Star.
London, England, 1819-01-30 00:00:00

MR. FOX'S BIRTH-DAY.

The celebration of Mr. Fox's Birth-day took place
on Monday last, at the Assembly-Rooms, Norwich.
The large room was completely filled, and such had
been the demand for tickets, that as many persons
were necessarily refused admission as were present.
The Earl of ALISEMARLZt a Nobleman attached, to
the deceased Statesman by blood, by friendship, by
principle, presided. He was supported by
Lord Bury, Mr. Coke, Colonel Fitzroy, Mr. Robert Adair,
lion. W. Russell, Colonel Kepiell, Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Pratt,
Mr. SouthweU, Archdeacon Bathurst, Dr. Langton, Rev. Mr.
Boston, Rev. Mr. Collyer, Rev. Mr. Ralkes, Rev. Mr. New-
combe. &c. The HIGH Sitzaars presided at the right-hand
table, supported by the Hon. G. Walpole, Sir Thomas Beevor,
K
Mr. Merest. Hon. E. Keppel, AdmiralLukin, Mr. Moseley,
Mr. Hussey, Mr. P. Hamond, Rev. Mr. Collett, Rev. Mr.
Thrin, &c. Mr. W. Serra presided at the left-hand table, and
was supported by the Mayor, Hon. G. Anson, Sir J. E. Smith,
the Steward of Norwich, Alderman Marsh, Mr. Sheriff Shaw,
Mr. Elden, Mr. Rolfe, &c.
- -

. .
After the removal of the cloth, and the usual toasts,

Lord ALBEMARLE then said, he had now to pro-
pole that toast which had a more immediate refer•
ence to the object of the Meeting—
" The ithtdortal memory of the Right Hon. Charles James Fox."
Before he proceeded to say a few words in reference
to the toast, he felt it his duty to apologise to the
company for having taken the Chair. The conscious-
ness that he should but unworthily fill the situation,
was aggravated by the consideration, that many in-
dividuals near him were more able to.fill it ; but to
be called to preside at inch a Meeting, to celebrate
&c memory of such a man, was a temptation too
s,:rong for his vanity to resist. " Connected with
Mr. fox, (said the Noble Earl) as I was, by the ties
of kindred—having possesSed the high and enviable
honour of his most affectionate friendship—educated
in his school of politics, from which I have never in
auy one instance deviated—(Applause)—my vanity
gave way to the tempting offer, and I consented to
fill the situation in which you now see me. In draw-
ing your attention to the toast before us, I own I
proceed fearfully; Tor where is the man who can do
justice to the character of Mr. Fox P—Where is the
man who can fully and correctly depict the glowing
philanthropy, the pure and unmiied benevolen,7e, the
true and persevering attachment to liberty, justice,
and humanity, which marked his public and private
life? I say this in the presence of friends, by whom
he was most affectionately beloved, and who knew
the excellencies of his private life. Of his public
character, it would ill become me to dilate before
this Assembly ; but to two or three points in it allow
me to thaw your attention. Mr. Fox was the friend
of the eights of M.,n—(Anp!.rvie.)—to the rights
of mea of every clime and every colour. He svas•
the friend to peace upon earth. He was the consistent
advocate for the Abolition of the Slave Trade ; and
i; was chiefly through his powerful-means and sincere
exertions, that that nefarious traffic was brought to a,
chise, If whit counsels had been followed, we
should have been spas el those wqrs, which have de-
luged the World with blood ; corruption :would have
bem checked ; overwhelming uxation under which
we labour, would have been spared, and our rights
and liberties preserved inviolate. The powerful ener;
gi 2S of his mind were centered in promoting the wel-
fare and happiness of niankiad. Such, Gentlemen,
is the character we are this day assembled to comme-
morate. lam conscious that I have bat imperfectly
poortrayed it ; but-I can appeal to many who hear
me, that I have done it faithfully, and to sny own
heart, that I have done it sincerely."
The following song was then sung :

The Warrior claims his weed of praise,
And lives in martial story ;
But for the Pavane., let us raise
The loftier strains of glory.
This day, Old England's darling Child,
Dame Nature kindly gave us ;
Then Freedom on his cradle smil'd,
And breath'd the pow'r to save us!
itso.—C'ome, to his tomb, but not to weep ;
Freedom's holiday we keep ;
Cuo.—Thc sacred Altar let it be,
Round which we vow to Liberty !
11.
In early youth, whit thought profound!
Au eloquence how glowing !
!Words, the base Sophist to confound,
For Freedom ever flowing.
Whrni were our changed rights assaird,
And FOX sat bff unheeding?
Ilia giant succour neWerfaird,
When Liberty lay Wales!
T.tio.—Canic to his tomb, &c.
Cato.--.11.c sacred Altar; &c.

111.
The Negro's galling sbains he brake,
Her rights to conscience yielded ;
Corruption treMbled while he spoke,
The weak oppreu'd he shielded.
These Laurels deck his early tomb;
Thus ran his race of glory ;
And here shall unborn agu.s come,
To kindle at his story
Tats.—Come to ?As Tomb, &c.
Coo.—The sacred Altar, &c.

Lord ALBF.MARLE, after a few more toasts, said]
tha; he .regreued he was compelled to convey to the
Me :ling, the excuse of the Duke of Norfolk, whose
inteatiun it was to have united with them in the ce-
lebration of Mr. Fox's memory. The Noble Lord
then read an extract of a letter from the Duke, stat-
ing that a meeting in relation to the Petition of the
English Catholics, which was to take place in London
that day, had unavoidably prevented.his attendance.
llis Grace expressed his cordial concurrence. in the
views 'and objects of the Meeting, and his sincere re-
gard for the Memory of Mr. Fox.—Lord Albemarle
then-gave—
The Duke of Norfolk—and may the ancient hereditary
Nobility of this Kingdom ever consider it their highest honour
to support the Rights of the People."
6, I have now to propose, (said the Noble Chair-
man) the health of a man who is beyond my praise ;
the excellent Bishop of this Diocese—(Applause.).--I
feel so unequal to describe the pure, genuine, and
real worth of his character, that I shall be excused if
1 adopt the words used by Bishop Burnet, whea de.
sctibing that of Archbishop Tillotson—' He was a
pan of the truest judgment and best temper ; he had
a clear head, with a tender and most compassionate
heart ; he was a faithful and zealous friend, but a
gentle and soon-conquered enemy. He was truly and
seriously religious, but without affectation, bigotry,
or super stition: " He then gave—
., The Bishop of Norwich."
Archdeacon BATdottsz retuned thanks, and coin-

plimented the Noble Earl upon the beautiful picture
which he had drawn of a Christian Bishop ; and as-
sured his Lordship, that the esteem of his Lordship
and the Bishop were mutual.
The CHAIRMAN, on rising to propose the next
toast, said—" Have I credit enough with the com-
pany to induce them to fill a bumper to the toast I
am about tq give ?—(Cries of Yes, yes.)—l am then
about to propose to you Mr. Coke, our Member for
the County—(Applauses.)--I am sure he is equally
entitled with his noble ancestor, Lord Chief Justice
Coke, to say, that he has " never given up his body
to physic, his heart to cruelty, or his hand to corrup-
tion. —He then proposed the health of Mr. Coke.
Mr. CORE, in returning thanks, after some sen-
tences in praise of Mr. Fox, proceeded as follows
I would have you bear in mind the Suspension of
the Habeas Corpus Act, and although this law is not
now suspended by the present Ministry, I firmly be-
lieve they wish it'could be suspended for ever. Is it
not monstrous that we should be so oppressed for no
other purpose.. than to keep Ministers in place ; that
this should be accomplished by the employment of
the vilest of the human race, and followed by the
most iniquitous and bloody proceedings ? And is it
not more monstrous that these men, instead of being
brought to justice, should be screened by an Indem-
nity Bill ? Such is the abject and degraded condi-
tion of their adherents in the House, that I believe if
Ministers were to hold a hat up in the House, and
declare it to be a green bag, they would vote that it
was a bag and not a hat —IA la:lo4—There is ano-
ther point to which I would call your attention, re-
specting the measure brought forward in the last
Session by Mr. Brougham, on the abase of public
charities. It would hare bees more to the credit of
the Ministers to hare said that they would have no
inquiry at all. The exclusion of the name of Mr.
Brougham from the Committee, instituted to carry
his plan into effect, speaks volumes against them. 1
believe that they will make partial concessions, in
order to keep in their places ; and as r,:lates to their
general conduct, I most cordially agree with the opi-
nion contained in the last speech of that great and la-
mented Statesman, Sir Samuel Romilly. The people
I have decidedly manifested their opinion of Ministers,
by the late returns to Parliament. 1 never remem-
ber an instance when the public reeling wis more un-
equivocally expressed than by this alteration in the
Representative Body : 'Land I believe that if the trial
had been made -in this County, it would have suc-
ceeiled."--4Lcidepplau.se) Mr. Coke concluded with
a high euloginm on I.trd Albemarle, whose health
was then drank with loud applause.
Lord ALIMMAILLE said—" Gentlemen, in at-

tempting to return you my thanks for the kind par-
. tial:ty with which you have received :re, there is
only one cause to which I can attribute your kind-
ness, viz. my steady attachment to Whig principles.
From the circumstances, and, I may add, the advan•
tages of my education, I can, however, lay no claim
to merit on this score. Such is my deep conviction
of their truth and importance, that if I were to turn
apostate, I must he regarded as a villain of the st-orst
character. Others who have not enjoyed tln: advan-
tages which it has fallen to my lo.t to p,,ssesr, deserve
higher merit than I can pretend to claim. These
principles, Gentlemen, have had g; eat difficniti.'s to
contend with ; they have been FrosT2y belied an.]
inibreprc.ented; they have certainly not been in fa-
vour at Court during the last 25 years, and they
have often been misunderstood by the people. Nor
is this ditEcult to account for. Twenty-Ave years of
war have necessarily' produced a wasteful and pro-
digal expenditure of the public money. Corruption
has thriven, and the peaceable pursuits of trade hare
languished and declinid. ?has has popular foeling
been enslaved and controverted, and the high-mind-
ed spirit of independence, so congenial with the Bri-
tish character, has been subdued. We have now
enjoyed a few years of peace, but its blessings have
been restored to us by the Regent's Ministers with a
sparing hand. Nevertheless, some check has been
given to corruption, the independent spirit of the
cn:ntry has been in some degree awakened, and
public feeling has been powerfully and successfully
expressed. The result of the contest in this city, as
well as that for Yarmouth, are noble instances in at-
c.station of this fact. Nor are these solitary instances.
On the contrary, wherever the appeal has been fairly
made to the people, similar results have followed.—
The time for delusion i.i gone, and the increase of
political knowledge has preduced its sure and bene-
ficial effect upon the public mind. Gentlemen, our
:opponents have styled us Republicans, and charged
us with disloyalty. I assert, withcut fear of contra-
diction, that loyalty is the leading feature in the cha-
racter of a true Whig—(apptairse..) We pretend not,
indeed, to that exclusive royalty which is even jea-
lous of its own friends ; nor does our loyalty lead us
to carry addresses filled with nauseous adulation to
the foot of the iihrone—(applause). Our loy'alty
does not shew itself in vilifying and traducing men
out of power, and in cringing and fawning to the
same individuals when in power ; nor in following
those principles for which *e are likely to_ be best,
paid. No, Gentlemen, this is not our loyalty. We
manifest it by our attachment to the Crown and the
:Constitution, by a desire to respect the fair preroga-
tives of the Crown, and to mairallin inviolate the
sacred rights and liberties of the people. We would
not merely avoid the danger which might arise from
" popular encroachment,' but from die more dange-
rous'encroachments of the Crown. This, Gentlemen,
is Whig loyalty—(appleuse). These were the opinions
of Mr. For, and for these our opponents have not
merely contented themselves with vilifying and tra-
ducing us, but they have been foolish enough to
give usw
theire are men of disappointed reasonforsodoi!nflinte dambition Their reasonitaon i is,
think it would not be difficult to shew, that more
complete nonsense was never uttered. I cannot better
illustrate the absurdity of this assertion than -in the
person of my excellent friend on my right hand.—
Mr. Coke, I admit, is destitute of a place, pension,
title, or personal decoration : but I ask, if he had been
disposed to have been false to the people, if he had
desired to sell your esteem for princely favour, if he
had consented to barter away your rights at the shrine
of courtly adulation, if this had been his conduct,
what might he not have commanded ?...-Olpplauss.)
Gentlemen, we are not for any revolution, neither
proceeding from King or people, though we certainly
regard the former as the most to be dreaded. 'The
Tories have an indescribable dislike of the word moo-
, Juries i but their dislike is confined to that which

loriginates from .the people. If the people meet to
petition for a Reform and a redress of grievances, an
outcry is immediately raised, that this has a tendency
to overthrow the Government; but if the Crown ac-
tually invade and despoil us of our rights, that is
quite another thing. If the People petition that the
sacred bulwark of their personal safety may not be
taken from them, they are charged with disaffection
and disloyalty, they are accused of desiring to effect
a revolution ; but if Ministers do actually, by the
most infamous means, by the employment of Spies
and the invention of plots, succeed in depriving the
people of those laws by which their personal safety
is secured, this is termed " wholesome restraint
(applause)—a most useful and convenient catch-word
for tyrants. Gentlemen, let us never forget that the
Constitution hat been shamefully and grossly violat-
ed, that the bulwark of our libcrtics has been taken
from tit, that the writ of Habeas Corpus has been
suspended. Let us remember, also, the Ministers by
whom this was perpetrated, and the corrupt Parlia-
ment which indemnified those Ministers. _

Lord Ault,*Aaza—lt is not within the walls of
the city of Norwich, that I am going to eulogize the
character of its old member and servant Mr. Smith ;
but as the friend of Mr. Fox, as a friend of the rights
of man, as a friend of civil and religious liberty, he
has long stood by the side of that great and lamented
statesman : neither need I to eulogize the name of
Gurney. If you would know their character, ask the
hungry wheat they have fed, the naked whom they
have clothed, the sick whom they have visited, the
destitute whom they have protected ! Neither arc the
character, the charities, and the philanthropy of this
family confined to this city. Go to the loathsome
dungeon, go to the crowded prisons, go to the recep-
tacles of vice and misery, and you will hear blessings
invoked on the head of Mrs. Fry. I think it credita-
ble to the city of Norwich to have selected as its re-
presentative a member of the family of Gurney. His
Lordship then concluded with giving next
" Sr'th and Mr. Gurney, and the Independent Electors
nf rwic h."

SmtTit, in returning thanks, said, 4, If I am
asked why I hold the principles of Mr. Fox? I reply,
because I love the British Constitution, and because
I regard that Constitution, as on the' whole best adap-
ted to secure the happiness of those who live under it.
4t was because Mr. Fox maintained the true princi-
ples of the Constitution that I acted with him while
living, and that I honour and love his memory."
Mr. COKE then proposed the health of Lord Bury.
His Lordship returned thanks and said—" That born
and educated as he had been in the principles of Mr.
Fox, it would be his highest pride and pleasure to
maintain them both in word and deed."
There were then given is succession from the chair,
" Trial by Jury, our chief barrier aoinit the encroach:ll;mi
of delpotism."—" Mr. Rtimbold, Mr. Arian, read the Inderen-
:me of Yarinonth.-3" Philip Hammond., Esq."..-" The Writ
of liahm Corpus.—The birthright of an Englishman, and tine
best security of the British Coustitution."—" Earl Grey, anc!
the Whigs of Eag!lad."—" ti;r Thol. Beevor."—" Mr. South-
ihe forwhich Hampden bled in the Llel, and
Sytlhey LAI itik,s.4ll on the waffold."-6. Pratt, and the
\Vl.igs of Norfoutf -" Lord Holland, the representative of the
mute and the principles of rot."—" Aihniral Lukin, and the
Woix!en ltdbi of Old Englatid."—" The Duke of Bedford."—
" A speedy Revision of the Criminal Code."

When the applause which followed the last toast
had concluiled, the Rev. 31r. Gwyn rose, and paid
a most pathetic tribute to the memory of the great
and jastly lamented Sir Samuel Hominy, who had,
t:, rough x great part of his valuable life, exerted hi m-
A..:r with zeal and energy to obtain that mech de-
sire.l point.

51r. COKE then proposed the health of Mr. Keppel,
after which there were given from the Chair:
" Sncess to South'Ameriran Independence."—" The Inde-
pendent Yeomanry of the County of Norfsik."—" The Rev.
Mr. Newconibo."—" The Ladies of the County of Norfolk."
" The Stews.rds.".

At eleven o'clock the Earl of ALBEMARLE left the
Chair. The company remained till twelve o'clock,
after which they departed, highly delighted with the
afterncon's enjoyment, and anticipating the next com-
memoration dinner.