The National Register.
London, England, 1817-02-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

SP.I I'IELDS MEETING.
--...-.
In onr laet Monday's Edition we could notice little store
than the intro•bietary proemelimes et' this :Meeting. The
following is the substance of Mutes Speech, and of the lest
of that dory's transaction in Spa-fields.
Mr. Hunt—" Ettglishmen, Fellow Countrymen, permit me
to congratulate you upon the very numerous meeting to-day.
Wall the meetings this city ever beheld, there never was
unc seen that bore any parallel to this. (epeatuse.) As the
wind is very etad, I'll pot on lily hat. rBaouts ef Brunt.)
We are assembled here for the third time. M'e have re-
ticuled our petition to the Prince Regent for an alleviation of
our stalarings, and yon bare tumid the amswer of the Sect e-
tary of State since you presented your petition. II) the in
detatigable care and attention of your chairman, twenty-
lour tatmaind four hundred and seventy nine persons have
signed the petition. (.4eohtese.) It was presented by that
Noble Lord, Cochrane, who has performed the duty of avow-
ing your letter by saying list he would supra the prayer
of your petition. Leon resenting it he did support it, and,
like a true lii itish sailor, defended your character against the
base, false. and !roes ealnnmies brought seabed you. (Loud
and coutinuednitidauac.) With regard to the °Ow I gentleman,
I must observe that, as a geotleumn, he omelet to have an.
steered the letter, and not to have sent a verbal message, in.
timeline, his approval of sow parts gf the petition and his
objection to others. A petition from a atarving people mean
not to have been treated in such a manner—some humanity
should have been shown in the answer. (Apphah,e.) Mr.
Hunt then stated that he was there to speak the truth, the
tan: tt:tee he had been accost mad to utter. The people
knew that the existing distress was ere .it; they proposed
remedies, and if they were wrong in what they proposed,
why slid plot the amiable geidleimin who objected to them
coati• furwaid and put them to rights. It had been the prac-
tice to call tee members tut' the present meeting rabble, and
fools, and every other mane that ineiented contempt. lint
the tarle was changed ;—the people were now termed well-
disposed, but deluded ; but by what were they deluded ? by
truth. In flee Chamber called the House of Commons, al
great deal had been said shout delusion, and several Mem-
bers of that Chamber had beeu lamentieg that the people
were deluded by deeigniug men and by maniacs, who were
leading them to destruction. tut why should those persons
pres to use such language. He well recollected that
whenever lit; met any of those Menthe us of the !louse of Com-
mosa, he never coelii discover that any of them possessed
any superior intelligence; on the contrary, Ile discovered
that some of them were a great deal less than men ; and as to
talent, they always took rare to keep it out of biz sight.
(teetgliter.) He came before the meeting to slicek truth.
c neither spoke Greek nor Algebra, nor any language Inn
his own, and be should tell then in that Language that he bud •
-waited on the Prince Regent, and had an inter% sew with Lord
Sidinauth, and learned inure of the Court than ever lie had
known before. The meeting had heard tut' a pour hoy leered
Itettood. (Cries of " we haae.") That toy has been treated
oppressively; but justice should be done him, at least his
pereeenturs should tie exposed. Mr. Hunt then stated, that
having heard of the benevolent' disposition of the Duke of
Sussex, he had applied to him to resent the poor boy's peti-
tion. Mitch hail heel] Said about titut Noble Duke's charita-
ble conditer, and his constant attendance at charitable meet-
ings, but lie never heerd of money being given by Rove) Per-
sonages towards them. (Laughter.) His Royal Highneaa
was 111 a bed of down when he (Ale H.) called at his palace ;
and attar a great delay, the Duke's smirking Secretary said.
" Are you Mr. Huos, that makes such a noise in the mold?"
and being answered in the affirmative, mentioued that . is
Royal 11,gbits a- wished to in 'Le a pulite eaense. Mr. Hunt
then said; he waited upon Lord Thanet, with whom lie suc-
ceeded, and upon Lord Folkestone, with u Item he had like-
wise melees. It liml often been said diet the Courts of Jus-
t;ce were open to the poor as well as to the rich: so wes the
London Tavern. into which any poor man inieht go, but
would he be able to obtain %%hat he wished ? Stint was the
poor boy's sitnation ; but money should be had to pay the
Lawyer-, if lie (SI r. H.) was obliged to propose to h;s ;ramie,
at Bristol, to raise a stunt by giving a penny eerie—(Tlw
people cried out " London, London; we will give a penny
each.")-11r. Hunt, after an attack npon the political
conduct of Edmund Burke, told the timeline. that he saw
the cavalry in plena clothes had arrived --(meaning -the
magistrates and other getnlemen aka distance on horseleick);
—he hopad Lord Castle' Nigh and Lot d suitor were antlottest
thent, for he should like to eremite with the Hefei-titers.--
(A laugh )—The petition, he supposed. would t.e thrown into'
the green butt to the Secret Committee appointed to nose it
over, to see whether they could smell ent els' treason in it--
(A
longh.)—.'t louts- was trumped up the other day, that the
• Prince Reeent had betel shot at. If it was so, he ea, -Airy
for it. He was sorry at the offer of Any insult or of veneerer
to the regent upon his return front opening Pat-hail, ie.
Sock conduct would do the cause of. the people harm. a:: :
strengthen that which the (oriole opposed. lint to hear the
humbug btori of Lord Jaws Mtirray, in his evirlettee. was
(pate laughable. They asked Lim, said Mt. IF ant, if he saw,
an) bullets; but he answered, that as the glass .vas blown le
Ilk eves he could not see. Certeinly, if I had been there, I
shored have asked his Lordship whether, As he slid oat tax.
any thleg, he smelt any thing!—(Grunt tae,Wre.)—Perluips
that would not be a parliamentary out:silos; ,el faun h.) 51r.,
titett -then alluded to the arrest of the pre• aa on Sunday

upon the Seers tary of States warrant, and that the
Meeting had propagated the doctrines of the Sper.eean
He mould say nothing to Dlnr prejudice of cleft dui:trines ;
linked Lie knew nothin:.; of them. But per.tion was die
tare of their assetauling. anal to it they scout.. adhere unlit
their prayer etfret. Mr. flout next sti:• net to the ineit-
33ret, likely to be adopted hr ge,versiniflit to put a stop even
to petitioning. The next thing: he cxpectod to hear of Wily,
an Act of Parlinarelit to pry tent then front to Cattrelt
Or to Chapel--l 4 t0w,,,1i.)--Tke papers (but y told con-
(winded lies) stated that Mr. Canning hail ..,tacked him for
Ins conduct at tips-Gelds, attritiutiva to Itim,bad hitcutien
a hard heart. His own conscience bore testimony to the
falsehood of the one 4tatemetit, and his servants could prose
tt.at of the other. Ile then said the mteliatt had to thank

thein,elvei for the reduction that nits to take pinee iu t!...
Regent', income, and the ,alaries of Ministers.
bete cased by their proet (Aim. hut they should continue in
their exet nous. 'the l'rinee Regent and the Ministers were
to he told that the surrender of one tenth or one-tifth of their
income would not do. They must raft-nth by wholesale—
y • keert.)--lie had noc heard that any of the Whigs had made
.art ,tiers at this time of sore distress —()'es, yet, Mr. Punsonhy
ha..)--He assured the Meeting he was not aware of it; he
was glad to be corrected when in errnor, and desired no.
thing but truth and fiiir why had not the oder
en= front full and speedy sacrifice on es cry

FEBRUA

hand was ree,:.ssai.:. to relieve the reinctialons alisties,es tha t
ev.•ry dry were shi %sing themsels es in the streets of the me-
tropolis—(Loud upplaugc, which cotinutil fur a coniiderable
tinic)
Dlr. Clarke now came forward and read a %cries of resolu-
tions, sett:ng forth the grievances of people, and praying the
!louse of Commons not to gire count( ranee to any mea-
sure which shall have a tentl.mey to abridge the right of i.e
The resolutions and a petition to the House of Commons
founded thereon, w etc then carried by serlaination, and or-
ate' ell to be signed by nineteen persons in behalf of the
!Sleeting.
some altercation arose between Mr. limit and Mr. liitchins,
relative to the proceedings of the Livery at Guildhall : after
va hit la thanks were voted to Lord Cochiane, Mr. llunt, and
!SI r. Co b bet t.
A resolution for adjourning the Meeting to that day RIX
weeks, was then put and carried.
Mu. observt.J, that, probably before that period, a bill
would be passed to pi es mat their meeting aual pt filiotting ; if
so he slionlal not attend, but he hoped feral) man would
petition individually from his own house, and lie would be
the first.
The business being thus ended, the cross d giudnally dis-
persed.

FErtIIVA RY „17.