The National Register. — London, England, 1823-01-26 00:00:00

•~--~ i ~_ THE ITAIIONAL REGISTER .4I Ann igglgy influence exercised at this moment in the Hein erCetwootts which has not been exercised in a similar manner, daring the last 400 years, both by the Crown and the Atistocracy.--(No tio.)-11 I convitice you that this is the fact, I think 1 may turn mood and mat if the country has nut eit:i.tycl many privileges and blessings during the tieriutl—(no, 111 4 and laughing)— and whether we have not to boast of many things which must have arisen solely out of a state of good Govern nteut—(No, nn I)—lit the case of the borough of New. ion also, he found that the members were nominated by the Steward of the Lard ..f the Baruity."—t-He was aware that such dry details were tedious, but how was he to answer the statenseuts of his hon. friend but by facts?— Here, then was a proof that any of the alleged abuses existing in the House of Cummins were, at the least, of 400 years statiding.—(A persou in the crowd said " Tell us not what it is, but what it ought to be.")—The Host. Gentleman, after a variety of other observations in de fence of the existing order of things, and against reform, in the course of which he was frequently interrupted, was at length so loudly assailed, that notwithstanding the repeated exertions of the High Sherd, tlr. Fawkes, Mr. Petre. &c. he was obliged to retire from the front of the hustings. Lord MILTON next addressed the meeting. He was sure, he said, that it was for the interest of them all that they had heard the speech which had just been delivered, as well as the speeches which had preceded it from Ilia hon. friends the mover and secouder of the reettlinions , because Ile-apprehended, the main object which they wished to attain was troth, and the attainment of truth was impossible unless they had the means of balancing the arg 00000 ents on one aide against the arguments which might be urged on the other. In 1819. when Parlia ment were attempting the great experiment of returuing to cash payments—au experiment of the difficulty of which ministers, if they were fit to govern this country, must have heed violin's:ed.—Cue choice of this period for the imposition of three millions of fresh taxes, and the facility with which the House of Commons agreed to this measure, when the entitle coo .try was crying aloud for reduet:on and retrenchment, increased simpletons. —The memorable traftsactams at Manchester, on the Ilith of August, arid every thing that grew nut of those transactions--above ail, the passing of the six acts, in the Sessioti of 1819, converted the h lion year of his Majesty's reign, which ought to have beets a year of jubilee, Mitt one of disgrace and discredit to the country ; and destroyed, he would say it boldly, in many material points, the constitution a the country. (Applause.) The facility with which the House of Coauthor)* lent itself to the passing of acts by which the personal liberty of the subject was restrained, and ma gistrates were empowered to search for anus in the uweltiogs of Englishmen— ..cts winch still reitia . tit.i ourepealed, though even the pretended necessity Ito them had ceased to exist—confirmed his suspicious.— Last of all, he desired them to bear in mind those transactions which, above all (others, hams excited the feeling* of the people of England—he alluded to the proceedings against her late Majesty. Although those proceettiogs had never bzett dirzcity agitated in Int House or yet a motion was wade sit the be ginning of the year 1821, after the rejection of the bill of Palos awl Penalties. by Mr. J. Smith, one of the t respectable members that House, lor the into. ration of her Alajeaty's naitie to the Liturgy. If that questiou had been debated in the Castle Yard, bow many of them, he would ask. would have lined up his hand against it?—(Cries of " not one?" a voice ex claimed—" Yes, one—S.l4m Wortley would have op posed it.)—lle would ask, whether, if such a propo sition nail beet. mule to mein, it would inn have been "recited with 0.. e untverral horst of applause? What was the case, however, its the House of Commons?- 1 here the 'notion made not the slightest impres . The history of the world would hear I not in saying. that a state or anarchy was iii all nines and in all coun tries succeeded by a s ate of tyranny. In the middle of the 1701 cetituty, when the regnant' of the Long Par liamei.t declared the Kingly office useless. the House of Peers a ituisinace, amid usurped the lunctioos of the governmeth, these stolen,. incomes were succeeded by the predominance of the army, and tyranny of Cronovell. In their own times the same ellecu ed the Sallie cases in a neighbouring country, and they might depend 111/011 n , that if the same experiment were repeated here they would witness the saute results. —Fur these reasons, lie reco ttttt tended them to temper their zeal with moderation, and out to aim at obj e cts • which they had not the meatus of attaining. He (Lord M ) would do all in his puwer in furtherance of the cause ; for lie conscientiously believed that in the present suite of she country, no other measure could pretreat the estaldishment of soinethitig very ilke its arbitrary gove tttttt rut. It was impossible to establish a tyranny more odious or more secure to the tyrant, than when the forms of a liee constitutioit were become useless for the purposes of freedom, waived away from their original design, mid made the instruments of despotic power... This was a species of tyranny which had nothing iii it to eXCIte reststa , oCe. Ito absolute tyranuies there was at least the hope that the people would be driven to de spair, but In a tyranny disguised under the forms of liberty there was not even a desponding hope, if he Might he allowed such an expression. For these reasons lie had loreonte a convert to the cause of Iteroflll. and for the other reasons he had stated to them, lie trusted they would purme this olject with great moderadou, but not without zeal. He believed he had now nothing further to add, except to thank them for Ilse great attention with which they had ha trued to observations which, he feared, must hate al ready fatigued them. The Noble Lord CMlCllltiell all able opetch amidst the loud and enthusiastic applause of rbe meeting. Mt. WYVILL said, it was not his intention to have occupied any portions of their attention, had it not been for some of the arguments which had been used ly time Member for Yorkshire. The Honourable Member had contended that the abuses which were now complained of existed 400 years ago. Bin, admitting that these abuses had existed 400 years ago, was that any reason why they sl Id sanction their continuance? *rite next argument of the Honourable Nlember war tha: Parlia• lt meta spoke the sense of the people. Tin Lord had sufficiently answered this argument. The suspen sion of the Habeas Corpus Act, the prosecution of the Queen, the denial of justice after the transactions at Manchester. afforded the corn retest refutation of this argument. The Honourable Niember had attributed I the overwhelming taxation, under which the country was labouring, to the American war; and what, he would ask, was the cause of that war but the usurpation of the right of imposing on American taxation without representation ? As w the war against Frame, In 179 v, the enormous debt which hail been incurred in collie titmice of that war was the strongest argument in favour of Reform.--. The Honourable Member concluded amidst the applause of the meeting. Mr.l3avaaLar said, the Honourable Member for the countyy had shewn touch partiality for the period of Henry VIII. one of the must rascally and wicked tyrants in our history. Mr. WQoLill declared, that though the terms of the resolutions were not precisely such as he would have suggested, yet he would still give theta his support. The resolutions were then separately pat and carried, the single hand held up agaitutt, Orin being that of Mr. S. Wortley. Sir F. WOOD, Bart. then proposed the following Po- tition : " To the Honourable the Hoes* of Commons of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. The Humble Petitioa of the Freeholders of rim Co. of York, SNEWITN—That year petitioners ore duly sad deeply impressed with tioa for the Constitution of this Rambo, as consisting of King, Lords, and Commons, and are anxious to preserve in purity and vigour the privileges of each poops neat part, being coevineed that the same were well adapted to the heoeit and protectios of the People. " Impressed with these seatiments, this Comity has Not bees forward to complain of the conduct of Parliament, but the recent proceedings of your Hoeoarable House, which has ill each successive Session given fresh proofs of its deviation from public opinion, have convinced your Petitioners that neither are duly attended to in your Honourable House.' " Instead of a determined resistance to the encroachments of power, • wader eare for the rights of the people, a jealous eye over the executory sad and judicial magistracy, and a vi gilent watch over the public treasure ; it has bee. the.iniefor- Imo el pat Petitioners to wituess too ready a compliance with • rein of whatever Minister may have diapeuaed the fa llen St die Crows. Of tiffs aocoastitatiosal tendency in your Hormerable Lem your Petitioners feel the bad effects in the wanton Mull profligate expenditure of their resouroes, in tbe of a military force, dangerous to the liberties, in the MOW eat of laws inconsistent with the spirit of the Coostito ask aid ia the freqnent neglect with which the Petitions of the Ng* have been treated io that quarter, where they ought Se Opp serrieoced the readiest and most anxious attention. lbe evils of an inadequate representstiou have bees coal plielowil of by eminent Statesmen of all parties, sad at different periods, but to your Petitioners these evils appear greatly ag gravated by the additional power end ielluesee over year hono rable House, which is derived from the p large collection of Taxes, and the oapreoedeeted amount of oar Civil, Mili tary, and Colouial Peace Establishments. " Your Petitioners beg leave to represent, that if this state of your Honourable House, and the circumstances which affect its independence, are at all times subjects of great public ta t —they are peculiarly so at a time when the absolute Monarchs of Europe, not content with arbitrarily governing their own dominions, ars leagued together in an alliance, the avowed object of which is to check lb, progress of liberty, and to prevent the establishment of Representative Governments ; an object which they have but too successfully carried into ex ecution by the military occupation of countries to which they have bad the power to dictate. Your Petitioners apprehend no such immediate violence to the British Constitution, but theyeue fearful lest • pernicious ialuenoe Should destroy the basis of their liberties, and ulti mate. y convert the power of • free Constitution into the coo 's/deal inetromest of as arbitrary Government. Your Petitioners, anxious that Parliament should avail itself of t►e present period of peace sod tranquillity to ester into a full consideration of the state of the House of C 01111.0113, respectfully hot earnestly entreat your Honourable House to enquire seriously into the causes of a state of things injurious to themselves and dangerous to their posterity, mod by a speedy and effectual Reform of your Honourable Hoese, to adopt the measures which alone can remedy the evils of which they complain, and restore that good agreement nod perfect sympathy which ought to prevail between the true Hesse of COMMONS and the People." The petition was then pot to the meeting by the Under Snerutr, and was adopted with only in o dissentient voices. Mr. CHOLMOND6LIT said, that it Mat now his duty to propose to them a series of supplemental resolutions ; and at that late hour of the day, he should do it without any further prefatory remarks. lie then proposed that a committee he appointed to superintend the signature of the petition ; that this constnitiee should consist of the first sevttity-two gentlemen who had signed the requisi tion to the thigh Sheriff, and have power to add to their numbers. He hoped that a petition would be placed on the table of the House of Commons so numerously signed as to make it groan under their weight. The Hon. E. Yarns seconded these resolutions. They were then put and carried. Lard 11111.rogr then proposed, and Mr. S. WORTLIIT seconded a vote of thanks to the High Sheriff, for nts alacrity in calling the meeting, and his impartial con duct during the continuance of it.--Carried with three cheers. The HIGH SHIRITII have great pleasure in ex pressing the satisfaction 1 must feel in finding that my conduct has met with your approbation. 1 can only add, if toy opinion is of any wesahi, that the conduct or the meeting has been of the niost 'orderly, the most peaceable, and the most dignified nature. The meeting was then dissolved at four o 'clock. - INN - r • ~~..1 • -~:- Sr BRIDOE-STRZICT GANG.—In our obituary of dor ISIS alt. we meetioned the death of Mr, Jobs who was formerly a respectable bookseller in this tows. 711 e way this person was treated by the Society we tlielk it peeper to notice. K'e appreneed et will he them ditticu.t to Sad say Dee wLe will soy that the attribute of mercy forms any port of he diameter ; we wish the subscribers knew of Ike proceeding, kr we thick is that case mane of them would withdraw their In July, 1511, they procured a Judge's warrant bits to tepear in the Court of Lieh's Beach to Is diseassid to be preferred foe selling the PoUtteei work published in Leaden, neither the ootsoo or printer of which Lail beta prosecuted. Mr. reddish was arrested, though as Ike verge of 70 . sad en inert.' state of health committed to prisms, where he remained from Friday Neil Monday eves jag, whoa he procured bail ; he heard no me.* of the business that year, and supposed they had given op toe prosecution ;-- bet in the aprisg of last year notice was served epos him of trial at the Lent Assizes. During this interval his health had is meets declined, principally from the effects of this presses • tlbm, that be bad given op bailees*. His children, and some Al kiosk who lied knows bins in more prosperous days, re emmateeded an application being nude to the Bridge street As sociation to stay nroeeedings, as the expense of defending Mutest( against so formidable a power world be great, sod at des time of life they apprehended, if asoevieted, impriamesest would be of setioes consequence. A respectable Whiter wow employed ;o write to the Suciety's agents, informing them of Mr. Reddish's very weak elate ; that he had deal:sod business. and as • further incitement an offer was made to etabssit mad withdraw the plea. upon an understiutaling that he should mot be callvd up for judgment. ashes he @gain *boded. To thie Mr. Murray replied, that he must consult the committee.-- Some time elapsed, sad after severrJ apptioations, an answer was sent that tie offer could *sot be complied with. On re ceipt of this reply, Mr. Reddish made his ease known to sees gentlemen, end a sabscription was immediately set oa foot en defend him Mr. Brougham sod Mr. Joshua Evans were re tained ; and poor Reddish, though apparently at death's door. set co r es the 31st of last March for Lancaster : the sext more iag his trial was to mane on, but before the Court met, Mn Murray sent a note to Mr. Brought's, to lbs effect that the Association would aompt the offer before made to plead gaily on the name conditions—and the spirit-broken defendant, foe the esteems already stated, was recommended to accede to the offered terms. This conduct speaks for itself ; sooner this the worthy Secretary would lose a journey to Laisoaster, the lift of a poor feeble fellow-createre was to be risked ; and it wan only when it was seen that Reddish bad friends, sad was to Is defended by Mr. Brougham, (who, we doubt not, would bawl given the Society aad their Secretary a handsome dressing.) that the same offer was proposed by Murray, which was by him before rejected. The excitation this effair produced os the frame of Mr. Reddish was so great, sad the journey to and from Inseaster weakened him so much, that on his arrival at borne he was obliged to be carried op stoics, and he aeon afte took to his bed, from whisks he hardly ever temk—Multekeller Goatee. PROTIDLNTIAL ERCAPE.-011 Tuesday evening, between ire and six o'clock, four girls, ander fourteen years of age, whom parents reside is the Wanalswortboroad, agreed to ae cowspeay each other to the adjoining meadow, for purpose of engaging in the exercise of sliding. On their way thither they met with a youth, aged ahont 16 years, the son of• Mr. Morley, a respectable engineer, residing near Kenniagtoo-Cross, who accompanied them also. They had scarcely, however, ventured on the ice, when it broke, and the eldest, a fine girl, unable to preserve herself, was sinkieg very last. The youth observing Ler perilous situation, hastened to het assistance, but in his Isodable endeavours he himself fell io. With great presence of mild he still kept fest hold of her, and at length succeeded in bringing her out of the water ; yet, drenched as he was, he would aol leave the object of his preservation until he had takes her home to her friends, nearly perished with raid, and met with each reception from them as Lis exertions required. ALARMING ACCIURNTS.—Fur some time past several bricklayers and labourers hare been employed in palling down a number of old .lionses in James's-street, Gross veisor-Nuare—and on Wednesday morning aunt ten o'clock, one of them, on the third floor of which six men were stai.ding, gave way, end precipitated the maroon nate beings to the bottom; they were completely covered with the ruins, and a considetable apace of time elapsed before they could be dug out. We are happy, however to stale that three of them escaped without scarcely any injury, but the others, II gh mot supplmert disnirrollAly, were considerably hurt—they were Immediately conveyed to St. George'. Hospital. Another melancholy Deco • took place on Tuesday evening, in Marston Crescent, Load's Ground, at Use house of Mts. Wripart. Miss Stailtesast ' her niece, went tip stairs to dress fur a tea petty, and in • short time liter her shrieks alarmed the house, mud out the et going into the room a frightlitl scene presented—she art lice young lady at the chamber door enveloped its flames, and the bed furniture was also nu fire. lu her alarm the servant Oil ew Mir counterpane of the bed round the sufferer, and eatingirished the flames, bet not until the hair was burnt from the head.— The yams lady was alive on Wednesday morning, under the most acute sufferings, hut hopes of a recovery are at an end. The sufferer is only IT yews of age, and she was oil a visit at her aunt's. ALAKMINO ACCIDENT AT THE SEAT Or LORD VIA. COUNT GWANVILLtt.—At Whersted lodge, in Suffolk, last week, the noble Lord had a large party 3f friends, to enjoy the sports of the held. On Thursday last, they were out scouring • wood. The morning was hazy, and the Dnke of Wellington was so intent on his game, that he lust sight of the party, and in firing his double-bar relled gun, he unfortunately lodged apart of the contents its tie face of his no►le host ; the cheeks, and one the nose. His Grace, hearing an exclamation of " I inn shot," threw down lois piece and rail to the spot, where he fu•ud his friend leaning agsinst a tree, the lace streaming with blond. One of the party galloped off to Ipswich for medical aid, whilst the others canted off the wounded nobleman to the lodge. A stir. Keno in less than an hoar attended, extracted the shot, and pronounced the noble patient to be not in any danger. We are nappy to add. that his lordship is now perfectly recovered, Anil is come to town. WoODCUCKII.—There has not been known inch an abundance of woodcocks, during half • century lint past as at present. Last week, as Mar. Cluitfiold, of With, was hunting • herle-row tin • farm of his own, at Horton, with • solitary pointer, in less than half an hoot lie flushed uu less a member 111411 twelve woodcocks, nine of which, in as many shuts, he bagged. It is the opinion of many persons, that when such birds visit ns in tumoral abundance, it foretells a loom and rigid winter ; and pre_ seat appearances are in no wise at valiant* with the pre dictive spirit of that remark. MT • . 1 ~.. -r77..if