The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-08-26 00:00:00

MEETING IN SMITHFIELD.

The neighbourli,soil of Smithfield was yesterday
the centre of attraction from all parts of the town.
Throughout the morning throng+ of idlers col.
!retell at the roils of the different streets, who
seemed to roam about without soy particular
object—at one moment they were amused by ID
oration from a dmiiken woman. who uttered a
number of f.olisli things; and, ist woodier, they
rim eagerly to hear what a hellfinger had io pro-
claim, and seemed 11111(11 disappniu'rd when the noti-
fication merely relined to a stolen horse. A Cl/11%0CP.
able number of special roost:Osiris were in attendance
iu St. Bartholomew's (the gates of which
were closed at twelve o'clock), in the Hope Rol-
gine-hourr, the Compier, the Green Dragon Re-
pository yard, St. Sepulchre', Church, Nrwgate,
the Olit amt several other 'daces in the neigh-
bourhood of Smithfield, tvlimli are calculated for the
reception of beige bodies of persons. Some com-
panies of the foot guards were also iii waiting—their
caps were seen in the wilidows of the Comptes..
Several of the constables were furoishril with new
staves of office. which were much longer than newt!,
and capable of doing comisterable executi 111 l , if it
had heels necessary so use them iii • crowd.—
The men from the different Insurance Companies,
who are swum in as special constables, were like-
wise in attendance, rod the most exteopive ar-
rangements were made to "slider the civil power as
effective as posis,ble. It was said Om a iminher of
inauuscript placards of a eery tar 11111 l atory tend.
eucy had been posted up in Smithfield in the
course of the morning. and we were *hew° one of
' them, which was as follow,:
" Britons, SUM your Rights—light for them—better to
die like Oro limit live like slaves. The soldiers will espouse
your cause.*

But tilers, if posted up at all, must have been
taken down very speedily, fur so early AA ten o'clock
none of them were to be found on any of the walls
in 'he nelghlo.sis hood. The following placard from
the LORD MAYOR was every where very conspicu-
ous

" Mansion-house, August 24, 1819.
" CAUTION.
" ATKINS, MAYOR.

The Lord Mayor duthhent; request all masters, house.
holders, and others, to prevent u much as pumible their
apprentices, servants, or ■ny part of their timilies, hum
going to She Meetisig intruded to be held in Smithfield to-
morrow, because numbers give au appearance of importance
ou such °MIMIC

" By Order of du Lord Mayor,
" F. 110BLER."

About two o'clock the attention of the different
g I,ev collected was attracted by the appearproce
of a man who held up a large sheet of paper, on
which was written, '• The Meeting will certainly
he held at four o'clock." This placard, which re-
moved the wavering uiprertaisity respecting the in.
tendril Meeting, in which the persons lisSellibied
Were kept in the earlier part of the day, drew forth
shouts of applause, and as the hour appointed for
the Meeting approached, the crowd sccutuulited
to upwards of 6,000 persons—at one time it must
have been nearly double that nuuhl►er.
A few minutes before four o'clock, loud shouts
anisuuncerl the approach of the principal actors in
the scene, and several persons marching two by
two advanced from the neighbourhood of Cow. lime,
bearing the flogs used at the last Smithfield Meet-
ing. The 1111,4 was tri-coloured, with the isivcsipo
tom England, on a red ground, Seat/and on ■
white, mid Ireland on a green The next • red
Bag, on which was inscribed Universal .Nuffrage ;
asiothrr Wig of the colour with the itmeilplloll
" Liberty or Death:" and the last a white one,
with the motto of Peace and .flood-.trill." Th..o
Rigs were all hung in black .crape. and 'preceded
the waggon fruits which the orators were to address
the Nlretippg, and it was followed by a hackney cha-
riot, 111 which sat Dr. Watson, Mr. Thistlewood,
and another person.
Mr. Preston sat with the coachman.

The proceesions preceded and followed by sit
immense asseintslage, who rent the air with their
shouts, made the circuit of Smithfield, and the
waggon halted exactly on the former spot at the last
meeting, in front of Cloth-fair. The persons in the
hackney chariot now dismounted, slid took their
stations in the waggon, and the flags were hoisted
iu Isons of it. exactly as they were when Mr. Hunt
took the Chair at the last Meeting. The bearers
waved them triumphantly, and the crowd reuessed
their deafening cheers.
On the motion of Mr. HALL. seconded by Mr.
PRESTON, Dr. WATSON Was called to the Chair,
and greeted as he took his seat with loud huLias.
Another motion followed, and was oleo agreed
to, lot the appointment of a Secretary, in the room
of Mr. Blandford, the late Secretary of the Coss•
mittee of Two Hundred, now iis custody—aged the
appoilitinent was unanimously conferred on tithe r
Mr. Phillips or Mr. IV. Evens, but the mammon

i incidental to such an assemblage was s v.. at, th it
we were satiable precisely to lain, V hash.
Doctor WATSON, Oa. Chairinuii. Ih.a, • tilled of,
Mr. W. Evens to read the requisition. in istirsalauel
of which the Meeting was convened when Kir.'
Evens send the following placurd. which has already
been before the public
" UNIVERSAL CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY..
" A PUBLIC MEETING of the Dollish Metropolis, its
behalf of lb, People of tk. whole Empire' will be Isehl .
IN SMITHFIELD. or WF.DNESIDAY, Almost 25. on •
Four o'Cluek iw she Afternoon. The homey Conemitare
have, at this awful and measeotoos crisis dallirmsned to
Met slob Meettag at Kennington Connors. to a fussiee dap,
and jobs the People of Minillewir in •n APPEAL to flat
PRINCE REGENT, to color forward to thr People ter MeV
the hand of isirreilers and hloodshirsts Tyrant., amirieve Ike
Country from MASSACRE sod MURDER!!!
" England expects ise= Maw In do he Dot,:
"Sir C WOLSCLEY loirrittil to she Chair.
" rowseseNce fur He Borimph of sotsfloriork and Cmmin
tmf Carer—W. Palma, I. Cessey, I Well,
H. Fade., Edrn. Cleary, Charley Osalam, C. 1t..., I'. Cu.
nabrough., I. Mears, D. Weal, Jr. beaky, Daniel Dee
Deaui• Shaw, &votary.
"Committee (or I. Whalissms
I. Potter, J. Hall, W. Hall, S Wlosimaii. J. Women. C
Ranks, SI WadJistaton, W. Chsposiate, IL Marry, C. Phillips.
J. Ilartiect.—Eilward James Insellifile4, St atsary."
The placard was loudly cheered.
The CHAIRMAN theta opened the boson a.e of the
day. Ile Natal that they loud nothing sine.r their
hearts than to preserve the peace of the cottony,
and he was convinced that time same orlitsinetit per-
vaded the breasts of the people Iltrinighi.ut thf
country at large. They had, he hue w. mitforntly
adopted and followed the wise tasucru of keep.
log peace and good order. thou h, 11111110liall.Norly
for the country, their opponents bast not thougl t
proper to follow an wholes)))) kit example.-
(Cries of " they killed the people .'")--
Their e. emirs Mot indeed t lard breaches of
the. pewee. and had slaughtered not w.ly some of
their gownieymen, hap, horrible to rrhite„ same
helpless mid unolfending fernales„—(B/wais of tn.
dignetion.)—Let not this. however, he impli.resl,
exasperate the ',collie—let them keep their wooteit
temper. said slew a cleterininstion from which thcc
are no, to be driven, of keepit g the peace.— ( Ay.-
plastse.)—By so dolor they could adhere to these
hest course, of asserting rod tilimintely it•ti • g
their rights. By calmness and by reason, mod not
by violence or tumult. they would at Ao lists t
period. lie was convinced. attain the 'Ws,* of
man. for which they were struggling.—((:Avers )
was fur that their efforts were directed, utoi7-
they could neither desire nor expect. At ',resew.
it was true. they met its inourning--thry mourned
in tears of blood the fate of their fellow-country
mese ; but when the hour of mour • g. witAi tt
was unfortunately necessary for them to keep, bad
passed. then it became their paramount duty to iv..
susne the assertion of their rights, and to persevere.
its so resetting them, until their great and lioet
object wits attained. As their Reg siisdemt hid stated.
that emiiient and patriotic mall, Sir Charles WOla
wiry. Na.. invited to take the Chair. lie halal its
his hand the answer to the invitation to the worthy
Baronet, 'addressed to Mr. Blindford, which, with
their leave. be would now reau.—(Loud cries of
" Itead")-
Tlir following letter was then reed :
Stu—l have been f ed with yolar's at' the ROth in-
stant, written tan behalf of the two Committees of Surrey
and Middlesex, and, is reply, I beg Su assure you, that at.
though I shall always feel grins pleasure an eouiribuii,,e say
services woof& the promusion of the public good in every
possible way, yet, wider existing cirrnmsessices, it herimes
indispensably necessary for ?sell individual isvited to at-
tend or pesittile et any public meeting. to he privisivily in.
tamed of the precise sud &Suite kitties-Os to which the as.
tension of the ass' ably is to be directed, as oleo the soca-
sures posposcil to be adopted.
" A articular engagement, in which, however, I am now,
and shall be fur wine lime ocewpirel, ism foribersoce of the
great cause of political liberty. preclailes llor possibility of
acceding to year wishes, and thereby reinter* any inquiry
as to she particular objects of the myelin rowdy cone-
cemary.
"As. however, I presume it is fur a goal politica'. ot.i.ct,
you can nod saw difficulty in tweeting with some go...stemma
in Loudon, whose local connexions will add weight and its.
pomace to the meeting.
• " I am, Sir, your obedient humble Ssresio„
" C. WOLSELEY.

Wokeley Park, August 22, 1816"
He regretted the worthy Baronet had been trouble
to attend, but the people, he knew, would be always
found at their poll. The people iif Eno,ll,rl were
alw-ys alive to a sense of their Itheirirs—when
called on they always a•semblerl—they felt that they
had a duty to perform, and from it they oeser
shrunk.—(Great applause.)-- I lacy 1.4 d, u
Variety of occesiont, been addressed by (;-:vi,eirieto
of fortune, at public meetings ; but in the liOsor rif
trial these Gettolernrn remained tri the back grown!.
Where were they now ?—wtorre were ihry at Otitl
awful crisis ? Why were they not at their post osi!:t
the people?—(4pplarse.)—There were there or-
ders of society, viz. Royalty, the Aristocracy, tri.il
the Democracy. The Chairmen said, that by
birth he belonged to the last—that is, to the batty
called rr the lower orders"—he was one of them-
selves, and nothing upon earth rhombi ever ',inure
lnin to desert then.—t.kiiireis of app.'abs.,)—
Some years ago the people could ileret
cooperation of the middle desires s• :•tety,
it now aupeared that that order load fo—Akan the
they reinsured away, taking cone of thcir own .2 -
t-rests, and it was to tar hoped O .% the prof. e
knew very well how to rake care to. ilicti own -
Arrest now, as they could &prod Nom uobner
else.—(Cries e. We de, tee do ."•)-711.7 had
stow to perform their duty as men, and to look owns
those es their unbind leerier. talon cAure forwent and
embarked in common cause with them. Those
who were formerly with than, loud who now kept
sway, were riot to be relod neon—they wee.
'kept aloof from the people by the intluetro
of old moolians, old Crypt's 0000 and Antiquated
prepadices—they had separeti d Iroru the props,
and it wee for the people to look out for oeii.e
leaders, us the morn of those who had departed is sin
them, sad who, probably, were tinder the erroneous
Dotson that the ;wept, could nut do ait hoot them.
•--(Crieeqf ag We coo.")—It wits to be limentral