The National Register. — London, England, 1808-10-30 00:00:00

r 0 th by Ai 31 in' OCT. O. THE COURT. Yesterday, about twelve o'clock his Majesty arrived at l e queen's Palace, from Windsor, where he was received iy the Dukes of York, Kent, Cumberland, and Sussex. t two o'clock his Majesty held a private levee, when following had the honour of being presented to his Majesty : Lieutenant-General Thornton, on his promotion to the 2d Ma w of the First Regiment of Guards. Hugh Elliott. Esq. upon his being appointed Captain-General ind Governor of the Leeward Islands. Brigadier-General Nightingale, upon his return from Porto al, and and leave of absence. Admiral Tyler, who brought the Russian Fleet to England, by I:arl Camden, upon his promotion and return from Lisbon. The Nlarquis of Douglas, upon his return from St. Peters burgh. His Excellency ;..e Chevalier de Brinckmonev, the Swedish Andias,ador, by Mr. Canning. After which, his Excellency bad a private audience of his Majesty, and delivered his credentials. lin oas most graciously received. Le Chevalier D'Adlerberg, the late Swedish Ambassador, took leave of his Majesty, previous to his leaving England. His Majesty held a Privy Council, and gave audiences to the Ittilie of Portland, the Cabinet Ministers present, the liarlaittf Douglas, and Mr. Ryder, the Judge Advocate, who laid before his Majesty the proceedings of some Courts Martial. About seen o'clock his Majesty set off on his return to ‘Vititisor. COMMON COUNCIL• THE CONVENTION. the Common Council of London assembled on Thursday, to receive the Answer to their Address, on the subject of the Con wution Which terminated the Campaign in Portugal. The Re (-order having read the Answer, Mr. Waithinan rose and addressed the Court—Tie could, he :aid, not allow this Answer to pass without some observations, stating it at the same time to be his intention to propose such a Itesolutiou founded upon it as theiiature of the case appeared to demand. Ile conceived the Corporation of London had a right to approach the Throne with petitions ;old remonstrances, even although his Majesty might have expressed an intention of adopt ing such proceedings as they might recommend. It was pro per that the King should be acquainted with the state of public opinion on all occasions, whether for or against the measures of his Ministers, and it was the duty, as well a; the privilege of the subject to give that information to the Crown. It was the mode established by the Constitution, for convey iog the truth to tht• ear of the Sovereign, in spite of the machinations of those :mould him who might wish to keep him in darkness. This was nut a right conceded by the Crown as a favour ; but one requir ed and demanded at the Revolution as essential to our civil !User tics, and to be exercised without obstruction or censure. ( Hear! Hear!) It appeared from the Records of the Court, that they had often gone up with petitions and remon-trances to the Throne, drao o up in a style and spirit much less humble than their late Address, and Set the answers had tint been of so repulsive a de tiptiun. I'sta the degrading reply which they had just heard road, they had drawn upon themselves; and if it had been merely a severe lecture upon Moir past conduct, he owned he would not have !ken sorry. D ur i og t h e l ast t %%cloy years, a period distinguished for the most momentous occurrences that ever called for the interpwition of any body of men, the Court of (ononon Council had scareel) ever exercised its right of peti tioning or remonstrating, except some years al i o on the high pt ice of provisions, when they petitioned fur convening the arliament. But during all t hat time they not only did not Omit, lilt eagerly sought for occasions of congratulation. They were ever torsard to shew their zeal for prerogative and the rights of . the Crown ; b u t no anx i ety appeared to guard the privileges of the other branches of the Constitution. Occasion was taken 11 . 1 the Answer, to remind the Corporation, " that it was incon %went with the principles of British justice, to pronounce judg ment without previous investigation." How it was possible to , t , ostrue the Address, so as to imagine that it had pronounced .1 1 idtiutcot previous to investigation, he did not know. It called Jut inquiry certainly —it called for punishment on the guilty, ing such proceed per that the Kin?, opnnon on all net his ;Ministers, aut the subject to giv mode extahlished rht. ear of the Sov around him who I not a right cowed ed and demanded nos, and to be exl llrut ) t appe had often gone up draun up in a st Address, and 3 et lint t 1 road, they had dril a severe lecture u 'IA have heen sor distim , uished for called fur the in Common Council rioting or retnonst pt ice of provith Parliament. But lat eagerly sough ever foruard t o of the Crown; Ist of the other bran< ru the Aniwer, to uitent with the p anent without pre coastrue the Addi judgment previou tu t inquiry rertait THE NATIONAL REGISTER. without pretending to point out where the guilt rested. That was the matter to be investigated ; and if no guilt was found, then of course there could be no punishment. When our arms by land were attended with such constant disasters, and these sometimes following victories, it was time to exercise for con stitutional privileges of petitioning for inquiries with y igour and perseverance. Hut it was said, " that recent circumstances might have convinced us that his Majesty was at all times ready to institute inquiries, on occasions in which the character of the country, or the honour of his arms were concerned; and that the interposition of the City of London was unnecessary." lie supposed the allusion must be to General Whitelncke and Sir H. Popham. Rut yet it was perfectly well known, that though the greatest attention and ingenuity - had been she wn in squeezing money out of the pockets of the people, it was found almost impossible to prevent the embezzling.of their property, or to get the offenders brought to justice. Time strongest attempts had been made to prevent the bringing of Lord Melville to trial— and the business of Alexander Davidson had not as yet been publicly investigated. Be had been told that Ministers would institute an inquiry into the business at the Helder, but no in vestigation bad taken place.—and would they be more earnest to institute an inquiry into time causes of the Convention which they had announced as a victors, than into the business of the Helder, which had been allowed to be a great calamity ? Hear ! War!) The situation of the army in Rolland had been, ac cordin; to the account of Officers who were there, the most horrid that could well he imagined —men perishing in the snow, amidst plains where they could have no shelter, with other cir cumstances almost ton shocking to describe—yet no investiga tion had taken place into the causes of the evacuation of II ol land. What need he mention the case of Quiberon, where arms for '28,000 had been delivered by te , , and afterwards turned against ourselves ? What need he mention the affair at Ferrol. where the inhabitants were seen coming out humbly with the keys by IS,OOO men who had landed, as it' to take a survey, but where, the keys being taken for guns, the whole army was hastily embarked ? No inquiry had been instituted into these disastrous events. Expensive expeditions were every now and then proposed. trusting to chance for an object; and were the people who bore the ex pence to he obstructed and reproved for calling for isivestigation as to the mismanagement of these expe ditions i Many other cases might he mentioned, if It werene cessary. As to General Whitelocke, it was not to ,tbis day known who had procured his appointment. All that was known was, that he had been appointed under tale AdeminiStralion,,,aud brought to trial by another. Sir U. Popaam had been ap pointed by one, brought to trial by auotlicr, and after being re primanded by a Court-Martial, was again taken into favour by a third. Lord Melville, to be sure, had been acquitted—very properly, no doubt—he could not now contest that—but, not ithstanding the very con iderable minority against him, and the Resolution on the journals of the House of Commons, he was taken into favour at Court, and had as cousideranie share in advising the measures of the present Ariannistratiou. if the same '\ stem were pursued in our army as iii oar navy, the t:::;e coosequences would Wow. The mem, s. ere ~o n e; them-- ferenve was only in the wav of inanatimn; them. Sensible of the importance of prmnoting inquiries by ever; possible means, be could not but think the answer to the Petition of the City Of London very ill judged, to say the least of it. fie would move. therefore, that it be entered on the .1 onm . nals, with the following resolutions expressive of the opinion entertained of it by the Re presentatives of the City of London iu the Common Council. R eso That his Majesty's Answer he entered on the Journals. That at the !aine time this Court cannot forbear declaring it astheir opinion, that the Address and Petition presented to his Majesty by this Court on Wednesday the 12th instant, was conceived in the most dutiful and respectful terms ; that it is the undoubted right of the subject to petition, and that this right ought at all times to be freely exercised in all matters of public griesance, without obstruction or reproof. That they are, therefore, at a loss to know by what con struction of their said Petition, however strained or per verted, his Majesty's Advisers could attribute to them any inten• tion or desire " to pronounce judgment, without previous in vestigation." That they are equally at a l►►ss to know why his Majes ty's Advisers should have deemed it necessary to remind the• " That it was inconsistent with the principles of British .3 tice," unless to throw an unmerited odium on this Corpo ration, and raise a barrier between them and the Croon,