Star.
London, England, 1821-01-25 00:00:00

had been duly Administered and enforced, ..the cala-
mity at Manchester would not, he was certain, have
ever taken. place—(Applause).—He deprecated the
attempt to proscribe the British Press generally, in
consequence of any seditious or blasphemous publi-
cations which might have gone forth, and which
every good man must deplore. Bat such publications,
however objectionable, should not reconcile any dm-
siderate man to the general abuse of the Press, espe-
cially considering the important obligations which
freedom, humanity, and learning, owed to that great
engine. It should be recollected, that to the Press
Ave were indebted for the reformation of our Religion,
as well as for all the great improvements which had
taken place in our civil liberty and constitutional pri-
vileges at different periods of our history. The Press
should neverrtherefore, be the subject of abuse with
Englishmen. To abuse the Press, indeed, in conse-
quence of some errors which might belong to it,
would be as irrational as to abuse the sun by which
we were warmed and enlightened, merely in conse-
quence of some spots upon its disc, or in consequence
of the vapour by which it was at that moment ob-
scured—(alluding to the fog, which was then very
dense). After some further comments upon the tenour
of the several Resolutions, the Honourable Member
concluded with proposing the first.
Mr. Bonntnorox, in seconding the motion, said,
that he felt it unnecessary to add any observation to
what had been so impressively urged by his worthy
Friend who had made the motion, and to the terms
of the Resolutions themselves, which most forcibly
spoke their own merit.
Sir WILLIAM CURTIS then stood forward, but not
a single sentence from the Honourable Baronet could
be heard, principally in consequence of the cheers of
a band of his own partisans, who formed a corn-
pact body close to the hustings.
The LORD MAYOR entreated the Meeting to give
the Honourable Baronet an attentive hearing, urging,
that in fairness all parties should be fully heard.—
But the appeal was quite ineffectual. The Honour-
able Baronet deprecated the introduction of other
matter upon an occasion when the only object should
be to declare loyalty to the Crown and to the Con-
stitution, and he concluded with proposing the pre-
vious question.
Mr. BosAsouir said, that be came forward on
this occasion with great diffidence, but he declared
that his object was to advocate any party or to sup-
port any Administration. His party was his country,
and his only object was to support the Constitution,
as he bad endeavoured to do through life. That
Constitution he now feared to be very greatly en-
dangered, and particularly by the quietude and si-
lence of those who ought to stand forward and speak
with unanimous and vigorous decision in its favour.
The too great silence and inactivity, indeed, of the
friends of the Constitution were the cause of the dan-
ger which he apprehended and the most fearful
omen of the times. He fully concurred in the de-
claration that the majority of the people were loyal ;
but what availed that if such loyalty were not an-
nounced through the Press, for silence served to en-
courage the disloyal and to promote a dangerous de-
lusion. Ile yielded to none in loyalty to the Throne,
or in attachment to the Constitution, and in devotion
to religion, every attempt to depreciate which was
peculiarly revolting, as through religion only we
were enabled to call in conscience to the aid of law.
Religion, then, being of so much importance, in con-
junction with our invaluable Constitution, he called
upon the People to declare themselves decidedly
against those efforts of blasphemy and sedition which
sought the subversion of both. That there might be
errors in our Constitution or system of Government,
which required amendment, he would not attempt
to deny, although he was not prepared to admit any
such errors ; but when a house was on fire, that was
not the time to set about painting the doors and win-
dows. When the Constitution then was endangered,
he would check the torrent of danger by the dam of
loyalty. The necessity of such a proceeding was, in
his opinion, quite obvious at pi e-ient. He was a friend
to that sort of deliberate, wise discussion which had
improved and matured our Constitution, from the.
Revolution of 1688 downwards, but a decided enemy
to every description of tumultuary movement ; for it
was not by such movement that our Constitution
Lad attained its present excellence. NVhen lie looked
to the character and consequences of that Constitu-
tion—when he considered the gtory which the coun-
try had acquired, and the prosperity which it had en-
joyed under its auspices, he could not allow such a
system to become the subject of experiment, still
less to b^ subjected to the experiment of inexperi-
enced men—(Applansc, aad cries cant! cant !
They do not desire Ilciorm who subsist upon abuses !").
Ile did not, he said, mean to deny that some things
in our system might require amendment; but the
propriety or expediency of amendment should be the
subject of temperate deliberation; for he would not
submit our Constitution to any hazardous plan of in-
titivation, because, without pretending to the advan-
tages of early education, lie found, from reading and
reilexion, that the Constitution was superior to any
in the world, and that it had this distinctive charac-
ter from all other systems, that its tendency perpe-
tually was to protect rational freedom. Yet, under
a Government acting with the sanction of that Con.
stitution, the charge of despotism was raised as loudly
by some men, as if we lived under a Sophi of Persia,
or under the Sovereign of the Ottoman Porte—(Cries
of Question, question !) The Honourable Gentleman
said, that probably he was going too far, and con-
cluded his speech with seconding the motion for the
previous question.
Mr. BARING came forward, amidst the cheers and
acclamations of an immense majority of the Meeting,
mingled with marks of disapprobation from the in-
dividuals before alluded to. Ile began by entreat
ing the attention of the Meeting, and deprecating
that riotous and disorderly conduct, of which no
other Meeting in the kingdom had furnished an in-
stance, and which would have disgraced the most
irregular and tumultuous assemblies of Spa-fields or
Manchester—(Mingled shouts of applause and disap-
probation). He would go on, if it was their pleasure
to hear him ; and from the number of respectable
Gentlemen whom he saw around him, he felt per-
suaded that a moment's reflection would convince
them that a Meeting of this importance ought to be
conducted with a due degree of order and solemnity.
At the same time, lie was aware that, in their present
crowded situation; it was ittlyo4sible for them to at-