The National Register. — London, England, 1809-04-16 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. be pardoned for not suppressing the sympathy, with which my heart is full, in the rich reward he enjoys in the benedictions of a beloved country, gratefully bestowed fn. exalted talents, zeal ously' devoted, through a long career, to the advancement 01 its highest interest and happiness. But the source to which I look for the aid which alone can supply my deficiencies, b in the well-tried intelligence and virtue of my fellow-citizens, and in the counsels of those represented them in the other de partments associated in the care of the national interest. In these my confidence will, under every difficulty, he best placed; next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being, m hose power regulates the destiny of nations—whose blessings have been so conspicuously diTenAed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past. ns well as our fervent supplications r.nd best hopes for the future." MIDDLESEX MEETING. Tuesday, pursuant to the Sheriff's Advertisement, a Meeting of the Freeholders of Middlesex *Awl( place at the Mermaid. Hackney. A little after one o'clock. Mr. Sheriff Smith read to the Meet ing the regnisition on which they had been called together. r. Tutinell then rose.—The friends of the Duke of York acknottleticed that there hal been cross misconduct and strong au,,eit . inns of cum, ption attachiag to him; and unless the people were cordial in enfor;-ing their conviction to a greater extent, there could be nn hope of rescuing the country from the dangers that surrounded it. No reform enttld ever take place were col.. ruption allowed to remain at the head, of the chief offices of the State. The old, - rewanl public spirited men could receive was, in the thanks and approbation of a grateful colon tr% , such was the reward to which 511.. Wardle was entitled.— Me also considered Mr. Bync, one of their representatives, as enti:led to a similar mark of consideration from his having sup ported Mr. Wardle with hk vote, and was sorry he could not add the name of their other Member (Mr. Mellish), .w kith he would have done with pleasure to his vote of thanks, had not his conduct put it out of his power to do so. He concluded by moving a string of Resolutions. The first Resolution was to the following effect—" That it Ita4 long been a matter of public notoriety, now put beyond a doubt by the late Inquiry, that abuses have existed in the highest de partments of the State."-2d. " That the facts which have ap peared in the course of the late Inquiet, are fu:ly sufficient to satisfy this Meeting of the aeces , it v of further inquiries into punlic au uses. wherever they are to he found."—The 3,1 Reso• lution contains a Vote of Thanks to Mr. Wardle; and •t he 4th, to Sir F. Burdett, Lord Folkstone, Mr. Whitbread, and the rest of the 1'27 Mrint)ers who voted with Mr. Wurdle.—They were all agreed to. 'F 6th being put, Mr. Waithman objected to that part which voted thanks to 11r. tho:e who voted ith him, as ioconsi-tent with the former vote of thanks to the Misfit ity of 125, against which they had voted. He had other objec t uni. There had been too much splitting of hair'', and an at tempt of certain individuals to snatch the merit from Mr. War t:llc.: hands, ::s they had done in the case of Lord Melville, wlwn, thong') their conscience: would not allow them to go the length ithed, so neither would they go the length of Mr \V hi tbi ead's npo ion t'alt part of the Resolution thanking, Mr. Banke', /ix. was wit ,orlwo, awl Ow Itesolutionas amended put and carried. ri+e Ith Resolution being put, Mr. Byng expressed himself gratified, that his conduct had met the approbation of his l'on•iituents, which next to that Of his own honour and con science. •was the deare4 to him. lie considered himself as sent to Parliament to net for them, and if he ditfered from their ge, Leral -e.iwoent, he would have surrendered a trust he felt him la I unable to execute. Ile hoped to live to see the time when the duration of t:ieir (Mice would be so short that no representa tive could long art in direct contradiction to the opinion of his Constituents. The lion. Gentleman proceeded to say, that his vote wa s the re-ult of a thorough examination of the evidence, lind that he would h ive been degraded in his own opinion, could he have hesitated a momcia upon it. If the Inquiry ended • ith the resi ;nation of the Commander in Chief, it would be of as - rifle use as the dismissal of Lord Melville; but he hoped he looked forward to what the spirit of the Country, which was uuw excited ) would do to procured radical reform. • • APRIL 16. The 7th, Bth, and 9th Resolutions, censuring Ministers, rind ex pressing the uecessity of a rarliatnentary Reform, thca passed unanimously. Major Cartwright addressed the Meeting, to inform them, that though their present resolutions went merely try a reform of the Offices of State, a requisition to consider of tilt , means of a Parliamentary Reform was in the room to receive signatures. A Meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern would take place this day fortnight, for the saute purpose, where the dinner would be under the direction of fifty stewards, from Edinburgh in the North, to Surrey in the South; from the Eastern Coasts of Eng land to the Western Coasts in Wales. At the period the deepest gloom covered the political horison of this country, and no Mi nister or Member of Parliament could give a hope Of safety,— Providence produced Colonel trdle, to animate the public mind, to raise the public spirit. The Speaker then en tered into a calculation to chew, that if the pineemen and pensioners in the House of Commons (78), and one-seventh of the naval and military officers had been nut of the question, the Duke of York's friends would have been in a mi nority of nine. Ministers ought to he punished, and they were now punishing them. He concluded by expressing his hopes that there would he a full me:sting at the Crown and Anchor,. and a speedy meeting of the Middlesex Freeholders there-after, on the subject of a Reform in Parliament. Mr. Clarkson said, the Meeting had done justice to one or their Representatives, he now called on them to do justice to the other. lie then stated, that Mr. Mellish had voted for the ac quitthl of the Duke of York on the charges of corruption and connivance, and contended, that in so doing, he had not done his duty, as no MR* could read the evidence without being couvineed that there was gross corruption ? Mr. Rentir.y was proud to second this Itesolution, and wished 'lr. Mellish to he heard iii his defence. Mr. Mellish, upon the grounds of amplit justice to him and to themselves, IP) t`d they would °ice him a patient hearing in his own defence. JIB• candidly acknowledged he expected this vote of censure would he put, and had come to the Meeting to fart it, as, if he had staid away, it might be said he was ;rimmed of his conduct. He would not wade through the minutes of evidence to chew on what grounds his vote had proceeded, but would tell them a plain story, to prove, that while their representative he had acted in such a manner as to ensure the approbation of his own breast. and that he had ever done his duty. if he was a placeman or a pensioner, or had any expectations, or had been bribed. directly or iudirectly, then indeed he would have been miserable, but he challenged any man present to accuse him of such thing, or to ioty that he had not always conscientiously and diligently attended to his parliamentary d►sties, as connected with. their representation. If he differed with them on a political subject, it was the head of his offence. Ile had voted, after be ing at his post during the whole investigation in the House of COIIIIIIOIIA, that the Duke of York was neither guilty of corrup• Lion or connivance, and his opinion was unaltered at this mo ment. Mr. Waithman replied to the last Speaker, who had (he said) received as patient a hearing as any one under his circumstances could expect, though he regretted he had not been allowed complete latitude, :ts every thing he could sav must be more against than for him. lie then produced a hill addressed by Mr. :Mellish to the Freeholders of Middlesex at the last election, and commented upon it at some length, concluding with ex pressing his hopes, that the County would never be guilty of a repetition of their folly in re-electing hint. In this bill. besaid, "You know the folly of professions, I will make none," (they could not catch him there) " you have seen enough of them in hint I oppose ," ►tteaning. Sir F. Burdett, rs ho fought the battles of the people. Ile had pledged himself to support the Constitution, and in do ing this he had only supported its corruption. Ile hoped the Cnunt of ,Middlesex would in future follow the example of West minster, and elect patriotic representatives, free from all personal: ex pence, and concluded by moving au amendment, that Mr. Mellish was unworthy their confidence. Ile could not forfeit what he never possessed. ]llr. Clarkson adopted the amendment proposed by Mr.Waith maul and the Resolution was passed. The Sheriffs is e then, on the motion of Mr. Tuffnell, unani mothisi thanli.ed for their constitutional readiness in calling the Meeting, and their impartial conduct during the day ; for which they severally returned thanks, and adjourned. 246 I