State chooses to put in —( Hear, hear). We further know that cer tain letters have been left out of those Bags, under pretence of being misplaced.; and, to speak more plainly, letters from the Lord Lieutenant of this Riding —(Cheers).—Gentlemen, I wish to know whether another inquiry of that sort will satisfy the Country ? I think not, because inquiries of that nature should be so open as that every man might perceive the evi dence, and decide on the fact. I have taken up too much of the time of this Meeting; but I felt it would not be honest in me not to express those feelings which have long worked forcibly in my miad"—(Cheers). The CttAIRMAN then put the Resolution, which was carried without one dissentient voice. Lord STOURTON—" Gentlemen=ln proposing the second Resolution, which has been just put into my hands, I embrace this opportunity, in the face of this Meeting, and of the Country, to testify my personal Attachment to. Lord Fitzwilliam ; and, at the same time, my profound veneration for his private virtues and his public conduct—(Cheers). Gentlemen, after the rebuke which many of us have received, in the person of the late Lord Lieutenant, it might, to Some persons, appear more becoming ' in us, his ;emus ;slices, to receive, with becoming humility, thethas tisement which his Majesty's Ministers have thought fit to infliet—(Cheers). But, Gentlemen,'Arse are not my feelings : I conceive, on the contrary, that those Ministers who have so hastily approved of the events which took place at Manchester, have ho noured us by throwing on Lotd Fitzwilliam, and on ourselves, the lustre of their disapprobation !—(Loud cheers). I must, for myself, say, that 1 think they have, in the person of their defender, trampled a se cond time on the liberties of the country.--(Cheers). —Were I to single out of every class of society the person most honourable and most honoured—were I to select him from that House of which honour is the essence—that individual would be Lord Fitzwilliam. From the base to the pinnacle of our pantheon of honour, its Erst ornament is Lord Fitzwilliarh (Cheers). But Ministers, though they have not been able to dis grace their Officer, have disgraced their office (Cheers). Henceforward, in my opinion at least, they have put upon it their badge of Ministerial servitude. Who ever holds it forfeits the right of an Independent Freeholder (Cheers)._ I shall acknowledge, and be. the first man to acknowledge, that the Sovereign is the fountain of honour; but there is a still nobler ho nour for the man who, in difficult times, does his, duty to his Country. The Sovereign issthe ibuntain of mercy too; but it appears to me, that the indecent, indiscreet—l will not yet say, the guilty—hurry with which his Ministers approved certain events, has done more to trouble those Royal fountains of mercy and honour, than has been done by the worst of his pre decessors for a century preceding (Loud cheering).— Wseems as if they were determined that the moral -should sympathise with the physical world, and that the salOtary streams of Royal favour should fail with the general drought of the season—(Cheers).—But they tell us, through the medium of their public prints, that they can no longer confide in Lord Fitz william I When they• have found a man of more dis interested patriotism, of more unblemished integrity, more attached to the liberties and the happiness of the country; more devoted, if they like the phrase better, to the real interests of the Crown—for in my hurnble Opinion, the interests of the Crown and the People are identified—uwhea • they have found such a man, let him' be declared worthy to supplant Lord Fitzwilliam!—(Cheers).. For his successor, I am here to :4; that I hope I share his friendship: for his pri• ,vate.virtues I have perfect esteem ; for his character, it 'may be compared—and I cannot say more for the character of any man With Lord Iritzwilliam's.— But, Gentlemen, I certainly differ with him in poli tics. I should like to see some scars endured for the People, as well as trophies - of victory in the service of the Crewn—(Cheering)..—ln the service of the People, I think, (but I do not speak with certainty) and there fore with diffidence) his maiden sword is yet undrawn. But, Gentlemen ) I confess it, I believe his' motives to Leas pure a; my own. • Gentlemen, let us not deceive ourselves; we certainly have lived in difficult times; we have seen in our day anarchy and atheism, in the language of One of their popular and favourite airs, absolutely steeping the.. soil of their native country with the best, the purest, and the most patriotic blood of France ; I say I think these excesses have produced something like a reaction at home, It has made peo ple, whose breasts were formed in the British mould, too indulgent to the exercise of power, and too appre hensive of the energies of the people, The madness l ot an impostute liberty abroad has made them wish yo confine their peopleat home in a strait waistcoat: o o llot I think our husiness an the present occasion is its applaud the conduct, the long tried merits of Lord Pitzwilliam, not to prejudge the conduct of his suc eessor ; and I have only one more observation with which to trouble you. In whatever manner you may think fit to testify your gratitude for the past services of Lord Fitzwilliam, or your respect, veneration, and love for his person and character, I think in reality you are ennobling yourselves. Perhaps I speak the feelings of many, though not of all the Gentlemen here assem bled, when I say, that were we to be most ambitious of posthumoes or of present reputation, I see no higher honour to which we could aspire, than that in the battles which the Noble Lord has fotight for the liberties of the Country, we should be found fighting by his side--(Cheers) , . I return you thanks for the courtesy with which you have heard me, and con• elude with proposing the .Resolution which I hold in my hand."—aHii Lordship then read the second Ite i solution, and concluded amidst enthusiastic appl a u se . 3 J. SMYTH, Esq.M.P. forCambtidge— ., tientleaent I come forward to second the Resolution just read so , you. This Resolution appears a necessary consequence of the lints'that expresses the grateful sense of this Meeting for the services of the late Lord Lieutenant, and the present esprestes our deep and unfeigned re' wet for his removal. In addressing yeu'on this occas' sion, I feel some difficulty—not arising from a fear of nut obtaining your coissent to this Iresolutivo, out . o fmst a iiar of not bei 'able proper 'y to Klein& thi etpression of my feelings on the transaction which is the occasion bf this Meeting—(Cheers). I Valie highly the advantage of unanimity on this occasion far be it from me to disturb that unanimity: At the same time, f trust I may be all Owed to ix - Press sty feelings on the quesikin. I first heard of the dismissal of Earl Fitzwilliarn with unfeigned sur prise and regret, and in all _thy Subsequent re;. flectidns on it, those feelings have not abated.— When I look on Lord Fitzwilliam, during that long . , and eventful period in which.he has held the office of Lord Lieutenant of this Ridings:-when I look on the affability of his manner to all classes of penons—on his indefatigable Zeal in the execution of the orders of the Crown, in the busiaess of this Riding, to which on Many occasions he has sacrificed his time, his com fort, and even bis health, I cannot but regret his dis missal exceedingly. But I likewise regret it as a public measure. What, I would ask with Mr. :Lams , den, are those Measures which men ...t the firmest in dependence, and the highest honour, are not' fit to execute ? I cannot help wondering and-being amazed that any Minister should be found, who coul.l take an expression of the necessity of a public inquiry into 'any events, as an act, proceeding from a Nobleman ki a situation of high trust, rendering him unfit for the service of the Crown, and worthy a mark of its disk pleasure. The conduct of Lord Fittwilliam is not a matter of speculation either to us or to Ministers. From his past conduct, we may judge what his sub sequent cohdtict, if he had remained in office, would have been—(Cheers).—For my own part, I think ; if any one individual was more fit than :mother for that office, 'it was my Lord Fitzwilliam— (C/teers).--Unawe'd by popular clamour, and un seduced by the smiles of a Court, he was the mart to form a link of union and connection—if I may .:(1 express myself, to be a minister of peace between the People and their Governors, = (Loud cheeriag). For while his known loyalty and firmness of chr. racter would have afforded security to the Croten— would have been sufficient to repress insubordination; so, 'on the other hand, his tried attachment to the . rights of the People, would have afforded to them also a security that they were safe under his care-.:. (Cheers)—from any invasion of their constitutional . rights •and privileges—(R eased cheering). Alike attached to the Crown and the People, he was equally independent of both. Lord Stourton has said justly ; that the interests of the two were identified, and woe be to him who siould disunite them '.-Cheers).— Our Constitution is founded on the broad basis of common tights; and those men cannot be other' than enemies to the cause they would maintain whd would seek to disunite the Crown and the People ; who would endeavour to advance the rights of one to the- exclusion of those of the other—(Cleersl. Therefore Lord Fitzwilliam, in using his influence to promote an inquiry into the transactions of the l6qt of August, at Manchester, discharged his ditty to the Crown, and no less to the Sovereign than MB the People. it was by no means my intention td trespass so long on your valuable time; but I could not forbear to express my undisguised sentiments or a transaction of which the Resolution expresses deep regret. I trust in this Resohltion there will be the same unanimity as in the other ; and I thank you air the patience and candcur with which you have heard me." -(Continued Cheering.) ' The second Resolution was then put by the CtiAin.4 MAN, and passed unanimously. • LOrci ALTHORPE.--" I have to apologize for offer.: ing myself to your, notice, being wholly unprepared to address you; but I feel so strongly en the subject on which we are met, that I could not be content-Oa remain a silent participator in the proceedin gs o f thi s day. • When the intelligence of the dismissal of ' Noble Lord was first communicated to Me, I felt the strongest emotion of surprise; it Was so strange, that I could scarcely credit the intelligence. I hope, on ,the present occasion, that my feelings will not lead me into any excess, in the few observations which I shall submit to you. It is unnecessary for me to ex patiate on the virtues and the merit's 'of your late Lord Lieutenant. You know them better than I do; you have seen him, in every part of his public auto always ready to lead in every good and great works Lord Fitzwilliam was of high rank, distinguished ability, and large fortune; but though this rank, ability, and fortune, were uniformly exerted for tl* good of his Country, he had not the good fortune to gain the approbation of the Ministers of the Crown ; though I will venture to affirm, that no man ever at tended more conscientiously to the duties of his office, or ever acquitted himself more to the general satis faction of every class of the reople over whom he presided. The Noble Lord, whom his Majesty's Ministers have thought fit to dismiss, is a man of an independent mind; he steers his course right for wards ; he is neither. to be intiinidated by popular violence, seduced by . the blandishments 'of a Cow t, nor awed by despotic poteet. I may say of him, As .was said of that great patriot; Charles, James Fori--a A patriot's even course he steeeti, Midst factions vrildist storms unmoy'd • By all who mark'd his course rever'd; • By ;all who knew his heart belov'tl:' Thi s is the man, of whose services we have been de prived—who has been dismissed from an admini stration of a district, which, though only a Riding; is, in point both of population and extent, equal to a large County. He has beer. removed from an office, the duties of which he.has discharged in a manner at once honourable to himself, and beneficial to the County ! And why ? Because Ministers knew that, during his administration, no unconstitutional meat sure could be resorted to, without meeting with his decided opposition—(Loud cries of Hear ! hear!) But, Gentlemen, there is another, and perhaps stronger ,ground for the dislike of Ministers to this worthy l'obleman, arising from the part which his Lordship took in the detection and exposure of the infamous Spy system—Meru, hear).—This, Gentleman, I -be lieve, is " the heat! and front of his offending t' and the late Meeting at York has been laid hold of by Mini sters, merely as a . pretext for exercising nporthim a base and pitiful revenge.' Lord Althorpe .cancluded with moving the third - Resolution. . • H. G. KNIGHT, Esq. briefly seconded the itesuln , tion, and it was carried unanimously: The CUMlllMAN"lienticutrti, we have now gone I ! I , ',... I ' e.