Star.
London, England, 1809-04-03 00:00:00

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Aare effectual in the cause, of that Inquiry, this the you maythank yourselves for it—(Auger Noe shosttity.)
errors and imbecility of Ministers. The retirement I can solemnly declare, that, since ever I had tbk
of the Duke of York was called for by the principles office T have the honour to hold, I have always acted
'of the Constitution. He concluded by congratulat- constitutionally."—( No, ne, no !)—The Chief Magis-
ing his fellow citizens on the triumph they had ob., trate retired to his seat, ?flitch agitated.
tamed. Mr. Rowmtorr offered to address the auditory, but
The first, second, and third resolutions having been was repelled by a cry of His Partner ! another Con-
put, were unanimously carried with applauses. trador !
The fourth was then proposed. The auditory were Mr. WAITHMAN then addressed the Livery, and
clamorousfor including the name of Alderman Combe said he had a most important fact to state to them.,
and General Ferguson. -He, with them, had recent cause to complain of the
Mr. Werrumee came forward and said, he had in conduct of the Lord Mayor, in refusing to convene
reserve a particular resolution respecting the worthy a Common Hall, in consequence of a requisition re-
Alderman for a more advanced stage of the pro- gularly and respectfully signed, and he now trusted
ceedings, when the conduct of the City Represents- that as they had agreed with him upon that subject,
fives should come under consideration ; and with so they would agree with hire that it was not consis-
regard to the name of General 7erguson, it was tent with the duty of any Chairman to point out to
omitted only from the difficulty of selecting a few Englishmen what grievances they were to complain
from so many men of talent and high character, who of.—( eiftedeure. ) •
voted in the glorious minority of the 15th of March, The LORD MAYOR-8' The question shall not be
without giving offence to the rest. put."
Mr. WILLIAM PAYNE however moved, by way of; Mr.WAITHMAN continued. It was the duty of ev:ry
amendment, " that the name of General Ferguson be I Chairman to maintain order, and act impartially in
introduced in the resolution," which was adopted, and , the Chair; and it was a violation of that duty, more
the resolution passed unanimously. jespecially in a Chief Magistrate, to refuse to put .a
Mr. Mderman COMBE expressed, shortly, his warm question legally and regularly proposed to him by a
gratitude for the partiality expressed by inserting his Liveryman.
He would not have hesitated to put the
name ; but he thought it better omitted, as other question, had it been a vote of thanks to himself—
gentlemen of the minority, more able in eloquence but he defied any man to adduce an example of such
and debate, were better entitled to it. He claimed conduct as that just now evinced, in any part of the
no such distinction, merely professing integrity and kingdom, in a Magistrate elected by the people—
a sense of duty in the vote he had given, although it might perhaps have happened in a She-
The remaining resolutions were then severally put, • riff nominated and appointed by tlee Crown. But
and unanimously agreed to.
, here was a Magistrate elected by the Livery of Lon-
Mr. WAITNMAN next proposed a vote of thanks to
don, presiding this moment in the Common Hall, and
Mr. Alderman Combe, for the support he had given refusing to put a question regularly proposed by
to Colonel Wardle on the late occasion ; and for one of their own body. Such a conduct must be the
his uniform independence, integrity, and incorrupti- greatest stain to his own character. The question,
bility in Parliament ; after which, he said, he had however, was before the assembly ; it was moved and
an unpleasant duty to perform ; but it was imposed seconded. Let the Chief Magistrate, if he chose,
on him by acquaintances. It was extremely aukward persist in his refusal, and dissolve the Hall ; still the
to him to propose any thing personally offensive to- Assembly could proceed to put another Alderman in
wards men with whom he was in daily habits of in- the Chair, and pass the vote.
cereourse, and men whom he wished at least to respect. I Alderman COMER now came forward with great
The first object with a virtuous man was the appro- I warmth, and observed it was quite impossible for him,
nation of his fellow-citizens :.this was then due when as a member of that respectable body, to sit tamely
deserved ; but those who would be ready to receive present, and witness in mere silence the outrageous
public thanks for their just deserts* should be equally conduct of the Lord Mayor. When a requisition was
open to expect censure where it was due to their mis.! presented to him, signed by a number of that respec-
conduce Theopportunity of eleetionsseldom occurred I table body, for convening a Hall, for the pit-pose of
to afford the livery an opportunity of marking their expressing their sentiments respecting the Convention
sentiments towards their Representatives. The only ,of Cintra, he had the audacity to refuse, because,
prompt means, then, and he feared they would be in- truly, there was a kind of mock tribunal appointed
effectual, would be, to mark their sentiments towards inquire into that subject, the chief object of which
the conduct of the other three of their Representatives, I was to screen his Majesty's Ministers from the share
in the present Session especially, by a public declara- 'of blame due to them on th'tt occasion. Another re-
tion. The mode by which those men constantly ex- quisition was presented to him last week, for conven-
cused themselves for violatieg the trust, and betray- ing a Common Hall upon the subject discussed this
ing. the, sentiments, of their constituents, was, by 1 day ; but he chose to refuse his assent, forsooth, be-
laying their hands on their hearts, and appealing to I cause it did net suit his own ideas ! as if the Lord
their honours and consciences. But it was in vain Mayor was to be every thing in the City of London,
that he looked to their conduct for any thing like ho- and the Livery nothing. It was true, that as no
nour. They had from time to time supported all ', meeting of the Representatives of the Country could
Administrations and all principles ; and on one oc- be constitutionally called a Parliament, unless con-
casion he heard, that where the worthy Alderman vened by the Crown, so no meeting of the Livery
who last spoke voted against Mr. Pitt when in a could be called a Common Hall, except convened by
minority, it was ieniarked by that statesman, that so the Lord Mayor. But was the meeting of Common
long as he had any thing to give, he never wanted , Halls to rest upon the mere discretion of a Chief Ma-
.the support of the worthy Baronet. Mr. Waith.' gistrate ?or are the rights of the Livery of London
man then, adverting to some allusions made by Ito be trampled upon through the mere caprice of the
Mr. Whitbread, in the House of Commons, to the I Magistrate chosen by themselves-? (Applauses.) He
votes given by the two worthy Baronets in the last I hoped the Lord Mayor would see the prudence of re-
division against the Duke of York, in which he corn. I lazing from so rash a purpose.
pared them to birds of pre, pouncing upon a dead Mr. RowcaoFT, obviously labouring under' severe
carcase, observed that he thought the fable of the bodily illness, endeavoured in vain for some time to
Sick Lion equally applicable to their case, for when obtain a hearing, but met so much interruption, that
the royal beast was sick to death, and unable to we could collect', and but imperfectly, the substance
defend himself, the minor beasts he had injured came. of his observations. They were to the effect that a
te revile him with their wrongs. But when the dull great deal too much heat had been shewn upon this
ass came to fling his heels in his face, the royal ani. subject, which no man regretted more than he did,'
mal exclaimed, " Injuries from others I can bear But he should always argue there, and any where in
with resignation ; but to bear insult from so vile an England. the right of an impartial hearing to all
animal as an ass is to die an hundred deaths." (Loud sides: With respect to the Resolution now proposed,
and continued laughter). Thus, continued the speaker, he thought if the ground had been well and calmly
the Royal Duke must have felt those votes of the two 1 considered, it would not have been urged ; for the
Baronets as the severest of his afflictions. But the Lord Mayor, in declining to comply with a requisi-
third Representative (Alderman Shaw) never came tion which was contrary to his own sense of proprie.
into the House, and offered no kicks, because he might I ty, in exercising a sound discretion, did no more than
hope one day to ask favours. Mr. Waithman cor- his sworn duty, upheld by his constitutional right;
eluded by proposing his Resolution of Thanks to Al- for it was his duty to take into the most mature con-
derman Combe, which passed unanimously ; and Al- sideration every requisition, and upon the best advice
derman Combe, in handsome terms, expressed his he could obtain from his fellow Magistrates (of the
thanks. 26, of whom he was but one, though the chief) as to
I . The Vote of Censure on the Conduct of the other the nature of the subject upon which he was required
tnree City Members was then moved byMeWaithman. to convene a Common Hall, and to refuse if he con-
Alderman Cum's, Alderman PRICE, and Alder- ceived that the subject was • not fit and worthy the
man Snit,/ severally came forward, but could not I consideration of a Common Hail ; and he was also
obtain a patient or intelligible }raring. We could bound by his official oath to attach himself to no
collect no more through the hissing and clamour that ; party, but to do impartial justice on all sides; but if
prevailed, but the substance of their respective decla- the question was not settled before, it was high time
rations, that in their votes in vindication of the Duke to settle it now.
of York, they had voted to the best of their judgment, I The clamour for the question was so great, that
and according to their full conviction from the tenor I the speaker was obliged to desist ; when
of the evidence adduced. The LORD MAYOR rushed forward, and said, that,
The Resolution was put and carried unanimously although contrary to his own inclinations, yet, for the
with applause and exultation. I sake of the peace of the City of London, the resolu-
Mr. then came forward, and alluding tion should be put—aye! and he would put It him-
to something that had fallen from a worthy Baronet . self. His Lordship then put the resolution, which
in hi, speech, charging him with having once given was carried in the affirmative, with some six or seven
him a vote at an election, said he should certainly in- j hands in the negative.
cur just blame if he suffered such an imputation to go Mr. QUIN then congratulated Mr.Waithman on his
.unexplained. It was in a case where the worthy Ba-. success in a motion, which he only in the present As-
ronet was opposed to a person of his political princi- sembly, like Mr. Wardle in the House of Commons,
pies, and therefore a matter to himself of mere indif- had the courage to bring forward ; and he concluded
terence which of them he voted for, except indeed by moving to Mr. Waldman a vote of thanks, which
that he could know at all times what the worthy Ba- ' passed unanimously, and for which Mr. Waithman in
ronet intended ; for he openly avowed himself the turn expressed the deepest gratitude as a mark of the
supporter of all Administrations, e hereas his oppot approbation of his fellow-citizens.
nent was more iesidious. He then proceeded to no- The resolutions (for which see our front page) were
tice the conduct of the Chief Magistrate, in refusing then ordered to be published in all the morning and
to comply with a requisition, duly signed by a num- evening papers, and the meeting was dissolved.
ber of respectable Liverymen, for convening a Corn- I
mon Hall.; and he read to the Assembly the resolu-
tion he proposed to offer in censure of the conduct of
the Chief Magistrate on that occasion. (Loudapplattre.)
The LORD MAYOR immediately came forward, un-
der the influence of much warmth and agitation, and,
addressing' the Gentlemen of the Livery, said he'con.
ceived the resolution just read to be a reflexion upon
his conduct, and a censure upon himself— (A general
exclamation of Exactly'ro ; that is just what we mean!)
If then (said his Lordship) I could suffer such
a resolution to be put, I should feel that I was lost to
every sense of a Briton and an Englishman—(Loud
clamours, hisses, and exclamations of 0j off, off!).
If I am ft iced to do any thing which is not correct,

OXFORD MEETING.—A Court of Common Council was had
in the city of Oxford, on Wednesday last, when Mr. ADAMS
moved for a Vote of Thanks to Mr. WARDLE, for his recent
public conduct. This was opposed by Mr. W. SLATT za, who
thought that a fever had been created in the public mind, which
might lad to consequences of a very serious kind. He admitted
that Mr. WARDLE had discharged his duty in an honourable man+
ncr, but feared that the motion might be made a rallying point
Ivr disaffected and bad men. A severe lesson had been read to
the Duke of YORE, and he trusted the Government* would learn
a useful lesson, before it was too late, and not suffer abuses to
'exist which must naturally tend to weaken the en'rgies of the
n uion, and, in the end, alienate the minds of the people from
the love of their country. The K)sio was become an old man,
who had long reigned beneficially for his people, and he would
not be willing to wound his feelings unnecessarily. No reply
teing made to these auggtotions, the motion was withdrawn.