Star.
London, England, 1809-12-15 00:00:00

COMMON HALL.

Yesterday. pursuant to a requisition to the Lord
naycr, a (7cmmon Hail of the Liver)men of Lon-
don was convened at Guildhall.

The business of the day being opened,
The LORD MAYOR came forward, received by the
loudest applauses, and stated, that having called the
Hall, pursuant to requisition addressed to him, he
had row only to request of the Livery present, in the
course of the day's discussioh, to allow every gentle-
man who should offer himself to their notice a fair
and patient hearing.
The Requisition was then read by the Common
Crier.
Mr. FAVELL came forward, and after apologizing
der obtruoling himself on the notice of the Livery,
said he was only induced to do se ia the absence of
the Gentleman who usually stood foremost to advo-
cate the rights cf his fellow-citizens ir that assembly,
(he alluded to Mr. Waithman) ; bet if the Livery
had not on this occasion the advantage of an open-
ing speech from that Gentleman, they had at least
the strong fact which had been the ground of his ex-
ertions in another place (the Court of Common'
Council). For his own pelt, he took up the subject,
not as a question of party : he knew of no party in
this case, but the party of his country, against the
corrupt and incompetent Ministers who, most unfor-
tunately for her prosperity and happiness, had too
long had the direction of her affairs, and who, not-
withstanding they had held so long at their disposal the
whole strength and resources of the country, with an
expenditure of seventy millions a-year, had, by their
mismanagement, involved the nation in disasters and
disgraces unparalleled at any former period of our
history. To put an end, if possible, to a system so
ruinous and degrading to the British nation, he con-
ceived it was the duty of the Citizens of London, as-
sembled in that ancient hall, to call to mind the
glory of their ancestors, and the talents of those illus-
trious statesmen, who, in former times guided the
affairs of the country with so much honour and ad.
vantage ; and to unite their voices in reprobation of
the conduct of those whose imbecility and miscon-
duct were the sources of all those calamities which at
present involved the nation ; and he trusted that the
manly proceedings this day to be adopted by the Li-
verymen of London would prove the death-blow of
corruption, and the resurrection of honest men to
gnice our affairs, He did not wish to harrow np the
fedings of hi., fellow.citizens by going into the dis-.
tressirg details of those disasters which the country
had of Mate sustained. He wals convinced there was
no man in that hail who would not have felt greater
pleasure on rrictting to vote an address of congratu.
lation to his Majesty for those signal successes of his
arms which the country had a right to expect, than
to complain of grievances and disasters. But it was
impossible to blot from their memories the disgrace.
ful affair at Ciutra, or the misriirtunes of our first ex-
peditioa to Spain, which terminated in the rapid and
disastrous re_reat of our army to Corunna, and the
death of the gallant Sir John Moore. That lament-
able issue to our first. Spanish expedition did not
complete the measure of our disasters ; for, to make
the cup of misfortune still more bitter, the affair of
\Veld:even followed, and formed, as it were, he cli-
max of our calamity and disgrace: and this while
one of his Majesty's principal Ministers who directed
that disgraceful measure was cruizing in Margate-
roads ; and another, his colleague, remained at home
brooding over accusations against the incompetency
and imbecility of the former. In coming forward
then to implore of his Majesty a rigid iinpory into the
• misconduct of such men, he felt that he was urging
the cause not only of the Citizens of Landon and all
the people of aglaed, but of the; army and navy
who were embarked ie the same common cause of
their country, and whose honour and tame were im-
plicated in these disasters, and who he was convinced
would join with one voice their country on this occa-
sion; in the universal demand of inquiry. The op
posers of inquiry in another place had urged, that it
was unnecessary to address his Majesty on this sub-
ject, as Parliament would soon meet, and inquiry
would follow, as a matter of course. In that guar- I
ter, hew ever, he placed no reliance. Inquiries had l
already been proposed and adopted there, but what I
was the real& ? The foulest imputations had been I
cast upon those who proposed them, and even where
they were followed up to time detection of delinquency, I
no punishment ever followed Ile was unwilling to I
trespass longer on the attention of the Livery ; lie
had only to rejoice that the people of this country I
were roused to a sense of their misfortunes, and that
a spirit of inquiry was excival in the Citizens of Lon-
don,
which, he Li to ed, would, frem their example, I
extend throughout :he kingdom, and prove the source I
of our saleatien. it was t the spirit of the City oil
London that the country owed the suppression of Le- •
neral warrants, and the resistance of many other en-
croaclalments of to: reser Ministers, subversive cf the
rights of the peop'.-. 1 k c6rmjurcd the Livery of this
day to recollect the days of the venerable Beckford,
and other Chief Ma;;Htratc:: of Elm( r times, and to
be guided by that manly British spirit which actua-o
ted the Corporation in those days ; and he was con-I
vinced, that could the shade of the venerable Beek-1
lead, whose statue formed one of the proudest monu-
atents cf that aacient hall, speak :it this moment, it I
would either request that his statue might be pulled I
down, or his example imitated. lie concluded by
moving the series of Resoltßions, (for which see our
first page).
Mr. „loans, in a neat maiden speech, coincided
with Mr. Favell's seatimeuts, and seconded lus mu- I
trot:, Lamenting that datiog the present Adnemstra-
tion, not oaly was Ow voltuneer spirit dwindled al-1
most to ecening flout an eiTectiste force of ii(er,o4.)o
men, titz. ~ur airily of the line almost annihilated by
disaster, defeat, amid dis:•ase, in ttielecs expeditions. 1
Mr. Sheriff-At-alas now attempted to speak, but
his voice was drowned in hotaing and hisses. Mr.
waithman, however, c.inie Fur .vard and succeeded
in obtaining for hint a short but not very patient at-1
tention.
The Sheriff solemnly cli!claimed attachment to any
party. He appealed to his ccriduct in the (mouse of
Commons, where, frt.nl the conscientious dictates nfj
hi , inagmere, he supported Ministers where only h
'
thou -rht
they deserved it ; but when a proposition was
made for the impeachment of a public delinquent
(Lend Melville), be had given his vote against Mi-
;esters, and fi r that impeachment. (on. Liee;) man