The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-01-12 00:00:00

INVERNESS COUNTY MEETING.

[From " The ',maracas Jammer' of Friday, the sth inst.]
•-rre
COUNTY MEETING TO ADDRESS THE KING,
ltt I.D HEIL s: YLSTeItDAY.
The meeting was thinly attended. there being but eleven
frerholders present. The Vice•Eieuttnatit and Convener
having been called to the Chair, took that opportunity of
swing the reasons which lie believed to have actuated the
Gentlemen who signed the Heap ll i l itm, and himself, in call-
ing the meeting. Only • few months had paned since dis-
•ffection had broken mit into actual rebellion. That the
same spirit still existed was manifest nom the late at-
tempts to itiflueuce and overawe the proceedings of Parlia-
ment; and the same rentintents were uttered in the preaenee
of the second person in the matey, in addresses I the
lower orders—he said the lower orders, because he did not
believe a single respectable person bad signed them; the
same sentiments were reechoed in the answers to these ad•
dresses, and triumphantly promulgated by the periodical
publications, and greedily devoured by the unthinking met-
titade. 'Mae design of this meeting was, under these cir-
cumstances, to 'hew to their Sovereign, their frlluw-subjecte,
and to all Europe, that Britain is still sound at beset. He •
concluded by expressing a hupe, that whatever Addresses
should be proposed, harmony world prevail.
The Sheriff Clerk then commenced reading an Address,
when he was interrupted by Mr. Groot of Ruthiensurchuss
on the more of irregularity; lie übserved, that if the paper
in his 'fiend was an Address, nu iverewii had moved or
conrleil it ; upon which Mr. Fraser of Cullstrekie said, it was
an Address which he would now take the liberty of moving,
and it was seconded by Major Fraser of Newton.
The Clerk was about to resume, when it was suggested,
that if any letters of apology had been received they should
now be read. The Preses handed lto the Clerk, swim
read first • letter from Mr. Fraser, of Fingssk, one of the
reqdisit knees's, apologising feir his absence. The tam was
from Colonel MeeDwiell, of Glengarry, dated at Perth,
complaining of the shortness of the notice given, and stating
his opinion. that there was no disloyalty or infidelity in this
country. A note was read from Mr. M'lntosili, of Farr,
staling his inability to attend the meeting boas ill health,
Lot that he approved of its objects. A leiter was Aso read
from Major Duff. of Aluirtowa,approviirg of the object of
the meeting.
The Clerk then again proceeded to read the Address,
which pm ported to be an Address from the Freeholders,
Commissioners of Supply, Justices of the Peace, sad other
Heritors of the County, when it was observed by s gentle-
mau present that the last meatiusied class, to which lie be-
'nutted, had nut been summoned by the Convener, and that
it was not, iberefuie, correct to assume their cone
tn that in which lift power of dissent had beet. given them;
Iley were accordirgly struck out. and the Clerk was allowed
to read the Address without further ititerruption.
Having dime so, a @fleece of some mimeses tamed, when
Mr Ormit,eif flothieniurchus, rose and said, that lie expected
to hear fr..ni some person the reasons fur movie% the Address;
that he never was at • public meeting in his life where •
gentleman came forward and proposed to send au Ad-
dress to the Throwe' without having, or assigning, some
reason or isrmessity for au doing. Ilting accidentally is
the neighbourhood,-lie considered it his duty to attend
the meeting, although he thought, will. Gleugerry, that
the length of the notice was lint sufficient. He was
not forward upon such occasions, nod did not desire to
interrupt the proceedings of the great propm tun. of the
gentlemen present, feeling as he did, more than respect, asis-
cerc affection fur urea), of them. Ile, however, thought it
utterly aliened, that thirty-three gentlemen should take it
upon themselves to declare the opinions of this extensive
county. it was nut a county meeting: the Welton were
not called; soil the thirty-three geollemen present were nut
• tithe eves of the parties who bail been *amniotic'''. lb*
meeting might be assembled in a family, sot any occasion
of domestic rejoicing: in such a usertinc, lie should
think it absurd to make a speech. He considered the Ad-
dress to imply the existence of sedition and blasphemy in
this county, which was contrary to fact.—[An oh Mon
being made that the expressioaa were general, and were nut
intended to convey any such ides]—Mr. Grant defied any
man to read that part of the Address, sod to say list
• person who did not know the county, would not sup• •
pose !bat such practices did exist here. He objected
to it, because a stigma would be thou falsely attached t•
a loyal mid religious community, is order iudireetly to
convey an approbatioa of the late measures of Ministers.
When a public meeting is called, at a period of great agita-
tion like the preseut, the notated inference is, that the words
used to express the reuse of the meeting se.r to the Mime
of this agitation. Though this was undoubtedly implied,
and is well lumen to be the use uniformly made of such
Addresser, he was persuaded that if an approval in en loamy
words of the proceedings of Ministers regarding the Qum.,
were pal Iss the Address, so m• miser of the meeting, nor airy
man in his senses, would sign it. He wergild beg leave
to ask if say Geatleman present would stand up and say
that he approved of these proceedings—(no one baring
done sea)—Le was therefore entitled to assume, as he was
previously convinced was the fart, that nu Gentleman pre-
sent did approve of three proceedings. Ile would even dare
to say, subject to consensus, it wrung, that there were mil
theem Gentlemen present, who would sign au address ap-
proving directly of the measure.. of Ministers geserallp
The present agitation in the country was chiefly using tu
the ill.advised measures ageism* the Queen ; stud that tom
nig notoriously the fact, it was the duty of every honest
maw to oppose the adoption of au adshess, which woeld
be construed elsewhere into an approval of aseassums
of which so party voting it confessedly did appease. It
being well knows and aelteowledged, that in this part tsf
the custatrx seditious or irreligious doctrines had made no
progress, and tbat our press did not disseminate either the

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one* the Aug, we had no right, madmen gal eatided, to
went of what tams pleat* da other parts *TiberSmut's:
Lel ahem *peal fee thermals.. ; we has. modal* of srioit
occurred there bait by report. He woold, therefore, if ow
emaciates: who had brought fog' rd the Address which ha
beets read, diihuot accede to 'weds aiterations as would re-
move what was objecillonahle, GM it necessary to MTh', as
an erhemlnient, another Address, Ulsech he thee read.
Me. FRAUtit,, younger. 01. Turbreck, hi seconding the ad-
dress proposed by Rothiemurchus,observed, that lie wish. ,I
to state his opinions use the rage which slow agitated the pubs
lie. because be d•ffered entirely from a high personage uss
die subject; the withdrawal of she Bill of Palos sad Penal.
ties gave the fatal stab to the demagogues, to *hem &lour
the passage complai mil of could relate; it was the proudest
triumph to the people of England; without catering into the
guilt Or innocence of the gums, be considered her an ill.
used, persecuted trotinao, who was retitled at least to the
sympathies of a free and generous people, isle whose area
she haul thrown'herself. He considered fhe proceediugs spins!
her illegal and unconstitutional; for he hruf yet Si, learn
how to reconcile with justice the making a law against a
particular personton account of action preiriusoly commit-
ted by that person. No man could say who had lb, lust
regard for the happy constitution aud ego' lahle laws under
who'll we live, that he could wish so ore it dawn into a
per-
cedent, that a *object of Britain could he used by a trills.
gal where the character of accuser., pruseeut.rre,judges,swil
jury, were combioed in the same holividuals. He wag out
of those who thought that public opinion strould logarog,
the deliberations of the logislaiare. He concluded with
asserting his Nein/Sum to loyalty, which, he said, wield
out give place to that of any other man, and fur which he
was ready, should occasion auliapeily occur, to lay down
his life.
Mr. FRASER, of Relig, believed that the coasitry had bees
infested by the wretched Radicals, with whom no respectable
person in ur out of Parliament has a fellow-petits,. lashed,
the conduct of both the great parties in she State, on the
late occasion, appeared to bin' most houoseableind bccons•
log; and he deprecated the isatroduction of any discussion of
the late proceeding againet the Queen, to which, as one of the
Requisitionists, he declared before God it was not intended
Oust the Address should have reference di' s &Cy or iudir city;
that 111•Ii1r was 'brown culls ely out of view by the &gun-
gitionists, and not mono( to be at all touched upon kik.:
other Geol. meet resent who signed the itiquieltion cor-
roborated this doetuatiou.) Of that procer,ttug be would
say nothing, but it was quite notorious, this very recently
the priociplea of radicalism had been earl Ira the length of
open rebellion, and therefore he thought it the duty of
every good subject to approach she Throne, and (Wince
that be would resist sack attempts with his life slid (mimic.
Of the Admiuietrations formed by our late revered S..ve.
reign George 111. and of tlie psineiples acted upon by Mt.
Puttl and the Administrations conducted on these principle',
.
lie was a warm and sincere admirer. Of his Iliskagys.
seat Ministers, be generally approved; and rithutigh he did
not consider himself of sufficient impoitatice to be forward
in delivering his kentimesits ou public quesiiirus, yet as a
rational being, he could out help exercising log thoughts oar
Slate occurrences, and he most say that there wire some
gets of the preload Aministmtiun which he thought wrong,
and of which lie could not approve. But siihouei he dis-
approved of some of their me: snies, be ceocusred in the
propriety of the Aridness, and did not see the necessity of
sup sheratiou—ssioce it was never contemplated, as be bad
already maid, directly or indirectly, to approve of their bite.
proceedings, and this, he thought, should be Cully and pub.
tidy understood.
After some discussion, the Geatientaa who proposed the
original Address conceded some verbal alterations, mid ass
entire daime from the 'opposing Address was introduced to
the following I feet—" But we have the utmost satisfac-
tion is. being able to assure your Majesty, that in this part
of your Majesty'. dominions there exists nu spirit of die.
affection, of irreligion, or of immorality—low have any at-
tempts been made, so for as we have bees able his learn,
either by the circulation of books and writinga, or other-
wise, to shake the loyalty, or'to corrupt the manners of the
people." The Address, thus altered, was suoimonaly
adopted as the sentiments of she meeting, Rut hiensurchus de-
claring that he consented to the concluding paragraph,
where the rigour sad wisdom of Government was applauded,
on this distinct undersisilding, that the expressions had re-
ference to the shag and the Constituted Authorities in a
general sense, and nut to his Majesty's present Ministers,
who, he denied, either collectively or individually, pos.
smiled either vigour or wisdom ; but that, 01/ the contrary,
they had displayed iu their proceeding's imbecility and inde.
cision, aid the very reverse of wisdom.
The Convener here apologised for the absence of the Lord
Lieutenant, who, lie said, had engaged himself otherwise,
before be bad been made acquainted with that day utsneeting.
Rothiemurchus proposed sled the letters rem/ to the
meeting, particularly these from Glengarry sod Mr. Duff,
should form part of the proceedings.
The Convener said hr did not thick it would be proper to
load she proceedings by taking in these letters, but that they
would be referred to generally in the
A vote of thank., to the Convener, for his conduct in the
Chair, au then proposed.

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