The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-13 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

NORFOLK COUNTY MEETING, MAY IL
It having been known for several days that a
County Meeting, on the subject of Parliamentary Reform, was
•
to be holden in the County Hall this day, considerable interest
was mccited in the Town of Norwich, in which it iiknown
Party politics run to an extreme height. Several attempts were
made by the Ultra Loyal Party to excite a feeling in the work-
ing classes of society against the Meeting. Among them we
noticed the following placard, which was posted on the walls,
and freely circulated through the streets :

" LARGE LOAF.
" A PROCLAMATION.—NorfoIk Meeting of Reform, May
11, 1822.

" What is the purpose of the Meeting?—To keep up High
Rents, and raise the Price of Bread.
" What is the greatest benefit to the people of England ?
What the Poor now enjoy—a large Loaf, which needs no
Reform.

" God save 'the King."
At an early hour a considerable number of persons had as-
sembled in the Castle Yard. At half-past 11 o'clock the upper
part of the Hall was crowded by landholders and farmers of the
most respectable appearance, who had made their way through
the Castle. At 12 o'clock the High Sheriff (Sir R. P. Jod-
drell, Bart.) entered the Court, and. was received with loud
plause. The body of the Hall was then thrown open, and was
immediately filled in every part.
E. Wodehouse, Esq. M.P. for the County, having made his
appearance in the side gallery, was received by a mixture of
groans, hisses, and cheers; the former Lowever were much more
general than the latter. The Honourable Gentleman received
this salutation with the utmost good humour, bowing and
nodding occasionally to different persons in the crowd. There
had for several minutes before this been a cry of " Adjourn
into the open air, adjourn into the open air." This cry now
became so loud as to prevent any thing else from being heard in
the Hall.

The HIGH SHERIFF said, a wish was expressed by some
persons present to adjourn to the Castle Hill. All he had to
say, as far as regarded himself was, that he was ready to meet
the wishes of the freeholders as far as he could, consistently
with his duty.—(Applause.)—He should therefore leave it to
the Meeting to decide whether they they would adjourn or not.
But if they did, he trusted the same good order and regularity
would be preserved without as within the walls of that Court—
(Loud cries of" Adjourn, adjourn," mixed with whistling and
groaning.)
q! Mr. G. WATSON said, from the conduct of those present,
one would be led to imagine, that instead of assembling to dis-
cuss with calmness and impartiality the question of Reform,
they had met together for the purpose only of interrupting the
Meeting, and abusing certain individuals.—.(Groans.)—He
called upon them to act like rational men, like freeholders, con-
scious of the value of their liberties, and anxious to support
them.—('l he noise was still continued.)
The HIGH SHERIFF said he understood it to be the wish of
the Meeting that no adjournment should take place, as there
was not such a crowded assemblage as to render it necessary—
(Cries of No, no !)
A general cry of " Mr. Coke, Mr. Coke," was now raised ;
and it having been at length announced that that Gentleman
was approaching, loud cheering took place. Mr. Coke at
length made his appearance, and the cheering and clapping of
hands became louder, and were longer continued than those we
remember to have witnessed on any former occasion; there
were also one or two hisses. The crowd was so very dense
that Mr. Coke, notwithstanding the anxiety of all present to
make way for him, experienced great difficulty in taking his
place near the Chair.—(Loud cries of " adjourn" were still
kept up in the body of the Hall.)
Mr. COKE endeavoured to obtain a hearing, but the shouts
and groans of the Meeting, mingled with cries of " adjourn,"
completely drowned the Hon. Gentleman's voice.
The HIGH SHEFIIFF observed,,that if order were not main-
tained, it would be impossible to proceed in the business

The UNDEICSIIERIFF (Geo. Wyirier, Esq.), read the Re-
quisition, and the High Sheriff's answer thereto. It had affixed
to it the signatures-of upwards of 250 of the principal Nobility,
Gentry, Owners, and Occupiers of Land in the County, among
whom were—the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Albemarle, Lord
Suffield, Viscount Bury, Lord Charles Townshend, Sir I'. B.
Lennard, Bart. Sir W. J. H. B. Folkes, Bart. Sir J. E. Smith,
Knt., the lion. W. Fitzroy, T. W. Coke, Esq. (Member of
Parliament for the County), E. Lambe, Esq. S. T. Southwell,
Esq. N. Micklethwait, Esq. Archdeacon Bathurst, Rev. C.
Anson, Rev. J. B. Collier, Rev. R. N. Raikes, J. Postle, Esq.
Alderman Thurtell, E. H. Gibbs, Esq. &c.
Sir T. B. BEE von, Bart. was proceeding to address the
Meeting, when
Mr. COKE begged to call the attention of the High Sheriff to
the letter which he (Mr. Coke) had delivered to the Honourable
Baronet from Lord Suffield, and which he wished to be read to
the Meeting.
The HIGH SHERIFF said, it had been his intention to read
it, after the putting of the Resolutions, but he was perfectly
ready to do so now. The Honourable Baronet then read the
following letter
" London, May 6, 1822.
" SlR—Being one of those who requested you to convene a
County Meeting,. for the purpose of deliberating upon the pro-
priety of petitioning Parliament for a Reform in the representa-
tion of the People, I feel it due, in respect, Sir, to yourself and
to the Meeting which has been called by public advertisement,
to apologize for my unavoidable absence from Norfolk at the
time it is to take plate. Regretting, severely as I do, the cir-
cumstances which deprive me of the pleasure of meeting my
friends in Norfolk on this highly important occasion, I still de-
live consolation from a consciousness of my inability essentially
to promote the cause of Reform by my presence. I think a
Reform in the Representation of the People recommended by
policy, I think it demanded by justice, and I think it required
by the intellectual, the moral, and the political condition of the
country. The arguments upon which these several positions
may be maintained are so obvious to the understanding of im-
partial and unprejudiced persons, and they are indeed so sensi-
bly brought home to the feelings of the greater part of those
who will probably attend the Meeting, over which I conclude,
Sir, you will preside, that it is needless, and would therefore be
unbecoming, in me to trespass further upon your attention than
to express my ardent hope that unanimity in a prayer for Re-
form may prevail at your Meeting ; not only at your Meeting
but through the County of Norfor. ; not only through Norfolk,
but through the whole Empire ; as upon a general, if hot uni-
versal call for Reform, I most conscientiously believe the safety
of England to depend.
" I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient,
(Signed) " SUFFIELD.
" Sir R. P. Joddrell, Bart. High Sheriff of Norfolk."

Sir T. B.' BEEv on, Bart, in coming forward to propose a
list of Resolutions for the consideration of the Meeting, re-
gretted that the duty had not devolved upon some of those
Gentlemen around him, who were so much better qualified
than he was to discharge it. But while he was ready to yield
to the superior abilities of other Gentlemen, he would yield to no
one in attachment to the cause of Parliamentary Reform.—(Ap-
plause.)—That was a question in which they were all interested
with which they were all identified. It became them to con-
sider that every man had a right to a voice in framing those
laws which he was bound to obey, and by which his person and
property were to be protected. In supporting this opinion he
was backed by one of the greatest legal authorities of this
country. Judge Blackstone maintained, that in a free Go-
vernment every man who was a free agent had a right to a voice
in the election of his Representative, and therefore that one
branch of the Government resided in the whole body of the
people. This he conceived was clear enough. Here was no
mention of the Boroughmongers, or of the necessity of placing
this branch of the Government in the hands of a wealthy Aris-
tocracy ; but it was admitted that the appointment of this
branch of the Legislature was vested in the whole body of the
people. It was impossible that the population of this country
at 'present could exercise this right, and therefore it was that
Representatives were elected to act for them and watch over
their interests. In these elections, therefore, all the people
had a right to have an equal voice. Did the House of Com-
mons represent all the people of England at this moment—
(" No, no ?)—lle maintained that it did not—(" No, it does
not."—He begged pardon—it did not actually represent the
people, but then it represented them virtually. Supposing
that lie had a dispute with his neighbour, and it was agreed to
adjust it by reference, what would be thought of him if he in-
sisted on appointing the referee, declaring that his friend (the
referee) was an honourable man, and incapable of deciding un-
justly ? Absurd as such a proceeding would appear, yet such
precisely was the situation in which the people were placed by
the Government. They (Ministers) exercised the power of
electing those who were to decide between them and the people.
—(Applause.)—One of the objections against Parliamentary,
Reform was, that it would lead to revolution, and this argu-
ment was urged by persons who, when it served their turn, had
always the Revolution of 1688 in their mouths=-(Applause !)
He was one of those who thought that though much had been
done at the Revolution of 1688, yet that much had been left
undone ; and he felt convinced the seeds of our present evils
might be traced to the omissions of that period. It was next
said that, if Parliamentary Reform were once brought about,
the Representatives of the people would be degraded to mere
delegates. If he understood the difference between the two
characters, it was this, that a Representative was elected for a
general purpose, while a delegate was appointed for a particular

S. T. SOHTH‘iELL, Esq. came forward to second the Re-
solutions, and was received with much applause. He felt great
diffidence in addressing the meeting. The task which devolved
upon him was an honourable one; but it had been put upon
him—it was not of his own seeking. He felt much nervous-
ness when he compared the weakness of his poor talents with
the greatness of the question before them—(Applause).—He
was an old Reformer, perhaps the oldest in that assembly—
(Cheers).—He did not recollect the time when he was not a
Reformer—he did not recollect the time when he did not per-
ceive and laugh at the absurdity and folly of what was called
virtual representation—he did not recollect the time when he
did not clearly perceive the evils which must result from a per-
severance in that system by' which one thousandth part of 'the
people elected that Body who were said to be the Representa-
tives of the whole nation—(Applause).—lt was a perseverance
in that wretched system which had brought down such an accu-
mulation of evils upon the country, and which would still fur-
ther increase -those evils, unless they exerted themselves tem.
perately, but firmly, in seeking redress. It was not his inten-
tion to take up the time of the meeting with a description of the
mischief and profligacy which arose from our present represen-
tative system ; he should leave it to abler men. But he felt it
necessary to answer a few of the objections which had been
from time to time made by their adversaries (for they had many
and able adversaries) against Parliamentary Reform. Those
objections might he classed under three or four heads. First,
it was said that this was not the time to introduce that question ;
and next, persons had the confidence, or he should rather say
the impudence, to ask, in mockery, what Reformers expected
to get by Parliamentary Reform—(Cries of " every thing") ?
Those persons cautioned the Reformers to take care what they
were about--to take care that, however honest their intentions,
they were not tools in the hands of wicked and designing men,
whose whole aim was to overturn society, and in the confusion
which must ensue, to possess themselves of that property which
would in the struggle be cast on the waters of desolation--(Ap-
plause).--These observations were weak and groundless. They
applied to no time, much less to the present. If, on the other
hand, it was argued that this was not the best time for dis-
cussing Parliamentary Reform, he would meet their adver-
saries half way, by admitting that it was not. The best time
for discussing Parliamentary Reform, was when it was first
broached. It was now about 50 years since the question of Re-
form was first agitated, and if the popular voice had been at-
tended to, and acted upon, before the American war took place,
we should never have known the bloodshed which that war oc-
casioned, nor should we at this moment be labouring under the
pressure of the 200,000,0001. of debt which it inflicted upon us.
Had the country, after the American war, acted upon the ad-
vice of some of our greatest men, among others Mr. Pitt, and
Mr. (now Lord) Grey, we should have avoided the bloodshed
and misery of the late French war. In short, had we adopted
a different line of policy, we might have avoided all the mise-
ries under which we were at this moment suffering. So far he
agreed with the opponents of this question, but no farther.—
Ho maintained that this was the time to consider the question
of Reform, and if Government did not attend to the voice of the
people, they must expect that the ruin which now hung over
the country would burst upon and destroy them. The whole
frame of society was out of order. The Landed Interest was
humbled to the dust—the Agricultural Interest, the support of
the whole kingdom, was prostrate at their feet. They were told
that manufactures were flourishing; but lie would appeal to
any man whether, under such circumstances; they could be
long carried on with a profit ? The commerce of this country,
too, was in a state of the greatest jeopardy. This then was the
period when they were bound, one and all, to support Parlia-
mentary Reform : it was for all their interests to support it
with one voice, and if they neglected it now, they would surely
rue it. Who was there that did not perceive that in such a
state of things, the House of Commons ought to possess the
confidence of the people ? But who was it that could be impu-
dent enough to state that the people ought to place confidence
in the House of Commons, constituted as it at present was ?
In sayng this,`he begged to observe that he was of no party.
He was anxious to see the distinctions of Whig and Tory
abolished, and wished to be considered as belonging to the
party of the people. The Hon. Gentleman, after some further
remarks, observed that their object in seeking for Reform was,
not to overturn but to purify the Constitution.—(Applause.)—
He called, therefore, upon every man to do his duty. Unless
a Reform in Parliament took place, either the popular fury,
stimulated by oppression and poverty, would break forth, or
else this Government would dwindle into a despotism.—
(Cheers.)—ln persevering in the cause for which they were as-
sembled, they would best consult the true dignity of the Crown,
and protect the rights and liberties of the People. It was with
this view that he seconded the Resolutions, arid he hoped they
would be carried unanimously.
The Resolutions were then put seriatim, and carried unani-
mously.
Mr. E. CORY, after some observations upon the necessity of
Landlords coming forward in aid of their tenants, proceeded tc
remark that Farmers were more imposed upon by Parsons than
by any other class-of men in society. They had all read in the
Bible of the locusts which had overspread and desolated the
land. The Parsons were the locusts of this country, and would
devour the substance of the land—(Cheers, mixed with cries of
question !)—But they (the farmers) would soon have it in their
power to alter this state of things. It was not until the tithe
had been cast that the Parson would discover what its real va-
lue originally was—(Cries of order ! we are here to discuss the
question of Reform and nothing else.)
Mr. THOS. THURTELL next addressed the Meeting. He
should not have obtruded himself upon them were it not that
he had at a Hundred Meeting, at Blofield, pledged himself to
make a few observations upon the conduct of one of their
County Members (Mr. Wodehouse.) In alluding to that Ho-
nourable Gentleman's conduct, he assured him (Mr. W.) that
it was by no means his intention to misrepresent what had
taken place at the last County Meeting ; upon that occasion
he understood Mr. Wodehouse to say, that a diminution of
taxes was absolutely necessary—(Hear, hear! from Mr. Wode-
house); that he hoped to see the allowances of the Royal Fa-
mily, as well as all the other qxpences of the State, reduced.—
But, some how or other they never heard a word more about it
from the Hon. Member—(Cheers!)—He (Mr. Wodehouse) said
that his_opinions were in unison with the Petition adopted by the

Upon Sir T. BEEVOR'S motion, that the Petition be pre.
sented by the County Members, there were loud cries of "by
one," "by one." It was however carried that it should be
presented by both.
Mr. COKE, on coming forward, was received by loud and
repeated cheers and clapping of hands. The Hon. Gentleman
said that he should not, after what had passed, detain the
Meeting at any length, but he could not help expressing the
satisfaction he felt it; meeting his constituents upon all Occasions.
--(Applause.),—At the last County Meeting they had agreed
to a Petition to Farliament praying relief. He presented that
Petition, and It had met just with that .attention which he et.
pected, hat was to say, that no relief whatever was ektended
to the Petitioners.—(Applause.)—The Honourable Gentleman,
adverting to the Norfolk Hundred. Petitions, observed that,
though he presented them, he expressed to the parties that such
Petitions ought each and all to include the question of Parlia-
mentary Reform. Of all that he did present (and he had pre:
sented many in the course of the Session), there were only three
Which did not include that important question.—(Applause.)--
He proceeded to observe that the Marquis of Londonderry had
deluded the country. The whole of the Noble Lord's measures
were a system of delusion. Let them look to the effects of those
measures. The Honourable Gentleman here took a review of the
political measures which had been introduced, and acted upon
during the last fifty years, and contended, that to these mea-
sures chiefly were owing the miseries under which the country
at present laboured. Until the present system was put an end
to, there was no hope of salvation for the country. flow could
they expect relief from an Assembly, in which there were 62
Members as much bound to obey the Minister, as any servant
in his (Mr. Coke's) house, was bound to obey him ?=—(Cheers.)
—Were it not for this there would have been long ere now a
considerable reduction of taxes". •
Mr. Wonnimest came forward to address the Meeting,
but the noise which prevailed prevented him for a short time
from proceeding. Whatever might be his private feelings upon
the question which had drawn them together, he felt that he
should best consult their wishes and discharge his own duty,
by entering at once upon an explanation of his public condnct
since he had last appeared before them ; in doing so, he
should touch upon the Salt Tax.—(Much disapprobation.)--
He should give his reasons for voting against that tax, and
perhaps his Honourable Coll !ague (Mr. Coke) would tell them
why he did not vote at all upon that occasion.—(A
The Meeting would bear in mind the circumstances under
which Parliament had met this year. It was known that dis.
tress, unprecedented in the annals of this kingdom, and arising
from various causes, was felt all over the country, but no where
more than in the county of Norfolk. This distress diffused over
thecountry a spirit which induced thinking men to pause en th ry
took any step which might involve those other interests s hit
were bound up with, and inseparable from, the agriculture of
the country, and which, should that interest languish and de-
cay, must cease to prosper.—(.Applause.)--Under those circum-
stances, a motion was made in Paiqiament to reduce the taxes
of the country, not indeed by 20,000,0001. as was now sug-
gested, but perhaps by 5,000,0001., which, if carried at that
period, must have gone to the total annihilation of the Sinking
Fund—(Cries of "'No, no.")—upon the maintenance of the
Sinking Fund then, 'depended to a certain extent, the public
credit.--(Applause, and cries of " No, no.")—Whatever Gen.

tlemen inialit think upon these matters, they sadly deceived
themselves if they imagined that it was the rich only who were
benefited by the maintenance of public credit.—(Applause.)--
There was not a man who heard him, no matter how low his sta-
tion in society, who must not be benefitted or injured by the
preservation or failure of public credit. He felt called upon
on that occasion to consider the impression likely to be made
upon the country by the vote to Which the House should
come. At the period in question Ministers were negociat .
ing for the reduction of a considerable portion of that part
of the debt of the country which bore the highest interest;
he meant the Five per Cents. It was of the utmost im-
portance to the country that there should be but few dis-
sents entered ; and the dissents were so few that Government
were enabled to pay them off at once, and by that means
they became possessed of additional resources, amounting
to 1,500,0001. and now one half, if not the whole, of the Salt

Tax might be repealed. He had been accused of giving pledges,
which he never made—of giving votes which he had never re-'
corded—of using words which he had never spoken—and of
expressing sentiments which he had never entertained.
Mr. E. H. GIBBS observed, that Mr. Wodehouse had
pledged himself generally in support of the Petition, excepting
only the Resolution relative to Parliamentary Reform.
Mr. WODEHOUSE proceeded. What he said at the former
Meeting was simply this c " I have no hesitation in saying,
that relief must come in the shape of mitigated taxation."—
This he said then, and this he repeated now. But he had
never gone beyond a general pledge, except on the Malt Tax,
and die reduction of that tax he had uniformly support-
ed. He should now say a word or two about the question
of Reform. He did not deny that the Constitution of the
country did not admit of amendment; but he was not
therefore prepared to go upon a rash crusade until he knew
the length which he was required to go. He should call
the attention of the Meeting to what the present state of
the House of Commons was. He did not mean that which
was by some persons called the corrupt side, but that which
was called the Opposition. They would nd that some of
the most leading men of that party, and the brighteit orna-
ments of. their country, were returned by borough-influenq.—
Take, for instance, Mr. Tierney, an upright aria most enlight-
ened statesman; that Honourable Gentleman was returned for
Knaresborough by Lord Fitzwilliam. Sir J. Mackintosh was
returned in the same way. .Mr. Brougham was returned for
Winchelsea, by the Earl of Thanet. Dr. Lu§kington, for il-
chester, by the Earl of Darlington. Mr. Aber by, for Caine,
by the Marquis of Lansdown. Lord Normanby,.who second-
ed Lord Russell's motion for reform, was returned for High-
am Ferrers, by Earl Fitiwilliam. Lord Ebrington was return-
ed for Tavistock, by the Duke of Bedford. The present Lord
Suffield (here a gentleman addressed Mr. Wodehouse in a low
tone.)—His Hon. friend had told him that he was furnishing
the strongest possible argument in favour of Parliamentary re-
form.-:-.(Cheers.)—Perhaps he was ; bet his object was to shew
the manner in which the Opposition side of the House of Com-
mons was at present constituted. He felt not the slightest hesi-
tation in saying, that the whole of the Gentlemen whose names
he had mentioned were bright ornaments of their country, and
he should not wish to see any of them out of Parliament; but then
they were all returned by a burgage tenure, as firm and indite
putable as that of the Member for Old Sarum, the Member for
Corfe Castle, 'or even the Chancellor of the Exchequer him-
self.—(Cheers and disapprobation.)
Mr. COKE said, that his Hon. Colleague could not furnish
a stronger argument in support of Reform than lie did by the
line of argument he had just taken. The Gentlemen he had
named were all supporters of Reform and would willingly give
up their seats in support of that so justly desired object.—
(Applause.)
Mr. W. W. SIMPSON and the Rev. G. GLOVER supported
the Resolutions.

Thanks were voted to the High Sheriff', and the Meeting was
dissolved at five minutes past four o'clock.