The National Register.
London, England, 1809-08-06 00:00:00

THANKS TO COLONEL, ivAnnLc.

Tuesday a Court of Common Council was held at Guildhall.
The Requisition under which the Meeting was called, having
been read, a letter from Mr. Dixon to the Lord Mayor was
next read. Ile stated his surprise at the present motion, and
also, that he had never intended to preclude Colonel Wardle
fom having a full opportunity of v indicating his character. It
therefore never wris his intention to bring forward the motion
cf v.; hich he had given notice, until Colonel Wardle had bad
sufficient time to bring to trial that which he had pledged him-
self to try--w hether the verdict against him, was or was i,ot
obtained by perjury. The letter condoled by stating that Mr.
Di yon (Mr. James Dixon) would not atterd the Court.
Mr. Miller then rose, and made the motion of w hid] Mr.
Icon had given notice. The object of his making the motion,
'was, that the question should now be discussed, and that the
Court should not he surprised by such a sti,it ion being made, when
the majority of the Members were out of town.
The motion having been seconded,
Alderman Gondneere rose to move an amendment to it. He
knew well that the only reason why the motion was no* made,
was, that it might he brought Under discussion; and as it was
now regularly under discussion, he would say that nothing could
be more derogatory to the dignity of that Court, than to agree
in such a resolution. It was * justice due to Colonel Wardle. to -
the country, and to their own consistency, to adhere to the reso-
lution they had formerly entered into. Colonel Wardle had,
with great persevereace and infinite succeeded in making
discoveries most important to the country. lie bad not beau

rG ISTER.

actu .ted by any private or any selfish motives, ana•bistead of
:taming any private emolument by the great and useful labours
he had 'undertaken for the public good, it appeared that he had
even made considerable sacrifices of his private fortune to ob-
tain for the country di,coveries of the utmost importance. It
'vas on account of these very sactifices which he had been oblig-
ed to make of his private fortune, that his ehennes, or rattier
the enemies of the people, wished, if tiossibl-, to destroy him.
It was known; however, in.uther cases that Governinent did
give reo ards to witnesses, and that priva,e individittals, in a
common law suit, were often at the charge of inamtaiiiing their
Witnesses. This, however, was endeavoured to he represented
as a great crime in Colonel Wardle, although the gre it majori-
ty of the nation were perfectly convinced that time charges
apinst the Duke• had been compktely proved. So far from
considering that any thing hail transpired since the vote of
thanks to depreciate the merit of Colonel Wardle, he conceived
that the conduct of that Gentlemen since that time had in-
creased his claim to their thanks. Ile had stated to the House
many enormous abuses in almost every department of the dime.
It was found that they existed not may inahe army, but in the
India House, in the Church, in the expenditure' for the 'navy,
and above MI, in the traffic for seats is the House' of Comations.
It was to Mr. Wardle, more than to any other man, that the
country was indebted for those discoveries, and it would be like
putting an extinguisher on all the lights which had been fur-
nished by that remarkable Investigation, now to rescind that
vote of thanks which had paSsed by so great a maj wily in that
Court, and with such a coincidence with the general feelings of
the nation.• Colonel Wardle had. since that remarkable investi-
gation. stated to the House of Commons immense abuses itievery
department of the public expenditure, and it was this which
gztioed him so much from these in power.
.To attack
the system of corruption was the sure means to excite the most
implacable resentment from all those who deal or participate 141
corruption. As to the Gentleman who originally gave notice of
the motion (Mr. James Dixon) he had never been backward to
vote presents of swords or monuments to those persons who be-
lunged to the party he supported. It would have been there-
fore more becoming in him not to cavil at the vote already past
by the Court in favour of a Gentleman to w hoot the country
otved the greatest obligations, but oho did not belong to that
party. After a variety of similar observations, the. worthy
Alderman concluded by moving a long amendment, which' was
precisely to the same effect as the speech.
A very long discussion took place on this amendment, which
was opposed by Mr. Knox, who was replied to by Mr. Griffiths.
Mr. ‘Vaithinan then rose and said, that although he could add
but !bile to what had been already said, he scald not give a
silent vote upon this question. He agreed with the Gentleman
who had last addressed them, that the uteri tom ions conduct of Mr.
Wardle. &ring the investigation, had net sidiered any deprecia-
tion from the cimonstances which had since taken place. On
the Contrary, he had sines that time pointed out totter abuses
which the country expected to see redressed. As to the attack,
of the morality of Mr. Wardle, in contesting a tradesman's
he thought that it Eould not lessen the merit of his public coo-
duct. At the time that the Court pa-sed the Vote of Thanks,
he believed that it was the general opinion, the opinion Of tnat
Court, and it certainly was his otvn opinion, that th-o-e haft he
a connexion of another nature between Colonel Wendt. and
Nlr-. Clarke ; and although such a connexion %mild havt• Oven
criminal, and reprehensible on the pkrouna of morality, yet he
believed at that time, that there was not a Member of the Court,
who thought that was a sufficient reason to 0 I to the Vote of
Thanks. If Mr. Wardle had paid her tWice as in ch money oa
aoc,nift of an immoral connection, not it ord a nolo 114ve been
said about it ; but now that it appeared teat
.thr money he ex-
pended 1111 her, or made himself liable to upon her account, was
expended far thegratifiention of sensual Appetites, lint merely
for the good of his country, the ad vacates of corruptionael up
an outcry against a principle which they did hot understand, of
a man expending his Own money for the purpose of rendering,
service to his country. He certainly ould allow that it nos
his opinion, that men who stepped forward as public cioti.acters
should be most particularly attentive to their conduct iu private
life, as that was a handle which their enemies could at alt braes
seize for the purpOse of destroying ahem.
A very long and desultory discussion took place on the manner
in which the question should be put. The impropriety of re*
sounding the Vote appeared universally admitted.
The numbers were—For the Resolution, 3 Aldermen, 54
Commoners, 2 Tellers, total 59.—Against it, 1 Alderman. 54
Commoners, 2 Tellers,. total 51.---Majority 5-6

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