The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-12-08 00:00:00

LEEDS PUBLIC MELTING.

Ott Monday hot a geis:rid meeting of the inha-
bitants of Let& WPS held in the area of the Co-
loured Cloth-hall, purstiont to u notice given to the
Mayor, pigged by seven resident isilisintant+, in
consequence of that Magistrate having thought
proper to convene a Meeting of the Borough, in
pursuance of a Requisition presented to Inns for
t hat purpn►e, signed by 163 of the most respectable
inhabitants.

Notwith•tandin{ the unfavourable state or the
weather, the meeting was moot numerously and
most re►pectably attended, there heirig riot frau'
than from four to five thou•and persoii., which is
more that. half of the adult male poritslation of the
town►hip, no person out of the township being al-
lowed to attend.

At half-past twelve o'clock GeoRGE Rxwsost,
Esq. was unanimously called to the Chair. After
reading the notice to the Nbyor, and shortly ex-
plaining the hu•iuess of the meeting. he stated,
in a sere able speech, the grounds upon which he
bud been induced to take an active part in ori-
ginating that meeting—grounds which appeared to
him so cogent as to render it his indispensable duty
to give the proposed medium his ittnio4 support.
The principal topics upon which Mr. Rawson in-
sisted were, the unconstitutional ino:le of proceed-
ing by a Bill of Pains and Penalties, which was, iu
fact, creating a crime and punishing it by the same
law; the highly exceptionable mode of immuring
evidence by a secret commission; the infamous na-
ture of the evidence by which it was sought to cri-
initiate her Majesty ; the gross impropriety of her
accusers sitting upon the bench as her judges; and
the previous ill treatment and unmerited persecu-
tions to which she had been subjected. which
strengthened and darkened all the suspicions which
the other parts of the case threw around the whole
of the late proceedings against the Queen.
The CHAIRMAN eatron.tly entreated the meeting
to allow a patient and uninterrupted hearing to every
person who might differ from them, and oppose the
measure of an Address to the Queen. and, in token
of their acqniescence in this suggestion, he requested
them to iou!il up their hands, cud instantly every
hand was held up.
The Resolutions, and A ddress founded upon them.
were then lead over by Mr. JOHN CLAPHAM, who
concluded u very able speech by moving the first
four Resolutions ; which, after stating that en Ad-
dress of Congratulation should he presented to the
Queen, congratulating her on the memorable
triumph achieved by her Majesty over a vindictive
prosecution, calculated nut only to degrade her
Majesty, but to outrage the Constitution ■ud dr-
morulize the people, strongly censured the conduct
of the King's Mlnisters fur the part they had taken
in tills pnoseeutiou, NIA the Manner iu which they
had conducted it. One of the Resolutions wen de-
termined that the Address should be signed by the
Chairman, in the Milne and on the behalf of the
meeting.

These Resolutions were seconded by the Rev.
Jusarti HUTTON, of this Once, who, in a very
short und ruer4et lc speeeh, stated the reasons which
induced hint to give !hero his support.
Mr. BAINES also addressed the meeting in favour
of the Resolutions, and he particularly exposed the
gro,s hypocrisy of Aberisters to urglog the interests
of morality as one ground for a prosecution which
kid poured throughout the land a deluge of iell•
purity and obscieury. Theme Repolotiosiir, arid au
Address founded upon thew, were carried by an
unanimous shew of hand..

Upon moving a Resolution, expressing the thanks
of the meeting to Earl (ire)' , Lord Erskine, Sic., a
Mr. BltAirioliAW, of tlidIC:11 notenrty, opposed the
vote of thanks so far es it related to Earl Grey ;
and he made several observations on the apathy of
she Whigs—observations introduced evidently tri:ll
the view of disturbing the unanimity of the meet.
log ; but, although he mut followed by another
eierson of the mine school, of the moue of Whincuss,
the original minion was carried by a great majority.
After the thanks of the meeting had hero given
to the seven Gentlemen who sigoed the notice to the
Ma)or, said to the Chatimaii, it was dissolved, arid
the ttttttt ense multitude reared in ,ware arid order
to their respective habitations, gratified that they
could still (hemmed round as they were with pains
sad penalties) exercise their ancient right of express.
ing their opiniou oa p.bhc ID€ll and public measures.

PitICS OF ITOCLI YESTERDAY. •
S per Ct. it'd.. &lila I Hook L. Aim lB
31 per Ccut.... 7sifi lee.Boade..lls 45 pr.
4 per Coats.
5 per Ct. Scrip. ..5i pr Dote Paymetst....li pr.
Bdiasg..l die. 1 pr. I COO% fie Acer • • 70ii
die. I 7111.

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