The Sun.
London, England, 1809-05-02 00:00:00

:slot ion. with our former, we shall be convinced
.LIIJI no relief can be afforded us but by the success of
thiAt measure which we have met this day to attempt
to pr4lmote. Gentlemen, on the accession of
,King
among various stipulations on behalf of
the, public to,which be consented, as the conditions
of his ascending the Throne of these Kingdorns,.
there were many which related to grievances at that
time deemed most oppressiVe, but which have since
been so interwoven with the pradice of our Go.
• vernment, that we scarcely mention them as abUses,
tecause.we. scarcely hive for their redress. For in--
stance,' Gentlemen, one of the reasons for which
'King James was driven from his Throne was, be-
Cs‘lse he persisted in keeping a standing army. Now
this evil has been so long fostered, that although
highly 'dangerous to the rights of the people, and of
little use to the security of the country, it is yet so
legated. in the administration of the Government
of these Islands,. that we are almost ashamed to call
that a grievance which was formerly held to he
.so
opetessivs,' as tb justify our forefathers in driving a
lying it vm his Throne. The assault on th.. freedom
44f eiectioe was one-among :the stated reasons fur the
• expulsion of the family of. the Stuarts. Now, day
;Aser day, fresh proofs are adduced of fresh assaults
on:Altai freedom. Public evidencebas been given of
I he- exigence of this crime in a Minister, and that
its tshe worst-way in which it could poSsibly exist
'Pi:at Minister was avowedly, guilty of abusing his
patrooage for Parliamentary purposes ; and yet we
hare: seen the House of Commons eager'to palliate,
if m:t to justify the crime,, and bold enottgit to pro.
tel the criminal from the due punishment of his

guilt, If any argument be wanting to prove to
tbe country the 'absolute necessity of reforming the
flotiZe of Commons, this occurrence must afFord
W andance sufficiently iMpressive on your minds.—
,An the evils which we now endureall the dangers
With which the country is threatened---all the 'griev-
ancs which we snfter—all the oppression under
which we labour, originate in one cause---perpetual
:i!tempts of every Minister to force hisiOols !nto the
Ileust.of Commons, as the substitutes for the real
te.:.resentatives of the people. Gentlemen, I
,know,
ih with respe6t to the case of my Lord Castle-
regh, ..there are some persons who unblushingly
maintain that it is very hard to punish an individual
who has merely committed a mistake. Hid Lordship
has been represented as an innocent young man, un-
per,alici in the affairs of the world, and who by ac-
cident became the dupe of an impostor. Perhaps
this sentiment has arisen from a compassionate feel-
i;ig, similar to that lermerly expressed for the fAte of
the inglorious Chartres, who, after having, for many
years lived with ituptinity in the commission of eve-
ry crime that could disgtace human nature, was, in
his old age, condemned to:death for a rape. It was
of him, that be who torso long a period escaped
when guilty, was at last punished for an .ael he was
ututbl,.... to commit: For,- Gentlemen, the ground of

defence taken b%' the friends of Lord Castlereagh is,
'elt4t he did not complete the deed of which he was ac-
cused, I own that I heard that defence with indigna-
tion—an indignation .whit was not lessened by my,
reeollectiOn of the fate of Hamlyn, the pnor Cornish
timnan, who, for an attempt to corrupt the inte-
grity, of, Mr.' Addington, :NV34 ruined for ever.—
that the Noble Lord should .meet with protection
• in a tionsiii the character and privittges: of which
were so -deeply involved by his contind, merits
terms of reprobation which it would not be-prudent
or fit for me to use in this Ariserribly.' By their pro:
ceeding, alp House of Commons entangled them-
selviss in this absurd predicament. Qn their Jour-
-0314 is a Resolution of th.o year 1776, that any 'such
attempt to influence. the 'ele6tion of Members of
Padionient, was to strike at the dignity, honour,
and independence of the 'House : and now they
have on the same Journal, a Resolution exculpatory
at Lord 'Castlereagh, because his* Lordship only
made an attempt at such a blow, and failed in the
ex*cution of it. Gentleinen, in referring to the old,
constitutional laws, to which, whenever the Con-

raitution is mentioned, I suppose a reference is al»
ways intended, we shall find principles' recorded,'
for the assertion of which I have ftequently been
accused, and that too by persons whose reading
ought to have taught them better, or. a" love of -
no,.eity. A grand provision in the a6t of settlement
nt the Crown is, that /no placeman, or pensioner, or
person holding an offipe Oder the Crown, shall .sit
the Cotrimoni Home of Parliament: You know
how' that. provision has been complied. with. It is
alsOena6ted, that this country Shall never engage in
war for the support of Ins Majesty's German domi-
nions. You know how that enaament has been
ent,aced ; you know that the present calamitous
cootest.in which we are engaged, originated in the
defence of these &minions. .Gentlemen, if you
will 'take the trouble of tracing the progress of this
borough-mongering faotion (for I will not dignify '
them-with the name of a Government), you will..
find that they have again brought upon us all those
evili against which our forefathers fondly imagined
they had secured to their posterity. To those en.'
crteichments on 'the public liberty, which our an-
cL,tors had 100 much spirit to bear, even from the
King on the Throne, we have -again
.been iubjeaed
by this Maim) of borongh-mongers'; with this ag-
Arai:attar of the evil, that it has been prodoCed by a
'lacrieuce to defend us from, it, by an assimilation to
t hal unnatural ati, which is termed in the book.
that ough, always to be mentioned with reverence
Bible---" Seething the Kid in the mother's
The principle 01 lite has been converted
into the principle of destruction ; the poison infused
into the Constitution has had the more baneful died,
lx;Tause it was administered in the shape of an anti-
clote. In contemplating the calamities which- the
sitriport Of this unnatural system haa occasioned, the,
retrospect is indeed gloomy. I cannot forget the
1004, the cruel, and the unjust imprisonment which
inJitidnals have endured.;' I cannot forget the years
which have passed, marked ny the GovernMent.of
this country with every trait which distinguishes the
condo& of the Governme9t of countries that we
have' been in. the I)3bit of considering asunder the
itoo hand of despotic power. Not only have we
innocent men enduring a cruel rind arbitrary
noptisonment, but we have seen our teas covered
with exiles, And our sthores stained with blood.—
Gentlemen, this is not too strong language„ it we
turn our eyes to Ireland; it is not 'too strong lau-
tuage if, we tarn them inwardly en ourselves. For
years and years did the countrrendure the grossest
; iolations of the law ; that they were vioations was
evident from the confession of the Violators. That set