The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-15 00:00:00

REFORM MEETING

LIVERPOOL

YESTERDAY.

BY SPECIAL EXPRESS.

This day (Monday) one of the largest meetings of
merchants, manufacturers, and inhabitants of this wealthy
port, was held in Clayton-square, than is recollected to
have taken place on any similar occasion in Liverpool.
Long before the hour appointed for the meeting, the
square was crowded to excess, and numbers were, during
the meeting, flocking to the square, but unable to obtain
either sight of the orators, or to take any part in the
proceedings of the day. The large balcony in front of
the Ball Hotel, was converted into hustings, which were
densely filled by merchants and by gentlemen. The
houses around the square, both the tops and
the windows, were also filled. At the latter
a number of fashionably dressed females were apparently
watching the proceedings with intense interest.
Though the weather was rather inauspicious, yet, such
is the enthusiasm of the people of Liverpool in the great
cause of Parliamentary Reform, the multitude who assem-
bled on this occasion was extremely numerous. There
could not, at the lowest computation, save been less than
twelve thousand present, among whom were numbers of
the most respectable inhabitants of the town and its neigh-
bourhood. The Committee who had arranged the pro-
ceedings of the day, took their stations on the balcony of
the Bull Inn, whence the speakers addressed the dense
multitude cAagregated in the square.
Mr. JOSEPH LANGTON proposed that a young nobleman
who was known to the people of Liverpool as a stanch
Reformer, should take the chair, He meant Lord Viscount
Mulynrux.—(Cheers.)
Mr. T. B. BARCLAY seconded the motion. He was
satisfied that his Lordship's conduct in the chair would
justify the choice.
Lord Mor.rsatux was then called to the chair by the ac-
clamation. of the multitude.

The Noble CHAIRMAN, as soon as the applause bad
subsided, said, that at this most momentous and unparal-
leled crisis, on this most transcendently important occasion,
he felt how utterly unfit he was to discharge the duties of
Chairman in the presence of the immense multitude he had
the pleasure to see before him. At the same time, he felt,
that no man, however bumble his abilities, could hold
hack, and not come forward in defence of the rights and
the liberties of his fellow-countrymen.—(Cheers.) He
did live in hopes, that we never should have been assembled
again to discuss the subject of Reform. He had hoped,
that the very name of Reform and of Reformer would never
again be heard, except in a vote of thanks to the honest
Government by whom a measure of Reform had been
passed, and a patriot King who had sanctioned it with his
approbation.—(Cheers.) To the indulgence of such hopes
the people of England were led by a train of circumstances,
by promises and professions from very high quarters,—pro-
mises and professions which, as they raised their expecta-
tions and brightened their prospects, had, now that they
were broken, plunged the country into the depths of dis-
appointment and desperation.—(Great cheering.) When
last the people of Liverpool met in that square, the House
of Commons—a House of Commons better selected and
more strictly the representatives of the people than any on
record, had most triumphantly, most gloriously passed the
Bill, for the completion of which the country were looking.
They passed that Bill, and sent it to the Upper House, as
it is called but, as be now contended, to the House of the
,
People's enemies.—(Loud cheers.) In that House it was
read mice, it was read twice, and the Government and all
England looked as quietly and contentedly, but not, as the
enemies of the measure unblushingly said, with spiritless
apathy.--(Loud shouts of No, no !) Reaction indeed
Where was the reaction? The people looked on quietly,
but they knew that there was yet a trial to come. They
knew that the men who were not averse to the Bill going
into the committee, would not allow it to go through the
House in its integrity and its efficiency. But they never
expected,
that the first thing which its enemies would do
would be, that Lord Lyndhurst, one of the greatest foes.
one of the greatest enemies of the liberties of the people,
would propose that the vital principle, the essential clause
of the Bill should be, as he hypocritically proposed," post
poned." The people demanded that the rotten
parts the foul ulcers on the fact of the consti-
tution, should be removed, to afford the
patient
a chance of reorrery ; but the state physicians thought

-he nation's health would he improved if the fifty-six horri
tad loathsome ulcers were allowed to remain. On th.
iccasion those honest men, Lord Grey and Lord Broochar
—(Cheers)—went to their Sovereign—that Sovereign
most of the acts of whose Government had been to lea,
the people to believe that he was a firm friend to Coneti
tutional Reform—they went to him, expecting that h
would redeem his promises, for promises he had certainh
given, if not in his own person, at least in the acts of hi.
Government. Well, what was his Majesty's answer ? I
was, that the only means by which the rights and liberties
of the people could be secured he could not grant —(Tres
mendous hissing and groaning.) Honest men, like Lore
Grey and Lord Brougham, had no alternative but to re
sign the seals of office. Honest men he (Lord Molyneux)
had always thought them, and honest men they Lad proved
themselvee.—(Loud cheers.) Such was a brief outline ol
the history of recent events. The people of Liverpoo'
were now met, that the opinion of this great and en
lightened town might be expres►ed on those events, mt,
once expressed, that it might reach the highest quarter,
as affording one mare evidence of the feelings of indig
nation which pervade this great and mighty nation.—
(Cheers)—to prove, in short, that there is neither
spiritless apathy nor reaction—(Great laughter)—to
prove that the people only want their rights, an..
that their rights they will have.—(Tremendous cheer.,
When last he heel the honour of addressing the people of
Liverpool, they considered themselves almost sure of their
object. And what was the reason of that security? Jr
was because there were then three parties arrayed against
one. There were the King, the House of Commons, and
the people anainst the House of Lords.—(C, tees.)
the King has .deeerted us !—(Tremendous groaning and
haissing.) We have also lust the Minister, and an honest
one he was; hut we have a strong, a powerful assistant in
the House of Commons.—(Great cheering.) He knew
no words which could better express his opinion on this
subject titan those used by Mr. Strutt, the Member for
Derby, in the House of Commons, on Thursday night.
" Happily," said that Hon. Gentleman, " happily there
was one resource by which all danger to the courery
might be avoided, and that existed in the wisdom, firm-
ness, and decision of that House. Let that House only
come forward and place itself at the head of the people—
let it show itself determined to be true to its former
professions—let it show the people, that as loug as they
were true to themselve, that House would not desert them
—let that House teach the people to look to it as their
natural leader, and not elsewhere; he should then feel the
greatest confidence that all might still be safe, and
that the great measure of Reform would be carried to
a triumphant termination."—(Three cheers were here
given for Mr. Strutt.) With the assistance of such a
House of Commons, firmly and patriotically determined to
do its duty, the people must triumph.—(Cheers.) His
Lordship then alluded to the nature of the resolutions
which would be proposed to the meeting. He nest oh-
served, thet, on the last occasion when he had the honour
of meeting the people in that square, he had asked them a
simple question: tbat question went to their hearts, and
he never should forget the unanimous voice in which they
answered it. That question was, " Had we net then an
honest Minister ?" He now asked them, whether 'hey
wished to change that Minister?—(Loud cries of " We
do not !") He further asked them, whether they wished
to see the Duke of Wellington at the head of the Govern•
ment ?—(t• No, nor followed by hisses and groans.) But
I am going to open all your eyes wider than they were
opened before.—(A laugh.) If the Duke of Wel-
lington takes office, and, for my part, I have no doubt
he has taken it already, as I have a latter from a par-
ticular friend of yours, my father,—(Cheers,)—in which
he states, that the Duke has kissed the King's hand
on his acceptance of office.—(Great indignation and
hissing.) But I have still further to open your eyes.
If the Duke of Wellington takes office, it is my firm
belief, that it is his intention to bring forward a new
Reform Bill, and to pass it.--(Hissing.) Now if you
can trust a man who, but a short time ago, publicly de-
clared that he would oppose all Reform, it is more than I
can do. I was censured for some observations I made,
the last time I met you here, on the Noble Duke, and,
perhaps, I was not justified in then going so far as I did.
Rut, now, there is not a word of which I repent.—(Loud
cheers.) I then told you, that the Duke's object, in a
speech which he had recently delivered, was to get himself
and his friends into place again. And I new say, if that
Noble Duke, as he is called, should, after having ejected
the present Ministry, take office and carry Reform, such
political venalty and baseness never were acted before in
the living world.—(Cheers.) The Noble Lord con-
cluded by requesting the attention of the meeting to the
speakers who would address thein.—(Loud cheers followed
his Lordship's speech.)
Captain Cocclum thew stood forward to move the first
resolution. Gentlemen, and•hrother Reformers, your Com-
mittee, elected at the last meeting here by yourselves, hav-
ing done me the honour to place me in the chair in the
absence of our excellent friend, Mr. James Brancker, I
have to announce to yon, that, from the moment we heard
the account of Lord Lyndhurst's trickery in the Lords to
defeat the great principles of the Reform Bill, we assembled
together, and determined upon calling this meeting, and
prepared six resolutions, which will be submitted to you
for your judgment and decision.—(Here Captain C. read
the first resolution, and continued.)—lf you pledge your-
selves to this resolution, you will oppose every innovation
of that Bill which was so gloriously carried in the House
of Commons. As the Noble Lord, our chairman, has
said, our enemies have dared to say, that there has been a
reaction; that, in fact, like themselves, you do •et know
your own minds, and care nothing about the passing of the
Bill ! Is it so ?_(No, no !) I thought nut. Falsehood
is not the only vice they have to answer for : to preserve
their usurpations they have been guilty of almost every
species of delusion. Reaction, indeed ! Do's the presence
of the thousands here prove it ? No, no. It is the free action
of the people which, like the waves of the ocean, have gone
on with a continuous roll, until it has become irresistible.
Brother Freemen ! I address myself particularly to you. By
the first Reform Bill which passed the Commons, and so
unceremoniously kicked out of the Lords, the franchise, as
now enjoyed, was to cease with yoar own lives and those of
your children born at the time the Bill should have passed
into a law, so that, when your wives shall have t• rejoiced
that a man is born into the world," you may rejoice that
he is born a freeman. This right being reserved to you,
will you not assist your fellow-townsmen in obtaining
the object of their wishes,—their inalienable rights as
Britons? Brother Reforanere! the boasted freedom of
Englishmen is but a name; nor will you ever enjoy your
liberty until the Reform Bill, with its provisions and
principlea, as passed by the Commons, shall have passed
both Houses, and received the sienature of your Sovereign.
I have, in other countries, made use of language and
freedom of conduct, for which, had I done so in this, I
should have been referred to some gagging-bill and put into
prison. Gentlemen, the language of the Reformers has
been decried as intemperate, and some words uttered from
this place have given great offence to the delicate leading'
of Anti-Reformers; but what think you of the language
of that man whom Mr. O'Connell so happily designated by
a quotation from Shakspeare,

" The prince of darkness is a gentleman,
Wetherell by name and Bother.dl."
That man, whom you cannot mistake, and:whom the grea
bard, who knew all strange characters, must have had in
his eye, is reported to have said, on the people's wish and
Lord Grey's proposal to the King, to create Peers and
insure the passing of the Bill, that it was "concealed vil-
lany under the insidious pretext of liberality." Now, I ask,
did you ever hear language more insulting than that, or
any thing more offensive, as used to the advocates of the
people's rights ? Edmund Burke, no great lover of the
people's freedom and rights, said, " Let us break the
cords and snap the chains that tie us to an ungrateful
shore, and enter the friendly harbour that shoots out its
moles and jetties to receive us !" And what were these
moles and jetties but the arms of the people I—(Cheers.)
Though the Lords have diamasted, they Nave not sunk us:
it is not, in the service I belong to, a natural consequence,
that the dismasted ship is cap'ured; and shall we suffer
ourselves to be taken. No.—(Cheers.) Our Commander-
iu.Chief is wounded, but not mortally ; not by the sword
of the enemy, but, alas! by the bodkin of his bosom friend !
—I will not entertain any other opinion of my Sovereign
than that he will return to the deck and continue the fight
with all his officers, and remain with us until victory shall
have crowned our efforts and made us free. You will all,
I am sure, make allowances for the influence of a fond wife,
though I by no meant recommend to you to sul►ruit to
petticoat government,—(Laughter.) Gentlemen, I have
told you before, that Lord Wellington's declaration made
me a Reformer, and I am ours his conduct will continue

me one to the end of my life.—(Cheers.) Men will triumph
neer systematical slavery, if they determinedly oppoev

themselves to it. Gentlemen, you must be firr, resolute,
,nd determined, and never cease to address the King and
?etition the C 0111111013% but not the LordF : no, after the
utanner they have trampled upon your rights, -a:3 -mill not
imtition them. Adhere to the provisions c.;id principles
,if the Bill ; let nothing deter ru Irr:m obb;ning it; •1 Do
this and tread upon the. Greek end Rimau names..." I now
apologize for the tithe I have detained you, and, thanking
you for your patience, take myleare. .

Mr. JOUR. EWART seconded the rese!ution. He ob-
served, that the bate Ministry 'ere. juetly pepitlar because
they had brought forward a measure of Refierm. The
Duke of Wellington was once more in of and, it was
said, he would concede Reform. But tees Lath r
:rapes from thorns ?—(cheer.) He 1, ri nee personal
ettachment to Earl Grey, nor any persoeel berility to t; e
Duke of Wellingteen ; he mereltereearded tleen in their
tettlic capacity. But when he refientel that reel (grey
was an honest reformer, and that t:te Dicke of Wt!ington
had mede a pnlilic declaration Against ale Refor,e—a decht-
-ation which caused his downfall, he never lei lied Lu see
the Doke minister agein.—(Cheers.) It might he paid
that the Duke would now early Reform. Ile carry
Reform! It is the people that will carry Reform, in spite
f hint—(cheers.) Mach had been sae/ abent a etestion
•f Pests; bat when it was considered that above two
eundred Tory Peers had been created within the hot fifty
tears, it was high time that the balance of parties should
he redressed, and by the creation of a large number of
liberal Peers—(Applause.)
The Chairman then put the revolution, which was
carried by an unanimous show of hand'.
Mr. W. W. CURRIE, in moving, the eetiond resolution,
slid, with great deft-relic, and suLtniseitie, he would state,
teat their Noble Chairman had net apeken of the extent
of the meeting with his usual actiurit y. II ha been in-
formed, by a person who was well qualified ter jtetge, that
there were not fewer titan from 14.000 to 15,000 pertme
assembled before their.—(Cheere.) o.:e of the most vette-
fel duties which a grateful heart had ever te pertOrm, was
o express gratitude to those to whom it wie, etue. If ever
there were men who da-werved of, thanks; the heerttelt
gratitude of the British people, they te..r. due to the late
Miuistry and to those Mern'tere of t! e Heuse of Commons
and the House of Peers who had -o nobly itone their ding
end stood firmly by the people estd th.:ir riOtte...-(Leetid
applause.) At the ft. meat fri. rids wkly. they the ught
of, it was ine.asible, from his pre.senieeet strtien, not to
eingle out, without casting any reCctions upon the r-e',
the noble, tl.e illustrious Lent Glen.—((:he-rs.) He
was an old man ;he could teat' te:!sele 'ifs had beiin
'pint in the service of the cause of Reform, awed he alas
worry that he was compelled to gee, even for a moment,
the cup of promised heppinese etreeel to the
people dashed from their 1ip5.....-(Cheers.) It had been urged
against him, and egninst those who ha:, at diffe• cat periods
brought the subject forward, that 'tow they went ten
times further than they one e did. It Lord Gr e, at the
end of forty years, brought fel wet,: s meatinre mere full,
more complete., and more satisitritety to The riati,n than
be did in 1792 or 1793, what ma- the reettee ? He
knew the time heel arrived when the penile would no
longer be deceived and insulted by the smeltery of a re-
presentation.—(Cheers.) He knew it was time to put an
end to thos-! 'foul ulcers to which Chainnan
had alludes!. --(Applause.) He knew that the time bad
come when the intelligence, the edueatior. sod the settee
of the people of England demanded a more enlarged and
powerful voice in the choice of their reprecentativ.
(" And will have it!" exelaimeel the tueltittele.) Mr.
Currie then gave a detail of the view and active,. of seve-
ral of the leading anti- Reforinits. lie would now add a
few words by way of conarast. It must n,vur be for-
gotten, in thinking of that questhu, that the anti Re-
formers would have stood still, with their hams folded
before them, to all eternity, and never stirred one step ex-
cept against their will. What they had conceded they
conceded because they could not help it.—(Ceeee a and
hisses.) This was and always had been their plan, is
give nothing till they could not avoid it, tied then to t. t it
be as little as possible.—(Cilett.) There were some who
said they were for a large me: sure, but why were they
for it? Because, will he, Hill he, they must give it.—
(I.e.ud cheers.) lie would, therefore, ask them, who they
would have, men who had all along teen frientis co that
measure, or men who had been re:uetzutly forced to yield
it by the voice, or should he say the rice, which they
could no longer withstand ?—(Leughter and cheers.)
Mr. BROCKLERANE, in seconding the motion, said as
people ought to be grateful to Lord Grey fur bringing for.
ward the Reform Bill so nearly in i:a present shape, and
most particularly for the dialranchisernent clause, the mutt
important part of the Bill, 4) compare with which the en-
franchisement clauses can be deemed of secondary consi-
deration only. It would be better to have 400 rt:yreset •
tativee, honest and unalloyed, than 5 or 600, with so lase
an alloy as is infused into the representation Iv, means of
nomination boroughs, or, more prep' ly speaking, rotten

(Concluded in our fourth nags,

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, MAY 14.
(Concluded from our second edition of bat night.

Sir E. SUGDEN would net tloal go into the question
m to whether Gatton and Old Sarum eught to Le disfran-
chised. But when the Noble Lord thought proper to at-
tack Gentlemen upon his aide of tba House fur having
changed their opinions, he thought it right is remind the
Noble Lord that he himself was liable to the same charge.
He never was more surprised than when he came into
that House, and beard it complained of the' Gentlemen
upon that (the Tory) side of tke Hense bad mixed np
the King's name with this discussion. He would ask the
House whether it was not by the Gentlemen opposite the
name of the King was first hrought forward in this ques-
tion? They united it with the name of 6- people; and
he would desire nothing more elrne.t!y Caen teat the
King's name should always be united with the name of the
people, only that from that union the aristocracy should
not be omitted.—t Cheers.) The Nehle bed had Sisid
that the present was a question of character. lirc:l, in
what way wan the character of the Duke et Wellington
compromised by the coarse which he had adopted ?
(Hear, hear.) He was sure that his Right Heil. Friend
(Sir R. Peel) could not be pleased to hear himeell lauded
at the expense of the Noble Duke. He was sere that
his Right Honourable Friend placed confi.kuce in the
Noble Duke, as did also a great portion of the pea-
ple.—(A laugh, and cries of Oh, oh, replied to by cheers.)
So far as the character of public men was concerned, he
thought that the reproach was to be oast on others, nest open
the Duke of Wellington. During the debate upon the
second reading of the Bill, he (Sir E. Suvieu) had paid
particular attention to the *pinch of the Noble Duke, and
to the reply; and the only thin; which he at that moment
had in his pocket was an extract from thet reply. The
Noble Earl (Lord Grey) said to the House of Lords,
" Pass the second reading of the Bill, and then the 8.11.
will be in your hands, and not in mine. If you interfere
with its principle, I will oppose such interference, but rill
it will be fur you to decide whether or net you will make
the alterations." He (Sir E. Sugden) declared solemnly
that when he beard the Noble Earl use theme words, his
full conviction was, that Lord Grey meant to convey that
there would he ne creation of Peers, and that after the se-
cond reading the Bill would be eltogrther in the Lands and
at the discretion of the Lords. Fir what ether Pease
could be given to the words of the ri..tole Eocl, silo, that
it was hie intention not to interm wire this Moose, hut
leave the Bill entirely to their Lardehips' discretion ?
(Hear, hear.) But now hie firm conviction was, that
the Minister, had determined that neither the House of
Lords nor that House (toe Contnito-) should in any way
modify the Bill, otherwise than as thy (the Ministers)
should think best suited to their own purpitt" Did not
the country know that the principle: of the Bali had beets
altered by the Ministers, without any good reason having
heels assigned ? The qualification had been altered. An
alteration had been made in the schedules, both of dis-
franchiestment and of enfravehieement ; and in othtr re-
spects the original Bill had been depero;e front is its most
important principles. But these chttoges were made by
the Ministers themselves, and yet they reino:d to bath
Houses of Parliament the right to interfere with the Bill in
any respect. What was the advice which was understood
to have been given to the King on the present state of the
Reform Bill ? Nothing less than to &loge the Ruse of
Lords by the creation of sixty or seventy new Peers.
Was there any man acquainted with the Fast history, or
the present political state of the country, who could fur a
moment doubt that the adoption of sorb a coarse would
give to the Constitution a fatal stab ? What seventy
Peers to be brought into that House pledged to a par-
ticular measure ? He believed there was not a man of
sane mind throughout England, or be :night add through-
out Europe, who would for a moment hesitate to admit
that such a measure would have the instant effect of de-
grading the House of Lords far below any thing which
even its worst enrusies could devise. Ile wee at a loss to
imagine
Peers tn b anything
the House of Lords—introduced, as it was intended they
should be, for the purpcoe of drowning the opinion of
the
sudden more calculated
introduction to degrade
of
seventy
the House of
the Howse of Peers. If he were right on the point to
which he had just before bees alto ag, the matter that
they had then under their consideration jest resolved itself
into this, the late Mimetersmust have carried their point, or
have been defeated; they had been defeated; and they raid to
their political itchNildriesi " Yon mast pass the Bili, as