The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-31 00:00:00

tranquillity at home. But does Mr. Canning mean that a House
of Commons such as we wish for, would thwart the personal
views and wishes of the Monarch ? Truly this position comes
with an ill grace from Mr. Canning, who, backed not by the
nation at large, nor by the body of the aristocracy but by
a mere junto, has, contrary to the personal wishes of his
Majesty, been lately introduced into the Cabinet. Gentle-
men, in asserting that a House of Commons fairly chosen
is inconsistent with the existence of the Monarchy, Mr.
Canning has libelled the Crown, or the people, or both.—
He has virtually asserted, either that the Sovereign is likely
to wish for what is incompatible with the public good, or that
the genuine representatives of the people are likely to be so
stupid and ignorant as to be insensible of what will tend to
the national welfare. Between the horns of this dilemma he
has fixed himself; and with all his wriggling, and with all his
harlequin tricks, I defy him to escape from the position which
he has unwittingly occupied. But, Gentlemen, the sophistry
of Mr. Canning cannot arrest the great march of public events.
The cause of reform has been deserted by many of its leaders :
—lt was deserted by Mr. Pitt,—it was deserted by Mr. Burke.
But there is one leader who will never desert it, till he has ac-
complished the good work which we wish to see perfected—and
that leader, Gentlemen, is the debt. This leader has an active
coadjutor, known by the name of the dead-weight. Under the
influence of these leaders, recruits are added to the ranks of re-
form, not as the old song says, "by ones, by twos, and by
threes," but by whole masses. Some years ago, the great body
of the manufacturing
.population of the country, who, in for-
mer times, were instigated to acts of violence against the
partizans of reform, have become its most active advocates.—
Of late, the yeomanry of the land have been actuated by the
same spirit ; and even the slumbering squire-archy seem to be
roused to a sense of the necessity of an amelioration in the com-
position of the House of Commons. Under the auspices of Mr.
Fawkes, whose public virtues and whose talents lately wrung
an eulogium from Mr. Canning himself, the County of York is
in motion in support of our cause. Other counties, I under-
stand, are likely to follow this great example ; and 1 trust that
a cry for Reform will be raised from one extremity of the land
to the other, and that it will not cease to be raised, till, by its
legitimate organ in St. Stephen's chapel, it shall speak in the
attempered tone of harmonious discussion upon the great inte-
rests of the realm.
When the health of Colonel WILLIAMS was given, that
Gentleman rose and spoke nearly as follows :—" Gentlemen,
I thank you for this expression of your good will, with
which I am the more gratified upon reflecting, that at the
moment of the celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of this
Institution, I can at least claim the merit of being a steady ad-
herent of it, and through perilous times, in which we have kept
together in our chivalry, I have never hesitated in the choice of
those colours in which our enemies deserved to be represented.
When the work is achieved, to forward which our body was form-
ed, we perhaps need not lament the paucity of our present num-
bers ;we may say with the hero of Agincourt, Thp fewer men
the greater share of honour :' my portion of that honour, there-
fore, I shall not readily disclaim. Gentlemen, at the self-elect-
ed Congress we have heard a great deal of the monarchical prin-
ciple, and the necessity of upholding it. What this principle is,
they have not condescended to define. In the language of Mr.
Canning, I would call it, " the spirit there is now adverse to all
rational freedom ;" and if we may judge from its practical ef-
fects, we need not regret that so much anxiety seems now to be
excited forits safety ; for, of all things, this anxiety is the best
indication of its danger. And what lamentation can this
danger create in the minds of men who are friends to their kind,
and who are advocates for " peace on earth and good will to-
wards man ?" Is this monarchical principle to be found in the
conduct of Ferdinand of Naples, and him of Spain, who have
both violated their oaths to their people ? Or is it to be found
in Francis of Austria, who borrowed our money with the most
solemn guarantees of payment within a certain time, and
whose princely promises have never been fulfilled, even to the
payment of one shilling of the interest of the money ? Is
it in such conduct that we are to look for the monarchical
principle ? In one or in all of those rulers, who made
such unqualified promises of freedom to their - respective
people in the hour when their aid was essential to the
support of their thrones, and who took care to forget their
promises when their throne no longer needed that sup-
port ? I speak now of the principle as it is asserted by
the heads of Governments abroad ;—happily we know no-
thing of monarchy with ourselves the word itself is
totally inapplicable to the powers. with which the people of
this country have invested their Chief Magistrate : I trust,
therefore, we shall never be called upon to speak out on such an
assumption of principle; and certainly the best way of prevent-
ing this is to suffer not the slightest inroad of authority on the
part of the Crown, without remonstrance : and in this spirit,
Gentlemen, I will not hesitate to say that we have a just right
to complain, when we see an unnecessary increase of palaces
and royal establishments, whilst cottages and their tenantry are
fast hastening into decay."
On the health of Mr. John Wood being drunk, with much
applause,
Mr. OTTIWELL WOOD rose to return thanks in behalf of
his'son, and to express the gratification he himself felt on per-
ceiving that the principles and conduct of one se) nearly related
to him were approved by so respectable a meeting as was then
assembled. Mr. Wood then observed, that as, to the nian-
ner in which elections at York were conducted he knew little
or nothing; but this he knew, that the representatives always
voted in the House in favour of the liberties of the people,
whilst those for Liverpool generally did otherwise ; and after
expressing the satisfaction he felt in witnessing the independent
conduct of his son, he concluded by saying, " Animated, Alt.
Chairman, by your example, and that of others around you ;
encouraged by your approbation; and, above all, supported by
a consciousness of the rectitude of his intentions, and by a spirit
of true patriotism, I am confident that he will continue on every
suitable occasion to express his detestation of political corrup-
tion, and his determination to support the free and genuine
principles of the British Constitution, by advocating the cause
of a reform in the representation in the Commons' House of
Parliament."

After the health of Mr. Egerton Smith had been given, in
conjunction with a free press, Mr. SSnTII addressed the Meet-
ing : he concluded as follows :
Before I sit down, permit me to make an observation upon
one most objectionable tenet in Mr. Canning's political creed,
which has not, in my opinion, called forth the. animadversion
it merits. In his recent speech at our Lyceum, he did not
scruple to assert that England was a monarchy, than which
nothing can be more false or unconstitutional. It is a matter
of notoriety, that the Attorney-General was ordered by the
House of Commons to prosecute the author of a pamphlet,
in which it was maintained that England was a monarchy;
that the King was paramount; and that the other branches
of the Legislature might be dispensed with. The writer
of this pamphlet, which was voted to be a libel on the Consti-

.
tution, was Mr. Reeves, a placeman, as might readily have
been presumed. He held the offices of Chief Justice of New.
foundland. I cannot trace out that the prosecution was ever
carried into effect ; the impression on my mind is, that it never
was, and that the ultra-loyal writer recently was, or still con-
tinues, in place.* But this is a point of very little importance.
The very prosecutor recognized the principle which I maintain,
that England is not a monarchy ; and that Mr. Canning, in
maintaining the contrary, is guilty of treason to the Constitu-
tion, to which he affects so profound a veneration.
Thei Chairman did not leave the room till 11 o'clock : soon
after which the party broke up, highly delighted with the en..
tertainments of the evening.

* Mr. Reeves was tried and acquitted. The passage which
was considered libellous by the House of Commons was as fol-
lows :—" That the Government of England was a Monarchy—
that the Monarchy was the ancient stock, from which have
sprung those goodly branches of the Legislature, the Lords
and Commons—that these, however, were still only branches—
and that they might be lopped off, and the tree be a tree still ;
shorn, indeed, of its honours, but not, like them, cast into the
fire."—(See Parliamentary Debates, 1796.).

CVMBERLAND.—It is in agitation to call a
Meeting of this County for the purpose of peti-

tioning Parliament on the Distressed State of the
Country.

The Archdeacon of NORTHUMBERLAND has
established lending-libraries in almost every
parish in his Archdeaconry, and contributed, at
his sole expence as ,a foundation, 1500 volumes
of proper works. These libraries are under the
care of the minister and churchwardens, and the
books are lent to any parishioner who may apply
for them.

Mr. TELFORD, engioeer, has reported the prac-

ticability of making Norwich a port, by cutting
a navigation to the sea for vessels drawing ten
feet water, either by Yarmouth or Lowestoffe—
expence by way of the former estimated at about
49,0001. by Lowestoffe, 96,0001.
GEORGE BAKER, Esq. of Elemore-ball, at his
rent-day for Stanton, (held at Morpeth) very
generously returned his tenants 20 per cent., and
promised a further reduction should the times be
worse.