Star.
London, England, 1827-05-15 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER MEETING.

In contequenceof a notification from Messrs.Comoret,
4t: NT, and others, that it was their intention to harangue
populace yesterday, two or three workmen com-
menced erecting hustings opposite Sr. Paul's, Covent-
;aeclen, shortly before twelve o'clock; but in a few
74ilutes Mr. La; the High Constable of Westminster,
tOi a large body of the Police arrived, and; sans care-
%ollie, commenced pulling down the platform, as an
*unction to the footway. Those persons who had been
most active in getting up the Meeting, protested against
infringement of the freedom of discussion; but the
"stables persisted in performing their duty, and in a.
fftrninutrs the hustings were demolished.
Mi. Pitt, the surveyor, then proceeded to Bow-street,
aT'd applied to the Bitting Magistrates to give directions,
1° thew hificeis to prevent a breach of the peace, and to
I:l3t'on him and the other individuals who had called
41 11660 g, in thepet formance of what they considered
"„„itY 10 their King and Country.
0 ice Sitting Magistrate (Mr. HALLS) said, that in his
The
the Meeting was illegal; and that, under the
~411ag Act, the constables were quite right in removing,
piciorin, which was an obsuuction in a public:ll

thoiettghfare. As to the protection of ;he peace, the
Magistrate said. that in the event of a breach of thei
peed he was quite sale the ricers would do their duty,
and take the offender, whoever he might be. in charge.
Mr. Pitt then exhibited his tight hand. the thumb of
which, he said, had been cruelly bruised by one of the
constables, whilst he (Mr. Pitt) was engaged in pew-
forming what he considered his doty to his country.
The Magistrate condoled with Mr. Pitt on the injury
done to his thumb; but informed him, that if he meant
to makes charge of assault, the party complained against
must be brought up, and then the matter might be
fairly dealt with. Whilst Mr. Pitt was engaged an this
conference with the Magistrate, the other members of the
Committee were occupied in devising means to meet the
exigency of the 01.3111C11th and enable them to effect their
purpose of addressing the mob, which by this timehad
considerably augmented. After an interval of about
an hour, during which the enlightened electors who
were assembled, amused themselves by Pinging about
dead dogs, and cabbage heads, and playing offa variety
of practical jokes equally good, a shout announced the
arrival of Mr. Hunt's blacking car, beating outside, in
large letters, the word 4, Matchless," and carrying within
the leaders of popular feeling, and the redoubted oppo-
nents of the existing Administration, in the person of
Messrs. Hunt and Cobbett. The car having drawn up
in front of St. Paul's, Mr. Lee, the High Constable, in-
formed Mr. Hunt that he could not permit him to ob-
littruct the public thoroughfare. and that if he did not
drive on, the constables would force him to do so. Mr.
Hunt teplied to this intimation by a volley of abuse
directed against the constables, and particularly against
Lee, whom he characterised as the person who went
down to Botley to take Cobbett. Mr. Cobbett himself
also addressed the multitude, but was very indistinctly
heard.

Mr. Lea again informed the party that they must not
remain to obstruct the thoroughfare.
The officers finding that Mr. Hunt and his associates
refused to attend to their suggestion, proceeded to force
on the horses, which Mr. Hunt's charioteer manfully
resisted, and he was at length taken into custody, and
lodged in Covent Garden watchhouse. Whilst this was
passing, Mr. Hunt occasionally addressed the populace,
and we understood him to say, that the rascals who
had coalesced with the Ministers to rob the Public,
had arranged that he should be prevented from being
heard. But this was just what he wanted. Burdett
and Hobhouse did not dare to meet them—they
were afraid—and therefore they wished to prevent them
from being heard. At the conclusion of tbit,address,
Mr. Hunt seized the horses' reins, and observing that
as they would not be allowed to speak truth in Covent
Garden, they would speak it elsewhere, drove off, to the
infinite mortification of those who had disbursed their
sixpences for places on the roofs of the Greengrocers
stalls. It was generally understood amongst the crowd,
that the orators had proceeded to Lincoln's Inn-square,
and a great number of persons proceeded in that dirge-
tion ; but it appeared that the fear of the Marlborough-
street Officers repeating the interruption, prevented them
from turning Lincoln's Inn-square into a theatre of ora-
tory. They therefore drove, after some short delay, to
Wellington-street, near Waterloo-bridge, where, it ap-
peared, they were allowed to proceed, without any fur-
ther interruption.
On our arrival at Wellington-street, we found Mr.
Pitt commencing his address to the Meeting. He said
they were met there to perform an important duty as
,Englishmen. He would read them an address, which
he proposed should be submitted to his Majesty, pre-
viously to doing which, however, he would merely say,
by way of preface, that if the light-fingered gentleman
who had just eased him of his watch, chain, and seals,
would be so good as to bring them back to him, he
would give him five pounds reward—(Laughter.—
Mr. Pitt then read the address.

Mr. HUNT now stood forward, and said, although he
should second this address, in order to prevent the
people of Westminster from being made puppets of, he
should propose an address of his own, which be con-
ceived would be much more worthy of his Majesty's
acceptance. They had been called together for the pur-
pose of congratulating the King on the exercise of his
prerogative. Now, before be congratulated his Majesty
on the accession of the new Ministry, he should like to
see some tangible act which they would perform.—
Would they take off 2d. a pot from their porter, and
4d. a loaf from their bread?—or, he would be glad to
know, would they take off a single one of the taxes?
Mr. Hunt concluded by reading the following Address
as an amendment to that of Mr. Pitt r

" MAY IT PLEAS, YOVB Maaanr---Wei your Majesty's &Wel
subjects, think ourselves called upon, by Me .cant ants of loyalty
and attachment which we bear to your Majesty, to congratulate
your Majesty on your fitmaesa in having exercised your undoubted
prerogative in choosing your Prime Minister' in debar.* of what
did appear, and what still appears to us, to bare been an attempt,
on the part of certain persons, to dictate to your Majesty in the
making of that choke.

" Vnt, may it please your Majesty, while we thus congratulate
your Majesty ; while we thus are mindful of the Royal rights of
your Majesty, we, not unmiodful of our worn undoubted rights,
and of that which is necessary to preserve or to restore them,
should be wantiug in justice to ourselves, and In fidelity to your
Majesty, were we to refrain front expressing our deep regret, that
the petsoa on whom the choice of your Majesty has fallen, should
have already declared his decided and never ceasing hostility to
that great measure, Parliamentary Reform, which we deem abso-
lutely necessary to oar restoration to real freedom and happiness ;
and not more necessary to these than to the permanent greatness
of the nation, and to tbt dignity and security of Our Majesty.
*roue."

Mr. Consery then came forward and said' that he
merely wished to express hit reasons for seconding the
Address mowed by Mr. Hunt. He did not mean to enter
into their Court intrigues. sr I.don't care who a.e in.
or who are out, or how they were turned out, or how
the remainder came in. I care not what the colour of
their conduct is, whether dirty or clear • I only look to
you; I am anxious only to see what effect it will bare
on you and me, and all of us—i-(Gireat applause). He
had always looked on Reform as the cause of the peo-
ple—as their last hope, by which they were to expect
a rescue from their miserable condition, in which they
had been so long placed, and still continued—(Ap-
plauses). They might hurl him from the place where
he now was; they Might trample him under their
feet, and prove him as great an impostor as the persons
whJ unconstitutionally prevented their meeting that
Jay, if they ever found him turning tail on the great
cause, which tho:e persons, who new cheered oo Mr.
Canning, had so often told them was their only remedy
fur their grievances—(Applause). Lord John Russell
and Mr. Brougham now say that the people care
nothing about reform—that the country is too well
governed—ia fact, that retry thing has been going on
smack. forsooth, for the last three or four years—that
we were all satisfied r th,.n, if we were, what a ,
clatter have these men been keeping up about it for so
many long years--(Laughter). But thefaet was, that
the size of their sails, and the thoutandi and thousands,

`of their poi r countrynten who were starving by the
road side, proved the faiseood of what Lord J. R.issell
arid Mr. Brougham asserted. If it were told to
him, when a boy, that it should have been deeared
from the King's Bench that bread and water ought to
be the general food of the labouring classes, anci4at
the Magistrates of Berkshire made a greater allowansei
Ur the convicted felon than the working poor man ;1
east if he were told that Lord John Russell and Mr.
Brougham should say that the country were satisfied,
be (Mr. Cobbett) would tell the man who should men-
tion all this to him, that he was a fool or a fanatic.—
The speaker then alluded to the taxes on bread, beer,
Ste. and said, that while he congratulated his Majesty
on the exercise of his prerogative, he regretted that his
choice shonld have fallen on a man who had declared
himself hostile to reform"—(Applause).
A Mr. O'Leartx thought it his duty to say a few
words on the subject of the meeting. As an Irishman
and a Papist, he would say, if nothing but emancipa-
tion were granted, the people of England and Ireland
would gain nothing; to make it valitable, Reform
must follow it. If emancipation was granted it would
take a great weapon out of the hands of Ministers.—
For when you ask for Reform—they frighten you with
the bugbear of " No Popery:'
Mr. Hunt's Address was then pot from the Chair,
and carried unanimously.
Thanks were voted to Mr. Pitt, which passed una-
nimously.
Mr. PITT returned thanks for the honour done him,
and regretted that so much opposition had been given
to their meeting. He did not know that Sir Francis
Burdett had anything to do with the interruption, but it
was a fact that a friend of his was seen in King street,
Covent-garden, that morning.
Thanks were then voted to Messrs. Hunt and Cobbett,
who shortly returned thanks.
It was proposed that the Address should be presented
to the King by Messrs. Hunt, Cebbett, Mr. Tucker, and
Mr. Pitt.

Mr. HUNT said, he would propose that their long and
their short Representatives—(a laugh)—Sir F. Burdett
and Mr. Hobhouse, should be added to the deputation.
This being done. the names were put from the Chair,
and carried nem. gm

The mob then dispersed, most of them facing towards
St: Giles's.