The Statesman. — London, England, 1809-08-02 00:00:00

appear to be most admirably calculated to lay p; castrate before the good tense of the nation— I the honour—the dignity, and the consistency of the Corporation of tha' City of London.- 7 41141 1 du maintain, that to effect such a purpose, no melt. sure could have bast' more perfectly adapted, or more ingeniously oontrived.,--Of the motives of the gentleman with whom the motion o/igietieed, I do not feel myself' at liberty to eater up* au inquiry-,.and %hates., may be my opesslie on this point, shat opinion 1i will sot express.-- for in this, as in all other questions, every man has a right to exercise his owd judgmeet, and to make such motions in this Court as in his own discretion he may think proper ; but I will say, without hesitatiop, that I think it would have ad ded consistency, at leas., to the character of the Gentleman who has tea gravely announced his de. termination to tike no share in the proceedings of the Court this day, if he had boldly and manfully attended in person the discussion of that question, which he, and he alone, originally provoked. It does certainly appear to have been particularly incumbent on that Gentleman to have attended in his place this day, in confore ity to the summons of your Lordship, and to have stated publicly the reasons by which he was induced to give a notice so extraordinary, of a motion so unprecedented. With respect to the sespeesien of any further proceedings on the notice that was given, until the presumed, or indeed merely alleged, impro. priety of conduct in Colonel Wardle should have been decided, it appears to me that such de. lay %%ere not less cruel than unjust, improper, and inconsistent with the impartiality and dignity of this Court ; and I the more regret the absence of the worthy Gentleman, from my utter iams. petency to conjecture by what arguments a men. sure, so irreconcilable with common sense and equal justice, could be attempted to be justified. To Col. Wardle, who alone had the courage to institute the Investigation, and the perseverance to bring it to that successful issue, fur which he has received rho Thanks of a great seniority qf I the People of the United Kingdom, the entire merit of the result of that Inquiry is unquestion. ably due—and for his great and meritorious ewer. titeis in that ardeoes undertaking, it is now in. cootestibly known, that he has received no consi deration or reward whatever—but that which his exalted and disinterested mind is folly capable of correctly appreciating—the sincere demonstration of the eIIA,ITI/DI Or nit 0001MTMIN. Mel Wardle had no secret purpose to answer, no private ends to gratify, and that he bad no pees. Ware orsoti..cs, it is not possible even for the most "gaseous defouder uf corruption to deny—for the very tendency of the accusations with which he Pin been assailed, is to skew that he has eacryked pot only his awe but his fortune, by these pa. triotic and unexampled exertions which have ren dered him not Ica the object of regard to the people—than of terror to those by whom they have so lung been plundered. But, my Lord, I do hope and trust that we know how to estimate correctly the conduct of the man who has made these important sacrifices (if such indeed he has nsade)—who, influenced solely by motives of the purest patriotism, has been induced ooluntarily to place himself in a public situation, most aide. ous, and of difficulty beyond all example ; and as no circumstances have occurred since the Thanks of this Court were voted to Cul. War. die, which can in the slightest degree lower him in the estimation or opinion of any fair and can. did man, I think it is a duty that wo owe to justice, to the country, and to ourselves, to give him our support, and thus manifest to the people of the United Kingdoms, that we are not to be blindly, or tensely led away by the clamour and fury of an exasperated faction. In delivering these sentiments, I beg it to be understood, that I do not mean to impeach the character, theinile. peadenos, or the importance of the Gentleman with wisom this motion originated. The charac ter of that Gentleman Is perfectly known to the Members of this Court; but what would be our opinion of a person less known than he is, were such a proposition introduced as that of which he is the author!? By the adoption of that motion, we should be forging for ourselves &aim and fetters, and finally must throw our selves into the very midst of that vortex of cor ruption, which it is our professed and only object to annihilate. Aod to pass over in silence, and without decision, the extraordinary motion tug. Bested by the nigh:o of the worthy Gentleman, would be preduetive of evil almost equal to that of the adoption of the proposition which it urges ; for, supposing that it were to be no further agi. tided, all further inquiry into the existence of corruption would be instantaneously checked, and the important, nay incalculable, advan tages that must arise to the country from such aeceeserry Inrestiotion would be 'ascended, ad in/Whims. by this notice of a Motion uf Censure banging up, in terrorens, over the head of a man whose extraordinary exertions have brought to light transactions so extraordinary, so disgrace. ful, and so incredible as they did appear, until actually and incontrovertibl proved. Of the transcendent merit of Col. Wardle, and of the gratitude due to him from the People of England, such, my Lord, is my opinion, that I have no hesitation in avowing, that no reward could have appeared to me too great to have been offered by a grateful People to a friend so true, so firm, and so devoted to the interest of his country. I am perfectly ready to admit that we have all political prejudices. At the same time it mast be admitted that in the degree of force and bigotry with which they operate on the humus mind, the difference (in different men) is most important-..and I cannot avoid remarking, that the worthy gentleman witossee the notice of this .tastes, has voted for very assay measures that have had an undisguised tendency to bolster nil this transactions of the administrations of the day ; ...whether the ground has been substantial or ettherwise...to him it seemed to matter not—be bee certainly never hesitated to put the country Ito any eepence, however great, which had for its abject the support or gratification of the men to *kw, for the tease being, he deemed it prudent M gin that support—bat every I am to say, L THE STATESMAN, that for those patriotic exertions which have by the voices of a great majority of the people oT the United Kingdom been must gratefully acknow ?edged, as of most essential benefit and import. alive to toe vital interests of the nation, his name is nut to be found in the list of those who have `publicly exprosied their gratitude. It has been very lewdly era* by the fere who are of a similar upiuiuu with that of the worthy Gentleman, Nat the late trial at law appears to have implicated in its coesequenoes the merits and character of Col. Wardle ; but I must positively deny that this circensatance, whatever it. may have been, can form with us the smallest particle of matter for our consideration. Whether the imputation on the cha. racter of Cot. W. be true or false, this trausaction can make no possible difference to us. It matters not a jot, and I would only ask any Gentleman who now hears me, where we should have found any other man who would have undertaken that which Colonel Wardle not only undertook, but that in which he persevered with intrepidly and con. stoney unparalleled, and in the prosecution of which he sacrificed both his time and his pro perty ?—The only point to which we have to look is the issue and effect of the Investiga tion. Now, as convincing proof of the charges made by Mr. Wardle was actually brought home to the party accused, it is certainly more imme. diately incumbent on us to give the strongest tes timony in our power of the gratitude we feel, or ought to feel, towards Colonel War. die, than to be deliberating whether he shall not he deprived of ell the merit of his conduct. To those who can pretend to argue that a q nation trf account between Col. Wardle and any other person eight to form. a subject for our consider. sties, I really deem it superfluous to make an y Is reply—as it nut a question on which your time and attention can with any propriety be claimed. But, if the worthy Gentleman were Isere to sup port his own proposition, I would certainly ask of him how it happened, in Toting, at a vast ex pence, a Monument to Mr. Pitt, the well.known disregard of that Minister to all matters of per. sonal expence, even to the total neglect of pay ment of all his trathomens' Bills—that fact did not occur to the worthy Gentleman as a reason for withholding so splendid and costly a testi cle:my of approbation—and as the scrupulously delicate morality of the worthy Gentleman is so extremely squeamish, and his regard for the improper distribution of the thanks of this Court so accurately sensitive, it may, perhaps, with some, be a matter of no small surprise, that no foible in the private character and conduct of the great Nelson should have occurred to prevent the eve. thy Gentleman from promoting, as he did most forwardly, the monument voted by this Court to the memory of that most illustrious character. But no objection in either of these instances was even hinted at by the worthy Gentleman, whose sensitive part was probably at that moment asleep, but for which he might bare sought in the private defects of the non.payment of his tradesmeu's bills by the one, and in a suspected illicit connection ; precisely the same amount of objection as that' which seems alone to forte the basis of the medial, to tescind the Etesulutiou passed by this Court foes vote of thanks toCol. Wardle. I dare say the woe. tby Gent. would think it somewhat extraordinary, Ai, epos his own grounds, a motion were to be now made to rescind te tiesoltions by which It an were voted to Mr. h Pitt and Lord Nelson. is in truth must remarkable, that in the present in stance, where from the exertions by a single indi. videal the country unquestionably derives salmi. tages, tantamount to the greatest victory ever obtained either by sea, or by land—the worthy Gentleman's morality should be so suddenly awakened. In saying that the exertions of Col. Wardle have been of equal importance with the greatest victory, I am convinced that I am pee. reedy correct ; for if the success of the enemy de. pends on the final ruin of our resources...it is not I possible to estimate the advantages that must inevitably be derived from those exertions, which have so successfully tended to repress that corrup. tints which has lung been sapping the very vitals of the national resources ; and most certain it is, that unless the enormous corruption that Is now so irrefragably displayed in the broad face of day, be effectually checked, a country so circumstan. cod is in great danger of becoming finally an easy victory to an enemy. Were any proof wanting of the effect of the exertions of Colonel Wardle, the resignation of the Duke of York might satisfy the must incredulous, for by the evidence brought ter. ward on the investigation, was that event prudue. ed. This of itself is a fact conclusive of the an. questionable merit of Colonel Wardle. But the abuses that have been exposed by Mm its the patronage of the Church and in the Army, in thu sale of Seats in Parliament, in the India noose, sod other depareswaoss, are so noasarosser as to render erguinerst on so glaring • subject wholly superfluous; and there can be little he. sitation in the mind of any unprejudiced man, le admitting that the savings which might be made its the various branches of the prodigal, profuse ex. penditure of Government, would amount to a saw not inferior to that produced by the mast eh. noxious tax to which a free country ever lash. milted ; it is hardly necessary to say that I IMMO that most abominable, oppressive, and unjust (be. cause unequal) of all taxes, the Income Tan. If wo do but steadily persevere in that course el investigation and inquiry which the courageous exertions of Colonel Wardle have opened—advae. tages must ultimately result, which will produce incalculable amendment and amelioration in the condition of the country. Whether the Gentle. man who originally instigated this question, had it in view, by the carrying of his motion, to ex tinguish for ever all further inquiry, 1 will not take upon myself to say ; but it is absolutely ne cessary to remove ill doubt with the country, of what may be the sentiments of the Corporation of the City of London on so important an occasion. Perhaps it may be presumed, that if he did latter hinted( with the prospect of deriving any 'than. s tage from the carrying sat this motion, it must have been that of stifling that effusion of thanks to Colonel Wardle which so many pennies la this kingdom are yet extremely desirous of mega. sing.—My Lord, the Corporation of the City of Leaden having a political character to maintain, and hissing for many years thought it not only important, but iinlispesmibly necessary, to attend to the measures of the Government, the people at large of this country do ilidisputably look up to ooh decisions with very deep interest, and with most exceeding attentiou ; and to oar determina tion the country at this moment looks up with a degree of anxiety, fully proportioned to the mag nitude of the occasion, and the importance of the crisis at which we have arrived : the country at large waits but for our detenninatioe to support Col. W. of which, if once assured, we may certainly an ticipate all that weight, will be added to oar efforts in the reformation of abuses, which can he given by the support of a vast majoring of the people of Ike United Kingdom. That the Cor. poration will set in its true light the necessity of coming to a decision at this critical moment, I, for these reasons, anxiously hope and wish, al. though the original Mover of the question, very contrary to my expectations and wishes, is now ab . ' sent. With these views of this important subject, I shall now move an Anteediecnt,oto which, I trust, and indeed take it for granted, the Corporation will MN the nectstity of declaring their sentiments, by a positive decision ; fur inasmuch as an indivi dual cannot be hopod,withoot great support, toot feet so Herculean a task, it will not be denied that it requires the (suited energies of all to cooperate with him in the arduous undertaking in which he has voluntarily and so nobly embarked--and if it shall bo thought that we do require Reform —a Itefor:nation of Abuses, certain I am that ulti mate safety can be obtained ouly by the exertion of that auxiliary assistance which Col. Wardle necessarily requires fur the accomplishment of those objects, of which every one professes most anxiously to desire the attainment. That this Coon did, es the 6th day of Aprl kid. ea p_ress its Moaks and gratitude to Hwy I.i.vw Wire WANOLI. Del. for his cooduet in bringing forward sod sebsuoitiatliq; serious charges against the late Commeoder is Chief. wilco, notwithstanding the majority la hiatus* in the House of 'Commons, compelled his resigustisa. Thee no e i r ea r asiaare has 4 i nee troospired which no MMy moo Der testes the import:wee of that isvestigatiosi. impeach his motives. or aired the merits of the ease. 0o the estatrary, his unwearied exertions, perseversace, sad fortitude. seder onexam pled threats and difficulties. have developed a WM , of abase and corruption ' not only in the army. hot in various departments el the Sta te. That It has been discovered by the said Irtvoetiptioa, Blot these &beset have extended. toot *Ay to the 11= l ef Church and East India PfAmmage. but also to the of Seats is the Lmisistsre t aid charge. hove hem breetild IT ward+ and Praoheilreedi latplleathqg lo seek corropt sod il legal traffic Lord VaCNNOI Costleveggille the Hoe. Bremer Percesal, and the Hos. Henry WeNeaq. aN_ Membees of the House, and them and Dow holding _easlltte simatiam to hlslilajesty's noveramme. a oak which, is the language of thelipoalter of the Home of Cowman. " Woviat Sala° A 0111IATIa ScANDAIL UPON Tis s Paama went AND Tan NATION Ta 41 II Tali COUNTRY NA, IVES snows sixes PARLIAIIIINT Will Iran AN 1111119TSIICE. That the said lisse i ttair r s t also led to the discovery, Hutt the mid Lord t.' see of his Molesty's Bee*. larks of State, mils* of the Board of Commit, did, its /agree' breach of his ditty as a Minister, abuse of his patrooage. and gross violation of the Coastitstimi, place a Writeeship is the hands of Lard Clam:arty. a Membered the mote Som.!, for the peeper of obtain* for hiss a seat la parliament ; which p eeper the said Lord Castlereagh hos him. wit admitted, and. sotwithotandiog there appeared a sma ller isqtrity in his favorer. than appeared is favour of the Duke selfork, in manifest injostico to his nasal Highness, asid ram Multi to the Nation, the said Lord Cistlereagb dill re gains LAS official %nineties. That these attacks spots the vital pristiples of the Coasti- Soden have Isere mode whim* pwisiwcia or censer , . and ototioi* for i-qoiry into such pmetites have been rejected upon the alleged frequency and notoriety of than ; sad Par. liaised has thereby. at well as bv pasting a BiU to r event the sale of Seats to that House. recognized and acknowledged She corrupt inikteoce under which it has been called together, ▪ exercised its foortioes. k was stated by Mr. Wardle. that there was as Office polithel e a;tl open fur the sale 11 Plat weer Governess:at i tod met statement, w ken made, realy excited the derision a Mini.ters and the House, it has gore appeared. that the obi* statement was enured; and his illabrigies Xi. mister. have indicted and convicted several press* cemented therein, and such piacticer were declared Is the said Indict ment to haves tendency to degrade. vilify, slid Intent. sad bring into Contempt the Adsoisistratiou of the Cosatry. That bar various gatemen' which Mr. Wardle has lately *blunted to Parliament, it appears. that by a correct int, of the frauds, abeam, corrupting, and peculatioa, which hate been fund to exist I. every Mooch of the public expenditure to which inquiry has extemiod, and a wise mid Mugu appli cation of our rent urreo. she yeople might be relieved from heavy and ("pensive hortheas, If Met nom the logoisitorid and most grievous of all impose, the Tax spout Income. That his conduit on this occasion seems to have drawn op e n him, in a nigh degree, the malice and rancour of thine who are interested in the continuance of themsbuols. That in the opt** of this Onurt, Individuals who devote their exertion towards exposing and, emigre% politic abuses, are at all tenet entitled to the rapport and protection of the country, particularly at the preset assigerd, when there ap. pears as nnahating effect INS OW part of those notnrimuly un der the intseace of Goverment, or who part cipate is she existing frauds. corruptioss, sod predation'', to cry dewy', vilify, said troilism every miss who has cosrage and integrity to expose such practices. is order to mislead the public, and divert their attend* from these great evils. Mr. BOX. perfectly agreed in the propriety of coming to a decision on the question before the Court. He was ready to hold up his hand in favour of Colonel Wardle, aid admitted that th. late trial hail nothing to do with the question_.. the merit of Colonel Wardle he did mean to de preciate ; but at the same time, hoped the Court would retiree before it adopted the Resolutions' which had been just read...for Retolutitnis so ex. tussle* in their application, ought, its his opinion, to have been Mode a distinct qiiesoun fur discus sion. He thought it quite improper that Gentle men should make this a party question, and sit in I judgment on such high and exulted characters as Lard Castlereagh and others, who have serval their countr for a great number of years. (4 load laugh. Mr. UR FFITHS felt, that if ever there was a question which demanded the solemn decision iif the Court, it was that which was before them--. the Gentleman who had just delivered his senti. meats had talked of party ; but be trusted there was but one party, and that party would maintain the Government of the country ; but, if in that Government there should be found sues who were a disgrace to the situations which they held— he, fur one, felt it to be the duty of that Court, to express its disapprobation of their conduct. — He would ask whether corruption had not, like • snail touched on the head, shrunk into its house? Would it be contended, that Colonel Wardle bad oat rendered the country most important services by the various inquiries which he had instituted, independent of the original investigation ? Hail fie not exposed the shameful practice of selling seats in Parliament ? had tin not es posed the dia. graceful manser in which the patronsce of the Di rectors of the East India Company had been dis. posed of ?.-.in short had he not otposed practices of corruption all round us, and at almost every poise. It most be acknowledged, and indeed, seemed to he admitted, by his friend behhel him, who opposed the ambitions of the Worthy M. derman—that Colonel Wardle had done a great deal for the Ceuntry....Avdnst that he had not yet heard a syllable, and his friend behind his had candidly admitted, that the trial at las t could not affect the merit of Colonel War. die, nor ought to have any effect upon the opi. nion of the Court. , With respect to the ictee duction of the names of Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Perceval, and others in high official situations, he, for his own part, thought that the higher the site. vim's, the more necessary it became to have them filled with good servants ; and certainly, in order to have good servants, it is necessary to look well sifter them. However high might be the situations which these men filled, he saw no reason why they should out look them in the face, and tell them of their misconduct. That man who psys the ester. mons rates and taxes under which we labour ' and twenty shillings in the pound, ought to band down to posterity, untarnished, those rights and lailerties which were the prise and boast of Englishmen. On all occasions his fellow.citileos might look to him as a supporter of their rights, and certainy should never took to him in vain. He *mild, at all times, boldly censure the high and mighty, when the deserved it, and protect, to the utmost of his ability, the weak and needy. , Mr. WAITIIMAN.—AIthough Ido not think. that any arguments can he necessary to iodises the Court to adopt the Resolutions of the worthy Al derman, yet having taken an active part in the discussion when that Vote of Thanks to Colonel Wardle was passed, which it is the object of the present Motion to rescind, mad having had the honour of bringing forward a similar Vote of Thanks on other occasions, I cannot safer the proposition that is now before the Court to pew without observation. I regret, esreedingly, that the Gentleman who gave the pollee af this Ye. lion has not thought fit to attend, and live kk reasons to the Court for that extraordinary notice. But his having thus shrunk from the discussion certainly betrays a consciousness of a want of argument to support his Motion. I do not feel k necessary, or indeed possible. to say so meek on this important subject in the absence of that Gentleman ; for were he present, I might say some things that possibly would be very unplea• sant, and which I really know not how to say in , his absence. Yet, I teed that I may be justified in eramining the conduct of that Gentleman, i though absent; and of inferring from that con. i duct such motives as it may fairly appear to "ree -1 rant. 1 have not the sinallest hesitation in now I asserting that which I would certainly do to his I face if he were present—that he his stalled that w hi c h, is not true....wonely i that be gore notice of bringing forward this motion after the Ad. ,„iesirnnient...for there is no such thing as an Ad. journinent of this Courts True It is, that for the general convenience of its Members, it has at certain periods of the year been omitted to be called together; but I have never known an instance in which mit one whole months has j elapsed without this Court being called toot. I ther. I have indeed more than once f.. end that those who hA l b:wned to have the eat of the Lord Mayor fur the time being, take ad. vantage of the interest they had with his Lord. ship to get a coneenfeal day appointed, in order to mortis through certain propositions of their own. But, my Lord, with respect to the geese lion n .w before the Court, I must take the 11. betty of remarking, that the Gentleman who pas the notice of this motion must surely be the very pattern and quintessence of morality, sloe be deems the alleged breach of a pecuniary en gagement by Colonel Wardle of sufficiest import. 'nee absolutely to ileum the whole merit to which he is unquestionably entitled, from his great and enerio.orions exertions- -and not contented with entertaining, as an individual, an abstract nq. Lion, so estraorditiary—w-he modestly call! upon the Corporation of the City of London, on no better ground than this, to resided its own act, passed in a very full attendance of this Court, and after having undergone a aeries:a and very interesting discussion. My Lord, distention. man opposite to use (NI r. Knoll, at the same time that he admits, with great readiness, that the trial has nothing to do with the questilai of Colonel Wurdies merits, thinks the ritsolittioSis plwpnind by the worthy Alderman too harsh is maserias the conduct of that high and exalted perms*" •ho has served the country re lout.-. Lord Cas• tlereagh and also others; and this he makes the stalking horse of his opposition; bat that trick I have seen too often played off to be br ON men ment deluded by it, and so well indeed am I aware of this species of stratagom, that I oven de. nified my susvicions before I came into Court, that such a trick would be attempted by those who acted with the gentleman who gave the ' notice of the motion now before the Cori. By way of illustration of the habits of that geode. man, I shall state a fed :...That fieatiesae (Mr. Dixon) himself came to me not long after the trial, in which Colonel Wardle was interested, took place—amt condoled most patted, on tits piteous situation to which Colonel Wardle was reduced. 66 Oh !" says the °coarse', 46 What " a sad sad basin's: is this i You ain't think, '" Mr. Waiihman, how it hurts me. leaked I 66 am so hurt ! And, besides what shall we do, 66 you know we can't let the Thanks to him stand " on the votes ,sons—Oh ! I am so hurt about " this business you ain't think Ili" With this cant and hypocrisy be sot only tried me, bet he tried the Court all round, and at length, dis. I coveting that it would not de, ha silentl y shrunk from the attempt for that time. And this is not the Only time that that Gentleman has resorted to the cant of hypocrisy to carry o n his desigus, for I remember his coming to me on the occultsn of a Motion of Mr. Birch. 66 Lord," says be, " whet a jeettrk Motion is this of bird' 6 ' about No Popery":l [Here Mr. 'ragtime* was interrupted.) Ido assert that be came tool house in the manner I have described. From hit conversation I soon (*metered that be had been I