The National Register. — London, England, 1821-10-07 00:00:00

316 MEETING IN NOUTHIVARK. On Friday, in pm-sinner of public notice, and of a notification that the Right the Lord Mayor had grimed the requi iitionisis the use of the Town-hall, in the borough of Sourhwark, a con.iderahle number of the electors assembled in that huilihig between twelve and one o'clock. The object of the meeting being to take into consideration such measures as might be deemed ino..t expedient for the purpose of remunerating Sir H. Wilson for any pecuniary loss that I.e may have become hable to, in consequense of his dismissal front his Ma jesty's service: application had beet, made in the first instance to the High liaildf to convene and preside at it. Oar readers are aware that that eentleinan declined to do sn, and stated the commis upon which he had thought fit to adopt that course. The Lord Mayor having sub. sequeritly allowed the electors to assemble in the l'own hall, it was on Friday compleie:y filled by one o'clock. the hour named in the notice. Mr. Alderman Wood, N 1. 1 3. accompanied by Mr. Weatherstone and oilier eenilemen, entered the room amidst the cordial eheerings of the comp:lily present. Mr. BLACK ObSelVed that, prep,ratory to emu inencing business, it was necessary that thuy shoold elect a chair- Mail, and he begged to propose Mr. ‘Vcathersione. Th; minion was set ondeil earrivd; and this gen tleman having accordin•g'y taken the chair, addressed the meeting : In calling him to that situation they had called him to a post of extreme &flit-idly. Knowing who the inen in authority were that they had to deal with, he could not hot look upon it more as a post of peril than of ho nour. The meeting, however, having made their call, he should most undoubtedly comply with it, as he did not wish by any unnecessary delay to protract the time for which they were likely to be occupied. He could have wished that the requisition which was first agreed to, and sent to the High 13.tihff, callitig upon him to con vene a meeting, had been complied with; but unfortu nately it had been refused. It was necessary, however, that permission to assenilde somewhere, in the proper form, should be procured ; and application being mad e to the Right Hon. the Lard litlayor for the use of the Town-hall, his Lordship, with his usual condescension, signified his assent. They were met to-clay to consider of the propriety of entering into a subscription, which was proposed to be raised, with a view to indemnify their worthy representative, Sir It. Wilson, for any pecimiary loss which he might sustain in consequence of his being recently dismissed from his Majesty's service. In doing this, he had earnestly to beg that they would strictly confine themselves to the letter of the requisition under which they were now assembled, and not depart from it. Had they met under the first requisition addressed to their High Ratliff, it would not have been necessary to observe the terms suite so strictly; but his refusal had put them to the patuful necessity of lookim, closely and carefully to the late six acts of Parliament, which had had the effect that was intended; for they had tongue. tied and shackled meetings like the present. Fur him self, he had but very little to say on the ',resent occasion; lan he should leave the subject to other gentlemen who slid intend to deliver their opinions. lie would observe before he sat down, that several communica:ions con nected with the matter now before them had been re ceived by himself and other gentlemen, and two of them he should proceed to bring under their notice; one, a letter which he received from Sir R. IVilson that morn ing (hear, hear); the other, a communication from Ci rencester, which Mr. Alderman %Vim(' would make I known to them. He sat down expressing his readiness to hear any thing which genilettien might have to say (Cheers.) Mr. Alderman WOOD felt it to be of very great im portance that he should introduce to the notice of the meeting a letter which he had last night receit ed from Sir R. Wilson—a letter which, when they laid heard, he was sure would render theirs quite proud in the possession of such a representative as theirs was, (hear, hear) ; and and they would think with him, that it did the writer, considering the circumstances he was now placed in, the highest possible honour. He (\lr. Aid. Wood) hid felt it to be his duty, upon the first sitegestion of such a meeting as the present, to attend it; and he was happy to attend one now, arising out of the late very extraor dinary dismissal of Sir Robert Wilson from the service. Attendance he should have considered a duty, even if he had not received those letters which had reached him.— He begged to be titiderstood as appearing there, not as a magistrate, though vested with that capacity, but as an elector, a voter of Southwark (hear), and occupying a considerable property in the bonnie!). Ile there fore, a right to appear em the present occasion, and to exercise (as lie hoped to do as long as he lived) the right of speech.—(Cheers.) Ile moreover felt it to be a duty so to appear, simply as a constimetit of Sir It. ‘Vilson ; bet as a magistrate he had thought proper to eeclitie the request made to him by several friends, that he world move the resolutions which were intended presently to be soh:tinted to them. Those resolutions, gentlemen woul:1 feel, would come with more propriety front others. WAS unquestionably the right as well as the duty of constituents, carefully to Watch titer the conduct of their representatives ; and by the result of that clay's meeting, it would be for them to prove whether they were satisfied with the conduct of his honourable friend Sir Robert Wilson in Parliament. Lyon this point he did not mean to speak with any personal vanity, nor to say my thing that might see m intended to applaud himself; but he did hope that lie might be considered as a good wit- nets in the maser.—(Hear, hear.) it certainly had hap pened, that either from the arrangements he always ad. fiered to, or from the good health lie w.:s so fortunate to enry, or from some other circumstances, he (Mr. Ald. NV oaf) was himself most regular ID hit parliamentary attendance, scarcely missing, as he believed he might say, an hour of that time which properly was at tle• dis posal of his own constituent, (('let r-.) 'Fins bring the case, he could speak most positively to the good conduct which had been pursued by Sir Robert NVilson in Par liament, namely, constant attendance there.—(blear, THE NATIONAL REGISTER hear,) It was impossible for any one to be more unva rying and exact in this particular, and it was this which made his lon. friend deservedly an object of their es• teem. Indeed, while he continued to use the sante exertions that he had done, for all which concerned the good of the borough, it was impossible the case should be otherwise. But that good conduct was more espe cially spparent in the ardour his hon. friend always manifested to support the great principles of constitu tional and religious liberty. No person was better able to advocate those than Sir Robert Wilson; and, in dead, the admirable way in which be had advocated them hul excited the surprise of some among his most particular friends. On Mesa grounds, then, he (Mr. Alderman Wood) was justiled in saying that no man could serve his constituents better than their worthy representative. Whatever might have been the motives of those persons who had advised the Crown to adopt the measure of dismissing him from its service, he (Mr. Ald. Wood) thought that they would be the very persons, who, on some future occasion, would be the most sorry for it. It was such an action, that, he thought, one more wicked, more cruel, or more mischievous to the country, was impossible to he done. (Hear.) Ile would not detain them much longer ; but he would ob serve. befOre he sat down, that although this letter from Sir R. Wilson did hint and his feelings much honour, lie could nut go along with the writer in the opinion which it expressed. His hon. filend tnust he the best judge of the state of his own finauces, and his family; yet he could not help thinking that they, who were his constituents, would do well to consider the propriety of 'dressing his gallant friend to acquiesce in the course which was proposed to be taken. Of the resolutions to be submitted, he would only say that he (Mr. Alderman IVood) had seen them, and that they met with his entire concurrence; and although his gallant friend had said, "Don't go on with this subscription," he trusted that the electors of Southwark would, and that their conduct would be extensively made known. (Hear.)—The worthy Alderman then handed the letter front Sir It. Wilson to the Chairman, by whom it was read to the meeting. TO THE OWITLEMBk ASS 88888 D AT Tna TUNES TUNS TAVERN, SOUTH MARS, SEPT. 26,1821. " GENTLEISEN,—i have this instant rend the resolutions which were passed at the meeting held under your auspices. " Impressed with the must grateful feelings for such a proud memorial of your esteem, I still must entreat you to cancel that resolution relative to a pecuniary subscription. 44 Economy, and arrangements I have no doubt of making, w ill afford me ample means to counteract the inconveniences to which my family might otherwise be exposed, by a con• &cation of my military income and of the capital vested in the commissions. " I have gentlemen, I assure you, no fear that your bounty would prove any shackle on that independence of action which it is more than ever necessary for your interests I should maintain ; but I could not without all abuse of your gene rous friendship, permit the purposed sacrifices in my favour. " 1 remain, gentlemen, with grateful sense of obligation, 44 Your obedient servant, " Paris, Sept. 30,1821. " R. T. IYILSON." This letter was erected with loud applause. Mr. Alderman Wouo again rose.—He was quite sure that the majority of the meeting would go along with him in the view he took of the great honour it that it reflected upon them to have such a representative.— (Hear.) Perhaps it was not altogether the consideration of the money that might be raised in the Borough of Southwark, (although he did not doubt that great libe rality would be evinced on the occasiou), but it was the principle of the subscription which was to be looked at. The adoption of such a principle would prove to his hon. friend that his constituents were well satisfied with his conduct. (Low! cheering.) Whether the subscription might he extended further was another question (hear, hear), and not now to come under their attention. They had, however, been told by some, that the subscription in favour of his hononrable friend, in its present state, was not all real. In answer to this, he (Mr. Alderman Wood) could assure the meeting that he could name at that moment one of the persons who had given 5001. towards it. (Hear.) It might not be very proper, how ever, for him to do so; but the meeting mi g ht les t satjs„ tied that the subscription was a genuine one. If it was was to go on to a more general and extensive subscription among the friends of Sir Robert Wilson, still he could not doubt that his hon. friends constituents would come forward and bear that sort of testimony to his character which they were ever ready tout() in favour of the friends of liberty. (Bear ) Tl.ere was another letter which had been put into his hands but a few minutes since, and which he would prevail upon the Chairman to read, as it might show what was the feeling entertained upon this subject in a distant part of the country; and he haul received several communications from oth - er quarters, all tending to show how much was likely to be done in for warding the ends proposed by the present meeting. The Chairman then read a letter handed to him by the worthy Alderman : a CIRENCESTER, 04 t. 3, 1821. " SIR,—I am reqnested by many respectable inhabitants of this borongh to inquest you will have the goodness to transmit to them, through me, any prospectu , , plan, or reso lutions, which may be adopted in consequence of the public meeting to be held to-morrow by the inhabitants of the I ll of Southwink. . . "The highly meritorious and truly magnanimous conduct of Sir Robert Wilson, claims front the inhabitants of Cirest. ester that sympathy which must reign in the breasts of all good men and true lovers of their country; they therefore beg to join their countrymen 1• paying a just tribute to in. jured virtue, by assisting the proposed subscription. I have the honour tube, Sir, " Your inibt obedient humble servant, " RICHARD HAWKINS." Mr. RYLAND owed an apology, he thought, to the meeting ior the circumstance of so young a mail, and one ..mparently so insignificant in the bthough, coming forward to propose these resolutions. (hear, hear.) His hon. friend, the Chairman, had said that his post was one inure of peril lball of honour. What the peril might be, the (Mr. Ryland) did not know, neither did he care ; but that it was a post of honour the whole meeting would concur with him in thinking. (Applause.) Sir R. Wilson was a child or their own. II he was a member of parliament, they had brought him forward without his asking them to do so. They had returned him without his having been out to a single shilling expense. They had elected him in advocate their cause, and the cause of British constitutional treedom. (Hear.s And he (Mr. Rayland) ventured to say, without any fear of contradiction, that the object of their choice had given them no reason to complain, or to repent of it. The electors of Southwark chose to oppose certain useasurts of Ministers which they considered injurious to the hest interests of their country ; arid they sent Sir Robert Wil. son to oppose them in Parliament. They chose to ste. port the Queen, because they believed her to be insult. d and wronged ; and Sir Robert Wilson, not merely out of deference to his constituents, but because such a course was agreable to his own feelings, supported the Qiiei n also.—These, then, were the causes, and the only cans, s, of the dismissal of Sir Robert W . dson. The toren nee which it remained for the meeting to draw from tht se premises was this—that inasmuch as they had beet, prima facie, the cause of their representatne's acting its this manner. it was for them to sect t from him, as much as imssible any pecuniary ill consequences of such a course of proceeding. That being the state of the Cast, lie (Mr. Ryland) thought it was their duty to repay in the manner proposed, that which de facto they had taken away from Sir Robert Wilsou and his H e should now merely read the resolutions; and Lave them to be afterwards separately put from the chair. Resolved,—That without qnestiotting his Majesty's pre rogative to dismiss officers from his service, we cannot bet view with west sorrow the late exercise of it in the person of our respected, honourable, and gallalit repre sentative, Sir Robert Wilson; nor ears we feel but that the advice given by his Majesty's confidential advisers to that effect, was intended more to punish an opposer at their measures, and a suppotter of the late ever-to-be. lain( nted Queen, than for the benefit of the public service, For can we consider that advice upon any ground to lie jest, without an opportunity having been gives for his defence, tending, as it has, to deprive Sir Robert Wilson of his commissions, for which he paid upwards of 5,0001., and after having rendered the most eminent services to his country for neatly 23 years, during the moat eventful period of our history. Resolved,—'That in order to send forth the opinions of the electors of Southwark, of the manliness, humanity, and independence of Sir Robert Wilson, and their abhor. rence of persecution iu every shape, it is expedient that a public subscription be immediately entered into, in order to indemnity him for the pecuniary loss the late measure is calculated to occasion, and to prove to the writ Id that his constituents and the people of England do (even in these times) protest against arbitrary power, and will support an injured and high. ilea individual. Resolved,—That it is highly expedient to invite a public meeting of the independent citizens of London, and such noblemen and gentlemen of the country as may feel dia. posed to attend, as soon as possible, for the purpose of furthering the objects of this meeting. Resolveti,—'llat a co 11111 l ittce, consia ing gentlemen, be now appointed, in or foregoing resolittious into effect, viz.— Mr. A Id. iVouil I Mr. Townsend Mr. rdaCk G.Weatherstone Cooper ALller J. G. Ryland Hall At rowsueol A. Ryland Mellersh Jones Geo. Brasfield Plant Whiting I Geo. Pule Stanbury Husking Thos. Marsden Davis Sa tterley. And that Mr. Robert Hall be requested to act as Secrcs Lary. Resolved,—That the following banking-In:uses re. ceive subscriptions, via.—Messrs. Martin sod Co. Loin • bard-street; Messrs. Latibruke and Co. blank-buildings; Messrs. Williams and Co. itirchin•latie ; Messrs. Ransom and Co. ; and Sir Julm Pinliorn and Cu. Bo rough-bank. Resolved,—That the thanks of this meeting lie respect fully offered to the Right lion. the Lord Mayor of the city of London, fur his kindness in granting the permission to the electors of Southwark to use the Town-hall, after the High Bailiff had refused odieially to cuovene or sanction a politic meeting. Resolved,—'Chat the thanks of this meeting be given ta the Chairman, George %Veatherstoue, Esq. for his able anti impartial conduct in the chair. Itesolved,—That the thanks of this niectiiig be given to the Editors of The Tunes and other independent journals, fur their exertions in the same cause. ling of the follow riler to carry the Resolved,—That the thanks of this meeting be given to the Editor of The Trate!kr, for his importa u r communica tion this day, and for the patriotic exertions made in that journal in behalf of Sir It. Wilson. The first and second resolutions having ben carried unanimously, The CHAIRMAN said, he had now the pleasure of communicating two other letters which he had recesses. ; and when he should have read them, he thought they would in some measure tend to dispel that scepticism which the government press had ath:cted u. entertain relative to the reality of these public subs•ntptions. l'hc first was from Mr. Barber Beaumont:— Oxford, Sept. 2to. Sir,—Understanding from the newspapers that the distinguish ed Generrt Robert Wilson is dismissed the service without a trim, or even an accuser; and finsPog that the public are proceet - Mg to indemnity that patriotic and noble-minded gentleman ter I `s pecuniary suffering on the occasion, may I request you to enter nay name fur fifty pounds for the in/Tose? I :in, Sir, respectfully, Your very obeioent ser vant, J. T. BARBER BEALTAIONT. To George Weatherstone, E.g. Cludtman of tne Southiverk Meeting, &c. (Cheering.) This Mr. Beaumont, he had also the plea sure to inform the meeting, was a magistrate of the county of Middlesex. He would now read 311001;3' note, with which possibly they would still be inure pleised. t was from the Editor ol the Travel/re evening p-,p..r: " Trourtkr.office,ll, Crane-con' t, Oct. 5. 1821. " Gentlemen—l have the pleasure of announcing to you the following subscriptions which have been forwarded to the °thee tit the Traveller, in behalf of the object which you are about to meet to carry into effect. I beg that they may be announced as coining through the Editor of