Star.
London, England, 1818-05-25 00:00:00

ANNIVERSARY OF SIR FRANCIS
BURDETT'S ELECTION.

Saturday, the Eleventh Anniversary of the Friends
to the Purity of Election was celebrated at the Crown
and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand ; Sir FRANCIS
BURDETT, Bart. M.P. in the Chair. The dinner was
announced to take plade at five o'clock, but the com-
pany did not assemble until considerably after that
hour.—Soon after five o'clock Mr. HUNT entered the
room, and was received by the assemblage with par-
tial hissing and approbation ; he
approached the top
of the table, but afterwards withdrew from it, and
took his seat some distance below. At half-past five
o'clock the Chairman, accompanied by Lord COCH-
RANE, the Hon. DOUGLAS KINNAIRD, Sir ILWILSON,
Mr. BRUCE, Mr. PETER WALKER, Mr. WOOLER, Mr.
STURCH, Mr.WISHART, &C. entered the room, amidst
loud and continued plaudits, the band playing " See
the conquering hero comes." After the cloth had
been removed, the Honourable Chairman gave—
" The People, the only source of legitimate power."
—( Loud applause.)—The next toast was, " The
King and Constitution, and a speedy recovery of
both." Tune—" Rule Britannia." Toast—" May a
Reform in Parliament enable the People of England
to follow the example of the Citizens of Westminster
by electing their own Representatives."
Mr. STURCII now rose, and observed, this was the
eleventh anniversary of the triumph of Westminster
and the purity of Election—(applause) ; and he was
sure that all those who participated in that triumph
would be convinced that they were actuated by the
soundest constitutional principles. They elected the
Noble and Honourable Representative at no expense
to himself, in the year 1807, because they believed
that he would be a faithful representative of their
rights and privileges, and from that day down to the
present moment they had had no occasion to repent
of what they had done—(loud applause). The Elec-
tors of Westminster never could be deprived of one
gratifying recollection—of having set an example,
eleven years ago, which, if it had been followed by
the constituents of other counties, would have avert.;
ed all the evils under which the people laboured,
and have saved the country—(continued applause).
The worthy Gentleman concluded by proposing—
" Westminster's pride and England's glory, Sir
Francis Burdett."—(The room resounded for several
minutes with the acclamations of the company.)
Sir Ennscis Beauerr rose from his chair, and
came to the front of the table, and attempted to ad-
dress the meeting, but was overwhelmed with the
most vociferous plaudits. After a lapse of several
minutes, silence was obtained, and he proceeded to
address them.—lt was, he observed, a matter of
great satisfaction to a person standing in his situation
to feel conscious that he had done all in his power
for the welfare and happiness of his fellow-citizens ;
and if any thing could enhance that satisfaction, it
was the continued approbation he had received from
them during the last eleven years. He had not,
however, the vanity to•aspire to all that his friend
Mr. Sturch had attributed to him ; but he felt a
pride in the honour he expel ienced by representing
so independent a set of men—the only set of electors
who had given due and proper effect to their inde-
' pendence, by returning their Members in that con-
stitutional manner they had done ; for he believed,
that, with the exception of the two seats held by his
Noble and Honourable Colleague (Lord Cochrane)
and himself, there were none held constitutionally in
the Commons House of England—(loud applause).—
If there were any thing which could add to the plea-
sure he felt upon the occasion, it was the manner in
which his name had been introduced by his worthy
constituent (Mr. Sturch), and he was convinced that
there was not a man who would sooner co-operate
with them in the great cause of maintaining those
principles which ought to exist in the freedom of a
country—(applause). He regretted that he had not
the honour of being surrounded by many of those
distinguished Gentlemen who had on former occa-
sions been present. For the absence of one of them,
however, a private friend of his, and one who had at
heart the interests of the Electors of Westminster,
and one who in the great cause of Reform was not
lukewarm—he meant Mr. Fawkes, of Yorkshire—
(a cruse)—he could account. He was a Gentleman
whO would never slight the cause or the interests ofl
the Electors of Westminster—(applause). It was a'
fact too well known to need repetition, that for rea-1
sons highly obvious, he had declined coming forward
to serve as a Member in the Commons House of
Parliament ; that he had declined to come forward
for that County, because he knew, after long and
tried experience, that the system of Representation
was so bad and corrupt, that nothing but mischief,
immorality, and wickedness, emanated from it, and
that nothing but mischief could arise from an honest
and good man holding so bad an office—(applause).
It was, as it were, trusting to a broken reed ; and,
therefore, he thought that not the slightest advan-
tage to the public could be derived from his exer-
tions; and hence he considered his attendance, either
in the House or there, a matter of mere nugatorinest,
and calculated only to mislead the public ; and it
was for that reason, and that only, that his frier d
(Mr. Fawkes) had declined being present, and that
he had retired from that great House to which he
(Sir Francis) had the honour to belong—(laughter.)
He confessed that it was impossible he could do any
good for his constituents, and he had no hesitation in
saying he should be happy never to set his foot in
the House again, unless a radical Reform was to take
place ; for the wickedness and corruption practised
against the people was sufficient to overwhelm them.
This (observed the Honourable Baronet) was very
much like an electioneering address—(loud laughter),
and therefore he should not address himself to them
upon that subject ; for, to have one or two Members
Who would act conscientiously and constitutionally,
out of the number in that House, which he believed
to be 658, was like pouring one drop of fresh water
into the sea with a view of diminishing its saltness. 1
The Honourable Baronet then took a review of the
ancient constitution and laws, and compared them
with the present, and he also called the attention of
the Meeting to the measure which passed in the
House on Friday night, called the Alien Act, and
he alluded to it because it was said foreigners had
no feeling—(laughter.) In former times, a foreigner
here was treated with the same liberality in this
country as he was in his own, and the laws were par-
ticularly indulgent to him, and whether we were at
war with that nation or not, their persons and pro,

perty were protected. He quoted the learned Mon-
tesquieu for principles on this subject, who had said,
that " the English are the only nation in the world
that made the protection of foreigners a part of their
own freedom"—(applause.) All their efforts in Par-
liament would be uselss unless the people could have
that share in the legislation which they ought to
have ; for that as much belonged to the people as
the Crown did to the King—(applause.) The peo-
ple's rights were inalienable. It had been said by
some that the last year of the Parliament would be
the best, and he begged the meeting to look to its
character. He quoted Junius, who had observed,
" that one year of repentance made but a poor atone-
ment for six years of iniquity."—{applause.) The
interest of Prince and people was the same; it was
adverse to that principle of proprietorship which
destroyed the authority of Prince and people. He
had been called a Jacobin. He had no objection to
the name if they wished to give it him, for he had
rather see the whole power in the Crown than in an
abandoned oligarchy above the Crown. He did not
say this from mere flourish. He spoke from delibe-
rate consideration ; for it was the interest of a Mo-
narch to act in conformity with the wishes of his
people. A King might be a good, a wise, a great
man, but a boroughmonger faction must be odious,
possessing all the qualities of a bloodsucker, except
in this respect—that a bloodsucker would in time
fall off—a boroughmonger never would—(loud ap
plause.) The light was rapidly advancing, by which
the delusions were dispersed, and the farce of treason
had long since been finished. How the House of
Commons could go on he did not know,, dependent
as it was upon a foreign army, raised by that conti-
nental regulation of which 'they boasted, which pro-
duced, as they said, tranquillity at home. The
mind of the counts y was so convinced of the error
of its Parliament, that a continuance of the a'uaii-
doned plan could no longer be expected. The cha-
racter of a true Englishman was what he most prized,
and he trusted while he made exertions to support
the character, he should never want friends to support
hum—(Great applause followed this speech.)
Tune—" Whilst happy in our native land."
Mr. M'LAURIt proposed the health of Lord Coch-
rane, (three times three.)
Lord COCHRANE said, it was delightful, after the
vain experiments of every year in Parliament, to
meet his fellow citizens once annually. His Lord-
ship here stated, that be intended to endeavour to
obliterate from his mind many painful objects by
absenting himself. He would absent himself from
his fellow citizens for a time with that view ; and
he trusted that, on his return, a more favourable
prospect would present itself. He would, rather than
submit to the tyranny contemplated by Ministers,
be dragged to the rack, and at once annihilated.—
Had they not brought forward spies and informers to
establish the suspension of the Constitution ; and what
was not to be expected from the character of such
men ? His Lordship then alluded to certain machi-
nations against himself, and stated that they were of
the vilest kind, and that the public, when they heard
them, would be horror struck. This would probably
be the last time, for eighteen months, he would have
the honour of addressing the meeting, and next
Tuesday would be the last day, for that space of,
time, that he should have the opportunity of voting
in the House. Upon that night he should take care to
be present, and to go to the farthest in his assistance
to obtain annual Parliaments and universal suffrage.
Nothing, he believed, but fear could influence Mini-
sters to do as they ought—(applause).
Song—" Adieu, my native land, adieu!"
Toast—" The cause of Freedom all over the world,
and may the exertions for freedom now making in
South America be ultimately crowned with success."
Toast—" Major Cartwright, the venerable tither
of Parliamentary Reform."
Major CARTWRIGHT, in rising to return his sin-
cere thanks, wished the company what was better
than health, or life itself—liberty—(Applaeac.)—lle
trusted that the time of the establishment of liberty
was near at hand. Every struggle for liberty had
been of long duration, and ours, he trusted, was ad-
vancing rapidly. The time of our struggle had not
been great, considering what we had to struggle
against ; and our approach to liberty was the more
to be relied on, as we had begun to understand it.—
Last year a million of persons had petitioned the
Houses of Parliament for iefortn. Petitions innu-
merable were now flowing in, and Sir Francis Bur-
dett had, the other night, presented no less than 273.
It was strange that a few despicable fellows should
trample upon millions ; but the time was coming
when boroughmongers would tremble and be com-
pelled to feel like human creatures. The Major then,
ridiculed the conduct of what were called moderate
reformers, and declared that if a dozen such persons'
as the present representatives of Westminster were in
the House of Commons, the country might expect a
thorough Reform in Parliament.--(Applause.)
Sir I.RANGIS BURDETT then read a letter from Lord
Sefton, excusing himself from attending, in conse-1
quence of ill health ; and declaring, that nothing but
ill health would have prevented him from doing so.
Lord Sefton's health was drank with enthusiasm.
The worthy Baronet also read an apology from
Sit Gilbert Heathcote.

Sir FRANCIS BURDETT then gave—" Ireland, and
destruction to all religious intolerance." He said thus
much to do justice to them, and to promote the prin-
ciple of generating good will among the inhabitants
in every part of the United Kingdom--(Continaedap-
plause.)—" Erin go brach."
The Hon. Douglas Kinnaird, and success to the
rising spirit of Reform in Scotland."
Mr. KiNuntan returned his acknowledgments.
The health of Alderman Goodbehere was next
given ; after which the worthy Alderman expressed
his gratitude for the honour done him in drinking his
health, coupled with the prosperity of the City of
London.

Previously to any other health being given, Mr.
HUNT appeared on the table, and was received with
violent clamour from all parts of the room. This
continued for some • time, when Mr. HUNT retired,
accompanied by great clamours from every part.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that Mr. Huut had re-
tired, in order not to interrupt the regular series of
toasts, and would address the meeting afterwards,
when the attention of the meeting would, no doubt,
be given to him. The Hon. Baronet then gave the
health of Sir Robert Wilson--4 Great applause.)
In returning thanks, Sir MOIIIRT said he ,