The National Register.
London, England, 1820-08-07 00:00:00

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proofs of her Audi in their possession, was this the way
to deal with her No, no, gentlemen, her crime con-
sisted in coming to England. Had she kept abroad, we
should have heard nu more of the Green Bag, but the
moment she was guilty of el:inning her rights as Queen
of England on English ground, from that moment she
was marked for destruction. The production of the
Green Bag was followed by a refusal to furnish her with
the time or place at which the crime was alledged to
have been committed, or with any information as to die
witnesses against her. And it is against this which we
protest, not only because it affects our Queen, but be-
cause it may by precedent affect the liberty of any one
of us. Never were words of more truth uttered by any
one than by her Majesty, in her answer to the Newbury
address—" lire tyranny," said she, " which overwhelms
me !co-clay, makes every man's liberty less secure to-morrow."
Gentlemen, I contend that is one of the grossest viola-
dons both of the maxims and the practice of our law. I
would ask you, Mr. Chairman, whether in your ex-
perience, when Chief Magistrate of this City, you ever
heard of green hag evidence? Or whether it is not the
'form practice in all charges which have come before
you, to have the accuser and the accused confronted,
that the full extent of the charge may be known, both as
to time and place. and the evidence by which that
charge is supported ? Then if so, why, I ask, is that
just ce to be denied to the Queen, which is granted to
the meanest and most cii 11l illal of her subjects? But
we are told this is contrary to precedent. Is it possible
then that the most despotic actions, the greatest out-
rages uoon law which have disgraced the worst periods
of our history, are to be cited as precedents ? Gentle-
men, is the name of justice and humanity, let me call
upon you to protest against these lawless proceedings,
for if e.'er Englishmen become careless and indifferent
to such measures, their liberties, their invaluable laws,
and their admirable constitution, will be lost to them
for ever. (Applause.) I shall detain you no longer,
hut to submit to von the following Resolutions:—
Resolved. ist.—That this Meeting do most cordially congratti.
late her Majesty upon her safe arrival in this kingdom. and at
the same time beg leave to express their admiration of her Ma.
known iastrinces ,ii which b bazipie dresser, had estohlished
jesty's conduct in firmly and courageously resisting the bribes and
threats. alike odious and contemptible, which were offered to
her Maiesty, for the purpose of inducing her to forego her just
rights as the Queen of England.
2d.—That it being an undisputed maxim of our law to regard
and treat as innocent all who have not been tried tend proved to
be gal. we are obliged to consider the omission of her Majesty's
name it the Liturgy, the refusal to send a yacht to convey her
to this tenantry, and to provide a place of residence suited to her
exalted rank and station. as a cruel and wanton outrage upon
her Majesty's feelings. and as a manifest proof that her Majesty's
accusers are actuated rather by a spirit of persecution than by a
desire of rendering impartial and substantial justice.
11.—lhat the appointment of a Secret Committee to inquire
into clines grounded on the suspicious contents of a Green Bag,
withoutexamnung witnesses upon oath. and the introduction.
upon tits paper err-parse evidence of a Bill of Pains and Penal-
ties, for the purpose of degrading and divorcing the Queen of
Englani, are proceedings which we cannot view without the
greatest alarm and disgtist—as being utterly abhorrent from the
genuint pri.naipice of British Jump. ...knee, and as tending to
the sutursion of the Liberties of the People:
*.—"hat the refusal to specify time or place, 'hen and where
the crime alleged against her Majesty is asserted to have been
commited, coupled slso with the refusal to furnish her Majesty
with slat and description of the witnessesin support of theaccusa•
tion, is t still further violation of the principles ofjustice,and the
maximal* English jurisprudence—and therefore calla upon us.
as Menand as Englishmen. to protest against this unmanly and
ungenerous conduct, and to tender to her Majesty the assurance
of our deep sympathy with her, in the struggle which she is
waginy against her enemies, and our hope and trust that she
will cone out of the contest with the clear possession of her ho-
nour is a woman, and the full recovery of her rights as Queen.
f.—ghat this Meeting do instruct their Bepresentstive to
oppose this Bill, if unbapily it shoodd be brought into the
Bourn( Commons.
6.—fhat an Address (signed by the Chairman) be presented
to hes Mejeety rounded upon the above Resolutions.
This the Maycit Mr. ft.ff Taylor, and the Members foe
this Ciy be requested to present the same to her Majesty.
Theßev.G. BEAUMONT addressed the meeting nearly
in the following words:—" Gentlemen," said Mr. B.
" in seconding the Resolutions I have only one or two
observations to snake.--It is a law inherent in human
nature for the malt to protect and defend the female.
Even on the principle of mere gallantry we ought to
defend our Queen. Had we a Don Quixotte here, me-
think: he would take his man Sancho Patin and go to
London, and there send Lord Castlereagh a challenge.
But we have a much better principle than that of gal-
lantry on which to ground our defence of the Queen of
England—the eternal principle of justice. In justice to
a persecuted feniale,and in justice to our own characters
as men, we are bound to afford her countenance and
protection. But admitting that the Queen were guilty
of all that her enemies would lay to her charge, yet even
then she is, in my opinion, much to be pitied.—Brought
from a foreign country into this nation in the just and
nattral expectation of obtaining a husband to support,
protect, and comfort her, sloe was disappointed I soon
after her union she was separated, and alter that she was
driven out of the land by persecution. Among the ad-
versario 6 of the Queen we find Lord Castlereagh very
prominent. Gentlemen, Lord Castlereagh is like a
prism—he has got three sides, but never a right angle.
(Applause.) The prism slims seven colours, but Lord
Castlereagh can exhibit seventeen. He can be an enetr.y
to blasphemy, and yet a friend to wickedness—he caul
applaud religion. and yet defend corruption—he can
talk largely of law, order, and what you please, without
either truth in his words or sincerity in his designs.
Gentlemen, Lord Castlereagh is a political pedlar—he
has been tramping all over Europe in the business of
setting up Kings, and now he is come home again to
pull down Queens. (Loud applause.) Gentlemen, in
the years ling and 1800 I was in Ireland, in the towns
of Belfast, Lisburn, and also of Castlereagh, the town
which gives this man his title, and I was there told that
this Gentleman having, previous to that time, had a
great desire to obtain a seat in the Irish Parliament, but
being utterly unable to succeed by means of the High
party, he suddenly became a zealous Patriot. The pa-
triotic party. thinking him to be Sincere, exerted them-
Iva in the tonal way, Is; p ifhttg Ites (.11MACV.1 in hand