The Sun.
London, England, 1812-05-18 00:00:00

COMMON COutk,t7L.

ASA'SSINA.'TION OF MR. PI.7RC.'tVAL.

A Court of Common Council was held on Satnr-
in coaseque:,ce of a Requisition whic:, had
been presented to the LORD MAYOR, •to hold a
Cnurt to consider of an Address 10 the PRINCE
lIEGNT, on the cruel and atrocious Murder Of Mr.
PERCEVAL.

Mr. BROWN said, that-in rising to submit a :mo-
tion (or an Address to hii Royal Highness the Prince
Regent on a subleet so painful to all, he felt he Lad
undertaken a duty of no ordinary importance, and
in the performance of which he shjuld require, as
he was persuaded he should rece.ive, the. indulgent
attention of the Court. Encouraged by the refletion,
that whatever differences of opinioNtnight have ex-
isted on otter subjeas 'of their 'deliberations, there
could be no question as to the propriety of their con-
curring in the mot on. he should propose to the
Court. In offering reasons in support of an opinion,
that they were imperiously called upon to,approach
his Royal Highness with the expression of their
condolence on the late melancholy event, and of
their thanks for the measures so promptly and ho-

nourahly adopted by him, •to secure a provision for
the afflicted family of Mr-Perceval; it was his in-
tention to abstain from ever; thing u hick might '
have the leaSt tendency to create a difference oropi,
nion, and he should feel obliged to any one to in-
terrupt him, should he be found departing from the
rule he had thus prescribed to himself. Ti~.tt ht
should be unworthy of a seat.in that Oowt, if he
considered it.necessary to dwell even for a moment
on the enormity of the crime which bad been the
occasion Of their meeting, or the detestation which
must have , been "raised in the minds "of all who
heard hire.
Mr..BaOwN expatiated at some length, with great
energy and feeling, on the charaaer of Mr. Perce- '
val, and illustraied his observations with many anec-
dotes highly honourable to the condua and prin-
ciples of the lamented viairr, of this most horrid.as-
sassination. With the brightest prospers of rising in
his profession, with a large and an int:teasing faintly,
and, a' moderate income, Mr. PereeVal was not deaf
to the call of 'his Sovereign ;, but, relinquishing.
these prospeas, he became, in the hour of difficulty
and danger, a ,Minister of the Crown. His accep-
tance of office was diaated by the purest sense of
duty ; and that the same noble 'principle animat-
ed him in the discharge of his various functions,
was evident from the inflexible integrity, of
~which
he manifested so bright an,exampte in the, discus.
sions on the Restrictions which the Legislature
thought necessary to impose, in the commencement
of the Regency ;, in rallying round his venerable
Master, when his political sun was sesting in sire-
nuonsly'contending for measures, the adoption of
which, no matter whether corretly or not, he con-
sidered as essential to the well-being of the State—
hut the effea of which he with others must .have
be-rt conveeced, but for the magnanimity of a
Noce, would have been his removal from the
Ceancils of the Regent, he evinced a disinterested
itreerity alike honourable to hitnself, and exem-
lary to the present and to future ages. 7 Mr. Per-
ceval's integrity and disinterestedness, like those `of.
his departed friend and predecessor, were manis
fested by the circumstances in which he died, He
might have been intent on amassing Wealth, or. in
making' pro Vision for his numerous tarnily; but
satiated by a patriOtismworthy of the successor of
a Pitt, he was so wrapped by in the conscientious
purseit of the nation's glory and the nation's good;
that himself and, if he might be allowed the ex-
pression, " his dearer selves" were forgotten. His'
persevering attention to his official duties, with the
suavity of manners by which he was•distinguished,
afforded a • wide field for panegyric; but he trusted
he had laid sufficient grounds for representing Mr.
• Perceval as a man distinguished by patriotism the
most 'ardent and .disinterested,—hy integrity 'the
most inftexible,—by industry the most persevering,
by manners the most conciliatory ee—for such was
the description given of him in, the Address which
be shOuld hive the honour to submit to the consi-
deration of the Court, if his motion. was .agreed to.
Mr. Brown then related many instances of Mr.
Pereeval's benevolence', which made a fOreible im-
erreSsion on the Coml.; his chief motive in standing
forward on this occasion was to con Vince .lie.coontry
andt he world, that however they might differ on poli-
tical snbjeas,they were not insensible to public virtue
or' private worth wherever it might be fotind, and to
offer to his widow and ,hiS orphans the melancholy
bet yet consolatory assurance 'that 'his virtues were
the admiration of ,his countrymen, and that his me-
mory would long be chetisbed and revered' by them.
Mr. Brown concluded by moving, that an Address
be presented to his Royal Highness the Prince Re-
gent, expressive of the feelings of the Court on this
horrid assassination. _

'Alr. AtCHESON said, the feeling and impressive
address by Which his worthy friend had introduced
!he subject to the consideration of the Court, left
little for him, to add on the melancholy' occasion

but to second the motion; that he concurred in
every sentiment. uttered by the preceding speaker;
and be fiettered him-elf they should,, by an unani-
moos vote that day, express to thd world their ab-
horrence and iridiu,nation.at this most horrible event,
the occurrence of which had not often stained the
annals of the country. He said
,he could not
contemplate the loss of Mr. Perceval, without
feeling deeply the -injury the empire had sus-.
mined by his premature 'death ;--1 hat, in the 'va-
rious, stations of life in which Mr. Perceval had
been placed, his conduct was most exemplary; his
;ear was always open—his heart was always alive—
and his time was always devoted the well-being
of, his fellow citizens. • His liberality and kindness
were not confined to particular cl isses of the people,
but were as indiscriminately bestowed, as they were
extensive and beneficial. Whatever diffe!ence of
opinion existed. between . them respelling the -mea-
sures of his Administration, it would not, he was
convinced, be suffered to interfere with the ,unani-
mity which evidently pervaded the Court on tuts
lamentable occa,ion., Thinking favourably of tqbse
meabures, and having long entertained a sin ere
regard and respell for the charader, cendua, ' arid
pfinciples of Mr. Perceval, he lamented most poig-
nantly his death ; would always be deeply
impressed on his mind, not from the recollection of
PerCeval's virtues and abilities, but from having
seen bin assassinared in the lobby of the House of
Lommons, bj which the nation bad been deprived