The Sun.
London, England, 1810-05-05 00:00:00

at. arm

public

Mind that the Livery were aattated by selfish me-
_ tives. He would take a review of the situation of
the country for some years past, as it had been con-_
' , lidered by some of the most eminent men, and most
virtuous characters of the day. In the first place, he
should consider the nature and institutiou of Parlia-
: naents. The use of the House of Corns-non& -Was
_to protect The people in the enjoyment of then lives,
. liberties, and property. In the language of Mr. Burke,
• expressed both in his speeches and in pamphlets,
" that it was owing to the corruption of Parliament
that all the evils which the People complained of
-.1 arose that the House of Commons, which was in-
fended as a barrier against the encroachments of the
Crown, was mada in point of fact accessary to the
* Crown." ln illustrating what the House of. Corn-
- rnons should he he would take the authority of
• venerable characters—of my Lord Somers, who
stated that -the House of Commons,
.which ought to
- be the guardians Of the rights•and privileges of the
people, and Controul the Ministers, were not se—
that the laxity of the House re this resoed called
. forth his regret. The-duty of Parliament, there-
fore was to proteel the rights of the people, and the
Bill of Rights authorised toeapply there for a redress
of all their grievances. What was the conduct of
.this branch of the Legislature ? Dare the people ex-
press their disapprobation of their conduct without
. ' endangering their lives and- lib: rtes ? Lord Hale
very justly said, that the country was in that state
in consequenee, that the people were without re-
ltedy, and indeed. without hope. Mr: W. then re-
ferred back to the 'history of this country for 40
.. Years, to shesv that corruption had gradoally been
gaining ground, and that the House eas not ipfal-
lible; that the people had a tight of 'investigating
• - their condu4, as much as' they had the right of im-.
Posing great and heavy* burthens, under the name
of taxes. It wag not a little extraordinary that the
Mouse of Commns, which refused to inquire into'
the bad conduct of the Ministers of, the Crowe.,
should come forward and take steps to protect its
Own dignity. Where was its dignity when they
turned a deaf ear to the charges against two Mt-
sisters for buying and selling seats ? Was it not a
little'singular that these a w:Ministers,,at the head
of upwards of one hundred placemen and pen-
sioners, should turn round to support the honour
and charatler of the House; that they should ex-
clude the people from the Inquiry into the Wal-
cheren Expedition, when they did not think it
necessary
,so to do, when -the Inquiry into the
lconduer of the son-of their monarch was on foot.
As a farther insult to this degraded Country, they
have' promoted Mr. Yorke after givibg him the
- Tellership of the Exchequer, to a high and osten-.'
sible situation, 'after he had been . indignantly re-
JeEted by his Constituents. Yet these Gentlemen
in the House of Commons told' the People 'that
!bey were insulted by petitioning. A great deal
had been said . about the necessity of unanimity ; to '
those who bawled out for unanimity when danger
approached, and when- so much was to be
.feared
from the enemy, he would apply to point out any
Public tneasure which could juStify such a calr.---7.
There were many around him who could answer
h4l3,—{alluding, to three of the City Members.}---
-tlere was nothing to be seen but multiplied crimes
and errors, and yerto Ministers confidence must be,
given. For the last 40 years, much had btett said
~,In the 'Minority in Parliament of the necessity oflleform. Mr. Pitt told the People that nothing good
• ot11(..1 be. ofuained in Parliament untilet Reform took
kl3ce,,-- -a change of Ministry world (to no g ood._
I', fox decltua4 that. lie would not take office
Ivithout. a radical Reform. Lord Chatham enter-
taineA similar sentiments. It was in v4in to put up
‘rth the delusion--a change-of ,men was of ne.use;
lOe system was bail, and without a Reform in that,
at let .e,ood co ;id be expected. Thena was no chance.
Of •
.1 SatisfadiOn to the coquory without it. Having
!le
at some length on this favourite topic, and
!le necessity of Parliament exerting its authority in
..h.ecking abuses in PublicD.elinquents, he concluded
with givipg his suppott to the Resolutions.

• •
Mr. TH-MPSON adverting to the assertion of an
,Pri.iNient !
Member the preceding evening in the House
!3' Commons, said, ‘` that there was a party rising
the country whichnought to be crushed." This
ilould have emanated from no other thamone of the
the Faction. He recommended to
t'e Lively to keep within the pale of the Constitu7,
,I°ll, but to act with energy, and bid the Faction de-
.l'ance. He noticed an observation made by- a Metn•
er,--that, according to the opinion of another, there
4'v ere not more than eight honest men in the House;
rrid • Consequently all the rest. most be rogues—at
hich there was a laugh. 'Would not, he observed,
•4°nourable men have felt their indignation roused at
It'ch a charge, instead of treating it with jocularity ?‘
business of the day was of great importance—
ti9thiog less than to recover. of the Norman invaders
te lost.rights of the country ; and that was to be
11urected only by getting rid of the Borough-Faction.
oth si..!es. of the House, in the opinion of this Gen-
tetTlan, were badthe Opposition were as vile lo-
ts as the MinistrY—the change to Grenville, or
.Y pre, or Ward, who so foolishly moved to reject the
a etition from the Electors of Westminster, was of no
}t ail--they fiad all their plans, and gave their ad-
ilereats a holiday; he rejoiced that I.llx.Whitbread
ttl come forward, as the people would have an oppor-
v,t'ity ot judging Of their tneriei; they, like Mr. tt,liad
iimir deco ducks. He cautioned them from trust-
-41 any man, or set of men, dibless they systernati-
th Y Opposed all corrupfMeasures2.. .Reform was all
4s at was desired, it was essential to the King as veil
tile People. Adverting to the enforcement of the-
zPeaker's Warrant, it called to his mind the base
.Icl cruel murder committed by the. King's Lite
tlttlrds, who never fought a battle, but against an
folartiled mob. A reward of 5001. had been Offered
thr the apprehension of the person who tired a shot
a r()ligh the bat of Ensign Cowell, and he hoped.
oticd trusted that when the rei.oftnf the Committee
ploquiry should be made of the murder alluded to,
rat a suitable reward would be offtred- for the ap-
rireheoston of the soldier who fired a shot through
urged heart of a beloved citizen.—Tits Gentleman
urged the'necessity of rallying round the Constitu- '
trl(n.) and made some observations upon the com-
Ittilvot of Gale Jones and Sir F. Burdett to prison.
ti • w
• • ADDINGTON made a few obsepations upon '
tie illegality of the procee4ings of the House of
c"rt'ons ;- but the sense of the Livery being Ad-
er,'e -to hearing to him, lie at leni.,ith ta tired.
tiecthe Resolutions were then severally put and car-

Mr. QUIN thought, that after the Many able ar,
guments they had heard to prove that -which hardly
required an argument at all, it was not necessary for
him to detain them tong. He Came forward not-to
speak against that monstrous system of undefined
privilege which bad:been so justly condemned, •but
be came forward for those worthy and able men
who bad just addressed them, to read to the meeting
a Petition to the Honourable House of .Commons.
They would perceive a line of-distinction drawn be,
tween the Resolutions they had just heard,, and the
Petition he was about to.read. He would give them
the reason for such a distinction: The Petition fbm
the Freeholders of Middlesex had • been last
rejected by the -House of Commons. It 'had been
rejected because it was not couched in proper terms
of respect, not because the allegations contained in
it were untrue. -It was rejected because truth had
not a gentleman usher to introduce him to the
House, and because he was not_ trimly dressed in a
courtly garb. They had endeavoured to avoid giving
the
sHouse cause to reject their Petition on such
grounds. 'Theirs they had strove to give the true
Corinthian polish.
The Petition was then read.
Mr. Quip; then moved,- that the Petition should
be signed by two Aldermen and twelve. Liverymen,
and that their Representatives, H. C. Combe, Sir
W. Curtis, Sir J. Shaw, and Sir C. Price, should be
instructed to present it to the House of Commons.
Sir W. Curtis considered it to be his duty to pre.
sent it, which. he hoped he should always' he.rea,dy
to perform, . . .
Mr. Alderman 'COMBE thought it unnecessary to
address the meeting at lend): On two points they
must wish to know the sentiments of their Consti-
toents,, namely, the subject of Parliamentary Re,
form,.and the Speaker's-Warrant. With respect to
the former,
.he had 'to state that in 1793 he was one
of a Society called the Friends of the People, who
petitioned for a Reform -in the Representation of the.
People. It would be arrogance in him tOiake upon
himself to decide upon the legality of the Speaker's
Warrant ; hitt he must shy he should have preferred
proceeding by common law. He should always
think it hisAuty to make everfetibrt to obey his
Constituents, and when- he could .not do: so, be
would resign. his seat:
Sir C. PRICE and Sir J. SHAW severally addressed
the Livery, stating their readiness to present the Pe-
tition, but declining as we understood, to support it.
The noise and clamour, however, which prevaded
the Hall while they were sp'eziking, precluded the
possibility of collecting their words with ptetision.
The question respecting the petition was theh put
and carried.
Mr. WAITIIMAN moved the thanks of the Meet,
.ing to Mr. Alderman Combe. He was sorry he
could not mention other names, but be bad to ,
'form them of something relating to one of their
RepresentatiVes. As, however, he could not vouch
for the truth of what he had to mention, he would
merely bsk him, before his constituents, if he had
not absented himself from the House on every divi-
sion, on the plea heAth, till the night ov.
which the Walcheren question was to be decided,
when he not only , made shift to be there, but to"
remain 'there all night till the—division took place,,
which-was not till seven in the morning.
.Sir Cuturis defended his past condual, praised
Lord Chatham,. as also tlgi policy of the late exPe-
. ditian ; but it was impossible. from the Cries of '‘,ol/,
'oil,- to bear distinctly what he said,- _
The queeiOn for giving the Thanks of the Meet-
-ing to Mr. Alderman Combe, was then put and
carried.

Mr. WAITHMAN observed, that the question
which he had put; though it might apply to the
eouciuta of more than one of their Representatives,
related not to the condo& of Sir W. Curtis, but,to
that of Sir C. Price.
• Alder Man COMBE returned thniks for the hoilour
he had received.
,
PRICE stated that to be .the first--time tnat
ever an individual had so come forward to cdll upon
a Member of Parliament to account tur his conduot.

—[Here the continued cries of Off, off, tto. rendei
ed it impossible for him to proCeed,].
The LORD MAYOR reminded them that their own
credit and the honour of the City required of them
a patient hearing.
• Sir C.,PRICE thought, as a Member of Parliament,
he ought-to he- heard. He would state the truth

and nOthing‘but the truth. A " dark assassin"- had

come forwiird and endeavoured to stab hitn in his

charaeler. He did not put • himself in competition
with Mr. Waltham ; he held himself above him.—
Mr. Waithman had put himself abovj the Lord
Mayor, in coming forward and calling on them for
silence. He did not know that he as i liveryman
had a right so to do.- He had never tbsented him-

self from— the House of Commons but when his

health or necessity compelled him to do so. If the
Walcheren Inquiry could come over again, he would
vofe as he did before.

Sir J. SHAW spoke, but could not be heard.
Mr. QUIN observed, a ditrerencT of opinion hal
existed with respeal to two Gentlemen who had
been introduced to the no:ice of the Livery. He
would introduce a third to restore hartnohy. He
then moved--That the Thanks of the Meeting
should be given to the Lord Mayor, for his condt•6l
as Chief Magistrate, aad for his endeavours to pre-
serve the peace of the City without the assistance
of the military. •

The moti, n being carried, the Lord Mayor re-
turned thank 4.

. Mr. RAVEL!, propbseil that the Thanks of -the
Meeting-shouid be given to the Sheriffs for their
good condo& and exertions to preserve the peace of
the City, without the aid of the Military,
Mr. Sheriff7WooD gave the Meeting an account
of his conduct. He had endeavoured stedfastly to
perform his duty, and merit their approbation. He
expected that his going in State to the ToWei would
call forth many. charges and insinuations against
him in certain Newspapers. He was not deceived ;
but charged with. such .a mission to Sir Francis, he
considered the carrying of it to the Tower as a con-
tinuation of the Meeting, and going in State what
he owed.qn. respect to the Freeholders of Middlesex.
He concluded by saying, that as he owed the same
respect to ,the, Livery, when he carried their address
to Sir Francis, he ihauld again, go in State to the
Toven

Mr. Sheriff ATKINS had ever endeavoured honest-
ly tu diicharge his duty. He took no merit tO him-
self for hisendeavours to preserve-the peace without

'the assistance of 114' all the praise Wa.S
to the Chief iVl4strate.-Thono-b in some instanc.S,
he might be so unfortunate as to differ from them,
yet, considering himself as their Minister, he
had never stepped: either .to the right or to the
left, but had uniformly endeavoured to ad fairly
between- man and man. He would never be-
tray his trust ; but, as he admitted, that others
who differed from him [night be right, he hoped
they would think with him, that every man ought
to be permitted to enjoy his own opinions. What-
ever his worthy Colleague might think, be could not
see the prOpriety of going in State to carry an ad-
dress to anyindivsicitU, however highly he might be
respe6ted. He did not think any- individual could
be entitled to the' same respe6t they were Deedstorn
ed to pay to the asseinbled Representatives of the.
Country and the SoVereign on the Throne. He
should be happy to obey their wishes in presenting
their Address to Sir F. Burdett, but he wished to de-
cline going in State.—U-4ere a considerable tumntt
arose, ad" Stale, State," was vociferated from
all pat is of the HAll.—Mr. Sheriff Atkins, we un-
derstood, in the end, to decline going at all.]
The IThatiks of the 'Meeting were then given to
the Sheriffs, who returned Ahanks..
It was then moved that the Resolutions, &c. of
the Meeting should beinserted in all the Morning'
and Evening• PaperS, when a number of persons
bawled out "No POST!" The motion was
cairied,
and Meeting broke up.