The National Register.
London, England, 1820-08-27 00:00:00

NORFOLK C )UNTY MEETLVG.

On Saturday last, a meeting of the Noblemen, Clergy,
Gentlemen, and Freeholders of the county of Norfolk,
was held in the Nisi Prius Court of the Castle at Nor-
wich, in pursuance of a requisition transmitted to Geo.
Samuel Ken, Esq. High Shirt-dot the county, requiring
him to convene a county meeting, for the purpose of
considering the propriety of petitioning Parliament to
stay the pending proceedings against the Queen.
At 12 o'clock the g ites of the Castle were thrown
open, and the area of the Court was in an instant tilled
to excess by the yeomen of the county. The bench, side
seats, and table for counsel were crowded by the requi-
sitors and other gentlemen of rank and consideration in
Norfolk. At half-past twelve o'clock the High Sheriff
entered, accompanied by :Mr. Coke and Mr. Edmund
W'odehousis (the members for the county), Lord Bury,
the lion. Keppel, Gen. Walpole, Mr. Archdeacon
Bathurst, Dr. Rigby, the Rev. Geo. Glover, and a con-
siderable number of other gentlemen of the first respecta-
bility. Mr. Wodehouse and Mr. Alderman Haney
took their places in front of the grand jury gallery.
General VtiALPOLR MIS then unattimously called to
the chair. After s weral observations lie read the reso-
lutions, the chief of which were as follow :
Resolved, That this meeting are by no means disposed at pre-
sent to give any opinion on, or to interfere in the question of, ths
guilt or innocence of the Queen Consort, but deem it their duty
as Englishmen to protest again-t any mode of proceeding with
respect to an accused person in any rank of life where power and
undue influence or any other cause is likely to affect the course of
public justice.
The xtl rewhition was merely declaratory of the nature and ob.
ject of the pending bill of pains and penalties.
36. That " Acts of Parliament to inflict pains and penalties
beyond or contrary to the common law, to serve a special pur-
pose, can never be warranted except by sonic imminent danger to
the state, to be removed in no other way; because they enable
the government to create an offence (where no legal offence ex-
isted before) to regulate the proof, to decide upon the evidence,
and to apportion the punishment, and thus plainly to confound
the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities, upon the sepa-
ration of which the liberty ant justice of die country depend.'
4th. That the advisers of die Crown, having entered into a ne-
gotiation with the Queen Consort upon the subject of the present
prosecution, have themselves thereby virtually admitted, that no
such imminent danger to the state would accrue from net enter-
ing into an inquiry, which by their own acknowledgment " must
be derogatory to tha dignity of the throne, and injurious to the
interests of the nation.'
sth. That the said negotiation was entered into at the mediation
of the House of Commons, but was rendered null and void, be-
cause Ministers would not advise the Crown to replace her Ma-
besty's name in the Liturgy, from which it had been erased
efore any conviction of offence, and that upon the failure of
negotiation, this bill of pains and penalties was brought in against
the Queen.
tith. That the bill aforesaid appears to have been brought into
the House of Lords in consequence of a Report of a Secret Com-
mittee of the said House, nominated by Ministers; and that by
this bill neither the ordinary course of law by impeachment, nor
the analogy of British jurisprudence, has been followed.
7th. That the omission in the bill aforesaid of any specification
of the time when, or the place where, the offence is alleged to
have been committed, and the refusal of any list of witnesses,
whereby the accused may be prepared with the means of a fair
defence, is at variance with justice.
9th. That this meeting do therefore protest against the mode
of proceeding by bill of pains and penalties against her Majesty
Queen Caroline, and that a petition from this meeting against the
said bill be presented to the Commons House of Parliament by
T. W. Coke, Esq., and Edm. Wodeliouse, Esq., the Members
for this county; and that they be and are hereby requested to
support the said petition, and to oppose the bill of pains and
penalties, should it unhap,tily pass on to the Commons House of
Parliament.
Mr. Archdeacon BATHURST rose to second the motion
for their adoption, and was received with warm niatks
of approbation.
Toe CHAIRMAN then, in obedience to the usual course
at pu tlic meetings, proceeded to put the resolutions
aeriaii 4.
Th • only hands held tip against the first resolution
Were those of Mr. ‘Votlchotise, ALP., and M r. Alderman
Nary y.
The tumult excited by the silent opposition of those
gentle nen was considerable, when Mr. Archdeacon
BATrIU RST interposed, and said that every gentleman
had a right to act Upon his own opinion, and lie gave
the g intlemen allotted to hill credit for their Illaniine!s.
Thin sing as they did, they had a right to hold tip their
hands against the resolution. (Applause.)
Wish the exception of the two gentlemen we have
name I, the whole of the resolutions passed unanimously.
Worn the 9111 resolution was passed,
Mr. CostE, M. P., came forward, and was received
with the warmest greetings. He spoke as follows:—Mr.
Chairin to and Gentle cu,—The rood situation I have
the honour to hold, as one of your representauses, in-
duced time to attend this meeting (hear;) not, howevt r,
with any intention of siting my opinion, one way it(
another, upon the alleged conduct of the Queen, for in
truth 1 know just as little of it as any one of you whom
I now address. But I come lucre, in the first place, to
return toy thanks to your worthy Iligh-Sheritt tor the
ready inatmer in which he has convened this meet.
and given you an opportunity of delivering your senti-
ments lolly and fairly (applatise)..--all opportunity which
has lately been much curtailed. I art happy to have
again the pleasure of addressims yi•ti, the first tome suttee
the lute acts became law. (Great appiause ) The great
quesiion in which yin feel so deep an ituerest is now oil
trial before die House of Lords—a Ilnuse which long
ago old Chatham styled " tile hospital for incurables."
(Ap and ) Ti;; Viten is timv nn trial
befor chat Hons.., which you w II recollect refitsed her
a list of witnesses. (Hear.) Slte is now mi trial be Cure
the persons who refused es en to tell purr tom the idace
where the act of adultery was alleged 10 have burn eOlll.
Milted. (Hear.) I hays a right then 1(10,k oil. whether
*he his ally reason to xlisct l justice oon that
tribu sal ? ((•ries of No.) C.lll I look .I.r a better pros-
pect for her in another !dare? (':in I look for it where
I have daily witiiessed that a tattle and servile acquies-
cence to Nlittist cis is the order of the day—w lucre the
representative body is hind to I etray the elective. Iran-
chive which you have committed to them ? Can the
Queen, 1 :Ay, lave justice theiti 1 think not, as that