The National Register.
London, England, 1809-10-08 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER.

OCT. S.

ward course they had before resolved on. The worthy Sheriff
(Alderman Wool) might, indeed, g:;'•. :)oputarity in that Court
by appealing to the feelings which st ; • the dearest to good men,
and recommend them to do e...f,A to tie distressed.. Whatever
act of private charity and henelic,nice he should
.point out indi-
vidually to the Members of the Court, ht -vrai sure he wank, be
supported in; and he would say that, for hinvelf, he ihoold he
happy to follow a good example. He thooid, howeVer, be free
to say, that he wished the (la: be pas Fed iu festivity, without
abusing the good things which were set before them. lie thought
that any thing for thee relief of prisoners, or any similar object,
might as well be proposed on the da.,' Pf festivity and even at the
dinner, when metes minds were cheered. He could not help no-
ticing the thin attendance of the Bench of Aldermen upon this and
a former occasion. Although they knew the objeq of meeting
was in compliment to their Sovereign, not One of the City Mem-
bers was present. He could indeed account for the absence of
one of them (Sir C. Price.) Ile, it appears, had been !aids
occupied, altogether, in calculating the profits and losses of a
play-house.
Alderman Goodhchere thought th-e standing order must he sus
'tended, whichever of th 2 resolutions were to he adopted. A 4
an idea had gone abroad, that the dinner could not he carried. if
the Tclenthers were to pay for it theirwel ves, ate thought that
would he for the honour and dignity of the Court, that this im-
pression should he done away, which would he hest eff;!cted, by
applying the money intended to he spent in eating and drinking.
to some better purpose. lie hoped there would be no attempt to
impute disloyalty to those who :bought the dinner tontecesAtry.
This did appear to he the erect of introducing Om burne of the
hint; so often in the diseussiou.
_ _

Arr. Jacks said, that he agreed in what was the unanimous
opinion of the Committee, that the dinner was not necessary ;
and as for dining at the e peoeeof the City, he ty as sure there
wrre many of the Corporation who, like hitnelf, could not nor
would not accept of an invitation on these terms. He thought,
that as the Jubilee was an institution of which we had first heard
in Holy Writ, the best mode of keeping it was that which was
pointed out in the Levitical Law, of " letting the prisoners and
captives go free." He thought the very hest application of the
10001. or whatever was to be voted for the dinner, would he to
give it for the reliefof persons confined for small debts in the City
of Ironflon. With such a sum ttrante4l by the Corporation, and
with the aid of privaie-stihscriptiOM and Jonations film the dif-
fcrent Guilds, he made no doubt hut Ortt a most sohstantiul re-
lief might be given to several thowand persons. He concluded
by reading a Resolution to that cfrect, which he would propose
as an amendment, if it met the sense of the Cemrt. _

Mr. Box said, the fonds in the possession of the Chamberlain
only amounted to 2500'. and this money might, is his opininu, be
better employed, than fik the purposes of sensuality. Ile did
not desire a dinner at the public expellee, and now declared he
would not accept it.
Alderman Wood rose for the purpose of explaining why he'
had not suggested a plan for the liberation of prisoners ; he cer-
tainly wilted, that, if it possibly could he done; all the captives
in the kingdoM should be set free; hut he thought such an act
should rather originate with the King, than with any other per-
son. What, however, could be s more noble celebration of
such a day, than the building of, he would suppose. fifty alms-
house,, to -be coiled the King's Alms-houses; and which might
remain to posterity., R permanent monument of the joyful oeca-
-Bioll on which they were erected. The expence of this would
not be so great as many seemed to mnticipate ; and at all events.
he was sure, that many other Corporations would co-operate
with the city of London on the occasion. Indeed, he had him-
self communication with the heads of some very respectable
Guilds, who only waited for tile decision of the city, of London
to follow their example. . . •
Mr. Herne said, that whena celebration of the tin, was agreed
upon, he was convinced it was the opinion or every ant.. in and
out of doors, that it would be by a clierier—(.l laugh.)—lndeed,
that was the way in which nil Jubilees were celehrated—Christ-
alas-day for instance; surely there was scarcely a person on
that day who did not either invite others t(J dine, or dine out
himself.

Mr. Mawman had no idea, when he prnpoge:l the dinner. of
squandering away the funds of the Corporation—very far from
it. The idea of a dinner at all did not originate in that Court,
but proceeded from the Bankers and others who had t.o deter-
mined. Indeed, he did not think increlv Koine in procession to
Clturchl and then to St. .latol-s's, could he cniled the celebra-
tion of a Jubilee; it aliAbt rather Le culled ae Fug. He was

fS9

particularly ;tn.( thht ,heila. should be eth. rv..el vs 'it. every
demonstration of festivity; because hr hut, und•rstoo-t, that at
"a. ever the King's earnest praser, that he might 6e. ;•errn:tted
.0 rater into the 50th year of his rein. If aov hetyr stay .'f
rejoicing than the hearty Englis% sae of feast ini could be ).,o.ot-
td.ettt. hr wtitild be happv ;Ireede to it. He hid 1! roe fast
tb# exPence'would be moderate, if the lord Nlatf,r cow Le
prevailed upon to lend the In Hall. ;.e.cl ellrol,..ted that
it might fir provitied for three 1.-ninros per stead, which, sup-
pesing 250 %) di'ie, would only amemot to 7501. Per raps the
ear pence, might he something more if hey %%ere to, dine, it, l.ittit
hall. It was an ecrasion on which be thn:tglit N 44 ou:.;bt to
be entirely exclueVel. He crold not think t• e‘Cora.urttee could
consider timinselves ill used, bee-sese rbeL. knew at 'be titer, !hey
were making their report that a dinner n as the .s is h oft he Court
Whitimiti desired that the instrue tions given to the Com-
fpittee mi,;lst be read ; they were reae acrordingl•;, anal he pro-
ceeded to declare, thtit of alt the e:traotilionry speeches which
he had heart', and he had heard witty, the speech of the Mem-
ber who had juse sett down, was the moat extrordinary. He had
said, that the Committee knew it ts.,s the wish (tribe Court trial
a dinner should he pros iced—hut how did this appear ? Cer-
tainly not in the instructions; for not a single syllable about a
dinner ,vas said at all, and it could not he inferred flint the Court
s ished for a dinner, from the nomination of a Committee, every
Nle:nber of which was note); hist: averse tn such a measure,—
Ile was ready to confess that he believed :nony limbers of t',lA
Court ante iottsPy wished for a dinner, and he was now confirmed
in that belief, from seeiaz many ardent io debate that day, ss ho
seldom :'tended, except w hen there was a dinner; who, when
iitey did attend, ti..vvr beyond dinner hour ; and is :71 made
ii a point never to open their mouths except at dinner—(a laug4).
qe Was stiq more surplised at the worthy Memher's reornowa.
in the celebration of the jubilee to be kept apart from po!i tire.
Why, it was inanifevly a political jaggle altogether, and little
sagacity itadeed could that politician have who did not see
through it. He diet not wish to impute bad motives to any man
or set of nun; hot when he found a measure marked in its *cry
front with politics, and emanating in the fi:,t instance from
abuse who had always been connected i h Administiation. or
the very creatures of Administration, he could have little. doubt
in his own mind as to the appellation which be ought to give
to such a measure. lie had the very mine opinion on tile 41,
Pottery question; and he knew at that time that Mmy mem_
hero of the Government bad conoettiou with the Members of that'
Court, for the purpose of stiondating thras to tiwe the cry.—
From the saina source, he bad heard, that many einh.-r4 of
that Court had applied for places, aud ,bat on this very (pie,.
:ion some Nletnbers had applied lsu ago to dionnt corpornia
booties, endeavouring to induce those bodies to origin,,tc the j"
bike, in order that, originating at a di-tance, it might seem the
more disintereseed. (Lou•t cries front lir. Dixon of " Nant.r,
?lame !)" The Worthy Member must escuse,me, said Mr. W. if
I pay him no attention, my mind is now occupied with at
jest of importance; but I will now as:: you, niy Lord Ai4lor,
if you did not yourself write a letter to the Corporation of itie
city of (51at-};ow to induce them to illumiaate on this occasion, in
order to conciliate Administration.
The Lard Mayor solemnly declared he never had given such
an intimation. •
Mr. %Valiant:la was well pleased he had had aike;ealtl,ted als)
ef
ques-
tion, and he %assure the Lord Mayor ought to he it
because his plain answer in the negative ssoulek go io tActil,r,te
:ilia front the charge. lie had zoos reason to Ithow, hone- vre,
that such a commithication had been made to the Cttri,„ratt,o, of
:Ittsgow, front persons conuected with the City of latoiltiet. He •
thought ft jg y political quesiioo, and one or all o;fi-rs
on which it would be least possihle to separate the Ka;,;; (rout
the Ntiuistry. The ohject for its atii..tion was manirest ; .Mini-
sters huew that the voice of Ow public o as ;bout intoliv tea 4p...
'peal to the Throue, on account of the rani n„.y
had entailed upon the country ; and this measure • no. ur ruity
introduced to stall* ~nett petitions. In this Council nryed
poli-
tics seemed to be' excluded, and the feuding prille,f,te, a all
heiralebutes seemed to be a dinner I Ls eo if ,ilia ctar.n .r „as
to be given at the individual es pe ore, it v. aIL stmt.'', the". wood
be, no attendance ;,o far did their carry ttie.o. }le was
Inclined, if in 011 e% 1%a4 to he est pe,,,k.1 0,1 imen it 4 urvaxiti",.. to
lotto% the principle, of either of the two lastsukissiodra-4". slid
not care which. The adoption of One or titrOi. issalstijoite *res-
cue the Common Council from the odium viiifeh*i. alittfilic?
fallen on it. Expellee ;le never could think-A eritetioli af lop;
ty, but if it was too be incurred, let it be -tau ituulaue May ;
•

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