The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-02-25 00:00:00

,DAY, FEBRUARY 25, 181.8.

SMITH, MAYOR.
In • MEETING ,or ASSEMBLY of the MAYOR,
A LOP.RMEIff, And LIVERYMEN of Hie several
CIIPMPANIEN of the CITY of LONDON, in COM-
MON HALL aseembled, at the GUILDHALL of the
said City, on TUESDAY, the filth Day of February,
Ibis;
RESOLVF.D,
riIIIAT this Common II II has viewed with the
11. deepest rower° the fisitpitoit violations which have
of late years been mad. smolt the rigida of the subject.
mere pqrticularly by the late erumension of the Habeas
Corpus Act—a measure fuswidod *either uplift precedent nor
necessity, but upon grumpiness alarms made by Ministers.
through infamous dud abendoned hired emissaiies, for the
purpose of halide the complaiift of the people—shielding
curreption—and protecting atomises.
Itesoltreil—That the existing Lk+. of the Land were folly
sufficient for the suppression agd phisislimeut of sets of
tumult and disorder, and were• so considered by our an-
cesturs,who passed the Habeas Corpus Act as an additional
barrier for personal security, at • time reams keble fur plots
and Aunts, aud arbitrary and Illegal arrests sod imprisuu.
tomtit. -
Reanlysll—•Tholl ftelimellelif !WAN Aet in lime of
profound pesos is without precedent.—se I. the weldor', sr_
bilrary, and oppressive coaduct of M fussier', under its stas•
pension, unexampled in the 'moils of the Country.
Resolved—That this Common Hall enuntrt sufficiently ex-
press its abbiarrence of these detestable miscreants, who, as
Spies end Informers, have been seeking to eusitare the lives
of mifortnuate men, under the influeuce of want and de-
spair, by exciting them to nets of treason Anil outrage. That
the employment astir,' issfamuus Agents is disgraceful to
the Government, destructive of social happiness and inter-
course among the Peuple, and patting the lives of Minima
men is a slate of peril and hazard.
Ilesolved—That this Meeting forbears Jo detail the nth
nitrifies illegal arrests auil deleutions of Persons who have
since been discharged without trial; nor will they recount
lbe numerous cruel and vindictive. prosecutions in which the
Ministers have experiesieed signal defeat and disgrace.
They casino', however, but express their opinion, that iii
the histances where convict' have taken plate, those de-
luded men were the victims of the hired Agents of, the Go-
vernment; and hail it nut been for the fortunate discovery
of SUMP of these wretches, hundreds of inuocent men might
httee fallen n sacrifice to their artifices, frauds, mail pry-
juries. ...•
Resolved—That ibis Meeting by seam, with uo less grief
than indignation, secret Parliameulary Commit appinut-
ed at the ItUggrFl sssss of Minister*, composed of those hhiuis-
tees, and other Placemen and 'Pettibone:or, fur inquiiy upon
such e*-parte evidence as the Ministers And it convenient to
furnish them—while the Petilirins of those who complain of
injustice and oppressioq have been Waited even to be taken
lute cuusideral
Resolved—That the ;Aire( 'of such Committees, in the
opinion of this Meetine, cannot tend to foe ward the ends of
justice—to vindicate the vittlatkil rights of she subject —or
to 'retire the People from oppression—but to beret'', pen.
sect, anal indentnify.their Oppressors.
Resolved—That Petitions be presented to both Houses sif
Parliament, praying them immediately to institute such
full, impartial, and rigid iwieiry into the conduct of Minis-
ters, as can alone satisfy the justice of the Country, ur the
exrefaliella of the People, Icy referring all the proceedings
Ninon-fed with the latiaSaspepsion Act to a Committee. ill
he composed of such Member* only as livid neither place
unr pension under the GA' ireniabilet ; and &het they will, uot
pass nay gill of Indemnity to 3liuisters, and preclude slew
who have been the victiher of oppression from a fair appeal
to the legal Tribunal of (be Country.
Resolved Unanimously—That the arid Petitioes be fairly
transcribed, and signed by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor,
two Aldermen, and twelve Liverymen._
_ .

Resolved 11l i l numly—That the Sheriffs, attended by
the Ilemedihtrineer, du w sit upon mid request smile Ismt iu
Parliament to present the Petite to the Hight Hoseotiruble
the tiouseof Lords.

Resolved Unanimously—That Mr. Alderman W I, one
of the Representative. of this City in Parliament, be re-
qiirt44 d to present the Petition to the lionuaraltie the I loit.e
of Commons

Revolved Uonnimouely—That the Repreamitatires of this
Cily in Parliament be, and they are hereby inatructed to
support the *Mil Petition in the Honourable the Huns. of
Commons, and by every means in their purser to promote
the object of these Rep.illitions.
Resolved U ly—'What the Thanks of ibis Com-
mon Mall he given to Samuel Unveil, Eaq. the Atwell, nod
Robert Weidman, Esq. the Seconder of the Resolutions
aireed to this' clay,for the able manner iu whirl, they hate
introduced them to the consideration of this Hall.
Resuli Unanimously—That the Thanks uf ibis Hall be
given to the Right Hun. the Lord Mayor, fur the remlinevs
*ids which he convened this Meeting, sod fur his ienitar-
tinkly in presiding over the debate ihis day.
Resolved thianimuualy—That the Revolut. agreed to
this day he signed by She Town Clerk, and published in the
usual Muruiug and &tuts% Papers.
IVOODTHOR PE.

•
were hurried through Pmhament---they complained then,
0d.111.1 complain now, thyt they were founded main the
Reports of Secret Committers, mein which were sonic of the
Ministers of the Crows ; •4111 111 ex-parte tvidetna• alone,
selected by those Ilinisteis, withunt even further investiga-
IMti, oft-r those Repro ts bail barn cootrailteicil in wane of
their most material partv, and had liens offered to be ilia.
proved at the Bar of yunr ininouratile Home.
That since the pawing of the said Art, your Petitioners
hare viewed with indiguation aid horror •he vindictive
cruelly with. which Ministers 114“. exrret•ril the powers. in-
trusted to ibent—nusnecons individual% have been turn from
their wives and families. dragged into distant prisons, wheie
they have been immured, Isrnvily 400011; for months toge-
ther, sod afSetwardr released wnhont tieing brought In trial,
or even knowing the charzes ugyiust them, riniumgh re-
peatedly demanding to be !airtight before the legal (idioms!,
of the country.
Your Petitiolutmefinitut sufficiently expttss their nhhor-
rente at the eniploymunt of IsGmtoua nod abandoned
wretch,, in the capacity of Spies and I mers, the hired
Agents of Goveriament, who, it appears, have been tra-
versing the coulltrY, .and- wherever dissent' rind wives y bail
topsiders* ahttoutrut add Irri i..a, !terse wSuaunn wtmches
have, Joy thelmsest firtitees and falsehoods endeaviirred to
excite simple mud "kindld men into nets of outrage and
treason; and, in the inbtance, where convictions have taken
place, your Petitioner, feel convinced, I whit has trans-
pired, that the unhappy and deluded imlividnals were the
victims of these abandon' il Agents.
• Thal, not withstandit.g the solemnity with which the mag-
nitude and atrocity of the Tres,ul,ll iu grutland were said to
exist, your Petitioner* can Mail no reran! n( any convict Mt;
for the crimes alickeii, •Ithoutth itiu most disgraceful bon.
pering with ~witness appears to lime taken place, in urtkr
to procure rush conviction.
That in the Metropuli4; Itrter the greatest prejudice had
been excited by Minister!! Sothis, nn indiiidual, and after
vindictively persist:ng in putting him on bii trial the third
lime, sot content with ilie, previous scrinittal of two slicers-
rive Juries (riming a hich trials attempts weremarle In deprive
hint of the ouly menus of defence hy.which he could establish
his innocence), Ministers experienced could disgrace and
discomfiture; and your Pelitunters rauend refrain felon ex-
tirmiug to your Honourable lbsoye their convietinn, that
those prosecutions wire not underinkets for the pridection of
but for political objects; and that, had the pub-
lications been in (a :ow of Nlitiiucra, or in ridicule of their
opponents, they would 1101 have excited the sintinion, of
the Government, unless, as in other cases, to reWard the
Authors.

That while these acts of severity and oppression have been
pursued with unrelenting rigour, ulthouLth the sufferings of
the People have hems ssuraangdrd, and the itnuaLers of their
Petitions eiilhout precedrot, their grievances ;have toritlicr
'seen redressed. nor Iheirrrsunplgints inquired into ; and your
Petitioners believe that the groundless shrove excited by
Ministers were solely fur the purpose of sti6us complaints
anal prosvetine abuses.
Your Pititioners lutvi. looked with anxiety to the recent
proceedings of your Ilouourshle Moose. The Continuos
House of Parlisment his beets sepre.ented Gy she hest
Aulhos Wes as the great Inquest of the Kingdom. to search
into all the oppressions moil
:injustices of die King's Mi-
nisters. It is long since your Petitioners have seen this
important and esecemarx function exercised., but tikey enter-
tained the must satigtiiiie hopes -that your ratite
House, after the uneitlimpled difficulties and privations the
Pro* had colored, segraystril as they have been by the
arbitrary
.and oppressive acts of the Ministers, would at
length have instituted the mon serious and rigid iniquiiv
• the moltiplied oppressions and injustices of the King's

Your Prtitioneri cannot conceal from your Honourable
House that they lo►.k with eau confidence fia atay Report that
the Committees of Secreay, slow sitting, a►ty make; the
said Committees Lammm hag to he composed► for the greater
part, of Place►mo, anal those ►ety Ministers whine conduct
is the subject of Mee:444lkm. That • Committee thus
firmed is at Valiance with every established prfncipte of
civil and criminal jurisprudence, and ci►tnot satisfy the jos-
lice anal expectation of the Country.
Your Petitioners thereiore humbly pray your Hooour•hle
House to institute an su►uuudiat., impartial,and rigid iuquiry
into the conduct of Moister% muter the late Suspensi ~,, of
the Milieu CorpOs Act; tuatl that the whole p eel-ratings
connected therewith may 1w referred to such Committee as
shall be composed of sorb Members only of your Honour-
able House as hold peitber Places nor Pensions mailer the
Crown: And Ibex furiber pray that you will nut render the
vaunted repponsthiblynf 31ioisters a mere name, by passing
• Bill of I► demnity. and preclude those who haie Green the
Victims of oppresuroas and per.ecutiuts fruid the Means of
•ppcal to the Laws of the Country.
Signed, by Ocder of Court,
111 NRI- woournoßrE.