Star.
London, England, 1809-03-30 00:00:00

of Araps,z Charta, or the Hal:etre CdrAus Bill, of any
other 13i11 Nv hi ch a corrupt 'House, of Commons will
permit the Minister to suspend at his pleasure ? The
abuses of which we complain proceed directly from
the corruption which has taken root in the whole sys- •
tem of our Government. Whcro the source is cor-
rupt, the streams cannot be pure. Where corruption
has fastened in the root, it will be disc.(-verel in the
fruits of the tree. Those abuses have of late arrived
to so flagrant a pitch, that even the friends of that sys-
tem thought it necessary to have commissions and
inquiries instituted for the purpose of pruning and
dressing the tree which now produces such bitter
fruit. This, however, is not our business ; we must
lay the axe to the root of the tree. (I.9..alapplaases.)
Unless we destroy, this hydra'of corruption, it will de-
stroy the country. The monster now stands, with
harpy claws, seizing on all our substance, to supply
the means of its boundless prodigality. If this mon-
ster is not now subdued and destroyed, England
must, like many other nations,
" Lie at the proud feet of a conqueror."

" This is then the task of the people of England,
and what we have now to do. I hope this use will
be made of the patriotic spirit which has been excited
by Colonel Wardle. If it does not produce this ef-
fect, it will avail but little. If the people of England
can be contented at the present moment to assemble
merely for the purpose of saying how glad they are
at the resignation of the Duke of York, then the
country cannot be saved. I have, however, a better
opinion of the people of this country, than to suppose
that their hopes and expectations can be so limited. I
am free to confess that it is my opinion, that a Parlia-
mentary reform is now absolutely necessary. If it
can be obtained by quiet means, it will be a most for-
tunate circumstance, not only for the country but for
the Government, for they are the most foolish and
wicked advisers of the Crown who advise the So-
vereign to treat with scorn the wishes and opinions of
the people. When Colonel Wardle brought forward
his motion, he was immediately charged with being
connected with a conspiracy. This is the common
course of every scoundrel who is charged with any
crime ; he immediately turns about and charges his
accuser. It was, however, somewhat extraordinary,
that these Gentlemen, who, with such a mass of
evidence before them as was sufficient to convince
every other person, could not yet be convinced of
any impropriety in the Duke of York, should im-
mediately, and without any evidence at all, find out
that Colonel Wardle was a conspirator as soon as he
had brought forward his accusation. Before he brought
forward this accusation, he had a fair and unim-
peached character, but now they tell you he is almost
as bad as us Jacobins. (Loud laughter.)—l can see
330 other conspiracy existing, except a conspiracy
against every honest man that shall have the boldness
to point out guilt, and to endeavour to remedy abuses.
Some persons talk a great deal -of the danger of
popular influence : I would be glad, however, that
they would lay their hand on the map of Europe, and
point out any one country that has ever been destroyed
by the prevalence of popular influence. It is easy to:
point out those which have been destroyed from their
Governments being inattentive to the wishes and
wants of the people. I indeed will readily admit,
that a House of Commons, sitting in its judicial ca-
pacity, should not be governed by popular influence
on any other consideration but justice. I should be
as much ashamed to have my vote as a Judge biassed
by any consider ation, of whether I was to gain or lose
popularity, as I would be to accept a bribe on any
other corrupt consideration. The character of the
people of this country is not for severity of punish-
ment, nor for running down any man by clamour,
but they look for patient investigation, and above all
for impartial justice, and for laws equally applied to
all ranks and degrees.
" Our Constitution seems to be something like a
partnership concern. There are three partners—the
King, the Lords, and the Commons. Now what
would be said of any common partnership, where
one or two of the partners would take all the
profits to themselves, but leave the full proportion of
burden and risk to the other ? What share now has
the People of England in this firm ? It is my hope
and wish that they shall at length Le restored to their
share. (Loud app/auses.) I think nothing can be
more improper or pernicious in its consequences, than
the endeavour to couple the rest of the Royal Family
with the transactions in which the Duke of York is
concerned. The Duke of Yoi k should be tried for
his own offences ; but it is unfair as well as injurious
to the country to involve others in that odium which
only should belong to the guilty. If his Majesty has
been obliged to accept the resignation of. the Duke of
York, the affliction should not go farther. It puts
me in mind of the advice given by Hamlet, when his
mother complained,

" 0 Hainlet, you have cleft my kart lo twain !"
The answer was,
" Then throw away the wooer part,
"And live the purer with the other half."
I hope that the nation has ceasedlo look for any ad-
vantage from any change of Administrations
.(crie, of
ag, ao, they are all the saw). We must look no more
to parties, and be assured that we never can expect
any measures really useful, until the people of Eng-
land have their proper share in the consitution of their
country—(loid anfilaustr.) As for me, I like this
administration just as well as any of the other admi-
nistrations which have existed in this reign. Ido not
see that one of them has done more good than the
' other. I wax none of their places either for myself
or for my friends. I would be well content that they
would keep their places, if they would only do the
country justice. But my mind is fully impressed
with the idea, that this justice will never be done un-
til the people of England shall be fairly represented.
The resolution thanking Lord Folkestone,Mr.Whit-
.
br:43, and odiers, having been unanimously voted,
Mr. WHITBREAD said, that as he was the only
Member of the House of COmmons present whose
name was included in the Resolution that was just
agreed to, he felt it incumbent en him to express
to the Meeting his sense of the very high honour
that was conferred on him. His gratification was
the greater, because the thanks of so. respectable a
Meeting, form,:d no part of the consideration which
induced-him to adopt the line of conduct he pursued
on the late investigation. It was an honour which
never entered into his contemplation. If, instead of
receiving the unanimous thanks of the Meeting, be
cold have looked forward to the possibility of their
disapproving his conduct, still he must, awl would