The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-26 00:00:00

'were ofttat deseriptien as to induce him tilted every attack
or injustice committed upon the humblest of his countrymen
as one offered to himself:--.( Loud cheers.)-Thitt was formerly
(with present recollections, he said " formerly" with pain) the
prevalent feeling of , that old class of the men of rank in the
country who were styled " the aristocracy." When the old
aristocracy of the land, acting under the wholesome recollection
that they held their large estates for the public good, were proud
to c nue-forward to defend their country when menaced with
public danger, there was a salutary protection for public rights;
but he lamented to see how much that bond of public strength
had been weakened, so far.as the Aristocracy of the land were
concerned, since the French revolution. On that remarkable
occasion, the people deprecated foreign interference, and pro-
claimed the mode of doing so pursued by the Government to be
hostile to the principles upon which. the British Constitution
was professed to be founded. The higher classes, unfortu-
nately, took a different view of the signs of the times, and by
an unmanly and unworthy decision for theinselves, unme-
rited by the lower classes, and unfortunate for all, they
adopted a, course which made them in the end accomplices
in the guilt of others, whose views were despotic, and whose
principles, both then, and ever sinceewere subversive of British
freedom, and of the principles upon which the English Con-
stitution was prefessed to be founded. But notwithstanding
that temporary fatality, he was happy to say, and that convic-
tion was his pride, that the spirit of Englishmen was not
to he subdued ; that, notwithstanding the arbitrary acts of un-
bridled power-notwithetanding the scondalous encroachment
and usurpation of parliamentary corruption,-there Was still
a regenerating and invigorating spirit among the people of
England, which would yet resist the torrent of arbritary
power, and ultimately establish that only security for a
free nation, the right of electing those who were to make the
laws which were to effect their lives and property.-(Applause.)
-His Learned Friend (Mr. Denman) had already touched
non that Parliamentary profligacy which had sported with the
destinies of the Gantry-he had alluded to those measures
which wicked ministers, sustained by corrupt Parliaments,
hadachieved, and then With an air of triumph had asked, what
set of men in the country would be found now to advocate such
measures.? He (Sir. Francis) agreed with his Learned Friend
in this interrogation, but with one exception, and that was, the
majority of the 1150 gentlemen, calling themselves the House
of Commons.- (Great applause..),-That majority, he believed,
would continue, if permitted py the patience of the coun-
try, for the future as heienifore, to pursue the same ca-
reer of public injury, regardless of the consequences. Amongst
the many injuries of which. the people had to complain,. not
the least was the gross misrepresentation of. their object; they
were represented as being impatient. of wholesome controul,
anil anxious to subvert Social order=.-(a laugh) ;-but this gross
absurdity,--thin monstrous calumny, believed by none of the
time-servers who used it for their own sinister purposes, but
who were driven to assert- any thing, however untenable, to
cover their projeete, was not now attempted to be palmed upon
the publiceeiredulity. What was it that the, people, ay, the
boldest of them, had ever asked for ? Only two things, both
of which they had always been told were secured for them at the
revolution. The people wanted nothing but their own rights-
they sought not to invade those privileges of the Peers, which,
extensive as they were, and questionable if a wise man
had them to re-model, but being here, the people said, wine
ortrwitte, let them now remain in their full extent-with them
they sought not to interfere. But they had demanded, and
would still demand; two vital privileges-one wits, simply, the
right of choosing their own representatives, and the other, the
sacred right of an effective and honest trial byJury.-(Applatise.)
-These were rights which, in common sense, they knew they
were entitled to. The theory of these rights was not only
admitted,- but praised, by those who in practice deprived the
people. of the benefit of them.-(llear, hear !)-The people had,
in point of fact, as little in the way of actual right of power
to exercise, as the people of almost those countries proVerbially
called enslaved ; not that the people of ,England were the most
enlaved in the world, and why ?-because there was estill
amorist them some portion of their ancient spirit, whicli Coin.
pelled those in poWer to be oceiteimeally discreet in the exercise
of it; but • that was not the timorous protection which the
People of England ought to enjoy--it was not the occasional
keeping alive of this spirit that ought to satisfy thent. No tea,
sortable mind would tolerate -the enjoyment of liberty, at the
caprice of men in power. The people of Engle/id knew. that
they had a right to a more substantial, security for their free.:
dom -( Hear, hear!)-They had a right to a full and free
presentation in Parliament, and he hoped. they would not re-
Lex their most steadfast effrdrts for he pptuotion and niti.
mat. •suecess. It was for that, the peep e, of whom he
.was
proud to be one, ought to make united, struggle. He waA
ready to put his loot as far in advance as any other man
in the attainment of it.-(clieers.)e-Tlie electors of . Welt.
mineter had already made great and, disiatereiteil sacrifices
in the public cause, and they would be proud to find that
other great bodies.of die lerge towns throughout the calm.
try were ready to, co-operate with them in the promotiou of
the true interests of the people.. But When they considoreit
the ittnuensl resources of the tOroption • which they had
to oppose, they would feel • the imperative necessity of re-
doubled efforts : tlds corruption was appalling, it arose
out cf 'every think ; the blood and treasure of the people spent
in colonial. conquests furnished a wide spume of emolument. in
aid of Corrupt power. There never existat a government-41'e
not even the Roman Empire irr its days of most lavish rei-
soerces•-,which possessed such a mischievous extent of means--.
had not a tenth of the corrupt power which the narrow oli-
garchy of England commanded. It was not the King, who
enjoyed this supremacy, for the King with all his powersand
prerogatives, extensive as they necessarily were, for the repre-
sentative of the people of England, as such the King of a free
nation ought to be considered-it was not the' King, gut the
borough mongering oligarchy, of which. they had to complain ;
it.-wits ;hat oligarchy which oppressed and loaded the King
himself with ohloqtty.a-(Cries of " hear, hear !".)-The King
and • the people, upon a just. mutual understanding of
their rights, had, and could have, but one common inte-
rest. The Crown was bound to maintain the rights of the
people, 'and 'the people owed allegiance to the King, but
none to the oligarchy.-tAppleuse.)-That oligarchy. deserved
punishment rather than respect--rather than the privilege of
beingrespectively Sited to permit the people to refoem them.
selves. Sooner than yield to so base a power as this oligarchy
usurped, he would risk his life .50,000 times over • it 'was
against that usurpation that the whole ,artillery of the public
ought to plity-against it they were bound to direct their loudest
execration.-(Applause.)--Ifuny thing could put this oligarchy
into a more degrading light than its monstrous usurpation,
it would be its nioet odious hypocrisy. • Did not the company
recollect, that when an aged gentleman, Sir Manasseh Lopes,
was detected-detected they called it !_(a laugh)-in doing
that which five-sixths of the Members of the House knew they
had done themselves to obtain their seats, the unfortunate
gentleman so detected, not having the luck of his colleague,
who, wiser in his generation, bribed off the petitioners who com-
plained of bribery-(loud letighter)-becarne at once the object
of the indignation of the House. Really the spectacle was lu.
dicrous, were it not that the system itself was full of public
danger. Poor Sir Manasseh ',epee was instantly overwhelmed
as an example, forsooth ! Even the very Judge who tried him,
who must have got his own seat in Parliament in the very
same way, and who possibly made the seat he had so acquired
the steppingstone to his subsequent promotion-even that
Judge read the old gentleman a long lecture upon the heinous-
ness of his latigh.)e-Big wigs and long robes not
only hide a man's face from his acquaintance, but also fioni
himself t or else the public could never he treated' with such
exhibition as the sentence-of Sir M. Lopes. 'lt was a sort of
drama, 'which,
contrary to the rules of the drama, began in
farce and ended in tragedy : for the poor gentleman who was
prosecuted, had to endure two years' iniprisonment, and to pay
10,00111. fine; more odious act -of injustice, heightened
by hypocrisy, had never been exhibited,-(hear, hear !)-
As it was said, from the foot of Hercules you could know
thp statue : so he might gay from this one act they might
esti-
mate the general 'coniinatitioif lir the Heim of Corttrutinst. The
worthy Baronet concluded amid great applause, by reiterating
hie sentiments in favour of Parliamentary Reform, and of the
value of such Areetingi as the present, and by proposing the
health of the
" Mayor and Corporation •of Nottingham."--
Three times three.
The MAYOR or • Noveneottam returned thanks for the
honour which hail been just done to himself and the Corpora-
tion. After alluding to sonic of the local acts of the Corpora-
tion against the overwhelming efforts of the county aristocracy
to impose upon
company that' the principles of the Corporation were not those
them a Ministerial Member, lie reminded the
of yesh4daY ; they were, on the contrary,old and long asserted
from a deep conviction of their public utility; and happy lie
versidly adopted
w" now to say, that these opinions had become, from the growth
(aAt
spepelianugs;
i)c-h el by the country at large.-
of education and diffusion of Public intelligence, more aid-
The eltA I n ndexatiliPwroecila:ll:l
which he prefaced with an .oulogi
assembly AS the present met toepromote their
concluded by repeating his high satisfaction
old principles.
the health of Lord Holland,
cellent
they
thusiagen.
principles and efieractenunilluii7wilahsisdriaVikrd'giwtiiPtl'is cox:-
He next proposed the health of Mr. Brougham, whose ab-
sencehail all so much oceitSion to regret, and who must
have been prevented from attending by some unforeseen cir-
stance.
his thanks for this compliment to his Learned Friend, and on
Brougham, in
neer, in behalf of Mr. Brougham, begged to offer
hisAplar.rtnto"exprafis his regret at not being here this day. Since
he had entered the room he had received a letter from Mr.
at Brougham-hall by indisposition. The concluding weeds
Which. lie deeply regretted that he was detained
a hie letter were-" My spirit is among you, and whe-