The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-20 00:00:00

The CHAIRMAN said—Gentlemen and fellow-citizens,
I accept the call you have made on meat this moment,
and, with much pleasure, place inyself in the honour-
able position of your Chairni,tn—(Cheers)--and I be-
lieve that I shall best diticharge the duties of that 'situa-
tion, and best consult your convenience and wishes, b)
coming at once to the object of the meetieg.—(Cheers.)
The Chairman then read the advcillsement and,rogni-
sition. This requisition, Gentlemen, received in a very
short time, the signatures of 130 of your fellow-citizens ;
time would not admit of our sending it to all those whom
we knew were attached to the Liberal cause, or we should
Nave just as readily have more than doubled that number.
Gentlemen, after the decision of the preliminary meeting,
I wrote to our worthy member (Mr. Berkeley) to inform
him that a meeting of the citizens would be held' this
day—(Cheers)—l need not read to you his answer ; he
is here to meet you—(Prolonged cheers)—and I know,
gentlemen, that he always feels•pleasure in presenting
himself before his fellow citizens, and more particularly
when he is called upon to offer his humble approval of
the conductor our gracious Queen—(Cheers). I believe
I shall best consult your convenience by proceeding
forthwith to the business of the day. When I see the
respectable company by which I am surrounded, I can-
not, I will not, anticipate any disturbance—(Cheers). I
will not ask you to be orderly ; it is enough for me to
look to my right hand and to my left to assure me that
such wilijhe your conduct—(Loud cheers). Mr. C. con-
cluded, amidst loud applause, by calling upon Mr.
Thomas to propose the first resolution.
GEORGI THOMAS, Esq., after the applause with which
he was greeted had
.subsided, said—Friends and fellow-
citizens, I am most unexpectedly called on to move the
first resolution, and I can say with sincerity that I am
sorry it has been put into my hands, because I know that
it was intended for a gentleman far more able than I
am to address you on this extraordinary occasion.—
:(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I say this extraordinary occasion,
because I consider that it is so, and therefore, with your
permission, I will, before I put the resolution, advert a
little to the circumstances which have rendered it neces-
sary that we should assemble this day. lam sure,
gentleman, that you will recollect that in the year 1,838
a Bill was passed through the Parliament oft'!'., country,
called the. Jamaica Prisons' Bill ; that 'Bill, I tl,iiik, was
passed without any opposition, and with the uaanimous
approbation, or nearly so, of the Legislature,Queen, Lr;rls
and Commons. Ttie object of that Bill was to pro% i.te
wholesomeplacesofeonfinement for those who had offended
against the laws in the colony of Jamaica, and a more
reasonable proposition was never made, for the present
prisons in that colony arc totally unfit to put human
beings into. This Bill, having received the sanc-
tion of the Legislature of this country, was sent out to
the House of 'Assembly in Jamaica, and that Assembly
refused to pass it into a law, alleging that it interfered
with their. rights, and was a breach of their Constitu-
tion.—(Hear, hear, and cheers). Those gentlemen
had been often asked to pass measures 'and adopt pro-
ceedings more fitted to the new state of society, and had
refused to do so, so.that the Government of this country
were sound to force the Bill upon them.—(Hear, hear).
But, gentlemen, -the Jamaica Assembly was contuma-
cious, and refused to pass the Bill, considering them-
selves to be an independent Legislature, and that the
Parliament of this country bad no right to interfere with
them.—(ol4 and cheers). When, gentlemen, it is con-
sidered that this House of Assembly is elect :41 only by
2,000 out of a population of 400,000, those 2,000 bei,ig
principally planters, it will be seen hew little freedom
might be expected from such a body, and how necessary
it is for the Ltgislature of this country to base a con- I
trolling power,—(Cheers.) In consequence of the
•House of Assembly refusing to pass this measure, a new
Bill was I:rought into the House of Commons for the
purpose of suspending the Constitution of Jamaica, in'
Order that the people of that colony might be protected
by good and equal laws—(Cheers)—for the Consitu-
Lion and House of Assembly of Jamaica are only free
in Caine, but as for their being a government for the
benefit of the whole people, that is entirely out of
the question.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, this Bill, when
presented to Parliament (and which I have no hesita- •
tton in saying would, if passed into a law, have been
equally beneficial to the planters and coloured popu-
lation), did receive something like the sanction of Sir
Robert Peel.—(Cheers.) I believe his words .were
something like these—" I have been asked by the
peopl% of Jamaica, to support them as an independent
Legislature, but I have refused to do so."—(Cheers.)
But, gentlemen, after a little more experience,
and finding that some of the Liberal Members were
disposed to support the Jamaica House of Assembly, and
that some of his friends were desirous of doing so too—
(Hear)—and thinking also that it would be a de-
sirable opportunity for turning out the Liberal Govern-
ment, he turned round and voted against the Bill.—
(Cries of " Shame," and " Surface-like.") The conse-
quence was, as you know,- the breaking up of the
Liberal Government for a short time-4os a few hours.
—(Cheers and laughter.) I will state to you, that the
next morning a friend of mine (I see him on the other
side of the hall) came to see me ; he was in a very
gloomy mood—(Laughter)--and was apparently la-
bouring under great distress for the loss of the Liberal
Administration, and I said to him then, " I am glad it
has taken place, it is the question of all questions upon
which I would wish them to go out." I told him that
I believed a few days would show that those who had
displaced them could not sit in their places ; that it was
a question upon which they would stumble them-
' selves, for that measure they would be compelled to
pass at some time or another.—(Hear.) I confess to
you, my friends, that the thing pleased me, for I hoped
much good would result from it, and I trust that it will
now.—(Great cheering.) I felt, it is true, alarmed the
next day, when I saw in all the papers it was a smooth
and easy task to make a Tory Administration.—( Laugh-
ter.) It seems, my friends, that Sir Robert Peel saw
the Queen, and that when he had an interview with. his
Royal Mistress, he found that she entertained, as he
says, " sound constitutional principles," and I think he
might have added, " sound Liberal principles.—(Great
cheering.) However, after attempting to form an Ad-
ministration, and thinking himself, I-Suppose, tolerably
secure,. he determined 'to ask enough. He said,
" I will have no one to share with me the resp)nsi-
Inlay of the throne ; I will have it all for myself
—(Cheers and laughter)—l see that my good and Royal
Mistress entertains Liberal principles, and I will take
care not to let her associate with those who hold the
same principles ; if I carry on the Government, I must
divest myielf of all those who bold Liberal principles ;
I shall have enough to do to contend with my Royal
Mistress herself.—(Great cheering.) My Royal Mis-
tress wishes me to carry on the Government of the
country for the benefit of the whole people—(Cheers)—
she is favourable to Liberal measures e ith regard to Ire-
land—(Cheers)—she wishes measures for the benefit of
the entire people, and not for the Orange party alone—
(Cheers)—she also wishes the people to be educated ;
my Royal Mistress wishes ignorance to be driven from the
homes of the poor, and not only so, but that the power
of educating the people should not be placed entirely in
the hands of the clergy."—(Cheers.) Well, gentlemen,
what was to have been the consequence of your Royal
Mistress entertaining these principles? She was to be
deprived of the services of those to whom she was
attached—( Cries of " Shame")—she was not to be
allowed to commune with those about her, with.
out restraint. Sir Robert Peel said, " There
shall be no Jamaica Prison Bill, hut there shall be a
Prison Bill for the Court."—(Prolonged cheering.) I
entertained an idea in my childhood that the Sovereign
of this country possessed more power than any indivi-
dual in it ; but it seems now that the Sovereign is to
have no power at all, not even that of choosing her own
associates. I choose my associates, but the Queen of
England is not to be allowed to choose her.--(Cheers.)
I have now one or two words to say to you with re-
spect to the. position in which we at present stand ; it is
possible that there will soon be a general election, and
I. have a. few words to say on that point.—(Hear,
bear.) Your Royal Mistress has stood forward far you
—(Cheers)—she has taken all the enmity of a
upon herself— cries of
(Enthusiustic cheers, and party
" God
bless her")---,and now, if there should- come a general

MT. HERAPATH—It is quite evident that Me'srs.
Osborne and. Ward- have sent here a p'erson, who is
very green indeed, as respects the conduct of pub-
lic meetings, or he would have known'that it is not usual
to interrupt a speaker who is in possession of the chair.
If I gave any challenge, I am not afraid of the encoun-
ter ; the chief difficulty, and from which indeed I
might well shrink is, that of enumerating to: the meet-
ing even one-hundredth part of the evils. *Lich
have been inflicted upon the people of this country by
Tory oppression, and which,. if I were to enumerate
them, would detain the meeting till midnight, when it
might become illegal.—(Cheers and laughter.) I will
instance, then, only a few Which have arisen from the
Tory sesteM of government, and I would begin with
the Corn-laws, which deprive millions of their bread to
create a bellies for the landed aristocracy. Will anyone
negative that proposition ? If, . then, you are satisfied
with that iestance, I will next take the Game•lawle by
which even the wild animals are to be preserved for the
aristocracy, and which have been the most fruitful parents
of crime. It is not said that a man may not kill these wild
animals, hut it is said than no man who has not a certain
sum of money in his pocket, shall kill them, that he is
net qualifis d. or, in other words, that a hare may be
very good food for the rich man, but is poisoa for the
poor, who, if be attempts to catch one, commits a
crime against the aristocracy, and is incarcerated in-
gaol. Descending to minor, even the minutest, circum-
stances, you will find the same principle pervading their
whole system. Should a poor man wish to write a let-
ter, the postage will be half of his day's earnings ; while
the Lord may send his sporting jacket or his dirty
boots for nothing. Let us look now at the Chnich
laws ; not only are we compelled to pay to -silkily the
wants of the Church, but to contribute to-the very fes-
tivities of the Tories:—Do they want a new banner ?
the people must pay. If their electioneering expenses
are to be met, the people must pay in one way or ate-
ther. For these things are the poor taxed without their
consent,-contrary to the principles of Magna Charta by
the select vestries, and if they refuse the levies, they are in-
carcerated in gaol.—(Cheers.) But not only in these
1 minor matters is the systeni of Tory policy disclosed,
1 ,but_in_caliers importance. of greater Leok at Ireland,
every office filled, till of late, with Orange Judge!,
Orange Magistrates, Sheriffs, who rode over the people:,
and he that would not bow down to them was treated as
an outlaw and felon, and perhaps shot as a Whiteboy
(Cheere, and cries of " Join the People's Charter").
If we had a Tory Government at this moment, would
ne.e:ings ever have been permitted to be held to the
extent they have been.,-(Yes, yes.) You would have
had coercion, the ,Six -Acts 'of Castlereagh, and the
suspension of Habeas Corpus. Seeing, then, the all-
comprehensiveness of Tory oppression, is it wonderful
that it should extend to the throne itself ?—(Cheers.)
I only Ivonder it stopped where it did. I ask
you what would have been the consequence to
England if the Tories bad triumphed over the
Queen, and placed around her own satellites ? Do
you think she would have had a long and happy reign P
Do you not think we should have soon had a
_new coro-
nation ? As has been stated, the Queen would have
been a public prisoner ; and who would have been her
keepers? 'Msg.,. gentlemen and ladies in the interest of
the next heir to the throne, whose conduct through life,
whose integrity and uprightness, the people know how
to appreciate—(Cheers). What was the pretence for
the demand made by Sir Robert Peel ? That the
Queen's car would have been poisoned by the ladies
around her. Is it come to this—that the great Peel
and redoubted Wellington, the chosen leaders of a party
who arrogate to themselves all the wealth and talent in
the coutArry, were afraid of being overwhelmed by two -
or three ladies ?—(Clicers.) Then, indeed, the petti-
coat has more-influence than I gave it credit fdr. Much
as we may have under-rated Sir Robert Peel's
abilities, it would appear that lie sets even a lower value
on them than we did. Sir Robert imagined that he should
obtain an easy victory over his youthful and inexperienced
Queen, add, surrounding her by his own emissaries, lie
should he able easily to mould her to his wishes. But,
thank God, our Queen had been better taught by her
illustrious mother : she was more than a match for the
subtle statesman, and Sir.. Robert found himself, like
many another mad; completely foiled by a young lady.
After this, let Sir Robert Peel be named, not like the I
,hero of La Mancha, the knight of the rueful counte-
nance, but the knight of the cotton petticoat. But the '
Queen.having thus acted, and having, he her own ele-
gant language, called upon her people to stand by her,
will you not respond to that call ?—(Loud cheers.) But
how will you best do that? Will it be by splitting into
sections—one set of Reformers actin.- against the ether,
and becoming their most determined enemies, because ,
their friends do not think right to go as far as them-
selves ? I don't blame the conduct of certain parties so
much perhaps as some of my friends, because I think it
has in a great measure taken from the injudicious de-
claration of Lord John Russell, which has tended to
split
,in two, Reformers, and set one part against the
other. The absurd and ridiculous notion that Govern-
ment can stand still while the people are progressing, is
now exploded. The more the nation i 3 educated, the mare
enlightened each individual becomes; the greater ought to
be his share in the constitution of the Government. The 1
man who says "here I will take my stand, regardless of
the progress of the human race," must expect to be I
trampled on, or left behind. If attempts now were to
be made to rule by the sword, as in the time of William
the Conqueror or John, every man's hand would be
against the Crown ; but, because Lord John Russell
says he wig go no farther, is it therefore right for us to
coalesce with the Tories? I think not. I think the
parties who thus act are like a man endeavouring to
get up a flight of stairs, who will not put his foot on 1

. _
the first step, and so progress ; but, in trying to leap
them falls down altogether. I tell you honestly lam
not for Universal Suffrage—(Cheers and hisses)--but I
think the time will come when it maybe granted with

impunity—when all, by a national education, will 13-;
qualified for it. But who has prevented you from
having a national education ? Not the Whigs ; they
tried to obtain it—but the Tories. I know thole are
a great many things which ought to be granted, and,
when it can be done with safety, I, for one, should be
most willing to see it. I call ou you, then, to give ~..,
your divisions, and to abstain from physical force, whiel
begun in folly, must end in mischief. itir. 11. coil'
&uled by saying that there were other reSoluat:io,n:sttohl4
coesed which he thought would satisfy pr , • _ ,
embraced sentiments that the country wouldhanvoetone
content with a stand-still Ministry, butst
which would strive to ameliorate the condition of the
people, and improve all our institutions as far and as
fast as the safety of all would admit.—(Lond cheers).
G. E. SANDERS, Esq. seconded the resolution
Mr. METCALF moved an amendment after ;rippech
in which was the following Pas_sage77, But I have a cri)w.
too, to pick with sir Robert reel;res(Cheer X. s). .*t't'"
his breed, and kith and kin, well., ;When Abaft ,svt's
some years ago, a palic ~in the;leouiry„, t oTamworth bank was threatened .with. 'ill'4001
ruiti; 41d