The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-18 00:00:00

DINNER TO MR. HILL.

Yesterday evening a dinner was given to Matthew Da-
venport Hill, Esq., at the London Tavern, by upwards of
150 of his friends and soppot ters at the late contest for
the office of Common Serpent. In consequence of the
illness of Mr Alderman Waithman, who was to have
presided on this occa.i m, the Chair was taken by
CHARLES WADDINGTON, Eeq. Among the company pre-
sent we noticed Mr. Bowing, Mr. Buckingham, Mr.
Pearson, Mr. Stevens, and several other gentlemen of
high character in the legal profession and ornaments of
the Common Council.

After the cloth was withdrawn, Non Nobis Dwaine
was sung in excellent style by the vocalists in attendance.
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose "The King,"
which he did in a neat speech, replete with high eulogies
of our gracious Monarch ; regretting the indisposition of
Mr. Alderman Waithman, who would have so much more
efficiently performed the honourable office he held.
" The King—three times three." Drank with great ap-
plau e.
Air—" God save the King. '
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of " The
Duke of Sussex, and the other members of the Royal
Family.—(Applause.)
Glee---" flail, smiling Morn."
Tke CH AIRMA N, in proposing "the health of Earl
Grey, Lord Brougham, Lord Althorp, and the rest of his
:Majesty's Ministers," felt himself totally unable to find
words to express himself in a manner calculated to give
doe idrect to a toast so well deserving of the attention of
the company. Ile felt he was addressing the friends of liberty,
and was sure no person pre,ent would shrink from drink-
ing the health, of its greatest friends.—(Loud applause.)
We could now look forward to happy times--the name of
Grey, the old and firm friend of liberty—(Applause)—
that of Lord Brougham, the promoter of Ileform, the
patron of education, and the consistent advocate of every
enlightened institution in this country—(Tremendous
cheering)—that of Lord Althorp, the purest upon the
lists of the aristocracy, a nobleman who had never yet
!stood forward but as the honest and unbiassed friend of
the people--(Applause)--were at the head of the Admi.
nistration of the country ; and under such nuspie. the
burthens under which the country laboured he had no
doubt would coon vanish. lie should conclude by pro.
posing the health of Lord Grey, Lord Brougham, Lord
Althorp, and the rest of his Majesty's Ministers, with
three times three.—Drank with tremendous applause.
Letters were read by the Secretary from Mr. Serjeant
Wilde, Mr. Serjeant Bumpus, Dr. Birkbeck, and several
other persons, regretting Their inability to attend, and
highly eulogising the character of Mr. Hill.
The CHM ItMAN would now trouble the meeting with
one more toast to the health of a person not so high in
rank a' those which had be?n drank before, but one as
great in every good qualification.—(Applause.)—lt would
have given him the highest gratification to have seen a
gentleman of such splendid talent, such known independ-
once, and such high reputation, filling one of the highest
offices in the capital of England. Three months ago that
gentleman had came among them a perfect stranger, and
he would ask the meeting whether any thing but a
character of the most unblemished description could have
raised him to the proud pre-eminence ou which he now
stood. He proposed the health of " Matthew Davenport
Hill, Esq.," with three times three.—(Great applause.)
Mr. 1111. r, then rose to return thanks. It would have
been impossible at any time for him to find language in
which properly to return thank,' for the high honour that
had been conferred on him, but it was doubly so now,
labouring as he did under severe indisposition, and nothing
but the circumstances which had called the present com-
pany together could have prevailed upon him to have
stood before theta at all,—(Applause.)—Though what he
should say would but inadequitely repay the company for
the flattering distinction, yet if he knew anything of him-
self he was sure there would be no want of feeling on his
part for the kindness that bad been shown him. The
Chairman had very justly said that he (Mr. Hill) was
utterly unknown to the present company three short
months ago—be might have truly said two—aye, one short
month ; to suppose, therefore, that they could have come
forward in the way they had, with unlimited labour,
in his cause was truly astonishing. He felt himself tin..
worthy of those exertions, and felt bound to attribute
them to public principles and to public grounds. The pre-
sent company had come forward to support and maintain
the great principle of freedom of election. —(Applause.).—
Not freedom menaced from without, but that freedom
and independence which was inherited in this great city.—
. (Applause.)—They had come forward to show their feel-
ing. He knew of such things as self-imposed shackles, no
person could doubt the moral propriety of every voter
keeping himself unpledged up to the very moment when
all the candidates were in the field, and when their quali-
ficatimas and disqualifications if they littera to have any--
(Applause)—were before the world. You, gentlemen,
have come forward and given those votes which you con-
sidered hest for the interests of the City of London. He
wished to pass no censure upon any man for pursuing
that course which had been pursued from time
immemorial, great praise was slue to them for so
acting, and they should al ways have it from him. He
felt that he had a moat solemn duty to perform to the
present company, they had taken-hint somewhat upon
credit; it had been necessary for them to act and to do,
with but a slight knowledge of the qualifications of
the individual whose cause they had to support. If he
should be called forward to maintain any claim of his own
he should act with a much greater regard to honesty than
to prudence.—(Tremendous applause. )—He should feel it
his duty to state the reasons which had induced him first
to come into the city, and the principles on which he
meant to execute any office the citizens •f London should
choose to honour him with at any future period. He
had been called to the bar at a period of unexampled politi-
cal difficulty, towards the close of the year 1819, an
epoch which would be in the remembrance of all by that
memorable event, which bad been justly called the
Manchester massacre.—(Tremendous applause.)—lt was
from that disastrous epoch that he took his legal birth.
At that tines every man those to think and act for him-
self, and therefore it was a fearful time for any man to
come to the bar. The public mind was then in a state
of apathy, and naked power wall triumphant ; and any
man who wished to get on in his profession must give up
those principles of indepandence, in which he thanked
God he had been educated.—(Tremendous appl suse.)—
Alter a sl.errt period he was called upon by his late excel.
lent friend, Major Cartwright, to defend him in a political
charge in the county of Warwick. In consequence of
that the Ministers of that day did him the honour of
ascertaining that there was such a worm in existence....
(Great applause)—and they did him the further ho.
nour of disapproving of his actions. Ilia letters were
opened, his friends alarmed, and remonstrances were con.
tinually pouring in upon him on the line of conduct he
was pursuing. The displeasure of the Ministers against
him was of the highest deecription, end all that he
hoped was that every public act of his future life would
justify that disapprobation. Seeing this dark cloud hovering
over him in the West, he was was anxious to find a
brighter hemisphere, and turned his attentions towards
the East ; the office of Common Pleader was then vacant,
some of his friends were anxious that he should, if possible,
hold that office. He felt proud of attaining to such the-
tinction ; lie tried for it, but was unsuccessful. His op-
ponent on that occasion was the gentleman who had op-
posed him on this, and who now enjoyed the high honour
of being Common Serjeant of the city of London. That
opposition, however, had not prevented them from con.
tinuing good friends—(Loud applause)—and he trusted it
never would. He did not deny that many charges had
been made, and fairly too, against the profession, of which
he was a humble member; but though they did sometimes
lose their cases—and the same fats would attend them were
they their own cases--yet they did not lose their temper.
England in her laws had set an example to the world, and
what England was to that world, London teas to England.
It appeared to him that as long as the city of London was
free, England could not be in slavery,—(Applaum.)—ln
consequence of the disapprobation of Ministers, and the
difficulties he had to contend with, lie dated his friendship
with one of the most wonderful Jurists of his slay (Jeremy
Bentham.)—(Applause.).-..A man whom no one could
mention but with reverence and respect--by whose assist-
ance he (Mr. IL) had been Ale to farm a plan of action which
he had nbt the vanity to suppose he should be able to realize,
but his determination was to aim at the flight of the eagle
if he attained only that of the sparrow. Hr stood before
the present company not as a man who had been defeated,
but as one who had gained is glorious victory, end he
should consider himself as one of the greatest cowards in
existence if he shrunk from coming before them again,
should another opportunity be offered.—(Tremendous ap-
plause.)— Had he been elected to the high office to which
he aspired, he should have been the first to have done
all in his power to redress that crying evil—that a pri-
soner should not he allowed to address a Jury by Counsel.
—(Tremendous applause,)---This was a principle writ-
ten upon the breast of every man, and it re-
spired more years of legal sophistication than
had passed over his head before he csuld be brought to be-
lieve that a prisoner ought to be deprived of the assistance
of Counsel. Ile bore his testimony with that great man,
whose name he could not pronounce without reverence,
whose eulogium be felt incompetent to pronounce Henry
Lord Broughem--that
.the education of the people WO

r
p~ .

'nod Government.—(Tremendous The
ilition that hid lately appeared to that great same he was
Obliged to pronounce slowly, for he had no doubt the
time would corns when his fame woulibtitif tits husk of
title and office, and hold him up to the world plain Henry
Brougham,--the patron of education, the promoter ► f
Reform, and the consistent advocate of every enlightened
institution in this country.—(Tremendeoa cheering.).....
The :Learned Gentleman concluded a most eloquent
speech, which we are sorry not, to be able to do
justice to for want of room, by saying that a
gleam of brightness had that day been thrown over his
life, which be should ever prize, and when he called upon
his children to pursue the paths of honesty and independ-
ence, he should be enabled, by the kindness of the eiti-
tens of London, to point auk to them one honour, and is
their parent more dear to ku heart, and he Loped to theirs,
than any title, office, or wealth which fortune could give
or take away. The learned gentleman sat down by pro-
posing as a toast, " The City of London."—(Drank with
rapturous applause. )

.
The Rev. Mr. Fox proposed, " The London University
and the diffusion of education."

Mr. Bucammazt returned thank., and proposed a
toast,—" May the citizens of London do their duty in
electing proper representatives, and may the represents.
tives do theirs by electing proper °Meer&
Mr. 13zszsox then addressed tim 'netting at consi..
derzble length, in which he gave an animated description
of corporate abuses relative to legal appointments, and
exhoi ted his fellow-citizens to do their duty middy on the
ensuing St. Thomas's Day. The worthy gentleman ear.
eluded by proposing " The health or the Members, and
the Independence of the Bar of England.*
ammo
The CHATIMAN returned thanks.

Mr. Wlirrcosta proposed " The Health of Robert
Slade, Esq., and the other Members of Mr. Hill's
Committee."

Mr. TAYLOs returned thanks, an 4 proposed " The
health of Mr. Joseph Parkes, of Birmingham, and the
Friends of Freedom and Reform."

Mr. Paaxts returned thanks is a neat speech.
Several other touts were given, and glees tug, cad the
conviviality of the meeting was kept up to a late hour.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE'.

After the tragedy of Werner, which was last night, on
its second representation, received with general applmnie,
a new historical anecdote, entitled A King's Fireside,
was produced. It is an adaptation, by Mr. Morrox, of
the trifling French piece Henri Quake en Falailie, and
exhib►ts that great Monarch, the cares of state being for-
gotten, amusing himself amongst his children. This
petite piece is, we suppose, brought out in compliment to
the season, and it suits well with it. " The *posts of
children satisfy the child." Some few grave persons in
the pit hissed this most inoffensive bagatelle. Alas I
What loth gravity out of his bed et midnight I" The
piece was successful.

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