Star.
London, England, 1820-12-21 00:00:00

MEETING AT EDIV2URGEL

Saturday forenoon, a numero•ts and respe
Meeting of the Inhabitants of this City took place al
the Pantheon, agreeably to a public advertisemcn,
in the Newspapers, to ccnsider of the proprie. y (4

presenting a Loyal Address to the Kixo, and Petit:',,
his IVlAassrr to dismiss his present Alinisteis.

As immense crowd bad assembled in the str(:.
16tig— before the hour of meeting, and when the (10.1
was opened, the house was filled in all corr.ers,

an excessive crush.

JAMES MONCISIEFFI Esq. hating been imanimcu IT
called to the Chair, stated, that the Meeting v.. 4:
assembled to exercise a valuable and constitutional
right—that of approaching the Throne, and express.
ing the sentiments of loyalty and duty to tl.e King

free People; to express, in humble and respecti4
language, their feeling on the acts, or system of act.,
of his responsible servants, and of the spirit and u.lt.

per in which the government of the count') 1-41

been conducted.

FRANCIS JEFFREY, Esq. then rose to propose t!
Resolutions. He was one of those who had fig:.t:
the Requisition for this Meeting, and would 11(
explain the motives which induced him to do so.
He felt extremely diffident in performing the tas

which had devolved upon him, because he was litid

in the habit of speaking on subjects of general into.
rest, and to all his other difficulties was added, min
to his other avocations, a total want of preparaticl 01
the topics now to be discussed; so much so,
that he felt ashamed to appear before them. But I'
duty he had undertaken must have devolved
some one, and he, as an individual, was the
inclined to make this sacrifice, as an atonement I.
his.too long supineness and want of sensibility to
public cause, and to those important duties to which
they were all, he trusted, now awakened—( Lout.
applause).—lndeed, he would not disguise his semi.
ments upon this point. Scenes like the present hai
been always rather uncongenial to his disposition. I
was one of those who bad entertained considerable
doubts as to the propriety of holding such Meetings.
1 It always occurred to him,,that convocations of this

kind were accompanied with considerable disadvaro
cages; that they tended to .exasperate the feelingi,
and if not to promote scenes of riot and disorder,
least to call forth rash and imprudent expressions;
which, though used only by individuals, were im-
puted to the whole body assembled. With those
feelings, he confessed, he was rather slow to approve
of Public Meetings; but in common with several in-
dividuals whb now surrounded him, he was forced
lioM V

ts his habits of privacy, and induced to step for-
ward. in defence of principles which it was the in-
terest of all who were attached to their country to
propagate and to .encourage-(Applause). Such we
now the state of public affairs, that it became the duty
of every man to disregard all private considerations
—all peisonal repugnance—and to meet boldly every
obloquy, for the purpose of effecting a great public
good by the only, means left in their power—(Hear).
The circumstances that gave a character to the pa-
sent times were, some of ;hem more, and some cf
them less important, but taken altogether, were such
as to render the necessity of such Meetings indisputa-
ble. The inhabitants of this country having risen so
high in political importance, it was necessary that
there should be. some channel opened up to them
for expresaing their sentiments and opinions as to the
state of the country. He would now briefly touch (ft
silme.of the causes of discontent which were particu-
larly pointed out in the Resolutions he was about to
gobmit to them. Mr. Jeffrey here alluded to the ad-
vantages-possessed by the other end of the Island, in
the more wide extension of the elective franchise.—
In Scotland, they possessed not the same advantage;
and it was only by a convocation of the inhabitants
that a just and proper opportunity was afforded for
the expression of the public sentiment. In comment-
ing' on the conduct of the present Administration, he
could not help pointing out to the Meeting the unex-
ampled sufferings they had brought on all classes of
the People—the exorbitant debts they had contracted
—their unprecedented and wasteful expenditure of
the public money—and the contumely and insult
with which they had trampled under foot all thePeti-
demi and remonstrances; of the People7—(Applause).—
Another remarkable feature of the present times %vat,
the growing disposition, on the part of the Adminis-
'nation, to divide the country into separate interests—
to foment the divisions and jealousies between the
lower and higher orders—and to confound with the
few insane and deluded men, who, by their violent
and unconstitutional conduct, had occasionally kept
the country in a state of alarm, those who, in support
of their rights and liberties, abide by the glorious
privileges which the Constitution has conferred upol
them—(Loud applause).—lt was of those evils.that
they were now assembled to complain, and of that
policy, the tendency of which was to destroy any
middle order of men, and to confound all classes into
two opposite and equally reprehensible extremes.—
, Every proposition of a conciliatory nature had been
rejected with 'scorn. Our Rulers had carried them-
selves to the great body of the People with the mat
repulsive anti-insolent aspect ; they increased the ir-
ritation, by a neglect of those sufferings which ought
either to'have been relieved or pitied, and had deli•
vered over the discontented to the operation of infiar.-
matory agents, who sought to embroil the country.—
Now, how werethose abuses to be remedied ? Why,
those who are the friends of liberty and reform shouil
come forward publicly, and declare that while they Jo
dot take pan in the principles or measures of the tit!•
bulent or seditious, yet they are determined, in a legal
and constitutional manner, to assert their rights—
(Loud applause).—lt was maintained that these Aka-
'figs were dangerous to peace, but if this Meeting dis•
parsed with the same decorum which they had hither-
to obseived, it would give the lie to the assertion, ei:‘,
convocations in great towns cannot be held w iih
safety. If the result of this Meeting should be dille•
taut, *I if it should kreak.up in disorder and coniii•

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