The National Register. — London, England, 1819-10-03 00:00:00

ELECTION OF LORD 11441011. Tait LlTralf 14.1011111 ATKINS, ESQ. The expected scene took place on Wednesday in Guild hall between the Lord Mayor and Livery in Common Hall tisseniblarl, in consequence of the recent refusal of his Lordship to convene • Common Hall, in pursuance of the Requisition submitted to him by a large and respect able body of the Livery, to consider of the melancholy transactions of the Hithof August, at Manchester. At a quarter past one o'clock the civic procession moved from the Court of Aldermen to the hustings.— Aldermen Waldman and Wood were received with loud shouts of applause; Mr. Sheriff Parkins was also warmly greeted , but his colleague, Alderman Bothwell, was not so fortunate as to obtain the same flattering recep tion. Mr. Hunt, Mr. Hone, and some other GellllCUlcll who are the objects of popular favour, were loudly cheered as they mounted the hustings. %Viten the Lord Mayor advanced to the front of the hustings to make his obeisance, it is quite impossible to describe the uproar with which his cars were assailed front all quarters. " Fire r-" Murder!' &e. formed but a part of the ejaculations that rebounded throughout the Hall. Tne Common Crier then made the proclamation for silence in the usual manner, hot without the usual ef fect—for it was wet by shouts of " No Election"— Q.testion of Grievances first !"--and the Recorder fol. !owed, with the notification of the business of the day. The Common Scrjeant then came forward, holding a piece of paper, which was understood to contain the list of Aldermen in rotation of service for the office of Lord Mayor. Ile attempted to addrezis the Livery, but Lis voice was uiterly drowned with cries of—" No, No !"—" Our Grievances first r-" Olanchester,— Manchester !'' Mr. Thompson now stepped forward, and said he meant to submit a motion to them relative to grievances. --(Loud applause ) The Common Serjeant here attempted to push Mr. Thompson aside, but the latter, supported by Mr. Hunt's firm, resisted and held his ground. Mr. Able: man IVaithman insisted upon Mr.Thoinp sou's right to be heard. Mr. Alderman Itothwell and Mr. Sheriff Parkins (the new Sheriff.), then addressed the Livery together, the former urging them to proceed to the regular busi ness of the day, and the latter calling on them to give an impartial hearing to all who addressed them, and to sup pon their rights. Mr. Alderman Waithman here appeared to hare a sharp altercation with the Co tttt nun Serjeaut ; the Alderman insisting that Mr. Thompson had a right, which he hoped lie would not comp se, to address the Meeting, and the Common Serjeant insisting that the regular business of tin: election had precedence of ecery thing eke. Here Use City Oaken and the Gentlemen who were insisting upon Mr. Thom son's right to be heard, were bustling each other in front of the busting, but Mr. Alderman Waitlituan, Mr. Thompson, ai.d other Gen tlemen near them, 4nuly held their ground. The Common Serjeaut insisted they should desist front interrupting the business of the eleetion, or else at their peril take use consequences. Mr. Alderman Waiihnian replied, he should not stir one step : he would rem sin at his post until live o'clock tto . nim row morning. —(Great applause.) This scene of confusion lasted for unite time, when at length silence being obtained— Mr. Alderman Waithman made an animated appeal to the Livery, cautioning them against surrendering on this occasion an iota of their riOne. lie raid he war surrounded on the hustings by the London Tavern Junta, who had laid a plan to derive the Livery of their rights. There was dir. Robert Smith, the loudest .4 all in his interruption ; let the Livery hear the Gen. tlenion if he had thing to say, bu. let them man *Ay awn their cord rights. l'he worthy Alderman again entreated that the Livery would not suffer the Lord Mayor to dragoon them out of their rights —The Coninion Serjeatit was but the mouth-piece of the Slie r tr:., and had no right to prevent any Liveryman from being heard.—(Loud applause.) lie hoped the Livery, now that they were in possession of their Hall, would nut depart until they atsetird and enforced their rights. —',Lu...l accliarnstion-, and cries of " ‘Ve never will 1•' Mr. Thompson then came Inrward, and persevered in addressing the Livery, notwithstanding the impedi ments throw n its his way by the gentlemen neat and after ninny other inteiriiptinns, concluded by may tale- the fidlowing Heroin:low That the Livery of London, in Common Hall assem bled, have an ancient, clear, and undoubted right, , upp , ir- Ltd by the Inc hest !egul :is well as mu rinl usage, on Midsummer, Nliehaelanwi, or nny other dad, to 'disc tow their consideration any mutter of public grievance, and tiii the present OCCUSIWI it .s highly necessary rind int portant to exercise that riAht pies mu to cunning upon the election of a Chit( Magistrate. ti That the right of the pilyte to assemble and &liberate on the bcst means of °lnitiating it minas at public mice:men, is not only but essential to the prtscisiitiou of free dom. S. That this Common Hall cannot sufficiently expect; its ablforrsnce of the late s4nguituiry proceedings at Nl:inches ter, a here cle ar ly appears, teat whilst the people were peaceably exercising their imot.tutional right, they acre illegally iaterroptea by the hlaotrate., and d4ehed by the Yeomanry Cavalry, whose indiscriminate faty spar. d rekber age nor sex, thertby producing s of horror and aullering reboltoig to humanity, Iliad which would have excited a mai ked t ttt I even if they had weal red iu the most de.putic and barbarous t,meo. 4. That tae reading of the Riot Act at a legal and peace able !tweeting . has not only a wanton and wicked attack on Vie linertic., of the people, but contrary to the very spirit and intention ftethat Act ; and by tie non-obeer reader of the tditioni etpre•wel by that law, which prebcribtv (even Ave tear .1. foal riot) that it should be ooeoly, and not sarrepti. 1. and that the people • Imuid be entitled, had as .# caw ttotuttsl; . trat:sgre.ed, to a tall and fair erpneln- THE NATIONAL REGISTER. pity, (tufo% I/11e boor, to disperse, but watch salutary pro tection appears to Ita•e been altogether disregarded by the Slitg.str.,tes of itluacht:ster, the) d otgauttly violated that 'coy btu under which they Ii poctoieally pretended to have acted. 5. That his 51ajest'o Ministers, in todiisin4 the Prince Regent pr . ( cipitate y to pri judge tool justify the iillif.l,;eliU! Laud c .uel of the alagiotrateo and 1 eomanry Ca valry, is a sUI ject of to the a bole country► and an *Jodi +potable proof that probe Alinioteis ore unworthy of the c 01,11,1. tact: either of the Pt once It. geld or the people of the Ur.ush etupirc; it is therefore, the bounden duty of the people hi all pa is of kingdom, to expre-s 614'1► 1./Iliiiillll on those fatal trauxiet:oni, and steadily to demand that legal inquiry amid justice which can alone staid) tate initials by %indicating the supremacy of the law. 6. That a oubscrtptitio be earnestly recommended and buppthted by this Common Ilan, fur the relief of the mane rotas peroars who acme illegally mid cruelly maimed and wounded on the fatal amid 'icier-to-be-forgotten 16th du) of August last 7. That this Common Hall cannot too a armly express their approbation of the thin and juiliciono conduct of 51r. Alderman rillid1111:111, ill the manly and successful rixis lance which he made to the task :mil auk Ice of the Lord Nlayor. to iuterropt and dispeise lime public meetings recently amid coestitatiouady usoembled in Smithfield, and whicli advice ef the Chief Magistrate, if followed, would have manifestly disturbed the peace of the cFy, nod pi ithe bly have furnished melancholy scenes similar to those which occurred at Manchester; and that the able and long-trued exertions of Mr. Alderman Waitlinian, in upholding the privileges of the Livery, hut too. e especially for his sea sonable and usidawited conduct in ta k lig the chair, wilco call( d lu it by the Livery at the lest Continuo Hall, fug [her demand our utast unqualified uhwoks. 8. "fliat J. Atkins, L. q. Lind Mayor, by his conduct in refusing to convene Common-1 1 alb on three several occasi olio, a hen icquioitatis were plesesited to ban, xiusly si~ncd, and ill hosing Jissokcd Ikt 0 0611.110011 Ils, without ;Ohio Mg the Livery to allow their feilow-cilizeno, as a ell ao by the disregard and contempt he has lit till times shown for their psivtlegeo and opinions, has acted in gross violation of their rights anti his duty, and has thereby 'metered hitooelf unworthy of their confidence or respect. The Reso!idiot's, which were seconded by Mr. Bum stead, were carried by an immense majority. Aldern . tan Waldman returned thanks for the honour done him. When every little Borough in the kingdom was petitioning against malt and other taxes, was the great body of the citizens of London to be told, you shall nut meet in discuss and petition the Prince Regent upon the subject of an atrocious outrage. (No, no.) On a former occasion, a question was raised, namely, whether the Lord Mayor coon' .interfere with the will of the Livery to meet its Common Hall,—and no less a person than that sapient statesman, Mr. Samuel Dixon decided that the Lord Mayor had no such power. The Cot 1111 l on Council had decided that they ought not to interfere with the rights of the Livery of London. Their law °dicer, who had declared their proceeding irregular, was no more in that Hall than a beadle. (Cheering.) He expressed a hope this proceeding would never be for gotten, and that the Livery would act in the same de ternsined manner whenever the slightest opposition was oltered to the free and fair exercise of their (Loud applause.) Mr. Thompson returned thanks. The present time was remarkable for hypocrisy, yet the Lord Mayor then iu otlice was no hypocrite. He too plainly told than his intention was to deprive the Livery of their rights. They ought not to trust him. Ile had told them fortueily, in that Hall, that in case there was no Reform in Parliament, a bloody revolution would take place. That revolution had commenced, but not on the pert of the people. 'lnc people had been for bearing to a fault. It was a revolution brought about by the Government acting against the Laws and Con stitution. Whatever matters of difference might arise upon points of Reform, it was clear there was now but two parties; one supported the oppressive acts of the Government and Magistracy, the other supported the rights and liberties of the people. With a large stand ing army, and what teas worse, an unfeeling inquisitous Yeomanry Cavalry, the Ministerial Revolutionists might for a time pin upon the rights of the people, but like the confined fires of a volcano, the just indignation of the country would at last burst forth, and scatter to destruction all that stood in the way. He concluded by moving the thanks of the Common Hall to Sheriff Par kins, for the honourable, dignified, and upright man ner in which he had conducted himself on present occasion, and added to that proposition, that the Livery declared hint to be the Upper or Senior Sheriff 'l'i►e 'resolution was card by a chew of hands. Sneritl Parkins then returned thanks to the Livery for the high honour confirm, on him. He did not at the same time prejudice their former decision. He should leave it to their consideration whether the last resolution ought to be their regular determination or nut. Mr. Stevens moved that the thauks of his fellow citi zens be given to H. Hunt, Esq. for his conduct at Man chester, on the Itith of August last, and his temperate behaviour before the 'Magistrates of that district, &c. The resolution was carried. Mr. Hoot returned thanks, and concluded by moving, the Resolutions be published in the usual Morning and Evening Papers ; also that the thanks of the Common Hall be given to Messrs. Harmer, Pearson, and Denison, for their professional and constitutional exertions in behalf of the M utchester sufferers. Mr. Stevens seconded the resolutions. Mr. Pears ,n returned thanks fin the honour con. (erred on him. lie had been placed under circum. stances in which no man who called himself an Eng lishman could avoid feeling for the miseries and dis tresses of the people of Manchester. He drew a very animated picture of the violence committed upon the unarmed multitude. Man, the superior order in crea tion, had degraded himself beneath the level of the brute. He had slaughtered the infant of a lovely woman, lying at her breast, and smiling in her face. The wretches had nut been punished. lie might say with the Poet, his country was [alien.—" Oh, England, OCT. 3. where are tit) best laws--Oh, Heaven. where is thy justice. that tby thunders steel? t" _ ELECTION OF LORD MAYOR. Mr. Stephens then stepped forward: tie said they had performed one imistkrtant duty ; they had now to proceed to another, windy, to the election of two per. wits to be returned to the Court of Aldermen, one of which two that Court would have to return•as the Lord Mayor fot the ensuing year. If the rotation system ever had existence in law,. as well as its fact, he had no hesitation in saving that it ought, to he exploded.— ( A pplause.)—litey ought not by any means to be boomd to have a fool or a knave, merely because he was the next in rotation. (Loud applause.) Ile was for ie• turning those whom- they felt assured would maintain their rights and privileges ; and on looking over the list, he could find only two who came within that cha racier—Aldermen. 11 owl and Thorpe ; Aides own Waithman was not eligible,. as he had never Levu Sheriff. Li had been said of one of theist, Alderman Wood, that he had passed the Chair ; so Mach the better ; they knew what he was, and they had not found him waning. Could they too Wien have the Magistracy of one who had constantly shown himself the protestor of their laws and liberties? lie would have them beat in mind that as they must return two Aldermen to the Court, for the COIIICS selection, they ought to return two men either of whops would be the supporter of their rights. Ile trusted that they would be firm ; and that they would do away for ever with the rotation systein—(applause)—miless indeed a good mats happened to be at the head of the list. Ile should conclude with moving, that it was expedient to put Alderman Wood in nomination—(Cheers.) He had just understood front the Common Serjeant—bui his should listen only to the Sheriffs—(hear, hear !) that they must proceed at once to the election, without adopting any step to collect their opinion. Mr. Sheriff Parkins took the Resolution, and said, most heartily did be put it to their vote.—(lmmense cheering ) The Resolution was carried by acclamation, followed by much liiizzaing. Mr. Common Scrjeant then appeared, but was un graciously greeted. Ile could not be heard at first, except by those close to hint. Ile had already had the honour of reading over the list of names to them ; and since then Mr. II and Mr. FCAOIII had placed its his hands the nomination ol \lr. Alderman Wood.— The name of Mr. Alderman \Viscid would therefore be put to their vote along with those alre3tly on the list.— (Applause.)— Front this list they would decide which two should he returned to the Court ol Alai seen, which Court would elect one of them to be Lord Mayor for the year ensuiug. He then proceeded to read the names. Mr. Hunt, just as the names were going, to be read exclaimed—Recollect Alderman Wood, and Alderman Thorp! A caution that called forth loud and merry applause. Messrs. Bloxham, Magnay, Bridges, lleygate, and Cox were then severally put, by their names being hoisted on boards ; but they were all received with hootings and groans alone—no votes. Aldermen Thetpe and Weed were nest severally proposed amidst tremen dous cheering, and a display of hands from one end of the Hall to the other. fltis was followed by several rounds of buzzes, and then the twirling of hats, so mark the triumph. Mr. Sheriff Parkins also turned round anti congra tulated his colleague, Mr. Alderman Bothwell, on the event; it is but justice, however, to state, that the latter Alderman conducted himself throughout the arduous situation in which he was placed, in so mild, gentlemanly, and temperate a manner, as to excite out versal respect. Mr. Common Serjeant then stated, that he was di rected by the Sheriffs to declare, that in their opinions the Election of the Common Hall had fallen on Al d. Thorpe and All Wood, to he returned to the Court of Aldermen, that they might select one of them to be Lord Mayor for the year ensuing. He stated, that a demand had just been pieced in the hands of the Sheriffs for a (1011 on behalf of Mr. Alderman Bridges. The Under Sheriff stated, that the Liverymen might depart the Hall till a quarter past four; that the poll would then be opened, and that it would proceed fur one hour. The Hall, however, remained full, the popular indi viduals conjuring the persons present oat to depart, and at a quarter past five. when the poll closed, the Hall was nearly as full as during any part of the da;—and such a Hall we never before saw. _ _ _ While the numbers were being cast up, Mr. limit held forth a large printed placard, declaring—" If wish to have either, you must vote fur Wood and Tnorp."—(Great applause.) The numbers, which were raised on boards, were ultimately declared to he as follow : Thorp Wood Bridges 3B And each name, as the numbers were attached to it, was greeted with loud applause , but the last annunciation was honoured with stunning huzzar. Mr. Pearson stepped forward and congratulated them on the state of the pull. As they loved freedom them salves, it was their bounden rimy to preserve their liberty for those who should follow them as well as for them selves ; and how could they do this better than by electing individuals who were likely to pay some regard to the privileges, the char cter, and coaseipsence of the City of London—who, above all, would allow theta the nw of their own flail when they might happen to want itt They knew Om Althrman Wood would do this, and they had every reason to expect as much front Alderman 1 horp. Mr. limn impressed on them the necessity of ar dently supporting those two individuals Wood and I'horp, either of whom would in all probability be stout supporters of their rights and privileges. asiald t i OP .. - a i°