The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-10 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER PETITION.

Sir F. BURDETT preiented a Petition, which
had been mgreed to by a very numerous, orderly,
and respectahie Meeting. The Petition express-
ed those sentiments which might naturallrbe ex-
pected to be inspired by the inroar's attempting to
be made in the Constitution of this C00n7,-y ; and
it expressed, es strongly as justly, their dissatis-
faction at the pending measures, while they called
ou the House to allow time for the Nation at
large to make known their sentiments on the ex-
pediency Of !visaing those Bills, which were ac-
knowlt dged on all hands to be a violation of the
Constitution. 'the danger, he thought, -ryas not
so pressing, but that time might br allowed for
this purpose, and he could see no reason why the
House should deny itself like benefit of knowing
what were the feelings excited in Cie Country by
the conrse which Ministers now thought it their
duty to purs,c. He moved that the Petition
should be read.

Mr. LANIBToN, in rising to second the motion,
with which he mo t heartily concurred, took oc-
casion to state, that he had received a comniqui-
cation from a part of elm country which was con-
sidered to he in a disturbed state, to wi,ich ate
hoped the Noble Secretary of State tor Foreign
.Affairs would allow him le call his attention.—
The letter alluded to a statement recetvly made of
700 men having gone armed to a Meeting held on
the Town Moor at Newca,tie. 'The communica-
tion which he held in his hand expressed asto-
nishment at the representation, contained in a
letter written by Mr. Archibald Read to Lord Sid-
mouth, in which the Reformers of that neigh-
bourhood found themselves charged with having
concealed arms. That this statement was utterly
untounded, the parties concerned felt it their duty
w assert, and to invite 'inquiry, that they might
be enabled more completely to refute the calumny.
It was further stated, that so far from having gone
armed to the late Meeting, the Reformers bad not
even taken walking sticks with them. The charge
of 700 men having gone in the Way described Co
the Meeting was so utterly destitute of truth, that,
but for the importance of its being known to the
country at large that it was false, they would on-
ly have met it with silent contempt. Such was the
declaration of the Reformers in that part of the
country ; and unless it was known that they were
men loSt to all sense of shame, and utterly re-
gardless of truth, he (lid nut see but their state-
ment should be entitled to credence. lie had
another commuttication in his hand, which helitad
received front an itnlividual of the greatest respec-
tability, on the subject of those reports lately
made respecting the difpOsition of the inhabitants
of the county of Durham.. This letter contradicted
'hose reports, eett described what had appe:rded in
the letter of the Mayor of Newcastle to be lithe
better titan rhodomoutade. There was Mit 1,01:Pt
on which he wished to ask the Noble Lotd a
question. He desired to know whether or not a
comninnication had been received from the De-
pity -Lieutenant of the county, describing that
part of the country to he perfectly quiet ? From
all he (Mr. Latobton) had been the to hear, he
was led to believe that the alarming accounts re-
ceised from that quarter rested solely on terms
made by interested persons. One statement
which had been made a tew-evenings hack, the
public would learn from what would pass in ano-
ther place that night, was quite without founda-
tion. He alluded to that, accdrding to which an
Honourable and Reverend Relation of his had
been compelled to leave his residence by the pro-
ceedings of rime disaffected. Such was not the
fact, and he bad only removed from his former
residence on account of the peculiar situation of
part of his family, and the individual alluded to
was not at all 4isposed to credit the rumotirs
which were afloat of the alarming state of that
part of the country. For himself, relying with