The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-03 00:00:00

REPRESENTATION OF WEST-

nit' iiieeting Vid§ held at the CroWn, Brewer-
(4.64l6TE:46oe; of the. POO and kippc.rte,rs of
Mr. t ea era the Beforill fbr the eit;' of
.1 10-
4',llnSle'r, hi consequence of the resignation of Sir Francis
Burdett. Eight o'clock was the hour advertised for the
meeting to be held, but long befori that period Mb l-6ofii
was crowded', anA, -everS; passage cont-
ell'flia 'view of the large room, were filled almost to
suffocation.
Mr. a'BECKETT was unanimously voted to the chair ;
and having briefly stated the object of the meeting, it dia=
trict committeC was appointed to cenVass the electors ; and
some of the most influential gentleman in the parishes of
St: James and St. Anne at once enrolled their names.
Several gentlemen addressed the Chairman, and com-
plained of the smallness of the room, and called out for an
adjournment to the Argyle Rooms or Willis's Rooms I but
the answer was, that not expecting so extraordinary- an as-
semblage, the largest romn in the district had been en-
gaged, and was thought to afford sufficient accommodation.
The CHAIRMAN said he felt highly gratified at so active
and zealous a demonstration of the feelings of the indepen-
dent electors of two such opulent and influential pa-
rishes, and, if it were their wishr the meeting should be ad-
journed, although lie thought there was room enough for
the manifestation of their patriotic feeling. He was, how-
ever, only the servant of the meeting, and would cheerfully
obey their wishes.
The meeting became impatient to have the great object
of their assembling disposed of; and
Dr. EVANS, in a speech of considerable length and great
ability, addressed them. He thanked Sir Francis Burdett
for his past services, and regretted his late apostacy. He
would not be guilty of the sin of ingratitude to any public
man ; but when such a man thought proper to forsake his
duty, the people'had but one course to take, and that was,
at once manfully and firmly to assert their right. Public
men were like actors : they dealt for ready money, they re-
ceived in ready money the approbation of their constituents
as long as they pleased them in the performance of their
duty, and when they ceased to do so, then the people with-
drew their applause, and the actor must share his fate.
The electors of Westminster had been deceived by many
men ; they had, however, in the course even of the last
few years, nobly vindicated their independence, and when-
ever they found they. were either betrayed or deceived, they
lost no time in doing themselves the most ample justice. He
would only briefly refer to the case of Sir John Cam Hob-
house—an honourable and able man, but a man who, to a
limited extent, had forfeited his pledges, they had discarded
as their representative.
Mr. CAMP (as we were informed) said that as an old
elector of Westminster, and as an individual who felt
great pride in the independence of its inhabitants, the
meeting he now witnessed was to him a source of the
greatest gratification. He had no ill-feeling towards any
man ; he respected good in all ; but traitors to any cause
should, he thought, be abhorred by every man who wished
well to the happiness and liberties of his fellow-beings. He
had heard, and they had all heard, with great mystification,
that Sir Francis Burdett had flung himself into the arms of
the Tories ; and what was their duty as honest men and
men determined to assert their rights ? Why, at once to
go straightforward to their work, and prove to the world
that, knowing their rights, and valuing their privileges,
they would most uncompromisingly maintain them.—
( Loud cheers.)
A Resolution was then moved and seconded, that Mr.
Leader was a fit and proper person to be elected as the Re-
presentative of the city of Westminster.(Cheers.)
At this moment the arrival of Mr. Hume was an-
nounced ; and it was not without considerable difficulty that
he could make his way to the table, so wedged together had
the persons assembled now become ; and in a few minutes
after the arrival of Mr. Leader was announced amidst the
most deafening cheers.
Mr. HUME then addressed the meeting, and observed
that he had just left the House of Commons, which was
counted out upon the motion of a Tory Member, and that,
too, upon a most important question—namely, the reduc-
tion of the duty on tobacco from three shillings to one shil-
ling per pound.—(Applause.) The present crisis was one
of great importance, and the electors of Westminster, like
the electors of every county, borough, aid city in the
United Empire, should be up and stirring. There was
now no time for pause or for delay. The aristocracy of
the land were now exereisink an unusual degree of vigi-
lance, and the question at lAst came to this—mere the
people to be inactive, while their hereditary enemies were
everywhere employed in the most active manner to defeat
the just and legitimate objects and wishes of the people?
(Cheers.) He must confess that he would much like that
he himself could stand in the proud situation of Member
for the city of Westminster—(Applause)--to be placed in
that situation would indeed be an honour ; but as that was
not the object for which he addressed them, nor the object
for which this numerous and highly respectable meeting
had assembled, he felt more than usual gratification that
his friend, his young, able, honest, patriotic, and radical
friend, Mr. Leader, had been hailed by them as the object
of their choice.—(Cheers.) The great check given to Re.
form principles was by the Tories, who now, as they had
over done, had deceived the people.---(That's right.) He
knew he was right, and ha asked the people would they
any longer permit themselves to be deceived by such a
faithless party ?—(No, no.) Then he was satisfied.—
(Bravo.) He had no doubt but that the present INlinistry
meant well ; but he feared that some of the gentlemen who
acted with them had a little too much of the "milk-and-
water quality" about them.—( You are right.) This re-
spectable meeting were no doubt aware of the efforts which
had been made to uproot the Orange faction in Ireland,
and in his efforts to crush them he had received the most
efficient support from his Hon. Friend, Mr. Leader.—
(That's the sort.) His Majesty's Ministers upon that oc-
casion sought to shield the brother of our good and gracious
King from that exposure which his conduct deserved ; but
Mr. Leader, who was no " milk-and-water" individual, had
boldly come forward and discharged his duty. He (Mr.
Hume) cared not for Whig or Tory.—(Bravo.) Reform
must go on—(Cheers),—and if you will return Mr. Leader
as your representative, you will do all you can for the
assertion and maintenance of the undoubted rights and
liberties of the people of the united empire.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. LEADER then came forward, and was received with

the most enthusiastic cheering. He said that the present
contest was not one of a personal nature ; he had great re-
spect for Sir Francis Burdett, who was once a sincere and
ardent Reformer, and if he had continued to be so, he (Mr.
Leader) would have opposed any man who sought to dis-

place him in the good esteem of the electors of West-
minster. But unhappily for the cause of reform, and for
the honour of Sir F. Burdett, that day had passed by.—
(" Poor Glory, where is he ?') That was a melancholy
question ; and would that it could not have been put by so
many of his former admirers! But such was the fact ;
and to use the mildest terms lie would only say of Sir
Francis Burdett, that he had been guilty of a gross re-
linquishment of his duties ; he had abandoned all his old
principles, and gone over to the Tories. But were the
people of 'Westminster—were the people of England—to
be beaten by the Tories ?—( Cries of " No, never.") Was
Reform to go back ?—" No, go forward.") So said
he, and forward it would go ; and it must go. There
could be no retrogradation ; that was impossible.—(Hear,
hear, and cheers.) He had but a few words to say
as to his political principles, particularly after the detail
into which he had entered when he had the honour of
addressing . the electors of the city of Westminster within
the last few days at Covent-garden. He professed him-
self then, as he did now, to be a Radical Reformer—it was
known in and out of Parliament that he was so ; and let
him add at the same time that he was no party man—
(" What do you say about the Poor-laws.") About the
Poor laws ? Why, every one must admit that the old sys-
tem was bad, cruel, unjust, and taxed the industrious to
support the idle. Now, was such a system to be continued?
He took it for granted their good sense would say that it
was not. Then what was to be done ? Why, naturally,
some remedy must be tried ; a remedy was tried, and if,
in its operation, it were found to be in some cases either
unjust, or partial, or oppressive, yet in its general effect it
was an improvement, it should at all events -have a fair
trial.(" That's not the thing I") Perhaps so. He did not
mean to say the pooralaw was without its defects ; he did
not say that he would not vote for many amendments in
that Act—he felt that many were necessary ; but he, how-
ever, would say that, taking it altogether,it was an im-
portant improvement. Who paid for the support, not of
the infirm, and the aged and the poor, but for the idle and
the lazy—who did ? Why, he would answer, the produc-
tive classes, and not the landed gentry of the realm ?
(IWhy don't you publish the evidence on the Poor-law
Bill ?") That was a question very easily answered. The
evidence was being published every day, but it should be
recollected that Mr. Walter selected his own witnesses.
Mr. Walter was an old Reformer, now connected, or at
all events, lately connected with the Times.—(oh, oh ! and
groans.) '[he fact was so.—(" He's the last rose of sum-
mer.") For that he (Mr. Leader) could not safely answer.
—(" And he's faded and gone! ") Not yet. After some
further observations, and again repeating his determination
to vote for the Ballot, Universal Suffrage, Short Parlia-
ments, and relieving the Bishops from their legislative
duties—(Loud cheers) the Hon. Gentleman sat down
amidst the most tumultuous applause.
A vote of thanks was given to the Chairman, and the
meeting separated.

Lady Anne Beckett's soiree, on Monday evening,
at Stratford House, was most numerously and splendidly at-
tended. The elegant apartments of this noble mansion, con-
sisting of a suite of four rooms, were, when illuminated, of a
very splendid appearance.