Star.
London, England, 1822-06-19 00:00:00

7,7

a4aduse).-1-le said this to chew that his humanity
Bras mgt confined to his fellow-subjects, but embracgd
his fellow-creatures all over the world—(Cheess).—
The period during which he had represented South-
wark- Was but short, but it had been marked by events
of the highest political consideration; and, during
the discussion of every one of their), he had been found
ti7m at hit post—(Cheers).—He appealed to the inde-
fatigable Member for Montrose, to say whether, on
LI: occasions, be had not seen Sir Robert Wilson in
place ?—(ANAuse).----The first great event that
occared after Sr Robert Wilson had been returned
for Southwark, was that never-to-be-forgotten Man-
c!'ester massacre !—(Cheers).—The moment he heard
efir, he hastened from the French capital, where he
u•as at the time, and communed with his fellow-citi-
zens as to the best means of bringing to light and of
vanishing the perpetrators of that atrocious act—
iippanse).—Their efforts did not, however, obtain
astice for what had been done ; and all the redress

I.lle injured people received was those infamous Six
Acts; which would be a disgrace•to the Statute Book
long as they were suffered to) pollute its pages—
(.n :louse). The next remarkable event was the per-
snution of their lamented Queen ; and there they

,mild find Sir Robert Wilson, with other honourable

men, earnestly supporting, and actively engaged in
defending, that ill-fated individual. And what was
the consequence ? The most bitter, the most unre-

lasting persecution followed him, that ever disgraced
the annals of any age or country—(Cheers). Ile was
struck out of the ranks of the Army, in which he had
so ably served ; he was robbed of his property, and
every petty art that. malice could suggest was put in
practice against him—(Hear,hear),—lf the People of
Enema had not rallied round him in that trying
ilour, they would have deserved to be branded as the
most ungrateful people in the world—(Applause).—
Put they did rally round and defend him. That con-

::.ieration which he had shewn to others, they shewed
t•> him—(Applause).—:He would
_trespass no further
ua their attention, but by proposing—
" The health of Sir Robert Wilson, our independent, humane,
znJ 7allant Representative, and may the spirit of the People keep
„cc with theopprtmioo of the Government."—(Loud cheering).
Sir ROBERT WILSON then stood forward, amidst
applau-e. His honourable and excellent friend,
who had in so kind and affectionate a manner pre-
sented his.name to their notice, had recalled to their

;ccollection that this was the anniversary of the day
in which they bad engaged in that arduous, and, by
many of their friends, pronounced desperately. hope-
less conflict, but by which, nevertheless, they had

::chieved that independence which they had since so

nobly maintained. Whatever might be the cause
;or pride on his part, in forming a political connexion
.:ith the Electors of Southwark on that occasion,
t::tt cause, he must say, was unifortily augmenting ;
f :r, in the same degree as the Electors of Southwark
.acquired public esteem by their patriotic conduct, in
the same degree did he acquire weight and considera-
tion as their Represensative—(Applause). He was
absent from the country when the strong arm of
poser was raised to crush him ; but the Electors of
Southwark, revering the maxim of. jurisprudence
which declared every man innocent until he was
braved to be guilty, feeling also that arbitrary punish-
ment, though by hazard it might strike the guilty,
still unjustly inflicted, it the individual so
punished was not preiiously the Elec-
tors of Southwark, acting on thoseprinciples, gene-
rously and without hesitanon threw their shield over
him—that shield of public support which gave him
an opportunity of rescuing his character from spoil,
and to render every machination that bad been
resorted to, abortive and inglorious(fpplause).—
But if he had failed in the struggle—if his culpability
hail been proved, still that culpability would in no
vise have impaired the tide .of the electors to affec-
tionate esteem for the generous motives which urged
their interposition. He should only say, that be would
ever bear in mind a grateful recollection of their ge-
nerous kindness—(Applause). That recollection would
render him, if possible, moresealous in the discharge
cf his duty, and he knew that his public services
were tie only return for their kindness which it was
fitting for him to Offer, or which it would be honour-
able tor them to accept—(Applaisse).—Hesvished the
transaction alluded to was the only one that could be
adduced to prove the violent character of the present
Cove, nment ; but, unfortunately, their every act and
measure, for a luag series of years, sheaved that coer-
cion, and not conciliation, was the basis of their sys-
tem—(Cheers). Unfortunately, Ministers, seeking ar-
Li trary power, and by arbitrary means, had received
encouragement and support from many of: those who
ought ;0 be the protectors of the rights and liberties
the People—(Applause).—He was sorry to say, but
it was very true, that those who had the greatest in-
terest iitthe were found to be perfectly indifferent
as to the fate of the Constitution. So long as they

were satisfied with the produce of their own estates,
they sympathized but little with the complaints of
the People at large—(Cheers, and cries " Truer)
The infliction of a new tax was looked upon as bene-
ficial to the Public, and the abolition of any ancient
right was constantly pronounced by them to be an
additional security for religion and social order—
(Laughter).—Under this system, the country was go-
-..erned by Magistrates who abused their power-
31agistrates whose admonitions might have preserved
tranquillity, but who remained silent—Magistrates
Nvha-instead of being the protectors of the People,
were their oppressors—Magistrates who, instead of
having recourse to the law, and to the civil power,
wantonly relied on the sword, without necessity and
without appeal—(Applause).—They were considered
the best conservators' of the public peace, whose con-
duct was calculated to produce an infringement of
it—(Applause).—They had also seen political Judges,
who applied punishment, not to the offence, but to
the man—(Cheers).—They had known such persons
to be' pplauded as the best guardians of our laws,
and the most impartial dispensers of justice—(Cheers).
Military government was the order of the day ; and
as the affair of Manchester had been alluded to, he
was ashamed to say, that the wounds which the Re-
formers received on that occasion, if they were not
treated as matters of pastime by our own Rulers, were
very lightly noticed, when allusion was made to those
scandalous transactions by the Ministers of the Crown.
But the scene was now changed with many of those
who formerly supported Administration. Every
where 140 w was heard—

" The loud lament,
Of rising taxes, awl of falling rent !"
Arid those %hut hcietolorc, rniuded not the necessities