Star.
London, England, 1822-03-22 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

Yesterday, after some routine business, Itlr.f *out ,
rune to call the attention of the Court to what he con-
sidered as a most gross and unwarrantable attack
upon its privileges and character. Within. the last
few years. the years during which the Common Coun-
cil of London had ceased to be as it were the regi-
mental troops of the Court, they had been exposed to
no small degree of neglect and insult from the cour-
tiers and tools of the Minister ; but it was reserved
for the Ist day of March, 1822, to complete the in-
dignity. On that day, if the concurring testimony
of the Reporters and writers in the Newspapers were
to be believed, it had been reserved for an Alderman
and Representative of the City, while seconding a
Petition which had been unanimously recommended
by the Court, and which had been prepared by a
Committee, of which the Hon. Baronet was a Mern-
er—it had been so reserved for this Representative
f the City to libel, in the most gross and scandalous
roamer, his Constituents. lie should be happy if the
Horn Baronet could deny that he had used the words
in question ; hut there was a wonderful coincidence
Ukthe reports of the Morning Chronicle, Times, and
.:tfoning Post. Still, in order to give the Honourable
Baronet every facility of denying this scandalous re-
port, he (Mr. Favell) would read the passage, and
put the question as to its truth or falsehood, before
he proposed the Resolution, with which, in the event
of the Hon. Baronet avowing the statement, he meant
to conclude. The Court were aware that their Peti-
tion. had been carried up by a Worthy Alderman
(Wood), and supported upon the gtound that an in-
quiry was necessary. The Hon. Baronet, too, had
allowed that an inquiry was necessary ; but he had
41pne so upon very different grounds, namely, that he
thought the Sheriff, Who had been so actively and so
meri:oriously employed on the day of-the disturbances
a: Kaightsbridge, would have acted more wisely if
he !tad remained at home. He had done more—he
had felt it his duty to let the world know how very
intermeddling and how foolish the Common Council
were. He (Mr. Favell) did not mean to rest the ca-
lor:lnv upon the charge of a want of wisdom, but he
would say that a gross insult had been offered to the
City—an insult which the.Courtoh not to hear.
Mr. JAMES objected to the proceeding, asthere was
ro motion before the Court.
Mr. FAVELL said, that be had delayed reading his
Resolution, in order to allow the Hon. Baronet an,
opportunity of retracting.
After some further conversation, Sir Wm. Coars
rose from the right hand of the Lord Mayor. He did
not, he thought, go the whole length of the words
which had been read ; but he certainly did make use
of the greater part, and those he had no disposition
to retract. The reason that he bad spoken, so was,
that he was ashamed of the folly of such papers as
the Court was in the habit of drawing up. lie did
not hold the Court in contempt. Goa forbid that he
should. He held it in great estimation, and he had
made use of the words complained of, just to prevent
it from frilling into contempt in other quarters. He
would defy any man to say the the conduct of
' the Court had not of late years been, upon many oc-
casions, foolish. He thought it a disgrace to suffer
persons to go on as they did. He wished to have a
Corn inittee to inquire into the conduct of persons who,
as he thought, had acted foolishly ; and was he tobe
censured and found fault with for expressing his opi-
nion? The Court might attempt thus to prevent the
liberty of speech ; but nothing that they could do
should tie up his mouth or his tongue. No! He would
speak boldly and truly. That Court had been very
much changed within the last two years. In proof
of this he would mention the Address which they had
lately sent up to the King. There was among them
factious men, and demagogues, and Jesuits, who made
speechers—(Rend the Address to the King, it will make
you—no, it will not make you tremble !) He hoped
the time would soon come when they would expunge
from their records much of what had been put there
within the last two years. They should not allow
themselves to be led by demagogues. He was al-
most the oldest Member of the Court. He might,
like others, say things in the heat of the debate ; but
though many differed with him in politics, he did not
wish to carry his heat out of the House, but rather to
let it evaporate.
Mr. Fa YELL thought that the Hon. Baronet had
aggravated his offence. Ile: felt proud of the history
of the Common Council der ing the last few years.
As the great Earl of Chatham bad said, they might
now look the proudest connection in the face. There
we:e times when they had merely re-echoed the notes
of courtiers ; but. these times had passed away, and they
now heard of such things as recommendations of re-
trenchment and Reform. If the Hon. Baronet did
not like the Petition, or did not like any of the pro-
ceedings, he could have said so at the time they were
)idopted. The Court was an open Court. No open-
ness could, however, do much good to the Honour-
able Baronet, for his politics were founded on his pre-
judices; yet, if he had spoken out in the Committee,
the rest would not have been afraid to hear. The
Address which had given so much offence to cour-
tiers, had been agreed to almost unanimously. In it
nothing was meant offensive to the King ; but it cer-
tainly did that which courtiers would not dare to do
—it told the King the truth. The Hon. Baronet had
avowed all that had been reported; and he had done
more—he had libelled anew the whole Members of
the Court, so that wherever he (Mr. Favell) looked
round, his eye would light upon a factious person, a
dernoctat, or a Jesuit (Sir W. Curtis said that these
terms " were only figures"). He (Mr. Favell) would
urge nothing beyond the fair construction of the
words: and he thought that sufficient to warrant the
Resolutions which he should read.
The Resolutions were read and seconded.
11Ir. Alderman WA trustaN expressed his,regret
that somebody else had not risen before him, as he
was anxious to hear the opinions of others before he I
stated his own. During the discussion upon this sub-
ject in the Court, as well as before the Committee, he
had abstained from waking any observations upon
it: but he remained present as he knew that be was
enabled to give the best account, should it be re-
quited, of the circumstances which had occurred.
• He, however, left it to the witnesses who were ex-
amined, and their evidence was so conclusive, as to
render his unnecessary. It was a serious thing to
question the conduct of a Committee at all ; but if it
I were to be questioned anywhere, it should only be in
thi:, Csult. He thought, the assertions which were the