The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-26 00:00:00

REPRESENTATION OF MARY-

LEBONE.

Last evening a meeting of the electors of the Borough of
Marylebone, residing in the district of Paddington, was held
at the King and Queen Tavern, Paddington-green, for the
purpose of receiving from the Reform candidate, Commodore
Sir Charles Napier, an explanation of the grounds upon which
he solicits their votes at the next election.
At seven o'clock precisely, the chair was taken by Mr.
Walsher, one of the late Churchwardens of the parish. The
Gallant Commodore presently afterwards came into the room,
and was greeted with much cheering.
The CHAIRMAN said that the duty which he had to perform
was a pleasing one. It was merely to introduce to them Sir
Charles Napier, of whom they had heard so much for the last
two years.—( Cheers.) It was not necessary for him to say
anything for the Gallant Comodore, who would speak for him-
self.—( Cheers and laughter.)
Sir C. NAPIER then role, amidst the most enthusiastic and
prolonged cheering. He said, Gentlemen, you must be aware
that the occupations which I have had for the last two years,
make me perfectly capable of understanding the tricks and
manoeuvres of our opponents.—(Cheers and laughter.) At
our last meeting they attempted to make it appear that I was
opposed to the amendment of the New Poor-law Bill. But I
tell you, once for all, that there is not a man in England
who is more a friend to the poor than I am.—(Cheers.) And
I will second, with might and main, every effort to ameliorate
the condition of the poor, and to mitigate the asperities of the
Poor-laws.—( Repeated Cheering. ) I was for two years one
of the guardians of the poor in my own parish, and I did all I
could to soften the hardships of the law, and to lessen the suf-
ferings of the poor.—( Renewed cheering.) We took the re-
Consibility upon ourselves of departing from the orders of the
Central Council, and we allowed out-door relief to the aged poor
of 6s. instead of ss. a-week. If the state of the old law required
alteration, I am still of opinion that the union workhouses
ought to be like Greenwich and Chelsea Hospitals—places of
refuge and comfort for those who are worn out in the service
of the community.—( Tremendous cheering.) I think that
those who are past their labour ought to have a home and a
refuge there, and be allowed to go out to take their walks when
they liked, as in Chelsea or Greenwich—(Cheers)--but I do
not think that the young and the idle ought to have the same
indulgence at the expense of the iedostrious.---( Hear, hear. )
I understand that the parishes of St. Pancras and Marylebone
have good local acts, well administered, and that the best
parts of the New Poor-law have been taken from
their example ; and I will therefore do all in my
power to prevent any interference with the local
management of those districts of this borough.—( Hear,
hear, hear.) There is now another subject to which I must
allude—and which, indeed, must be looked to all over the
country—l mean the Corn-laws.—( Cheers.) Gentlemen, I
am a deadly enemy of those laws.—( Vehement cheering.) I
go with her Majesty's Ministers as far as they go—(Cheers)—
and I believe that their propositions would not aggrieve the
landholders, but would greatly benefit the people.—( Cheers. )
But even if the alteration did tend to diminish the incomes of
the owners of land, is that a reason why the luxuries of the
rich should be maintained at the cost of misery and privation to
the poor ?_( Cheers.) I have had a calculation sent up to me
from the country, by which it is shown that a difference of 3d.
in the price of the loaf makes a difference to the
poor man with a family of fully one-fifth of his income, and to
his landlord a difference of only one-four-hundredth part.—
,(Cheers.) I think that if money must be raised for the sup-
port of the public establishinents of the country, it should be
raised without oppressing the 'pocir—it' should re raised bir' a
property-tax,—(Applause.,) I, think thatg.thejtransinission;
'of property in the funds is taxed, so also ought the traritmlssion
of landed property to be taxed.—(Hear, hear.) The matter of
the Sugar Duties, gentlemen, is now an old story—( Hear, and
a laugh )—and all 1 have to say about them is, that I think
every old woman in the country ought to have enough sugar to
her tea.—(Great laughter.) The Tories have no right to
throw it upon the Ministers that they would encourage slavery
by reducing the duties. What did the Tories ever do to discou-
rage slavery? But,Gentlemen, if you wish to understand the
whole state of the case upon that question, read Lord Palmer-
ston's speech, and you will see how it stands, and how far the
measure of the Government is from being an encouragement
to slavery.—( Hear, hear.)
An ELECTOR—What do you say about the timber duties,
Commodore ?

Sir C. NAPIER—The gentleman asks what I say about the
timber duties? Well, that's easily done.—( A laugh.) The
Government always uses Baltic timber in its own ships, arid I
can't see why the merchants should net be allowed to use it in
their vessels, or why the people of England should be com-
pelled to use the inferior timber of Canada in building their
houses.—( Hear, hear.)
An ELECTOR--NOW tell us, Commodore, what do you think
of the Ballot.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir C. Na tell you what it is, Sir ; when I was a young
man, I thought it was the best way for every Englishman to
go up to the poll, and speak out his mind like a man, and for
that reason 1 did not like the ballot. But I have since seen
that it is impossible to have the people represented unless they
are protected by some such means ; and I am decidedly in
favour of the Ballot.—( Cheers.)
.1 find that there are in this
borough upwards of 35,000 ten pound householder?. I find
that 11,500 only of these are registered; and I find, lastly, that
of these, only 8,000 have ever voted.—(Hear, hear, hear.) I
understand, also, that the true cause of so few registering, and
so much fewer voting, is, that they want the Ballot to protect
them from persecution.—(The Gallant Officer then sat down
amidst repeated rounds of applause. )
Mr. SMART (who was greeted with the warmest applause)
said he had a resolution to propose, which he was satisfied
would meet with the cordial approbation of every one of the
numerous body of his brother electors then present. It was—
" That this meeting has heard with entire satisfaction the sen-
timents of the gallant Commodore, Sir Charles Napier, and the
electors present pledge themselves to use their best exertions
to secure his election as a worthy colleague of their esteemed
representative, Sir Benjamin Hall."—( Great cheering.) He
could not but express his deep regret that another attempt
was about to be made to divide the Reform interest in the
borough, and to continue the misrepresentation of Marylebone
by a Tory.—(Cheers. )
An ELECTOR—.We are not so YOUNG as to be caught that
way again .—(Cheers and laughter. )
Mr. SMART was sorry to see a gentleman professing
Liberal opinions, arid whose sincerity he would not venture to
dispute—(Cries of "Oh, oh," and laughter)—coming for-
ward, when he knew from previous experiments he had not
sufficient support in the borough, having never polled more
than 700, with the whole interest of Sir S. Whalley in his
favour, to throw himself in the way of a man who stood so high
as Commodore Napier, in the estimation of the electors and of
the country at large. Such conduct was, to say the lea's of it,
nothing better than playing the game of the Tori es. —( Cheers. )
Mr. HavnoN, who was also received in the most enthu-
siastic manner, seconded the motion.
The resolution was then put by the Chairman, and was car-
ried without a single hand being raised against it.
Thanks having been voted to the Chairman,
An ELECTOR proposed three cheers for the Queen and Com-
modore Napier, which were accordingly given with many
repetitions.
The meeting then separated, and as Sir Charles Napier pro-
ceeded across the green, he was followed by a large concourse
of the inhabitants, loudly cheering, ar►d calling out " Hurrah
for the true British sailor."