Star. — London, England, 1804-07-24 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX ELECTION . Accurding to arrangements made between tie can didates and their friends, upon the preceding even ing, the Freeholders attended at the different places to take their carriages as early as fix o'clock yeller day morning, and raft crowds of fpeaators lined the way along Piccadilly and the road to Brentford. Soon after feven o'clock Sir Fame c is let out for Brent ford in his carriage and tour, preceded by feven out. riders, carrying large banners of blue (ilk, on which were written, in letters of gold. Burdett aid bullpen dews. The fervent' and the whole of his party wore Mae cockades, with a marigold flower or orange co lour filk in the middle. Some of thefe were richly fmusgled, and the wearers appea ed to vie with each other in exhibiting the great& quantity of ribbon.— Sir Playas and Parts Moots, Efq. went toge ther, and feven carriages followed, with voters and friends. A band of rnufic in a caravan drawn by fix inures, adorned with banners and blue and orange, went frame time after, playing all the way. About ten o'cloek, Mr. Matawaamo arrived in a chariot and lix, with two poftillions in Cutlet livery, trim med with liver. Two out-riders preceded the caval cade, and ten carriages followed, occupied by Wit.. tun Maimweatsta. Efq. Alderman Sir WM. Cult 'its, Mr. T*OlllTOll, Me. Mit.s.sse, Mr. I.l , Guiaa, bfr. Bows's, and others, tete friends of the Candidate: they wore flty blue favours in their hats, and were received by the populace with violent hang and up roar. Sir Dumas was upon the hulling. Come time before Mr. MAIIIWAILIIC. The Sherif f s waited fome time for their arrival. At half pall tea, 1 proclamation was made by order of the Sheriffs, Mr., Alderman Stuw and Sir ROWT LtIGINTOII. The preliminary bufittefs being gone through. Mr. Moots (Member for the City of Coventry) came forward, and addreffed a very numerous body of Eledors in the following manner : 0 Upoft more occafions than one, I have had the honour of imploring the attention of an affembly as large and mfpedable as the prefent, in defence of the rights of the County of Middlefm. The enquiry is not who Bull be your Candidate, but whether the honour of the County is to be furrendefed ; and thole I now addrefs are to be degraded to the condition of a corrupt and rotten Borough ? Whether. Gentle men, you are to be deprived of your dative Iran chile. and of your independence. by a combination of loanmongers, corniadors, contradors, and weak ingruments of a fordid political faaion ? I invite you, then, Gentlemen, to refeue your own privilege frau 1 violation, and to referee the dignity and character of the County from this nefarious combination. '' As Coon as the former eledion was declared void, advatifements were Med, indicating, that a Candidate was to be bargained for, in the Conon of the contrading intereft ; you will now fee, Gentle- men, that this bargain has been concluded, the ob jce of the purchafe will be prefented before you, and, you will kern that it is not my bare affertion, but that this new infult has been added to the multiplied offences which have already excited your refentment. I call upon you, then. in the face of the whole coun try, as you would anfwer for your modal to the Sontag Baum, to the People of England. and to your own hearts, to come forward to prated the land from this bolt of mercenary dependants. This is the material point on which you have to determine, and I mat you will, with one mind, with a long pull, and a ftrong poll, and a pull altogether, alert your own rights. 4 The neat confederation is, who is that Candidate that than be competent to maintain your indepen discs. and to refeue the County from the difgrace to which it has been espofed ? 4 ' The Honourable Batonet near me. has already sited in the capacity of yoar Reprefentative: you are not, therefore, on this facred occafion le ft to idle conjefture i confide n c e is not requi r e d in my offer tions. or in his; you may judge of the future. by a diligent examination of the pea ; and, if he has hi. therto fulfilled his troll. mid has preferred his name tunfullied, you have the bell foundation on which to form your opinions of the main:de of his fobfequent condua. The charader of the Honourable Baronet is in Come degree known to you all, but, at this time, it may be right that I &fluid explain what I have found him to be. At the left eledion I had learcely any perfonal acquaintance with him. and fuppotted him purely on public principles; my knowledge of him has Grace been more intimate, and I may now be petmitted to (peak of him, both as a private in dividual, and as a public character. Whenever you introit your political affairs into the hands of any perfon, you ought to examine into the retired con duit of him on whom you place your reliance. as the virtue and morals of a man in private, are the heft tell of his integrity and patriotifm. What is the Honourable Baronet ? I have difcovered him to be— a moll excellent fon, a tender hulband, and affec tionate father • and preferring all the focial relations of domeßic eft.. with perfea purity of manners. Have thefe virtues been transferred to the oftenfible Ration in which he was placed ? I have watched his conduct with peculiar folicitude, and the refult of any vigilance is, a firm conviction , that there is no Member of the Houle of Parliament to which he be. longed. who has aced with more credit to himfelf, ' or with more benefit to the community. Great pains have been taken to derogate from the refped due to the Honourable Baronet; but thefe have been wholly ineffeaual, and I prefent him before you, Gentlemen, pure as the (now of Heaven. Without the fmalleft regard to truth, you have been told, that he would not reach forth his arm to protect the Conftitution. If I could believe this affeation, I would reject, I would (corn him; I would call him from me as the viper that would fling me to death. So far from oppofing the Conftitut ion. he anxioufly wifhes that every individual may enjoy its bleffings; and by ufing the means to promote this, he expofes to you, and to the world, the moll manly and generous attachment to the Conftitution, and to the throne of there realms. If he has a fault, it is an error in judgment. by en tertaining a hope, too fanguine. that thefe benefits can be derived by every individual in the country, however °Wore and indigent. ; g. If I had a voice, powerful as the thunder of the Ikies, 1 would employ it to proclaim, in the ears of thole who are endeavouring to derogate from the ho nour of my friend, the injutlice of their conduct and the infult they offer, not only to this County, whole affeltions they would conciliate, but to the natiog at • ir,;,, of which that county is a dillinguidicd orna- • meta. I fpeak to you, Gentlemen, with warttith, but I hope with hone[' enthufialm t while I am folicnous to avoid giving offence to any, I am anxious to dif clofe ufeful truths. It is unneceffary to relate to you, the fitisfaßion I feel in propofing my Honourable Friend, and the flill greater liapponefs I derive from the conviction of its fuccefs. On only one more point I will detain you : it is in proof before the op- ponents of the Honourable Baronet (I will not call them enemies for fuch a man can have no enemies), that he has employed his faculties, night and day, to protect and to fupport the bell friends, and the ben mterells of the country. You will, Gentlemen, find his refpeCtable name among thofe of the higheft dif tinCtion, and of the moil exalted merit, who have been anxious to eflablifh a ['tong and permanent Go vernment, to maintain the rights of the Conititution, and the welfare of the nation. Truft them not, they vainly endeavour to deceive you, when they tell you that fuch a man has a particle of his nature inimical' to the Bridal Conaitution. I will conclude with in- _ treating you to relcue the charafter of the county, violated by political profanation." As loon as Mr. Moog' had ended with putting Sir FRANCIS BURDITT in nomination, the prrpobtion was feconded by Mr. KNIGHT. who obferved, that it was not necelfary for him to take up the time of the meeting, by attempting to add to what had been Co ably urged by his worthy and Hon. Friend. This was not a time for long fpeeches, he fhould therefore con tent himfelf, by limply feconding the motion, in or• der that they might proceed, without delay, to afcer taM by the poll, what was the real fenfe of the Inde pendent Eleftors of the County of Middlefes —(Load &vrfr of fiethlufi.) Sir was. Corms then rote to propofe Mr. MAIN WALING, but the uproar became fo great, and the interruption fo frequent, that the worthy Baronet was unable then to obtain a hearing ; On which Mr. Sheriff Straw addreffed himfelf to the meetiof in a fhort and impreffive fpeeeh, and in the following terms :—Gentlemen, you have been limamoned here for the exercife of one of the molt im- portant rights of freedom, to fix upon a proper per fon to reprefent the County of Middlefex in Parlia ment. I hope and troll that you will nen with the fame attention that you paid to the friends of one of the candidates, to whatever the friends on the other may be difpofed to fay in his behalf. It is but juflice to hear what may be laid on both fides, on an occa fion when you have to determine whom you ihould think a propos perfon to reprefent you in Parliament. (Mir cool end rational addrefs produced an roiling drelt as doe frornoortneg populace.) Sir W. Cuarts then proceeded:—Gentlemen, I candidly fubfcribe to the juflice of the enumeration of Sir. Faancts BURDItTet private charafter made by the Honourable Gentleman who propoled him. I revere them as much as any man. His domeftic cha ratter is not the point in queftion. I waft too that you Gentlemen, will believe me, to refpea, to re vere, and to be as tenacious of your civil rights, and conftitutional privileges, as any other man in the com munity. I have already declared my opinion of the Honourable Baronet, and regret that my public duty require that I mould oppofe him. In op riot Gentlemen. I am happy to come forward and to in troduce to the Freeholders of Middlefex the fon of my friend, Mr. G. B. Mainwaeoro. A young man not yet known in public life. But, Gentlemen, I know his worth, I know his talents, his virtues, and his public fpirit. I know the feeds of public virtue to have been carp implanted in his breaft, I know him to have been timely reared and educated in found watilitutiooal principles. I prefent to you a man whore private and public charafter are pure and an. (allied. Ido not propofe to you a wan who has ever Paid that " Englifhmen had nothing to fight for." I allude to the meeting, and requell the freeholders to recollea that on a motion of mine, Sir FeaNcts was preelndesi from attending the Sheriffs.acd Mr. Bran, the other Member for Middlefex, with an Addre(s to his Mayes-yr ; certainly. becaufe the Freeholders of Middlefes did not then think him a fit and proper perfon to appear before our beloved Sovereign. If Sir Femmes was fo confidered at that time, which suidoubtedly be was, can any one tell what he had done fince to retrieve his charaaer.—He had not re trieved his charatter by dilqualifying the father of the Hen. Gentleman of his right. merely becanfe he fuf fered Tome of the waft beef of Old England, with a little brown flout to be prefented to his friend: from home. No, he has not yet cleared up his charafter. He has not yet anfwered the call on him at Hack ney, and therefore I think myfelf junified in pro poling to you it the heft, by far the bell, of the two, G. II MAINWAR INC, Efq. to reprefent this great county in Parliament. Colonel WOOD feconded this propofal in an able and ananated fpeech. He confidered this as a con. tea for a man whole father had long been a worthy Reprefentative of the County, and with whole difpo fition and loyal principles the Freeholders might have good grounds to be fatisfied. The County of Mid-, dlefex, he contended, had for the IA two Seflions of Parliament been moll Ihamefully mifreprefented. A perfon had fat in the Houle of Commons as a Repre fentative of the County, whom a Committee of that Houfe had afterwards declared to be in a minority of votes. He had, however, fucceeded in depriving him who had the majority of votes of his feat ; and how did he deprive him of it ? Why, by proving that a little ale and beef had been given to the Eleaors who had often come from a conliderable dillance to Poll. He meant not to blame any party or perfon concerned in this affair, but certain it was that this was the frit time he had heard that the proper exer. cite of old Englifh hofpitality was a ground for dit qualifying a man for a feat in the Houle of Com mons. (Great affaufe.) He hoped that the Free holders, on this occafion, would furmount all culties, and endure every inconvenience, in seder to put an end to this coma, and to deliver the County from thole diUut b ances to which it had been fuhjeO fince the Hon. Baronet had become a Candidate. (roxidrroble applooli and clapping of handy). The Hon. Baronet had reported that his Friend was min.:fled with Governor Anis. No loch conflation had ever been proved, nor was there the fmalleft ground► for any fuel: ftippofitions. It was merely brought for ward by the Hon. Baronet to terve the purpole of the moment ; but he trußed that the Freeholders of Middlefex would thew that proper and loyal pima pies would have a greater effect upon them than any artifice that could be cr,oti wed to millead them. Eit Fa•NCIt BUIDITT role, and :poise to the fol. loaing circa : Gentlemen. T Oral' not commence this Elation as the Honourable Gentleman o ho fpoke !aft has done, by dirclaiming my former friends and connedioas. I do not LlFchaim the friends who upon the late Elec tion honoured me with their fupport. I have no reafon to do fo ; for it is with fatisfallion I find that not one of rhofe who fupported me in a former in (lance, moiled the flighted dilpofition to defert me upon the prefent occafion. How different is the feeling of my adverfarres ; and I mull fay, Gentle men. that it is a little ungrateful in them to difavow their friends in this Eiettion who gave them filch attire fupport upon the former, and are willing to afford it upon this alto; for I can Rate from my own knowledge that Mr Anis has not remitted his endeavours to promote the intereft of his patron. I have croff.3l him in my canvading, and found that he was eager to ferve the fon of his friend, Mr. juflice MAINWARING. I do not blame Agra—though I tax his friends with ingratitude ; for nothing can be fu natural as that the jailer Aria fhould be anxious to oblige the fon of his protedor ; but yet it appears' to me a miapplication of the time of a man who is employed to retain robbers, to engage himfelf in en deavooring to retain voters to rob you of your in dependence. The worthy Alderman, as I mull, through courtefey, call him, and his fupporter, has talked a good deal about beef and ale ; diefe are very good in their own way, but I null. my coun trymen, you have too much good (core to barter your birth right for a melt of' pottage, (apyeufer). Gen. denten, I mall not long trepals on your attention, becaufe I am anxious that you mould come to the poll, in order to pot an end to this conceit. which I regard dirgraceful both to you and me, confidering the charater of the oppofition we have to encounter. —Gentlemen, as to the motives which induce me to Rand forward on this occafion. I mall only fay, that after the liberal fupport I had the honour to re ceive at the IA contelf, under the molt difadvan tageous circumftances to me—a ft er a minute fend tiny. in the courfe of which no degree of partiality WAS manifefted, at lead to me—after fo many voters were left unfcrutinized, it appears that the majority of my adverfary was but nominal, and that at bell, his fituatioa was but equivocal—two thoufand nnex ceptionable voters being admitted on my fide, which is a much greater number than ever before gained an oledion for this county. Under thee circumftances, Gentlemen, I feel that I Ihould be ungrateful for your kindnefs, and (hould defers my own duty, if I were to abandon the obje6 of this conteft ; and I alto feel that I mould inlult your underftanding. and de grade myfelf, if I mould condercend to notice the calumny and mifteprefentation which have been peopogated repelling my condud, particularly when I confider the quarter from whence they came. We all know, Gentlemen, the grofs charges which have been urged againft you by the appetite party tepee fag the late elation, not a tittle of which was prov ed. The only illegal thing, indeed, proved with regard to either party at that elation W 2!, _that which produced the dirqualification of Mr. Mans waaseo himfelf. You are all aware, Gentlemen. that it is an illegal thing to boy voters—and I do not know that it is left illegal to buy a candidate; of this I am certain, that your independence is equal ly Bruck at it in both cafes. lam aware that a high legal opinion has been promulgated on this point, tsar lefs than that of the Attorney-General; but we all know, Gentlemen, that the opinion of that Learn d Gentleman is far froth being infallible— Gentlemen, continued the Honourable Baronet, I mall not detain you any longer from the great harmers of the day, becaufe the delay of the poll molt, from all appearances, be peculiarly diradvan capons to us, and I (hall referve any thing further 1 have to offer till the dole of the poll. (Peale 4 applasjit.) Sir Fe &acts Boggier - es fpeech was fol lowed by loud plaudits, and the Honourable Bart. retired from the huftings. Mr. MAINWAIING then advanced, but the noire was fo loud that we cannot pretend to do his abler vations &id jullice. From what we could hear, however, his llsecch famed in rubflance asfollows : " Gswrgawea, I congratulate you, at the prefent moment, that another opportunity has been afforded of alerting the independanee of the county of Mid becaufe you have thereby a complete occafion for declaring your real and unbiaffed fentiments, of which you had been nearly deprived by the iffue of the late elation. You have now an opportunity of declaring whether you are to fandion, by your vote, that monftrous misapplication of the right of repro renting you in Pat liament, which has taken place for there two lad years. You have an opportunity of (hewing whether you are to (million, by your vote the means by which my opponent has been enabled to obtain his feat in Parliament ; and whether you approve of a man for your Repreentative, who has fulfilled none of the pleJees which he gave you. At the hada:lion he amufed you with promifes that he would make the prifun gates fly open. Has he made any attempts to this efcll ? has he inflituted an exa mination into the date of the prifons and the fituation of the prifoners ? No ; not one ad of his has tended to fulfil thee promitas. Now, when the comet' is renew- i eJ, he will perhaps conic forward with the fame pro mires, and vilify my father as he ()fed to do. My father's mild and inoffenfive dirpolition was fcareely capable of bearing tip againit this monftrous confpi racy which was let up against him, and there perk cations he, therefore, in Come meafure (offered in (ikon (Here the crow d grew very e!ansorens). I value not the clamours of a mob. It is not to them I look tor fupport. This contelt is not to be decided by cla moor, but by folid votes. If the County is not want ing to itrelf, I mall not defert it, whatever may be raid of hie ; and although my father bite reproach fo pa tiently, I can effure the Honourable Baronet that he 11..11 not vilify me wi,h impunity. I mall Rand foot to foot with the Honourable Baronet, and concert every inch ..f ground wi h him. I allure the County that I, at leak (hall nut shrink from any duty that it may be incumbent on me to perform : I only entreat the County not to fandion the hopes of a man who has formed a confpiracy againd loyalty, and who is the companion and eulogist of traitors !" Mr. Sheriff So aw in vain again interfered ; the dir turbance augmented ; and the attempt to (peak WAS the fignal of riot. The two candidates were then propofed by the Sheriffs, when the mew cf hands was declared to be in favour of Sir Fari•cis IttraoarT, on which a poll was demanded i.n behalf of Mr. Maisu-mtiv ,- , by Sir WILLIAM Ctieris, which being recorded, was • - immediately acceded to. The quaßliestiem of IV. Matewastroo was then required, which was teem` dingly delivered in, and the amnion Of the proton". Rated to be in the parnes of Edmonton and Enfield. In confequence thefe caufes of delay, the poll di& not commence until twelve o'clock. At the beginning of the poll, the peace officers, who were moil numeroufly affembled, were unable to pi event riot, until Sheriff Sxaw, with becoming (pi nt, leaped over the barriers of the hulling; and flized two of the rioters,whom he committed to cuflody. In confequence, me degree of order was pieferned while the poll went on till five o'clock, when the She riffs proceeded to enumerate the votes. Among the t firti of the voters we noticed the venerable Dr. Peas Mr. ERSKINE, and Mr. ft ADAIR. At near fix the numbers were declared to Rand as follow For Sir FRANCIS BORDLTT, 6st • For Mr. MAI ow•azoo, - • is • MaJurity tOr the (eraser ---43 Soon after the Sheriff had announced the numbers, which produced acclamations of appletde among the people, Sir Francis BITILDRTT (poke to the following poi port—Gentlemen I (ball detain you but for a few moment', to exprefs the fatisfaaion I feel that my' conduit has, alter a confiderable experience, been found deferring of Inch marked approbation as your poll of this day evinces. It is among the hanpielk ; refleetions of my life that, at the time I Sri offered myfelf Candidate for this County. I experienced the highelt degree of affeaioa and regard, which could I only refult from your attachment to the principles which originally recommended me to your notice.— To that prine;ple I Ilia adhere, and the fame line of . public condua lam determined to partite. While .4 that continues unchanged, I cannot, from the evi dence you have afforded me of youe difpofitions en tertain any doubt of that countenance and Olive (import which I have met upon every occafion hi therto. Of the motive which induces no Is Sim& forward as a Candidate in this inflance, yes cannot be unaware. You mutt feel that it cannot proceed from any motive merely perfonal--that a feat in Parliament cannot be the objea of my ambition, for , under the prefent circuusßances of the Honk of Com. • mons. I could for much lefs exertion than it has colt me in the profecution of this conteß obtain tea feata . in that affembly for my family for ever (Ler% cis tirsel etul the wird:, We ism it r Ws Mm ens repated).—This, Gentlemen, cannot be confi.• dered a mere conceit between two candidates: bur., whether a combination of interefted diftillers, cans and brewers—of magiftrates and contractors (ball have the nomination of a reprefentative fur this • comity. This is the evil I with to remove; and when I confider that the perfons I allude to, and others of the fame defeription, are fo much under the influence of the Minifter, or fo completely in the paws of the Magifirates. that they dare not 'semi& their own will (filiplerfer)—lt is with a view to raife the country, or this county at Leaß, to independence, that I encounter fo much trouble ; and I fitall think this trouble more than repaid if I (=teed in my ob. jeB. Although I have thus alluded to the perinea • who oppnfe me, I would not be underflood to enter tain towards them the leaf! enmity I for, as the CO6. trary. I feel for them, confident% their fituaticin, the utmott furrow and compaffion (Whores) Gen tlemen mutt be fenfible that every effort is ne edify to Were our fpeedy fuccefs, and that no thing now remains to be done, but to attend at the huflings tomorrow in Inch numbers, as (ball first to extinguifh all hope in our opponent of ever altering the iffue. With this recommendation, which I with you particularly to bear in mind. I conclude, re turning you my molt fintere thanks for the (import you have afforded me.—Loud peals of applaufe followed this fpeech. Sir F. BURDITT immediately retired from the huftings, and— Mr. Mim.t.tsy shortly addreffed the meeting, and obferved, that notwithflanding the temporary ant trifling fimeriority of the Hon. Baronet, be had as hefitatinn in pledgin3 himfelf that he would ultimate. ly tole the Eleai 'n. Mr. Ma IN weatan then Rood forward. and with much difficulty, obtained a partial bearing. He tilt, from the event of that day's poll, aconfident hope of a favourable refult before it Orould finally cloth. He expelled that to-morrow would deprive his Opponent of his boafled majority, for he knew the great exer tions which had been made by his Opponent and all his party. to make out a majority on the firli day's Poll. H e k new — (The crowd which were before the Hutting% Mad. loch a violent clamour during the whole time that Mr. MAIIIWAILING addreffed them, that it was impoflible for him to make bimfelf heard. lie, therefore, retired from the Hollings, after de claring that it was upon found votes, and not upon the clamour of a mob that he relied his hopes of fuccek. The lion was then adjourned till ten o'clock this day. The Candidates then withdrew fr .m the Hulling; and the immenfeconcourfe of people began to (cotter in every diroftioa. We cannot conclude our report of this aril day's proceedings of this intereftingiso pular lilalion, without bearing %alimony to the thin impartiality with which the bufinefs was con dii&ed by the Sheriffs, and to the laudable exer tions of the Peace Officers. The booths were kept during the whole of the day free from any in commodious meltitnde by the inflexible perfeve rance of the prefiding officers, in a judicious de• termination ant :n admit any one without a ticket, and to iffue only a limited number. The Can didates withdrew from the Huflings. The people took the horfes horn the chariot of Sir harms and dtew it from Brentford to his houfe in Picca dilly. It was precedei the whole of the wa y b y a band of mulic with his CAM'S flying, sad followed by nearly a thoofand vehicles of different defcriptionas Scarce a ',intik was free ou either fide of the way, from fame emblem of attachment. Sir name's arrived in Piccadilly about ten o'clock. The arrangements for the Hollings are better dna on the former occation. Near Hyde Park-corner, as awlsff-chaife, of Sir FRAPICI4 PXRPPTT'S voters, driving in fall gallop towards Brentford, it came in Fadden mutate *ith a gentleman', carriag e, and the coachman was in ao in s tant rhro.vn fronWis box. One of his *isles an d an ..int were completely broken, and ha was carried t." an I,4pittal with very little hopes 01 se- corer-