The National Register.
London, England, 1809-04-02 00:00:00

APRIL 2.

tatives of the People at large ?—(lnad applause). Had the
'louse of Commons. been composed of a representation of the
people, he was persuaded that Mr. Wardle, so far from being
left in a minority, would have carried his motion unanimously.
After paying some high compliments to Mr. Samuel Whitbread,
fiir Francis Illo.dett, Lord Folkestone, Sir Samuel Romilly, Mr.
Cony en, Sir Thomas Torton, General Ferguson, and the other
Gentlemen who had supported Mr. Wardle in the course of the
Invest lotion, he caoctuded with moving a series of Resolutions.
Resolved unanimously,
Ist. That the inhabitants of this city, from the means of infor-
mation which their local situation affords them, have long been
aware of the existence of scandalous and corrupt practices
various departments of the state, and by the. late investigation
in the Honourable the House of Commons, the fact has been
made manifest to !very part c,f the United K ingdom.
Sd. That Gwillym Lloyd Wardle, Esq. by his singular intre-
pidity nnd integrity in instituting an Inquiry into the Conduct
Of His 114,yal highness the Onke of York, and by persevering
in that Inquiry, in spite of the greatest difficulties and the most
formidable discouragement, has rendered an impoctant service
to his country, and merits tke grateful thanks and warmest ap-
probation of this Meetipg.
• The next Resolutions went to give the Thanks of the Meeting
to Sir Francis Burdett, Lord Folkstone, Mr. Whitbread, and
the other Members of the House of Commons, who more parti-
cularly gave their support to Mr. Wardle in the course of the
investigation, and to those Members who voted in the minority
on Mr. Wardle's Motion, on. the Amendment to Mr. Percival's
Motion, proposed by Sir Thomas Turton ; auJ on Mr. Banks's
Motion. _

The sixth Resolution stated the unanimous opinion of the
Mectinz,
" That, after the concurrin, declaration of so many indepen-
• dent Representatives of tke People, whoever shall, at any future
time, advise his Majesty to reinstate his Royal Migliness the
Duke of York in the situation of Com►nander in Chief, will, by
such advice, prove himself an enemy to the country."
And the seventh,

" That the discoveries made by thil inquiry,

as well as the attention which has been paid by the House of
Commons to the investigation of the Charges brought in this par-
ticular instance, ought to animate the people to prosecute In-
quiry and Reform in all the departments of the state ; and they
recommend to every cout4y, city, and borough of the Unitnti
Kingdom, whenever the present state of the elective hotly will
admit, to follow the example which it has been the duty and
pride of the City of Westminster to set them, of returning, free
of ex pence, honest and independent Representatives, iv ho shall
hayse no interest but that of restoring what was obviously wanted
s—integrity and economy in the feccipt and expenditure of the
public money, and of preserving inviolate the rights and privi-
leges of the people."
Mr. WISHART supported the Resolutions. He was per-
suaded, that had the case of the Duke of York been submitted
to any, jury of twelve men, it was impossibte but that they must
have found him guilty of the charges brought against hint.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT declared, that tile late occasion had
shcwn More than ever the necessity of a Parliamentary Reform.
The people intt of doors were gnat:boons in condemning the
Duke of York, while a majority in the House of Commons
thought proper to acquit him. Had the II ou4 of Commons been
chosen fairly and freely,• as by the Constitution it ought to be,
there could he no doubt but that the decision or the House of
Commons Would have assimilated with the feeliogs of the peo-
ple out of doors. With if egard to the Bill brought in by the
Vll'lllo'llor of the Exchequer, for preventing atinses in tbe futore
disposal of otiiees, he could ant help considering it as a gross
delosion On the public. It was an attack n-. 1 the minor agents of
corruption, while it left the principals untouched. (Loud
applattNe.) The Honourable Baronet compared the situation
of the country to that of Prometheus, as fa].]od by the
poets, w hose liver was supposed to he renewed as fast as it vvas
devoured by a vulture. The industry et' the country was de-
voured by the vulture of corruption. (Laud applause.) Stone
had been led away with an idea that the sub:eet was one of par-
t ieular ez.licacy, because the favourite son nf the King was the
person accused ; but he could not see tint it was a subject on
which any. delicacy ought to he shewn. One particular feature
of the busiors he could mit help noticing, and that was, the
anxiety which ninny Members of tie House of Cornmhos had
shewn to ,diselnim all partiripat lot) of feeling with the people
out of doors a poll tine occasion; and it so happened, that lie
House of Comtaotts wits perhaps the only sp:)i in Europe where
the fedi:4;s bait: Antimeuts of the people of Logland were. pru-

243

fessedly disregarded. Was this decent with revird to the peo-
ple of England ? Could this possibly happen if the House of
Commons were constituted as it ought to be ? The lion. Hato-

net considered the Committees of inquiry, and Committees ap-
pointed to examine into Abuses, as mere delusions, which.eould
be attended with no good effects whatever. The House of Com.
mans was unsound, and as long as it continued so, they could
hope for no radical reform of abuse. (Loud applause). It
was not to new laws that they had occasion to have recourse for
the correction of abuses ; they had only to require the execu-
tion of toe oltl eoh,titutional laws of the realm—Magna Charta
and the Bill of Rights. Ile next adverted to the severe sentences
which had of late years been passed in that Hall (the sentences
of Messrs. White and Hart); and contended that they would
never have been tolerated, had the House of Commons been the
true representative body of the people. The Hon. Baronet con.
eluded with recommending Parliamentary Reform as the only
clurse to be adopted whic!l could, in the present state of the
world, preserve the country from foreign subjugation. It was
a matter of indifference to him who were Ministers, because he
(lid not see that any one class of men pursued the public good
more than another when they got into place; and therefore he
was convinced that nothing but Parliamentary Reforin could
save the nation. _ _

Mr. W11111311E49 thanked the Meeting for the honour they
had done him in mentioning his name o frequently in their Re-
solutions; but he could not help saying, that he had .done no
more than Lis duty (Loud applause.); and therefore he saw no
reasorf why he ought to be thanked. 1t was undoubtedly grati-
fying to him, tart on this occasion he hacl .riven his vote in con-
formity with the popular sentiment ; but had'- it been otherwise,
the evidence was so strong and :,o fully substantiated, that he
shoula have voted as he did, and as in his conscience he felt he
was bound to do. (Loud applause). iie concurred with the
lion. Baronet in the necessity of a Parliamentary Reform, a
measure which he had always advocated; and said, that he had
no dont); but that it might he effected by the temperate and un-
animous exertions of the people.. The recent example of the
resignation of the Commander in Chief was a striking proof of
what the people could do. Ile had indeed been acquitted by
a majority of the House of Commons; but the voice of the
public was so strongly against him, that it was impossible for
him to retain hi:, situation. In the same way, if the people
wished for a Reform in Parliament, and were equally unani-
mous, he had no doubt but a Reform in Parliament would
follow in six months. But if the people suffered themselves
11 be turned aside by any silly delusion, as that of Jacobin-
ism, of which he and many of his friends had formerly been
accused, or the more recent delusion of " No Popery," which
brought the present Ministers into power, their enemies would
always lay hold of such pretexts to rei'use Parliamentary Re
form, and, as long as the people continued divided, it was im-
The Resolutions were then put and carried unanimously.
pos.sible it should be obtained. lie disagreed in opinion front
the lion. Baronet, that it was a matter of indifference who
were Ministers, because the former Ministers had shewn that
they would not remain in office merely for the sake of re-
ceiving their 'salaries; and he thought the people had acted
unfairly by their -friends in suffering them-elves to be led away
by the cry of "No Popery," as they had been. Parlia-
mentary Reform could only be accomplished by the firm and
temperate eNpression of the will of the people; and when-
ever the people became unanimous in its favour, there was no
doubt but it must be carried. Mr. Whitbread concluded with
returning; thanks to the Meeting for their patient hearing, and
was cheered with loud and repeated huzzas.
It was also unanimously resolved, that the Thanks of this
Meeting he given to Arthur Morris, Esq. the High Bailiff, for
the promptness with which lie called this Meeting, and for his
impartial conduct in the Chair.
The fleeting then broke up, and Sir Francis Burdett, Mr.
Whitbread, and the other gentlemen, were attended by the po-
pulace to the King's Arms, in Palace-V ord.