Star.
London, England, 1823-01-24 00:00:00

'd!Ot St. ilelenilke*W. bellreP,
. .
, natural and:~
wert thou to .64 bite PifsSitint;c arepvit
exile to which the ehhappy lames sias•doOtried
',arming had then spoken 4* the danger which
present system turns.— , attend such changes as theitefornien had.ton-
been actually incurred the reign of: one King, ex- ietiplated. But it was well known to them all, that
tending. over KftY-inne feel's; °Sari had-been sustained changes of much greater importance than the estinc-
through the reigns of the thirty-one Kings. iiho 'had tion of a few rotten boroughs had been effected with-
preceded himywhich had occunied.a period of 700 out injnry to the nation. What, for instance, should
years. At the end of the reign of George the Second, they say to the Reformation and the Revolution, and
the expenditure for the long period he had last named' to the two, Unions, which had taken place (one in
amounted to 795,060,3491. and: the public debt to our own time) by which, in each case, an independ-
-129,832,0001. At the end of the 'reign of George ent Parliament had been done away with altogether?.
the Third, the sums expended since his accession to But Mr. Canning had no objection to see Shoreham,
the throne amounted to 2,357,431,2621. It was corn- Cticklade, and Grampound, disfranchised, when they
Iputed that 50,000 guineas would cover about a mile were proved to have abused their privilege. He was
of ground. The money expended in the late reign, willing to sacri6ce Grampound and Old Sarum, but
if -produced in guineas, would go four times round his conduct in that was merely throwing a tub
the whole planet, and thus, according to calculation, to the whale. Mr. Canning would not cnn'ent to
cover about 48,000 miles—(Applause).—During the general Reform in the House of Commons. He said—
late reign every article of food and clothing had been o You had once a popular House of Commons, and
raised in price, sothat what formerly cos:100,009,0001. what did it effect ? Why, it overturned the Consti-
per annum, had been brought up to 200,000,0001. tution, and decapitated the King." But there was
This extra 100,000,0001. added to the taxes, made one thing he had forgotten to mention, which would
a total of 150,000,000/. per annum, which was taken make the argument of the Right Hon. Gentleman
from the People, over and above what they formerly light as a feather, and give just weighi to that of his
paid, a sum which was equal to five times the rental opponents ; and this was the description of men by
of all the land in the country. Was this burden whom that Parliament was composed. He had re-
borne by the higher classes alone? No; such was ferred to the Resolution of the 4th of January, 1648,
not the case. Who paid the duties on beer, porter, by which the House of Lords had been declared use-
tobacco, tea, and all articles of Excise? It was cal- less, and the authority of law given to the votes of
ciliated, that of the seventeen millions of persons the House of Commons. But it ought to be remem-
forming the population of this Kingdom, about three bered, that in January, 1643, fifty Members of the
millions were heads of families, with five or six indi- House of Commons had been expelled for deserting
viduats depending on each of them. • The higher their duty. On the 29th ofJnne, 1644, two hundred
classes amounted to one-fifth of that number, so that Members were expelled for adhering to the King :
the sum paid by the great bulk of the population in 143 Members were secluded or imprisoned in 1648,
the taxes was about in she proportion of 145 to five. under the Act called Pride's Purge ;" and it was
He proceeded to state the manner in which the pre- by those who remained, eighty-nine in number, who
sent House of Commons was formed. In the I'eti- arrogated to themselves the tight of governing the
tion presented by Earl Grey, in 1789, which had country, that the Resolutions lead by Mr. Canning
never' yet been answered, it was stated that a ma- had been passed, and of these eighty-nine persons, it
jority was returned to the House by fewer than fifteen was worthy of remark, that no fewer than sixty-seven
thousand persons out of 17 millions. It appeared were rotten borough Members. He did not know that.
ihat 280 Members were returned on the nomination it was impossible for a similar scene to be acted now.
of 87 Peers; that 21 Peers for Scotland nominated 31 —He could not forget the decision which had been
Members ; that ,51 were , nominated by thirty-six come to on the India Bill, in opposition to the King,
Irish liters, making the total number thus nominated and the wishes of a large portion of the People. If
to exceed ;SOO. Of the remainder, sixteen were put the King were to co-operate with such a body, what'
in by Government, and only 171 were fairly re- evils might not follow. He knew of nothing that
turned by the People. He then skewed, from what could effectually protect the country against these
had lately occurred, that three Members who came but the measure which lie now came forward to re-
from places where the Electors did net amount to commend. He.was afraid he had detained them too
one thousand in each, had been less' fi iendlo to long—(Vo, no!)—He had done all in hii power to
retrenchment than those who were returned-from oppose that system against which he now called on
places where the voters in each were not. fewer than that Meeting to raise its powerful voice. He invited
ten thousand. The Act. of Settlement had been them. to 'get rid not merely of the men who had de-
framed to exclude those holding places of profit -ludedOhem, by telling them that the sun of their pro-
under the Crown from sitting in Parliament. But sPerityisia:i indeed clouded, but that it would soon burst
present there were in the House of Commons forth again.-with all its former splendour, while they
eighty-nine Members holding places, the profits of had found the gloom continue to increase around
which amounted -annually -ta: 17%8141. He would them. He hoped a .change •of system would be
not speak of those Members who derived emoluments adopted, which would remove those of whom be
from being in the Armye but he must not omit to had spoken, which would
state that the money shared. by the relations of • -: •O*Ssatteeptemy tees a smiling Lana," •
ho were in the House of Commons had been ialcu; lainlirtng.the directicin of their affairs to those
lilted to amount to not less than 1,000,0001. If those who would only -seek to read their history in the'
he addressed • we•e made of " penetrable stuff," joyful eyes of a gratefid and admiring nation. When
he thought thessefacts would produce au impression James the Second 'was about leaving France to at-
which must last beyond
.that day. If such weie,nd notN tame; to tegalnhis' loSi kingdoM, the French King,
a
tj)e case, he . know not what would move them,
LOUIS XIV. had said, the best thing he could wish him
•
ga
should judge that they would continue insensible to was, that he might never see him a in.. He would
the merits of the ease, even though one should rise say now, that the best thing he could wish that Meet.
from the dead. He would now (as Mr. Canning had ing was, that he might never see them again on such,
done him the honour .to mention him in his cele- an occasion as the present, and he therefore assured'
brated oration at Liverpool), with the permission of them, that wishing the prayer of their Petition might
the Meeting, offer a few words in roily. From Mr. be granted, he should• be rejoiced if on this subject
Canning he had always differed in politics, bnothere he should never have an opportunity of addressing
were few to whose, speeches he had been accustomed them again.—He then read the following Resolutions
to listen with more admiration and delight. He ,for the adoption of the Meeting:
considered that Right Honourable Gentleman to be " Resolved, 1. That the Constitution of this Country is a
possessed of talent, wit, eloquence, and learning, Government consist.
edingAof Three Independent Scares, a Limited
Lmitocr
and was only sorry that powers like those which he That hh
taleacn oasa its distinct and Limristocracy,anr
dfunaction. s edandDemrivii aey.
ges,
might claim were not exerted in a better cause.—
and that one of these estates cannot unduly influence the tone.
,From a man se gifted, commendation was always dons of either of the others, without disturbing that balance
nece.prable, and he wished Mr. Canning to believe that which is essential to secure and perpetuate the various advantages
which.tuted. may be derived to the people from a Government so con-
Ili was not insensible to the very flattering mention su
•
which had been made of him. Ile hoped that nothing e. That the House of Commons, as at present composed,
which he might now say would be viewed as pro• does not express the national will; on the contrary, it hal too
y proved its readiness to comply with the dictates of
have dispensed the favours of the
seeding from personal hostility. Such was not the ltene.rall
case with 'respect to Mr. Canning, or any other, per- w!hatsoever,minister may
Crown.
son whom he had ever known. Mr. Canning had "3. That the effects of the present state of the House of
said, in opposition to the friends of Reform, that the Commons have been the wanton and profligate expenditure of
the public money, and the unprincipled creation and cantina,
Government of England was a limited, Monarchy,
alonucde of useless
and considered that an independent HOUte of Corn- en:areaex places
asnsidonu.nomf tehritedutlercsifoeens, in
defiance o[ the
mons would be incompatible with the ,existence of e 4. andgeneral
the hePavey. pressure eel; load of taxes imposed, for
Such a Governme it. He (Mr. 'Fawkes) would say, the puipose of suppotting an extravagant Civil List, and of
the Government of England was not exactly a lo maintaining a ruinously large Military and Colonial stablish-
mited Monarchy, but a Government consisting of
anmedntaekisnottlaedge
totally
ledge
with a state of profound peace
wmeasure which can remedy these evils,
three Estates, namely} *limited Monarchy, a li- " Teat the only me
mited Aristocracy, and limited Democracy. He and' preserve the eountry from the dangers that may be entro-
was at a loss to know why, in a Government consist- pated from a continuarree of them, is a speedy and effectual Re-
ing of three Estates, it was necessary that.one of the form in the Commons House of Parliament.
•
three should be corrupt. If this argument were good, The Hon. E. PETRE seconded the motion, and con-
and if Peers ought to be allowed to nominate Mem- fessed himself .a.recent convert to this measure. He
bers of the Lower House, lie did not see.why, on the had hetetofore'consdientionsly fought under different
same principle, a hundred Commoners might not be banners frOm those under which he was now enlisted,
but when he saw the present state of this country,
introduced into the House of Lords ; or why an asso-
elate might not be provided for the King himself, on and considered the principles on which the Sovereigns
the ground that power lodged in the hands of any one of Europe had recently acted, he felt that some
of the three Estates might be dangerous, if the inter- change of system was necessary ; and in his opinion
the only remedy for the evils now" complained of,
ference Of another were not secured. Mr. Canning
had, however, contended, that the influence of the and the only safeguard against their recurrence.was
Crown, 'as it was now exercised in the. House of to be found in Parliamentary Reform.
Commons, was absolutely necessary. To contend . Mr. S. WoarLer felt that he should stand in need
for this, was to contend for tyranny in disguise.o- of a great deal of indulgence from. the Meeting, as
he had to express sentiments entirely different from
It might not be injurious in a particular reign, but
this was not to be calculated upon. it had been said those of his two Honourable Friends who preceded
of Augustus that be ought never to have lived, 'or hint—etas, disappiobation teas so loud that the
that he ought never to have died; and he would ask Hon. ante:lld not k heard). . •
if that which had occurred in the time of Tiberius, Mr. W. FAWKES begged as a particular favour to
him, that the Meeting would act the part of candid
of Caligula,. and of Nero, bad not more than out.‘
Englishmen, and do their duty as Electors of a great
weighed all the bene6ts enjoyed under the sway of
Augustus? Mr. Canning's supposition was, that 'it County, by paying every attention to his Hon. Friend
would be an act of glaring injustice to the proprietors (Mr- Wortleo •
Mr. S. Worn* vepeated it, he should stand in
of boroughs now to disfranchise . them. Before be .
need of Much indulgence, as his opinions on politics
admitted that such property' ought to be respected,
he must desire to see the law by which one individital. Welt adverse to those of many of the persons he ad-
was to possess as-much power as the people in York- dressed.and especially on this subject. He, however,'
h
shire, in Westminsteobt other s bad altogether. had a duty to perform; and as he never entertained
If the safety of the country were to sacrificed toian Opinion which, at a proper time, be was not ready
vested rights, w deposi. i to support, if they would favour him with their at-'
hat were they to kof the
tion.of James this Second? Had e no-tested rights tension, he would point out whit he thought the Cal-
to be respected? Thu bicuarchi,hOwever, was ex-j lacy of those irgtdrdetlttlihich hadteen-actdreSsed to
Felled, and without compensation was sent away to 'thew. He hoped it would not be thought al in hini

that Act was..ipteuded whaling%
the con-sequfnees of this Would better_ a from all thy
rat the ititretatiniii.ifew tita it the roses w
ets, .most brilliant oratoslitalffourisliesk It would,-prr-, 'that ex
haps, surprise some who heard him to be told that, Mr. Ca
tN. under the present system thrice the expenditure had, punt al