Star.
London, England, 1820-09-27 00:00:00

MEETING AT FREEMASONS' TATERM

ADDRESS TO HER MAJESTY.
Yesterday, pursuant to public advertisement,
Meeting was held at this plate, of the Inhabitants,
Ladies and Gentlemen, resident in London and West-
minster, to consider of and adopt an Address to her
MAJESTY, expressive of the opinion entertained by
the persons present, of the proceedings now pending
against her in Parliament.
The Meeting was held in the Great Room of the
Tavern, which, it is calculated, will contain 4000
persons ; a considerable crowd had assembled round
the Tavern, previous to the doors being opened
(twelve o'clock), and, in a few minutes after the
Public were admitted, the Room, with-the exception
of the space reserved for the Chairman and the Mem-
bers of the Committee, was completely filled. Of
the persons present, a great portion consisted of re-
spectably-dressed females. Soon after the clock had
struck one, symptoms of impatience for the com-
mencement of business were expressed, and,
Mr. Peaeson mounted the table. The hour for
commencing business had new arrived, and as the
Room was now as full as it could conveniently be,
be would propose that a deputation should be sent
to several Gentlemen whom he knew were in an ad-
joining room, and who intended to honour the Meet-
ing with their presence, requesting their attendance.
This suggestion was agreed to unanimously, and
Mr. Bowl's, a Gentleman present, was dispatched to
request their attendance.
In a short time afterwards, Mr. HOBHOUSE en-
tered the room, accompanied by Mr. P. MOORE,
Mr. HUME, Mr. Alderman WooD, Mr. TIIELWALL,
and several other gentlemen.
Mr. HOBHOUSE wa. unanimously called to the
Chair, and proceeded immediately to address the
Met-ting. He thought it would be quite unnecessary
for him to occupy their time by any preliminary re-
marks on the purpose for which they were assembled;
it was a subject too familiar to them all to require
any explanation ; but he might perhaps be allowed
to remind them that this Meeting differed materially
from former ones ; they were now met to declare an
opinion on the charges brought forward by the ene-
mies of her Majesty and of the King, against the
first subject of the realm, and on all the efforts they
had been able to make in support of those charges.
It was scarcely necessary for him to congratulate the
Meeting and the country on that which he had
always felt must come to pass. He had always de-
dared his opinion of what must be the result of an
inquiry before a tribunal, such as the House of Peers,
which did not possess a constitutional right to cite
her before its Bar. He would not say there had not
been former instances of such proceedings ; but they
were instances only existing in the worst periods of
our history, namely, in the reign of that tyrant,
Henry VIII. but even those times, bad as they were,
did not furnish a parallel to the present case ; for at
that time, when the tyrant sent to demand of the
Judges whether it was legal to proceed to condemn
an accused party without citation, the Judges replied,
they would not presume to impugn his Majesty's
high authority, but they considered such a proceed-
ing would go to establish a dangerous precedent;
and that, in their opinion, it would be better the
High Court of Parliament should incline to mercy,
than adhere to the strict line of justice. In the pre-
sent case, the Peers had not cited her Majesty, and
it was only in consequence of the Petition presented
by her Majesty's Legal Advisers, that she was before
them at all ; and when she shewed the courage and
magnanimity of mind she possessed, by going down
and facing her accusers, she was charged by the
scribes of the Treasury with being guilty of con-
summate impudence—(Applause).—Her only crime
appeared to be, that she would not submit to be
trampled upon, without making an appeal to the
Pecple over whom she had a right to reign. Her
first offence appeared to be, comi►y; here when her
enemies wished her to be absent ; her second, per-
sisting in staying here when they wished her away ;
and her third, going with unheard-of effrontery to
face her accusers. He wished now to know what
right the Peers had to try her at all? He had looked
over the Statute of Treasons, and found there, that
to conspire against the Queen was treason as much
as it was to conspire against the King—( Applause).
He was aware that lawyers would quibble, and at-
tempt to make a difference between the Queen Sove-
reign and the Queen Consort; but, in his opinion,
and in the opinion of common sense, the Queen
on the Throne was the same in either character.—
Adverting again to the proceedings before the Lords,
here was the King's Attorney-General, forgetting
his office, and, when asked by the Peers, on whose
behalf he attended? he replied, he attended for their
Lordships. Thus he was their Lordships Attorney-
General, and their Lordships were not only the Judges
and Jurors, but the prosecutors also !—(Applomse).
They might easily judge of what was to come by
what was past. The Peers had refused her Majesty
a list of the witnesses, and a specification of the times
and places; and when her Attorney-General applied
to be permitted to open the defence, he was refused
permission, unless he would consent to pi'oceed im-
mediately with his witnesses. After this, was it pre-
suming too much to say she would not have a fair
trial ?—(Applause, and cries of No, no !)—But it was
said her Majesty was to be tried by peers, by Nobles
of high birth and honour ; by Bishops too, who were
every day recommending justice to all, in their ser-
mons : and by Judges, who were in the daily habit
of administering the laws. True ; but he would read
an opinion given by an eminent historian, in the reign
of James L on the subject of the Bishops, as regarded
the case of divorce between the Countess of Essex,
and the Earl of Somerset. The historian commenced,
his record on the subject as follows r—s. Needs must,
when the Devil drives. Yet, knew he not (meaning
Somerset) how •to handle this subject with effect,
without making the King a party to this paltry and
wicked business ; but this was not difficult, for the

King's eye was wandering after a new favourite, as
he was tired of his old one"--(Laud and reiterated
shouts of applause).—The Lords were also called in,
for it was well known that when a bad act was to be
done, the Bishops would not remain idle lookers on.
The Bishop of Winchester, it VMS a pity it was not
the Bishop of Exeter, was chief actor, and for his so,
I Join; his son was knighted. Was there any altera-
tioa an the character of the Bishops since that time?
and vas it unreasonable to think the*Bishops might
not always to on the side of iastice? There were

24 Bishops, and that number out of 320 was a very
considerable proportion. It was stated, indeed, in
ths-public Papers, that Loid Liverpool had declared,
he shbuld not be hurt, let Noble Lords vote do this
question whichever *way they would ; he wished
they would vote according to their consciences: 'this
declaration not only told a great deal, but a great
deal too much, since it proved that Noble Lords did
not always vote according to their own consciences,
but according to the conscience of the Minister.—
This assurance of the Prime Minister was far from
satisfying his mind, for although Lord Liverpool
said he should not feel hurt whatever way Noble
Lords might vote, would his Lordship insure that
other persons, who for the last twenty years had been
prosecuting her Majesty, would permit any vote to
pass to shelter their victim ? In this case, if a man
determined to do his duty, he must be content to do
it at his own personal risk and loss. He must expect
to be calumniated, and to have no other reward but
an approving conscience. One other re.vard, in-
deed, he would have, rich beyond any other in it-
self—he would have the applause of the generous,
just, and liberal people of England, who would
never suffer an innocent unprotected female to be
oppressed or condemned unjustly—(Loud applause).
Under all the circumstances, as they at present stood,
he would ask who dared to say the charges were, in
the slightest degree, made good? Who, he asked,
were the witnesses brought forward ? Discarded
servants; who, since they were discharged by her
Royal Highness, had been in the service of the pto-
secutor. In the country from whence they came,
one of the established maxims of justice was, that a
discharged servant was never heard as an evidence
against his former employer. Yet, it appeared, that
the most material witness of all, he meant the cou-
rier, who had gone by three different names that he
would tell, and many that he would not, had been a
year in the Queen's service, and eighteen months in
the service of the Milan Commission ; and this most
important witness, with every inclination to serve his
new employers, proved nothing. He would not now
attempt to go through the evidence, and by his com-
ments weaken the effect which would be made by the
Queen's Counsel, when they came to speak on it.
hut having been in that country, Italy, for some
time, he must observe on that part of the evidence
which charged her Majesty with standing to witness
Mahomet's dancing, and charged that dance as in-
decent. He had seen that dance a thousand times,
and had seen the most modest of all females, the
Turkish women, stand to look on at it and laugh ; the' e
was nothing in it that any but the most depraved
mind could construe as indecent. It was one of the
customary dances of the country, and was far less
indecent than the dancing at the Opera House in this
country was—(Applause)—though it might not be
so graceful. He would not talk of other parts of the
evidence, but if the whole were believed, what did it
prove, not a charge of morals, but of manners, and
if such a charge was to be entertained, who would
be sate. If any one should be so unworthy, so un-
manly, and unmanly it would be, as to pry into the
secret and domestic conduct of the females of our
own Royal Family, could any one take on himself to
say materials might not be fabricated to make half a
dozen Green Bags of?—(Applause).—So as to the'
story of the baths—even supposing all alleged to be
true, might it not be the custom of the country. He
knew that at Moscow one of the favourite amuse-,
ments of the Court was, at a certain period of the'
year, for Noble Ladies and Gentlemen to take the
warm bath together. But there was no necessity to
go abroad for instances—at home, at Bath, he had
seen Ladies and Gentlemen looking through the
window of the Pump-room to see others of both
sexes standing in the bath to be pumped upon. If
this fact was stated nakedly, and without exploit*.
tion, what opinion could be formed by a stranger of
the conduct of a young Lady so amusing herself ;
but explained, it would appear to be only a custom.
It had also been said by Lord Liverpool, when talk-
ing of the fairness of the proceedings against the
Queen, that even the witnesses who had to depose to
certain facts were kept together in sets, and had no
comniunication with any ether set. Now this was,
an extraordinary regulation : thus suppose there
were three incidents to which a certain number of
witnesses were to be examined, say fifteen wit-
nesses, they were to be divided into three sets of
five each, who were to be kept to themselves, and
might easily be trained to the particular fact they
went to prove. In his opinion these sets ought to be
separated, and not kept together at all. Notwith-
standing all these regulations, he trusted the opinion
of the people, and the consciences of Parliament,
would procure an acquittal for her Majesty. If,
however, she should be convicted by the Tribunal
before which she was placed, it would not alter his
opinion; nor did he believe it would alter the opi-
nion of the country one jot—(Loud applause).—lf be
was at all inclined to blame her Majesty, it was that
she had not followed the example of that unfortunate
Monarch Charles I. and declared, like him, against
being tried bya Tribunal not fairly and legally con-
stituted. He thought it was now the duty of every
honest mind to come forward and congratulate her
MAjesty on the result of this persecution, in which
the fleets, armies, and treasures of a mighty Empire
combined, had not been able to prevail against a,
poor defenceless female ! He must again repeat, there'
was more tyranny in the proceeding against her Ma-
jesty, than in that of Henry the Eighth against Queen]
Catherine, since Queen Catherine was supported by
the power of her relative the Emperor; and so pro.
tected, the King could not prevail on the Bishops to,
pronounce a sentence against her. When her pre.
sent Majesty, being only related to our own Royal
_Family, was to be degraded almost without a trial—
(Applause).—He was persuaded, however, that the
people would not suffer this; that they would come
forward, one and all, to support this deserted and
persecuted female. He wouid not now detain the
Meeting longer than to read them a letter he hid
received from his worthy Colleague, Sir Francis Bur-
dett,. expressing his regret that severe indisposition
prevented hi► attending the Meeting ; he had also
letters from some other Gentlemen, excusing their
absence, which would be read to them.
A letter was then read from THOMAS WlLsow,
Esq. one of the City Members, stating as a reason
for not attending the Meeting, that he was absent
from town. A letter from Mr. WHITBREAD, Mem-
ber for Middlesex, pleaded a similar excuse,
A letter from the Honourable (ism I.3x.NNerr ex

pressed Ws full concerrence in the object of the
Meeting, and his regret that illness in his family pre,
vented his being present. The object of the Meeting
had his warmest wishes, and he sincerely hoped it
would be followed by similar ones in
.every part of
the kingdom—(Applause).
Mr. P. Moons rose, amid much congratulation.
The Gentleman, he said, who had preceded him, had
entered so fully into the merits of this question, that
nothing was left for him to do but to draw a con-
clusion, namely, that this was a foul conspiracy, not
against the Queen, but against the State ; and, as he
had said in another place, he believed his Majesty's..
Ministers were at the bo:tom of it. As regarded the
Queen, he would only say, that notwithstanding the
artillery arrayed against her, he believed, on his con-
science as a Juror, she was not guilty ; and he had
last night received such information, as enabled him
to declare an opinion that such evidence would be
brought forward in the two first days, by her Majes-
ty's advisers, as would place the two great chiefs
against the Queen, the Loral Chancellor and Lord
Liverpool, in such a situation that they would be
happy indeed to be allowed to come forward and de-
clare that they had been imposed upon —(Appla use).
—The question of the Queen's innocence and guil
was now a secondary consideration; the question was
now as to the existence of the State, in spite of the
machinations of those men who were anxious to de.
stroy our whole domesticity. He called on every one,
man, woman, and child, to rise and oppose this con-
temptible enemy. And who, he would ask, were the
contemptible enemy they were called on to oppose?
Wby the Milan Commission; composed of the Vic
Chancellor, who he should say, on this occasion,ought
to be called the Chancellor of Vice—(Applause),--
a number of contemptible Italian witnesses, and a
Colonel Browne. Who Colonel Browne was, he knew
not, but he was found bribing that abominable
Demote, and who would soon come forward and
claim that the labourer was worthy of his hire. He
called on the patriots of the country, who were well
known, to step forward on this occasion and defeat
this enemy against their domesticity, and thereby
obtain a victory for the country, greater and mo e
important than those of Trafalgar or Waterloo—
(Applause).—lle had now a few Resolutions to pro-
pose to them, and here he must detain them with a
few observations on that which related to that
great officer the Attorney-General, who appeared u
willing that any one should etcape. The Attorney-
General, as a public officer, was an important and
useful person; it was his duty to take care that the
law was not violated; but here the Attorney-General
had come forward to persecute the Queen in breach
of all law, against the opinion of the country, and
in a case where no crime had been committed that
he could discover. The. Attorney-General's was ass
lionourahle office, but the person who at p:esent held
the office had degraded it and himself by making it
a political engine—(Applause).—He felt the greatest
satisfaction at seeing so respectable a Meeting, but
how were their proceedings to go to the world ?
Why there was only a small portion of the public
here, and the walls could not speak, but there was a
little engine at work which would assist them moat
powerfully, namely, the Public Press—(Applartse).
Give him but the Liberty of the Press, and he would
defy the world—(Applause).—Here he must advert
to another point. In all the recent trials, at. Yo k
and other places, so anxious bad they been to cuddle
up all those things, that a prohibition had been issued
against publication, and one Gentleman had been
fined by the Court £5OO for presuming to act con,
trary to that prohibition. That Gentleman had his
thanks for what he had done, and he trusted he would
not pay the 12500. The House of Lords had, on this
occasion, thought fit to be very liberal, and of their
great goodness to permit the publication of the abos
ininable disgusting evidence, which they ought to
have been most careful to have suppressed ; but how
had they even allowed this boon to the Public Press?
Why, said their Lordships, we will admit one Gen-
tleman from each Paper, well knowing that you will
only dare to publich just as much as we shall choose,
and lio more. He trusted,however, the Public would
come forward and support the Public Press, and that
the Editors of Newspapers would, in future, attend
to no prohibition, unlzss founded on constitutional
authority. He concluded by moving a series of
Resolutions.--They were seven in number. The first
declined the conviction of the Meeting, that the close
of the case against the Queen in the House of Lords,
had fully confirmed her innocence of the charge •
brought against her: The second declared, that no
creditable witness, except Cautains Pechell and
Briggs, had been called by the Attorney •General.—
Thu third, reprobated the pay and remuneration
given to the witnesses as excessive, and inconsistent
with the desire to obtain honest unbiassed testimony.
The fourth, strongly reprobated the conduct of the
Attorney and Solicitor-General, for their mode of
conducting the proceedings against her Majesty,—
The fifth, declared the opinion of the Meeting, that
the proceedings against her Majesty originated in a
conspiracy, in which his Majesty's Ministers were
deeply implicated. The sixth, declared the conduct
of Ministers to be calculated to bring the Crown into
contempt, and the Throne into danger; and that
Ministers, for such conduct, ought to be impeached.
The seventh, was expressive of applause towards the
Public Press, for the manly stand it had made in
defence of her Majesty.
Mr. Tirenweint. rose to second the Resolutions.
He said, it had been industriously circulated that he,
and those who acted with him, only looked to the
interests of the lower orders, as they were called,
negligent of all the interests of those persons posses.
sed of rank and property. But the proceedings cf
to-day had given a flat denial and contradiction to
this assertion, since on this and former days they had
been seen standing forward in defence of her Ma-
jesty and persons of all ranks and descriptions. He
believed this proceeding to beta conspiracy against
her Majesty nominally, but against the &ate in
reality ; and that in now standing forward to support
her Majesty,-the first subject in the realm, they were
defending the rights and privileges of the lowest per.
sons in society—(Applaxse). He had some reason
to believe that other conspiracies were hatching to
bring forward charges, not only of adultery, but of
other descriptions.. There might be charges of esti- •
ficial treasons, as well as artificial adulteries. Per.
hips the charge of adultery might be converted into
treason, and those persons who supported her might
beimplicated in the iadictinent. But at presage he as
. .
• •

.1

Not at liberty to enlarge on this subject. A few dale
might perhaps bring much new matter to light. e
had now a few observations to make on the fourth
Resolution, which related to the Attorney-General,
Who was now not the Attorney-General of his Ma-
jesty, butof the Lords, prefemng perhaps a number'
of masters to one, fearing that the one, powerful as
he was, did not possess means sufficient to reward
his services. The Committee, in. tenderness to that
once hodourable but now degraded character, had
drawn up this Resolution in very delicate terms. He
could not do so ; and when he read over the Ad-
dress of the Attorney-General as made at the Bar of
the Peers, he was surprised the chivalrous spirit of
the Aristocracy of England had not directed one of
the servants of the House to kick him from the Bar.
He 'contended that should this Bill pass it would
operate to overthrow Christianity, and to kick from
beneath the King's Throne its support and stability ;
and should the Parliament;. pass the measure, they
must look for power to support Their. unchristian and
sinking-like. measure; and the first measure must be
an attempt to silence the Public Presi--the engine
whose efforts.they felt they had most to dread.
. Mr. Hums appeared before the Assembly most
unwillingly, as it was well known what his opinion
on this subject was, and he was desirous some other
individual would. have addressed the. Meeting ; but
having been called on to address them, he should
have telt himself guilty of disrespect if he.had disre.
garded the call. He congratulated the Meeting on
its number and respectability ; and he trusted, what-
ever attempts might be, made to prevent it, the peo-
ple would long continue thus to meet. It was his
fate to meet generally in an Assembly reldont or
- never unanimous, and in which it was his misfor-
Lune generally to be in a minority ; here, however,,
tilt was unaoimity, and not an individual had been
found hardy enough to raise a dissentient yoke. An
attempt had indeed been made to obtain a Counter-
Address in the parish in which he resided, that of
Nary-la-bonne ; but, like all the works of the wicked,
it had originated in darkness, and sunk in obscurity ;
and he verily believed had never suggested itself to
the mind of any individual except the Editor of the
Nets Times. The Honourable Gentleman then pro-
ceeded to comment on the proceedings against the
Queen, and described them as oppressive, illegal,
and unjust, and declared that, although late, he
trusted the House of Peers would ultimately act con-
scientiously, and throw out the Bill ; the object of
which was neither more nor less than an attempt ou
the part of an individual to get rid of his wife. No-
thing, in his opinion, could stop this unjust proceed-
ing but a general expression of the public opinion,
both of men and women, on the subject ; and he
wished now to press on the minds of every indivi-
dual who heard him, male and female, the necessity
Of coming forward on this occasion as if the cause
was their own. He called on eery one present to
reflect what had been the treatment her Majesty had,
received since her first arrival in this country, Mar-
ried as she was with the brightest ptospecti.j--[4t
this period Sir GERARD NOEL entered the room, and
vas received with loud applause. It having subsided.
IMr. Ikon resumed: Ile was not sorry for this in-
terrtraion ; on the contrary, he rejoiced at it, since it
served to slew the Meeting an individual, who, rioxi-
otti t , support Ministers, had gone with them to the
ritniost extent which honour wisirld allow ; but at
I.2tortli H
they became so bad, that Ws on. rriend was
o -
obliged to give them up—{Applause).—'else lion.
Gentleman then proceeded to comment on the con-
duct of her Majesty ; which, he said, was of itself a
proof of consciou; innocence. The trial was now
.pending—the result could not be far distant. He
,trembkd not for the resul‘; it mu't be that guided
by justice; the thii,king minds of Englishmen could
not decide othervise; all Europe were looking to us;
we had been their Polar vat in the load to honour:
.a.id whilst the nations if Europe were rising to the
r. eridian by our example, let not England sink be-
licatli the horizon !—(..!pirlause).— When the Jay of
trial arrived, he trusted every man would be at his
post—(l.oird (yplause).— Ile called on every one to
oceed firmly, but moderately ; and he wished that
tile Gentleman who had last addressed them, and
who had 'aid that siolence was more likely to injure
than to aid the cause of Reform and Justice", would,
with his friend,, keep that sentiment constantly in
their minds. lie called on every one to unite with
him in supporting the I.iberty of the Press ; for, v.ries
that liberty once restrained and shackled, Britain,
which had so long been the resource of the oppressed,
must herself become oppressed. lie trusted, that,
when next they met, and that at no distant day, they
would be able to congratulate themselves on the tri-
umph of innocence over oppression. The Queen had
thrown herself on the protection of the middling
classes, and by their support he had no doubt she
would ultimately triumph, to the great discomfiture
and disgrace of her enemies.
Mr. Paatasotr said—,4 I am extremely glad that I
have given the precedence to the Honourable Member
of theZower House, becau e he has anticipated many
of the observations which it had been my intention
to have offered to the consideration of the Meeting.
I am still more rejoiced at the circumstance, because
it adds one to the many proofs that thoie who are
the most resolute and determined in opposing rank,
talent, and wesdth, where, they are opposed to the in-
terest of the country, yet are found ready, with the
greatest humility, to submit their pretensions to prio-1
rity to their superiors in rank and property, when
their possessors ate disposed to embark in the catte:
of People. There is, however, one point in the!
speech of my worthy predecessor, flat I cannot-with
consistency suffer to pass without observation. Mr.
Hume has, with great earnestness, recommended 1
Moderation in all our proceedings, and has referred
to the contending question on Parliamentary Reform.
- For sir part, I cannot conceive bow that subject can
roptsly occupy the attention of this or similar Meet-
-togs. Although myself an ardent advocate for 'Par-
liamentary Reform upon the most extended scale, I
anxiously desirous that, in our exertions iu the
cause of the Queen, all political distinctions should
be forgotten—that we should all unite hand in hand,
striving with one another who should love her most
'and serve her best.--add upon this subject I know not
the bounds or limits, which the worthy Member
iiesuld prescribe to our exertions—moderation in our
exertions in the canal, of an injured. and persecuted
woman, would be treason tp her interesta—Vieor,.

• • •
her, beer.)—Well may we .ezelaim with the Poet,
' Oa seek a theme 'tiny' impious to be calm,
• Paget= is moms, transport mew here r
The worthy Gentleman also seisms so think that the'
analogy between the House of Lords and the House
of Commons gives to the People of England a milli.
cient guarantee for the justice of the rlecision of the
forther upon the case of the Queen rink the worthy
Gentleman should recollect, that one of the principal
objections against the integrity of the Tribunal, to
the examination of which her cause has been submit-
ted, arises from the very means by which its Members
have obtained their elevation. If the modern creation
of Peers has generally been the reward of profligacy
and vice, or of subserviency to the Ministers of the
day, who can suppose, for one moment, that there is
any other Body in this or any other country to which
it can be compared? Besides which, if we regard
the conduct of those who have been raised to the
Upper House, we shall find that neither their man-
ners nor their morals have benefitted by the elevation.
I would ask any rational man, whether he would
have believed that the same Captain Pellew, who has
looked with undannted• courage in the cannon's
mouth, could have so changed his character by an
introduction to the Peerage of our country, as to be
imible to look in the face of an honest man ? All
signs to vulgar adages are, perhaps, hardly fit to be
'introduced in this Assembly ; sometimes, however,
they may serve to impress a sentence more strongly
upon our minds—it has been said that a Cat may
look at a King,' and would it ever have been thought
that he who could live amid the cannonstroar, should,
by merely becoming Lord Exmouth, be so besotted
in intellect as to claim the advantage of the latter
branch of the adage, which I shall be too polite to
repeat? I believe, with the Honourable Gentleman.
that the Bill will never pass the Peers, but it is because
public, opinion has been roused, and fear may pro-
duce changes which reason or argument could never
have effected. The bold and manly declarations of
the whole kingdom in favour of their noble but per.
seemed Queen,

• Will make false accusation blunt,
And tyranny to tremble at virtu:::'

The profession of which I have the honour of being
a member is in danger of suffering,-for the conduct ';
of some of its members. I see, however, now before
me fire Barristers, and I liee observed, that during
the whole of the time the conduct of the Attorney-
General has been deprecated with the severity which
it deserves, those worthy Gentlemen have, one and I
all, united with this company in a loud and manly
expression of. detestation at conduct alike unbecom-
ing 1 man, a Gentleman, and an Advocate. Let ns
hope that this proud feeling, this esprit de corps for
the honour of.our protession will not end here. I be- •
lieve that two of the Learned Gentlemen to whom I •
have adverted are members of the Inn of Court of •
which an individual is a lkncher, who has figured
in thii.piOceeding in a manner more disgraceihl, if
possible, than the Attorney-General himself. The •
one leis duty perverted to the utter- •
ance of falsehood,- and degraded to the propagation
of slander, it is true, but still it furnishes a flimsy
pretext for his conduct; but the other individual (I
mean Mr. Cook) has submitted to the performance
of a duty which his profession could neither impose
nor sanction, and which the meanest man in the
country, who-could have boasted of personal charac-
ter or professional reputation, would have started
from with disgust. I hope that those Gentlemen
will put their seal to the expressions which they have
this day sanctioned, ,and that they will erase from
the list of lienchers of the Inn the name of a man
who can but disgrace their Society. The members
of another, of what is terme..fliberal profession, have
also been this day censured with a bold and manly
language which does honour to the speakers„ and
may, it is to be hoped, be of service to those who
have been justly the subject of their censures. One
distinguished individual, _of the clerical order, Iras
lately entered the lists in support of the persecutors
of the Queen. It is much to be regretted, that the
worthy Gentleman to whom it was addressed per-
mitted his personal feelings so to get an advantage
over his better judgment, as -to spare this political
parson the dressing to which this letter had exposed
him. I am not skilled in heraldic lore, but I cannot
help thinking it a little remarkable that the first Ile-
vercad Divine who has• drawn the pen in the cause
of the King's divorce and the Queen's degradation,
should boast of the name of Cunningham; but how
long it has ceased to be accompanied by a title, or
when it shall resume that distinction, I am unable to
say. I have long been prepared to expect much
from a supple priesthood ; but I must confess, that 1
did not expect to see a Christian Minister come for-
ward to attack those principles which are the
brightest ornaments of the religion which he pro-
fesses to teach. The Morning Post introduces Mr.
Cunniiv,ham's letter with a pompous prologue, in
which it characterizes the author as eloquent and
pions; and I confess, that from the letter itself, had
I not received the information, it is the last of all
epithets which I should have been disposed to be
• stow upon the writer of such an extraordinary pro-
duction. As to its piety, I have no hesitation in say-
ing, that it hardly contains an expression which does
not oppose some of the fundamental principles of
Christianity. He begins by condemning the attend-
ance of the Ladies at Public Meetings; hut does he
not recollect, that whatever is good and great in
morals and religion has ever found strenuous advo-
cates in the female 'sex? Excellent women were
among the most active promoters of the Christian re.
I ligion in the early ages, and even the crown of mar-
tyrdom has been frequently the reward, which bi-
I gotry, not unlike the bigotry and illiberality that
I sometimes raises its head among even Clergymen of
the present day, has bestowed.upoh those who gib-
, rie):l in the faith which they professed, in spite of
I the madness 6f their persecutors. Women have even
been the most powerful auxiliaries in any.good cause
which they have undertaken. It would betray an
idle affectation of pedantry to ransack the 'page of
history, to point out the various instances in which
I their noble exertions -have- had the most powerful
influence upon the destinies of mankind. The,attend-
ance of Ladies at the. Meetings of the various Chari-
' table Institutions, the rlible and Misiionary Societies,
have ever been the theme of praise of those: who are
1 now the first to condemn it ; not that theeassemble
to give vent to the finest feelingsof the 'Mitten -tear;
not that-they endetivOur to 'NM thetOrrent of 6p.•

'pression, and to give consolation to the afflicted
soul of persecuted innocence—(G; eid apptause.)—
We cannot 'forget that the greatest good which has
ban achieved for mankind in the present age, was
accomplished with the assistance of woman. The
bold energies of lordly man were nobly engaged n i
giving freedom to the enslaved Negro; but without.
the assistance of virtuous woman, Afric's swarthy
sons might still' have groaned under the yoke of
wretch ed slavery ! And will the soul of even the.,
wonder-working Wilberforce, or the saintly senti-
ments of the velvet-cushioned Cunningham, pretend
that that which was proper, while it was directed to
relieve the sufferings. of oppressed mankind in the
other hemisphere, becomes inconsistent with the cha-
racter of female delicacy, when exerted to give con-
solation to the wounded feelingt_ of their persecuted
Queen ? Oh, no! Mr. Cunningham objects to the in-
terference of women, because he knoWs the influence
which they exercise in society—he kno‘vs that if their
exertions are called into activity in the cause of our
beloved Queen, in vain will be the insidious attempts
of her enemies to rob her of her reputation, which,
to the well-regulated mind of a virtuous woman, is
dearer even than life itself. Mr. Cunningham also
thinks fit to censure the supporters of the Queen, be.
.cause she has not been looked upon in a favourable
light by the great and powerful in the land, and he
brands the Addressers as illiterate and uneducated,
not boasting of what lie calls the Aristocratic distinc-
tions of reading and writing, a charge that' is not
more ridiculous than it is unchristian. To deny to the
Addressera of her Majesty the Aristocratic distinc-
tion writing, when their signatures to the Ad-
dresses contradict the asszition, is so truly contempti-
ble as hardly to demand a reply, did it not furnish.
us with the means of knowing, that it is because the
faculty of reading and writing is no longer confined
to the Aristocracy of the country, thatbigotted Clergy
and tyrannical Statesmen oppose the meetings of the
people. While England was still buried in ignorance,
the Government had no objection to Public Meet-
ings—Church and King mobs were its best engines;
but now that men have had the benefit of education
in Sunday Sdiools, the advantage of Bible Societies,
of Szhools for Adults, and of the political writings of
the age, they no longer approve of the people meet-
ing together, and then pretend to urge the illiterate
and uneducated state of the people as the cause ;
when they well know that they-would give all that
they possess, aye, and perhaps their places to boot,
if they could reed what they have done, and stop
the progress of information, now rapidly advancing.
We should have heard nothing of Mr. Cunningham s
letter, could his patrons have found some Joshua to
have bid ele sun of knowledge to stand still on
Mount Gideon—we should have had no objection
to Public Meetings, could his master have played
the Canute, and have hidden the tide of knowledge
to have flowed back to its bed ; it is because know-
ledge is diffused, and education almost universal,
that the minions of.corritption arc anxious to silence
the voice of Fublic opinion ; and as to the absence of
the rich and the great from the ranki of her Majes:.
ty's supporters, surely a Christian Minister is the last
man who ought to advance this as an argunien
against the cause itself. Does not this Reverend Di--
vine know that the religion which he' preaches was
originally propagated by men whose poverty and
humility were the very opposite of the bloated wealth
of those Clergy which is now intertwined with those
who abuse the confidence of their Master and de-
stroy the interests of the State? Does not this do
que»t and pious Clergyman recollect that at the time
when the Christian Religion was neitherfashionabk
nor pr9fitable, not only was the Gospel preached to
the poor, but that not many wise, nor many noble were
called ?—and does this Learned Divine suppose that
the Christian Religion is a whit the worse for not
having had a House of Peers for its supporters?—
The Clergy should have been the guardians of their
Master's honour; it was their duty to have stood for-
ward in the Queen's cause and to have been honest to
him whois the sourceof theirlionours and emoluments..
Was there no Nathan honest enough to have gone to
our modern David, to have pointed out the wretched-
ness of deserting a wife and associating with profli-
gates, and to have said, " Thou art the man?"—ls
there no prophet, no Daniel, to translate his Master's
dreams? Is there.among the Clergy of the country
no John who would be prepared to tell to the Herod
of the present day the truth, and the whole truth,
even although some dancing concubine should have
demanded his bleeding head upon a silver charger?
The . velvet-cushioned Clergyman, moreover, com-
plains, that Meetings to address the Queen are cal-
culated to injure and insult the King. Where sleeps
the Attorney-General, that he thunders not forth his
anathemas against a man who thus can libel his kind
and munificent Master ? Is it to be believed that a
Clergyman of the Church of England could for a
moment suppose that Meetings to praise a woman are
either intended or calculated to insult her husband?
Is he then so indifferent to the character and reputa-
tion of his wife, that even to praise her is a crime?
He who would report this as the charaiter of our
King is a traitor to his interests, an enemy to his cause.
It is the part of every sincere friend of the King to be
firm and honest in the discharge of their duty to
both King and People—to be sincere to both. and
withhold the truth from neither. Until the appear-
ance of this letter, I had hoped that the stupid doc-
trines of passive obedience—non-resistance—Divine
right—and the perfectibility of the Kingly nature,
had been buried in the tomb of the last of the
Stuarts ; but now it appears, that, to speak to. the
King of the social virtues is to insult and injure
him, and the Clergy are ready to join with the Law-
yers in proclaiming that " the King can do no wrong."
" The King can do no wrong ?' Does he then hold
his existence by a tenure different from that which
pertains to the rest of humanity? " The King, can
do no Wrong? Strike, then, Mr. Cunningham,
from the Decalogue " thou shalt not commit adul-
tery." " The King can de no wrong?" Tear, then,
from the pages of the Holy Writ, the leaf on' which
written—" Man shall cleave unto his wife,, and
the twain shall be one flesh."—" The King can do
no wrong?" Proud Royalty, doff" thy tiara, . and
produce thy patent of exemption from the law that
" man is prone to evil as the Sparks fly upwards,
and his heart deceitful above all things, and despe-
rately wicked.' 0 The King can do no ?"--.
Why, then;: did not the .First Charles carry his head)
'to the grave?--LA The King can sto no wrong?' Why,
thok•froes-net a:ciescaidant of loud James now

rit npon.bur Thrtine ? But the King can do WTOW"...
morally, if not politically ; and he who would deny
it, be be Ckrgyman or layman, is guiltor of conduct
destructive of the interests of the Kias and injurious
to the rights of the people. The King; indeed. nvir
here not be answerable for conduct which.he
think it proper to pursue—hut a day will come when
King and Peasant, Peer and Relate, shall appear to.
gether—when whether the King . Englanteaa et-
cansot do wrong, shall be considered hef(sr; Lat
BEING, who holds in his hand the standard o: trtrl
and justice, and when the slippery or:it:urns of .1 ven.
tongued Cunningham shall not add one cubit to Fs
stature. Gentlemen, in this cause I hope every man
who loves liberty will unite to arrest the progress of
tyranny—for when it shall have profaned the' mple
.ofJtotice, it will not be Tong crc it de.troy the A liar (I
Public.Liberty.—This speech was highly ap, landed.
The Hey. Mr. BERGINER took that opportunity of
withdrawing himself publicly from those stilt"
swelled and blackened the ranks of her Majesty's
persecutors—(Shouts of applause).--He felt no syrn-
pathy with the tools of power. True piety sickent...:2,
at the hypocrisy that attempted to mask opplesda
with the appearances of religion—( ;4pplausr).—lie
begged leave to read, for their approbatiou, the A
dress proposed to be presented to her Majesty ch.:
Queen.—The Address was then reau.

WooLEft next addressed •the )feeting, and ob.
served that the people of this country v.-oti.d hear
much, but the British lion when once roused wos
not easilf quieted. He called on Ministers to roce.
lea this—they :night pass the Bill, but, in spite of
all their efforts, the Queen would still remain Queer
in the hearts of the people, and she could not be
torn from thence but at the risk of the safety of every
'regular establishMent in the country. The cry would
run difough the land--
v' Strike the bright shield—let :he brave warriors bear;
And, or for conquest, or for death prepare!"
The Address was then agree.] to, and orde:ed to lie
at various places for signaturui.
The thanks of the Meetirrg were then vote.i to Sir.
Alderman WOOD, for his upright, honest, and al.ier
conduct, in assisting the Queen of Engiand.
Mr. Alderman Vi.0;13 presented hiansed to return
thanks, but the arient and enthusiastic shout, of ap.
plause, accompanie:l by wa,:ing of hats and hand-
kerchiefs, prevented the worthy Alderman'for several
minutes from uttering a single.cspression.
felt himself not entitled to such distinguished in irl s
of respect for his conduct towards her NI rje,tr
(Cries " You are!" ).-4:td any 07in...
• Gentlennati been in
.possession ofthelalqwiec4! e ich
bad reached him, it was im.possibe
Nava acted just as had done.. Tbe clikider of ate
honest man, he could a.sare then,, was more ,le;:r to
him than any title or honour that could becoalei red
on him—(Great applause).—From peculiar sources
of informaiisin, though the-secret would, perhalp, ga
to his grave with-him, be had incontestableseyi.:ence
that a Conspiracy had been commenced, and carrying
on. against her Majesty; even before .sheltad ever
come to this country,.Or Lee's allied td Its SOvereign.
No man, therefore, assured of this, ails* was, could
'leave acted differently. He was,happrtii says that he
hidlesterday received letters'ilitint'd.relativelif. hi-,
now employed on the:Continmt in the service of her
Majesty, conveying intellited4 of the most satisfac •
tory,nature. The pe.son to whom he bad allude,±
had witteti; to him ilithat Iran unreserved say in
Which. a son ought to write Co a 'Alec; .41,4 therefore
his information was the more entitled to.arisdit, •The
tenour.cf it was such as to shew -that it was iarpossible
but the Queen must rise above the: foul charges im-
puted to her, in such a manner as to bring &wit de-
gradation and infamy on all her persecutors—(Loud
applause).— A vote of hanks from so respectable or.
Assembly, was an honourcwhich he should gratefully
recollect as long as he lived—(Applause)."
Sir GERARD NOEL propose,] a Vote of -Milks to
the Chairman, which was carried unanimously.
Mr. HOIMOOSE returned thanks.
Mr. PEARSON proposed a Vote of Thanks to the,
Committee, which was carried with applause;
The Meeting adjourned at six o'clock.

GLOUCESTER Made MEETING.—The Gloucester
Grand Musical Fettival was attended by the Nobility,
Gentry, and persons of distinction of the county, ail
being anxious to give their sanction to so delightful
a triennial jubilee, in which the most celebrated and
eminent Professors were engaged, at a very consider.
Able expense to the Stewards ; the distinguished cha-
racters, as well as the audiences generally, contributed
liberally -to the collection:, for the laudable purpose
of relieving the Widows and Orphans of deceased
'Clergymen.. At the head of the distinguished charac-
ters attached to the county, and the adjoining county,
were the Duke and Duchess of BeAtifortritid daugh-
ters, Lord CALTHORPE, Mr. BRAGOR LIATIWRST, Mr.
FOLEY, besides the Bishop of the Diocese, amid several
dignified Clergy.

BIRTHS.
Friday, at Bourn Hall, Cambridgeshire, the Cotintess De La
'arre, of a son.

At Dover, the Lady of CaptainSiott,'Royal Artillery, of ago.
Sept. 12, at Newhaven, Leith, the wife of Aiiiitenant-Colonel
.00kson, of the Both Regiment, of a daughter. •
Monday se:unight,' at Wickham, the Lady of Rear-Admir'l
Giffard, of a son. •
*Sept. 11, at Flemington, the Lady of Andrew Fraser, E+q•
Fort Major of Fort George, of a son. •

I