The Statesman. — London, England, 1809-11-28 00:00:00

TH v. STAY Fs MAN. ST. THOMAS'S DAT The importance of correcting, the oils-repre sentation, of, perhaps, the most opulent, and Important city at present in the universe— must be obvious, to every man, who can re. fleet, upon the imminently critical situation of this Nation, at the present awful crisis. The nsuniclpal Constitution of the City of Loudon, is perhaps, as pure a form of Government, as ever Was devised in any condition of human society. Zvery Freeman has a voice, io the choice of those by whom he shall be represented.—This, is the only form of Government, from which human society can rationally expect that general dis. eharge of public duty, which ran insure gene. rat public comfort, ease, and happiness, and is the very model, on which the British Consti. Wien has been formed. What, then, are the Ci. tieens of !Antlers ghoul ?—They have the means in their hands of reforaiine at least their own efairs—and the example of dui City of London, has never failed of having its due weight, with every other city, town, and village, in the United Kingdoms. There is now a period, of little more than three weeks, ere the Grand Council of this mighty City, must be selected from amongst the Wish". tauts...-Let then, those Cita:rt., who see the state of this nation, as it really is, ezcrt thew. selves, as faithful Members of the moiety in which they lire, to choose for representatives, honest—able—diligent... but above all, indepess. dent men. It is high time, that the Court of Common Council should be weeded of roe. phantic place-hunters, and servile interested ternment Contractors. A contractor is tn. eligible by law, to the House of Commons—the Grand Council of the Nation. And why he should be less so in the Orated Council of the City or London, it is nut easy to understand. The motive, *loth iudeeed an enactment of exclusion, floes the Grand Assembly ui the Nation, ap. plies with equal force, to the Grand Assembly of the Representatives, of the City of London. It is not that a Contractor may not be as re. pectabie, iu every point of view, ;Is any other 'lndividual, nor can it be doubted that he is necessary to the State, fur, on the just perform. ante of his engagements, depends, in a great mea. sure, the success of the most important enterprises —but it is as unreasonable, as absurd, to hope that ally individual under a beneficial meg egemetet with Govetnnsent i can be so disinterested a public Coun. senor, as that his duty, shall silence his interest. What, for instance, could be more ridiculous, than to expect from the el-decant Whig, the immaculate Mr. JAC'S*, the same opinions, which ho so loudly proclaimed its the Court of Common Council, be. fore be appeared in his " military waterproof great coat." That worthy citizen, Mr. JACKS, had long been afflicted, Kith a species of political ophthalinia,which the wearing of this 'great coat' has, some how 'evident, removed. Like • Eu l ,hrasy and Rue,' it his etrtetuaßy purged the thick film of error from the organs of this Gentleman's poli tical vision—and Mr. JACKS now sees matters in a light so totally opposite, that ho is absolutely astonished at his former blindness. The nature of this extraordinary care is not pet correctly ascer tained. By some, it is conjectured to have been in consequence of the genial warmth imparted by the "great coat ;" bat the opinion most pre. Talent in the City, is, that it has been produced by the subsequent application of the " Metallic Tractors"...not the new.fangled Tractors of Dr. PERKINS, which are mere pieces of iren ; but the ancient good old Metallic Tractors, whose virtues are universally admitted. In a few words, Mr. Szeos, who was once a professed Whig, is now employed to perform an operation on the great coats for the army, by which they are to be rendered wales proof. 0:t the subject of Mr. JAM, we shall only add oar hopes that the great coals may stand the "proof," with more success, than Mr. JACKS'S patriotism. The following Letter on the important - subject of the choice of Representatives in the Common Council of the City of London, at the ensuing Election, we have copied from the Register of Mr. Coaster, of Saturday last. That Gentleman, like Sir FRANCIS BUllitir and Col. WARDLE, is the butt, at which calumny, and correption, daily level their malignant attacks. Be it remembered, however, that these are the characters, who advo cate the cause of the People. It may surely be reasonably hoped, that the Citizens of London will, at this awful crisis, arouse from the torpid apathy in which they have so lung slumbered—that they will resume their rights, and evince their ancient spirit, by electing such men only, fur their Representatives in the Common Co.ttni , as arc truly independent. By so doing, Ih.'y v.. 11 manifest, must effectually, their attach •- • ••• iceivsts ut the Comemaity, and of that Constitution of King, Lords, and Commons, fairly and indepandeittly chosen—for which w shall never cealc to contend. Awake, arke, or be far ever Wien ! [FROM COEPETT'S ItiGISTER.] ADDRESS TO THE CITIZENS OF LONDON. The conduct of our Common Council demands oar serious attention: The state of Country imperioasly ealls for it ; and we have no other alternative than to restore to the Corpo ration the dignity and independence it has lost, or to surren der all pretensions ourselves, not only to character, but to those right, which our ancestors fought fidand obtained, and which the most affluent, the most temperate, and most virtuous amongst us acknowledge to be worth preserving, even at the hazard of our lives. In calling your attention to the disgraceful proceedings of 1 the Common Council for the Inst twenty-five yetis, I entreat you to recur to its fransactioto, previous to that period; you will then he the better coped to mark the shameless &pre ttily of the present times by contrasting it a ith the manly and decisive fineness with which the open, or insidious attacks of the Ministers of the Crown were resisted, whenever they at tempted, by trick or by violence, to render the Citizens of London siab;ervient to their designs. No longer the intrepid Champions of our Constitutioeal rights :—no longer the vigi lant guardians of our honour and interests ; or the stern op posers of ministerial encronchments—the Common Council have shewo themselves the willing advocates of a system of corruption which is sapping the very foundations of the Government it pretends to support. Instead of approtiching the alpine with firmness, in the language of truth: instead of insisting, as they are bound to do, noun inquiry into the scandakius waste al public money, and the wanton sacrifice of lives in hazardous ewerprizesand unwholesome climates ; instead of opposing with courage equal to the magnitude of the occasion, the enormous abuses which disM►awr and impoverish the nation;—we find the Common Council the mere agents of succeeding factions, par taking of that iofainy it should expose and extinguish, giving to crime, and imbecility, the plaudits due, oily to virtue, ae:d to w There is not in,the United Kingdom, a city, borongh, town, or village, a here the Corn:non Council has not become the subject of severe animadversion, of send', and of ridicule. The public journals, the theatre, and the print-shop, have equally coon ibuted to the exposure of their folly, ignorance, and selfishues4; nor are res, my fellow Citizens, exempt from the censure it has incurred; seeing that it could only have pro ceeded, from our criminal supineness and neglect, that inen so unixorthyand incapable, should have been chosen as oar re pre-entatives in the Corporatina. If their turpitude have brought our fortunes into hazard, their guilt is less blame able, than our iodoleace, and indiscretion, in making such improper eeketions. Their ignorance and incapacity pre pared us, in some sort, for the baseness and venality we have experienced ; the country has reason to expect from to, a choice more worthy the character, o: the Citizeni, of the metropolis, of the British Empire. It may not yet be too late in some measure, to repair the injury they have door us, and secure the level which we have lost. In short, our right annually to cleft persons to repre sent as in Common Council, has acquired a value, beyond what it ever before possetsed, in any period of our history. Lee os estimate it necording to its full worth. Let us, by a manly discharge of our duty et this perilous moment, endea your to retrieve our non character, and save the empire. TAs 4kierama were once steeled imuuolty : this privileo was lost, by air neglecting to exercise It. The want of t W.; pru dent cheek, may account for their neglect of our interest, and contempt for our opinion. Their baskiug in the sunshine of court favour, with pensions, tiger, cootracts, loans, jobs, and appointments, more than sufficiently atone, to them, fir the loss of our cosibience and respect. 'No longer in danger of being disagreed, they hold their situations for life, as some of the Common Council are disposed to do, and who really by their conduct, seem to consider themselves fixtures, beyond the reach of our authority, owing to their having been mitered to continue, year after year, in nice, although, year after year, they have forfeited all claim to the distinction. Are you aware that, by abstaining from the annual ever rise of this invalnable right, we are virtually constituting it an office for life? As we hare annual elections, let 11w use of them be marked with firmness and discrimination, by dis missing those. who are undeserving of oar favour, and elect ing men of ability, and public principle By such conduct, we shall put a stop to the infainow traffic, the dishonoura ble, but profitable intercourse, carried on, between the Mem bers of that Court, and the Treasury. I am very far from insinuating, that oil the Members of the Corporation merit this ensure, On the contrary, there are several who well deserve our esteem; and the best proof we can give of our confidence in their integrity, ' will be to return them at the emuing Elections to the post t!sey have so hooourahly filled. To such men, it will be the most grarif)ing rerompence, we can bestow upon their fide lity ; and while our approbation serves as a stimulus, to fu ture, and I trust more effectual exertions, it will confirm them the mocestrongly, in an inflexible attachment to our rights, and interests.—ln the late di-graceful contentions at the conduct of these men, opposed to the venal, and selfish hirelings of that Court. offers a contrast, too striking. to escape your notice: and it is owing to the firm stand they made, that the majority were driven back, and the Corporation has been rescued from the odium, of appropriat ing from our impoverished funds, those sum In feasting and rioting, which we have since bad the felicity to behold, ap plied to releasing the captive, sad solacing the +aided. Having called these important facts to your recollection, and, in order to impress them mote strongly on your mind. regorged you to look to the actual state of the Country, I conjure you ant to treat the office of 'Common Councilman, u unimportant, and below the acceptance of the most intelli gent, and respectable Amongst you. There nom be a come mance attached to the proceedings of men, whose actions, regulate the conduct of other , . However absurd or contra dictory, pay, however mischievous and even wicked, the resolves of the Consasos Council imtv he, those resolves serve as examples loan the corporate towns in the kingdom. Tbry become in a great measure epieentie, and the City of London trusses, in fact. responsible for the guilt and folly of the na tioo.—Do nut therefore suppose, that the odium belongs cry elusively to t►e Common Council ; a far greater portion of gwllt and folly attaches to ourselves, for having furnished im proper and incapable men, with the means of dishonouring our character, and injuring the country. Their errors, *ad their crimes, are no less ours, than theirs. We gave rids- Voce to both, by delegating a power totem, who bad wither wWa to exercise, nor virtue to resist. the temptation to /kW it. Ma Body, whose Cooneih have evidently no extended, and derisive influence, the greatest circumspection should be observed, io the choice of materials, of which it is corn poied; and as set only oar rights and lutenist, are confided to their discretion and ability, but those of our posterity, let me again cosier* yoa, not to consider the office as trivial, or of little importance, requiring neither talents, experience, use honesty. Before yea vote, ask yourselves this qeestloe. Would you, if you bad as *fair of some difficulty to gibe* In arbitration, aside la the ooderstaatiog, or lotegrky; of she *en, you us about to tote for ? If not, how then, can )on possibly reetteeile'it to your conscieore, to deposit into the hands of these individuals a trust of such magnitude ? beseech you to remember, that not only nor civil, and political rights, are, for twelve months, surrendered int their hands, bat that several local duties are confided to their care: that the liceasing of Victuallers—on which the monds •if the lower orders of society depend—the paving, lighting, watching, and cleansing of the metropolis—so conducive to the preservation of he 'lt h, to personal security, and comfort bvlntig to the Common Council. You will also recollect, that they knee the management of a revenue, amounting to nearly 100,0001. per annum, the application of which, has been employed, not, in improving aad embellishing the City, not, in removing public nuisances, or in works of public utility, but, in public dinner', job., and improvident schemes. If the decision of the Common Council, have, far the last 25 years been generally opposed to our iaterrsts, look at the eha racters.the punmuit%, the tilents of the individuals, who have exultingly promoted such injurious measurtu, in opposition to better, and more temperate judgment; which, happily for the country, now appears likely to obtain, that weight, it ought, at an times to have. The men to whom I al lode. have, in order to accomplish their own sordid and eor ! rlipt views, long arrogated to themselves, a consequence, to I which they have not the lest pretension. It is to these pre sumptuous, and at the same time servile agents, that tbe ao thon of our public grievances, have enjoyed so long a fur= lough from national resentment. Let us, (ben, by a manly exercise of our elective franchise, give an effeclral check UP the iniquitous career of these presumptuous individuals in the Common Council t which will be a prelude, to the disgrace, and punishment, of their abandoned and profligate employers. Fellow Citizens : It is neither possible, nor, I trust, act cessary, le an Address like the present, to enumerate the hag catalogue of evils, which the folly, and misconduct of our rulers, have inflicted upon the country, even during the pee sent year—notch less for a long series of pen passed. With an expenditure of 80 millions per amain. what have we achieved? Itave we lessened the power of the enmity ? or, have we added to the security of the country ? Our taxes, particularly the Inmate and Anes,ed Taxes, are demanded of us, with increased rigour and severity ; our grievances re main unredressed, corruption, abuse, and peculation in the public expenditure unreformed; thousands, and thousands, of our brave soldiers, have ingloriously perished in Spain and Waleberen—the land tilled with afflicted parents, widows, and orphans, to mourn their guilty hos, whilst the remains of our gallant army, are now languishing with sickness and disease. While the nation at large, feeling for the wounded honour of the country, have been anximoly looking up to the Cor poration of London, to take a lead in detimoding inquiry, we have seen the sycophants of the Common Council, instead of sharing with the country, in the generous indignation which it feels, at beholding a vast e'apire crumbling to pieces—in stead of Joining with the •irtuous part of the corporation to call for reform of abuses,—these place-hooting canker ts orrns,clestitute alike of talents,probity, or shame, have endea voured to prevent inquiry into these filigree mid ute:7racet, by drowning the complaints ,if the people, in the tumult of ge ger& feasting, and illuminations. Imbecility, and crone, have found la them pr-trction, and they have constantly op paied, every inewn-e calculated to remove the present cor rupt systein, wit'i.mt which removal this kingdom must ult.- safely fall, as ether kingdoms have done, under the power of a foreign sword. It is, to present a ralamity.of this extent—it is, that our rightsmay be preserved to the very end of time; that I call upon you to select men worthy of your confidence, and with talents suitable to the times in which we live. Remember thnt the trust we delegnte, is not exclusively our property; nor is it to be exercised exclusively for our nun benefit : but a trust confided i,t tis, for the security, and advantate, of the whole community. This truth; cirandt be too strongly impressed upon ou► miutls. Our existence, as a state, may depend up on our integrity and prudence, in the exercise of this right. , It is a mistaking generosity, and, at this period, a very ha zardous experiment, to allow unworthy or incapable iadivi dtrlls, to retain their situations, merely because they bevel held them for years. Nor, is it less criminal, in those also have talents equal to the di-charge of the ditties, to with bold their services, at a moment like the present, when the nation is tottering ander the imbecility of a corrupt and des picable fiscti.gi, avowedly unequal to what they have under ' taken: and who have held out II tgs of distress, f,, assistance to men as unworthy as theinselees. Feel, as area ought to feel, when assailed with difficulties; Come forward . like men; indicate your rights; Retrieve your character, by di.miss• ing those who have betrayed their trust, and vying the Cor low.ition the full benefit of your tale n ts and your virtues; ►hame the unprincipled hirelings of toe day, into that obscu rity, from which, their conscience should inform them, they ought never to have emer•ed : Form immediately Commit tees in your re pective Wards, for the purpose of bringing forward, and supporting proper Candidates. A CITIZEN ur LON DON or Tait OLD SCHOOL. Nur. 18 ,1809. COPIES 01. 1 THE AFFIDAVITS. ON WHICH THE MOTION AGAINST MR. CLIF FORD AND OTllvitS WAS GROUNDED. [CONTINUED FROM OUR PAPER OF TLISTERO.LT.] G co. FA natal, of Charles-street, Dru ry.la tie, in the county of Mi.tillesex, coach spring-maker, maketh oath and saith, that on the evening of the 18th day of September last, and on every suc ceeding evening on which the New Theatre at Co vent-garden has been open for dramatic perform ances (except three), a number of persons have assembled in a riotous manner in the Pit, after the admission of half . ..price, have commenced hallooing, hooting, hissing, crying "011 1 . Off! Olt!" and making so great and such incessant noise, as to permit but a small part of the performance, after the commencement of half..!irice, to he heard by the audience, for the pirpose, as Dopuneut be. litres, by force and slui,berg, by tumult, clamour, and terror, to compel the Proprietors of the The atre to reduce the prices of admission to what they had been prior to the burning down of the old Theatre. And this Deponent further saith, that many of the persons so tugaged iii interrupting the performance, have worn in . their hats, or on their breasts, the letters 0. P.. (meaning, as Deponent believes, Old Prices,) and this Deponent believes, that the said persons wpre fhb said letters u a badge, for the purpose of exciting and encouraging the persons there as. sembled e so as aforesaid, to conduct themselves for the purpose aforesaid. And this Deponent further saith, that (fur* the time when these riots and tumults have been going on, several parsons have exhibited Minis called placards; the same being large sheets or pieces of paper, with inscriptions thereon, some of which have had the following words : " The lastestrates will hid a ttw • " iu Jobb' Zan each hatter law." On another— " A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether, for Old Prir.s—Betel, he. ; Pit :a. tid." Olt another-- • " Jolla Bull•--John Flull—Jobn Bull—Jobn De suerr), bold, and re,.oltile, " Fear not to %bre, dtsapprohai ion, " But Brolly keep pour noisy motion, " For Mile of K. robk born " Shah gull a Britoil aation." And on another— • " We conquer or die." And this Deponent loather saith, that the ex. hibiticin of the letters 0. P. and the said placards, have always had the effect of exciting the pe, sous so rioting, and have occasioned great and inces. sant tumult and clamour ; and this - Deponent fur ther smith, that' on some of the nights aforesaid, a large paper has been held up, with a sketch, or dressing, intended, as Deponent believes, to re present John Philip Kei.ble, one of the Propri etors of the Theatre, and over the said head a figure of a gibbet, the exhibition of which has been accompanied by groans and exclamations against the said John Pain') Keinble ; and this Deponent further asitii, that on the fourth de) of Norm. bee. instant, he was in the Pit u the said Theatre, and when the half-price commenced, Dewy Clifford, of Stune.buddings, Lincoln's-lint,. in the County of Middlesex, Esq. came in with the letters 0. P. in his hat, and soon after, un his going to the centre of the Pit, several persons then in the Pit, making a noise and riot, many of whom had the letters 0. P. in dui, Imats , ur on their breasts, cried out " Clifford fur ever ;" " three cheers (or Mr. Clifford," and. three cheers were given, and a great noise, riot, and disturbance continued during tue remand., of the dramatic perfurinaucm, so that but • little thereof could be heard. GEORGE FARKERY. Swore la Cowl this StUth Day of Nov. ithl9. By thit Court. MATTHEW HOWITT, of 18, Dean-street, Rol. born, in the county of Mio,,iesex, iron oiiiiger, maketh oath pod Kith, that on the eveuin4 of the Bth day of Novemiser, instant, a nuoioer of persons were assembled in a riutuus .nwitier I.‘ t e Pit of Covent-garden Theatre, dim.); Cie repro. seutation of dramatic pieces, and alter the siun at halt-price bad comnitnced, haliou•og, hooting, hissing, crying " 011! oil! oil I" making so great and incessant noise, as to permit but a small part of the performance after tne rum. mencement of the half.price to be heard' by the audience, fur the purpose, as Deponent believes, by force and numbers, by tumult, clamour, and terror, to compel the Pristine:tun of the Theatre to reduce the prices of admission to what they hod item prior to the burning down of the old Theatre ; and this Deponent further saith, that many of the persons su engaged in interrupting the performance, wore in their hats the letters 0. P. meaniug, as this Deponent believes, Old Prices. And this Deponent believes, that the said persons wore the said letters as a balge, fur the purpose of exciting and encouraging the persons there assem!iled, so as aforesaid, to conduct them- Kirin fur the purpose aforesaid. And tail De ponent further baitli, that on the said Bth day of November, be saw John Birkitt Wienhult, of Thames Ditto% in the county of Surrey, Geo. Orman, with two other persons, who D./lenient has been informed and believes, were William Henry Savage, of Walsinghem-place, in the eosin. ty of Surrey, Gentleman, and Scutt, of Verulam.buildings, in the county of hieldlesex, Gentleman, in one of the lower loxes of the New Theatre Royal, Covent.garden, with the letters 0. P. in their hats,. or on their br e asts ; and soon after the said John Birkitt Wienhult held up and exhibited a placard, with the following words :—" We conquer or Die ;" upon which several persons in the Pit, and other-parts of the said Theatre, with the letters 0. P. in their hats, cheered the said Juhn Birkitt Wienholt, and the said placard was afierwards thrown into and amongst the persons in the Pit of the said Theatre, which was afterwards held up by several of the persons in the said Pit, and at this ONE there was a great noise, riot, and d.stur. bance in the saidTheatredur log the performances, so that nu part could be heard ; and this Depoilent further saith, that he 'lath seen the said John kilt Wienholt. Scott, and William Henry Savage, several evenings since that time in the Bolos or Pit of the said Theatre, with the letter. 0. P. in their hats, making a great noise, divers bance, and dot, with others in the said Theatre, each night, they were so present i.i the said Tbe.. etre during the performances so that but little part thereof could be heard by the audience. Sworn in Court, this 20th day ) MA !THEW HOWITT. of November, IhO9. 13y the luuri. NAVAL INTMLLIGKNCIL Facwou•n, Nov. 25.—Arrived the Walsiagbam packet, Capt. Roberts, with Mails from Lisbon, twelve days pas sage i left there his Majesty's ships Barfeur, 98, and Nau r 1 tilus 14 with the„Prince of Wales, stud Marlborough imckets. It was reported at Lilbon, that the French Beet, from Toe loa, had parsed the Gat of Gibraltar, without any action w ith Lord Gollingwrood's Bev.; but as this was mere report, It h not believed. Lord Wellington Is said to have left Li-b a for Seville. and General Beresford had set out to j..io the army oiathe Frontiers, which is stated to be again advancing, and the French on the retreat. Ilia Majesty's schooner Phipps, which arrived here oil Tlityrsdity night, a id' a Mes-enger from Lisbon, had an en /mg-meat uu Wednesday morning, of Scilly. a nil a large French bow privateer, of 18 guns, and full of men : the Frenchman sheered ulr, after an action of an hour And a half, and being a better sailer than the Phipps, escaped. It is much to be feared that this privateer, being also grraiJorce, will du much mi-chief. Three merchant vessels were in sight, at the time of the action. We are in hourly esperlatloa of the arrival of the Elilla pacJia, from the Alediterroneau, which will no doubt bring lag an accoaal of the repotted battle in that quarter, if any has taken place. PLY mortn NAY. 26.—Civne in yesterday, ant anchored is Cawutud li ar. hi, Majesty's !hip Formidable, .1 RO guns, from Gibraltar, *lnch place s'ie left the 89th ult. with the homeward-bound Meitner'. assa Ficet ‘ which passed op Gbandd yesterday. Cara'e in hoe with her, the armed trans port Ailelphi. C.ipt. Fishes, from Malta; and the Lion Myth ? from Gibraltar. .Arrivei the Spanish krir Patriot, Alkanier, Capt. Yr. wird*. from Alien to Landoll with fruit. Soiled the Pais frigate, i ihipt. Madge, for her station at Chien:wry. , , 1