The National Register. — London, England, 1820-08-07 00:00:00

lc 0/WWII -11ELlIAG. ~i At one o'clock on Wednetday, a Common Hall was held at Norwich. for the purpose of considering the pro •priety of presenting an Address to the Queen, under the circumstances in which her Msjesty is placed.—The Mayor came upon the hustings and said, l'i-How Citizens, in pursuance of a requisition signed by a n bcr of respectable inhabitants. I have convened this meeting. I hold the keys of this place hut in trust for you, and having discharged my ditty thus far, you will proceed to the choice of your Chairmen." A general call followed for the Mayor to take the Chair. The MAYOR.—" Gentlemen, I regret that I am really unable from indisposition to preside at this meet ing; 1 ant sure you trill conduct yourself with that pro; priety which has always marked the public meetings of Norwich, and I must reqnest your permission to retire." Alderman Latta); was then called to the chair; alter which Mr. Sheriff 'I . /ramie said, " Gentlemen, often as I have addressed you from this place, it has never been under feelings more difierent, and in some respeets more painful than at present. The accession of a King or a Queen ought to be a subject of unmixed gratulation, but we are assembled, not merely to perform the deity of congratulation to our Queen, but to mingle with this feeling our sympathy for her sufferings, and our decided protest against the ungenerous, and unprincipled attack which has been made upon her. (Applause.) It has been asserted these meetings are only convened -for the purposes of faction. Gentlemen I deny the charge. I Wish not to add to the dissentient or disunion which exists among any of the branches of the Royal family. The wish of all true hearted Englishmen is, tit see their King and Queen living in the dignity and happiness and union becoming their exalted situations; but we cannot and we ought not to be silent when an attempt is made to attack an unprotected woman, when the proceedings adopted against her have the stamp of injustice, and when, through her, the laws of the country are grossly and shamefully violated. (Applause.) We should not des-rve the character of men or Englishmen, if we did nut mark in the strongest terms against such proceed ings, and prove to her Majesty that weak and friendless as she may appear to be: though bereft of parents, bro ther and citi id, she is yet strong in the affections of the people. (Applause.) Surely never was there a woman against whom a more constant and unrelenting perse cution has been directed. You all remember the infa mous charge which was brought against her in 1807. A charge much more substantial, supported by witnesses of much greater apparent credit than the present, and which, in the language of the exalted personages who were appointed to inquire into it, was " considdely dig roved" and declared to be " undeserving of credil."— During the public life of his late Majesty, her enemies were silenced—his kind and gracious conduct was her shield and support: but no sooner was that withdrawn. than the machinations of her enemies were again com menced. She was driven from those scenes of splendour and dignity, of which Mr. Canning truly said " she was the grace and the ornament ;" she was debarred from all intercourse with her daughter; the dearest and ten derest ties of nature were cruelly severed, and she was compelled to seek repose in foreign lands. It might have been supposed that here the malice of her enemies -would have been satisfied, and that she might have been suffered to enjoy that quiet and renege abroad which had been denied her at home. Yet even this was too much lot her to expect. During the former period of her re . stdence ahmad, she visited parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, and here we find her the same kind hearted and generous woman she hail always been in England. In Sicily the poor partook of her bounty--at Tunis she was the ransomer of the Christian captives—at Con stantinople and at Jerusalem the children of disttess had reason to bless her. At length she took up her • residence in.ltaly, and here it was that the efforts of .her persecutors were renewed. She was speedily sur rounded by spies —every motion was watched, and a ,German Baton had even the unheard of atrocity to sub orn one of her own servants to pick the lock of her writing desk, and steal her papers. (Shame! shame!) During her residence there, the King died, and her name was instantly erased front the Liturgy. This insult • • was but the prelude to more attrocions attacks. As soon as it was known that she was coming to England, a messenger was dispatched to bribe or to threaten her into a compromise of her honour and her rights. With that sagacity and promptness which has marked her conduct, she instantly saw through the base design, and indignantly spurning this base attack upon her honour, came boldly and instantly to England. Gentlemen, 1 • need not detail to you the reception she met with when she set foot on our shores. 1 could not, were Ito at tempt it, describe the etithitsiasm with which she was every where received, and the warm and heartfelt proofs of devotion which every where marked her steps. What followed immediately upon this? Why, the production of a Green Bag. Gentlemen, I confess I have an in stinctive dislike to a Green Bag, having myself had the honour or misfortune (call it which you will) to occupy a a small corner in one. (Laughter.) Ott that occasion I remember requesting the excellent and patriotic Mem ber for Norfolk, Mr. Coke, to defy his Majesty's Minis ters to substantiate one single word which they had alledged . respecting Norwich—Mr. Coke did so. And . what was the answer which he got from Mr. Brugge Bathurst t Why, that what had been said about Nor %etch was an a mistake! (Laughter.) I mention this nie;:ly to shew of what son of evidence Green Bags . have been composed. But, gentlemen, we have a right to ask 01 his Majesty's Ministers, why this Green Bag was not produced before? If the Queen was that in fitivous wretch they would have us believe, how dared they to negociate with her? How dared they to send • over a messenger to make terms with her—to offer her the means, wrung from your hard earnings, of revelling ra !vao-y and profligacy? If tie,/ noel titese datnii.ng THE NATIONAL REGISTER ~' proofs of her A udi in their possession, was this the way to deal with h er No, no, gentlemen, her crime con sisted in coming to England. Had she kept abroad, we should have heard nu more of the Green Bag, but the moment she was guilty of el:inning her rights as Queen of England on English ground, from that moment she was marked for destruction. The production of the Green Bag was followed by a refusal to furnish her with the time or place at which the crime was alledged to have been committed, or with any information as to die witnesses against her. And it is against this which we protest, not only because it affects our Queen, but be cause it may by precedent affect the liberty of any one of us. Never were words of more truth uttered by any one than by her Majesty, in her answer to the Newbury address—" lire tyranny," said she, " which overwhelms me !co-clay, makes every man's liberty less secure to-morrow." Gentlemen, I contend that is one of the grossest viola dons both of the maxims and the practice of our law. I would ask you, Mr. Chairman, whether in your ex perience, when Chief Magistrate of this City, you ever heard of green hag evidence? Or whether it is not the 'form practice in all charges which have come before you, to have the accuser and the accused confronted, that the full extent of the charge may be known, both as to time and place. and the evidence by which that charge is supported ? Then if so, why, I ask, is that just ce to be denied to the Queen, which is granted to the meanest and most cii 11l illal of her subjects? But we are told this is contrary to precedent. Is it possible then that the most despotic actions, the greatest out rages uoon law which have disgraced the worst periods of our history, are to be cited as precedents ? Gentle men, is the name of justice and humanity, let me call upon you to protest against these lawless proceedings, for if e.'er Englishmen become careless and indifferent to such measures, their liberties, their invaluable laws, and their admirable constitution, will be lost to them for ever. (Applause.) I shall detain you no longer, hut to submit to von the following Resolutions: — Resolved. ist.—That this Meeting do most cordially congratti. late her Majesty upon her safe arrival in this kingdom. and at the same time beg leave to express their admiration of her Ma. known iastrinces ,ii which b bazipie dresser, had estohlished jesty's conduct in firmly and courageously resisting the bribes and threats. alike odious and contemptible, which were offered to her Maiesty, for the purpose of inducing her to forego her just rights as the Queen of England. 2d.—That it being an undisputed maxim of our law to regard and treat as innocent all who have not been tried tend proved to be gal. we are obliged to consider the omission of her Majesty's name it the Liturgy, the refusal to send a yacht to convey her to this tenantry, and to provide a place of residence suited to her exalted rank and station. as a cruel and wanton outrage upon her Majesty's feelings. and as a manifest proof that her Majesty's accusers are actuated rather by a spirit of persecution than by a desire of rendering impartial and substantial justice. 11.—lhat the appointment of a Secret Committee to inquire into clines grounded on the suspicious contents of a Green Bag, withoutexamnung witnesses upon oath. and the introduction. upon tits paper err-parse evidence of a Bill of Pains and Penal ties, for the purpose of degrading and divorcing the Queen of Englani, are proceedings which we cannot view without the greatest alarm and disgtist—as being utterly abhorrent from the genuint p r i . naipice of British Jump. ...knee, and as tending to the sutursion of the Liberties of the People: *.—"hat the refusal to specify time or place, 'hen and where the crime alleged against her Majesty is asserted to have been commited, coupled slso with the refusal to furnish her Majesty with slat and description of the witnessesin support of theaccusa• tion, is t still further violation of the principles ofjustice,and the maximal* English jurisprudence—and therefore calla upon us. as Menand as Englishmen. to protest against this unmanly and ungenerous conduct, and to tender to her Majesty the assurance of our deep sympathy with her, in the struggle which she is waginy against her enemies, and our hope and trust that she will cone out of the contest with the clear possession of her ho nour is a woman, and the full recovery of her rights as Queen. f. —ghat this Meeting do instruct their Bepresentstive to oppose this Bill, if unbapily it shoodd be brought into the Bourn( Commons. 6.—fhat an Address (signed by the Chairman) be presented to hes Mejeety rounded upon the above Resolutions. This the Maycit Mr. ft.ff Taylor, and the Members foe this Ciy be req ues ted to present the same to her Majesty. Theßev.G. BEAUMONT addressed the meeting nearly in the following words:—" Gentlemen," said Mr. B. " in seconding the Resolutions I have only one or two observations to snake.--It is a law inherent in human nature for the malt to protect and defend the female. Even on the principle of mere gallantry we ought to defend our Queen. Had we a Don Quixotte here, me think: he would take his man Sancho Patin and go to London, and there send Lord Castlereagh a challenge. But we have a much better principle than that of gal- lantry on which to ground our defence of the Queen of England—the eternal principle of justice. In justice to a persecuted feniale,and in justice to our own characters as men, we are bound to afford her countenance and protection. But admitting that the Queen were guilty of all that her enemies w ould lay to her charge, yet even then she is, in my opinion, much to be pitied.—Brought from a foreign country into this nation in the just and nattral expectation of obtaining a husband to support, protect, and comfort her, sloe was disappointed I soon after her union she was separated, and alter that she was driven out of the land by persecution. Among the ad versario 6 of the Queen we find Lord Castlereagh very prominent. Gentlemen, Lord Castlereagh is like a prism—he has got three sides, but never a right angle. (Applause.) The prism slims seven colours, but Lord Castlereagh can exhibit seventeen. He can be an enetr.y to blasphemy, and yet a friend to wickedness—he caul applaud religion. and yet defend corruption—he can talk largely of law, order, and what you please, without either truth in his words or sincerity in his designs. Gentlemen, Lord Castlereagh is a political pedlar—he has been tramping all over Europe in the business of setting up Kings, and now he is come home again to pull down Queens. (Loud applause.) Gentlemen, in the years ling and 1800 I was in Ireland, in the towns of Belfast, Lisburn, and also of Castlereagh, the town which gives this man his title, and I was there told that this Gentleman having, previous to that time, had a great desire to obtain a seat in the Irish Parliament, but being utterly unable to succeed by means of the High party, he suddenly became a zealous Patriot. The pa triotic party. thinking him to be Sincere, exerted them- Iva in the tonal way, Is; p ifhttg Ites (.11MACV.1 in hand bills, Sm. in consequence of which he obtained a seat, according to his anxious wish. But; no sooner was he seated, than he became a violent ministerial- supporter; and what part he has acted from that time to the presorts we all very well know. (Applause.) Gentlemen, it it astonishing to me that the people of England will suffer such a man to insult them for so long a time; that they will so quietly and tamely permit him to form round himself a focus of coadjutors, who, with himself, care so little for either the feelings or the interests of the people. Gentlemen, in domestic life there is a description of women called char-women, many of these women pro. fess to do all work. Lord Castlereagh is a political char woman—he can do all work; he can be a patriot, a ministerial member of Parliament, an enemy to bias. ;Amity, a friend to buying seats in a great house; he can help to set tip Kings, and he can attempt to pull down Queens. Gentlemen, we live in the times of miracles and mysteries, of inventions and innovations. 'l'he valuable inventions of iron bridges, gas lights, and steam engines, are worthy of our admiration; but we have also seen an innovation in the method of hanging people by means of the new drop—innovations in sus. pending our liberties, and innovations are infesting us in various mittistei ial measures. Gentlemen, had I had previous notice of being called upon to take part in this business, I might have entered farther into the subject, but shall decline for the present; but in the mean time let me remind you, that as men possessing the common feelings of humanity, and professing an adherence to the broad principles of justice, we are bound to give our voices, our signatures, our support, and to afford all the succour and countenance we can, in behalf of a ;erne. cuted and much injured ranee." After this the Chairman wok a chew of hands. The hall rung with acchiniatiuns when the feeling of the meeting was so unequivocally declared. A young lad, a son we hear of Aldermen Harvey, held up his solitary hand against them. Mr. GELDART.....“ I nave now to introduce to your notice an Address founsed on the resolutions, you have just heard read. I had no intention of speaking when I came upon the hustings, but having the address put into my hands, I have been reading it over, to see whe ther I can find any fruit with it; but seeing nothing at all objectionable, Lilian introduce it to your notice.— The present meeting wishes not to prejudge the Question —but in the true spirit of the English Laws, conceive the Queen to be innocent, until she is preied to be guilty. The Gentlenian who spoke last mentioned the principles of Lad Castlereagh ; whatever the principles of that Noble Lord are; on a former occasion he had been authoried to inquire into the charges which were brought agairti her Majesty, and acquitted the Queen not only of all c iminal conduct, but also recommended that she should to received under the protection of his late Majesty. Lielieving as Ido this inquiry will have a like terminati.n, and that her Majesty, is at present the inns cent vicillt of calumny and persecution. I consider the address worthy the acceptance of this meeting; and I tepee the result of the present proceeding, although objectinnable will terminate in her entire exeMpaa :ton—(Load applause.) Mr. SPARSHALL Seconded the address. and proposed that the Mayor of Norwich, the two Members, and see- Sheriff Taylor to present it. Mr. TAYLOR returned thanks for the honour they had done ; and stated that lie had seen. Mr. Gurney, who would have attended the weather, bad he Not thought it extremely undecorous, as lee expected in • short time .resit as one of the judges upon her Makety's posidect, alike same time he expressed his decided abhorrence of the measui es pursued against her. I mast said (Mr. T. trouble you with another general remark, and that is to propose that the thanks of this meeting be given to our worthy Mayor for his ready acquiescence with the wishes of the Requisitionists in convening this meeting; and we ought also to thank him for not following the example of his brother the Lord Mayor of London, that he bas not placed a troop of horse oa the outside of the Hall to keep us in order." " Mr. T. MARTINEAU moved thanks to the chairman. (B. Leman.Ese.) whirls were Carlied unanimously " We understand that the lad who held up his solitary hand against the resolutions, is not even an inhabitant of Norwich; the Chaieman therefne with strict propriety reckoned liim as nobody, and declared the resolutioue unanimously carried. Fatal accidenl.—On Wednesday night, between the hours of ten and 11 o'clock, the following me lancholy accident happened near Battersea Bridge, to two young persons, named Sarah Russell and W. Firby :—ln the early part of the evening, accom panied by a lad, they took an excursion on the water, towards Cumberland Gardens, and on their return, it being dark, they endeavoured to effect a lauding on the wharf of Messrs. Druce and Hill, near Chelsea. Not being a landing place, they pro ceeded to push the boat towards the shore, between the stem and stern of several coal barges, when the lad immediately mounted one of them. On the female making a similar attempt, with the assist ance of Mr. Firby, they unfortunately were both precipitated oul of the boat into the water, and in stantly sunk under the barges. The alarm being given by the lad, the watchman belonging to the wharf, and several other persons arrived ; but the tide running very strong at the time, all efforts to preserve their lives proved fruitless. The bo dies were found about an hour afterwards, but not t he least signs of life remained in either. An inq utu* tion was taken, at a late hour on Thursday evening. before Mr. Stirling, at the George and Dragon' Paradise Row, Chelsea, on the bodies, and a ver dict of accidental death was returned. It is now rumoured that the Coronation will no l . take place until the 23d . April, being St. George' Day. _ -..