The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-24 00:00:00

rated with votes of th.inks. Ile had obtained the praises r his
tellow-ci:izet.e to the unnost scope his vanity or ambi'loll o add the.
sire. Tl•e &probation he had met with far exceedest bar. deacns.
Hut tom Is as bail beta the approbation lie had rece.ved, it omit
always • fresh whirr Of peculiar .atisfaction and pride to him
to re.eive the approluttion of lbw Wart!, limb his long anti inti-
mate oinnexion with it. (.Ipplatote.) Ile had received the
thanks of the Common ti:i•uncil and of the Board of Aldermen,
who were general!, opposed to him in politics; and he believed
they were principally induced to do so from the underhand end
assassin-like attack, that had been made on his eltaractur. I.lp.
phone.) He had been now thirty yeas connected with that Ward.
When first he became connected with it, ant half of those who com-
pete:A the present meeting were even I urn. He had since that period
posed though the various offices of:Sheriff, of Chief Magistrate,and
in each and all he obtained theputprobation and good opinion of his
fellow-citizens, the only recompense he had ever ambnioned, or
ever would ambition. (Applause.) During all that period his
intercourse with this ward was uninterrupted, and one of the MOSS
anxious endeavours of his public life was to procure for it that fair
weight and importance In the Common Council of the Cil y, to which,
limn its extensiveness, its wealth, and its numbers, it was fairly
entitled. leelitig Ida Character, therefore, SO bound up and ideuti.
lied with the character or the ward, he might, he hoped, be ex.
cased for stepping a little litropti the ordinary dutiesof
to notice wine of the imputations, which, by one of their Itepresen_
tatters, had been cast upon them. The investigation of the princi.
plea and sentiments of their Members hail been described to
be dictatorial. What ! would It be said that a body of wets
comprising a district that contained four thousand houses,
the majority of these houses inhabited by freemen, should delegate
men to represent their opinions, without having ascertained their
qualifications for the ditty they undertook to discharge ? If this
were the case, lie won't' base to unlearn all the sound lessins of
policy that bad been tauht by I,oelse, by Blackstone, by Lord
Somers. and by some of tC, boost and wiliest writers on the laws and

lihertica of England. If it were an intol,ratote tynoony to ask men
who aspired to the repretedution of s public body, then he had
frequently beena dictator and an inquisitor, for both in that (Void,
and oio 11.(Tall011/1 of returning hlemben to Parliansent, lie had en.
dravoured to ascertain die political opinions of those he supported.
at.d lie was al ways equally ready 0t avow his own. This fair modest(
ammo Mg into the conduct of I.lli/lie Rink had been ever exercised since
doe thou of Rockford, mid betore his time ; indeed it had been done
from time immemorial. suppose a person were to go down to
Liverpool or to Ileistel, and ask the votes of the inhabitants of
these places, and on being asked what were his opinions on public
matters, lie were to refuse to give any explanation, would it be
impoisionial tyranny, or would it be reducing the town to a close
bsrough, to taut, to elect such a version, who had so refusal to
avow his political rentionents Certainly not. It happened
that he lull met with a book that very day, In which lie
read that Lonl Castlereagh, helore he was returned to Parliament,
signed a pledge that he would support Parliamentary Reform. Mr.
Pitt had made a • •liir pledge, and if pledges of this kind were
signed and sealed, would it lie an inquisitorial dictation to obtain
a deelaration of a candidate's rendinents ? No man had a right to
Impute improper motives to another for any political sentiments he
might entertain. advocate of moderate Reform had no right
to import the motives of the advocate for annual parliaments and
universal suffrage ; lie should not be denounced as a revolutionlst.
Fur his own part he was nut now, nor at any forma time, an ad.
vocals for Annual Parliaments or Universal Suffrage. lie took his
stand on the Bill of Rights. Parliaments should be frequent and
I free : so said the Bill of Rights. Now, he would ask, were they
either free ur frequent? They were neither the one nor the other.
Ile only wished boor such reformation as was proportionate to the
iccreased enlightenment of the age. Every department of science
and of art was making daily progress among mankind • and was
constitutional science the only one that should be marked as never
to improve or advance ? Ile wished to cultivate discussloo no those
topics ; it served to the instruction of the people, and this benefit
was derivable from it, that it served to show them they differed less
in opinion fnoin each, tither than, before the dismission, they were
disposed to believe. Men by these discussions were led to be
of the opinion of one of the writers he had before quoted--" That
they rather misunderstood each other than disagreed." Ile was in-
duced in speak more at length than lie intended to have done, from
what had fallen front one of their members (we believe Mr.
Tickner); he thanked them for their renewed approbation of his
conduct ; and would pursue the same lice of conduct by which he
had so long enjoyed the possession of their good
(Applause.)
Thanks were voted to Mr. Wilson, the Churchwarden, for the
accommodation of the Church ; and, on the motion of Mr. Har-
mer, (the Solicitor.) thanks were voted to Mr. Thompson, for his
services to the Ward, accompanied with an expression of regret
that he intended to take no port in their future proceedings.
Mr. WI Laos and Mr. THOM P4UN respectively returned thanks,
after which the customary oath was administered to die Members
of the Common I 'ouncil on whorls the choice of the Ill'ardoode hail
rollout ; after which the Meeting was dissolved at half-past eight
o'clock in the evening.
The body of the Church was crowded to excess to the boor of
the breaking up plebe nieeting. Several ladies occupied the gal.
levies, and the result of the election excited a lively interest in the
neighbourhood of the church and throughout the Ward.

LIME WARD.
APPROPRIATION or WARD-RATES TO DINNERS.

Wartt this Word,
Mr. PRI NC r. atidnauil the following written observation to the
Alderman :

"Sea-1 beg to call your attention toe subject which I consider I
to be of the greatest inipurtanee, ma only to this ward, but to the
City at large. What may be said its the contrary, no one eau
doubt that the present contest has originated from a diflinenee of
opinion as to the right of appropriating particular rates to the pay-
ment of what is miler! the expenses of the Common Couneil ; that ra,
the chnrges for the dinners. lam decidedly (Arminian, that such
appropriation of money, raised for a specific purpose to another in
tio way provided for by the Act, is illegal, as well as unjust. The
majority of the old Cumulus' sre of opinion that it is legal,
and your lb putt', klt. Price, has defended the practice, not only as
being legal in itself, hut as being rendered valid by the sanction of
the inhabitants, as well es by the authority of custom. You, Sir,
have expressed a doubt as to the legality (tithe practice. 3ly
opinion of the law can have no weight, but it is of the greatest int.
penance that the question should be settlail, that discord in the
ward may be avoided in future, and that, if the practice be not
sanctioned by the law. it may be totally abolislierl. With these
impressions, and relying on the care you have always manifested
fur the strict administration of the law anti the protection of the in-
terests of your fellow-citizens. I beg that you will take the opinion
of the City Solicitor, on the following important questions :
" Can any ward rate whatever. levied by Act of Parliament for
a specific purpose, be legally applied to any other purpose by the
Common Council of the ward ?

Will the unction of the wardinote, or of the majority of the
inhabit:iota of the want, rctulcr such as application of the ward
rams valid

" If the sanction of the warihnote Will not legalise such applica-
tion of rates to other purposes than those provisiesl for by the Act,
Intat pen-01 Ity shi thu per making Will illegal applications
incur ?"

Alderman Ilnitiogs, after considering these questions with rare,
said he believed that such an application of the ward-rates was ilk-
gsl, and he regretted there hut bong gone misunderstanding of that
opinion on a former day. Ile expressed his willin:;ness to have the
question settled in the manner proposed.
Mr. Patcc said he had not intended by any means to say that
such an appropriation or the ward-rates WAS authorised by Art
of Parliament. ‘Ve understood the gentleman, however, to say.
that lie retained his opinicia as to the practice being sanctioned by
the ward.

Mr.l►.eSTr Lid he considered such an application of the ward.
rates illegal. .

Sonir further conversation took place amangat the candidates near
the Alderman. but we wile linable to collect more than the general
admission, that the appropriation of the wanbcates to the payinvnt
of such expenses was lint sanctioned by the Act, though they all
believed that it was sanctioned by custom and thought that the
ntovt indispensable objects in the ward would be unprovided fur, if
Thee were nut allowed to avail themselves of tlteir fund.

Pat xcE (amerced. th,t the denial of the legality of the
practice now could make no dilfercuce in the ca.c, if the practice
Were allowed to continue._

Alderman Bridges forthwith sent the questions to the City So-
licitor, desiring the answers to be given as spec.itly as possible, but
during the wurdniote none sere received. It appeared to be the
object of Mr. Prince to obtain them during the day.
Whilst the election 11.111 proceeding, Mr. Prince, in allusion to a
dinner which took place amongst the inhabitants op the previous
day. jocularly asked the Malt:mum how he fared.
The Aldeintan said he fared exceedingly will, that he was a
friend to such dinner., i 3 conscepirtme of the harmony andood
feeling they promoted iu the ward, and that he always paid his
'hare.
Mr. Pat sce— I know that you have, and that is what I want
others to du; but if ten people We're to say we'll Isms a feast, and
the poor man who will not come, and the shine who cannot come,
shall pay a dote of the expellee, do you Mink, 31r. Alderman,
would be just
The Alaerman smiled at the question, bat made no answer.
At the close of the pull the numbers were declared to be—
Price Illteputy) . 61 tihearutan -
'Mitchell • - - 61 Prince - -
Ilyster - .
the four first candidates were :elated to be duly elected.

VINTRY WARR
At the close of the poll the numbers were Seamed to be—
Vilutby tilleputy) . - 63 Garrett - - - .
Elusea - . - . 10 e3lcndea - -
Conway - . • -67 '[Pickets .
Coomlss . . . 57 Fronk . . .