The Sun. — London, England, 1819-07-22 00:00:00

smyriinELD MEETING FOR REFoiIAI. [FULL PARTICULAM; The Rabble Meeting v.'ith w kid) the town hrs been menaced for :he last fortnight took place yesterday, As we have already an..ounced, every preparation that prudence could dictate, or ex perie,,ce suggest, was promptly made by the Constituted Authorities. In andizion to what we have already mentioned, a Regiment of Lancers was ordered iuto town on Tuesday night, and orderly Serjeauts paraded the different streets 1)::- tween Smithfield and the western part at:the:me tropolis, to convey to the military with Alre,ut most rapidity intelligence of any disposition to riot. The orders given to the Police, and other branches of the Civil Power, were peremptory • and distinct. If the meeting conducted them selves peaceably, not the slightest attempt was to he made to interfere , with their proceedings ; but the first symptoms of seditious incitement, or of actual preparation for breaking the peace, was to be promptly resisted. The Officers at the dif ferent Police Offices were ordered to bold them-. selies in readiness to move in any direction where their presence might be required. As early as eight o'clock yesterday tnorning, the City Officers and the Firemen of the different Companies began to assemble . in Smithfield, and were stationed in such places as would; enable them to act with the most effectual co-opera tion. Many of the inhabitants in the immediate vicinity of the market, '.apprehensive of violence, Lad removed the female part of their families and children. Most of the shops remained un opened, and as the hour of tneeting approached, those that had been opened were immediately Shut. At a quarter after eleven o'clock, a deputation of twenty was appointed to conduct Mr. Hunt to the scene of action. Two ot them bore small flags, which were furled, and covered with oil sl in—the others carried ozier wands. - They pro ceeded to the Old Parrot public-house, in Green arbour-court, Old Bailey, and there awaited the coming of their Chairman, who soon after made his appearance. At a quarter before one, the de potation escorted Mr. Hunt, who was on horse back, into Smithfield, amidst the cheers qf the po pulace. which he returned with many obeisances. The flags wet e now oolorled. One of them bore .the inscription of " Universal Suffrage," in gold letters, on a purple ground—the other was in scribed with the words " Peace and good will," in black letters, on a white ground. The proces sion moved in an orderly manner to the waggon, into which Mr. Hunt, and as many of the deputa tion as could find room, mounted. On Hunt's left were Messrs. Thistlewowl and Preston ; on ,his right the Rev. Mr. Harrison anti Dr, Watson.; For the purpose of procuring silence, two boards were displayed, bearing the words " Order, Order !"—and every thing was done to secure tranqoillity. After the tumult ot applause vehicli Mr. Hunt's presence had excited. amongst the Mobility bad subsided-- Mr. GAsT cvne fortvard and proposed that Mr. flout do take the The tooti , n was, of course ; agreed to. Me. IioNT then took Clia \ ir, amidst the loud and general applause of the Rabble. He 5 , 1 ;d lie would he ambitious, indeed, if he thou ht his voice could he heard by the immense and re specluife nwhitude 'which lie had the honour to eoldress —(ApJase.)—lie had no hesitation Co declare, that in the t uetuory or man, or in the re cord. of ,history, there never was assembled a mee; ing so oemerdus as the present .—(Ap nuntlier ot respectable though bumble i;Aividuals funned thenoielves into a Committee, for the perpos:e of conducting this Meeting. They . were all, said he, humble individuals—or what ,voor en enties , :ail the lower' orders.—(Applaose.)— ; i . hey now/ stand here, with simple wands in their hands, to strew you anti t heir enemies, that thinigh they are Iry y humble in life, they are not afr . aid on an occasion like this to do their duty— . (Cries of Bravo!").-Gentlemen, said he, I received an invitation from these Gentlemen, as you would see by the circular which was publish ed, to attend here this day, for the purpose of Liking the Chair at• this Meeting, it it should have your approbation.—(Cries of " It has, it has has, Gentlemen, your approbation, and for the honour you have done me, in appoint ing me ,to preside over the proceedings of this day, I shall endeavour to perform my duty as be comes the Chairman of so numerous, so orderly, and so Constitutional a Meeting of the People.-- , (Applause.)—And I may further declare, that since I was born, I never recollect to have seen so large 'a Meeting in my life ; a Meeting too, let it he . observed, composed of the humbler ranks in society, who are nevertheless entitled as Engli+hmen to their free born rights. Gentle . tnen, you will perCeive by the circular letters, , that fourteen other Gentlemen from different parts of the country received invitations flora the,Com 7 mittee to attend this Meeting, for the purpose of assistint; them let the business of the day ; but, alas ! the Committee, which is merely composed of hottest mechanics, were not aristocrati cal enough for those Gentlemen, as the sitnple iovita:ion of the people was not eon sid. lel enough—some of those Gentlemen, therefore, returned answers to the applications that had bet it wade, declining the invitations of the Committee. Those letters, Gentlemen, will he read to you by the Secretary, It is right, Gent!, taco, that you should hear those letters read, in order drat you might be able to judge cf . the pretensions of those who have come before ' t triton . -coontryinen—in order that you might lto.v they do their duty in the momeut of Cliq-oletoen, out of those fourteen persons, one or ttvo oel:. promised to attend 'here this day to assist and take a ,:)art in your proceedings ; - even those who hose remained behind—whether they wi=re intiteidated by the threats of the public press aocrthe tyranny of other par ties, or whether they wine influenced by other causes, it would be useless to inquire. We only know the fact that,. not withstanding . their promises, they do not Appear, they have abandoned the people and their I!“ yin the moment of trial. This 'hews another no-L:110101y proof how apt professional friends are it.,,nd mit to be in reality wolves in sheep's cloth- When the day of trial .arrives, the people cl i .;. know t-rhni are not their real, Iheirsteady, anal de. ter , oined friends. Gentlemen, Sir Charles selev, the friend of the people, would have at• tended on yoo, bet I am sorry. that a domestic ca lamity preventedVrtn! . . That 'calamity, as well 'as his arrest by the Government, for having address ed a public Meeting .. , of his fellow-countrymen at Stockport, pot ii out of his power to gratify his ovislics in . eepeating among you. But though he is al”ept , a nother.f...saulema.n,_ who acted with him on li!nt ocete•ion, who in truth was his fellow colleeger, an'l will probably be his fellow snfferer, stands next me. 1 .Mean the Rev. Mr. Harrison— (Great applause.)—Nothing has deterred him from coining forward to do his duty in a manly way, anal I am glad that you have received him as he deserve?, IVhatever danger may surround him, it is ple . asing to the feelings of an honest - tnnis)o receive the public approbation, when he is con scions of having deserved it. That Gentleman had in the most' kindly manner offered all hie assistance on this occasion, and I ant sure you will be delighted to hear from him all the pa triotic seutitnents he has 'uttered elsewhere, and to which- you have heard so much odium Atached be the public press. To any man who was not acquainted with the tricks of Govern ment, madness might be justly imputed were be to be present, after such threats as they used, to attend such Meetings as the present. Allow me however to say, Gentlemen, that I have read all the threats, vilifications, and taunts which the Government could throw out against the friends of Reform,.and-I have read them, I do assure you, 'with a smile of contempt. Letters have been sent to me since I accepted the honour of being Chair •man at this 'Meeting, to inform me, that if I ali peared at all (Sputa such an occasion, I . should either be shot or put to death. I disregard such threats, and I would only beg that such cowardly miscreants as those who sent me such threats; would appear, as I have no doubt they would do, were it not from the tear of your vengeance.— If my death, however, is a greater service to my country than my life can be, then now is the time for the enemies of freedom to take it, and the sooner they tire, so much the better. lam stare it is not needful for me to request you on, this oc casion to maintain a peaceable disposition, and to suffer nothing, on any pretext, to instigate you acts of riot, because you well knots; the dangers to which you ere necessarily exposed by a single breach of the peace.--(Applause.)—Some of the Daily Papers have cautioned me to beware, lest I meet the .fate ttf \Vat Tyler. Ili reply, I shall Only say, that while I thank .them for the hint, I must state, that, were I to meet the same provocation as \Vat Tyler did, I should have 'no hesitation in putting myself at the head of the: • people to meet a due reeompeoce. All we want - here is, not devastation, but the resumption of our rights, of which we have been so lont and most unjustly deprived, You - will now hear the letters read, which have been received,and I trust you will pay them due attention. They will be read by our Secretary, Mr. Blandford. Mr, Blandford then .read the letter of Sir ICharles \Volseley, which was to the following effect : cc Wolseley, " had the pleasure of receiving Your letter, hinting me to' attend a Meeting of the People in Smithfield Market place, on Wednesday, the ststinstant. " I shoulq at all times be ;,lad to give my sanction to the endeavours of the People, to regain their long Jost Liberties , by-my presence, if I thought it was of consequence ;in this instance; however, it will he out of my power, furl have pro mised those of Manchester, to he there, at a Meeting that will take place, I understand, im the course of a fortnight, the precise time not being as Yet fixed. ' I have the honour to be, " Sir, your obedient humble Servant, - " C. WOLSELEY. " Mr. Edward JaMeS !Ifandford, 56, Margaret -street, near Hackney, London." He then rcd one from Mr. Northmore, apolo giziog for his absence, but declaring his hearty acquiescence in the object of the Meeting. Mr. GasT then came forward to propose-a series of Resolutions. In moving them, it was intend ed not only to call . for the opinion of the Meeting but also to stimulate them.to proper exertion for the recovery of those fights, which were the in herent right of every'BritiSh Subject. The great principles on which RadiCal Reformers acted, were not the' promotions of nuirage 'or the-exten sionof slavery, but in fact the promotion of li berty and the general extension of liberal enlight ened principles through every corner of the world. He then read the Resolutions, of which the fol lowing is a copy : " APPEAL TO THE MEETING. " As nothing has appalled tie unfeeling factions and their venal bloodhounds - of the press so com pletely as the peaceable conduct of recent Re form Meetings in the Country, so it is therefore devoutly to be hoped that the present Meeting in Town will prove, by moderation of behaviour and , strength of reasoning, not less formidable to the • myrmidons of power in the metropolis. " 1. Resolved, Therefore, that every person born in Great Britain and Ireland, is•by inherent right—FaßE. ." 2. That for the protection of the life, the liberty, and the property of every Member, in a free State, it is expedient and essential that a Code of Laws should be established, and an Exe cutive Administration thereof provided. '" 3. That as life, liberty, and property are equally dear to every man, whatever may be his rank, condition, or attainment, it follOws of ne cessity that every man, in a tree State, is equally entitled to a voice in the enactments of such Laws, and their Provisional Administration. " 4. That to support the just expenceVatten dant upon a due Administration of the Law, fair pioportioned contribution from every member of the community ought to be equitably levied. " 5. That the rights of all being equal, no freeman in Great Britain or - Ireland ought to be taxed withont his previous admissiori'to a partici pation of universal right. " 6. Thtit this universal right may he exercised in the Choice of Representatives, to be fairly and freely nominated or chosen by the voices or votes of the largeit proportion of the svhvle Members of the State. " 7. That the persons who at present compose the -British House of Commons have uot been fairly and freely nominated, or chosen, by the voices or votes of the largest proportion of the Members of the State. " 8. Therefore, that soy Laws which Way hereaf►er he enacted, or any Taxes which may be imposed by the present British House of Com mons, ought not, in equity, to be considered ob ligatory '►pou those who are unjustly. excluded from giving their voices or votes in the- choice of Representatives. " 9. That from and after the Ist day of Jan. 1820, we cannot conscientiously consider our- selves as bound in equity by any future enact ments which may be made by any persons styling themselves our Representatives, other than those who shall be fully, freely and fairly chosen by rl , e voices . or Voles of the largest proportion of the Members of the State. "" 10. That, with a view to accelerate the choice of legal and just Representatives of the , whole People, 'we will cause Books to be forth with opened in the different Parishes of this Me tropolis, for the enrollment of the names and re sidences of every man of mature age and sound mind resident therein, so as to enable him to give his vote when legally required so to do. " 11. That an humble Addresslte presented to the.Ptince Regent, requesting he will be gra ciously pleased to issue his Writs to the Sheriffs and other Returning Officers of the different Coun ties and Cities of this Empire, to cause Represen tatives to be chosen agreeably to the foregoing Resolution, and to assemble in Parliament in January next. " 12. That it is the right of every individual to retain and 'express his Religions Opinions, with out being answerable to any human tribunal ; and that it is wicked, intolerant, and unjust to impose civil disabilities on account of any difference in religious profession. " 13. That this Meeting has witnessed with the deepest sympathy and regret the sufferings of our fellow-countrymen of Ireland, professing the Ca tholic Faith, who, by the unjust, arbitrary, and cruel laws of a self-elected Legislature, have been long subjected to the severest miseries, which one body of men can inflict upon another. • " 14. That the applications for Catholic Eman cipation, often repeated, and always barbarously refused, proved, beyond all doubt, that the only means by which Catholics can hope for the re ot ;heir (Usabilities, is by uniting with the people of Englaod al;41 Scotland, and demanding R a di ca l Re - w which, by restorifig to all men cval r4 - 7),•wi1l secure to our Catholic Country men free'eujoyment of all they ask. • " 15. That an Address, expressing these, our :sentiments', be prepared by the Committee; signed by the Chairman and. Secretary, and transmit ted to the leading Members of the Catholic Body in Ireland, for the purpose of general circula tion. . _ _ " 16. That this Meeting hereby 'solemnly pro• claim their sincere desire for an union of all sin cere Reformers ; and they now offer the olive branch of peace and g,ood-Will to those whom the imperious calls of domestic, private or public af fairs, compel to remain passive well-Wishes to the cause of their brother-sufferers, and above all to the Briiish soldier, that he may not be driven by the fear of starvation, the horror of a lacerat ed back, or the loss of life, by kdrnm-head Court Martial, to deeds in defence of the system which his soul abhors. 17. That this Meeting solemnly disclaims the Debt impudently, and falsely called the National Debt ; that as it was contracted by Boroughmon gers, witheut the consent of the People, let the • Boroughmongeri pay the principal ,and interest of the lame. _ 18. That this Meeting unequiirocally disclaim any sh.'re or participation in the disgraceful and co wardly act of the Boroughmongers, in placing the brave Napoleon a prisoner to perish upon a desert Island, shut out from human society, . and toil) from his • only son, 'whilst he is exposed to the brutal insolence of a hired keent4." • He moved that they should now be adopted by 'the Meeting,- : The Rev. ".JOSEPH HARRIsoN next came for ward. He began by addressing the Meeting as fellow-citizens, and staid, that he. had never higher pleasure in his life than in seconding these Reso lutions. He had looked over the greater part of them, and though he had not seen every idea they contained, he yet felt the deepest pleasure in giv‘ lug to them his decided approbation. Knoiving many meetings, and the Resolutions which had passed at them, he 'must say that he never bad Witnessed a string of Resolutions which had been ever adopted' by a Meeting prior to this, so well worthy of consideration. These Resolutions in timated th at the people were not merely to request, bet to take pensession of their rights. In those Resolutions they had intimated their intention to address the Prince Regent, at present exercis ing the functions of royalty. In their resolu tions, they roupleti . courage with bernility..shew iug to the civilised world, that while they ected as men in search of their rights, they were de termined to evince the utmost regard for their Prince. ,They would acknowledge his title, so far as that was legal, and would to the utmost of their power exert themselves to protect and de fend him, so long as, like a faithful Sovereign, he continued to defend and protect theta. While he acted es a kind and indulgent parent, he had no doubt the people would act as dutiful, faith ful, and obedient children. Acting thus as became their situation, and sheaving them selves the friends of good order, and display ing an anxiety to preserve the public peace in this our native island, and our highly favoured country, they would speedily gain their cause, and prevent such disgusting and horrific scenes of bloodshed, as bad occurred during the ara of the French Revolution.. Indeed, he believed, there was not a single person whose soul did not shud der at the very idea of such sanguinary scenes be ing acted here as, alas ! bad taken place in France. some who.were the pretended advocates for Re torn bad said, that no rights of which English men had been deptived could be obtained but 4y fighting for them. From that opinion he Mate= rially differed, because he was persuaded, .t.trat . were every village, town, and city in the Empire to assume the appearance which the. metropolis this day possessed, there woulkbe , te final triumph of their cause. Thus at onee'wonld public feel ing, public opinion, and public resolution, be ex pressed in a manner which could not be resisted. To clime forward thus, was acting in the tone, spirit, dud letter of the British Constitutioß It i flud was most Am.,' to say, that a whole nStio n he wrong in expret,sing their sentiments. A 11. Zion bad a right to establish its own crude of lil t : end who was to call it to account Nog e ,fb d were human b , !iin:s could do it, and he w on "' foolish to attempt to de so, for to none wris I I tion, as a nation, responsible, but to AlePgda; God, the lawgiver and judge of the tini vers i • While, therefore, the present Meeting acted w" a due regard to righteousness, truth, and bevel; lence, the eternal Jehovah would not find f au i l qvith them, but would, on the contrary, Pc' tl D them his blessing: The Rev. Gentleman coil' chided by seconding the ResolUtiOns. I Of On a question being put by Mr. Huhn, it resolved that the whole should be put together It. agreed to at one time, if the Meeting ea"' 'ibis was accordingly done. Wrt.t.ta,m CONNOR, a young man from crowd, mounted the waggon, and hoped th e g li g ; solutions, excepting the one put relative to tit Catholic Body, would be agreed to, and th at one in which that body were mentioned, 11°I1 be put separately.—(Hisses.) thj No person seconding this motioh, it fell tc ! e d ground, and the whole were unanimously age "Ps' to, with the exception of a few hands. too Mr. HUNT thought that the year 1819 o f liberal to have allowed any longer the re i g n ijo intolerance against Catholic Emancipation . , 50 th l hoped they would now convince those who 118 " o f long tyrannised over them, that now the rei gn ,t bigotry and gloomy ideas had'ceased, stot i , t Catholics and Protestants were no longer to 81i4 t their beads knocked against each other. T hor Meeting, he was.confident, wouldshew, that ,7 embraced in the arms of mutual affection t o o brethren of all denominations, remembering , to his God alone was the worshipper responstui: for the manner in which his homage was pro, eti o , ed. To him it was a source of peculiar gratiBc.r„ tion to reflect, that be was the first man, as C", l .4 man, in Surithfield, where so many burning' 6'to taken place in the times of error and delusio°:,ii. have the honour of proposing an Address to tm" Roman Catholic Brethren. The Resolution relative to the Catholic 00" was then put, and carried unanimously. - At this moment the Union Flag, at least a l/ 1 consisting of three colours—red, white s"t„, green—bearing the inscription, "England , S G° I , land, and Ireland," was hoisted amid,t loud ch'l lf Mr.-1 - Itrwr observed, that he had no dou bt enemies of freedom would characterise this s s „ . h , tri-coloured bloody flag of France ; but N00 1 : s i men knew better, and would easily see that it the emblem of the three Kiogdoms, now 611 , 1 :,,b into one State, and all the inhabitants of vr`,,, were attached to rational liberty —.( Loud appisd';',4 There was now another flag put up, of. I colour, with the words " Liberty or Death :. i t s Mr. HUNT.--This flag speaks for itself• of inscription, as you May all see, is " Liberty Death ;" and is there a rational man living 91 0 f can possibly dissent from such a doctrine, or 5 0 f that it is not what the glorious Constituti on .tngland allows ? The contemptible miser e6 to who cannot subscribe to such a motto ought d , live perpetually a slave, and-to die unlameot e be . ! The Meeting would, he hoped, excuse hisn , e now alluded to what had taken place if, roi l° yard on the 7th of September, 1818. There 8 ° g . ineroos Meeting of non-represented Englisbo o had told him, or at least commanded bin" 1 0 carry a Remonstrance to the Prince Regeot consequence of which he took it to L0.1 1 ,. 1. mouth, requesting him to preset ' it to 1ti4*.))0., Highness, which the Noble Viscount at o ncef o mised to do. Would they now wish to hear !,14 answer (cries of Yea,.yes) ! Very Well. He W it : l l,' read it, and also his'answer to she Noble V' and be trnsed they would admit he had at lestj done his duty. After reading these, he • 0 :,, d 0i leave them to pass such an opinion on Pvt., Viscount Sidnionth as-they should think pr"P e 7 . " Whitehall, Sept. 8, 181 do SlR,—LordSidmouth has ,directed me to .inforn)..'" that as the paper containing the Declaration and lleripte 'trance, addressed to the Prince Regent, which you his Lordship's hands yesterday, purports by the des,'rl" oi therein given of it to contain the Declaration and .-Ptire;V strance of the Inhabitants of the Cities of London :to minster and parts adjacent, and as this descriptiol. 1 :100 dently and notoriously untrue, his Lordship. does himself at libertylu lay the same before his Royal Webs I am, Sir, :our obedient servant; ' • • " HENRY. CIAY' " H. Hunt, Esq. B,,Norfolk-street, Strand." 01°' " 8. Norfolk-street, Strand, Sept. 9, .„ " My Lord, —When I delivered to your Lordship monstrance unanimously agreed to at the Meeting Palace yard, on Monday last, addressed to the PrillciifiC gent, you promised me that you would read it over,, af'„ e t , l did not.contain any improper language you would de" c- w ,,0 1 ; into the hands of his Royal Highness, and that you ;,, ISt give Inc an ‘answer in the course of three days. l' a „ - bigt evening I received a letter, signed Henry Clive , . ' . t ho states, that your Lordship had instructed bins to salL e for e you did not think yourself at liberty to lay the 'same -isfr, the Prince Regent, because it purported to be • the Def., 0 tion and-Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Gitittfr London and Westminster, and parts adjacent , which atolls tion was evidently and notoriously untrue.' Nowt itd by what means your Lordship ascertained the fact, Si' 'de persons who attended the Meeting in Palace-yard iverete the Inhabitants of London and Westminster and Par ts ,90 ° cent, I know not. But this Ido know, that titoge ?":; 3 0 1° who proposed and seconded ' the Declaration ot our fold grievances and Remonstrance against the cruel, i"'Alle and unconstitutional acts of the corrupt and wicked %IA nistration that had been so long imposed upon, his Highness the Prince Regent be the great and overwlie'hoi' Borough \Proprietors of this country, &c. &c.' werollinotS tants of the Cities of London ,and Westminster, a" ,: e . sr adjacent, and I believe that almost the whole o f the roars six thousand persons at the Meeting, who unanintou s ,'Yoreor_ tioned the same, Were also Inhabitants of London klau, l o l r minster, and parts adjacent. However, al your IP' o 'l°_, has declined to deliver the Declaration and Itemonstra," f ot his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, I. will trou b l t Lordship to return me the original document that Ile! meet :` you, that I may, agreeable to the instructions' of 1 1 ", t O,OI I P ing, take some other method of laying it before his -Highness the Prince. Regent. am, my Lord, d 111 . 11 • " Vita Lordship's most obedient an humble servant, fr a. tt , . friuh if be Such waS,the letter, and such the rePLY ' l ' aIJ received ,to .it from the Noble Viscount. He 0 'of now further state to them, that the p'7l, a'. Manchester hail agreed to a similar Remoost r ecre.• which he also was desired to carry to the ,cll tary of State's Office, and which he di d ; to ` 0 1 :;' to he received the following letter in reply, ll ' 0 , which he had sent a subsequent letter, both which he would read : " SI R... 4 am directed by Lord Sidwooth to that'lie declines presenting to his Royal Highnesse ors Regent the two Papers which you delivered to h is Lot,: AO Wednesday last, the one addressed to his Royal Higlin— i e ‘ : e tl 5 . ilt t'llt fMr " p 11%Z.