The Sun.
London, England, 1822-04-12 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX ELECiION.

Yesterday the Freeholdets of the County of
Middlesex held their Annual Dinner,at the Mer Maid Tavern,
Hackney, for the ptirpose of Celebrating' the Return of Messrs.
B riga and WHITBREAD. The Great Room was filled, as
early as four o'clock, with a most respectable body of the Free-
holders of the County. A few minutes before five, _ Messrs.
Byng and Whitbread, accompanied by Messrs: Chas. Shaw
Idefevre, the Honourable H. G. Bennet, itc."&c. entered the
Room.

Mr. LEFEvRE took the Chair.
After the cloth was removed, the CHArRMAN gave " The
King, may he never forget the principles which placed his fa-
mily upon the Throne ;" which was drank with applause.
" The Duke of York, and the rest of the Royal Family,"
was next given. After which " The Army and Navy,"
•and sonic other Toasts were proposed,. and received with ap-
plause.
The CIIAIR-MAN then rose ; ,he said they met on that occa-
sion to celebrate a proud event—the Triumph of the Free-
holders of Middlesex, displayed in the Return of their Repre-
sentatives, Messrs. Byng and Whitbread. Whatever might
have been the exertions of their old and faithful Representative,
Mr. Byng, in the•cause of the people, they had heretofore been
neutralized by means of the stern and consistent. opposition of
his late Colleague, so that, in 'point of fact, the great and opu-
lent County of Middlesex had no voiee or. influence in Parlia-
ment. They had, however, on the late Election, nobly, asserted
their independence, and their triumph was complete.---(Ap-
plause.)— Well might`..hey rejoice ; but still they should recol-
lect that the-spirit of intrigue—,that the arts of corrupt influence,
were still in full operation, and therefore every free and inde-
pendent Elector was bound to stand on his guard-to continue
his exertions, so that the victory that had been achieved might
not appear ie work of a day, brit a lasting triumph over the
people.-,(Applause.)—The of the people.,Applause.)—The present was not a
time for the spirit of England to sleep. The principles of the
Constitution had been violated—the blood of the people had
been shed by the swords of theanditary. The country had not
yet forgotten the shocking outrage at Manchester—(Applause.)
—nor .the still more recent. and - not less disgraceful outrage at
the funeral of the late lamented and persecuted
...Queen.—(Ap-
plause.)—:Lives were lost on that occasion,sand more innocent
blood would have been shed, had it not been for the brave and
humane conduct of that gallant and distinguished individual,
Sir R. Wilson.—(Applause.)—These outrages were not even
inquired into by the House of Commons ;- but what was to be
expected from •Ministers--from. a House of Commons where
rotten boroughs and all the corrupt' machinery of office were
openly avowed, and shamelessly defended ? The Him. Gent.
next alluded to " The Constitutional Association," in terms of
rointed severity, and concluded by proposing thellealthsof the
Representatives of the County of Middlesex, Messrs. Byng and
Whitbread; which was received wi,h loud applause. .
Mr. BENG rose to return thanks. He. said, that next to his
principles and his conscience the approbation of his fellow-citi-
zens was dear to him. The only Just return he could make- to
them was, to persevere in that line of conduct which he had so
long pursued. He always held that a Member of Parliament
ought to go into the House of Commons to serve the people—
not to-serve himself.—(Applause.)—He hoped lie should ever
apPear anxious to xemove • every: grievance—to reform ~every
abuse, but most of all, that great and crying abuse, the present
imperfectistate of the Representation.—(Applause.)—,Under the
present system, the House of Commons never would possess that
weight which of right belonged. to it in the scale of the Consti-
tution.--(Applause.)—The Hon, Gentleman concluded by ex-
preskng his thanks.
Mr. WHITBREAD next rose, and was received with great
applause. lie said that he had not a command of language to
express his feelings ; when he declared that he was grateful, he
dici'not do so iwthe cold form of words, but in the ardent sin-
cerity of feeling. He never had occasion to regret the Pledges
which he had given to his constituents.---(Applause.)=-Ile Was
pledged to the great question of Reform. Withrespect to that
question,-they might come to a conclusion' in one Shortientence.
—namely, that all-the evils under whieh4he country suffered
were to be attributed ito a want of a full and fair representa-
tion of the people in Parliament:—(Applause.)—lt had been
his fate to have always 'voted 'with one party ; but he. never •
would vote with any party that did not make, Reform their
great and leading princinle—(Applause)--convinced as he was
that no-satisfactory relief could be given to the people without
a thorough Reform. Agriculturists might. Complain of dis-
tress—Manufacturers might point out the way-to protect their
particular interests, but their exertions were a mere waste of
time ; no effectual relief would be ever givertbyan'unreformed
Parliament. Much had been lately said on the question Of.
ecoiromy—an. individual had taken,much pains to enforce the
principle of-economy—of that.individnal—his great industry—
his perseverance=it was impossible to speak too highly—of
course he meant Mr.' Iltime.—(Applause.)--,-He was one, of
those who uniformly supported Mr. Hume ; but he had done
So chiefly with a view to expose the', system. under which the
country groaned—to expose a system of , Government above all •
others the most expensive—that system .whith Anted over the
. fears, not the affections of the people.-4Applanse.)---He (Mr.
W.) would be glad to take any thing in the shepe of reform,
though he confessed he objected. to what was termed'a mode-
rate reform because, if' a remedy'at all, it was a remote re-
/trimly, intended to be applied to a present and a crying evil.
The ,Ilinisteis cared not what infringements they made upon
the Constitution—they cared not what woundstheyinflicted
upon the country, provided the system by which they gained,
and through which the people staryed, might last for theirtime.
But it was the duty of thepeople to stand up for reform : nume-
rous and powerful were their opponents. Evetffrom the Bench
of Justice were sometimes heats) attacks upon those principles
which the country held so dear. It was but a few days since

HOETYOUSE rose to return thanks for hitneelf., , He
felt most deeply the honour they had done him. The Honour.,
able Baeonet, a man . who yielded to no man; living in pure
integrity—(Applause), in important seryices to a grateful,
though he (Mr. H.) was• sorry to think a sinking, country,
would have been present, had he not been obliged to attend on
his family in the. West Of
,Englanct. The Honourablekientle-
man next eulogized, in very animated terms, the public' con-
duct of Mr. Whitbread and' Mt. Byng. He observed that, the
cause of Reform was making rapid strides—.those who were
fOrmerly the obdurate foes of that principle,. were now finding
their way to the ranks of the people. No man coulktrulkiszty
that the system worked well ; to use the words of his Uoncun.
able Colleague, it only worked well for those' who had done
ill—for those who had risen and prospered
,upon the ruins of
their-Country.. The exertions of his Honourable Friend (Mi.
Hume) -had proved how impossible it was for the people of
England to receive redress from an unreformed Parliament;
had roved that those who were not the responsible Stewards of
the Public purse, cared not for the public interests. In support
of the system of corrupt influence, he had heard jokes and mi-
rnitry in abundance, but he had never heard one solid argu-
meht ; nor had any man ever dared to defend that system be-
fore an imPertial assembly: He hoped and believed that the
people would stand firm to their purpose ; if they did so, the
triumph of their country was certain; they, perhaps, might not
live stifficien tly long to enjoy the sweets of theirglorious exertions,
but they would leave to their children the precious inheritance of
Freedom. Their united efforts would overawe the advocates of
corn ption ; it was in the weakness and degeneracy of a nation,
that the enemies of public liberty gained strength and confi-
dence. Well had the Poet observed---
" Unless Corruption first dejects the proud
. And guardian vigour of.the free-born soul,
•
All crude attempts at violence are vain;
For, firm within, the soul remains untouch'd. •
•Ne'er yet by force was Freedom overcome."
The Honourable Gentleman sat down amidst the applause
of the room.

The health of the Hon. G. BE.NNET was next given from
the Chair:—(Applause.)—He thanked them for the distinguish-
ed manner in Which they had received him—it was grateful- to
his heart—he had long felt, that the best, the most honourable
reward of a public man was the approbation and applause of
his fellow-countrymen—(Cheers);•—that was the only reward
to which he aspired ; and he would not exchange it for all the
guilty splendour of political profligacy. He was so much,in
the habit of meeting opponeno, that he scarcely knew how to
address friends.—(A laugh.)--Thespeech of his Hon. Friend,
Mr. Whitbread, broached principles which warmed his heart—
that tone of sincerity, those accents, put him in mind of great
names—names dear to liberty and their country—names that
would be ever remembered, until all that was honourable and
hood were forgotten.,—{Applause.)—At the present day one
ardly knew what topics to touch on, such absurd and 'extraer-
dinary doctrines were put forth as the world never heard of lie-
foie.; they had heard it said thatl season of plenty, at all times
deemed the greatest_blessing, was an evil 'and I curse ;..it would
really appear from the ravings of Ministers; that a blighting
faniine were the best remedy for the distresses of the country.
It was stated by the Marquis-of Londonderry the last day the
House of Commons sat, that if all the taxes under which the
country groaned were removed, the country would not be one
bit better of.—tA laugh.—That was gravely asserted by the
Nobre MaiqUis--it was listened to and 'applauded in the House
of Commons.—(A laugh.)—lt was received in that•Hout a al-
Most as a maxim of politicarwisdom, but that was the only as-
sembly of' human beings, where so monstrous - an' assertion
would not be hooted at--(Applause.)-z-The uniform prac-
tice of Lord Londonderry and,ot his colleagues put him in mind
of the directions given by a high Legitimate Sovereign, to his
Ministera: You know (said' he) What I" want—take care
nobody has any thing left.—(A laugh.)-s-Many of his brother
Freeholders present knew that when the taxes were paid, there
•was, in fact, nothing left ;—the 'Object of Ministers was, that
nothing should be left to the people, but that a grinding taxa-
tion should be carried to its extremepointe During the ifre7e it
Seision little had been done but to expose the system,of ex-
travagance that 'was still carried 'on.—Whilst upon the, part
of Ministers an Agricultural.. Report was brought down
a Report which few could understand—but if he could see
through` it, the remedy proposed was an augmentation ,of
prices, in other words, to raise the price of the quartern loaf.
Now against that system he •should ever stand opposed. He
cared not whom he might please or displease—he cared not
whether agriculturists might blame, or applaud him—all he
possessed was derived from the land, bile he never would-con-
sent to raise the price of 'food on the people—(applause.)/t
WAS not by, raising the price of foal, it was by lowering thescale
of taxes—by clipping the wings of corruptiou—by reducing use-
less placeS, that the country could be effectually relieved—(ap-
`plause.)—The Hon. Gentleman next observed,' in •telins- of
marked severity, on the conduct, of Country. gentlernene-, At
one time they opposed the Minister on some petty item e.ithey
refused to grant on one night 26001‘, and the next nigh: they
voted millions ; they voted for every estimate, and
every iinportant reitections. and they, would no doubt.conclante
as they commenced the Session, by giving their servile and un-
qualihed support to the worst measures of Governmeill. _The
Hon. Gentleman, 4fter,Tetuminic thanks, sat down amid loud
and long continued cheers.
illr.'ll3hrmia:PrOpOsed the 'health of the Chairman, which was
drank witkgreat applause.... • •
~. • •
Mr. LEFZVRE rettirped,thanks in a neat s.piiiech. •
ii The C.atnltlAN next proposed-the, health of Afr..Dir.mins
the ornament of the Ilar—the friend-of public :libeity.-7-tt,e
honest and eloquent Advocate of the late persecuted - (bete,.
The health of the Learned Gentleman was drank witte.en4
-thusiasm.
. .

. .
The Health of the Stewards was next 'given; and soon after
nine o'clock Mr. .Byng:, Mr... Whitbread, &v. retired, tut
the party kept up the enjoyments of the table to a much le.ter
hour. Several 'songs were given in the course of the evening..

At the meeting of the 'own Coußcil on Wednesday,- it -as
pgreed to convert the old meal market, in the CoNgate.imv!a
WeighhoUse, with la view'to:the removal of the'bviiiiing Used 4s
Such at the bead of thp,West Row. , A letter was teat}
the „Keeper 'of the Signet,
,annpuneing, : that • the Society Qf
Writers to the Signet had rejected' the scheme of foun4Vig,a
hOuse, of: refuge with !the, imoney under their roanageinez.
known by the,natne of Watson's, ; and had.detennineil.
by a majority, to apply same to founding an jlesp,ital for
Destitute Childteb.—L(Edinburgh Courant; .80
• It is said -Mr.Hurr. intends to offer tiimself-for
the yejnresentation of !the county of Soinenet•
the next General Election.

No less than nineteen. pet sons were conderithed
to death at Maidstone,4or.tlie Ike ta,ribielinue-
gling affray on thelientish coast.