Star. — London, England, 1820-11-22 00:00:00

COMMON COUNCIL. Yesterday a Court of Common Council was held at Guildhall, in consequence of a Requisition re ceived by the LORD MAYOR, " to take into considera tion the propriety of presenting an Aildiess of Con gratulation to her MAJESTY, on the victory she has obtained over her enemies, and .her escape from a foul and ;itrocious Conspiracy, seeking no less her 'MAJESTY'S destruction, than aiming a blow at the late. iwn laws of the land and the rights of English mei)." The LORD MAYOR, upon taking the Chair for the first time since his election, addressed the Court in a neat and appropriate speech. Ile expressed the high 'satisfaetion he felt on being elevated, in so unexpected a manner, to so respectable a situation. In the trans action of public business, he hoped he should never be wanting in that vigilant and unremitting atten tion which the arduous ditties of IN office demanded; and if at any time, in presiding over this Honourable Court, he should feel it necessary to interpose, when an unguarded expression escaped, in the warmth of debate, he trusted his interference would be attributed only to his desire to maintain the dignity of their proceedings, by enforcing that regularity of discus sion which was so essential in all deliberative assem blies. In addressing a body of men so accustomed to public busine,s, it was scarcely necessary for him to add his anxious wish that Gentlemen would not travel out of the business before the Court, and that their neiservasions might be as relevant as possible to the iaimediate subject of discussion. The Minutes of the proceedings at the last Court having been read, Mr. OLDHAM begged to propose a Motion, in which he had no doubt of the unaaimous concurrence of the Court. Whatever dpinion might be entertained as to the guilt or innocence of the Queen, the: e could be but one opinion of the great Leal and ability dis played by her Majesty's Advocates, lie begged leave, therefore, to move—" That the thanks of this Court be given to Mr. Brougham, Mr. Denman, and Dr. Lnshington, for the distinguished talent they dis played in defending her Majesty the Queen." He should confine himself to a Motion of general thanks, but he should most cheerfully withdraw it, if any other Member thought proper to propose any other tribute of approbation. The Motion was agreed to unanimously. A Memos:it moved—" That a reference be made to the Sheriff, to ascertain whether any, and what expenses have been incurred in consequence of Mr. Sheriff Parkins's refusal to bear his portion of the ex penses during his Shrievalfy Mr. Pews moved—" That the thanks of the Court be given to the late Lord Mayor, for the propriety and integrity with which he had discharged the du ties of his office, and for the hospitality and splen dour which he had uniformly displayed during the period of his Mayoralty." :Mr. Jury seconded the Motion. He entirely con curred in the observations of the last speaker; and if there was one act in the Mayoralty of the late Chief Magistrate which was less entitled to their approba tion, the Court had already expressed its opinion of that act ; and as it was against every principle of jus tice that a man should be punished twice for the same offence, he trusted that no opposition would be made to the present Motion. The integrity of the late Lord Mayor was admitted on all hands; and if he had committed any error in the course of his Mayoralty, it was an error of the head, and• not of the heart. Mr. Sheriff WirsoiANtS expressed his entire concur rence in the Motion. He thought, if the Chief Ma gistrate had not sufficient strength of mind to act with propriety in any emergency, he was not to blame, but the Livery, who had elevated him to a' situation, the duties of which he was incapable of discharging. With respect to the late Lord Mayor,_ he (Mr. Williams) had had frequent opportunities of witnessing his conduct, and he could not speak too highly of his gentlemanly demeanour, and his con stant anxiety to oblige. He was agreed with the Gentleman who spoke last, that it would be most un just to punish any man twice for the same offence. After a few words from Mr. TAYLOR, the Motion was put and carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. PRICE, it was ordered that the vote of thanks should be written ornamentally on vellum, and presented to the late Lord Mayor. The LORD MAYOR said, that before proceeding to ' the business of the day, he had a communication to make to the Court. He had received a letter from her Nlajesty'sVice-Chamberlain, Ming her Majesty's intention to attend Divine Service at St. Paul's Ca thedral, on Wednesday, November 29th. Her Majesty had, in the first instance, communicated her intention of proceeding to St. Paul's, on Sunday, November 26th; but she had afterwards, for reasons stated in a subse quent letter, altered her intenticn of going on that day, and fixed Wednesday, the 29th, as the day on which she had determined to attend the celebration of Divine Worship at St. Paul's Cathedral. The correspondence between Mr. Keppel Craven, her :ilajesty's Vice-Chamberlain, and the Lord Mayor, on this subject, was then read. The first letter stated her Majesty's wish to attend the celebration of Divine Service at St. Paul's, on Sunday, November 26th.— The second letter, dated November 17th, stated, that her Majesty having been informed of a circumstance of which she was not previously aware, that Divine Service was celebrated three times a week at Saint Paul's, she preferred Wednesday the 29th, to Sunday, as it might not be consistent with decorum that a large number of persons, who would probably be collected on that occasion, should assemble on the Sabbath-day. Mr. FA vELL rose to move that the communication which the Lord Mayor had just made should be en tered upon the Minutes of the Coart. Mr. N.Wtoolasis felt himself called upon to make one or two observations, on the communication which had just been made. It behoved those who sheaved so much zeal in running a race in her Majesty's be half; to take care that they did not bring on some thing which might do an irreparable injury to the country—(Lau,gliter).—The step which her Majesty was about to take, in proceeding to the great Church of the Metropolis, was calculated to produce confu sion, and might go much beyond a confusion. Mr. WAITIMAN begged to remind the worthy Member that his observations had no sort of connec tion with the question before the Court. The Ties- tion was 'imply, whether or not the communication shoulckbe entered upon their Journals? Mr. S. Dixon was decidedly of opinion that it ought to be entered on their Minutes. Mr. N. Wit.r.tams persisted that he should not do his duty if he did not draw the attention of the Court to the coofusion. vehriclt smut inevitably result from her Majesty's attending Divine Service at St. Paul's Cathedral. Mr. PAVEL/. regretted; that a Gentleman who fre quently delivered himself with. great sense and pro priety in that Court, should on this occasion exhibit so little of those qualities, and that his faculties should be so clouded by his fears, that he actually seemed to anticipate some horrible convulsion from the mere circumstance of her Majesty having expressed an in tention of retnrning thanks to ALMIGHTY GOD, in an humble and devout manner; for her deliverance from a foul and atrocious conspiracy. Did the worthy I Gentleman really see anything so alarming in this, her Majesty's desire, to imitate the devout propensi ties of her Illustrious Consort, or did he imagine that .more was meant in her Majesty's communication than met the ear? Sorry, indeed, should he be for the honour and character of the City, if her Majesty's intentions could not be fulfilled without a breach of the peace, and it would be time for them to give up all pretensions whatever to Police, if they could not receive with decorum any branch of the Royal Fa mily who might be desirous of attending Divine Worship in the great Metropolitan Church. He should now move—" That the Lord Mayor having delivered a most gracious Message from her Majesty, espressing her intention to attend Divine Worship at St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, November '29th, it be resolved, that the Lord Mayor and the whole Court attend her Niajesty on that day, and that a Special Committee be appointed. to receive her Ma jesty in a suitable manner. " Mr. Ifuncosize suggested as an amendment, that ail the Aldermen present do attend in their maze tine gowns. Mr. FAVELL acquiesced in the suggestion. He had not specified the raazarine gowns, but left that ceremonial open as a matter of taste, which he was sure no Alderman present would have failed to exer cise on such an occasion. Mr. N. Wtwasts contended, that the measure was pregnant with the greatest danger ; and he was fortified in that opinion by the admission other Ma jesty, or her Majesty's advisers, that Sunday was not suitable, in consequence of the great number of per sons who would he collected from motives of ca riosity, and the tumults which would probably ensue. No doubt thousands would assemble on this occasion, and what a situation the Chief Magistrate would be in !( Laughter).—Did they wish the Lord Mayor to call in two or three regiments of dragoons ? ( Cries of" No, no.")—What could be her 'Majesty's, object? —(Order, order). Mr. CLARKE said, the worthy Member had no right toimpute motives to her Majesty. Mr. N. WILLIAMS contended that the course taken by her Majesty was an inroad upon the peace and comforts of the inhabitants of the City of London, after the unfortunate affair which had taken place in the great assembly of the nation. The lives that would be lost on this occasion---Ellere the worthy Member was interrupted by shouts of laughter, and tumultuous cries of " Question:') Mr. Jury called the worthy Gentleman to order. Mr. N. WILLIAMS said, the danger which would result from her Majesty's proceeding to St. Paul's Cathedral, must strike every man who reflected upon the probable consequences of such a step ; but he, thank Gon, had nerve enough to encounter it. Be sides the loss of lives, the complete stagnation of trade was another consideration which ought pecu liarly to operate upon a body of men who owed everything to the successful prosecution of commer cial pursuits. What would become of mercantile affairs, and all the bills which would become due on that day, if her Majesty went to St. Paul's ?—(Loud laughter).—Gentlemen might laugh, but he con tended that, in a commercial point of view, it was worth while to consider the effect of bankers clerks going about with bills in their pockets. The danger was not imaginary, as some Gentlemen might sup pose, for he had himself witnessed a very consider able commotion in the country last night, produced by the roasting of a beast !—( Laughter).—He had no doubt that the misguided people who roasted the beast, were stimulated to that act by disaffected per sons in the metropolis! Mr. Jun* rose to inquire what the roasting of a beast could have to do with the question tilt* before the Court? Mr. S. Drxow thought the Members of that Court would act more like Gentlemen if they heard argu ments, instead of throwing obstacles in the way of discussion. Mr. N. WILLIAMS said he was the last man to travel out of the question. His observations were strictly in point, when he was endeavouring to prove to the Court that it was the object of a certain parfy to keep alive the agitated state of public feeling which had unhappily existed on this subject, and to effect, by that means, the dismissal of his Majesty's' present Ministers. If the Court saw the question in the same light as he did, the answer they would re turn to her Majesty would be, that however desirous they might be to pay her all due respect, this was -not the proper time to agitate the City of London. Tranquillity was not yet restored ; business had not yet returned to its regelar channels; and they should recommend her Majesty, under such circumstances, to postpone her intended procession to the Cathedral of the Metropolis till a fitter opportunity arrived. Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN rose, principally with a view of endeavouring to restore some degree of regularity to their proceedings. The manner in which this discussion had been conducted had ter tainly been most irregular and disorderly. The ques tion before the Court was simply this :—A communi cation had been made by her Majesty that she in tended to attend Divine Service on a certain day, and in consequence of that communication a motion had been made to appoint a Corninittee to consider how, and in what manner they should receive leer Majesty. This Court had nothing whatever to do with the pro priety of her Majesty's determination. She had made up her mind on the subject, and the Court had only to consider how they were to receive her. The siorthy Gentleman thought that great tumult and disorder would necessarily arise from the mere circumstance 1 of tilt Lord Mayor and this Cotjt attending her Ma- 'sty from Temple-bar to St. Pads Cathedral ; but he would ask the worthy Gentleman, *tether any such consequences had ensued from former proces sions; at Lord Nelson's funeral, for instance, and when his present Majesty was twice received within the City—whether, on the contrary, the utmost order and decorum had not been observed on those occa sions? The worthy Gentleman had thought proper to enter into the motives of her Majesty, and had de clared the object of the persons who advised her, to be solely to keep alive the public feeling in her Ma jesty's behalf. For his (Mr. Waithman's) part, he though her Majesty had ample reason to return thanks to ALMIGHTY GOD, for her deliverance from a wicked and cruel persecution, unexampled in the history of this or any other country. He commended her Majesty for it. Undoubtedly the public feeling had been roused in her Majesty's behalf—the public feeling had been to save her Majesty ; and as long as she was persecuted—as long as the arm of power was raised in hostility against her, the People would con tinue to shield and protect her against the malice of ' her persecutors. Whether the determination of her Majesty in the present instance was wise or unwise, was not the question before the Court. It was merely, whether she should be received with those distinc tions and marks of respect with which the Consort of the Sovereign had always been received? He had no fear whatever of any tumult taking place. The temper and good feeling which the People had uni formly shewn throughout the whole of the late pro ceedings, was a sufficient answer to any arguments founded upon apprehensions of that nature. The People had shewn that temperate and calculating disposition, which proved that their opinion in favour of her Majesty arose not from any sudden ebullition, but from a deep sense of what was due to the justice of the case. They had acted, as he trusted they al ways would act, when they saw an act of oppression meditated—they had stood forward manfully in be half of the intended victim,. and rescued her from the hands of her oppressors—( Cheers). Mr. CitooKe and Mr. GRIFFITHS supported the motion. Mr. Jury thought the simple question was, whe ther the Queen should be received with the honours which had always been conferred upon the King's Consort ? Mr. Bnowxx thought her Majesty would have ' been better advised, and that the interests of religion would have been better consulted, if she had abstained at this moment from such an act of ostentation.— Such, however, having been her determination, there , could be no question as to the course which the Cor poration of London ought to pursue, and he trusted they would never be wanting in paying the proper marks of respect to any branch of the Illustrious House of which her Majesty was so distinguished a Member. Queen she was, and as Queen she was en titled to all the privileges and distinctions belonging to that exalted stations. It was impossible for her Majesty to please everybody, and •he did think it extremely unfair that her Majesty's having chosen Wednesday, in preference to, Sunday, for, the sake of public decorum, should be urged as an argument against her. Mr. PATTEN supported the motion. Mr. Alderman HEYOATE, while he objected to the principle of the Bill of Pains and Penalties, and was rejoiced at the fate of that measure, could not but express his conviction, that the course intended to be pursued by the Queen, on this occasion, was incon sistent with her character and dignity, and calculated to lower her in the estimation of the enlightened part of the Public—( Cries of" No, no, Order, Chair r). The LORD MAYOR thought it desirable that as l much latitude as possible should be conceded to every Gentleman in the course of his observations. Mr. Alderman HEYOATE contended that he was perfectly in order; and after commenting upon the inexpediency of her Majesty's procession to St. Paul's, concluded by moving, as an Amendment, " That this Court, anxious for the preservation of tranquillity and order in the City of London, could not but express their regret at her Majesty's inten tion to proceed to St. Paul's Cathedral, and their con viction that such a proceeding, under present cir cumstances, was likely to be productive of serious inconvenience to the inhabitants of this City." Mr. Jamas seconded the Amendment. Mr. Sheriff WILLIAMS supported the original motion. • Mr. S. DIXON was as glad as any man could be at the abandonment of the Bill of Pains and Penalties. He would only observe at present, that when he saw what evidence had been produced against the Queen, he had some doubts upon his mind, and he would declare with equal candour, that when the evidence in her behalf had been heard, he had not a single doubt remaining—(Laughter). With respect to the motives which had actuated Ministers in this pro ceeding, it was impossible, in his opinion, for any honourable man to impugn them—(Laughter) He' would ask whether it was possible to impute impro per motives to Lord Liverpool, or the Lord Chan cellor, or Lord Harrowby, or Lord Bathurst ? (Cr ies of Question). As to her Majesty's going to St. Paul's Cathedral, the measure would be altogether unprecedented.. Queens regnant indeed had done so, but there was no instance of a Queen Consort having taken such a step. Mr. Alderman*Binc n 'opposed the original motion. Mr. CLARKE supported it. Upon Mr. Alderman HEYGATE rising, elks of " spoke, spoke," resounded from all parts of the Ball. A desultory discussion ensued upon the point of or der, whether a Member who had moved an Amend ment could be heard in reply. Considetable cnnfu %ion prevailed for some time in the Hall, and order was at length restored by the Lord Mayor's stating that Mr. Alderman lleygate waived any right to re ply, and wished merely' to be heard in explanation. After a few words in explanation, the Amendment was put and negatived, and the original motion car ried by a great apparent majority. A division was however called for, and tip numbers were— For the Original Motion, two Aldermen, two Tel lers, and 115 Cemmoners : and for the Amendment, six Aldermen, two Tellers, and 2.5 Comnioner*.— Majority BG. A Ward Committee was then appointed. The LORD Mayoa then laid before the Court ano ther communication from her Majesty, presenting the portrait of her late Itoyal Highness the Princess Charlotte ; and the Court unanimously accepted her Majesty's gracious offer thereof.—lt being rea'ly four o'clock,lMr. BROWNE moved, that this Coutt iu now adjourn. The LORD MAYOR was sensible that it vas ex tremely inconvenient to many Members of the Coir to continue their attendance at this late period of the day. Still, however, he thought it desirable to pro. ceed as far as possible with the business now before the Court. ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN?. Mr. FAVELL rose, and said, that in moving an A. dress of Congratulation to Queen Caroline on her escape from the Bill of Pains and Penalties, ha trusted he should carry wit'.) him a very large ma:a rity of that Court. When he moved an Address to her Majesty before, she was surrounded by cloads and darkness—the dread of concealed power of Mini;:ers, both at home and abroad, vith the purse of the nation to back them. But to-dap they had to celebrate the triumph of a long-op. pressed Lady—the triumph of the Free Press, Law, and of the Constitution, speaking through voice of the People. The way in which the spirit of the People had been kept up by the Press, was, in his opinion, beyond all praise. They could do no thing more becoming than to join in the thanksgiv ing and prayer with her Nlaje,ty, and he was asto nished to have heard that day any objection to sac's a measure. If her Majesty :lad proposed to celebrate her triumph by a feast, the worthy .Alderman would have said she should have gone to church. He traced the progress of the popular feeling from the omission of the Queen's name in the Liturgy, and censured Ministers for attempting with their puny arm to stop the mercies of HEAVER. The present Ministers, he said, were the greatest enemies that Royalty ever en countered. All the seditious and obscene writings, ftsm. Paine to the present time, did not effect half the mischief which these revolutionists had accomplished by their late proceedings. They, forsooth, imagine/ that they were et:titled, in their great power, to take upan themselves the destruction of their Queen. %Veil might he exclaim with the great Poet —......." 0! but man, proud man! " Dress'sl up in a little brief authority, " Plays such fantastic tricks before thou IIIAVEN, 44 As make the Angels weep !" The Ministers had heated the furnace of popular in dignation for others, but would be thrown into it themselves. They had demoralised, and would re publicanize, the country, by the advice they were giving to the Sove:eign. He had been brought up where the Ministers used to pray that there might never be wanting a Prince of the House of Hanover, to wear the Crown of this country ; but he was afraid Ministers would bring the People, as in other coun tries, to say that we can do without Kings or Queens either l That would be a dreadful state of things.--. If the principle of ex post facto law eras admitted, how Could he know that they were not liable to pa ' nishment when acting under the privileges of their Charter ? He then moved, that a dutiful and loyal Address be presented to her Majesty, congratulating her on her triumph over her enenries. Mr. TAYLOR,_ in seconding the Resolution, urged, that little regard was due to the opinions declared against the Queen in the house of Peers, proceeding as it did from the dependents of the Court. The preponderatihg influence of the Crown in that House, was admitted and justified by the supporters of the present system ; and, considering the unlimitel power assumed of c:eating and pen Toning Peers (not forgetting the revereno successors and imitators of St. Dunstan), it was to be expected that a number, devoted to ere wishes of the Court, h n Id b: found, proportioned to this influence. Much was sometimes said of the danger to Princes from the People: but history abundantly probed, that Royal Personages were the most signal victims of the uncontrouled Ipower of depots, and Princes might learn, from the present transactions, that their best safeguard was the freedom of the People. Alderman C. SMITH would not be doing his duty to the Public, the Court, and himself, if he did not declare his dissent from an Address to a woman who had been declared by a large majority of the Peers guilty of crimes that make us slitniderl—(l-lissespom below Me Bar). He spoke .a a father, and a Member of that Court. He - hid no doubt the time would ccme when they would be sorry for these Addresses. Mr. JUPP wished the Alderman had told them why they would repent of these Addresses, rather than giving them this general warning. For his part he did not think the threatened time would ever arrive. _ Mr. CLARK agreed in this Address, because he considered the late Bill of Pains and Penalties both impolitic and unconstitutional; and, therefore, be wished nothing introduced in the Resolution which might create a difference of opinion. Mr. JAME 6 said, the measure had only been aban doned on the ground of inexpediency ; but in, his view the question was, whether her Majesty was in nocent or guilty ?—( Cries of " No, no").—He con sidered that the escape of her Majesty was not such as to warrant muchmtriumph. He believed that the main dependence on this Address was, that it would have an influence on the places of Ministers, whose conduct, he conceived, had done them infinite honour throughout the whole of the late proceedings. Mr. Sheriff WAITUMAN had not intended to ad dress the Court on this subject, but this question was not one of the guilt or innocence of the Queen ; it was a constitutional one, for the People thought, and very properly too, that they would not have even a guilty person punished contrary to law. But the People also considered her innocent from the con tradictions of the wretched and perjured witnesseswho • had been hired, and paid to vilify and defame her. Mr. BROwNE felt all the exultation at the defeat of the late Bill; but he could have wished that there never had been a measure of this kind adopted to give cause for this exultation. He had come pre. pared to support an Address congratulating her Ma jesty on the triumph of the law ; but he could not agree that she had completely cleared herself of the . charge* which had been brought against her. Ile concluded by moving, as an Amendment, that the words relating to a refutation of the charges be omit ted from the Resolution. Alderman C. SMITH seconded this Amendment amidst a general laugh. Mr. T.N. WILLIAMS said a few words, after which the Amendment wits negatived ; and the original mo tion carried, on a shew of hands, by a large majorits. —See Advertisement in Me preceding page. se= 1 late Qin broi Dte btz don tair. 'on to bi vest thei, no c be c of I will and wor oft tend wor Eng The Peg as ti Eng the thin matt into cam mig I in Ber pre to 1 its I