Star.
London, England, 1817-10-02 00:00:00

SHERIFF ALDERSON'S DINNER.

Tuesday the Loan MAYOR, Aldermen, and She-
riffs, went in procession ti' Blackfriambridge, where
they embarked in the City Barges, and proceeded by
water to Westminster, in order to the Sheriffs beings
sworn into office. Oa their return, thepopulac- took
the hones from the carriage of Mr. Sheriff ALDIDI-
- and drew him through the City to the Albion
Tavern, Aldengate-street, where a very sumptuoss
entertainment was provided by this gentleman as his
official dinner. The LORD MAYOR, Aldermen, Mr.
Sheriff DERANGE% and a numerous assemblage of
gentlemen arrived immediately afterwards, and about
seven o'clock the company sat down to dinner.—
After the removal of the cloth, Nos nolir, Dowiw,"
was sung, and the following healths were drank with
three time. three: •••64 The ling, GOD bless him.".--
" The Prince Regent."—" The Queen."—" The
Princess Charlotte of Sale-Cobourg."—" The Duke
of Wellington."
Sheriff ALDERSON then gave " The Lord Mayor."
His Loansuir returned thanks. During the two
years which he had been in office, he had never spent
one hour in his own !ma'am counting-house. He had
studied no interest but the public good. Whoever
might be chosen to succeed him, he should be most
happy to give him every assist nce and information
in his power. —This speech was greatly applauded.
The LORD MAYOR gave, “ Mr. Sheriff Alderson."
The worthy &MAWr remarked, that he was at a
loss to describe how mach he felt the opportunity
which the Lord Mayor had given him, t expressing
his hope that he might fill the office to which his fel-
low-citizens had elected him with their entire satis-
faction ; and tl•at when the time arrived for him to
lay aside the trammels of office, that be might retire
with the friendship of them all.
The healths of " the Aldermen below the Chair,"
" Mr. Sheriff Desanges," and is the late Sheriffs,"
were then given, and the evening concluded with the
utmost harmony and conviviality.

The equipage and livery of Mr. Sheriff ALDER/10V
are most superb. The prevailing colours are blue
and gold, and the heraldic emblazonments are beau.
tifully executed. The hammercloth is of velvet and
gold, and superbly embroidered.

ELECTION OF LORD STATOR.
TfilltD DAY.
The following was yesterday the state of the poll
at three o'clock, when it closed for the day
Mr. Alderman Stearn 134t1
Mr. Alderman Aratas • a 891
The 1.011:1 MATO*
Mr. Alderman Gooasammas

553
532

As soon as the state of the poll was declared, Mr.
Alderman Smith came in front of the hustings, and
bowed to the persons assembled in the Hall, and
pointed with an air of triumph at the list which ex-
hibited the state of the poll. The w9rthy Alderman
did not utter a syllable, nor should we have been
able to hear him if be had attempted to speak, so limd
were the beotings and hisses of the populace. Mr
Alderman Smith and Mr. Alderman Atkins then d.
scended from the hustings, and proceeded through
the crowded Hall, greeted by continued bowfin. s
and booting:. Tranquility havingbeen restored,
Mr. HlTClitns addressed the of the
Livery, and adverted to the conduct of one of the
Sheriffs on a former day. He observed, that after
the new fangled doctrine which had been delivered.
and thc,warning he eaceisied from the Shesill
ors that occasion to forbear entering upon political'
questions, he was fearful of offending that Gentle.:
man's delicate feelings. It could not, however; be
supposed, that in speaking of partiality, he meant to
refer to the decision given on that day, or in speaking
of corruption, that be alluded to the Honourable
House of Commons. The opposers of the print iple
of election had certainly some cause for triumph,
arising from the exertions they had made to secure
the worthy Alderman in the Magisterial CHair ; but
it was to be recollected, that one freeman's vote was
of more value than the votes of twenty pressed men.
When it was known what exertions had been made
to obtain them, there was in tact the greatest reason
/or rejoicing, tor although the cause of freedom had
only about a quarter the number of the ocher party,
yet those who had come forward had given their
votes in support of that honest cause without briber's
corruption, or the least hope of emolument for the,,
endeavours. It was a matter at which every true
Englishman must be rejoiced. that when the Habeas
Corpus Act was suspended, when the gagging Bills
were in existence, and the Government had in a great
measure succeeded in the prevention of public meet-
ings, yet under all these circumstances, under all
these dreadful persecutions, it wis in the power of
the Livery of London to breathe the air of freedom,
and to express their feelings publicly. openly, and de--
cidedly, for six or seven days longer at least. He
was himself extremely happy that the worthy Alder.
'pen had thought proper to withdraw, because it was
in their power to dissolve the meeting at their plea-
sure, and to imprison those who remained stationary
after an hpur's warning. It would require, however.
he believed, the strength of almost the whole standing
army, mtake into custody:the whole of the persons he
now addressed. He regretted that the whole Ailminrs.,
tration were not present upon the hustings to behold the
spirit of Englishmen, not yet extinguished, but reseed
when the cause of Liberty and Independence wasat
stake. He most earnestly exhorted the Gentlemen
of the Livery to exercise their elective franchises, and
to come toward boldly to support the noble causes
Mr. Alderman Smith, he had declared, and would
again assert, was quite unqualified to fill the office
los which be was a candidate; the same instruments
of oppression were in existence at this moment as is
the last year.' and there could belittle doubt what it
was the intention of Ministers to do, through the
means of their agent, if be should be placed to the
civic chair. They bad done enough already ; but
they would go farther. they would, if possible, re-
strain the people from exercising. their talents and
their lodily strength for the salvation of their inde-
pendence. It iciest, true that dr no efforts could hr
lost US tbe cause of freedom." then he Most CAftlethil
would recommend that not a moment should be lost
in regaining those rights which bad been so unjustly
, taken from item.
A person of the name of Hann then came tur•
ward, and attempted to address the persons assemble('
in the Hall. He contended that this was a great po-
litical question, and that it was Is the Livery to de-
iide whether they would be slaves or freemen. TM

true advocates for the cause of freedom, he said, had

only one straight course to pursue. To •ote for Mr.
Alderman Goodbehere and the Lord Mayor would

be supporting the cause of liberty. (Here the Gen-
tleman's orAtion, whose voice and accent were.ome.

what peculia►, Was literally drowned with the laugi..
ter of his auditors, and we could not hear his pr.

roration).
Mr. WOOLIM then can* forward, and was received

with loud acclAtuations. After i ctmtest of another

•
d 17, he said, it still appeared that the adversary had
1 considerably larger number of votes than the po-
pular party. The difference in the numbers was,
howe►er, not of sufficient consequence to make a
material alteration in the prospects or hopes of the
partisans of the Lord Mayor. The number was
smaller than his expectations had led him to suppose
they would be; and when he stated, that no exer
lions had been made, chat no expenses had been in-
curred, and that the side of librr:y had been basely
deserted by those who might have bten expected to
have acted more honourably, it was mitter of sur-
prise to him that the numbers were so large on that
side 44 the question. The sources from whence the
• 'tea on the other side had been obtained, he believed,

were tan-Ably well known. It was not for him to
impugn the motives of those honest men who had

come forward to support a system which they had
served so well, and which they found so well suited
their own purposes. They had doubtless good reason
for pursuing that line of conduct; but those who
saw through their villainy, must blush to find that
there were men in existence who were so lost to
their own interests.. It would be a subject of boast
is them, at least, that they could stand forth in the
open day, and denounce any connexion with such
infamous abandoners of public faith—(icar, hear).—
They would and ought to be proud to be abhorrers
of such villainy, and their pride ought to be the
greater the fewer there were to express it, and to bi •
defiance to their infamy. That such dealers in state
tricks could never ultimately succeed was as certain
as that they were able to obtain a temporary triumph
over their enemies. The Bank, the East India house,
and such other state reservoirs, were the only deposi-
tories of the corrupt influence of the Ministers of the
day—(Hear).—The fact, he believed, was well-
known to all parties ; and when it was considered
that the numbers attached to one of these offices was
double those shewn on the list of the poll by the mi-
nisterial party, it could not be a matter of surprize,
that Mr. Alderman Smith stood at the head of tit-
poll. It was, however, rather surprizing that their
reluctant votes had been wrung Irons them with so
much tardiness. Indeed the reluctance with which
the voters gave their votes was so evident, that it
was depicted in each man's conntenance as he came
up to the bar. It was true, indeed, that there woe
some who blushed not to give their votes, glorying
,o their own infamy, and boasting in their own shame.
Su much advantage at least wuald be gained by the
proceedings on the present occasion, that whatever
underhand tricks were going forward on the other
aide would be brought to light; all their contrivances
sud manoeuvres would be published to the world.
l'he language made use of by these Aristocrats on
the hustings was absurd in the extreme. They
boasted that their voters were men of respectability ;
but he should be glad if they would make known
from what source their respectability arose. Did they
prior themselves upon their momentary elevation ?
.Did they imagine-that this circumstance gave them
a right to insult those whom they accused of nut
being respectable ? The Ministers had declared that
they would have no meetings—they had in a great
measure obtained their end, but they would find,
that &Omagh they had conquered, they had nut sub-
dued the English spirit of independence. If is were
true, that 4, a day, an hour of virtuous linen,' was
worth a whule eternity of bondage," then not a mo-
meat ought 'o be lost to regain the rights of English.
men. For against whom were they fighting Who
were their opponents Not men of talent and ability
who would stand forward, and refute the arguments
which were made against them, but men who pos-
sessed influence and hid their heads to screen them-
selves from the just reproaches of their opponents.
Where were now many wonders in the world, and
he himself should not be at all surprized, it atter
the great improvement in machinery which all had
witnessed, in the nexuage a cast‘ieon Administration
should be formed, with brazen dependents. About
witty or forty years ago the Ministerial party, al-
though they were as corrupt as they were at present.
were more apparently candid: they did then stand
forward to advocate the system under which they
flourished, but it was now reduced to a mere ques-
tion of force. They had obtained the superiority;
and they allowed their opponents to argue at plea-
sure: they surrendered the point because they were
incapable of arguing it, but they preserved the au-
thority in their own hands. They no longer permit.
ted punitc meetings; no, the tender and considerate
Administration thought proper to confine the com-
plainants within their habitations, fearing that if they
stirred out theyemight catch a cold, by attending to
political affairs. Such was the language of a Minis-
cabal Geutleman on the hustings to himself, and he
was advised to go home and mind his business. The
tag was, that the system that the Government had
'pursued had taken froth the people all their business
At home. He thought the impudence of the Goveru-
ment bad arrived at an unbearable pitch to tell the
people to go home and mind their work, when they
knew that they had taken it all away. It had been
said that Government, by their measures, bad caused
an explosion of the evil spirit which existed in the
publics The plain import of the diabolical plots
which had been formed, not •by the people, but
aigainst.them, was, that they bad driven their despair
tb acts of illegality, the more effectually to answer
their infamous purposes. The Minister, hit would
declare, who could do this was Capable of any mis-
chief, of any evil however destructive to the welfare
And happiness of the nation. He then turned his at..,
tvnucia to the present unhappy state of Ireland; the
edicts of corruption, of a bad Administration, Were
there but too evident ; it had been governed at the
point of the bayonet with an army of soldiers, in-
steasiof treating. it like a civilised nation. It those
safortunete people had bin looked to their own inte-
tests, and guarded their own rights with vigilance, it
,:ey bad not been blinded by the dust of corrupt in-
d mace, the nation, would have been, instead of a
&muted lifeless carcase *flirted to the body of Eng.
land, a happy and an industrious race of wen. II

' the people of this country were waling to avoid
f .Ping into the same state of barbarism, he trivia d
em to be vigilant in the care o; their liberties, to
guard against the machinati ns of their enemies, who
were wain:l4 to corrupt those who entertained nothing
criminal, And ' • accuse them of crimes which were
engendered in the CAbioet itself. He recommended
the well-wish .rt of their country to he tip it the
watch against deception, and to 'hew by their actions
their oan importance. It was n-t the str-iigth of
the Ministry that made them powerful, bin the apathy
of the people; and by this means akie had they
gained their advantage. Were the people divided
they were lost ; but were they united, no powers
could shake them. Some misapprthei.siteLs, he said,
had gone abroad, which be was anxious to correct,
with respect to the object of the Lied M.ynr in pm-
, ting up again for the Ma)orilty of 'he City Ile
begged leave now publicly t declare, that his Lord-
ship had only given his name, in order that it might
be coupled with that of Mr. Alderman Goodltehere,
to be returned to the Court of Aldermen. If the
Court of Aldermen had returned hi again Lord
Mayor of the City, he would undoubtedly have de•
dined it. Wi It respect to the state of r e poll, he
entertained confident hope, that it would wear to•
morrow a mote favourable a.;:ect ; for although
troops might be brought from the barracks in detach.
meats, yet they were not inexhaustible. Th.. inter,
rests of the City, and the cause of the country, were
in the hands of the Livery, and he felt confident
that they would not be deceived, or intimidated into
the commitment of the basest of all acts, that of be-
traying or deserting the noble cause they advocated.
Mr. WlLLiaus then attempted to return thanks in
the name of Mr. Alderman Smith, fur the support
the Livery had given to his cause, but he was audi. •
ble only to a very dew. He said he was sorry to see
the cause of the. Chief Magistrate of the City redo•
ced to so low an ebb, as to require the assistance of
such characters as the Editor of the Black Dwarf, a
main who called himselt the friend of that Edio:r.
and a person whom no one knew at all. —( He was
prevented (rum continuing his speech by the hootingt
of the pe The 11111 was then adjourned.