The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-13 00:00:00

pews-. and increased delay. which would arise from Inch new VA
untried measure, to the enhancement of the price of noels to them-
selves in their respective lines of business, and to the public at
large, are induced to express their sentiments to your Ifoneuralile
4' That if thesubwribers to the said docks are correct in the 4
House.
-
views of the advantages to be derived by the change, they ought to
leave the experiment to it. own nitrite, and make the docks at thine
own risk, leaving tp your petitioners that option which their own
interest will naturally lead ther.i to pursue.
" Your petitioners thereforehunibly pray, that your Honourable
House will not Pass ssch penal clause, but permit them to be heard
be themselves, Counsel, agents, and witnesses, against thcasidi
11111.
" And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ewer pray.".
Fir. BANCHAID then moved, " That the petition now read be
adopted, signed by the gentlemen present, and left at the bar of
this tavern for signature until Thursday next."
Mr. Alderman ‘VOOD said, that the object of thy Gallant A.
mind Mir Joseph Yorke) who brought into the 110;13t of ('nm.
mons the Bill that had been alluded to, was to keep the river cleat
of shipping; but, in his opinion, that Gallant Admiral would have
better succeeded if he had obliged the Harboue-masters to perform
their duty. ft was strange diet on. of the five causes of the evil..
complained of should be the very first to bring these evils into no.
rice. HetAidermen Wood) had heard that it was intended to omit
the compulsatory clause of ihe Bill, but he did not believe it, NI
without such a clause the docks would be useless. He would
with pride and pleasure support the petition whenever it was pre-
sented.
Admiral Durmast said, that in justice to his friend and thotbet
officer, the gallant Admiral who had been alluded to, he felt it his
duty to remark, that his object was solely to clear the stream of the
river or the shipping, and to benefit the country. There we le
many circumstances that made stich a measure appear to be neces-
sary, although lie (Admiral Durham) was not one who thought
it expedient.

Tnoxas
Wlt.sosr, E•n• M.P. uid, that his cpinion wee
always adverse to the comptilmoty clause in the Bill, and wheys
the gallant officer (Sir Joseph V.orke) moved its, second reading,
he had intended to oppose it; but that accidentally he had fides%
to catch the Speaker's eye, and found that he had proceeded to s.
different business.
Ak!erman Ilotnoas said, that he should cordially oppose the
oompulsetory clause.
The tellowing Resolution, were then morcd by 31r. Bat.
" That a subscription be fortli,ith entered into, for ea: parrs)*
of defraying the necessary expenses,
" That a Sub-Commtttee, of the Chairmen, Meths. Wm. liorne,
James
Bentley, and. H. W. Berchart, be chosen to wait un.on
Charles .arclay. Esq. to state the foregoing Rreolutiona, and that
they be empowered to alter or vary the Lim; ad to theft* mar
seem tit."

The thanks of the Meeting were then voted to the City 3letnbetl,
for opposing the compulutory clause, and for their attendance.
The 3leeting then separate&

DINNER TO MR. LAWLESS.

Yesterday a dinner wan given to 31r. Lawless at the City of Lott•
don Tavern, at which Mr. Hunt presided. There were ThiPt mare
than twenty or thirty gentlemen sat down, and there was nd
President.

Soon after the cloth was removed, the Citatastaw rose to pro-
pose the health of the King, who was, he said, the most powerful
professed friend of Ireland.
This toast was thin drunk with the customary honours.
The next toast was, " The Constitution, and may every
dual spetidily participate In the whole of its benefits."
" Civil and religious liberty all over the world," was then given
after which--
The CHATRMAX rose ant! addressed the gentlemen present at
some length, detailing the circumstances under which the measure
had been set on foot, and the motive of it, which was to ascertain
the opinion of the public of the metropolis respecting the two wings.
as they were called, of the Catholic Bill. If the name of any great
man had been given to the public's the intended Chairman of such
a meeting, he doubted not tl,st hundreds of such a person's friends
and adherents would have made it a point to be present, bit thin
would have proved no test of public opinion. On the present ores.
Rion not a single ticket was sent to any human being but Mr. Law-
less, and these two circumstances combined were sufficient to ac-
count for the smallness of the assemblage. He thought likewise
that the absence of ninny was owing more to apithy with regard to
the question at issue, than to opposition ,to the views of Mr. Law_
leas, It had been the good fortune of Mr. Lawless to stand in ths
gap in defence of Ireland. in doing which he differed from his
dearest friends, as well as front the other delegates who came hither
from the sister country. The measure of Emancipation was clogged
by two Bills, ore of which would go to impose a burthen upon the
Protestents of Engldnd for the payment of the Irish Priests, and
the object of !h• ether was the disfranchisement of half • million of
men. These Bills Mr. Lawless manfully opposed, and de ()Ir.
Htmt) fully conc:trred with him. For his part, he had rather see
all the Catholic Peers kept out of Parliament than that one forty
shilling freeholder should be disfranchised. He conchidsd by pro-.
!swing the health of their pest, Mr. Lawless, which was seems).
Ingle drunk with three times three.
Mr. LAWLESS, In returning thanks, assured the gentlemen
assembled, that he felt the honour they had done him so very
grew, so overwhelming, that he could not give adequate ex.
minion to his feelings of gratitude. He declared that his
,opposition to the Bills for disfranchising the freeholders, sad
pensioning the clergy, was founded upon the best judgment
he could form on the matorest deliberation. After speaking in
the highest terms of his frinid Sir. Hunt, he enlarged at
some length on his feelings of gratitude to those who did
him the honour to attend. To that part of the metropolitan
press which stood most opposed to his sentiments, he felt much
indebted, especially to the Coarser. The object of the present
meeting was to call forth an expression of public sentiment in this
groat metropolir; and from what he then 5e..., he meet acknow.
ledge that its sentiments were not popular. (Cries of " No, nor")
I He bad often before been in a minority, but be had lived to see his
opinions prevail. The principle which be advocates! here was un.
' successful solely on account of his inability. In differing from the
great men to whom he was opposed, he did so with hesitation
tar Francis Burdett was a sincere and a powerful friend to Ire-
land, and one from whose opinion he almost feared to dissent; he
was therefore surprised to find such a man nut only willing to
abridge the suffrage of Ireland but of England also. The au.
thorities of Grattan, Burke, Hood, and others of high note, wcre
in his support; and even the evidence of Mr. Frankland Lewis
went to show the weight and importance of the forty shilling
freeholders. Was it to be borne that t 00,000 men should be di.-
franchised in order to bring into Parliament a few English and
Irish Peers, and perhaps twenty Commoners? The forty-shillii.x
freeholders were laid to be corrupt, hut he affirmed that those of
501. or 1001. were not less so. The true object of emancipators
should be not to aggrandize the upper ranks, hot to tranquilize the
peasantry. He trusted that the peasantry of Ireland would not be
loyal to the Constitution until justice was done to them, and that
they would be loyal only proportion to the privileges they en-
joyed. On the authority of a Noble Lord, with whom he re-
cently had the lionaur of an interview, he could assure them that
the Catholic Bill would experience a signal defeat in the Upper
House._

Mr. Litwirss then sat down, and in a few minutes afterwards,
got up to propose the health of their Chairman, Mr. Hunt, which
was drunk with ever, demonstration of respect.
Mr. HUNT returned thanks in a suitable speech, in the mine of
which he observed at length upon the two Hills, and repeated Ida
agreentent with the principles on which Mr. Lewis*, acted. -
Dr. GILCHRIST proposed as a toast —" May religious persecu-
tion cease in all quarters of the world." (Applause.)
Mr. Ilu we then proposed the health of Dr. Oilekrist, which wa:
received with much applause ; and the Learned Gentleman r•
turned thanks in an appropriate speech.
The next toast was, " 'fin health of Joseph Hume, Esq."- -
Three times three.

Mr. Lawsuits, after eulogking the genius and integrity of 31
Cobbett, adverted to the circumstance of his absence, and rest
letter on the subject, of which the following is a copy :--

" Kensington, April 12, 1824:.
" y DEAR Sta,—'"liia is to inform you, that I shall not
at the dinner tmday ; and here are my reasons for it. I am, at all
times, ready to acknowledge that you hare manfully done your
duty in opposing the project for disfranchising your countrymet.
I am ready to show my respect for your zeal and your talents, is
any way that does not make me seem to be of a party amongst th.
Catholics. Upon reflecting on what you told me het evening, rt•
specting the opinion of an excellent judge of the natter, I Mid
great weight in his objection ; and while I do really see that there
a great danger that the dinner will tend to the creating,of disis. -t
amongst the Catholics and amongst their Protestant friends, I at.
resolved not to do any thing which I think has such tendency. It
it my anxiout wish to see full justice done to the Catholics of boos
islunds: I am a labourer in this great rouse: I have the tkir;
most sincerely at heart: I labour now with prodigious erect: but.
to be able to continue to do this, I must stand clear of those pate,
influences and imputations that may be found and may take plsoe
amongst Catholics themselves.
" This objection to my being at the dinner did not occur to v
until you yesterday told me what our friend had said on the st
jest. I did not so clearly see it at first r, but, on further reflectiv
I am convinced that, by going to the dinner, I should do harm t
the Catholic cause; that is to say, that I should, by ranging is
self with a party, lessen my power of doing good is that nose;
and therefore I am resolved not to go.
•• I am, yours most faithfully,
" To John Lawless, Esq. " Was. CORNETT."

Mr. LAW LEss, after a few other ebterrations, conelut/ed by p: -
posing •• The health of 31r. Cobbe.t."—Drunk with three awe •
three.

Tie bealths of bunt Grey and Mr. Ensor were given. ass 7.
se►eral other toasts, after which the emitter part of the comp• 7
left the room, while the remainder continued to partake of chap!, .-
sores of the table to a late hour.

The Decocq has passed up the Channel, for Antwo7,
She quitted the Isle of France on the i9th December, and
left the Owen and Resolution ready to nil for Englaud. .
A Romance of peculiar interest, entitled Faustus: inis
I.fle,th, and Deaocnt into Ile/1, will be published ke •
few days. It is from the German, and altogether or the
FreiNa;tar school, faustas being the CaspErve
cite. • .