Star. — London, England, 1822-08-24 00:00:00

rsr:,.. ? . ~. ' l' 7 l 4 ' l oar energies and resources, and in that load of a Na tional Debt, the interest of which cannot be raised without the risk of a national convulsion—a debt which never can be reduced without some arrange- I merit between the public creditor and debtor, but which, I trust, never shall be made, without a Par liamentary Reform being at the same time effected. I would further say, that my answer is to be found in the increased and increasing influence of the Crown; in the infringement on the liberties of the People by the Aristocracy ; and in the Corruption of the Howe of Commons, through the influence of Boroughmongers ;—These, indeed, ate evils which ere, unhappily, too apparent—they are evils which we gave for a long time endured, and which, I fear, we are still to endure, without alleviation. — My answer must be found in that curious Report presented to the House of Commons by a Committee of its own appointment, which states that 109 of its own Members are receiving of the public money £209,843 annually, 'exclusive of the fees of those offices which many of them hold. What can the, country chill when they see this me i pey taken from their industry by those persons they have appointed as the guardians of the public purse ?—( Loud cheers}. A perusal of that document would shew that a majo rity of the house were returned by the Peers, by the Aristocracy, and by those who were connected with them. I ask, is there any man who can here lay his hand to his heart, and without prejudice say it is fitting that the lives, the fortunes, and the interests of the People of England should be committed to the care of such a House of Commons?—( Hear) — My answer must be read in that Alliance falsely and impiously called Tidy, to which this country bad joined, and then became the enemies of freedom at home and the dread and abhorrence of every coun try in Europe:--in a Ministry, treating with unde viating contempt all the wishes or suggestions of the People, and treating their Petitions with studied and cold neglect, and in their measures of weak ness and of vacillation, and in their intolerance, to which we are the unfortunate victims—(Cheering). I have, perhaps, sufficiently afforded reasons to war rant the step I have taken in calling you together; b.it as I have been accused of intentions to disturb the tranquillity of the County, I will say, that a mo ment of quiet is that which a wise statesman would select for the discussion of any great and important question. Without danger from abroad, without in testine commotion, we may safely, and without any imputation on our motives, agitate the great subject of Reformation—(Dear).—Men any country is sur rounded with danger, it looks naturally for relief to fie wisdom of its Representative Body; but we have been suffering under want and privations—we are threatened with dangers of the most fatal kind, and have been looking for the last six months to Parlia ment for relief. We, however, find that nothing is done for our advantage—nothing but doctrines which are broached, contrary to the great and fun damental enactments of our ancestors, and to those principles which they defended with their blood, and gave to us as their last and most invaluable legacy— (llear).—lt will not be necessary to bewilder our selves in antiquarian research; we have only to look to that glorious Revolution, which we have been taught to venerate horn our very cradle—(Hear) — and the anniversary of which great and necessary mea sure I have seen celebrated within this very room with 4 , all the pomp and pride of circumstance."— As the late Speaker of the House said, would not our ancestors start from their graves with indignation, if they could know that the principles which they had nourished and regarded with homage were at this day trodden under foot? It was reserved for us to lee an English house of Commons, not obliquely, but directly, avowing its belief, that it is not at all essential to the safety of the Constitution that the Re presentation should be for, and not with the People. I must express surprise to hear a Gentleman give his support to those doctrines in that House. But had I been, like the eloquent Member I allude to, the Re pre,entwive of the Burgesses of the second town in the kingdom, I would take my stand on constitu tional ground, and let Corfe Castle and Old Sarum, shift fur themselves--(alpidause).--If we are not really Milling to see the House of Commons not made the reflection of the public mind, and allow the Bill of Rights to be thrown into the fire as a bundle of waste paper, we must act with spirit and with firmness, to save ourselves from the consequences which must in evitably follow the measures at this day adopted— (Hear, hear). —There was a time when an Act of Parliament recognized the principle that placemen should not be permitted as Members of the House of Commons; but what is the doctrine of Parliament at the present time?—that places and pensions are necessary to keep the King of this country upon his Throne. Ate the supporters of this doctrine aware of the consequences following upon it ? From its admission, it appears as a matter of course that the King cannot support the security or dignity of his Throne without the aid of corruption—(Dear), or his power be upheld, without bribing and cor rupting the Representatiites of hie People. Is it not by that argument at once admitted that the House of Commons are devoid of all sense of public duty or responsibility, and that they are only to be swayed by motives of profit or emolument. I find that every thing is altered. There was a time when taxation was dreaded as the greatest evil i for, according to the old adage, there were no evils in life certain but taxation and debt." But how do they speak now on the subject? To take off taxation, one says, is only to aggravate distress—another holds that it is dangerous to interfere with the. GRRAT AUTHOR 01 NATUItE ; a third maintains that taxation is a provi dential dispensation ; and a fourth will find a re medy for it on the principles of resurrection. If, indeed, under all this oppression, we are humble, our Rulers are pleased to be satisfied; but if we complain, we are proud and are arrogant. If we grumbled, we were called impatient—(Hear, hear). 'There was a time, when in this country, a standing army was dreaded as inimical to the Constitution. When knowledge was looked upon as the source of power and of public happiness, bringing with it wealth and tranquillity; but it was reserved for this day, to have it considered as a nuisance, and only to be met by the counterpoise of influence and corruption— (Llear, hear).—lt was reserved for the present day, ta hear a Nliiiister of the Crown declaic, that if the Petitions to the Howe of Commons dare use language which it might consider as insulting, the Executive mf'w ~;' ?4~ T "'. ~.: 77r7 1 ''' bad the power to punish every one of them. Rut he well knew that no Minister of the Crown dare utter such doctrines to a House whose Members were chosen from the People; not would Such a House of I Commons suffer Ministers to tell it so. I have thus I endeavoured to explain to you my opinion on the sub ject of Reform. " I have nothing extenuated, or set down aught in malice." I can say with Pope— .. Whoever's in or nut who moves the state machine, Don't raise my envy, or excite nay spleen ;" provided the country is free, contented, and happy. Which of us, I will say, that does not think that, un der the present specious language of those in power, there does not look some dangerous design to govern for the future without responsibility and without con trail ? No, Gentlemen, the domination under which we suffer has nothing to do with the Constitution ; it is the offspring of fraud and cunning ; it was begot by the Septennial Act, nursed by Walpole, and rear ed ; to giant strength under the Pelhams—(Applarise).— All the evils we endure, and have endured, both the past and the present, are connected with the want of Reform. We cannot live without it, I maintain, though Mr. Vansittart says we can govern without Reform—(Hear, hear). Gentlemen, if lam asked what description of people I should wish to admit as Members of the House of Commons, I will an- Awer, men who will determine to act on principles consistent with the great estates of the realm, and who would preserve the purity and , power of each.— [Here Mr. STAPLETON interrupted the speaker, and proposed an adjournment to a larger room, or to the open air.—Loud cries of " Go on 11 —Mr. FAwees resumed. I wish a King, clothed with all the splen dour becoming his high station, with power to enable him to carry all measures into execution with promp titude and effect—a King, who governs by the law, with whom the most solemn of alI contracts were made, and the greatest of all trusts confided to him , with his sceptre—(Hear, hear I); a House of Lords, an Oligarchy, acting as a balance of power, wisely placed between the Crown and the People, to protect the one and defend the other—content with their own peculiar privileges, and not inclined to infringe on the liberties of the people, and who could act for their own and the country's good without the corn ' mission of crime. I would also wish to see a House of Commons fairly sympathizing with the feelings of the people in every enactment, in the imposition of every tax, and the removal of every oppression ; who would prefer their country's to their own advantage, and who would neither obey the call of the Treasury, nor bow to the dictates of a Minister—(Loud cheers). I fear I have detained you too long—(Hear, hear) — but I have redeemed my pledge in this perilous mo ment; and I have given every man in this country an opportunity of expressing his opinions on the great subject of Reform. I have devoted a great part of my life to that cause. I shall still support it ; but to your keeping I now commit it—(Plear). Allow me to think that the opposition I have met has been more owing to the agent than to the cause. The germ of Reform is still warm and budding, and I hope that it will yet quicken, and the tree of liberty spring from it, exalt itself, and flourish—(Hear). Let me hope that this great measure will not be delayed until all precautions are useless, and until all wisdom, talent, and virtue, shall be of no avail—(Applause). Mr. CHALONER said that a Chairman was neces sary, and he would beg leave to propose that Mr. Fawkes do take the Chair. Sir WILLIAM INGLEBY seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr. FAWKES took the Chair amid acclamation. Mr. STAPLETON again proposed an adjournment to the open air, as the room was not sufficiently large —(Cries of Go on, go on). Mr. DALTRY said, after the eloquent and able speech of the Chairman, he would not detain the Meeting. He would merely propose the Resolutions he held in his hand, for their adoption. The Resolutions were seconded by Sir W. INot.say. Mr. CHALONER supported the Resolutions, which were then put seriatim, as follows : Resolved, Ist. That it is the opinion of this Meeting, that a Reform in the Commons House of Parliament--such a Reform as would render it the real rather than the virtual Representation of the People—is become a measure of urgent necessity. 2d. That this Meeting collects the truth of this fact from the recorded history of the House itself, where it is found that every successive Administration. of whatever party, can, with a few solitary exceptions—of which the interested spirit has been too manifest—at all times command the majority. 3d. And this Meeting is willing to believe that the numerous body of Placemen and Pensioners, which a Committee of the House of Commons has reported to exist in its body, has greatly tended to produce this spirit of dependence on the one hand, and of unbounded power on the other. 4th. Further, that the return of Members to the Commons I kuse of Parliament, as appears from numerous statements made in the House itself, bring effected through the influence of Peers of the realm, as well as of the Lords of the Treasury, is another cause why the votes of the House so implicitly follow the dic tates of successive Administrations, and frequently with the sacri fice of the best interests of the country. sth. Convinced of this great truth, this Meeting thinks it right to watch the opportunity of adopting the steps necessary to rouse this great country to their exertions, which may be wanted to effect such a Reform as shall restore our Representation to a state of Conuitutir ial purity, calculated at once to protect the of the P- and the Cro,- rights _'eople )wn. 6th. Further, that to bring abouttliat great object, it Is the opinion of this Meeting that a Committee be immediately ap pointed, with power to add to their numbers, who shall meet on the first Monday in November, to originate a County Alerting, or to adopt such other measures u they may conceive requisite to promote a Reform in the Commons House of Parliament. The Resolutions were unanimously agreed to; and the following Gentlemen appointed as the Committee, with power to add to their numbers: Mr. Fawkes ; R. Chaloner, Esq. M.P. Sir W. Ingleby, But. Mr. Sykes, M. P. Colonel Cradock ; Mr. G. Wentworth, of Wentworth Park ; Sir H. Vavasour, Bart. Sir 6. Cayley, Bart. M. WyviU, M.P. Mr. Cholmeley ; S. Crompton, Esq. M.P. G. Crompton, Esq. of Wood End; and Lord Milton, (who was ab sent from the Meeting, on account of the indisposition of his Noble Father.) Mr. WirviLL, M. P. strongly urged the necessity of Parliamentary Reform, and concluded by mov i ng that the thanks of the Meeting be given to Walter Fawkes Esq. for his conduct in the Chair, and for his indefatigable exertions in the cause of Reform. The question was put, and carried by acclamation. Mr. FAWKES expressed his grateful acknowledg ments for the honour which had been conferred on him ; and assured the Meeting that they might de pend on the best of his humble exertions at all times in that great cause.—The Meeting then separated. A SINGULAR COINCIDENCL— ' Tuesday morning an old Lady went into a shop at Tonhridge Welk, to change a penny for four farthings, when she received bur pieces of that description of ct.in, severally of the reign of GEORG& I. 11. 111. IV. and in all which reigns the old Lady had lived. ~- . .~ ,`+; , himps=cd:zem=l 1 111 E EVLNiAIi *STAR. LoN DON'. SATURDA Y, AUGUST 24, 1822. Amovitass ow or Sr. Dessnotostre.--Heliday at the Bask. STOCK KXCIIANG IS, TWELVA O'CLOCK. Both the Bank and Stock Eachange are shut to-dap, It being a holiday. Consols have been done on 'Change at Sul I ; and, fur October, at 110 j 81. Fonluau Funds.—Rosslan and Prussian Bonds seem to be in great demand; Chilian Bonds retrain rather flat. la Banish Bonds there is some business doing. All foreign securities seem to be on the rise.—Chiliau 831 to / ; New Spanish 641; Oid 65j; New Prussian 871; Old 891; Danish 81,3 ; Neapolitan 701 I ; Colombian 86i ; Scrip 861 ; French Funds 941.—The Portuguese Loan is talked of as making its appearance soon. We believe we may now state with confidence that I I Wednesday next is fixed for the day on which his MAJESTY will take leave of his Scottish subjects. On Tuesday his . MAJISTY held a Drawing Room at Holyrood House, when nearly five hundred Ladies were presented to his MAJESTY ; and, says one (4 the Edinburgh Papers, " a finer array of lovelier women no country could produce." The Peers Ball was to take place last evening. The Grand Procession from Holyrood House to the Castle, which was fixed for Thursday, has been deferred to this day ; but it was doubtful whether it would take place at all or not, notwithstanding the •ast preparations which have been made. One of our letters from Edinburgh, re ceived this morning, says, " the rumour is that the parties who formed the idea of that pageant had no authority for what they did ; and a Deputation has, it is said, been sent to Dalkeith, to represent to his MAJESTY the great disappointment that would ensue were the Procession not to take place." To-morrow his MAJerry hears Divine Service in the High Church. The Moderator of the General Assembly, Dr. LAMONT, has been appointed to the honourable office of preaching on that occasion. On Tuesday the KING attends the Theatre; and, on ♦Wednesday, his MAJESTY leaves his loving Northern subjects for London,where his attention will be first called to filling up the blank left in the Administration by the death of the late Marquis Of LONDONDERRY. It appears now pretty certain that the Duke of WELLINGTON will represent this country at the ap proaching Congress. It is said his Grace will meet the Emperor of RUSSIA at Vienna on the 15th of September, and that Mr. PLANTA will accompany his Grace as Secretary to the mission. Were the Duke of WELLINGTON as skilful a Diplomatist as he is a General, there could be no fear of his being a match for the Russian and Austrian politicians, with whom he will come in contact ; but we have had little proof of the diplomatic talents of his Grace, and that , 1 little has, unfortunately, not been in his favour. Mr. PEEL is now confidently spoken of as the new Foreign Secretary, though to make such whimsical transfers of office as we sometimes see, would induce the opinion that less talents are required than the world generally gives statesmen the credit of pos ' sessing. Lord COLCHESTER is spoken of as the suc cessor of Mr. Putt in the Home Department. Should these appointments take place, the No Popery party will strongly predominate in the Cabinet. It has been already stated that the KING had in' contemplation to restore the forfeited titles of the Scottish Peers. Among those particularly likely to receive this proof of his NIAJESTY'S favour, we hear, are the Dukedom of Perth, and the Earldom of Mar ; the former to be given to Lord GWYDYR, in right of his wife, and the latter to Mr. ERSKINE, of Mar. It is also rumoured that there will be some new crea tions, when Sir WALTER Sco•rT will be raised to the Peerage, with the title of Baron ABBOTSFORD. The French Papers of Wednesday have been re ceived. They contain intelligence from Spain, Rus sia, and Greece, which, though not of great import ance, is not destitute of interest. A private letter from Warsaw states, that the Emperor ALEXANDER will not hold a Diet there, as the last Diet incurred his displeasure; and, from the circumstance of the Grand Duke CONSTANTINE being nominated to the command of Lithuania, it is feared that Poland, which has already lost its Constitution, will be united to Russia, notwithstanding the Congress of Vienna has guaranteed its existence as a Kingdom. The following are extracts: PARIS COURT OF ASSIZE, AUGUST 21. The trial of the affair called the conspiracy of La Rochelle commences this day, before the Court of Assize of the Seine. The persons charged with con spiring are twelve in number, and the first on the list is Jean Marie Remand Bardere, an Advocate residing in Paris. These twelve are accused of having participated in a plot to destroy or change the Go vernment, or the order of succession to the throne, 'br to excite citizens to arm themselves against the Royal authority, &c. Thirteen others are charged with misprision, or concealing the plot during twenty four hours after it came to their knowledge. The Procureur•General, according to the act of accusation or indictment, described the offence of the prisoners to be a conspiracy of vast extent against social order and Thrones ; but against every family of citizens, threatened to be again plunged into , anarchy, even more than against the dynasties of Sovereigns. This con piracy is the woz kof the se ct; - ~ ‘ 7"771! 'of Cailonari, spread through Italy, Germany, *wit. :Leyland, and Greece, and which has also penetrated France, beginning with Corsica. The oath of the affiliated is conceived in these terms: & I swear to vase liberty atom al Mop, to face death to an oraasioas for the Carbooari—to abaodoo, as the drat sigh ,4 the brothers at sty ewe blood to aid arid aurae owlerotbars (Ile Carboaaro tt The indictment then statei Paris to art (Om of insurrection, by the influence of whi h, plots have broken out in all parts of France, -~ •• ,- . •••••••11. ••• V • • TRISSTE, AUGUST S. A merchant vessel arrived at this moment from Smyrna, brings the news' that tranquillity continues to prevail there. In Smyrna it is reported that MO don and Coron had surrendered to the Greeks be cause they despaired of being relieved after the death of the Captain Pacha. Parras continues to hold out; and it is known that the new Captain Pacha, Cara Mehmet, has shut himself up there. When this for tress is taken, all the Morea will be free. Letters frosts Cerigo confirm the news relative to Coron and Modon. According to, letters from Constantinop!e, of the 20th July, the Grand Seignior has causeJ two o f 'the Bishops, who were in prison, to be hanged. anti the Patriarch is also dead, without its being known by whom he died. Yams Foetal, Awoust 21.—Five per Cents. Consols opened at 93f. 90c. lowest 93f. &Cc. closed at 93f. 90c. This forenoon we received the following intelligence horn Bayonne. It would appear that the Insurgents still continue their marauding enterprizes in the Spa nish frontier provinces : BAYONNE, AUGUST 16. The post from Madrid wa-, in fact, stopped and detained by a band of 100 men, at Salinas, on Sun day evening. The factious took out the official cc:- respondence from Madrid, and burnt the Journals.— Twenty hours afterwards, they dismissed the postillion with the rest of the correspondence, which arrived here on the 14th, at six o'clock in the evening. It is to be hoped that the new Ministry will remove theLe obstacles. Andalusia and Gallicia continue tranquil, and the Militia combat with success the bands which infest them. It is false that there have been considerable assemblages of Royalists on the banks of the district of Orense ; for the Journals acrd private letters from Corunna and St. Jago say, there is no band of above 60 men in that province. The district of Cuenca, in New Castile, is almost candy in the power of the Royalists, who, to the number of 1200 men, make continual incursions, even up to the gates of Alcala. Other less numerous c traverse by turns the province of Toledo, and that of Gala Real. We do not speak of several bands of it6heri, which stop the couriers, and ill-use travellers on ti:e high roads (as we learn from several Frenchmen %%ix) have lately arrived at Bayonne, and who bad erea been stripped of their shirts). In consequence of orders sent by the Goiernment, measures are taking in the capitals of the province to enable the active Militia to take the field; but truth obliges us to say, that in those districts where there are partisans, the Militia, either seduced or of their own free will, prefer joining them to obeying the Government ; and the idea of having to go and fight in Catalonia, contributes to this desertion. This, however, is not the case in Gallicia, where the Mi litia have punctually obeyed the call addressed to them ; and, of eight Regiments already on foot, six were on the point of marching to Valladolid, and also ten pieces of cannon, from the arsenals of Co runna and Ferrol. The destination of this force is not known. About 3000 men, mostly Militia, were ready to embark at Algesiras for Catalonia. 'lle want of money will delay the expedition a few days. The accounts from Guipuscoa mention the defer: of the partizan Vranga, on the 11th instant, near Aspeitia, as well as the measures which have been taken in that country against the factious, whose ex cesses are incalculable. We have no positive news of Quesada, and have only learnt that his troops have made a movement into the interior of the province, towards Estella, while the Constitutionalists were near Pampeluna ; but we do not know of any engagement since the surprise of the eighty men which we mentioned in our last. We are informed that this defender of the Faith, with the view of diminishing the force of the enemy, who pursue him incessantly, has lately detached guerillas of 100, 150, and 200 men, into the provinces of Verinse, Navarre, and Arragov, which give much employment to the Comfit ution:ili6a, who are inferior in number. It is said that the Spaniards have declined accept= ing an auxiliary force of 15,000 men, which was of fered them by the Court of Lisbon. The LORD CRANCELLOR will set out in a few days for his seat, Encombe, in Dorsetthire. After a short residence there, he proposes to visit his estate of El don, in the North of England, from which be derives his title. Yesterday, the CHANCELLOR of the Excinnuert ar rived in town from his residence at Blackheath, and in the afternoon left town for the seat of Colonel VANSITTART, in Berkshire. • Yesterday, a Board of the Lords of the Treasury was held at the Treasury Chambers, at which the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER WaS present. A superb table of polyanthus wood has recently been added to the tmique furniture of Carlton Palaces It is beyond description beautiful, and the veinings ex hibit nature in all its strange varieties. Yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. G. LAMB entertained I.old MELBOURNE acid a select party to diLues, at Ll:eu house at Richmond. I I .0 14 , 11 ! ~~a