The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-11 00:00:00

TOWER HAMLETS.

MEETING THIS DAY.

A numerous meeting of the inhabitants and freeholders of
the Borough of the Tower Hamlets took place this day at the
Golden Eagle Tavern, Mile End-road, to take into conside-
ration the present important crisis in public affairs. Among
those present we saw Dr. Lushington, M.P., Colonel Morris,
Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P., W. Clay, Esq., M.P., &c.
G. H. HAMMACK, Esq., returning officer for the borough,
took the chair a few minutes before one o'clock.

The CHAIRMAN observed that they were assembled for the
legitimate purpose of exercising one of the highest privileges
they possessed, and asserting their right of expressing their sen-
timents upon a question of paramount importance. The object of
the meeting was, that those sentiments should be made known
through the medium of an address to their revered and gracious
Sovereign. From his conviction of the past conduct of the free-
holders of the borough of the Tower Hamlets, he was satis-
fied they would not commit any act, or be guilty of any
impropriety which would tend to militate against the success
of their cause and be advantageous to their opponents ; while
on the one hand they would abstain from anything which could
be considered as trenching on the prerogatives of the Throne,
on the other hand they would firmly maintain the just prero-
gatives of the pecple.—( Cheers.) Little did he anticipate
when last he had the honour of addressing them, after having
achieved the great measure of Reform, which had been justly
called a second Magna Charta, that they would have so soon as-
sembled to deplore the dismissal of those men from his Majesty's
councils to whom they were indebted for so great a boon and
that the government of the country would be placed in the
hands of persons who had always expressed their decided hos-
tility to all reform. Knowing as he did the splendid talents
of those around him, he would not trespass longer upon their
attention. In conclusion he would entreat of them to extend
to every gentleman who might address them, whatever his po-
litical sentiments were, a candid, patient, and impartial
hearing.

Mr. LAURENCE proposed the first resolution. He would
trespass but a very short time upon their attention. There
were many gentlemen who could not but recollect with plea-
sure the last time -they had assembled in that place, for
electing Members for the borough of the Tower Hamlets. At
that time they knew little of the mode of carrying on electiens,
and were in a great measure unacquainted with the characters
of the candidates, and of each other. Since that time they
had better known the sentiments of the borough, and that the
greatest unanimity prevailed in it on' the question of Parlia-
tnentary reform. One thing was certain, that no person could
offer himself as a candidate for their suffrages, unless a
thorough good reformer.---( Cheers.) So short a time had
elapsed since the passing of the Reform Bill, that one could
hardly believe they should have been compelled to meet to de-
vise means to preserve that Bill from mutilation or destruc-
tion. Those who now had the ear of his Majesty would,
if they could, interfere with the franchise of every borough
like the Tower Hamlets, and lessen the public voice in those
boroughs.—( Cheers.) It was not too much to expect that
those individuals who always opposed wholesome and useful
Reform—it was not too much, he repeated, to expect that
now they were in power, they would carry those opinions they
then entertained with a vigour they could not exercise while in
a minority. Suppose for an instant that the present ministers
had the power of regulating the public elections, and being in
a majority of their own creatures, what did they then think
would become of the Tower Hamlets ? If they could not suc-
ceed in destroying it, they would at least make it as corrupt as
Gatton or Old Sarum. But by the meeting of that day they
would show the falsity of the statement -which had been put
forth that a reaction had taken place in the public mind, or
that the people were dissatisfied with the measure of Reform.
He was sure, however, that many would agree with him that
it was rather too little than too much that had been obtained—
it was not less they wanted, but more they required.—
( Cheers. )—They bad been told to wait till the Duke of
Wellington's party had been formed, and that they would
carry into effect the repeated declarations of his Majesty on
the subject of reform. His Majesty had declared that he was
most anxious for reform, in Church and State ; they could not
so soon forget those declarations ; if the Duke forgot them the
people did not. They had been promised reform by the
Duke, but was he not pledged against all reform in the
Church of Ireland ? What could be more monstrous
than that a large population (7-Bths of whom were of an ad-
verse faith) should contribute to the support of the religion of
those from whom they conscientiously differed ?—( Hear,hear.)
But that was not all : the vigorous enforcement and oppressive
exaction of tithes in that country, for so many years, had alien-
ated the affections of the people from their Sovereign and
from England.--(Hear, hear.) Something ought to be done
to make the people of England and Ireland one common
family. They had been led to expect that Sir Robert Peel
was a friend in whom they could trust; but had they not seen
him, and experienced his slippery conduct on various occasions?
( Hear, hear.) Let it be supposed for a moment that such
men as Sir Robert Peel and the Duke would set about reform,
could it be endured that such a breach of morality—such a want
of common honesty and consistency which had been so long
the pride and honour of that country, should be evinced by their
rulers 7—( Cheers.) What could be more degrading to the
Duke of Wellington, who had hitherto uniformly opposed all
reform, than now to profess himself favourable to it? The
conclusion would be that he had some sinister object in view,
and that he was not sincere. The Duke might proba-
bly call to his assistance the despots of Europe, and
bring England to such a situation as would induce timid
and well meaning men to go over to him on account of the
anarchy which opposing
_him might occasion. Bift thank
God they were not placed in such a position. The resolution
which he held in his hand avoided all debateable ground. It
did not introduce the parties of either Whig or Tory, but
it put the question whether they would all unite in one
common bond against the common enemy.—( Loud cheers. )
There was no borough, the franchise of which had been
more opposed than the Tower Hamlets. It was contended
that with its immense population of 350,000 forming the
hive of industry of the metropolis, that it was not fit
to be trusted with a representation.—( Hear, hear, hear. )
One Noble Lord had, indeed, admitted that it had
warehouses which which were very serviceable to put their
wines in, but the electors of that borough could never forget
the obligations they owed to another Lord ( Durham) for his
exertions in their favour. The resolution was then read.

Mr. MORRIS in seconding the resolution expressed his strong
detestation of Tory Government, whose principles had been
ever opposed to the liberty of the country. These men had
sanctioned foreign wars, that they might with greater facility
carry their measures into effect. They could not forget
that when his Majesty had called the Tories into
power, the force of public opinion had turned them out, and
carried the Whigs back into. power. He was not one of those
who supposed that the mere passing of the Reform Bill would
remedy all the abuses of which the people complained. It was
but a means to an end, and although since then he had felt
dissatisfied with the conduct of the Whigs—feeling the im-
portance of being unanimous, he would refrain from any ob-
servations that would tend to disturb the harmony of the pre-
sent meeting. The Administration of Lord Melbourne appeared
to have been treated very harshly, for they meditated great Re-
forms both in the Church and Municipal Corporations. Junius
had declared that the second wish nearest his heart was that the
King might long reign over a free people—his first wish was
that the people might be free. These were sentiments in
which they would all agree. The King had exercised his pre-
rogative in dismissing his Ministers and taking others in their
stead, but there was another prerogative which they could not
forget, and that was the majesty of the people. It was said that
when the news of the revolution in France reached his
Majesty, he was reviewing the househeld troops in the park,
and he remarked to those around him, " Brother Charles is
wrong—he led public opinion instead of being led by it."—
( Cheers.) Was not his Majesty now pursuing a similar course?
and if it was not attended with similar results, it was because
the people of this country possessed a superior intellect, and
relied upon their own powers of defeating their enemies
without having recourse to physical force.—( Hear, hear,
hear, and cheers.) He knew something of the' Duke's
character as a military man, for he had served under him, and
he could assert that if he had not been supported by the cool
judgment and bravery of Hill, by the manly daring of Picton,
and the bold intrepidity of Graham, the Duke would never
have attained his present high eminence.,,—( Cheers.) For a
number of days the Duke hart reigned iole arbitrator of the
destinies of this mighty country. Such 'conduct was most atro-
cious, and he thought that the representatives of the people
would not be doing their duty if they did not impeach him
for it.—( Applause.) The principles of the, Tories from the
highest to the lowest, from the Prince of sinecurists down to
the lowest Carlton-House officer, are all founded upon the
same desire to monopolize to themselves the loaves and fishes.
They reminded him of the Chaplain of the garrison of Col-
chester' who had a field of ripe turnips to which the soldiers
took a fancy, and the next Sunday his text was divided into
four heads :-1. That the men should fear God. 2. That
they should honour the King. 3. That they should do obe-
dience to their officers ; and last, and the most important,
that they should not steal his turnips.—( Great laughter.)
That was the true character of a Tory. They probably feared
God and honoured the King, but they were most desirous that
no person should steal their turnips. After a few other ob-
servations Mr. Morris concluded by seconding the reso-
lution.

A person in the crowd, whose name we understood to be
Mr. Hill, said, that after what the Lord Mayor had done, he
considered meetings like the present an insult to his Majesty'.
(Loud laughter and groaning.)
A Gentleman requested that Mr. Hill would be heard
peaceably by the meeting.
Mr. HILL subsequently came upon the platform, and re-
peated that meetings like the present, would be a cause of em-
barrassment to his Majesty at that critical juncture.—( Laugh-
ter.) He (Mr. Hill) was a Reformer, he wished to preserve
the institutions of the country, but to correct their abuses.
Mr. SCATCHARD said that he supposed he was addressing
a meeting professing Whig principles. Who were the
Whigs? and what were their principles? Why, they were coil.
tinually falling out among themselves.—( Hisses.) They never
took care of theniselve§ or their %mines, They never created
any offices for themselves,—(Hissing.) No, good natured
creatures, all they thought of was the good of their country.
What had the great Lord Brougham done, only the moment he
came into office, he sacked an additional 1,0001. a year to
his retiring income.—( Hisses.) He would state Without the
fear of contmliption that the 'whip broke every promise they
had made to the people they had- promised the reduction of
the house and window, tax, but poor Lard Althorp, notwith-
standing all his promiges, could only bring himself to remove
one of those obnoxious taxes— (Cries of " You opposed it")—
he denied that he had ever opposed anything that was calculated
to support Reform and good government.—( Cries of " You're
an old Tory.") Well, suppose he was? was it any. rear
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