The Sun.
London, England, 1813-01-15 00:00:00

COM OIL COMMON COUNCIL,

Yesterday a Court of Coalition Council Was
held 'at Guildhall, which was Very numerously at-
tended.
GRANT TO THE DISTRESSED RUSSIANS.
The LORD 'MAYOR observed, that the preserit
'Court had' been convened by him, in consequence
of a requisitiob which be bud received, signeclis.s
several Members of the Court, to take into con-
sideration the propriety of granting a sum of mo-
ney, in aid of the Russian sufferers.
Mr. DIXON expressed his hope, that the pro-.
positionle was about to submit would meet with
unanimous support. Every one wonici digree with
him, that this was not .a paety.queiiona ques-
tion of \Vhig or Tory, principles---a question of
Ministerial or Opposition influence, but one of
humanity, and one upon which, be hail no doubt,
every one of those ;Gentlemen who were in the
custom of voting differently from him, op other
occasions, would now -unite with him. Fie then
rosseeded to take a review of the principals oc-
curt muses of the campaign, and to contrast the
previous power , and reputation of Bitonaparie
with his present situation. He would not detain
the Court, es he Was convinced no arguments were
necessary to induce those who heard him to agree
with him, that the tribute of acknowledgment,
which he was about to propose; was due to the
bravery of:the Russian army—the sufferings of the
Russian people—and an act of justice to our-
selves. He had heard large. sums mentioned on
this occasion ; but hP would 'not. throw obstacles
in .the, way, of the -gratit,,, by proposing, a Slim
which would, in itself, be ridiculonS,:, or one
which, if acceded to, 'would prevent the Courts;
front coining' lot-Ward' on any future ocoasion. He
s
had heard 10,0001. and he had heard 50001. men-
tioned,; he hintselfhesitated.between 10001. and
20001. and threw himselfaipon the opinion .of the
court.—(Cries of 20001. front all sides).—Thus
authorised, he would propose the larger sum: He
concluded by moving, sSS That thi, Court, deeply
sensible of the Kindel exertions and sacrifices
made by the Russian• Empire, and the great suf-
ferings' and distresseS of that; brave and loyal
rpeople, arising' from the unprovoked invasion of
their country by the,French armies, -do subscribe
the surd of 2000/. in, aid of the fund for the relief ;
of the suffering Russian people."
Mr. Qom seconded the motion. lob's opinion,
the present vote had two. objects, policy and hus
manitya the proposed donatiubt was due,
,as a,
butt orayitipalliy, from one great city, the capital
of a vast and powerful etnpite, to the suffering in-
habitants of another city, which had recently been
great and flourishing also. Looking at the, ques-
tion in this point of View, he Was in favour of the
grant ; but neither could he dismiss front his mind '
thiS reflection, that the Russiaes had alsoa
claim -
on our justice, as being sufferers in the. common
cause of independence. It mattered not to him
what was the internal polies, of Russ ia ;
were as
s
sufficient to. know, the Russians
people who would fight to the last extremity in
defeuce of their liberties. Ile ,trusted that he
should be pardoned by tbe.mover !Vr suggesting,
that, instead .of the relief heing forwarded from this
country in specie, it 41100 d he forwarded in such
manufactured goods its would prove "serviceable to,
the -seeress s than; Whilst t ,we were
baselyin o assisting the.'
suffering Russians, we sit
alsour
own manufacturers. He Concluded by expressing
his hopes, that whatever difference of opinion
might exist on other subjects, amongst them, yet
that the present vote would pass as unanimously
in the Corporation of ,London, as the opposi-
tion to the French armies bud been in the plains '!
of Russia.
Mr. Dixon observed, that immediate aid was
required by the Russians ; and the quickest mode
of affordiug it would be, to remit' the amount of
what they might vote to Lord Cathcart, to be b.
his Lord has pe
Lordship placed, in the has Of rsons who
'Would see it properly appropriated. If sent in
manufactured articles, it could not reach theM be-
fore the middle of the summer.
Mr. 4400 of, opiolots,that it would
he impolitic, tO send out :Manufactured gOods to
Itu4sia. He also warmly supported the motion. ,
' Mr. /'Mite Nils hoped that this vote would, pass.
unaohnously, and that it would prove a stimulus,
to the. rest of tbe country.
Mr. WAITH MAN Aid not Aswan' to -.oppose this
proposition, 1101.74. was' brought forward-, bit,
had no such ,subj4et been agitated, he should
not have thought We were called on to exercise
Our liberality on the .Present occasion. We were,
not at all indebted to the liberality of the
Rus-
sians—it wits not our interests, but their own,
which' they had, sought, to promote. The :h
y ad
certainly made a brave stand; 'but they had made
it for themselves, arid, by that stand, they had
g
given us an useful lesson. What Russia, ;sin le
handed and by herself, had done against the fine n
est
army, unquiestionably, that Frante, 'had
during the war, had shorn what, might have been
thine by us, if our affairs bad .beets properly was
naged, whilst we had all Europe with us,' acid
not'so powerful an enemy to oppose' tt*, Surely,
however, no one could contend that we hadatot
t,
borne onr share of the burthen,—that we had no
done our patt—or that we had not made greater
sacrifices than any. other nation and Che.qiies-
tion with him was, whether Russia was not more
able to: assist herself than we were to assistber?
and whether.; the stuttering people of this
conotry
did, milt stand in as much need of aid as the suffer-
ing people of Russia did With respect. to the
suggestions, thrown outby his worthy Friend, .of
sending the proposed ,uid in manufactured goods,
be Was of opinion that eoutse oeght•to be adopts
ed, on account. of the scarcity of specie. -It was
contended by
,some Gentlemen, that our paper.
currency, was as good as specie. ' He would not
contradict.' their assertions on the present oCCUr
sion ; eduseedins; to them' that paper'
currency 'wag good at Write, Would it do.
abroad 3 Would paper currency pay our troOps'?
ere we .not distressed to get specie to serend out
W
of the costars' for that purpose •? And ev wk.,.
ing the sum -of 2600/. the present proposed
.grop!
Mit nf the kiegdom,
yet, , when the state of ilur curreuey was cousuter-
though a stoat) stun in itself,
ed, he was ready tb contend., Was a ,seriou4
As acid. has been proposed, it would be uns,
rti;a:7l"s
to put aiiiegativention the propositioP
sints was, were the Court irl caeuty Co
of
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