Star.
London, England, 1810-08-01 00:00:00

DWYER AT THE CROWN AND 44NCHO.R.

Yesterday there was a most numerous attendance
at the dinner given in celebration of the release of Sir
FRANCIS Bower? from the Tower. All the rooms
in the house were filled with company; and 800 per-
:ons, at tke least, dined there.
Ai five o'clock SiT FRANCIS BunDETT entered the
room, accompanied by Mr. WISHART,i4the Chairman)
Mr. WARDLE, Mr. CLIFFORDA Mr. ALLIT, Major
CARTWRIGIIT, and several other gentlemen. On their
entrance, they were greeted with loud applause.
Before the dinner was.over, Sir FRANCIS BURDETT
r( se and drank the health of all the company, and
declared that he. felt happy in meeting them that
day.—(Appause
After the cloth was removed§ •
'lle Chairman, (Met WisstAnr) rose and stated,
that during the last session of Parliament there was
subject which had excited more of the attention of
the douse of Commons, or of the country, than the
power which the House of Commons exercised of
sending persons to Newgate for what they called E-
'
lvis against two of their Members. The meeting of
this day sprung from the ardent wish of a number of
the Electors of Westminster, to express their senti-
ments upon that occasion, and their gratitude to their
worthy representative (applause). They did not con-
sider the present day as a day of triumph ; but they
hoped that day would come, when the constitutional
I.lw would triumph over assumed privilege. They
might well hope that the name of Sir Francis Burdett
nuld be handed down to posterity among the names
of the first patriots that Great Britain had ever pro-
duced. He concluded by giving his first toast,
_ " The King, the Law, and the people." _

This toast was drank with great applause, and the
rnnsic immediately struck up God save the King."

The second toast was,
" The liberty of the Press: it is like the air we breathe; with.:
, we die."
The third was—
" Liberty, Privilege, and Prerogative, according to Law ."
. .

These toasts were drank with applause.
Mr. WISHART then rose and said, that the experi-
ence of ages, and all history, sacred or profane,
proved, that whatever man endeavoured strenuously
to remove, or even to ameliorate existing evils, Was
uniformly assailed and calumniated by those who had
an interest in the continuance of those evils. As this
appeared to be in the common order of nature, no one
could be surprised if it were the case upon the present
occasion. Whenever a virtuous man laboured ho-
nestly and fervently in the execution of his duty, he,
was uniformly traduced and maligned. It was like
the old cry of fo Great is Diana of the Ephesians,"
from those who conceive "their craft was in danger"
from reformers. When ive found, however, that such
names as Sidney and Russell could not escape ca.
I::mny, we must not be surprised at finding our vir-
tuous and persevering representative (loud applause)
now exposed to it. He had most powerfully attacked
and exposed the corruption and imbecility of many
of the great men in the country ; and it must, there-
fore, be supposed that this was an offence which
would not easily be forgiven. It appeared to him
most evident, that in the present times, the most ef-
fectual way to labour for the salvation of the country
was, that all good men should combine together and
support high characters, such as that of their worthy
representative Void deolause). It was not his inten-
tion to go at any length into the merits of his politi.
cal life; that was a subject which he felt to be beyond
his powers, and which he doubted if any powers of
man could do justice to. He would say. however,
generally, that among men perfectly agreed, upon all
essential points, no fault should be found upon mi-
nute differences (alysiadte). He trusted that the nu-
merous meeting, then assembled, would so conduct
themselves as to refute the charge which was alledged
against them, of wishing to promote confusion.--
They stood up for nothing else but the good of their
country, and its ancient laws and constitution. He
concluded by giving the health of Sir FRANCIS Butt-
ner?. This toast was drank with the loudest and
most enthusiastic applause.
Sir FRANCIS Buftnrrr came forward, and addressed
the Meeting. He considered this as one of the
proudest and happiest moments of his life. Some
persons might be pleased to impute his conduct to
vanity or to some other motive, but this he must de-
clare, that his first object, after zealously attempting
to do his duty, had uniformly been to meet, and he
hoped lie always should meet, their approbation. He
knew of no other way in which he should merit their
confidence most, than by endeavouring always to
possess the approbation of his own mind. Having no
other way than that, he was resolved not to be turned
aside from doing his duty either-by taunt on the one
hand, or by intimidation on the other. (Applause:.)
It gave him sincere pleasure to feel, that while he
was thus addressing them they expressed their satis-
faction at his conduct. He was conscious of having
acted to the best of his skill and ability, and it could
not but be gratifying to him to find that they
were satisfied with the course he had pursued. He'
had also the peculiar satisfaction of knowing that the
cause in which he had been employed, had, within
these few months, been considerably advanced in the
country at large. It would be necessary for him, in
the few remarks which it would on the present occa-
sion be expected be should make, that he should al.
Jude to the general state of the country. It would
be necessary for him in doing so to animadvert on
some of the circumstances which had occurred in
Parliament, after his ceasing to be in a condition
to attend his duty in the House of Commons, and
after he had been sent to he Tower. Many were
the misrepresentations made on subjects involving
Ale best interests of the people ; and it was extraordi-
Nry to find some of those misrepresentations pro-
ceed from those who were esteemed popular charac-
ters, who were represented as persons who had es-
poused the popular interest ; belonging to a body
emanating from the people, and bound to protect the
people's rights ; a body which ought to be the palla-
dium of the people's liberties, not one vi hose sole at-
tention was dedicated to their destruction, and to
the employment of cutting it up by the roots. They
(Sir Francis Burdett and his friends) were held up
ley the persons of all parties in the House of Com-
mons as belonging to no party, but being an unprin-
vpled faction, hostile to every party. They did in.
deed belong to no party but to that of the people...—
It was the public interest, to the support of which
Alone their exec tions were directed. It was asserted
that the efforts of him and those who thought with