Star.
London, England, 1820-03-10 00:00:00

could not, therefore, offer anything so Ilillac",:-.- as
even a calculation of improvement in the conduct cf
an Assembly so improperly constituted, so very cor-
spptly returned. Such a *calculation would, indeed,
lie quite absurd ; and to express or entertain it,
Jamul(' be only aiding and abetting a delusion, from •
which it was high time to relieve the people of this
country I.tlppiaritsel. The only advantage, indee',
of the dissolution, or the only reason why he deemed
it fortunate, was this, that it afforded the People an
opportunity of meeting together, and released them
from the interdict of that abominable Law, whicn
prevented free men from that free communication
which the old Constitution of the country sanctioned,
and which was indispensably necessary. to produce
that unity of action and efficiency of effect that were
essential to the preservation of substantial freedom
(Applause). Here the Honourable Baronet, referring
to a pamphlet addressed to Electors, said it presented
a very striking view of the manner in which the
money of the People was disposed of, especially
among the Members of the House of Commons. it
was evident, indeed; that just in the same proportica
as the pockets of the People were emptied, the
pockets of those who are called their Representa-
tives in the House of Commons arc filled. This
pamphlet shewed that this House, instead of consist-
ing of men solicitous for the business or interest of
the Nation, contained those who were attentive to
their own businesS or interest alone; that instead :f
being the guardians, they were the cut-purses of the
People (Applause). But so this Assembly would
continue, until its old Constitutional character was
restored ; and it was really extraordinary that the
author of this pamphlet should have had such a film
before his eyes, as not to see that which, to use a
phrase he had heard on a particular occasion in the
House of Commons, was ~ as obvious as the sun at
noon day:" it was, indeed, singular that be did net
perceive that the corrupt mode of constituting the
House of Commons was the source of all the evils
upon which he so impressively expatiated, and that
unless a Reform in the system of the Representation
were established, it was idle to look for any remedy.
How could it have escaped this writer's observation,
that there were actually no pure popular Electors is
this country, excepting in Westminster and lu a few
other places, and that the bulk of the people had
comparatively no power of choosing a Member, or
influencing the conduct of the House of Commons?
The Members, indeed, whom the people had really
the power of returning to that House, were so insig-
nificant in their number, that to expect any good
from the exertion of their utmost influence in that
assembly, would be as preposterous as to suppose
that the infusion of a few drops of fresh water would
serve to change the nature of the ocean (Applause,.
The writer alluded to stated, that nearly a million
more per annum was now paid for the collection of
the revenue, than the whole interest of the public
debt amounted to upon his late Majesty's accession
to the throne. Surely, then, such a system could not
go on without plunging the Nation in the gulf of
ruin ; and the whole of this sum for the collection
of the revenue was notoriously distributed among
the Members of the 'House of Commons, or their
relations and dependents. Was net this enough to
shew, that the interest of the Members of that House
was in opposition to the interests of the people?—
But the writer of this pamphlet also exposed the
great tendency of the patronage of the East-India
Company to aggravate the corruption of the House
of Commons, and this fact was enough to prejudice
the people against that establishment, if they were
I not so stupid and spiritless as to prefer commerce or
wealth to the enjoyment of freedom. On the
however, of even wealth and commerce, it appears
on a correct examination of the account with the
East India Company, that the balance waegenerally
against the Nation, from the expense entailed upoa
it by the ,maintenance of the establishment of -that
Company. La speaking of the aggravated corrup-
tion of the country through the East India Company.
he did not mean to allude to the patronage of the
Crown, for the fact was, that the power arising out
of the patronage of this Company, was altogether
in the hands of the Members of the House of Corrw
mons, or:of their relations and friends (Applause).
As to the patronage or prerogative of the Crown, be
was not afraid to say, that he was agility ready de-
cidedly to support that prerogative or patronage.—
This might be called, as it otten was, quite a Tory
doctrine, but yet, among the largest assembly of his
countrymen which he should happen to meet, he was
fully prepared to maintain it; tor it was his im-
pression that thesExec.utive Goverement of this court.
try was vested in the Crown,; he felt the propriety of
defending that prerogative.which was essential to the
efficacy of its .power—(Apfieuses). —Let the Crows.
he would say, have all its prerogatives, with ade-
quate means for the maintenance of its dignity, and
for the pleasure or accommodaion of him by whom
it was worn, but let the People have their rrghts--
(Applause).—Let them be protected against having
their property taken from them without their con-
sent,.(Applause).—This was the protection and the
right which the People required. and to the want of
which all the evils they suffered were attributable.
He was, therefore, not hostile to the power of the
Crown, but to the corruption of the House of Conn'
mons, through which a faction of Boroaghmon is
were enabled at once to invade the People's rights
and to usurp the king's prerogatives, while it II
out his Majesty as z mere pensioner on their bounty
—(Applause).—This language might be called sedi-
tious, but he would ever maiatain. that the tendency
of the conduct of the lkiroughmongers was to sepa-
rate the People from the Crown, and to destroy carat
affection between the subjects and their Sovereigr,
which, for the common interest of both, should be
studiously preserved and promoted—(4ipplcas4.--,
There was one event related in the pamphlet to which
he had alluded, which ought never to be foegottee
by the People, which eel tainly never could escai,e
his memoky—for this event was peculiarly illastr
tive of the character of the House of Cornmons—.:-.A
meant the attempt of Lord Castlereagh to make a
barter or sale of his patronage at the India-house, for
the purpose of purchasing a seat. in the House of
Commons, for the accommodation of his friend Lord
Dunlow, who was now Earl Clancarty. This most
unconstitutional and corrupt proceeding,was, on a
notion brought forward by Lord A. Hamilton, Fay
confessed by Lord Castlereagh, in the House of Com-
mons, and yet the Noble Lord was acquitted by that
infamous Assembly, which appeared to consider th..r