The Sun.
London, England, 1802-03-18 00:00:00

Lit blf.at.

. .
tt-i.c Livery had a Meeting this forenoon it
attendake was considerableAt
a odarter before twelve, Messrs. RoßSON.,and
JONES arrived in a Hackney Coach', and took the
oaths and their seats as Citizens.

Mr, WAITtiMAN began the Debate by saying,
that as he had always disapiltoved of the War, so
he entirely disapproved of all the means that had
been resorted to by the late Administration to
carry it on. He particularly objected to the, In_
come Tax, as being one of the most efficient means.
He should say but little on the subject, as he had
the happiness" of seeing two celebrated Personages
present, who Were so eminently capable of throw-
ing light on the subject, and on whose recent ac-
cession to the dignified title of Citizens of London,
he heartily congratulated the Metropolis and the
Country at large.,
Mr. RonsoN then rose and said—" Gentlemen,
Tho' I am in person a new man tmong you, I
hope I aint quite new to you in chariaer. I have
been many years a Member of Parlement ; and, as
perhaps you know, have always spoke on every
occasion, even when there was nobody in the House
to hear me. Your money has been voted away in
thin Houses : so I have been a saying for six years
past, Good God ! Gentlemen, what is money ?
I repeat the question—What is money ! Won't
nobody answer me ? tell you then. what it is.
Gold, and silver, and copper is 'money. It aint
credit, it aint Paper, it aint all that sort of thing
which the Country Banks deals in. There was no
such thing as paper two sentries ago. Its Paper,
and the Income Tax which has undone the Coun-
try ; and some other things which I'm a going to
mention to you.

" Gentle-men, did you ever here of the Sick
and Hurt Office ?—For the life of me I can't find
out where it is. The Chancellor of the Exchequer,
nor the Secretaries of the Treasury dont know.—
It aint at Whitechapel, nor at the Tower, nor at
High Park Corner. Where is it ? I should like
to know.—l've got a bill upon it—and I should
like to have it refused payrneur.—(A loud csy of
" Hear, hear.")—Wann't I the first that brought
that there business before Parlement Wann't it
I, Gentlemen, that first proved, that if Govern-
ment could not pay nineteen pounds, they could not
pay a million ? The Country will never be safe,
till we have a good map of all the Public Offices. It
should be hung up in Guildhall, or at the Mansion-
House. One should then know where to go for
one's money.—l'll be the man to move for it in
Parlement ; and if the Minister refuses it, that
there will be a proof that he aint a frind to the
City, Gentlemen, nor to the good of the Country.
He aint no friend to me Gentlemen, because I'm
always at work ; he knows I'm always at it.
" Gentlemen, you have probably read my
speeches in the Morning Post ; that's the Paper for
my money. I was always a working o' Mr. PITT,
and by the bye, I believe I had some hand in turn-
ing of him out. It was Pitt's Carvalery that eat
up the Country.—You never had no occasion for
half a quarter so many. Think how many Oats
they eats in a year !—So. by the way, noes geese,
which I wish I had thought on a little sooner.—
Geese is only a luxury (a general groan and hiss)—
Gentlemen, I beg pardon—to green_ geese I have
no objettion ; oats aiot necessary for them. But
in times like these, the sight of a full-grown goose
must shock every man who feels for the interests
of his Country.—(Applause.)
" I kann't help taking this opportunity of 'thank-
ing the Worshipful Company of Knitters for the
honour they have done me,' in Making me one of
'em. It was monstrous kind in 'em ; I repeat
it, it was monstrous kind. They know that lam
a friend to Manefafture, as well as to all the Arts
and Sciences. I am pretty much at home in Arith-
Metic, and have taken great pains in looking after
the Extraordinaries of the Army.* Good God !
Gentlemen, think of that !—There's a piece of
work for you! You don't want no Extraordinaries;
nor, if we gets Peace, you won't want no Taxes.—
As for the Income Tax, that was one o' PITT's
coining, o'purpose to rob the Country. You never
heard of no such thing in. ALFRED'S time, nor in
Jun tu§ C/ESAR'S, nor in Queen ELIZABETH'S.
My Hon. Friend near me, who knows what
its neat produce will be for a month to come,
will be able to tell you more about this. If Mini-
sters goes on at this rate long, we shall soon not
have u shirt to Our backs. It's 'as much as we
can do now to have a doff and a d'on.

Gentlemen, I thank you for this patient hear-
ing. We shall have a monstrous deal of business
on our hands here soon. At the next Meeting, I
give notice, that I shall move for all the City Ac-
counts for the last thirty years, that we may know
a little about the expences of the Mayorality, the
state of Hackney Coach Fares, and the enormous,
expenditure of oil in the lighting of the Metropolis.
I conclude by moving, that the Sheriffs and the City
Remembrancer be summoned to attend on this day
se'nnight ; and, in the mean time, that the Income
Tax ought not to continue no longer."
Mr. ROBSON concluded a Speech of near three
quarters of an hour, amidst the plaudits of such of
the Livery, as had not withdrawn from Guild-
hall during the course of it. The remainder of this
interesting Debates we hope to be able to give to-
morrow.

* Here he read a long Paper containing all the items of
charges for this Service.

On Tuesday night, between nine and ten o'clock,
a fire broke out at a Baker's in Wapping, near to
Alderman CURTIS'S, which for want of water (the
first Engine from the Plicenix Fire-Office got there),
burnt very fiercely, and threatened rapid destruc-
tion to the whole neighbourhood ; but fortunately
a Barge belonging to the Thames Police, with a
Fire Engine fixed therein, supplied the first Engine
with water, by which means a check was soon put
to the extension of the flames, and other Engines
arriving by the time they could get water, the
whole was extinguished before twelve o'clock.
Tuesday morning, about four o'clock, a fire
broke out at Mr. Wright's, New Grove, Mile
End, which entirely destroyed the same ; one man
was unfortunately burnt to death.