The Sun.
London, England, 1837-02-21 00:00:00

SCOTTISH REFORM MARTYRS.

the meeting was unanimously voted t Air. liunie, for his im-
partial, patriotic, and excellent con& act in the Chair.
The meeting then separated.
In addition to the Members of Parliament present at
the meeting given above, we no a ced B. 'dull, Esq.

Dr. WADE, in continuation from our First Edition of yes-
terday, said—
Why the Whigs shrunk from defending these men, Skirving,
Nlargarot, and Gerrald, he could not tell; but of this he was
certain, that the Whigs of that day were guilty of the blood of
those men, for they had allowed the Tory butchers to crucify
them for their principles.—( Cheers.) The best Whir; makes
a bad Radical.—( Laughter.) If he was a Radical he was no
longer a Whig, held up by Lord John Russell. Was Mr. Fox?
No, Mr. Fox was against first principles, as laid down by Paine.
His words were these " Elementary principles were not to be
talked about. You must only look to the views and objects of the
present day." In that there was a total dereliction of first
principles. In his opinion, the best Whig was not equal to
the worst Radical. The worthy Clergyman concluded by
trusting that the meeting by its unanimity would put it totally
out of the power of their enemies to take advantage of them.
Mr. WILLIANts then came forward amidst great cheers
to move the next resolution. He said he had been uncx,-
pectedly called upon to perform that duty. Nothing was
more imperious on the Radical Reformers of the present, day
than to come forward and do justice to those who h'cid suf-
fered in the cause of Reform.—(Cheers.) The resolution
he had to propose was this :-
4. That we view with indignation the proceedings of the tri-
bunals which condemned these distinguished sufferers, and consider
this recognition of their merits, though late, as a consolatory proof
that, however the efforts of patriots may be misrepresented, coun-
teracted, or punished, they will not fail of ultimately obtaining the
grateful acknowledgments of posterity, and, above all, the glory
of having accelerated the downfal of tyr:lnny, and the establish-
ment of freedom.

The persecutors of those patriots whose memory they were
assembled to honour had had monuments erected to com-
memorate their greatness at the public expense, with money
taken from the pockets of the people in the shape of taxes.
So much had already been said on the present occasion upon
the subject for which they were assembled that he could add
but little. He would therefore only call upon them to come
forward as brother Radicals, and join in supporting the ob-
ject of the meeting, so that they might have not only a suffi-
cient sum of money for erecting a monument in Scotland, but
also for erecting a monument in the metropolis. The Hon.
Gentleman concluded amidst loud cheers, by moving the fourth
Resolution.

Mr._ WEIR of Glasgow, seconded the resolution. He said
it mattered not to honest men if they gained their object in a
glorious cause if they fell in the attempt. The cruelty which
to-day called forth their execration might again be attempted ;
and there might befound at the present time tribunals in Scot-
land willing to inflict the worst consequences of judge-made law.
The Tories were active in Scotland—they endeavoured to gain
an ascendancy in that country ; but although they might find
Judges to aid them in their designs, he would tell them that
they would not find in Scotland a Jury who would, or dare to
do, their bidding. In power or out of power, the people de-
fied them.—( Cheers.) The meeting would recollect the time
when the entire of the Scotch Members, 43 in number, were
at the beck and bidding of every Minister ready to
vote away the liberties of Englishmen, and to be re-
paid by English money.—( Hear.) Now, however, the case
was different.--(Loud cheers.)—He (Mr. Weir) had read
the proceedings of the convention and other associations, and
he regretted to think that at that time there were few who knew
their rights, or knowing dared maintain them. He had read Mar-
garot's account of taxation without representatation—that ac-
count had gone forth through the land—men began to inquire
into their situation, and a flame was kindled up, so that now
where forty men could not be assembled together to talk of li-
berty, be (Mr. Weir) had addressed assembled millions.—
He recollected, when the Reform Bill was in danger, to have
seen masses of Scotchmen assembled together, determined to
struggle for freedom. From the streets of Edinburgh he had
seen, in the windows of Holvrood House, the ex-Court of
France, looking as if in expectation of hearing the tocsin of the
barricades, and he would say to the Reformers of the present
day, let them not fail to advance—let them not go
backward but forward in the march of improvement,
and let Tories threaten as they may, on the masses
let them fall. Scotland was ready for the encounter.
It was not upon any form of Government, but upon the spirit
of freedom, and the intelligence of the people, he relied.
There was, in truth, a new body emerging into the political
world. They had formerly bad the Parliament of the Aristo-
cracy, but another was to come; the industrious masses—the
masses of the people—were yet to come into play.—( Tremen-
dous cheering.) That might not be in his time ; but, come
what may, it must arrive, and they would then remember that
the men whose memories they were met to celebrate had avowed
in the worst of times the principles they would then enjoy.—
( Cheers.) One of the previous speakers bad alluded to the
questions put by Margarot, but it was not so generally known
that a simple aeclArntiol, of the statement contained in these
questions had been embodied in a remonstrance by Gerrald, as
a re mil why lie should not be tried by the same judge—but
his appeal, and his offer to prove the facts by witnesses, were
met with insult and mockery.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. Weir
concluded by thanking the meeting for the kindness with
which it had heard him. (We are unable to give more than a
few detached sentences of this speech from the remote and in-
convenient position in which we were placed.)
Mr. Game JONES appeared amidst loud cheers. lie said
that he should be wanting in duty if be had not appeared,
feeble as he was, among the f,iends of that cause which was
nearest and dearest to his heart. But he was not the only
1 aged reformer now present, for he saw on the platform that
venerable reformer Mr. Rutt—( Cheers)—with whom he had
fought in the year 1792, when every reformer was perse-
meted, and when, over the mantel-piece of every tavern—
( Hear, hear)—was a notice that no Radical could be ad-
mitted____( Loud cheering)--and when the Tower guns
were kept loaded, arid bankers' Imuses were fortified.—( Hear,
hear.) Without ostentation lie could say he had visited many
a true Reformer in prison, and had comforted bias under per-
secution. Every thing that art could invert, or ingenuity
devise, was raised up to prolong the reign of superstition aod
bigotry.—( Cheers.) Monuments were erected to conquerors
--to enslave us, to destroy us, and to the betrayers of
of mankind—but he looked iii vain to find a pantheon erected
to. the memory of the philanthrophist, the patriot, the philoso-
pher, and the inventor of modern arts.—(Cheers.) Now that
fifty years had elapsed, however, for it ayes nearly hall a cen-
tury, lie fancied he could see the memory of those who had
adorned the history of their country commemorated and car-
ried down to posterity. _(Cries of " Hear.") He would,
with a little variation in the lines of Dr. Janson, say,
" Let the British nation
With patriotic merit just,
Rear up the marble monument,
A lel dedicate the bust."
He wished to God that the name of Tory and Whig were
buried in the grave.—(Cheers.) His fainting voice, his
broken health, and his withered frame, he trusted, would speak
the honesty of his intentions in the cause of Reform.—
( Cheers.) Ile well reinembered what these men
had done; he had followed in their footsteps,' and
in the words of one of them, when be placed
his hand upon the monument to be erected to their me-
mory, he would exclaim—" Long live the people, to make
good laws, and long live liberty !"—( Great cheering.)
The resolution was then put and agreed to.
Mr. MACLEOD, M. P., proposed a resolution to the effect,
that a subscription be immediately entered into, and the co. '
operation of Reformers generally requested, in furtherance of
the objects of the meeting.
Mr. SCIIOLEFIELD, M. P., seconded the resolution, which
was then put and carried,
Mr. ALEX. GALLOWAY then addressed the meeting. He
had the honour to be acquainted with Maurice Margarot and
Joseph Gerrald, and had suffered a confinement of two years in
Newgate for advocating similar pinciples. It was very singular
that he held in his hand the identical documents that had
kept him in prison. He had lived to see the realization
of his political views, and that was almost a sufficient reward
for all his sufferings. Although the present reforming Go-
vernment had not marched on so rapidly as they could wish,
they should not forget the Government—he meant that of
Earl Grey, and the succeeding ones, which had rescued the
people from the gripe of the Tory faction—a faction
that had drawn everything from them, and had ground them
down with taxes.—( Cheers. ) He was glad to find that the
people of England had at length called to mind the services
of these men, that they were about to celebrate the triumph of
the principles they had advocated, and to stigmatise those
infamous men by whom they had been persecuted with that
indignation and contempt they had so justly merited.--( Loud
cheering.) He had the honour of knowing Mr. Margarot—a
more excellent man both in his public and private charae-
tcr never lived—and he held in his possession a seal
which he prized beyond anything on earth, and which
had been sent to him by Mr. Margarot—it was a pebble
from New South Wales, with the word—REFOßM—
engraved upon it.—(lmmense cheering,). Another Gentleman
who had addressed them (Mr. Gale Jones) lie had also the ho-
nour of being acquainted with, and to whose laborious exertions
in the cause of Parliamentary Reform he was an humble witness.
No man had acted more steadily, sincerely, and, he was glad
to add, successfully, although he now lamented to see him
broken down by age, and other untoward circumstances. He
was sure that no man deserved the commiseration of the pub-
lic more than that worthy and excellent man. He understood
that the widow of Margarot was in the gallery that day, and
in that meeting he was satisfied that she would find her re-
ward, and that is would requite her for the seventeen long years
she had spent in New South Wales, at a time when he believed
no other woman would have undergone such sufferings and dif-
ficulties. He would not occupy more of their time, but would
return them his sincere thanks for the manner in which they
had discharged the debt they owed to these martyrs to the
cause of Reform.—( Cheers. )

The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN then read a list of subscriptions, which in-
cluded the names of about twenty Members of Parliament,
Lord Brougham, Earl of Essex, and several other distin-
guished individuals, the announcement of which was received
with loud cheering.
A Committee was then appointed to carry into effect the
objects of the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN then intimated that the resolution which
had been proposed by Mr. Fergus O'Connor would now be
submitted to them, and that Mr. Bell would address them
upon its merits.

It being now a' .out a quarter to five o'clock, we were unable
to give any mote ,f Gl° speeches, as we had to attend the
House of Commons to report the debate on the Irish Muni-
cipal Corporation Bill.
We have merely time to state, that the meeting was ad-
dressed by Mr. BELL, in favour of the resolution ; by Mr.
Jolly CRAWFORD, against it; and by Mr. Isiicsiou.s, one of the
working classes, after which the resolution was put, and carried
by a majority of those present.
Mr. HIKE then left the Chair, and

Colonel Thomrsos was called thereto, when the thanks of

THE SUN LON )ON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1837.