The National Register.
London, England, 1823-01-26 00:00:00

contended that the abuses which were now complained
of existed 400 years ago. Bin, admitting that these
abuses had existed 400 years ago, was that any reason
why they sl Id sanction their continuance? *rite next
argument of the Honourable Nlember war tha: Parlia•
lt meta spoke the sense of the people. Tin Lord
had sufficiently answered this argument. The suspen-
sion of the Habeas Corpus Act, the prosecution of the
Queen, the denial of justice after the transactions at
Manchester. afforded the corn retest refutation of this
argument. The Honourable Niember had attributed
I the overwhelming taxation, under which the country
was labouring, to the American war; and what, he
would ask, was the cause of that war but the usurpation
of the right of imposing on American taxation without
representation ? As w the war against Frame, In 179 v,
the enormous debt which hail been incurred in collie
titmice of that war was the strongest argument in favour
of Reform.--. The Honourable Member concluded amidst
the applause of the meeting.
Mr.l3avaaLar said, the Honourable Member for
the countyy had shewn touch partiality for the period of
Henry VIII. one of the must rascally and wicked tyrants
in our history.
Mr. WQoLill declared, that though the terms of the
resolutions were not precisely such as he would have
suggested, yet he would still give theta his support.
The resolutions were then separately pat and carried,
the single hand held up agaitutt, Orin being that of Mr.
S. Wortley.
Sir F. WOOD, Bart. then proposed the following Po-
tition :
" To the Honourable the Hoes* of Commons of Great Britain
and Ireland, in Parliament assembled.
The Humble Petitioa of the Freeholders of rim Co. of York,
SNEWITN—That year petitioners ore duly sad deeply
impressed with tioa for the Constitution of this Rambo,
as consisting of King, Lords, and Commons, and are anxious
to preserve in purity and vigour the privileges of each poops-
neat part, being coevineed that the same were well adapted to
the heoeit and protectios of the People.
" Impressed with these seatiments, this Comity has Not
bees forward to complain of the conduct of Parliament, but
the recent proceedings of your Hoeoarable House, which has
ill each successive Session given fresh proofs of its deviation
from public opinion, have convinced your Petitioners that
neither are duly attended to in your Honourable House.'
" Instead of a determined resistance to the encroachments
of power, • wader eare for the rights of the people, a jealous
eye over the executory sad and judicial magistracy, and a
vi-
gilent watch over the public treasure ; it has bee. the.iniefor-
Imo el pat Petitioners to wituess too ready a compliance with
• rein of whatever Minister may have diapeuaed the fa-
llen St die Crows.
Of tiffs aocoastitatiosal tendency in your Hormerable
Lem your Petitioners feel the bad effects in the wanton
Mull profligate expenditure of their resouroes, in tbe
of a military force, dangerous to the liberties, in the
MOW eat of laws inconsistent with the spirit of the Coostito-
ask aid ia the freqnent neglect with which the Petitions of
the Ng* have been treated io that quarter, where they ought
Se Opp serrieoced the readiest and most anxious attention.
lbe evils of an inadequate representstiou have bees coal-
plielowil of by eminent Statesmen of all parties, sad at different
periods, but to your Petitioners these evils appear greatly ag-
gravated by the additional power end ielluesee over year hono-
rable House, which is derived from the p large collection
of Taxes, and the oapreoedeeted amount of oar Civil, Mili-
tary, and Colouial Peace Establishments.
" Your Petitioners beg leave to represent, that if this state
of your Honourable House, and the circumstances which affect
its independence, are at all times subjects of great public ta-
t —they are peculiarly so at a time when the absolute
Monarchs of Europe, not content with arbitrarily governing
their own dominions, ars leagued together in an alliance, the
avowed object of which is to check lb, progress of liberty, and
to prevent the establishment of Representative Governments ;
an object which they have but too successfully carried into ex-
ecution by the military occupation of countries to which they
have bad the power to dictate.
Your Petitioners apprehend no such immediate violence
to the British Constitution, but theyeue fearful lest • pernicious
ialuenoe Should destroy the basis of their liberties, and ulti-
mate. y convert the power of • free Constitution into the coo-
's/deal inetromest of as arbitrary Government.

Your Petitioners, anxious that Parliament should avail
itself of t►e present period of peace sod tranquillity to ester
into a full consideration of the state of the House of C 01111.0113,
respectfully hot earnestly entreat your Honourable House to
enquire seriously into the causes of a state of things injurious
to themselves and dangerous to their posterity, mod by a
speedy and effectual Reform of your Honourable Hoese, to
adopt the measures which alone can remedy the evils of which
they complain, and restore that good agreement nod perfect
sympathy which ought to prevail between the true Hesse of
COMMONS and the People."
The petition was then pot to the meeting by the
Under Snerutr, and was adopted with only in o dissentient
voices.

Mr. CHOLMOND6LIT said, that it Mat now his duty
to propose to them a series of supplemental resolutions ;
and at that late hour of the day, he should do it without
any further prefatory remarks. lie then proposed that
a committee he appointed to superintend the signature of
the petition ; that this constnitiee should consist of the
first sevttity-two gentlemen who had signed the requisi-
tion to the thigh Sheriff, and have power to add to their
numbers. He hoped that a petition would be placed on
the table of the House of Commons so numerously
signed as to make it groan under their weight.
The Hon. E. Yarns seconded these resolutions.
They were then put and carried.
Lard 11111.rogr then proposed, and Mr. S. WORTLIIT
seconded a vote of thanks to the High Sheriff, for nts
alacrity in calling the meeting, and his impartial con-
duct during the continuance of it.--Carried with three
cheers.
The HIGH SHIRITII have great pleasure in ex-
pressing the satisfaction 1 must feel in finding that my
conduct has met with your approbation. 1 can only
add, if toy opinion is of any wesahi, that the conduct or
the meeting has been of the niost 'orderly, the most
peaceable, and the most dignified nature. The meeting
was then dissolved at four o'clock.

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