Star.
London, England, 1830-05-25 00:00:00

PURITY OF ELECTION.

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eFer nci
at
half-poetAyy -Nta hct iirt
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between two and. tla
o'clock,anear Ban. in the Chair.
•ei and A risarYD
Triumph of Westminster and Purity of Flection,' %1:('
hundred gentlemen sat down to dinner ; amongst ale)!
we noticed John Cam Hobbouse,F.sq M.P. Lord Ehritr4
ton, M.P. George Byng, Esq. M.P. Monck, F.;
M.P. D. O'Connell, Esq. M.P. E.RD. Davenport, E
sl
M.P. Otway Cave, Eaq. M.P. John Wood, E
Sq. .11
Mr. Jones Burdett, &c.
The first toast was " The People, the only true smut,
of legitimate power."—Drank with three times
I wee.
and great applause.
The next toast proposed was " The King, and hu
speedy recovery."—Three times three.
The applause which followed this toast shoved tl.
great interest that is felt for the health of our bel,e..;
Sovereign.—Tune, " God save the King."
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, the next toast, Gentle
men, I have to propose, is one, the subject of which
often brought us together, it is " A full, free, and fat.
Representation of the People in the Commons House of
Parliament, which is the only efficient remedy for ot•
national grievances."—Drunk with three times titre,
aad great applause.
Lord EBRINGTON then rose to propose the health of
Sir Francis Burdett. His lordship said, in rising to pro
pose the health of that distinguished Chairman, he did it
with mixed feelings of regret and gratification. He re.
gretted that that duty should devolve upon him in cone
quence of the illness of that excellent man, Mr. Shard,
It had been that gentleman's privilege for twenty-tar,;
years to propose this toast.—For twenty-two years he
had invariably been present as the noble champion of
purity of election.—(Cheers.) It was a gratification,
however, to him (Lord Ebrington) to know that it
required no eloquence to obtain a favourable reception
of the toast he was about to propose. The services of
Sir Francis Burdett in the cause of Civil and Religious
Liberty were known and appreciated in all parts of the
kingdom—they were not confined to the City of West-
minster. (Hear.): His public and private conduct needed
no eulogium.—(Great applause.) It was unnecessan
for him (Lord Ebrington) to allude to the zeal and intre•
pidity that Sir Frauds Burdett has always shown in ad-
vocating the rights and interests of the people; when
he considered there was any attempt to invade thos,
rights, he resisted it ; not only to his own personal de-
triment, but to his personal hazard. (Great cheering.;
So long as civil and religious liberty were dear to the
country, so long must the name of Sir Francis Burdett
be associated with the great measure of last Session.--
The toast he had to propose was " The health of Sir
Francis Burdett, the great Champion of the Rights of the
People."—Drunk with three times three, and the most
enthusiastic applause.
Sir FIIIANCIE BURDETT mounted the table, and a;
soon as the deafening shouts of applause had subsided,
spoke to the following effect:—" Gentlemen—lt gives
me more than common pleasure to meet the Electors of
Westminster this day, as I have been labouring uncle:
an affliction (Sir Francis had his left arm in a sling) that
I thought would hare deprived me of the pleasure of
being present at our Anniversary. It always gives me
great pleasurse to meet any portion of my countrymen.
but to meet the Electors of Westminster I feel peculiar
pleasure. (Great cheering.) With you I have acted
for many years in the great cause of Parliamentary
Reform. It was with you, gentlemen, I began my ca-
reer in that great work. An apathy to the great cause
of reform has lately manifested itself, but 1 am satisfied
the hearts of the people of Westminster and of the
country at large, are not indifferent to this important
subject. The union that is manifesting itself throughout
the kingdom shows that the people are beginning to exert
themselves. Before, however, I had the honour to re-
present the city of Westminster, I had enlisted underth,
banners of reform. It is now 35 or 36 years ago since
I first advocated in this room the great cause of Parlia-
mentary
Reform. My noble friend who proposed m
health has done me too much honour. I never considered
the question of Catholic Emancipation entirely as a telt-
gious question, I always looked upon it as the cause of civ.l
liberty; and, gentlemen, civil and religious liberty
must stand and fall together.---(Great cheering.'--
There is a gentleman present (Mr. O'Connell) that is
entitled to no small share of praise in his advocacy t,i
that question. (hear.) It was a question tbat has beta
advocated by all the patriots of the last fifty years, and
happy ought we to think ourselves that we have lived to
see the glorious results of their labours. (cheers.) I
should feel ashamed, however, now we have granted
civil liberty to the Catholics, if there was any one pre-
sent who did not regret the fate of the great measure
brought forward in the House of Commons a few even-
ings since. I mean the measure to relieve a small bu,
respectable portion of the community—the Jews, from
their civil disabilities— (cheers.) Why,l would ask, should
they be excluded from the benefits of the Constitution
They are deprived of these benefits—for what ? Be-
, cause they do not think exactly in religious matter:.
as we do. A shame on such a system of legislation ;
would really appear as if the Prime Minister, sticking to
that sticking point of Christianity, being part and parce:
of the law of the land, was determined from being clam.
yelled to grant the great measure of last Session, to ease
his conscience by making an atonement in the shape of
a peace-offering, by refusing the Jews their civil rights
—(Great cheering.)—l will take this opportunity of no-
ticing an article that appeared in a public newspaper
(" The Times"), which stated that Jews could not fee!
an interest in the welfare of the State, like Protestants
and Englishmen. Surely they could not, neither haii
they any right, unless they were in the possession 0:
the rights of Englishmen.—(Cheers.)—Any one might
• suppose also from that article, that the House of Commons
was so corrupt, that Parliament would be turned into a
Jewish Sanhedrin. Well, let it be so, and see how a
works (hear.) It would be impossible to turn it into any
thing that would militate more against the interests of the
people, than as at present constituted. (Hear, hear.)--
To hint at the corruption of the House of Commons some
years ago, would have been considered monstrous. It
was, however, thought nothing of now, for the corrup-
tion—l was going to say—is more notorious than the sun
at noon-day—(hear, bear.) It was now so notorious that
no one professed to disbelieve it ; and the public, I hope.
will not any longer submit to a thraldom the most igne-
minious that ever was placed on the necks of the people.
' Gentlemen, Ministers take credit to themselves for passing
' the Catholicßelief Bill, why it has been a tower ofstrength
to them, and the gratitude of the country has much
more than repaid them.—(Hear.) The eyes of the peo-
ple were beginning to open. In Birmingham, the people
were convinced of the truth, that without a reform in
Parliament all other attempts to relieve the country must
prove useless. Of what use were the indefatigable ex-
ertions of Mr. Hume : the house rejected all his propo-
sitions for partial remedies. He was a man who cone-
, crated his whole life to labour, in fact, labour was his
delight; and yet, with all his praiseworthy exertions, I

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