Star.
London, England, 1809-04-13 00:00:00

SO UT 11111.1 R K MEETING.

Yesderday, pursuant to public no ice, a Meeting
wa, held at the. Town I I dl, k the Borough of South-
ark, :or The pur; tak;r.g into consideration wthe
pri,cee ling; th; La iir.estig3tion into the conanct
urth. Curtin is Chief, in the Counnous House
of iitriiitment.

At twelve o'cis:cl< a great concourse ni people had
2ssernhl.d, a short time attcrw.u.ts the room was
so U.ll II:at no rector could oht:tin admittance. As
soon as Mr. To,,,,•NsotNo, the Deputy of the
Bailiff, had tilten the Chair,
Mr. Sotr-,:!.,x DAVIS rose, and nrt.r a short address,
propose:l a string of is.vs.,lLltions, which being secon-
ded by Mr. FAVL r., Nve;e progressively offered to the
approbation or rt.;eczion (d the meeting.

Mr. Atc.heet turn stated from the Sloss of Toes-,
day the parar,Taph inserted under the name cf Mrs.
Clark, in order to stew the immense sacrifices which
were mode to prevent the appearance of a work..
which would cotpose to open view from one end of
the I:iirhtlint to the other, the swelling tide of public
corruption, and the impetuous current of private in-
fumy, to :he destructive etfeets of which the public
characters of this errantry so abundantly contributed.
The worthy Gentleman having disposed of this im-
portant subject, sir:milled to the persons presest, that
if any of the Eiect.ors were inclined to hear what their
Representatives had to offcr on the conduct of the
Dithe of YVT k, and on their internosition with respect
to it, they were in the neighbonerhood and might be
sent fOr. A gcnerel cry of " tth:nd for them ; let us
hear them," was reeiihrated through the H.tll ;
end in conseipience Mr. Henry Thorhton and Sir
Thomas Turton wereinvited to attend, and in a
short time appeared to the right andleft of the Chair.
'While they were absent, a vote of thanks to Sir Tho-
mas Turton *as pa:s!ti unanimously. After some
observations from Mr. Jackson and Mr. Alcock,
Mr. Twilit:To \ soon t.fierwards rose, and commen-
ting on the Resolution to which we have last adv,t-
ted. remarked that his name had been omitted (and
/9 it •or ht lo M. The leTonourable Memher then
stated what had been his line of conduct during the
examination of the house of Commons into the de.
partment f the Dttke of York. He said that he had
not supported Mr. W-ardle's Address, because, ;tier
the hest attention he could pay to the incoiry, during
the whole of which he was present in the House, he
could not rneke up his mind to the guilt of the Com-
mander in Chief, although- he thought there was
pregnant ground of suspicion ; and he was of opi-
nion, th it in the two forms in which the Duke of
York might be called upon to answer to a criminal
charge, either before the Howe of Lords or the Court s
of Law, he did not think either the one or the other
svould find him guilty, under the strict legal obliga-
tions by which they would be bound. There was,
however, one constitutional point on which he was
anxious to support the dignity and maintain the
utility of the House of Commons. It was not neces-
sary that the House, as the Grand Inquest of the
Nation, should be perfectly satisfied of the guilt of
the party accused, holding high offices in the state ;
it was sufficient that there was so much of suspicion,
s(m much of laxity and negligence, in persons in such
situations, that a fair expectation was presented that
they would not fulfil the duties of their station in a
manner conducive to the welfare and honour of the
country. It was in the exercise of this great consti-
tutionel authority possessed by the Commons House
of PalFement, that he considered the safety of the.
state eminently to depend, and under this impression
he had supported the Address of Mr. bankes, in pre-
ference to that of Mr. Wardle. So anxious was he
on this subject, that when the former Member con-
cluded his speech, he instantly rose to second his pro-
position ; but had not the goad fortune to catch the
eye of the Speaker, and therefore this duty devolved
into other hands. The whole object of these pro-
ceedings was to reform the public abuses, which had
been augmented to a degree that must alarm every
friend of rational liberty. He might ftirly atad ho.
(tests), say, that every year, every month, and every
honr of his life, were devoted to that reform, to
which all his faculties were constantly directed. It
it were not his duty now to appear before his consti-
tuents, he should have been engaged at this moment
in that important object. Time after time, the result
of his labours on this most interesting business had
been ; and he was solicitous to avail him-
Self of every reins within his reach, not only to pro.
claim the extent of those abuses, hut to point out the
ehar.nel in which they took their course, and the per-i
by whom that course was accelerated. reelioe I
stenos in this cause, conscious of having' }Laic fh';',l
ilaberioily, and zealously whined his duty in it, h-
Met- the Elector of Southwark, in the persuasien 'ha;
he should receive their approbation of his general
conduct, if he were so unfortunate as to differ limn
them as to the precise mode in which the investig-n-I
tion into the conduct of the Commander in Chief
Ithoold have been terminated.

11. e flt,neurable Member, on concluding, was
asked by an Rector, whose name we do not know,
which wa7 he would vote should a Reform in Par-
liament be proposed

Mr. TfInI{NTON answered, that he was raLr:ally
friend to Reform ; that when Mr. Pitt proposed it on
repeated occasi. ns, he had given that Minister his
cordial suppor►, but that when he abAndoned it, in
consequene of tile alarm be felt at the French Re-
volution, he, Mr:Min.-mon, " felt a little :alarm also,"
(A lavb) und wai a:Aious to postpone it to less dan-
gerous times.

Mr. ALcw-tz, in commenting on the observations
of the Honourable Member, said, that he thought
Mr. 'Thornton had, in some measure, neglected his-,
public duty, by nut adopting the candid, manly, and
honourable Address recommended by Mr. Wardle
and the l'2l indriwndent Members, by whom that
a;s:inguished Patriot was supported.
Sir ntomAs T;urrom thou ;In, the course of con-
duct which he pursued in the flou.e of Commons,
was of a nature to preclude the necessity of any such
question as that proposed by the Hon. Gentleman
(Colonel Alcock ). His conduct, he trwted, was'
sufgciently °poll and decisive, conceiving the main
question for the consideration of the House, to be,
whether the Duke of York was guilty of conniving at
the corrupt disposal of military commissions ? he
elated tip the House to pronounce a distinct °pi_

nion upon that question. He could not
.agree with i
Colonel Wardle's Address, because the latter part
of it appeared to him, to amount to this proposition, !
that even if the Duke of York had no knowledge of
the mai-practices of Mrs. Clarke, he was unlit for his
(Ace ; but he could not bring his mind to such a
conclasion. if the Duke of York was innocent, he
ought not to be removed, and it would be unbecoming
any idea of British jestice, that punishment or dit-
p-ace should be inflicted unless guilt was declared
and proved. He thought it, therefore, unbecoming
the character of tta House of Commons to call for
' removal without any declaration of guilt. This was
the ground of his objection to Colonel Wardle's ad-
dress, asd the motive of his opposition to those who !
argued, that there might be knowledge without con-
nivance,.or connivance without knftledge, for their
distinctions were hardly intelligible, must be obvious
to eee reflecting man. He considered such argu- ,
Menu as an outrage against common sense and com- i
' mon ju:tice, as a mere palliative fur indecision—as a
temporizing policy. It appeared to him more just
sad nianly, at once to come to the question, whether j
the Duke of York was guilty of connivance, or not ?
And he felt peculiarly gratified to find that his con.;
duct on that occasion met the approbation of his
Constituents, whose opinion he always highly valued,
as indeed the whole cotarry must, for the judgment
and fiedependence of tee Borough of Southwark was
proverbially reaaectable. The result of the decision
upon the relestion he al ded to was he could not
help adding, exceediel;l) honourable to the character
of the Home of Commons, not however, because the
Chancellor of the Exchequer trA obtained a majori-
ty, but t:.c.iuse the minority afronnted to 137. After
an tulo-6iam upon the motives which actuated the
conduct of his worthy Colleague, the Honourable
Baronet adverted to the question put to him upon the
subject of Parliamentary Reform. Thu necessity of
such a measure had always been strongly impressed
upon his mind. (Lcurfeipidanses.) That impre•sion de-
-1 rived forte from experience and observation of the
House of Commons, on both sides of which there
i were several Nlen-ibers who were the nominees of cer-
tain brant his of the Aristocracy, instead of being the
Represelitatives of tli 2 l'eaele. But although a warm
advocate for the general principle of Reform, he could
give no distinct are to e•:e question of the Hon.
Gentleman, or m.ske :thy pledge, until some specific
plan of Reform sht.lad be brought forward, upon
which he should endeavour to decide according to the
best of his judgment.
Mr. FAVLI, observed, upon the closing part of the
Hon. baronet's speech, which was in his opinion,
:Led he believed in the opinion of the Meeting, by far
ti:e. mos; important. When the question of Parlia-
m-ntare Retorm was brought forward in his early
dries, he remembered that the ;general manner in
' w hich the enemies of that great and desirable mea-
sure eadeavoured to thwart its progress, and prevent
its success, was by recogeizing the justice of the prin-
iciple ; bat calling for some specific plan which they
uniformly opposed when brought forward. Yet they
never brought forward or suggested any plan them-
selves, and notwithstanding their professed regard for
the principle of Reform, whenever it was proposed to
appoint a Committee of the whole House, or even a
private Committee, to devise any plan, to carry the
principle into effect, that proposition they resisted
also. Such, the Honourable Gentleman remarked,
had been the general system, at least of the more in-
sidioiis foes of Reform, who did not think proper to
avow a direct hostility to the measure, and therefore,
he cautioned the Honourable Baronet, as a friend to
Reform, to boy:re of being imposed upon by the old
trick of i!: enemies. (Applause:, mixed with cries of
" I.:L. earr of them Sir Thomas, f: f vou wish to take care
of
.voar,..y. and regard our eskem.") Mr. Favel pto-
ceeded—the state of the House of Commons was such
as must have impressed every unbiassed mind with
the conviction that it was indispensibly necessary to
the character and interest of this country that it should
be most materially changed, by purifying the Repre-
sentation. Recent events must indeed have operated
to remove any doubt that existed upon the subject.—
Mr. Pitt, %viten in his early and better days, he was
an advocate for Reform, told the House of Com-
mons that several of its Members were rather to be
considered as the Representatives of the Nabob of
Arcot, than of the People of England ; bat what
was to be s iid. of tl:at House now, when it was to be
found that JrS of its Members had voted against the
unanimous and decided sentithent of the coentry.—
(Lsed plaTlas).---A1 cc such an exhibition, he
wi•u!cl appeal to t;,:. ‘2 mmon sense of the country,
whether a Parliseentary iteform was not indispensi-
-1 bly tnaeas.:y ?

•!Z,

1. Go:::

pse name we did not know, asked
.1.;:n.0n upon what grounds he opposed
Ir. ~; s l'oor Bill ?

Sir T. rcroN replied, that although a sincere
friend to t':•2 inciple of the measure, and also to its
!)en:•vo:cnt A he could not overcome the objec-
tions it? felt to the expence it would occasion, and still
more, to t!li.• provision for compulsory instruction.—
Let the pour have all the facilities of education, but
IA not paronts be compelled to send their children to
they wished to employ them elsewhere ;
and lc: not the poor rates be subjected to an enormous
increase for the purpose of supporting such a system.
In the sequel it was proposed, that n separate Vote
of Timnks should be passed to Mr. H. Thornton and
the W 5 other Honourable Members who supported
the on the Address of Mr. Bankes. A warm
discussion took place on the point of form, such a
proposition being considered extraneous to the purpose
of the Meeting. At the close of this debate the ques-
tion was put from the Chair, and negatived by a small
majority.

" The Poetic Tempest rises."

We cannot forbear calli.ng the attention of our
readers to a proposal announced in the last monthly
publications, for establishing a POETICAL MAGAZIXE.
If its contents possess the humour and spirit which
characterize the Prospectus, it is our decided opinion,
that the undertaking will prove highly gratifying to
the public. Its principal object is to afford a vehicle
fur such original productions of every species and of
every author as would otherwise be written, read, de-
► stroyed, and ibrgotten. The first number will he pub-
' lished on the Ist of May, by R. ACKERMANN (the
Proprietor of that much esteemed and fashionable
Miscellany, entitled 1:11, REPOSITORY or Aars,) 101,
Strand, Londou.