The National Register.
London, England, 1816-12-09 00:00:00

SPAFIELDS MEETING.

Monday, pursuant to adjournment, the Meeting that was
convened about a fortnight since, re-assembled in Spafields,
for tb^purpose of hearing Mr. Hunt's report of the manner
in which the Prince Regent bad teceivod the Petition of the
last Meeting. At one o'clock Nlr. Hunt an iveil, in a tatelent,
at the Merlin's Ca% e, into which the Orator entered, and he-
ant‘d.ately the people assembled outside the house.
Mr. Hunt opened t!“. proecedings by moving, that Mr.
Claik shoot,: lake the Chair.
Mr. Clark then recommended peace and good order among
them ; and begged them jo let no spies or informers excite
them to riot. They were owl to obtain their rights by Peti-
tion, and not by violence.
Mr. Hunt commenced by requesting them to be silent;
the best way to obtain which, was for every man to hold his
touxue. He saw sliCh an assemblage of his fellow-country-
men around him as had never been witnessed before in this
our happy-country. Since he was last there, he bad endea-
voured to perform the task they bad entrusted him with ; and
finding that Sir F. Burdett was at Brighter', and not likely to
come to town, he undertook to present their Petitloa to the
Regent Itine,elf. He hoped that conduct would be satisfac-
tory to them as far as he was concerned. lie proceeded to
Carleton House, and asked Col. ISPHabon 'if he conk' have
ais audience to present the Petition of the Distressed Menu
factnrers. Theenswer was, that he might present it at the
next Levee, u r through the Home Secretary of State, and that
there was no other why. He then inquired when there would
be a Levee, and was told it was uncertain. He therefore
exercised his own discretion, and carried the Petition to
Lord Sithnouth's Office ; wheube was instantly adMitted, and
received with that politeness and respect that was due Aroma
grvot Minister of State to the Agent of a great and important
Meeting. He told his Lordship that lie should go to Spalields
to coumiunicate the answer of the Prince; and he promised
sot to misrepresent what had mimed. Lord Sithnonth pro-
mised that not a day should go over his bead without his re-
aentine the Petition, which he fulfilled; and the next day
wrote to bins (Hand that he had done so. Lord Sidamoth
informed him. that upon no occasion since the present family
came to the Throne. had they ever returned answers to Peti-
tions, except to those from the city of London and the tee
Universities. That if be had gone to the Levee, he would
have had to make his bow, present the petition, and then re-
tire. That was a little more about Coin matters than he
knew of before. Their Petition bad received as much atten-
tion as had been paid by the present Family to any one. He
bad understood that the Prince immediately attended to the
Petition. • (Here there was.soine uproar.) It was natural to
suppose that on such en occasion some bug-bear would come to
frighten women and children ; but that any Englishman should
feel alarm at exercising a constitutional right was too con-
temptible to be thought of. He replied to Used Sidmouth,
that it would give him pleasure to inform the Meeting that their
Prtitioa bad been attended to ; and lie now expected a depu-
tation from the Soup Committee to thank them for the 5,0001.
which that Petition had caused the Regent to seed them. But
that was not enough ; they had asked him to give 900,0001. out
of the Civil List ; but bad arbiters had compelled him to give
6,0001. only out of the Omits of Admiralty, of which they
bad robbed the sailors. Still their Petition effected that, and
the calling of Parliament sooner than it would have been.
There they were again; and what would they do next?
Witold they give up the thing ?—No, ,w.—lf they had said,
" tea," be would have been astonished indeed. He was
therefore prepared to submit to there some Resolutions;
which, if they adopted, he thought they would proceed a
little farther in their constitutional endeavours. He wished
be had-the voice of a Stentor, and would give three years of
. his life to be able to make the whole assembly hear him.
Since he was last there, they bad seen the way in which he
had been vilified and abused. Having been honoured by the
etiefideure of so immense an assemblage, he should be un-
worthy of their future contideuce if be displayed his private
feelings by one word of reply to so much abuse. They !tail-
like told most egregious lies ; that he had been put into a
mad-hense ; next, that he had got drunk, and been killed.
Al! this they had set down in print in their Papers, and had
convinced the world that there was nothing in them worthy
*1 belief. He had attended a great Meeting of the Livery
(being himself one), not for the purpose of differing with one
or another, bat to deliver the sentiments of his heart. Those
knew little of his character who thought he-was to be put
down by clamour and calumny. One was carried away by
private feelings, and another by little mean polioy ; hut he
would say no more of these petty dabblers in politics, who
were unworthy of their notice. He would how and worship
them, if they could shew they did more service•to the public
than he did. The Mansion House Meeting bad taken a dif-
ferent cour.e from them to relieve the distresses; and where
Was .the Englishman who would not relieve by charity kis
fellow-creature in distress. Which would they rather have,
• a penny of their own earnings, or a pennyworth of soup? At a
Soup Meeting in•Wigau, in Lancashire, a Weaver went from his
work, who told them that fur three months himself, his wife, and
four children had not eaten an qtrim of meat ; and they would
all die before they would taste their soup. He was asked What
*retested. " Wain!" said he; olam an Englishman, and
I want my rights!" To hear Contractors end Bank Directors,
who Guru on the people, telling them, that charity was the
oilly means of ieliev lug the distressed, deserved uo other name
'than that of a cheat. They would knock until the door was
'.pened and their liberties igiven to then.—[Here these was
some tumult. "That,"said the Orator, " is another beta-liar.")
—They bad been told they had the honour of being attended
by a regular army. He hoped they were In attendance now,
;and lie would show them how to opposetheir artillery—by the
artillery of reason, truth and justice. While he was exercising
the right lie was now doing, he would go on if all the artil-
lery in Eufope were in that held opposed to biro. They could
atßict and torture; but there was one comfort, thercould
kill but once. Parliament was to meet on the 718th of Janu-
ary ; and he would now propose some Resolutions and a Pe-
tition to the 'loose of Commons, which he wished should
know that the whole people of England were petitioning for
their rigats. Would they not all put their names to the Pe-
tition ?--( Yes, ors.)—Brit where were they to get parchment
saiongli s' The lawyers would be out of work. He would sub-
set the his mite to buy parchment. Ile hoped they would dis•
serse rinietly; for be had ordered his servo:it to bring down
saddle horse, to shew then, that the man they thought
served then& could ride as well as walk. He then moved his
Reselaitious, which were eerbatias the same as those bewail
foiled in ca tying at the Common HAI! on Friday as'imight.
Mr. Hogan seconded them ; and requested that nothing on
earth Might induce them to deviate fro.) a peaceable hi. e of
eirodocL No doubt every attempt would tie made to stir op
buys lis acts oh violeme ; but let them all go home quietly
when the Meeting broke tip. Ile rectanmended every one
ils.!widualty to licition Parhaulmt in his own way: then