The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-24 00:00:00

TRIUMPH OF WESTMINSTER.

Yesterday evening the nineteenth anniversary festival of the
Triumph of Wrattitinver and Pprity of Election was celebrated
at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand.
At live o'clock precit.cly. Sir Francis Burdett. Bart. entered the
room, accompanied by Lords Nugent and Ebringtnn, Alderman
Waithman, T. Hone, Mr. Douglas Kinnairti, Mr. Ilohnonse,
Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, and Mr. Denman. On his taking the chair,
about 2AO gentlemen sat down to dinner.
When the dinner had been properly diacusked, and the cloth re.
moved, the first ming proposed from the Chair was,
tt The People, the only source of legitimate power." with three
times three. The toast was drank with great enthusiasm.
Air—" Eri.onis strike home."
" Tee King, and may. he always recollect his own declaration,
that the Crown was held to trust byr the People," with three times
three.

Air—" Rule Britannia."
A full, fair, and free Representation of the People in the Com.
mons Bougie of Parliament, the only efficient remedy for ail our

national grievances " with three times three.
Air—" Kick the roguea out."
The Parliamentary Elccora of the United Kingdom. and may
they recollect that the people of England look with anxiety for the
honetit exercise of their autfragel, by which alone a new Perlianient
can be created, worthy of public confidence and eateein," with three
time% three._

Air—" klispe told a flattering tale."
Mr. STURCII. in nsing to propote the next toast, expressed the
pleasure which he felt in being eallod upon, on the occasion of the
anniversary or the glorious triumph over corruption, achieved by
the el...mots of Westminster, to propose a teen like that which he

held in his hand—a toast which wood io need of no recommen
• ••

lion on his part, bzceuse it had beet given annually in that verY
room, for a succession of eighteen or nineteen years, and had uni-
formly beep received durbag that loos period, iv hh the seine entliu•
elastic expressiorn of unqualified approbation. ft could not fail to be
extremely gratifying to their Bon. Reprotentati ve to receive such tea.
timonles of the respect of his constituents for so long a period we 19
years; and it must be still more gratifying to him, when he consi.
dared that it did not proceed from any interested motives, for he
never bud it in his power, and probably never would have it in his
power, to reward the attachmentattachmentof his 'supporters by any of those
pretty little advantages which the members of the Adnitnistration
had It In their power to bestow, and the comforts of which some of
their adherents at present an snugly enjoyed. The majority which
hie Francis Burdett had so long commanded among the electors of

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Wes:minter could not be accounted for from any corrupt motives
of private interest. It could arise from nothing but a firm convic-
tion in the minds of his constituents Ow his abide line of conduct

was regulated by the purest principle; and the most upright mo-
tives. His public views bad never been directed to the advance-
ment of his own private Interest ; he had never allowed himself to
be led away by any such consideration ; he had always aimed at
pursuing that course which he believed to be essential to the
public welfare. To this circumgeance another was to be added,
which contributed In no ordinary degree to render hint
acceptable to the electors of Westminster. It was that perfect
agreement of ideas, that complete coincidence in feeling, which
existed in his case between the representative sod the represented
—it was that calmer' persuasion which was equally prevalent in
the minds drill the parties, that public liberty was the greatest
blessing, at least the greatest earthly blessing, which any commu-
nity could enjoy ; and that the public liberty in this country could
not be preserved without free Parlitments and frequent elections.
He would trouble the Meeting only one minute longer, and that
merely for the purpose of congratulating the electors of West-
minster on their extraordinary good fortune. The people of West.
minister had not one admirable Representative only—they had the
hyminese to possess two most excellent Representatives. Some
b&ies of electors. he was sorry to say, were not claim so happy in
that respect. Compelled by the overbearring influence of wealth
and power, they were often obliged to return men against their
will who were not only destitute of all common feeling with the
parties whom they represented. but were totally incapable of se-
curing respect, whether on public or private grounds. Happily it
was not so with the electors of -Westminster ; they possessed two
Representatives, of whom no one secd be ashamed. They were
men of lirst-rate talent; and above all, as their places were un-
bought, so their votes were guided only by the purest dictates of
integrity. He begged pardon for detaining the assembly so long,
and would now merely read the toast which he hail to propose:—
" The great advocate of the rights and liberties of the people, whose
able, disinterested, and consisteat public conduct has been as useful
to his country as honourable to hieeself—our distinguished Repre-
sentative...-Sir Francis Burdett.
Air—" While ha spy in my native land."
Sir Flaxen; BURDETT then awe and said, he felt
that he was called upon to express. his gratitude on tire
occasion, after what had been sail by dlr. Stutch. Ile was ex-
tremely gratified In addressing them *nee more on the oc. '
cation of their annual meeting, not only because he felt great plea.
sure at all times in looking batik on the origin of that connexion,
which had oolong .übsisted between him and the people of West-
minster, but bemuse he looked upon the present meeting in a far
more important point of yiew...-as affording a great argument to all
the friends of ilberty.of the incalculable advantages to be derived
from pure elections--as a proof of the constancy with which they
were determined to proceed in the course of reform, which they had
hitherto so uniformly and so steadily pursued ; and that, in his
view of the case, was a far more important consideration than any
personal gratification which he might derive from the occasion.
The present meeting afforded, in his opinion, a far more ready
answer to all the groundless aspersions which had been thrown on
the people than could be afforded by any argument* drawn a priori
from the nature of things; and it was in this point of view that he
most veined the demonstration of feeling afforded by the present
assembly. It showed ju the clearest manner what would be the
practical effect of that radical reform which they had sought so long ;
it proved that they were completely in the wrong who asserted that
radical reform would prove detrintertial to the country. It had been
said that a reform such as wad proposed would produce consequences
the neat alarming; but here was an argument ready to refute all
I such aspersions on the pride of England. Mr. Sturch had said
that there were few electors capable of following the example
which had been set them by the people of Westminster; but for
his part he was of opinion that there were nn electors at all capable
of following the example of those of Westminster. He had no
hopes of seeing a new House of Commons at all differing
front the present while the present system of election continued ;
anti be therefore considered the toast which had been proposed on
this subject as by no means likely to be carried into effect at the
next geotoal election. He had therefore no hopes of seeing any
change for the better in the House of Commons without some preli-
minary change in the mode of their election. It was in consequence
of the corruption of the whole system in this respect that the !louse
of Commons was overwhelmed, as it were, by the scum of the earth;
and there was no hopes of seeing. on the approaching occasion,
any thing like a real appeal to the people of England. Even if as
few were required as were required in Sodom, to Pave it from de-
struction, he feared there would not be found more in England, in
its present circumstances, than in that delinquent community. So
many views of this kind were continually presented to him, that lie
was afraid to indulge a hope that any other independent Members
would he returned to the House of Commons. He was decidedly
of opinion, as things at present stood, that it would be a benefit to
the country if the twesent system of election were suppressed alto-
gether; for the effect of these mock elections was merely to ex-
hibit to the world a picture in which every species of immorality,
perjury, or clinic, were painted in colours so glaring, that they
could find no parallel in any other country or nation which had
ever existed in the worid. In the midst of this deluge—in
the midst of this vile inundation of all that was base—it was
no wonder if the happiness of England was entirely destroyed.
He would not MT that the system blighted the liberties of England;
it did not blight them, for they did not exist; but it prevented the
liberties of England from ever shooting forth. In such circum-
stances It would he impossible for the utmost stretch of credulity
to entertain the slightest hope of improvement. It was Impassible
to entertain hopes front any thing, but from that great and immor-
tal feeling which pervades every portion of the people of England.
There was a spirit in them, he was convinced, which no opposition
could repress, and no difficulties could tire—a spirit which grew
1 with their growth and strengthened with their strength. That
spirit,unsubdued and unsuhtlunble BO it was. did certainly encourage
a hope that by pursuing with perseverance the path which integrity
pointed out, they must at length be enabled to produce a most im-
. portant change in many respects. This change might not take
place in our day ; but it might and must take place in the day of
those who succeed us. This spirit did revive in his breast the hopes'
of final success—and that success might perhaps be attained sooner
than could at present be anti !Mated. It was with great pleasure
that he met its the present assembly with a sample of the honest
feelings of the people. It was with pleasure that he met his
countrymen at all times and under all circumstances. He had
never seen the people of Westminster lag behind, when it was ne-
cessary to make exertions in support of their principles. Their
example would be beneficial to the whole of England. Unlike
those sham electors, who return sham representatives, the people
of Westminster wonld show what were the effects of a really popu-
lar election. 'These were the vi-ins which he took of the subject,
in conformity with the opinions of his constituents; hut the uniform
support he had received was owing to no system of trickery. lie
had never descended to any compromise of his own opinions. If
any subject occurred upon which the prsjueices of men were at
variance, he acted fearlessly upon his own Judgment, and the elec-
tors, confident in the purity of the motives witteh regulated his
conduct, had uniformly concurred in all his actions. Ile would
take the present opportunity of adverting to a letter which had been
addressed to him by lireiturch, relative to the situation of Ireland,
and written with that intimate knowledge of the subject in all its
bearings, which was the characteristic of every thing proceeding
from his friend (Mr. S mech.) The impolicy of preventing the ad-
mission of a great part. he might say of all the population of Ire-
land, to the exercise of their civil nghts, was strongly reprobated by
him. In presenting the petition on this subject, he had said that
all religions were good ; but his friend (Mr. Snitch) was too acute
a logician not to know that general assertions of that kind were to
be understood with reference to the particular. occasions on which
they were uttered. He spoke only of the different sects of Chris-
tianity. It could not he 'supposed that he meant that such religions
as were repugnant to humanity were good ; hut he did assert that
all the different professions of Christianity were gond, and he was
convinced that they were so, esthete was but one basis and founda-
tion for them all. Belieion after all was not a matter of choice;
end it was impossible that there could he any religion which wit
really bad, for its votaries at least must believe it to he good, and
therefore it must tend to the moral improvement of our nature, or it
would, in fact, be no religion at all. Menkinci is nowhere so fit.
stud as to worship pure evil. His opinion was, that all modes dr
Christianity were good ; but were this the sentiment of the people,

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or were it not, he should still exercise his own judgment. Without
say politic consideration, therefore. he had given his opinion on
this subject 'carding to his conviction. Sorely it was not fit that
any RV of men should have the presuirm ' to prescribe what
mode of adoration others should offer up to die Deity. Such con-
duct was impious, fur it not ()illy said to the persons whole relii.tion
differs from ours—•• You shall not adore the Deity in tiny way but
ours=" hut it addressed the Deity himself, and ordered him not to
receive the homage of men unless offered in the manner which they
themselves c;iose to determine. It was imposshle that tiny can.

seicntiour mind should entertain for a moment anndioua a doctrine.

The most worldly-minded sentiments were often concealed under
the mask of religion • and he could not help thinking that there
was often a very sial:ter principle working at the bottom. Though
others might be satisfied if the Catholics were merely tolerated—
if they were preserved from torture and death—if they were only
persecuted by an exclusion from the common advantages which
they were entitled to enjoy t—though these principles might satisfy
the minds of some, he could not bring himself to believe that such
a degree of toleration was sufficient. There could, In his opinion,
be no more convincing proof than that alfottied by the Catholic
Question, of the necessity of obtaining a House of Commons
really chosen by the people, In order effectually to guard their
must important right., both of liberty and omperty. (Applause.)
The lion. Baronet next *Jeered to the Court of Chancery, the
legal proceedings of which,lte said, were of IS monstrous description.
The Noble Lord at the head of that Court had himself confessed

_ _ ......---
that he was troubled with doubt ings to arch an extent that be WO I
seldom, comparatively speJltisig, et abled to give judgment. (Ap.
plause) Now in his (Sir Francis's) opinion, speedy injustice was
preferable to such delays ; for the judgment which was given
speedily, although it might be unjust, yet it left the Individual
free to mime his career in lite, and was less ruinous, therefore,
and less destructive,than that judgment whose justice was rendered
completely nugatory by the delay which a tended it. ((,rest cheer.
ing.) As long as the people merely murmured and complained.'
the thing was very well; hut when these murmurs swelled into an
outcry which wan not to he disregarded, then steps were taken to
remedy abuses ; and the remedy was seldnm better than an altera.
ton which still left the system in full activity. (Great ap.
plause.) It was* Iso strange that upon :twee occasions it was always
discovered that nobody was in tault,nuhudy was culpable. (A laugh.)
Culpable! (In the totittary. the ',Attie. who were supposed to be
implicated in these abuses turned nut to he,not merely immaculate.
but pure, and uprig4t, and conscientious beyond all comparison,
(Great laughter and cheering.) How long these abuses might have
been suffered to continue, not oily in that but in other of the legal
departments, it would hive been difficult to conjecture, had not at

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List shame driven the Ministry to something like a reformation; or
else one man at least was possessed of more integrity than his col-
leagues, and at length came forward, in the person of Mr. Secretary
Peel, to show the public the vile figure they had worshipped under
the semblance of justice—a figute compesiel of one foul masa of
corruption. (Applause) The worthy Baronet next adverted to
that system which passes under the name of government in the
Colonies of Great Britain—a system so monstrous that able and
honest men had been led to doubt whether England would not he
much better without them than possessing them burtheoed with
such an immerse load of expenditure as they were it present over-
whelmed with. He would next call their atteptinn to trelsntl,
the present state of which was a shame and a disgrace to its
masters. (Applause.) Instead of being a source of strength to this
country, it was a source of weakness,and there was little probability
of its being otherwise for some time. (Cheers.) With regard to
Scotland. the Learned Member for Caine (Mr. Abercrombie) had
presented a petition from the City of Edinhorgh, to the prayer of
which it was impossible for the House of Common, not to have
acceded, unless they were resolved never to encourage anything in
the shape of Reform, however partial it might be. ((heat ap-
plause.) It was clear, theretore, that all three nations had one
common cause to contend for, and they should therefore become
united in their endeavours to attain it, leaving all admit marten
aside, and forgetting all causes of division until their exertions
in the achievement of the paramount object were crowned with
success. ( Immense cheering.) The Honourable Bart. next ad-
verted to the vacillating manner in which Ministers had acted
with respect to the great questions of the Corn Laws and the
currency, and contended that they should only have come forward
with such measures after the fullest consideration, and fully pre-
pared to stand or fail by their consequences. (Cheers.) It had
been said by Mr. Pitt that no honest Minister could hold office
under the peculiar circumstances in which this country was si-
tuated ; and if such were the case, it afforded the fullest proof that
too much care could not be taken, nor too strenuous exertions made,
to have an honest assemblage of the representatives of the nation.
The present Ministry, however, acted with the greatest inconsist-
ency: they intended altering the currency of Scotland, until the
feeling of the people of that country showed ,a them how difficult
area the task they had undertaken. With respect to the Corn Laws,
when the country gentlemen apply to Ministers to know if it he
their intention to repeal them, Ministers immediately answer, ".0,
no !by no means ;we have no intention of the sort." Then coma
another sort of questioner, who asks, " That ! a ill you starve the
people by keeping up these nefarious laws ?" To this Miuisters
reply, "0, no we intend to alter the Corn Laws." (Cheering.)
This was the miserable result of all their discussions upon this sub-
ject, which ought long since to have beer. settled. It was a dis-
grace to the Parliament that it should have sat S 3 tong, and done ,
nothing decisive with respect either to that question, or the gum-
tion of the curter:es. They had, however, tit consolation to know
that all these temporary evils tended to the general good, and we
might hope that anch manifest incompetence jingly' at last enable
Its to have an upright and an honest Parliament. (Great cheering.)
The lion. Baronet then proposed the following toast, and sat down
amidst loud and long-continued cheering :
" Trial by Jury, and thanks to ilr, Secretary Peel for having
improved that invaluable Institution and the Criminal Law, for
w 'eh objects Reformers so long t.nsueceaafully content:ed."
Air—" The Campbells are coming."
Mr. COKE (of Norfolk) rose. for the purpose of proposing the
health of an individual whom no man living held in higher estima-
tion than himself, and to whose exertions in Parliament lie had
been a witness upon every 9uestion of importance. Ile then gave
" John Cam Ilobhouse, Lsq., our other able, enligiitened, and
indefatigable Representative.'
Mr. HOHHOUSE then rose and said, that at the close of that
Session, which might of course be considered as the close of his
Parliamentary career, until again honoured with their suffrages,
it was most gratifying to him to find them more than equally kind
than they had been to him when he had lino the honour to present
himself to their notice. (Cheers.) It was a source of sincere and
unfeigned gratification to him to be permitted, without having any
claim. comparatively speaking, to public confidence, to associate
with his II on. Friend (Sir F. Burdett) as one of their Representatives.
Is was no antall cause of triumph which they thus annually assem-
bled to celebrate. The Represented and the Representatives
had equal occ.ission to boast of' the connexion between them, for
if pure motives, honest means, and a patriotic end, could sanc-
tion Oldr mutual congratulations, then indeed had they all gio.
rious cause to be proud of their connexion. (Great cheering.) He
was glad to see before bins those individuals who had first induced
him to offer himself to the electors of li'estminster. He scorned to
make an election speech ; for if he were to do so, he was assured
that they would be ashamed of him ; and at all events he would
be ashamed of himself ; but he might be permitted to say, that he
felt the highest gratification at beholding around him the electors
of Westminster, who had chosen him, almost an unknown in-
dividual, as a colleague to him who was known, not merely
to them, and to the nation. but to Europe—nay, rot to Europe,
but to the whole world. (Immense cheering.) It was a source
of the greatest gratification to him to see upon that occasion gentle-
men of the learned profession, as well as those other representatives
of the distinguished interests of the country, who were present, then
assembled to prove their attachment to measures and principles,
and not to men—(applause)—their attachment the great principle
of Parliamentary Reform. (Applause.) An idea had gone abroad,
that once in seven years a portion of every individual was melted
away and replaced, and he was not certain whether that idea had
not suggested the measure of:altering the duration of Parliaments
from annual to septennial. (A laugh.) He felt himself the natural
effecis of the lapse of time since he had first offered himself to their
notice; but however he might thus alter, one thing he was sure
would never change—his attachment to the great question of Par-
liamentary Reform. Wheel...) Mr. Hohltouse next alluded to the
state into which the country was thrown by the speculations of last
year, for the purpose of doing justice to the Hon. Gentleman who
sat upon his tight (Mr. Alderman Waithman), who had predicted
the consequences of those pro:ceding% !cheers), and he was now,
lie was happy to any. a Candidate for the representation of the city
of London. (Groat cheering.) In the course of a long life he had
given pledges of the line of conduct he would pursue. and he there-
fore wished to impress upon the Reformers of the city of London
the neeessil of choosing him, as a fair representative of :heir rights
and
privileges.'lkel lion. dent. next alluded to. and lamented the
state in which the friends of freedom were placed throughout several
nations in Europe. but particularly in Spain, which groaned under
the basest and cruellest despotism. England too had seen her fall—
like him who had been present at the martyrdom of St. Stephen,
although she had not thrown the first stone, she had consented to
the destruction of liberty in that ill-fared country. (Cheers,)
Spain had received from the fatal policy of this country, a blow
fatal to her present exertions to rid herself of her thakirom. He
would next advert to the contest which was now carryirg oil in
Greece, and he could assure the Meeting that the Turks were to this
day as ferocious as when they at first overran the nations of Chris.
tendon). l'hey had lost many of the qualities which at that time
rendered them superior to the Christians, but they had preserved all
the cruelty of their former disposition. In their punialtmenta they
still impaled people alive - roasted them alive also—beat
them to death with mallets—blinded them—and in their tender
mercies they drowned or strangled their victims, and beheaded
their wives and children. Ile did not wish to disgust those whom
he had the honour of addressing, and it might therefore suffice to
say that their vices were not the vices of men, and their virtues
were those of savage rather than of civilized life. (Great cheers.)
He visited to ask, was it fitting that such a nation should be num-
bered amongst those of Christendom? (Cheers.) %I've we to
treat them as brothers? No. The Powers of Christendom
ought to interfere, and to tell them that they should no Icfnger be
permitted to retain a dominion which they could only support by
cruelty and oppression. (Applause.) It was for the interest of this
country that Greece should be free. It was evident to every
reflecting mind, said the Honourable Gentleman, that Con.
stantinople tottered to its fall, and the only reason why the Christian
powers had not totally crushed it was, because they coo not as
yet agree as to the division of the spoil. (Much cheenng.).NTer -
fore it was that they looked with jealousy at the insurrection of the
Greeks, which was calculated to bring on a perilous day, for which,
Acing unprepared, they could scarcely know how to provide.
(Cheers.) hence it was that ths head of the Christian Church,
the Pope, had sent a lit oclaination against the Greeks; but he
would ask whether it was fur that that his power had been en.