The Sun.
London, England, 1831-10-21 00:00:00

those privileges which they possessed.—(Cheers.)
Application had been then made to the House of
Lords to grant that As a boon which was now
demanded as a right. Ministers had come forward with
a measure which satisfied all the wishes of the people.
Those wishes had been for some time delayed in conse-
quence of the conduct of tke House of Lords ; but it was
the duty of Englishmen not to despair—the word despair
was not not known to an Englishman : and he would
tell the Duke of Wellington to his face, if he was here,
that the name of Grey, and his Majesty's present Mi-
nisters, would live long after he and Waterloo had
been consigned to the silent tomb.—(Loud cheers.)
He would now speak a little of the stigma that
had been cast upon the men of Birmingham. It had
been s rid that the House of Lords ought not to be influ-
enced in the passing of the great measure, in consequence
of the suggestions of such inert as the inhabitants of Bin-
mingliem—that they were without learning, ignorant, and
had no talent to display. To Noble Lords using such ar-
guments he would say, go to the seats of learning—to
Cambridge and Oxford—and see whether they would not
tell them that the highest honours which those Universities
had to bestow hal been borne away by Birmingham
men. Who could deny such a proposition to him 'as long
as there was in existence the name of Kennedy—(Cheers)
—a name with which science and learning delighted:to
bold converse.—(Cheers.) 'rho men of Birmingham had
also been accused of a want of philosophy—let those who
made such an accusation, come to the manufactories aro]
workshops of the town, where they would find philosophy
reduced to practice—(Cheers)—and where they would
learn a much more efficient lesson than they could by
possibility attain from all antiquated notions of philo-
sophy.—(Cheers.) He could not help expressing the
indignation he felt at the rights of the people being set at
nought by the whole weight of the Right Reverend
Bench.—(Tremendons hisses.) He wished, instead of
taking upon theMselves the characters of Legislators, they
would throw aside their robes and Parliamentary para-
phernalia, and visit their flocks—the houses of the me-
chanic and the cottage of the labourer, and there see the
vast mass of moral and religious degradation that was
spreading through the land in consequence of bribery and
corruption—(Cheers)—and after having done that, he
would ask them whether they felt satisfied, whether their
consciences did not tell against them in shutting their lips
to that precept which was more on their lips than in their
hearts—" Lord deliver us frosts temptation."—(Loud and
continued cheering.) The people of Birmingham, and
the other large towns and places to be enfranchised, had
sufficient on which to found their claims for representa-
tion, if representation was due to any thing save rotten-
ness and corruption.—(Loud cheers.) He thought the
present meeting would agree with him that they had only
one duty to perform, namely, that of rallying round the
King and his Ministers, assuring them that they would
still preserve their confidence if they stood to their posts,
and that they would not desert them—as long as that
patriotic Nobleman who was at the head of affairs guided
the helm and conducted the vessel of the State, so long
would they man the ship—that they would swim or sink
together.—(Tremendous cheering.) He would entreat
the men of Birmingham to attend to his last words ; he
trusted they would take them as the words of one who
had every hope and interest identified with their own,—
be true to your God, be true to your King, be true to your
country, and be true to yourselves ; then will future ages
" Look to the pages of history to seek your name
'Midst fallen states and buried greatness—a land
That was the mightiest in her own command ;
That is the loveliest—and must ever be
The master-work of nature's heavenly hand,
Wherein were cast the heroic and the free,
The beautiful and brave—the lords of earth and sea."
—(Tremendous cheering.) The worthy Low Bailiff con-
cluded by moving the first resolution, for which see Ad-
vertisement.
Mr. TURNER seconded the resolution. He regretted
exceedingly the course which had been pursued by the
Lords Spiritual and Temporal with respect to the all-im-
portant subject of Reform.—(Cheers.) The Lords Spi-
ritual hat] opposed this great measure. Good Gtrd ! what
right had they to do so ? They ought to have been diffe-
reetly employed.—(Cheers.) If they would go to their
dioceses, anti visit the cottages of the poor, they would be
doing an act worthy of themselves. Their avocations
ought to have led them to higher destinies than the affairs
of the world.—(Cheers.) But the example they had now
set would act ae a motel epidemic that would go through
every diocese, and would convert the pulpit into a
political arena.—(Loud cheers.)—He trusted that the
people at the present trying moment would preserve
tranquillity and order, and, by that means, set a good
example to the people of Lancashire. They were all
in the ship together, with a King for a Captain, who was
an honour and an ornament to his country. England,
therefore, at the present moment, expected every man to
do his duty.—(Cheers.)
On the resolution being put to the meeting by the HIGH
BAILIFF,
Mr. RUSSELL. rose.—He did so not with any factious
intentions; but, considering the critical state in which the
country at present stood, he felt himself bound to say a few
words before the resolution was carried.—(Here the
speaker was interrupted by cries of—" Adjourn, adjourn—
there's not room enough for us.")—ln conseqence of this,
agreeable to previous arrangements the meeting adjourned
to Mr. Beardsworth's repository, where the picture that
presented itself was truly grand and imposing. Almost
every nook in this tremendous building was instantly
filled with people, and we should suppose that not less than
9,000 or 10,000 persons must have been present. Order
having been obtained by the Chairman, Mr. Russell was
called upon to proceed. The meeting must recollect that it
was to the vote of the Bishops, and to the Bishops alone,
that the rejection of the Reform Bill was owing, End he
therefore thought the present meeting would not do its
duty, if it did not adopt a resolution expressing the opi-
nion of the meeting on the conduct pursued by the Bishops
in the Ilouse of Lords. If such a resolution was not intro-
duced, it would be said that the main point in the question
had been completely lost sight of. Their enemies would then
have an advantage over them, and would consider that the
present meeting had not sense enough to perceive the real
question at issue.—(Loud cries of " Dowa with the
Bishops, we have bad enough of them.") Ile (Mr.
Russell) was prepared to prove by argument, that the
Bishops had no right to sit in the House of Lords.
If they had a right to sit in the House of Lords, why
should the inferior clergy be excluded from the House of
Commons ? That the vote of the Bishops on the present
important question was a proof that they were much more
lively to their own interest. He should, therefore, con-
clude by proposing as a resolution for the adoption if the
meeting, that the union of Church and State was inimical
to the best interests of the nation, and equally inconsistent
with the practices of piety; that the conduct of the Bishops
towards the people in voting against the Reform Bill was
highly improl* , and that, therefore, this meeting hopes fur
the future welfare of the people the future exercise of le-
gislative power by the Bishops would entirely cease.
11. SMITH, Esq. objected to the adoption of such a re-
solution. A person from the crowd called out —" Well,
if we can't bring forward such resolution, we can express
our abhorrence of their conduct."—(Cries of " Yes, yes.")
Mr. SALT observed, that it was a question with him
whether tire present resolution should he elite' tamped. It
was not to the Bishops alone--(Cries of " Yes,
yea, it was")—that the fate of the Reform Bill was
attributed. The House of Lords had shown them-
selves aliens to the Bill. The people had been
called the mob and the rabble--(Groans and hisses)—and
it had been said " confine them to the drudgery of their
work, don't let them attend public meetings, for if you do,
at that ruotneot society is altogether at an end." What
society, he would vele, .vas at an end ? Why, the society
of con uption.—(Clieers. ) The Rill that had been thrown
cut was the olive branch of peace to the people. Tke
Howie of Berds had taken upon themselves to tear that
olive branch 4wr.y, but thanks be to God the people had
a pledge that a Bill, gitatele. and more efficient in its prin-
ciples would become part and parcel of the law of the land.
21inisters had told the House of Londe filet if they did not
11,166 the Bill that was then before them, they si.suld have
a worse—(Losed cheers)—and Ministers, be had no doubt,
would redeem their pledge,
On the suggestion of the High Bailiff, Mr. Russell
withdrew the resolution.
Mr. Goers: resumed. There was a clencher to the pledge
of Ministers by elle onenimous voice of the people, and
those persons who weoe efraid of the introduction of
a new Bill, could not know DlMisters. He felt
bound to say there was not a man in Birmingham but
who perfectly knew, and who felt assured that the pledges
they had given would be lolly made good. The worthy
gentleman concluded by cordially supporting the original
resolution, which seas carried utianituoolle's
The L.ev. J. CORRIE, in rising to prupose the
second resolution, said that he was overwhelmed with
feelings of disappointment et the rejection of the Re-
form Bill, He shared fully in the feelings of alarms
which at present assisted in the nation in consequence M
the rejection of the great measure, and he shared fully
iu
the strongest expressions of indignation at the contume-
lious meaner in which the Bill had been thrown out.--
(Loud cheers.) It was his wish to speak with all pos.
sable respect of the Members of the House of Lords, be-
cause he firmly believed that there were many good
and excellent characters within its walls, who, in
private life, were ornaments to themselves, and all by
whom they were surrounded, bet be felt it hie dirty to