The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-02 00:00:00

verned by the enactments of a Legislature in the choke of
which the people have a voice.--(The &rims which fol-
lowed this speech continued for several minutes.)
Mr. ROBERT DADD had a resolution as follows:
" Resolved, That we have learned with feelings of mingled
regret, disgust, and indignation, the abrupt dismissal
of the late liberal Administration, Atilt the restoration of
the Duke of Wellington to the Ace cf Prime Minister, from
which he has been twice driven by the united voice of the
British people."
It was indeed with deep regret, disgust, and indignation,
that they saw such men as the Duke of Wellington, and
those in league with him, called to take the, office of Prime
Minister ! Nay, not only that) but to be Secretary of
State for the Foreign, the Horne, and the Colonial, de-
partments.—(Hear, hear.) The Duke of Wellington
was in fact a perfect Caleb Quotem.—(Hear, hear.)
He was every thing.—(Hear.) The Duke of Wellington
could not stand. against the wishes of England for reform ;
and therofore he (Mr. Dadd) would point out in what man-
ner the Duke would endeavour to delude them into the idea
of his being a Raformer.—(" He can't do that !" and
laughter.) T 65, he would do it thus. He would increase
the nun her of voters in the counties by lowering the qua-
lificon for tenants at will, so that landlords might be able
to bring more slaves to the poll, while he would lessen the
number of voters in the boroughs by increasing the qualifi-
cation ; well knowing as he did, that the lower the fran-
chise in the boroughs, the freer they would be.—(Cheers,
and "He won't dare it !") Earl Grey had given the peo-
ple of England their liberties, for he had given them the Re-
form Bill.—( Hear, hear, hear.)—and because Lord Mel-
bourne was determined to follow out the principles of that
Reform Bill by giving reforms which would not only give
contentment to this country, but would satisfy even Ire-
land, he was therefore. turned out by the influence and in-
trigues of the Tories.—(Cheers.) rHe was sure the peo-
ple of England would never submit to such principles as
those held by the Tories.---(" No, never ! ")
Mr. ERSKINE PERRY then rose to address the meeting,
and was received with loud cheers. They all knew him to
be a Radical—(Hear, hear' but Radical as he was, the
late unprecedentedly abrupt and unceremonious dismissal of
the Reform Ministry had made him a Whig again.—
(Cheers.) He would beg of those who heard him to recol-
lect, that at no period of the history of our country was it
so flourishing as at the moment when this sudden change in
his Majesty's councils took place. So much were the re-
sources of the country increasing, that in the next session of
Parliament he believed it to have been the intention of the
Whigs, if they bad remained in power, to have repealed the
Malt Tax.—(Cheers.) With regard to the charge brought
against the Whigs, that they were too slow in their reforms,
every recent occurrence spewed that they had at last been
roused from the lethargy in which they for a time had
been plunged. The Whigs and Radicals were both for the
people. 'Their differences were mere family quarrels—
( Hear, hear)—and the Tories would now find, as was
always the case with those that mixed in family disputes,
that both parties would unite and turn upon them.--( A
laugh.) He hoped they would not be deluded by the ex-
pectation of reforms from the Duke. The Duke could
not grant reform, without sacrificing the principles of his
whole life, and he (Mr. Perry) would certainly oppose him,
because he could not support that conduct in a public man,
which would be that of a scoundrel if practised in private
lire:—(Cheers.)
Mr. thanceEs, M.P., then came forward, and said that
he and his colleague (Mr. Rider) had attended the meet-
ing in consequence of an invitation vary respectably signed,
which was sent them, requiring their attendance--and that
as they believed it to be their duty, as it was certainly their
pleasure, to meet their constituents when called on, they
had done so.—(Cheers.) He had no hesitation in agreeing
with the Chairman, that this was a moment of greater in-
terest than was the passing of the Reform Bill. The eyes
of all Europe were now upon England, anxiously looking to
the success of that great experiment in reform which had
been tried here, and which they hoped would extend to
themselves.—(Cheers.) But if the people of England at
stage showed the white feather, and did not folio"- out the
advantages already gained, those hopes wout', probably be
frustrated.—(Hear.) He (Mr. Hodge-es) had not, on every'
occasion, been a supporter of tbe:iate Government ; but
11. secrets, he certainly believed
without being in the Cabine
as stated by Mr. Perry, that the
it to be perfectly true.,
/had measures in view which would give
Whig Government
satisfaction to `..lae three kingdoms, and he could not there-
fore 'but ragret that his Majesty had thought fit to dismiss
ti:(2mn—(Great cheering.)
elr. RIDER, M. P., shortly addressed the meeting. Ile
said that at the last election he had given sundry pledges ;
not because they were political opinions, but because they
were his heartfelt senthnents.—(Cheers,) He had pledged
himself to short Parliaments and to vote by ballot. He had
redeemed those pledges, and was ready to support the
the same measures again.—(Cheers.) One only pledge lie
would not give. He would not pledge himself to support
the Duke of Wellington—(Loud cheering)--but even him
he would give his vote to, to carry any measure for the good
of the people.—(Hear.)
Mr. BERNAL, M.P., then said, that having received a
requisition, he had deemed it his duty, as it was his plea-
sure, to come among his constituents. He would ask them
boldly and without reserve, to state their opinion of his con-
duct, for he was conscious of deserving their good opinion.
—(Cheers.) He was not ashamed of a single vote he had
given.—(A voice from the crowd, " Nor is the Duke.")
Then he (Mr. Bernal) should say to the Duke, that those
politics which lie had followed were not those which he
(Mr. B.) would either follow or approve of.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Bernal continued for some time to defend his conduct
in Parliament, and to call on the electors to vindicate their
own consistency by doing him justice, but we regret that
press of time will not allow us to give his remarks. He was
throughout most enthusiastically received.
The resolution was then put and carried amidst loud
cheering.
Mr. ELY then moved the following resolution :
" That, believing the existence of any Tory Administration
to be utterly incompatible with the progress of liberal and en-
lightened principles, we do hereby declare our solemn and
unalterable determination to oppose the continuance of that
party in office by every means which the laws and constitution
of our country have placed at our command."
Mr. WILMETT seconded the resolution.
The resolution was carried amidst loud applause.
Mr. COOPER moved that the following Address be pre-
sented to his Majesty :
" TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
" We, the undersigned, your Majesty's loyal and dutiful
subjects, inhabitants of Rochester, Chatham, Stroud, and their
vicinity, in the county of Kent, have learned with feelings of
regret and astonishment, the late change which your Majesty
has thought fit to make in your Councils, by dismissing Lord
Melbourne and his Colleagues, and entrusting the Duke of
Wellington with the formation of a Cabinet.
" We beg to assure your Majesty that we, cannot contem-
plate this change without feelings of the deepest anxiety,
grounded on the conviction that the Duke of Wellington is
utterly deprived of the confidence of the country, through his
notorious hostility to the great principles of civil and religious
liberty ; and that, consequently, he can maintain himself in
office only by setting public opinion at complete defiance.
" We do, therefore, respectfully entreat your Majesty forth-
with to dismiss the Duke of Wellington from your Majesty's
presence and Councils, and to entrust the formation of a new
Cabinet to men in whom we can confide as being prepared to
carry into full operation those enlightened principles of Go-
vernment, of which your Majesty, since your accession to the
throne of your ancestors, has more than once been pleased to
evince your gracious approbation.
" And your Majesty's humble petitioners, as in duty bound,
will ever pray, &c."
He further moved that Ralph Bernal, Esq., M.P. for
Rochester, and Captain Byng, M.P. for Chatham, be re-
quested to present the same.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. STEVENS, a member of the Society of Friends, then
addressed the meeting. As soon may they expect to see
the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots, as
to behold a Tory Ministry, in undisputed possession of
()Mee, acting upon liberal principles —(Loud cries of
" Hear.") But some would perhaps say, should the Tories
have recourse to arbitrary measures, we will oppose them
by every legal and constitutional means ; or, failing such,
we can take up arms in defence of our freedom. As to
legal and constitutional means, how long did they think any
such would he suffered to remain to them ? Possessing the
entire control of every branch of the Legislature, would not
their enemies. seize the first opportunity of wresting them
from their possession ? And then, with the Reform Bill
mutilated or repealed, their rights of petition and discussion
crippled or destroyed by arbitrary enactments, and the
great bulwarks of their freedom invaded one after another,
where would be the means of effective constitutional resist-
ance.?—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. SCOTT then moved, " That an Association be formed
for the purpose of opposing the Duke, the friends of the
Duke, and all who are concerned with the Duke ; and that
the Chairman of this meeting be appointed Chairman of
the Association."—(Loud cheers, which lasted some minutes.)
The resolution, having been seconded by Mr. WEEDON,
was at once passed.
Mr. CHESSION then moved, and Mr. BARDON seconded,
a motion that the proceedings of the meeting be advertised
in the Morning Chronicle and Kent Herald.—Agreed to.
Thanks being voted to the Chairman, on the motion of
Mr. HODGES, seconded by Mr. RIDER, the meeting
dispersed.

After the meeting had dispersed, about sixty of the prin-
cipal gentlemen who composed it adjourned to a convivial
entertainment at the City Coffee-house, whither they were
soon followed by Mr. Bernal and Messrs. Hodges and
Rider ; Samuel Newson, Esq., in the chair. The health
of Mr. Bernal was most enthusiastically drunk, and, in re-
turning thanks, he entered into an elaborate defence of the
conduct of the late Covernment, who, he contended, were