Star. — London, England, 1811-08-05 00:00:00

tee' bt the Lower Muse of Parlisistest—si I loft and tree itepre. . i 'emotive of the Conti:ions of this Realm."On Saturday, a Meeting of Freeholders 2nd, inha- I es s. Resolved, That the electiv e Franchise ,as by "an esta blished principle of our ancient earl excellent Constituttoo," its bitatite of the county of Essex was held in the Court- I tributed between the freeholders aid the householders; and there house of Chelmsford, to consider the resolutions which I fore, that It is the opinion of the Meeting, that in addition to the were to be submitted to them relative to Parliamen- land-owners, and in lieu of returns to Parliament in the carne of tary Reform. depopulated, or rinse or venal butoughs, the hosseheelers of Mr. Du Civet was called to. the chair, on the mo- . Great Britain and Irehrol direetly paying certain assessments to the State, ought, eicept I n ' the case of Peers of the Realm, LIP tion of Mr. Montague Burgoyne, and shortly opened have a ?nice in 'lre election of the Members of the Commons the business of the Meeting, by stating . that they House of Parliament. taking R t e h s e ol p ved i . l 0 1 f li t at in the opinion d of this Mee tt tio n g s , were assembled for the purpose of exercising the most t the l Vote r s s s a a s la w w ou fo id r valuable of their privileges—the right of petitioning preve g in in nature against public grievances ; and he thought that this uenape.rncseuOhf r egul a ti o ns elections, is not more necessary toward the independetice and integrity of great right could not be exercised on any matter of Parliament, thee it is for the preservation of public morals. e A PROCLAMATION. greater imp o rtance t ha n on the q u estion wh i ch would 5. Resolved, That th e co unty of Essex, which, in respect of THE Lenin LIEU CO[ TENANT AND CONCIL OF In i tannts be submitted to them respecting a Reform in Parlia its extent, population commerce and taxes, is one of the first Ih' THE in the kingdom, , .hay may ne , longer be deprived, as it is at IticattoN/0, &c. : ment. I present, of its fair and just proportion in the representation of the Whereas by an Act made in the Parham. tit of Ireland in the The Rcv. Mr. ONGLEY then rose, and said that he - people, nor its inhabitants left under the eppresseve influence of Si.l etsar tit his eresent Majesty's reign, entitled "An Act to was extremely sorry that the two Members for the decayed, dependent, a nt i co r rupted boroughs. re, • :it th 2 election or appointment of unlawful Assemblies, un- county were not present at this meeting ; n Ess ex and he was . i 6.ReliniVcd, That a petition trom freeholders and householders ,l,r re e•nce of preparing or presenting public Petitions or other b e presented to the House of Commons, praying for a of the eeedte•ses to be; Majesty or the Parliament," it is enacted, sorry t h at Parliamentary Restoration of the undoubted sand fundamental flat all Assemblies, Committees, or other Bodies of persons county were absent upon the present occasion. He Right of the People to a representation and free election to short I leered or in any ether manner consituted or appointed to repre- thought that the question of Reform ought to be par- Parliaments; and at the same time resolved, That all such reform reset er aserming er exercising a right or authority to represent l icularly interesting to the landholders ; as, under the in the powers of electi n g the Members to sit for them in Parlia the people of this realm, or any number or description of the ment, ought to proceed on the approved principles of the English pie tee seine , or the people ot any province, ceunty, ciey, VC • . of • present corrupt system of representation, their inte- c • • . oluelfellon o f G overnment , by the three estates of King, Lords, town, or fetter district within the same, under pretence of peti - rests appear likely to be overwhelmed by the great and Commons, and ought not to infringe the privileges of the ti•nene fur, or in any other manner procuring an alteration of preponderance of what is called the monied interest.— ; Peerage, nor the prerogative of the Crown. mute s es - iblidied by law in Church or State, save and except He had long contended for the necessity of Parlia- 1 Mr. MONTAGUE BURGOYNE seconded the resolu the Knights, eetizens, and Burgesses elected to serve in the Par. 'saucer there'd, and save and except the Houses of Convocation mentary Reform, and had been a Member of the as- i ced by tions, and said, that if no other good had been produ &iv summetied by the King's Writ, as unlawful assemblies; and sociation for that purpose in 1783. The leading t hi s Meeting, he thought that the county of that it shall and may be lawful for any Mayor, Sheriff, Justice of M e mbers of that association were now no more, and ! E ss e x had received a great advantage in hearing the the Peace, or other Peace Officer, and they are thereby respec - t h e i r efforts at that time were overwhelmed by party; liberal, enlightened, and religious sentiments of that . torahs authorised and required, within his or their reepective ju- S tith:ltOPS, to disperse all such unlawful assemblies, and, if re- but still the fire which had then been raised was never i twat worthy and respectable character who had just tared, to enter into the same and to apprehend all persons attend- ;. quite extinguished—some heat still remained in the j addressed them. The cause in which they were ern ing in that behalf." And it is further enacted, " That if any embers, and a little gale was su ffi cient to rekindle the ' barked was the cause of justice and truth—it was the IR:r.on shall give or publish, or cause or procure to he given or flame. He should not detain them. by enumerating published, any written or other notice of election to be holden, cause not only of Englishmen but of mankind, and or of any manner of appointment of any person er persons to be ' all the instances of imperfection in the state of our na- Ihe might almost say of HEAVEN. As to the present the representative or representatives, delegate or delegates, or,tis tional representation, but would confine himself to the I expence of elections, he thought that the expenditure act by any other name or description wh4tever, as representative state of the representation of that county, and of the of money was not so bad as the expenditure of morals or representatives, delegate er delegates, of the inhabitants, or of county immediately adjoining. They might begin with sly description of the inhabiter:Pt, of any province, county, city, . and of principle, and public character. Although town, or other district within this kingdom, at any such assent - the bore Hugh on the opposite coast, Dunwich, and with the Meeting was not by any means numerous, still he bly; or it any person shall attend and vote at such election or I Orford, Castle-Rising, Aldborough, and Harwich : was proud to say that it was most respectable. He appointment of such representatives or del e gates, or other per- ! they would find five boroughs in their neighbourhood, saw there two clergymen of the Church of England sons to act as such, every person who shall be guilty of any of the ' h ay i o „ , at an average about thirty voters each. These said effetees, respectively, being thereof convicted by due course I who had travelled between thirty and forty miles to of law, shall be deemed guilty of an high misdemeanour." i five boroughs returned as many representatives to that meeting ;andthought thatthis • attend I Parliament as the five neighbouring counties, Suffolk, that they consideredthe of reform as the And whereas at a mesting or assembly of persons held in the i Cite et 'Julien on the 9th day of July instant, and styling them- i N or f olk, Kent, Hertford, and Cambridge. In a cause of morality and religion. He should not enter selves " A Meeting of the Catholics of Ire;and," certain Resolu- I House of Commons so constructed, they not only into any long detail of the imperfections of our pee tions, amongst others, were entered into, of the tenor following : i found nothing done in favour of the people, but many sent system of representation. It appeared, that a •• Resolved, That a Committee of Catholics be therefore ap- 1 , things against the rights of the people and the best majority of the House of Commons was returned by pointed, and requested to cause proper Petitions to be torthw " ! interests of the county (rano d for the repeal of the petrel laws, and to procure signatures 1 y. In the first place, with re- 154. individuals. This fact was enmes esh to show that 1 thereto In all parts of Ireland, and is take measures for bringing I sPect to the fatal expedition to Walcheren, but little our Constitution has been entirely defaced by the in such Petitions under the serious consideration of the Legislature ! enquiry was ever made with respect to the conduct juries of time. Those boroughs which were once seeion the first month of the ensuing Session of Parliament. lof Ministers or of the Generals employed. In the fl, mrishing places were now, in many instances, mere i " Resolved, 'that said Committee do consist of the Catholie second place, he must allude to the re-appointment hovels, the repre s entation of which was openly bought Peers and their eldest sons, the Catholic Baronets, the Prel a tes of the Duke of York with the full consent of the and sold like any other merchandize at the market. I of the Catholie Church in Ireland, and also ten persons to be ap- I House of Commons. He did not mean to talk of pointed by tee Catholics in each County in Ireland, the survivors ; The notoriety of these abuses made it manifest that of the delegates of 1793, to c, tistitote an integral pan ot. that a perfect morality for Princes and others in hi g h some reform in the representation is absolutely neces- i netnhtr, and ale) of five persons to be appointed by the Catholic 1 situations ; but he should only talk of that degree sary, and it w as judged better not to come forward insshitants tii each Parish in Dublin. iof morality which was supposed necessary in the with.any specific plan; but, after pointing out the , " nosaved, That the appointmeat of the said persons be made I character of a Gentleman ; and he would leave it • • • forthwith., existing evils and abuses, to leave the remedy of them 1 to their judgment, whether there had been any atten-" Resolved, That it be recommended to such Committee, to Ito the wisdom of Parliament. He thought it was, tion to decorum or public decency in the rea pp oint- to all legal and corotitational means of maintaining a tor- • necessary to explain to ti:e meeting the circumstances', dial communication or sentiment and co-operation of conduct ment of the Duke to an o ffi ce from which he had II which occasioned their being convened. There had Raiongst th e Catholics of Irel a nd, and generally of promoting use been driven by the decided and almost unanimous been for a long time a club established, not for the favourable reception of their petition. ! censure of the people of' this country. He should next support of any particular person, but of the indepen " Resolved, That until the new Committee &hall be appointed observe, that Ministers had in the House of Commons dente of the county. They had wished to convene the management of Catholic affairs shall be confided to the Ca. been directly charged with corruption respecting the " . . a public meeting last year, and many names had been tholle Peers, Baronets, and survivors of the Delegates of 170 5 . traffick for an exchangeof a seat in Parliament against Aud whereas there is reason to apprehend that some of his Ma- . a w • signed for a requisition for the purpose ;but, . on ac ritership in India, which is calculated to be worth jetty's subjects may have already acted, and that others may be , e count of the King's lamented illness, it was judged tnidtd ti) to act in furtherance of those resolutions , by taking a Aouuu. This charge those Ministers at once con- proper to postpone it ; but after the county of Herr part in the election or appointment of Delegates or Representa- fessed, and merely justified themselves on the noto- ford bad come forward with similar resolutions, those fives for such proposed assembly or Committee, and that the per- riety of such practices. As well might a felon indic- who summoned the present meeting thought there eons so elected cr delegated, or to he se) elected or delegated, may i h . I bb • • other crime, tad for forgery, ig tway-ro -robber ,or any ' was no occasion for further delay. The Sheriff said be disposed to meet and form such Assembly or Committee as aforesaid : urge in Isis defence that such crimes were so common that he had no objection to convene the freeholders And whereas such an Assembly as is by those resolutions pro- that they ought not to receive purishment. And yet of the county upon any requisition for the purpose, posed to be convened, is not only in direct violation of the pro- this plea, which a common felon would find of no signed_ by a competent number of freeholders, but he visions of the statute aforesaid, and an unlawful assembly, but I avail, was the oily one upon which Ministers deman tends directly to endanger the peace and tranquillity of tee state : ! led, and obtained impunity. After such conduct objected to a meeting of inhabitants as well as freeholders. The great Lord Camden had expressly Kow, we the Lord Lieutenant, by and with the advice of the from the House of Commons on those remarkable re rrisy Council of Ireland; being determined, as far as in us lies, to cent instances, he thought the necessity of a Parlia- stated, ++ that taxation and representation should get Privy the due ebservence of the laws of this realm, and heirg hand in hand." Perfectly agreeing in this principle , anxious to prevent the miFchiets which the violation of those laws, mentary Reform was most obvious. Any thing the Gentlemen who convened the Meeting thought said particularle of the statute herein before mentioned, must oe. short of a Reform in the representation would merely that the iohabitants ought to be convened on such celeste do, by this our Proclamation, command all his Majesty's skin the ulcer, but would not heal it. He was now occasions as well as the freeholders, and therefore loving living subjects of this part of the United Kingdom, that they a very old man, and could only calculate on living a do abstain trom all acts and proceedings whatsoever contrary te e they had called the present Meeting. When he re the provisions of the aforesaid statute. f ew yeats longer in this world. He, therefore, had collected the peculiar state of the harvest, he was not no private objects in view ; but declared, that he " And we do further hereby call ueon end require all Justices surpri zed at the thinness of the Meeting; and thought of the Peace. Maynrs, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and other Peace Officers most sincerely believed in his conscience, that with-1 that they ought not to refuse their assent to proposi in this part of the United Kingdom, that they do proceed in due out a Parliamentary Reform this tountry must abso- tions evidently true, merely because the Meeting was course of law to appreherni and hold to bail all persons against lowly be ruined. What boroughs were there in the whom informatior on oath shall have been obtained, of leaving not numerous. The enemies of reform talked a great county for which an Essex Gentleman could venture given Or published, or caused to have been given or published, deal of the danger of revolution ; but a Parliamen. any written or other notice of elections to be holden, or of any to propose himself a candidate, without entailing on Cary Reform appeared to him to be the best mode to manner of appointment of any representative or delegates fur any himself such an expence as would be a serious injury avoid those calamities. He agreed with Burke, that such assembly as herein before-mentioned, or of having voted or to his younger children ? An election in that county „ early Reforms are like arrangements among friends, in any manner acted, or who shall be found actually voting, or in was known to have cost £50,000, and therefore the any other manner acting, in the election or appointment of such but late ones are like terms dictated to a conquered great mass of the landed Gentle men delegates or representatives, that the person or persons so often- of the country I enemy." Xlthotrgh the nature of the Reform should .ping may be prosecuted according to law ; and in case an assene- were prevented from aspiring to serve their country i be submitted to the wisdom of Parliament, yet the bly of such delegates or representatives shall hereafter attemet to in Parliament, whatever might be the , : talents and people should take care to select such meta for their meet In defiance of the law, and notwithstanding this our l'rocla- fitness for the situation of Member of Parliament. — =atom, that they shall proceed to disperse the same as an unlace. ' representatives as were likely to carry their wishes After reading the Resolutions which he had to pro - assembly, pursuant to the directions of the aforesaid statute." • If the House ot Commons reall had .y pose to that meeting, he made some observations on I Given at the Council Chamber in Dublin, the sotk day of • those privileges which they claimed, of sending any I i nto effect. July, mi. each separately. As to the Septennial Act, he I man to prison who should offend them, it was very MANNERS, C. 'FRA xtrorr, thought that it was a complete subversion cf the Con- ! important for the people to take care whom they WISTILIZAT it, •W. W. Puce, stitution of the realm ; and that if any man of the trusted with such privileges. He felt that in suppor- MAYO, D. LATOUCHE, spirit of Hampden had been living at that time, he. p flog the cause of Reform henvas best discharging his Ever, S. FIAMit.ToN, , would be justified on that ground in refusing to CHARLES KILDARE, WM. SALIIIN, duty to his King, his Country, and his Gon. Casa LECOOTE, , PAT. DIIIGENAN. pay his taxes. As to the difficulty that was appre- Mr. ONGLEY made some observations on the privi , DE BLAQVIERI, hended, he thought that Parlioment had shewn that ; le-r b es so claimed by the House of Commons, and On the day subsequent to the appearance of this the thin g was not so diffictik by the reforms which thought that the cases where persons were imprisoned Proclamation, a special meeting of the general Corn- they had made in some few of the boroughs. In those, for alledged libels against Mr. Windham, another re i I tee of the Catholics was held in Capehstreet, Dub- reforms it was practically shewn, that it is very easy.; Member, were • very cruel cases. These men might lin, tLe Earl of FINGAL in the Chair, when the fol- to improve the constitution of the rotten boroughs.— I have been punished, if guilty, by regular course of law. lowiess Resolutions, among others, were entered by The course which had been taken in the Resolutions I Mr. WESTERN said, that he thought the resolutions that body : • which he should move, andin the petition which would' were very proper, and he very much approved of the R tAI lied, That the Catholic Committee, having adjeureed on follow, was not to point out any specific planof reform; manner in which they had been brought forward.- 25th of July, to the [9th of October, 1811, have, notwith. but to point out the evils, and leave the remedy to the He thought that it was better not to adopt a specific e ailing, deemed it expedient to hold an extraordinary meeting . wisdom of Parliament. After a few words on the plan, but to leave that for the consideration of Parlia. •s. the Si st day of July, in consequence of a communication from state of the boroughs in Essex, and on the whimsical ment. It was sufficient to point tto th those out iem • :ever:myna to the• Earl of VI e Gee, dated the 30th instant, to 1 , c tarter of Malden, he exhorted the persons present •ee following effect :—" That a Privy Council was to he :resent- ' breaches in the Constitution which time had made, . s sa, to take into consideration the expediency of issuing a ern- to persevere in their attempts to obtain a Parliamen- and through which a tide of corruption had flowed in -:ration declaratory of the law," etc. etc. " and likewise the tary reform, and to be entirely regnrdlessof the abusive and deluged the land. He wished that Parliament . hearse to be pursued to insure its observance." terms which might be heaped upon them for so doing. ; wou ld rev i se the septennial Act, which was said to it esont•ti, That the Committee, relying on the Constitutional They should be satisfied if they were obeying the have been passed for the purpose of averting a danger re, ?Its of the subject to petition the Legislature, in the way and dictates of their own consciences, and sincerely wish- that no longer exists. It could not now be urged that rainier specified In a Resolution to that effect, passed at the . sane Aegregate Mereitig of their Body, do now determine to mg and endeavouring to serve their country. H —e the Act was still necessary for the purpose of keeping eentinue and persevere in the cnns , it menial course they have ma- concluded by proposing the following Resolutions : out the Pretender. He approved of frequent meet r.isiy adopted, for the sale, express, cud specific purpose of pre- 1. Resolved, Thet it was averred in a Petition to the House inen of the people, and of their expressing their sem se i- iea a Petition, or Petitions. to Parliament, for their full pate of Commons, on the 6 th of May, lees, and evidence in proof o f - eeepation of the Right's of the Comeitucion ; and that, in so doing, the facts at the same time tendered by the petitioners, that three, m e atsto t theirrepresentatives in firm but temperate lee ; eo n s only, in their opireon, du not violate, but act in strict hundred and seven of the Members for Englsnd and Wales only, language. Although this was a principle which he eeteermity with he sou:ides eerinciples. are not sent to Parliament by the suffiiiees of the people; but always professed, yet he thought that it should be Resolved, That the right of Petitioning, secured by the Bill ofand evasions of the free dom of . • • • are, through numerous breaches .judiciously exercised ; and he must say, he did not Isegett, is recognized by the eth and last clause of the Convention election therein set forth, returned by ens hundre d an d . f t. / htriu said think it judicious to call a meeting like the present at Act, in the words following :—" Provided also, that ncthieg Peers and . Conunoners. And also, that the allegations II t d., sai d eerten contained, shall be convened In any manner to prevent or petition still stand on the journals of Parliament it/mantra sae . . a a time when there was no probability of a numerous Impede the undoubted right of his Majesty's subjects of this 2 . R esolved, That it a pp ears to us undeniable, that this de- ttendance. T h i s having been his Opinion, he did r.•.,:',., to Petition his Majesty, or both Houses, or either House *cable decay of popular representation in Parliament, c o eape- not concur with those who convened the present le lerliameme, for reslreas of any public or private grievance ."' rating wick the Se p te on i a l duration o f t h e sense P a r liame nt s,., meetis .As to Parliamentary Reform, them were is s s gross and palpable departere font the only Constitutional Oases: PsSIX Amp!lva ti"'' T ~ . • - two rieittipr;ons or Feints ergo generally orpOted it. The first were those who enjeyed the fruits of chrruPe then, and therefore their opposition would always con tinue. There was another description of persoese who were very honest men, but were alarmed with !the apprehension of greater evils being pred.uced by reform. They conceived its advocates as met ireitil ging in theory, and anxious to make innovations in the Constitution. He, however, wanted no iiinove• tins, but merely to restore it. to its original purity. Mr. ONGLEY said, that in speaking of tee whim sleet charter of Malden, he meant that the dieg'itere of freemen can bring the freedom of th it Ceporetion to any man they choose to merry, whatever part of the United Kingdom he might reside in. As his pro fession had been menti ined, he would say that Pars . liament had, in his opinion, most improperly disquae lified persons of his profession from sitting in the House of Commons. Clergymen were always men of good education, and often very enlightened ; and he thought that it was throwing a most disgraceful stigma on his profession, to say that a men iii a black coat must not sit there, but that men in red and blue liveries migit. He did not feel the sl;etest personal ambition on the subject; but he thought that Parliae ment had, without any reason, deprived his profession of a right that they enjoyed in common with their feilowesubjects. He took this opportunity of forti fying the opinion he had before delivered by reeding letter from Lord St. Vincent to Lord Nelson, taken frem the published life of the latter : " I am very sorry to learn you find any difficulty in obtaining jusece to the merits of your brother; it appeal:4' by this, aid the li tie etuouragemen{ given OH various °flier occasiors :o the so ' who have served their con try well, that the whole patronage of the Crows, vast as it ia, goes to the support oh the Ea.cuttve in Parliament, and strikes the as the very worst speci: s of corrup tion that can he exercised, because this devouring monster never 1 ceases to crave—in course, no refsirm can Le made in the public I expenditure, without rendering him quite savage and ungoverna ble ; not to ~ ay a word of the injustice done thereby to all men et friendless merit in the service of the State, civil, and mili:ary." Mr. HARVEY said, that there was no inconvenience which W 43 not also productive of advantage. Al though lie hid been averse to convening a meetirg under circumst inces so inauspicious, yet he was glad to see that, in the present Meeting, there VMS a con centration of the efforts of the Clergy and the Laity. This was a great advantage : and when clergymen came forward in the cause of reform, he hoised they were disposed to ab indon any unjust Advaotages that the Church may now posssss. He knew of few griev ances mere - intolerable than the manner in which tithes Are now received ; and he hoped hat the clergymen who were reformists would be desposed to reform that evil. General tyrants were very bad things, but perish ty. , rants were almost as bad After dwelling for some time on the imperfect n presereation of the county of Essex, he said, that, in his opinion, it %valid be ad visable tint tluee of the eoroeghs" sheuld be abolish ed, and that eight representatives should rather be chosen for the county e f E sex. As to the Septennial Bid, hs agreed with wh t Mr. Fox had said of it,--. " that he d i not bla : e our ancestors for hay lig passed the bill, when . .here was a great danger of the Pretender's friends getting into Parliament." He then supposed a case of Bonaparte in this country, marching t i Londe i, and gaining many powerful ad herents in this country. In such a case, he thought e e a long j'arliament would best answer to keee out his friends. He complained very feelingly of the slight which he thought hadbeen put upon some persons who, like himself, had signed the criginal requisition, but were not particularly consulted about convening the present meeting. He then, at very coesiderable length, ridiculed the idea of so small a meeting, not exceeding two hundred persons, expecting end any good could proceed from their resolutions. He pro cessed himself, however, to be a friend to Parliamen tary and radical Re:t rm. Mr. B. Flowett thought, that a friend to ref em might have given his argement some other turn, and not wccupy so much time (Mr. Harvey spoke for 'leer an hour) in ridiculing the exertions of other men in a cause that he professed himself friendly to. Supp: be that a man was not consulted who thought himself entitled to that'compliment, or suppose the Meeting not convened exactly to his fancy, did that justify a men calling himself a friend to reform in exerting all his powers to turn the cause, and every one who sup ported it, into ridicule ? It there had been only half two hundred regularly convened, why should they withhold their assent to resolutions of which they per fectly approved ? Sincere friends of the cane shoehl make the best of the materials they had to work with , , and he thought it was a good omen to see clergymen I ! active in that cause which was necessary for the pre servation both of church and state, As to the senti ment which had been cited of Mr. Fox, it was a sen timent which was delivered in his younger days, when he had not arrived to that maturty of mind and judg ment by which he was afterwards distinguished. It he was to consider the extreme case putby the Gentleman, of Bonaparte's landing in this couutry ; in that case it would be by the spirit of Englishmen that the coun- I try would be saved, and not by the House of Commons 1 declaring themselves perpetual —(eippieure.)—The thinness of the Meeting could easily be accounted for I from the state of the harvest ; and from this circum stance, also, that mens' minds were so much made up on the necessity of reform, that they could not expect in any meeting to hear any thing very new upon it ; and that upon that account, they would not Irelinquish their immediate interest of getting in their harvest. But although the Meeting was thin, it teas highly respectable, and he saw no reason -.et i y they should withhold their assent from propetions which 1 every man in that Court appeared to approve Of. After some explanations the resolutions ware Nudity agreed to unanimously. Mr. BORGOVNE then moved R Petition for Reform, which was agreed to. It was sineilar in substance to that voted at Hertford and other places. Mr. Smelt' see said, that it was necessary to ob serve, that there was no idea of attaching tithes (es suggested by Mr. Harvey) nor of any other innova tions on our Constitution in Church or State. The only object of the meeting was, to retorm abuses which defaced our Constitution, and to restore it to its original beauty. He thought the meeting had shewn great patience and candonr in listening for such a length of time to a speech which went on to pics quite unconnected with the present question. The petition was then agreed to unanimously, and 1 the thanks of the meeting were voted to the Ci-a rman for his conduct en the present occasion. The Meeting, which did not exceed two or three hundred, they broke up% c~i~ ;, YeiiN'~:r~- ~•, !RISS CATHOLIC.t. The Dublin Papers bring intelligence, that the Cat ailic Committee and the Irish Government are avail at variance, in consequence of the measures t.•ken for the electiiin of Delegates to prepare and manage a P,Aition to Parliament to he presented in the enssing Session. Mr. Poi.E, the Irish Secretary, is understood to have had an official interview with the Earl of FINGAL, for the purpose of dissuading his Llrdship front co-operating with the Catholic Corn. ttee ; but that interviefv having failed to produce tie desired effect, the following Proclamation was is.ued from the Castle: