The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-28 00:00:00

COUNTY OF DO WN MEETING.
(From the Belfast Northern Whig.)
On Thursday last, the 20th inst., a numerous and
highly respectable meeting of the freeholders of the
county of Down was held, agreeably to requisition,
in the Courr-house of Downpatrick, NICHOLAS
CHARLES WHYTE, Esq. High Sheriff, in the Chair.
The HIGH SHERIFF read the requisition, and
briefly explained the objects of the meeting.
Mr. HUGH WeLeecte was requested to act a,
S ecre,ary.
Mr. OGILVIE rose to propose the first resolution.
He had always been a R-former, but never had he
seen any prospect of success until now ; and it i,
on account of the opening there is at present appa-
rent, that he was impelled to leave his elbow chain
by his fire-side, to address the freeholders of the
county. He was in his 89th year, and might, there-
fore, claim their indulgence, from his advanced age.
—(Loud cheers.) He had seen Reform opposed,
as it will, perhaps, he now, by the two Houses of
Parliament ; he had seen it opposed by the 'Ministry
and the Crown; but now the case is different—
now we have a virtuous Ministry, setting at defiance
the two Houses—holding up Reform to the people,
and calling on them for encouragement and assist-
ance. They hail a powerful opp .neat in the Duke
of Wellington ; and he was grieved at it. At one
time he had been the boast of the nation—the pride
of the country—the conqueror of Napoleon—the
bestower of peace and happiness upon all; but he
has embarked against Reform, and given up all his
honours to become the leader of a faction of place-
men and pensioners. If he hail not been fettered
by the Aristocracy, he would never have relinquished
the interests of the people; but he is bound to resist
Reform; he i, bound in honour to support his party
against his King—that King who has nobly and
gloriously joined his Ministry in Reform.—(Cheers.)
It is to enable the King and Ministry to carry into
effect these great blessings that we are at present
met. The King is the noble capital of the pillar,
but the people are its base. L,t us then feel our
own importance—cur own weight—and our own
consequence ; we are superior to all power in the
state, for it is from the freeholders anti labouring,
classes that all power, authority, and government in
the realm are allowed and ought to emanate.
Mr. E. S. RUTIIVEN, 111. P., agreed, that, until
lately, the prospects of carrying Reform were very
slight indeed. At present, we have strong reason
to hope for a consummation of that great measure;
and, without it, we cannot expect peace and pros-
perity for our country.—(Cheers.) lie would not
enter into details on his opinions respecting the sort
of Reform he thought necessary ; but he could not
avoid mentioning, that he conceived a period of
three years the longest, during which any Parlia-
ment should be constituted.—(Repeated cheering.)
It was unparliamentary to condemn the present Par-
liament ; but he might at least speak freely of the
former one, and he would say, that a more corrupt
one could scarcely exist. By pensions, and sine-
cures, they had ruined the people. iSloney had
been lavished, in the most extravagant manner, in
pensioning, not only themselves, but their brothers,
their cousins, their children, and even their grand-
children. We do not yet know the extent of such
pensions. A list of them had been published;
but it was \Veil known that it was not perfect, and
he hoped the House of Commons would be
!realest enough to have it so completed, that
we should be able to see the full extent of
such corruptions. It was a disgraceful circum-
stance, that Peers received salaries for situations as
Clerks in several Courts, in which they could not
even appear, consistently with their character. He
did not wish that the servants of Government
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vernment should amply provide for them ; and,
when they became old in the discharge of their duty,
they should be provided with the means of living in
the enjoyment of those comforts to which they had
been accustomed.—(Hear.) The country does not
wish to pull down the comforts of the hard-working
public men; it does not wish to take away the pen-
sions from those who have bled in the service of
their country, or from the widows and children of
those who have died in the defence of it. It wished
to fly at nobler game. He hoped that Reform
would produce such a modification of the tithe sys-
tem, as would do justice both to the clergy and the
people. lie hoped, also, to see a complete revision
of the Grand Jury laws, which have been so pro-
ductive of mischief, depravity, and immorality, and
so and peculation.—
(Cileme(ileu.c)tivelloef flrraouudlCfeltiaicklenetline' liberty of saying,
that he thought Reform would be best pro-
moted by peace, by supporting the Ministry, and
by avoiding agitation calculated to disturb the public
tranquillity ; still, however, preserving the sacred
right of petitioning.—(Loud cheers.) He would be
glad all parts of the country were in as good a con-
dition as the North. Our industry had sustained
ue. It was a delusion to suppose that Parliament
could, by an Act, give bread to the hungry. It
v'elrid nient ; but we must exert
‘Pli'meisrilt:yrtO be in prosperity. An order
personal liberty, and af-
fordocvsot,
alurssl delfliao%s,ceevitsic,i,utsiirtefeespv,pfp,oeriorn g
forward to assume its proper place
in society—he meant the middle order of the people.
This order was now recognized, though there were
inan., who would trample on it. lie was proud to
rank himself in it. (Loed cheers.) He would de-
vote his best energies to promote their interests. An
Aristocracy, lost in luxury, were incapable of think-
ing for themseleee, much less for promoting the in-
terests of the people. Mr. Ruthven concluded,
amid loud cheers, by seconding the resolution ;
which was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. MONTGOMERY, of Rosemount, begged to
move the next resolution; and as it was merely a
declaratory one, on which to found others, he would
merely say, that what would best tend to ameliorate
the country, would be, putting down the Oligarchy,
who threatened to put down both the King and the
people.—(Cheers.)
"Mr. 3PCANct: seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously agreed to.
111 r. A. PILsoN, in proposing the next resolution,
said, Sir, it is matter of gratulation to reflect, that
we are assembled, not to impede the measures of
Government, nor to cast obstacles in the way of its
general progress; but, on the contrary, for the pur-
pose of cheering forward the Administration of
Lord Grey, in their glorious and patriotic career of
regenerating the country. Amidst tine numerous
details comprised in the general plan of Reform, we
find the anomalous circumstance of the close bo-
roughs and corrupt corporations, both of which are
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dual. Turn to Belfast, with a population of 60,000,
great in her wealth, great in her commercial enter-
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—n t e n
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prise—in
scholars and patriots, and consider the feelings, the
opinions, and the interests of all those consigned—
to whom why, to an individual-who is the repre-
sentative of twelve burgesses, that are themselves
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pre-
sume it is unnecessary to take up the time of the meet-
log further- on the subject, but trust, in the long tried