The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-01-26 00:00:00

THE QV EEN-PETITIONS.

Lord ERSKINIK raid, 14e had several Petitions to
present teharve to she late proceedings against
her Nlsjrat v. mid he could pledge himself to
their Lordships that they were all worded in
the most respectful and constitutional language,
His Lordship then presented a Petition horn
the lithabitiants of the Royal Burgh of Basin;
in Scotland, praying that their Lordships would
use all the tueens in their ',Diver to prevent
any further proceedings being commenced against
her Majesty, aid shit they should adopt such me..-
Sures as they should think proper fur procuring
the insertion of her Majesty's name is the Liturgy,
and for the restoration of her Majesty to all brr
rights ;rod privileges as Queen Cornett; which was
read and 14id on the table.

The Noble Lord then prevented the following
Petitions to the some eller, from the lueorponneil
Trades of the Borough of Dunif_ries ; front the LIM
corponsteil Tootles of the Borough of selkirk ; (ions
the Incorporated Triodes of the Town of GreettoCk ;
end from the Inhabitants of New Deer, in the County
of Aberdeen—whirl' were ►evetolly read nod Laid
'on the 'stile.

The Noble sun Learned Lord then prelenteil
Poition (loin the Lord Ala), r, Aldermen, mid
COm Coutaa of the City of Loudon, iirayiiig
their 1,01-41,11tp. to stilly! such ntrrrurrs Ili ill bolt
airdpio they might duns proper. to provitir the
rratoratunt of the Quern t.• the lull eitja)tneist of
all her tights 141111 and the insertion of
her Imam lit the Litur_cy ; and to tosti:ote a tiel
inquiry into the consl tag of Mloku'rt,, ill hrulKutx
rtawattl Ilie Irtr proreetliovs
TOW Prlalon oar fraud and haul on the table.
1 he Emil of DANN t.KY little-10rd • Petition
front the Nobleineti, Clrlgv, Lana Cetalritirts of
the county of liens, which wu. agri•etl to at a most
rtimettahle Still Immo-tom Iliadic met 1.;,4, tr the
*amp 01'i-eh—Toe Noble Latl soil, las iorr.trtaiiit:
flat l'ellitou hr root.' Slut I'ol.l11l I
conduct of ilit• Shrf.tl of the toutity, ;Om rtlused
to vial a pithite isseettatg, glt a letilll.llll/111 was
situ In him, 14.1' that I,tirpo.r, stgueil by the at
respeetable firelitildris el the eir.tuiv, soul sevrial
of theist IVlrtiolorri of Paritain.tit. It way a 111110
of a 11111, ill hlll 1111111'1111, 111011 the Sheriff outwit
11101 In have alltivlrtl. lie *l4► revs l that tutu lit
that situation would out their dilly impartially,
ay long as 1107 Were appointed as rt I 1 elll. That

iiihabitatits of • enmity rettsl4. alit ID he deprives/
i of au important right EA, caprice of a man ap-
pointed to hie office by howMajtony's Goveiouiesit.
He certainly considered Buevies a subject worthy
of the consideratioo Of I'o'W:talent.
The Earl of Livearoots said, hr rose for the
purpose of setting the Noble Lid tight as to the
.manner of the appoititing or high Stieriffe--there
00 • return made by the Jadlges oil oath of there
petering it, each county, qualified to be appointed.
and one from the three was chosen by the King in
' Council, without regard to the politic:ll opium** of
uny of them. The right of the freeholders of the
eouuty could not have been iujored by the flieb
Sheriff refusing to call the meeting, as the gentle.
men ref the county laid the power of calling one.
The tall of Dime LET--" They have, but not
in the open air."
Es:lGßosmoß said. as their Lordshipse
limo boil besot eolitti.l4 coricl4Cl of Htlo She.
riff., he would istraie a errternistaeco that loarbawase
to his own knowledge at a public meeting its the
county of Chester. which was called by she Sheriff,
for the purpose of what lets beet, desiourinaied el
loyal address, and at that meeting he (the Noble
Earl) moved all amendment. contaiiiiing similar ex-
rest/eons of loyalty King, ea Constitution,
but expressing 4116041m0 et the conduct of his
Majesty'a Minister., and on tit it occasion the She-
riff tusk osi hiuwelf to say that Ile amendment
Was irrelevant to the purposes of the meeting; and
although pressed on the subject, he refused to put
it to the inceting, whether the amendment was or
was not irrelevant, and rt tired to some house in the
neighbourhood for the purpose of signing throe.-
. gine, address, which *hewed the irregularity and
einprepriety of the Sheriff's conduct. fie
couvr-
dered the Ake of Sheriff' a ministerial one, and
his biking on himself to decide that the amend-
meat was irrelevant, was a dereliction of Ina duty,
and it was mom:trolls as well as absurd to leave it
to • Sheriff to say what was Or was not relevant. It
WAS a subject that certainly called for Parliamen-
tary inquiry.
The Earl of DARNLEY said, that it hail been
his intention to have made some observation* on
that part of the prayer of the Petition for the re-
storalion of her Majesty's name to the Liturgy ;
bait as that subject was under discuosem in the
other branch of Parliament, he would terrain from
it, except expressing In, hopes that she might be
restored to all her rights as Queen Consort.
The Petition was then reasi.and laid on the table.
The Marquis of Leesouwe said, he held iii his
hand a Petition which a Noble Duke and himself
were appointed to present to the House; but as
the Noble Doke (Somerset, we believe) was ab.
pent, he considered it his duty to (weevil it. It
was, a Petitiou agreed to et a public meeting le-
fatly convened by the Sheriff of the county of
It was ci.liclied in terms of the greatest
loyalty : it the same time the Petitioners expressed
toeir abhorrent* of the peoceetlings against the
Qaeta. ewf proyasl their I.o4l.hips to use Boris
iiiflueuce to restore to her filajesiy her rights.
The Noble Marquis Presented a Petition from
the Inhabitants of the Tows, of Devizes, ill the
county of Willa, to the sonar effect.
They were read, and ordered to be laid on the
table.
Earl GROSVENOR presented a Petition from err-
tails Itiluthitant* of the town of Perth, to the same
effect ; which was read, suit laid out the !aide.
Lord HOLLAND presented similar Petition from
the Corporation of Nottitigliain, which lie after-
wards withdrew, 011 account of come clerical error.
The Noble Lord then presented a similar Peti-
tion front the Churchwardens and lithabillaniv of
the Parish of Si. Saviour's.
Lord ELLEN BOROUGH said, that the Peti-
tions which had liters piesentril were founded in
error, 101' her Majesty was slot deprived of her
sight.: for the moment the Bill cif Pains and Pe-
nalties ag 111151 her hail brio, thrown out, she was
of course entitled to her rights.
Lord Hot.t.esto said, there were many persons
who thought that her Majeaty was deprivtd of her
rights'. aid thought iliat .fir ought to be prayed
for as the Queen Consort, that else ought to have
a Royal Palace, and that Ow should have a grant
front Perliament to eivehle her to support her
oity- No soon could say, that she now h, l the
rights which hod been enjoyed by other Quern
Comports. The ofijict of she petitioners was, shut
there rights shoold be reamed to her, and an ex-
tinguisher put fur ever sass the proceedings ugaitist
her.
Land FLILIKBOROUGH expleined.
The Pension wastrised. end !lid on the table.
Earl Clitatr imitated asimilar Petition from the
Bakers' Corporation of the Borough .tif Pert lewhich
he stated expreitied in very strong language the dis-
pleasure of the Petitioners at the conduct of his
.Majesty's Ministers. The Noble Earl then pre-
sented einsilar Petitions from the Borough of Ding-
wall. in the Custody. or Boast from the Borough of
Knighorie in the County of Fife; and from tee
Ward of Bialsupogate-which were severally read
and laid ou the table.
The Earl of.o A am•RWON said, he'harl in present
a Petition Inas the Nobleinete sod ' ()endemics. of
the courtly erf ti eds. legally convened by the She-
riff of the coutritt • The prayer 4411 woe similar to
the Niehaus that fwd hero-already presented, and
it was sigued by some of the most respectable mid
opulent WO it, the county. There was a circuits-
stance atieudiug the calling of the meeting which
cousidered It his duty to advert to :—Tliore was
is requisition, must respectably signed, presented
to the Siterift, to call the meeting; on which there
was a cuutiter-requoation gilt up. and signed
through *mitieiterial influence, calling ou the She-
riff not to call the mretiug. ao the moms is of the
county had been already expressed in a Wye! Ad-
dress to.lus Majesty. However, the 'meta% dot
take place, awl a more respectable one never was
held ; the Petition bore the signatures of between
seven and eight thesusatiel pierce or. and contained
the general scistiiiitats of the whole county. lie

Could ant help reprultattog tire interfering of the
cossoter-requisitiousais. and lie
,trusted that such
another atteuspt *Held never he Made, me it citify
trolled to put Prolisosent its opposition to the
people ; sod if his Mejeat)'s Ministers did do so,
they Iseult, bring on themselves what they most
dreaded. the cry for Perliarnentary Reform. Mt•
therefore trusted that Mitristers or their partisans
would avoid the repetition tif conduct which could
*oily be the metros of seuarritiug the people from
the Par'istneut.
The Duke of W ELLIN ecroo said, he merely rose
to stile why lie did not raga the cuutiter-requisition.
Being a member of his Mejesty'd Privy Council.
end Lord Lieutettat.t of the county of Hoots, he
did nut thiak it *meld be proper in him to have
done so; but there that did sign it were' permute
who had signed so Arltlress to Iris Majesty, which
lied too le.* than 9.000 tOraturea; sod he thought
with them, as the sense of the comity had
Nines!. it writ; not orcr.arry to:yriatotb the. greet
Ilse county with the farce of a public meeting.—
One of the inembrre for the county attended the
meeting, said could leo olltain a heating. except
under the protection of the Noble Earl (Car-
oat son).
The Earl of CARWARVON said. if the Noble
Duke did nut sign the Requisition, it bore the sig-
nature of she. Secretary of War ; the effeci of it was
to say that county mertiegs were a farce; it was
eituilar to the general c Net rifles Maiesty's Mi-
musters to try to throw into dnirepute public opinion.
—( Hear. hear.)—The permits who signed the pre-
sent Petition would have sig,tied the other, and he
would tell the Noble Duke they possessed as much
genuine loyalty a. he dill. Hear, /rear.)—He
wished to know how much of the constitution the
Noble Duke was incurred to support; it did uot
appear to be that part of it which gave the peo-
ple the right to meet to petition the Legislature.
—( Hear, hear, hear. ) The boasted Address of the
couniet-retiiiisitinniaits 553 got up by a kind of cir-
cular or pastoral letter twill brut to every clergy-
men in the county, calling on them to neglect their
cleticel duties for the purpose of being made tools
of for a pointer! purpose. The Under-Sheriff of
the county said lie signed and sent the letters by
the orders of the Secretary of the Pitt Club, and
they were told that this was • more constoluteniel
way of taking the seine of the couuty then by a
public meeting legally convened. The Noble
Duke was not coirect when he said that the Mem-
ber for the county was not heard at the meeting;
he 5:15 heurd, except when there was that kind of
disapprobation which sometimes arose in all assem-
blies, by the petrois speaking rosining sway from
the subject they met to discuss.
The Marquis. of LANSDOWN said, he agreed with
every word which had tallest from his Noble Friend
who had just sat down. When the Noble and
gallant Duke stood forward as the advocate of the
counter-requisition, lie must have furgut its emo-
ting's. for at did not state the want of necessity to
Coil a county meeting again., end it caulk! Mat, as
uoi formrr county meeting hod taken place.. But
what lisd been the conduct of the counter-requisi-
tionists They kept their Address a secret from
the petitiotters, and only eliewed it to those person.
whom they knew would sign it; and thus secretly
got up, it was sent forth as the sentiments of the
county, instead of the sense of the county being
hike° in the old constitutional way, at a public
meeting in open day, and which right lie trusted
would always continue a part of the constitution.
It was only a year ago that what was now called a
farce was the mode liken by the Lords Lieutenant
of the counties to collect public optition on public
uffairs, sod conveying thefts to the Legislature, lie
was 'nippy that the mime of the gallant and Noble
Duke was not to the counter-requisition. and he
gave him full credit for the delicacy of his motives
in not leaving signed it.
The Duke of WEI.I.INUTON rose to explain. He
said be del not !Orme to say that a county meeting
had been called, but that the sentiments of the
county had beets expressed in the petition to his
Majesty. As to the word farm, he had not made
use of it as to public meettisga forming a past of
the constitution ; but when a public meeting took
place, surrounded or attended by a mob, for the
impose of circulating certain opinions, and any
person not agreeing with those opinions not granted
a bearing. except under the ieotection of some No.
ble Lord, he could not help thinking that the sp-
pellatiou was properly applied.
Lord HOLLAND said, he was to utsderstand that
the Noble Duke did sign the secret Petition, and
he was to take his opinion of the Constitutiou to be,
that the Petition kept close was the constitutional
our, end the one adopted in the way that was
kllOO4l to the words and spirit of the constitution
we. not. He would ask the Noble Duke how his
Noble Friend was to have expressed his opi-
nion on the secret Petition, whets the doors were
lucked against him to prevent him from seeing it? To
Pay that it wait the proper mode of conveying the
arose of the county was erroneous; su tar front
it, it was • fraudulent proceeding. Ile had
attended the public meetings at Oxford and at
Bedford, and he could say, without the fear
of contradiction, that every 11Wr3011 speaking fairly.
and not entering on tapirs likely to give Avner,
had a patient hearing. He would out apply the
ward farce, which had been uttered by the lgable
Duke. though in its want tease, as he wished it to •
apPly to the best part of the Constitution. the pw
puler rights of the people. It was N word rates
used to argument. sad its the warmth of debate; he
was curry to say. lw Issd often heard the proceed-
ings of Parliasorist celled a force ; dad he boil tie
doubt but it was used by the Nulsle Duke with.
out con.idernig the iosportaiter which Was attached
to it. when applied to the best part of the Cuing-
tution.

Tire Earl of LIVERPOOL said he maid not re.
train Irma offering • sew observations uts what had
fallen front the Noble Lords nu she other sale at
she Hume. Saes:ruse he thought shot she Noble.
Duke had been misapprehended: ilis Noble

Friend had stated that be did not menu to under-
value or to treat with cositempt any county meet-
iog regularly convened, and where all parser*
could have a fair hearing. But what his Diable
Friend bad meant when lie smoked the term alike
had been so much remarked ousts county meeting.,
(whether correctly or 1101 was nut now the questiot.)
was this, that if it were so contrived as that such
meeting* were attended only bj a •nob, who iefueed
to giee a fair bearing to all patties, Cont such comity
meetinge were a mere farce; mid he (Earl
say, that if such meetings were se master d as that 4.
mobwere brought in to carry all out way, thin they
merited uo better title. But if county meetasses
svereal.,practice what they were iu theory, hr *hind
not hO: ieclined to consider them at detective pants
_sof the.toustitution, though he must allow that they
miskie be liable to those defects which had hero
useutipileal.'itad the mores° from the destat:oo from
the auctient viatica of Insisting them ill the county
bate, by which they hid become, not what they
were inieeded to'be, meetings of freeholders, but
of the moli. lie could not say whethei that was
the case with the Hampshire county !riesling.
With respect to the other branch of shit discussunis
the handing of the Addiess about for siguatiares,
he did not kionw how it could well he otherwise.
Would the Noble Lord say that all, or the gr.ater
part of the persons who hail signed Iles Petition!,
were present at the meeting at which It had !seen
adopted? fie certainly thought that in estimating
the value of a Petition, the number awl respecta-
bility of the signatures should be looked to; autl
he agreed with the Noble Baron IC 10 the pro-
priety of bringing all parties together for the per-
pose of discussing the metita of any public ques-
il is but unless it were so done es to afford a fel.'
hearing to all parties, he did taut think that such
meetings were calculated to answer any good red,
nor could he be brought to approve of them.
Earl GREY said, he could not refrain from offer-
ing a few observations to their Lordships up what
lied been said by the Noble Earl opposite He
censinly did assure himself, that whatever d.ffer-
core of opinion might be entertained among their
Lordships, as to the subject Matter of such Peti-
tions as came before them, he should tan hear ally
reflections such as those which he had now heard
no county meetings, particularly %lien he recol-
lected that last year, when the Acts which were
(lieu passed were under discussion, the Noble Earl
had urged as sii argument in their favour, that
after the passing of those Bills, county meeting.
would resume their proper character. After
what had beeu this evening stated to their
Lordships. .of the conduct of some Sherd('
at some meetings, in assuming to themselves the
eight of refusing to pet the question on certain pro-
positions which were moved at those meetings, he
did feel surprised that the Noble Earl should have
emitted to remark upon that part of the question,
when lie was observing upon the irregularity of the
protredings at such oleeteoge. The Noble Duke
said that Ise did not object to county moorings when
regularly... Wed, properly attended, and where a
fair hearing was given to the discussion of both
Rides of the question. He could ask the Noble
Duke. whether the meeting at which this Peti-
tion had beet, 'eloped, was not regularly cum-
welted by the proper authority I whether it was
not attended by those persons who had a right
to be present ? and he would ask their Lordships
whether they would believe that a fair hearing was
not given to all parties. after they lied heard the
statement of his Noble Friend, that the county
Member was heard and had wet with no interrup-
tion but such as naturally resulted Irom the im-
patience of all large assemblies, where a difference
of opinion prevailed His Noble Friend who bad
just left the House. had stated what occurred at
the Cheshire meeting. He did not know if the
Noble Duke would call that a farce of a county
meeting ; but if the iiccount which he had heard of
at were correct. lie (Earl Grey) had never known a
meeting to which the term could so properly be
applied. But they had an itistance of the kind
nearer to their own dobrs, in the meeting which
was held yesterday at the Mnosioti-hosise, of the
Merchants and Bankers of the City of London ;
where a large body of persons who had secretly
agreed to, inal signed an Address to give a fula
colouring to public opinion. met for the purpnac of
biterrupting the regular bossiness of the meeting.
and committed all those acts of tumult and dis-
order, with which it was now attempted generally
to reproach public meetings. But what was the
course of proceeiliog on the other hand, which
seemed to be most approved of by' the Noble
Duke? A little junta of perilous, Olio Might have
selfish ends to answer, met its a prirate collier, and
adopted an Address calculated in their opinisin to
effect their object, which they most reprefieumbly
and indecently csteulitid through the medium of
the clergy, for the pin-pose of procuring signa-
tures; and at length they seciveded iteribtsinieg
sogoatures of perhaps 9,000 persons. When other
pet suns w ho dosessteki Isom the ohjetts confetti-
platial by those who pot foiward that "Address.
wished to have a public meeting fur the ptlrlootfr
of fairly and openly discussing the questicir..,
they were to he told that the sense sat the cuue-
ty was alreitily sultriently i.akeu. So that 'heal
persons who conceived it to be expechent to exer-
cise their undoubted right of meeting to dis-
cuss public questions, for the purpose of seekitstc
to prevent what they conceived to be a public
evil—s, many, slid indeed the greater pan of the
populist oh the country considered the 'floored-
tor aglow' the Queen—they were to he told that
the settee if Inc 'way', had lareu already safficautly
expresord by thua who to secret *vac! Adtressee
which nu one lied born permitted so discses, and
to which no one had been attairded au apportuutty
of objecting, and any public meeting fur the pur-
pose of considering the propriety of adopting a
different expreasion of. their opinions was to be
limited as a farce. He hipped the Noble Duke
would topcoat of having applied such a lest to the