The National Register.
London, England, 1818-01-04 00:00:00

JAN. 4.

•jury from the Crown office, was like presenting you with a
basket of rotten oranges, with a liberty to choose. [Laughter
sad applause.] Formerly the mode of nominating was quite
fast! They were not for the word select ! Now that thou-
sands of honest men were returned, they claimed the right to
pick out. He had detained their attention too long. [Hear,
hear, hear.] Had he the most irresistible power of working
top their feelings, he would add not another word to call upon
Englishmen in such a cause, for their presence there proved
their intentions and good wishes ; and lie felt assured that
their liberality would be corresponding. [Great applause.]
lie then read the following resolutions
1. That the liberty of the press is one of the dearest rights
and proudest distinctions of Englishmen; and is inseparably
connected with, and wholly dependent on, the purity of the
trial by Jury.
2. That the inestimable importance of the sacred and con-
stitutional right of trial by jury has never been more demon-
stratively proved than by the recent prosecutions and honour-
able acquittals of Mr. William Hone.
3. That parodies on Scripture having been wrrtten and
published by Mlartin Luther, the Father of the reformation,
by dignitaries of the church, and by other eminent and learn-
ed personages, down to the present time, we are persuaded
that the exception taken to the parodies of Mr. Hone by the
present Ministers of the Crown was to answer political pur-
poses against the liberty of the press.
4. That hypocritical prostitution of religion, and a pretend-
ed seal for its defence, when used by corrupt statesmen as a
murk for political prosecution. must ever be held by all sin-
cere Christian, as the worst profanation of its sacred name.
5. That it is evident from the manner in which those pro-
secutions were co:nmenced and condlicted, that the real
object of Ministers was not to protect religion ; but to crush
an apparently defenceless individual who had exposed their
political delinquencies, to stifle public discussion, to destroy
the liberty of the press, and to uphold c znitiog abuse.
6. That the extensive knowledge, the varied talents, the
manly intrepidity, the energy of mind, and the nushaken
perseverance which enabled Mr.Williani Houe so dauntlessly
to resist the reiterated assaults of M iuisterial persecution, en-
title him to the gratitude and support of every friend to
constitutional freedom. _ . .

7. 'filet a subscription be now opened, and that the cline ey
which may be subscribed to be placed in the hands of la
Committee, to be used in such way as shall appear to theee
best calculated to promote the permanent welfare of Mr.
Bone and his family.
8. That the following Gentlemen be of the Committee
Robt. Witionhan, Alderman Goodbehere,
Joseph Ho scones, Samuel Brooks,
William Snitch, William William.,
Aldr ritian Thorpe, William Teesdale.
9. '1 hat ttobert laithman, F.sq. be the Treasurer.
Aldermen 'fitorpe seconded the resolutions.
Mr. Waetuman put the resolutions in succession from the
chair, and they were all agreed to unanimously. lie then
stated that the ennecriptiou hail already comm.-need, and
read, from a list several names, and sums from 501. down to
6s. In main instances (hire were oh. and lei. eioscriptions
under the desigitetimis of Au enemy to perseeution" --" No
--" A Rater of Hypiiciisy"—A Fume! to Fre.
dons"—" Ftiettil to the Linerty of the Po ess," etc. ; and
one subscription was, " A Led), 15 one pound note. eon S'
five petted notes." Mr. W. 141,111.10 having concluded ueadreg
the list, ouserved, that it was lost grittlisyllig to loin to have
to observe, that at the very commencement of the business he
had to anouinice the receipt of a subscription of !Jul. He
could not state who had given this sum, though he knew the
friendtimoogowliose hands it came. All theinformation he could
give was contented in the note which accompanied it, and
which sin. to the following elket
A Member of the House of Lords, an enemy to perse-
entioo, and especially to religious persecution emptoyed for
poeticel purposes, taw.- (Greet applause.)
Mr. l'crry ruse next.—He said a part of the day's pro.
ceeditigi had been assigned to hint, which he felt the most
unfeigned pleasure itedischareing. He intended to propose
the tuanks of the meeting, to the worthy Baronet whoitatt
snowed the resolutions; to which thanks he was so well en-
titled, not only on account of what lie had dune on that et-
elitism, hut fur the whole tenour of his political life. He
could not expect in any thine bu said to •de jnstice to • the
character of the hottourab te •'Setouete To succeed in such ae
attempt %mild require all ;he eioquessce of Mr. Hone, all his
talent, mid all his power, ofeplartue a point in that variety of
lights which belong to it, He sCoitli only say, that to the
Hun. Baronet the meeting atet tat whole country wistehound
by the deepest obligations fur the zeal and patriotism with
which he foilsbt the battle of the people in the House of
Commons. (Applause). He sene happy to perceive that the
enthusiasm of the meeting corresponded
.with his own. it
might with truth be said, that 00 man deserved more the ad-
miration of his countrymen than the Honourable Baronet to
whom lie alluded. Met as they were to defend the liberty of
the press—for unless the press were free no man could exist
in society was the light of the mind, it was to the mind
as Ail' was to the human body, without it they fling expire.
There W 39 one observation which had fallen frotu the
Honourable Baronet with which he could not agree. The
Houunrable Baronet had said, that there was not a single
lawyer, who had ever formed a commonesense idea upon the
question ut a libel. Now he should be most ungrateful were
lie to allow that sentiment to pass withoht 'pointing out one
iwyer who did not met it the Honourable Baronet's reproacb
anti when lie should nestle the person to whom he alluded, he
Nits persuaded the Honourable Baronet would become a
convert to Isis opinion. There was a lawyer who had been
able to conic to a just conclusion on this subject ; be meant
the real parent of the litsel.eill—tite man who had SUCCCS3_
fully defenile,l him nodes prosecutions for libel—Lord
lirs-
kines, wile bed grappled with greeter Judges then auy of the
present day, and nobly resisted them, at a time, too, when his
bad every thing to tear from the frowns of power, and every
thing to hope fur from subserviency. —(Lotol cheers).—Before
lie proceeded to teed the resolutions, to move which was the
object of Isis lasing, lie begged leave to suggest the expedi_
ency, before they separated, of some steps being taken to
bave another meeting. He conceived it was of the highest
importance that they should have an opport ly to express
their feelings Ott the great cause of all those persecutions.
That which he wished was, that stn exit' ession of public feel-
ingeshutild go forth, and that a meetine of the freeholders of
the county of eliddlesex shotild tie celled for the purpose of
making a decimation upon the suspension of the Habeas
Corpus Act, and upon that aboneneele circular winds had
been issued be the minister of the Home Depar silent ; by
v. Lich he lied p rola MI d the circulation of what he Is as
pleased to call blasphemous libels, and empowered the ma-
gistracy to send to prison those by whom they were sold. lie
Concluded by inns in; that the thanks of this meeting ere due