The Sun.
London, England, 1810-04-23 00:00:00

5'lR FIUNCIS BURDETT's LErt'a

TOTHE ELECTORS OF WESTMINSTER, ;
1,1 answer to the Letter addressed to' him. and signed 131 r
t":entY-five Inhabitant Householders, Electors of West.
tonhter.

Tower, April to, 18'6.
Sir Francis 'Burdett presents his respectful corn-
' Plithents to the High Bailiff ot 'Westminster, and
teinsinits to him his AnNwer to the Letter of toe
Electors of that city, which he did hitu tihs honour
to present to hint this morning. -
Arthur Morris, Esq. High Bailiff tot' the
City and Liberties of Westminster.
GENTLEMEN, ToWer, April zo, ato.
If any thing could increase or: confirm the con-
, it;iet resolution of my lite, never to betray the ton-
tidenee you have placed in me, it is the -kindness
• and affeetioir which your letter of the ,171 h instant
testifies to me; and the wisdom and propriety of
Your conduct at the late meeting, •
A scrupulotis adherence to the common 'law of
. this land, and the wise provisions of the ancient
Btatutes, declaratory of that law, which together
‘
'hat understand by the Constitution, raised
Our country to an unexampled height of happiness
!hd Prosperity and in an exact proportion to the
invasion and- neglect. of:them; haS the country de-
Clinect. .
In defince cifthese Laws and' this Constitution,
tsthile at any ori4atiOn, to which, perSionally,, I may
be subjected, -as I rio, that-life cannot so
atictso happily; because it cannot 'be so hci.-
Tiourahly and hiettilly, ex,•,ended, a, in•defenCe of
this our best" Inherliant , and'in the maintenance of
the good old cauiejor which Hempden died in the
Geld, and Sidney and fttissell on the scaffold.
- Laws, teebe entitled to respeet and willing obedi-
ence, must be pure-,--mustcOme from a pure source
"-that is, froth common consent, and through au
uneorrupt channel--Jethat is, an House of coin-
l'hons, freely eleeled IDA the people. Moreover,.
they who pay the reckoning ought to examine and
controul the account ; and the only Controul the
people can have; is- by a fair representation' in .Psr-,
Ithent. The necessity of obtaining this check by a
constitutional refortii, is now acknowledged by all,
except tno,e.siiho, contrary to law, have possessed
themselves ot a property in the House of Commons,
'by Whom this land, this England—J.
----- this dear land, •
Dear, for her reputation through the world,
•Is now leas'd out
• bike to a tenement, or pelting * tarm ;
Xrigland, twund in with the triumphant sea.
Whose rocky shore beats back the angry. surge
Of watery Neptune, is now- bound in. with shame,
With Inky blots and rotten parchment prindS.
prom this foul and -traitorous traffic our borough-
'hanger sovereigns derive an imineuse revenue,
Cruelly wrung,from the hard hand of honest labour:
do, however, now en ettiin an ardviit hopc, that
this deb,raded and de6rading system; to, which all
-911 r difficulties, grievances, and dangers are owing,
will at length give way to the moderate but deter-
tnined perseverance of a whole united people..
Magna Charta, and the old law -of Cleland, will
then tesuipe their empire-freedom will revise.—
tile caterpillars Of tile state, -coiling thieoselves up
in their. owa naturally narrow 'sphere, v. 11 fall off
'end' perish---property and political power, which
the law tteVer:Seinir.nes,wiii Oc Ke,g,
.4ePlaced in.the happy al.d dignified station allotted
.replaced
by the Constitution—Cie people relieved from
the bitterest of• all curses, the curse of Canaan—
that of being the -servants of servants.--and restored
to their just and indisputable rights. -
Tu effect these great, • important, and necessary
purposes, no. eke-ft-ions of mi.ne-sha4evey be want-
ing ;•-•without, their attainment, 'no effects of mine
. can avail. _
The People of England must 'speak oat—they
tam do mcsre—they must act ; ;Aid if ,;following
the example of the Electors of Westil.insier they do
ad, in a firm and regular manner, upon is concert!.
ed plan—eVer keeping tli•gs,Law and=Coristitutioti in
--.view—they must &ally succeed in -recoverilig that
-to which they are legally entitled—thee
of their own guardians and trustees for the protec-
tion of their own liberty arid property. They must
_either do this, -or .they must inevitably fall a sacri-
-fice .;one or the ether of the most contemptible
faetiens that: ever disgraced this or any other coun-
try. • .
The question is now at issue ; it must now be ul-
timately determined, whether we are henceforth to
be slaves, or be free. Hold to the laws-:-this great
Country' may recover; forsake them—and 'it will
Certainly perish.
I am, Gentlemen, • •
Your most obedient humble Servant,
FRANCIS BURDSTT.

~ '°

To t!-..e Electors of Westminster.
* Paltry, mean— Johnson.

' ROAD BILL.-=Tiste Bill for ascertaining the duties
'lncumbent .on the occupiers of land adjoining the
highways, contains the following clause:—" And
whereas thiStles, docks, and other weeds, often
grow on the Sides of highways, and on ths banks
and hedges next adjoining thereto,
.the seeds of
which, if suffered to ripen and disperse, do great
injury to,the adjacent lands; for the remedy there-
co, be it enacted, that it shall be laviful for the oc-
copiers of inclosed lands nearest to the places where
the said thistles, docks, and other weeds, are grow.
ilia, and thry are • h.trebY required, from time to
time, to cut doWn and carry away the said weeds,
ur otherwise to destroy' the same; and if they shall-
not -be cut down or otherwise destroyed before the
_lst day of July in evry year, or before such time as
the- said weeds shill be •in flower; the. Surveyors
surveying the parish wherein such weeks grow,
shall, and they are hereby required to cause such
thistles, docks, and weeds, to becnt. down or de-
stroyed at the proper costs' and charge of such cc-
' cupiers of the nearest inclosed lands.; and if any
such occupier shall reruse upon demaiid to pay such
charge and expence, the same may be recovered .be-
fore any Justice of the Peace aBling for .the\ division,
who shall summon the parties before iatn.and their
'Witnesses, 'and summarily examine into.the com-
plaint, as well by the oath of witnesses as other-
wise, and cause such such stun ayshall appear to
,be
ai_ well as the costs of snit,,,to 'be, ivied by
&stress and sale of the parties' orles,.the sum
shaft tie paid within -the period of ten.,days fr n
, ot
such complaint being heard and decideil,!'