Star. — London, England, 1820-04-07 00:00:00

! . . I . ~~;f , NI , I + I) I r I F 1 1 , I ( r I I • k • •.• • -- • "rap markalfly well. Both he arid i‘Tri . Hoguousz were in full mourning. The Procession then set forward in the order above descriSed, the different bands playing, alternately, See the conquering Hero comes—Rule, Britannia— Qop sore tlw King—The White Cockade, &c. The- pagesinr extended from the end of Sloane street quite through the gates at Hyde Park Corner, nearly to liimilton-place, and as it passed along the cheering. and acclamations of the multitude were loud and incessant. From the hill at Hyde Park Comer the coup deed was very magnificent. The Metropolis seemed to have cast out its whole popu lation. The whole length of Piccadilly, as far as the eve could stret .h, and the eminences in the Green a i spealed literally to be covered With humaO beings; the walls and trees were filled with men, whilst every window, balcony, or virancla, was' crowded with elegantly-dresvd females, for the most part was ing their handkerchiefs, or disp)aying in sozne way or other their joyous participation in the scene. Even the roofs of the houses were peopled, rank behind' rank. The Procession passed along .11 , -cadilly, down the Haymarket, round the statue :tt Charing-Cross, and up St. Martin's-lane; but it had scarcely entered Long-acre, when the envious clouds, which had been congregating almost unob served, poured down at once in one black and drench ing deluge. This spoiled everything; the remainder of the road was hurried over ; but though the rain Still poured in absolute torrents, neither Sir FRANCIS nor Mr. Honuousz covered their heads ; and their situation was truly pitiable. The shouts of the peo ple were, however, if possible, recloubled,; . nor did the number or zeal of the immense crowds appear to be at all diminished by this unmannerly attack of the elements. After passing up Long-acre, the Proces sion turned down James-street, round Covent-gar den, down Southampton. street, and along the Strand to the Crown and Anchor, where it arrived a little before four o'clock. THE WITMER. At four o'clock the great Room at the Crown and Anchor Tavern was opened, and by half past four most of the places were occupied by the company assembled. The hour of dinner had been postponed until half-past six, in consequence of the delay anti cipated from the wetness of the weather. The Pro cession, however, having taken a quicker course than was expected, this arrangement was attended with some inconvenience. The activity of the Stewards prevented the inconvenience from being felt so niuch as it otherwise would have been, and the dinner was on the table by ten minutes after six. Mr. HUNT and Mr. HARMER entered the room and took their seats at the cross table, being severally saluted with loud applause, clapping cf hands, ice. Sir FRANCIS BORDETT and Mr. HOBHOUSE having by that time changed their clothes (for they had been literally wetted through with the rain), entered the room, preceded by the Stewards, and accompanied by— Meisrs. Shaw Lefevre, Ricardo, Martineau, Evans, Burchell, Edgar Taylor, the lion. Captain Waldegrave, the Rev. Mr. Btrger, Dr. Maclean, and Sheriff Parkins. They were saluted with applause:, which continued from the time of their entering the room till some minutes after they had taken their seats.—The din ner being over, and the cloths removed, lir. itotrarentwarra, the Chairman, gave for the first tout— " The People, the only source of legitimate power."—Tune, Rule, Britannia. The next toast was—" The King, and the principles which seated his Family on the Tbrone"—three times three.—Tune, Old England to thyself be true. The next toast was —" The persecuted yet fearless Friend of the People, and the undaunted Champion of their Rights, and Liberties, our excellent Representative, Sir F. Burdett."—lThree times three, followLd by long and loud applause. Sir FRANCIS BURDETT rose. He began by observ ing, that to merit the approbation of the enlightened Electors cf Westminster, was the first wish of his heart ; to meet with such approbation was the second, and the very flattering manner in which they had ezpressed themselves towards him on that occasion could not but be gratifying to any one who had the interests of his country at heart, and who sought as a reward for his solicitude the approbation of those whose interests were attempted to be upheld. This was the foundation of all public virtue. To wish for the approbation of those who were to be served was the first motive of action ; and to meet with it in the manner in which they had bestowed it upon him, not only on this, but on all other occasion:, could not but be in the highest degree gratifying. He knew he could not claim it from any merit of his own, but :hat he owed it to their indulgence and to the cone deuce which they had so generously placed in him, as to which be had great satisfaction in knowing that he had never abused it, and had in consequence al ways received from them the most ardent and sin cere support. The numerous and respectable assem blage before him proved how far the interest of the. Occasion had spread itself. Undoubtedly Westmin ster never had before attained such an important success, the effects of-which, he trusted, would be retained by the Electors for years and years to come. The example was most important to the couhtry at large, especially as it gave support and stability to those principles of Reform which he, as well as all who heard him, and all who had supported him, judged to be so essential to the welfare and preserva tion of the country—(Applause). Many important events had transpired, both at home and abroad, since last he had had the honour of addressing them. Since that period he had bean honoured with a pro secution on an ex officio information filed by the Attorney-General. He called it an honour, as it had afforded him one more opportunity of making more public the declaration and increasing the interest of the great question of Reform, which, if he had not done, be must have considered that he had neglected his duty, and slighted that confidence which had been so generously placed in him by the enlightened Electors of Westminster—(Applause). He would take that opportunity of pointing out an inaccuracy iLt the reports of the daily Papers respecting the trial a. Leicester. He knew the difficulties under which b . ..C11 Tabours were accomplished. He knew also that the York Trials, which were going on at the same time, required considerable room on account of their importance. He was aware that the common limits of a Newspaper would not allow of a full detail of what was doing on in each Court, when, for the re port of the proceedings of each place, a few columns only could be spared to compress that which in either case had taken a person several hours to pronounce. Still he was dissatisfied with some of the inaccuracies which had occurred in the statement of his argument. • I He wished to state.over again, therefore, op, of the , arguments which he had used in theCdurt ,at Leices ter. He had been charged with an intent to bring the 'Government into contempt, and stir the people up to discontent—it being erroneously supposed that the mass of the people were more subjoct to be excited by warm or violent appeals,th an thoo Who were called their superiors. Now his argument in answer to that was, that the publication which was -the subject of prosecution, was not an Address to the People, but an Address to the Gentlemen of the Country, and was therefore, as he had observed, taken entirely outarf libel ground. On that occasion he bad observed, for ' the purpose of illustrating his argument, that his letter was not addressed ,to the weaver-boys of Lancashire. —ln making this observation, he had intended no blame to Mr. Cobbett, who had addressed the Lan cashire weaver-boys, not to any other person addrei sing any of those which were called the inferior classes. If he thought it useful, he would as soon ad dress the weaver boys as any other class. But such had not been his purpose, nor anything like it, and he thought this was a proper argument to put to a Jury before whom he had been charged with exciting the People to contempt of the Government and insu bordination. the same paper in which Mr. Cob bett had.iesented his mistated argument, he had re newed a charge against bim (Sir Francis Burdett) of having supported the Corn Bill. It was a charge that he'had often refuted, and was not unwilling to do so again. He had never supported the Corn Bill ; but at the time of its passing he thought the People were deluded as to its importance, and that it would neither materially benefit the farmer, nor oppress the community, as was at the time represented. His reasoning was, that to reduce the price without a re duction of taxes at the same time (as the price of earn determined the value of labour, in almost all its rela tions), would be to give an enhancement of a most oppressive kind to the amount of taxation, and that the worst effects of their excessive taxes could only be avoided by keeping up a system of high prices in every thing else. He thought, therefore, that the question of the Corn Bill only deluded the People, and drew away their reflection from the question of Reform, which, in his estimation, was alone entitled to their attention. They had been told by some very well-meaning men, than. Reform was not the proper object of their pursuit and energies ; that they ought first to grapple with the Funding System. But how was that to be done with a Ministry who were compelled to give the utmost support to that Funding System, knowing, as they did, that when it failed, Reform would take place of necessity IP The Reformers only from these reasoners in sup posing that to begin with the Funding System, in stead of the question of Reform, was to put the cart before the horse. When they were told of the hopelessness of Reform, and in proof were directed to the spreading of military detachments and fortifi cations over the countr2 , ,,there was a considerable appearance of propriety intie remarks—(Applause). Yet to say that Reform had made no progess of late, would be to shut the eyes, and declare that there was no light at noon-day. Reform was the only bope, and the Reformers had been doing nothing but lead ing the public mini away from more useless topics, and binding it entirely to that subject. The conse quence had been, that Reform, in the course of aboitt ten years, had grov'in to diet size of public import ance, that the I3oroughmongers did not know how to meet it. They were determined, however, on meet ing it at last, and that by the violation of all the laws in the country—(4lppleese).--Adverting to the Man chester Meeting, and the important trials which had ensued therefore at York, he would say, that the Gentleman conducting that trial as he had done, ought not to be left with the expenses weighing upon him—(Loud applasue).--In his opinion, conducting that trial with the temper and ability which Mr., Hunt had manifested, proving the legal and quiet character of the Manchester Meeting, and blowing out of the Court the whole of the fabricated evidence exhibited against him, and having shewn upon what grounds that mum* House of Commons had passed laws, which were not only ********, but had the effect of repealing those which formed the best se- I curity for their remaining rights ; with all these con siderations before him, he would say, that Mr. Hunt had proved himself to be an able defender of the people's liberties, and he (Sir Franci knew no ar gument more forcible in favour of R eform than had been elicited by the late trial at York. A Jury had convicted the defendants, and, according to the pre valent manner of constituting Special Juries, he be lieved that Abel would be convicted of the murder of Cain, if such were to be the issue proposed for trial. The Jury had found them guilty of illegally, assembling, and of an intention to bring the Govern t , ment into contempt. The legality of the Meeting might be a matter of law very fit for the considera tion of the Jury ; but it had never entered any man's head that the Meeting was illegal till after its dis persion. The,parties who called, and were to have managed the Meeting, took the greatest care to se cure for themselves the protection of the law, well knowing that they had no other protection. But the Magistrates did not know of the illegality of the Meeting. Lord, Sidmouth was ignorant of it. No b Ody knew anything about it. It was not known even when the Gentlemen were taken up what they should be charged with. The Magistrates had ac tually written to the Secretary of State to say, that the defendants were arrested, and requiring to know for what they were to be indicted? All they knew was, that the Meeting was to be dispersed, because such Meetings gave great terror to the Boroughmongers, What said the Ministerial press in relation to these Meetings, and the laws which had been passed to controtil them? What was the boast of Ministers ? Why, that they had regulated Public Meetings. Their real object was, however, to prevent the cam. else of any effective organ which could display the extent of public feeling. There had been Meetings before as numerous, as well furnished with banners lad flags, and yet no notice had been taken of them. I When lie first stood for Middlesex, he had Meetings quite as numerous, and the flags and banners were sore inflammatory than those of Manchester. His object at the time was not a seat for Middlesex, for which he had no value, but he was ambitious to come at some abuses which he knew were then prac tising in the prison of Coldbath-fields. There were banners of all sorts used on the occasion. On one was inscribed '° No 13astile.," on, another, particular persons were represented hanging ; all of their - 4 tend= ing to inflame the pnbretnisid, and fittig it was thar the public mind should be. inflamed, when acts of the most oppressive injustice were allowed to fake , place, with a positive denial of any' remedy.—He proceeded to a pointed reply, in a serlei . of animad versions, on the speech delivered by Mr, Canning at the dinner at Liverpool. The speech was said to be revised and corrected with the utmost precision. It was, however, a tissue of sophistries, oft refuted ; of arguments tediously quoted and disproved, and al together unfit for the reflection of any reasonable man. The first topic was the immense numbers which formed the Northern Reform Meeting. He remembered, that when he first moved fora consi deration of Reform, the cry was, " There are no numerous Meetings—the people do not want Reform —they do not ask for it." His reply was, so much 'the better; it would be more respectable for the Government to do that which was right without being solicited. Indeed, perhaps, he and that excel lent man, Major Cartwright, were in this point of view the most culpable persons in the country. For aught he knew, they had sown the seeds which had produced those numerous Meetings, and he felt no cause, upon the whole, to be displeased with the fruit. The cry was now altered, and the complaintagainst the Reformers was, that their Meetings were too large. Public opinion had, however, sufficiently ex pressed itself, if no more of such Meetings should take place. Mr. Canting had called it a happy de cision of the Magistrates to disperse the Manchester Meeting as they had done. He (Sir Fiancis) called it a feat sealed with the blood of innocent persons, for which retributive justice was still wanting. Mr. Canning hid found cut that the spirit of the laws _was what he, in most whimsical phraseology, called a corporate spirit ; that there was no man who could not point to the portion of civil society to which he corporately belonged, and that if he suffered injury, he was intitled to come upon the Hundred to which he belonged for remedy. This was true, and was proper enough when England was an armed country, and it was not treasonable for men to possess the means of defence ; when ari Englishman might boast that the country was, %as Justice Blackstone bad. de clared it ought to be, without a standing soldier, and yet every one was enabled to defend himself, and to assist others. But what would be more unjust than to make a community responsible for excesses, for repelling which they were deprived of the means? . The action ought in future to lie against the Govern ment instead of the Parish. Mr. Canning said, that "irresponsible" was tyrinny, whether enjoyed by a despot or the rabble. •He seemed to forget that it was equally tyrannous, if engaged by an odious and contemptible oligarchy. The People had been suf fering, because they had been governed by an irre sponsible power. If Mr. Canning had said I,' in stead of We,' when he alluded to " the blessings enjoyed tinder our present system of Government," his mistake would not have been so greats To him, beyond all doubt, -the system had proved eminently advantageous, and - it was natural that he should in dulge himself in its praise: " For Nis their duty, all the learned think, " T' uphold the cause by which they eat and drink 1" As to. Mr. Canning's query, which he proposed to Reformers, to. know whether they wished • for a re storation or a re-construction of the House of Com.- mons? - and the requiring them, in the first case, to point Out the period when that HMO had been con stituted as they wished it to be, the reply was—th 4 .tbe House had once been what it ought to be. That might be a matter of historical dispute; but it would be easy enough to point oat when it was more fairly constituted, and perhaps the farther back they looked the better it would be found to have been. It was Plain enough, that it must have been more an organ of the people's mind, in the periods before the Revo lution, than in these subsequent, when the meanest sources of corruption had so greatly augmented. But whether or not, the Reformers were not contend ing for any- new principles, but for carrying old principles into more complete effect. It would be idle to answer such, an argument. But if the answer were necessary, it would be easy to reply, by refer ring to the Parliaments holden before the contentions of the - Houses of York and Lancaster, when the most salutary laws were passed in favour of the people's rights, and when the House of Commons had no power of taxing the people. But the object ;ought by the Reformers was such a modification of the powers of the State as she happiness of the people and the security of the Constitution required. Mr. Canning had compared a House of Commons, popu larly elected, to Aaron's rod, which must swallow all the other serpents, as it would absorb all the other powers of Government. Very ingeniously urged ; and it was, moreover, the very thing complained of. —The Reformers complained that the House of Commons had swallowed up both the Rights of the People and the Privileges of the Crown. " GOD knows !" there was no: complaint that the House of Commons did not possess power enough. Mr. Can ning asked for information (how humble!) as to when nomination had not been attended to in Elections ? Every body must know that the close Boroughs were , once open, and that they had been Chartered on ac count of their having been populous ancrfiourishing towns, from which state they had gradually fallen away to what they were at present. Kings did-not enfranchise close Boroughs ; they were not too anxious to gather the opinions of the People—and Parliamentary service was not . only dangerous to the Member, but expensive to his constituents, so that it was avoided as much as possible by both. The Hon. Baronet pursued the logic of Mr. Canning's speech with a strain of equal eloquence and argument to its conclusion. He concluded,, being afterwards fol lowed by loud and long cheers, by giving " The only remedy for our grievances ---a full, fair, and free Representation of the People in the Commons House of Parlia. ment."—Tune, Brietnis strike Urns. At the request of the CHAIRMAN, Mr. MURPHY sang an appropriate song, written for the occasion, in praise of Sir FRANCIS BURDETT and Mr. HOB/lOUSIL, which was loudly and generally encored. The Coantaux next gave—i , The able advocate of me/nary Reform, and victim of arbitrary impt isonment, without trial, and even without citation, our new Representative, JAR Cam 'tollhouse, Esq." Mr. Hoonouse rose, but was prevented by the ap plause which followed, from proceeding for a consi derable time.' Though not introduced, he said, as a new person to the h.lectors of Westminster, yet he was innoduced in a new and glorious character—he was introduced as the Representative of the City of Westtninstc r—(Great applause). He was introduced as the Representative of a community, which, with out meaning to throw any sitar on any other part cf the country, united in itself every thing that was no ble in.the character of Englishmen—as the Repre sentative of that great City to which the eyes of Lrig , lishmen were directed, as the hill on which the ark Of their faith was still to rest—(Great applause).— Yes, the contlatet of the people of Westminster was such as to convince the world that there still re mained a spark of freedom, which might rise into a flame throughout the country. Upon the glorioui event he would be proud to speak—but that it might be'considered too personal to. himself. would say, however, that, in the la - e election, West minster was the first instance of a great city acting on a principle before untried, and Frying a trust to a person who, though he failed in the first instanre, still persevered in the same course, anc did not change his . 'Opinion .through the trials of persecution. He would not congratulate himself on that occasion —he would rather congratulate the City of West minster, and the country, ar• large, on tbe.triumph they obtained. The individual they pitched'on was re commended by principle.alone, Hestood against every opposition and every disadvan:age, and he was car. tied into Parliament by the metropolis of Englishmen. The Elect Ors had sent him to Parliament to tell the House of Commons their opinion,. that it was not the legal Representative of the People, and he could as sure them that hewonW lose no opportunity of.carry ing their design into ,execution ! At the same time he could not help reminding them of what their owls experience must have already informed them, .that it was impossible for any man te.lic in constant activity there and yet, though he was ,toot. in perpesual at tendance, he might be doing his duty elsewhere, and promoting the grand cause which every lioneq Eng lishman had now at heart. .He should therefore red. peat to the m a line which Milton had used in , the sonnet on hit 6wn blindness: " They also serif who only stand and wait." The Honourable.Gentleinan then went into a long argument to prove that the House of totprnops, as at present elected; is against •the law. lEe would, in deed, consider it a biie' and L g r.ánt treason to at tempt to bring the House of Commons into contempt, if the House of ConamOns weiverieted by the People: At present, the People did not ask- did not attempt to bring the House' f Commons into contempt- -they only sought to bring it out of Contempt—(Applausej, He (Mr. Hobhouse) would ask them, was there iny man who would assert that the power of the People in Parliarrient should be as nothing ? The Constitution intended that they should - be every, thing--(Loud cuiplatue).—They had heard with much pleasure the powerful refutation of the prin ciples put forth by Mr. Canning, in the speech delivered that night by Sir Francis tfurdett.— The'HoriOurable Gentleman then proceeded to con.- ment upon a speech of Mr. Canning's to the bade bone Club at Liverpool, stating that • It *as his plan, • " To lore no drop of that immortal man r—cteed teuipitivA Indeed it appeared to be the plan of the Honourable Member for Liverpool, that not a syllable he spoke should ba lost ; for, whether he spoke at dinner cf after 'dinner, in a packet, or out of a packet, at Lis bon with £14,000 a• fear, or elsewhere with lesi, the reports bf his speeches came forth corrected and re-. vised ; and afterwards re-corrected and re revised and all for the benefit of the British Public! ( Lang& ter ant( cheers).—After dwelling on the subject elf Reform, to which he said he was so solemnly pledged ' ', the Honourable Gentleman concluded 4) saying, that he would endeavoot to merit tht applause and confidence of the Citizens of Westminster, by fol. lowing in the footsteps . at a great, butehumble dis.: tance, their worthy . Representative, Sir Francisipur dett—(Great applause. • The but toast- 0 The Reformism( Ifiddlnex,who by thin spontaneous suffrages have elected Samuel Marks Wlikbal,•. , Xsq. the pledged advocate of thorough Ramon in Parliamenha which was received with the loudest and most lively applaum, and drank with three times three. Mr. C. SHAW LETEVRE, in the absence of Mr.. Whitbread, returned thanks, and congratulated the country upon the late decisive triumph of Middlesex. The neat toast was—'4 Lord Cochrane, the intrepid Chats. pion of South Amerkut Independence, and the Canso of Liberty all over the World."—Song, Penults disk. • " The glorious Revolution of Spain, and may her dm* convince despots of the futility andwickedn ess o f ref/kg pa the form of arms to repress the force of pubile oiphdon." 24r. Tterzwet t. nest proposed-4' The Liberty of the Pas ...-It is like the air we breathe, if we have it not we die,' whir was drank wijh three times three. The neieroast was—" The Trial by 3nrY"--(.61p10u.). It was now nearly eleven o'clock, and Sir FRANC* BWkDETT and Mr. Hosnousz, with the greater past of their friends, stood up to retire. The company rose and greeted their departure, as they had their entrance, with the loudest gratulation.. Many persons then loudly called out for Mr. litter to preside, whilst others were as load against it. ft was ascertained, however, that he had left the monk but he was prevailed upon by one of his friends to come back and make a short address to the conspaspy. He declared he came there 'as Amore spectator, we to take any part in the proceedings; and, retortiiet them thanks for the opinion they espressed of his services at York, very Jnodestly declined taking** cliair—(Great applause). The company then retired, well pleased with the conviviality of the Meeting. AIR. ERADISEIeS TRAVELS IN ECTIPT, SValAp GREECE, ITALY, &c.—A Second Edition of this in teresting work is just published.' Is bas been justly observed, that these Letters describe a Tour of such extent, that even the most cursory remaths . made is different parts of it, will be found to accumulate a very considerable stock of information: The 'ketches have all the freshness of reality about them, and via be found particularly useful to those who may have it in their power to follow the autho r in hi s interest ing route, and, with more leisure at their command, to dwell upon the various Objects of curiosity and in- , terest which it affords. MAILS um DA fo-•-A RR. DOR. 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 I Lisbon 2 1 France 0 I limburgh I 0 Gottcubursh O Alalts . O New-Yark _ ___ AIM. DM O 1 0 • O O 9 i • • • * Waterford Guernsey aad Jersey Hisll4nd Flanders jemmies lIIGH-WATEICat LONDON BRIDGE TO-1401M OW. 58 mink:en after Aftrrnoon - - ' 4i - 1 :)N ; ii.blishr.l by Ltru. Mace, Templiklar