Star.
London, England, 1819-09-21 00:00:00

CRIPPLEGATE WARD MEETING, SE;?. 20.

A Meeting of this Ward was announced for two
o'clock this afternoon, to take place in the Parish
Church of Cripplegate. The Churchwardens, Messrs.
however, to per-
BmEi t
Is; acnhdu
rßceh otwo arb,ehavingp
rreopfuriseattl, a second notice
was exhibited, in which the Meeting stood for three
o'clock, and the rnquest-room was substituted for
the Church. About half-past three, Mr. Alderman
WOOD entered the room, and, after observing upon
the inadequacy of its size, suggested the propriety of
adjourning into the Church-yard, for the greater ac-
commodation of the inhabitants. A Resolution to
that effect was accordingly moved and carried, and
thither an assemblage of 2,000 people, who covered
the ground, instantly repaired. The worthy Aldefman
then addressed them, regretting the inconvenience to
which they were exposed by the refusal of the Church-
wardens to grant the use of the Church ; it was the
first time, he believed, that they had ever.been under
the necessity of meeting in the open air ; but to-day,
the fineness of the weather rendered it rather a mat-
ter of congratulation than otherwise, and the small-
ness of the Chute's would have effectually prevented
the congregation of such numbers as he had now the
honour to address—a Meeting, indeed, larger than
any Ward Meeting he ever remembered to have been
present at. He then entreated a patient hearing for',
all parties.
Mr. STEVENS, after observing with much severity
on the conduct of the Yeomanry Cavalry, which he
compared, for illegality, unfairness, and a desire to
excite popular commotion, to that of the present
Lord Mayor of London, to whose baneful example,
and unconstitutional public conduct, he thought that
the shameful measures of the Manchester Magistrates,
i " creeping, servile, timid set of men," were to be
attributed, moved a series of Resolutions, to the effect
of maintaining-Ist, The indisputable right of peti-
tion, as one inherent in the people, recognized by the
Constitution, and, in fact, by every Administration
from thetime of the Revolution-9-d, Thelegality and
peaceable deportment of the Meeting convened at
Manchester on the IGth of August last-3d, The fact
of its illegal dispersion, and of the horrible conse-
quences which ensued in the exercise of wanton acts
of barbarity on the part of the Yeomanry Cavalry,
by the slaughter and wounding of men, women, and,
children, by those " wanton barbarians'"-46, The
unwarrantable, illegal, and culpable conduct of those
local Magistrates, under whose direction they acted,
in refusing to grant warrants of commitment against
the alleged murderers on that occasion, or to receive
depositions on oath against them, or to hold Inquests
on the victims of their craelties—a conduct amount-
ing to a refusal of all justice, and a denial of all re-
dress to the complaining parties. The • sth Resolu-
tion protested against that conduct, chiefly as "The
commencement of a series of measures intended to
destroy the riitts and privileges of a free-born peo-
ple;" and called upon the country to guard vigi-
lantly against the encroachments of that fearful and
blood-stained monster, a military despotism. The
6th recognized. the necessity of providing for the pe-
cuniary wants of the widows and children of the suf-
ferers in the late melancholy *event at Manchester.
The 7th, the expediency of entering into a subscrip-
tion for that purpose. And the Bth, the propriety of
presenting a Petition (which was read), by the hands
of a Deputation from the Ward, praying that their
Honourable court would be pleased to devote for
that purpose, in behalf of their suffering countrymen,
a portion of those funds, for whose application the
Germans, Russians, and Portuguese, had never ap-
plied in vain.
The reading of these Resolutions was followed by
loud applause.
Mr. STEVENS observed, that the Chttrchwardzns,
he believed, were afraid to face their 'parishioners—
( Shame) ;—he knew not where they were.; they
might, for ought he knew, be closeted with the Lord
'Mayor at the Mansion-house; there flight, perhaps,
be a mutual understanding with his Majesty's Mini-
sters to Knight not only John Atkins, Esq. Lord
Mayor of London, but Mr. Bevan and Mr. Brown
also, Churchwardens of Cripplegate-Without; for
their exemplary conduct—(A laugh).—Or they might.
as he bad heard, have gone down, taking the'key of
the Church-door with them, into Essex ; i
however, not at the Parish expense—(" VerjelfZt
He then glanced at the inimitable plot .which the
Lord Mayor bad alluded to, which he had pretended
to have discovered, purporting to be a plan for the
burning of the City of London, and the massacreof
its inhabitants. 'This was sufficiently ridiculous ;
but there was one circumstance of a serious nature
connected with it. A Coroner's' Inquest hyl been
recently held on the body of an unfortunate man,
whose imagination had Leen so strongly haunted by
the terrors excited by this invention of his Lordship,
that he had committed suicide; and in the paroxysms
of his frenzy he had frequently believed himself a
victim to the atrocious fury and violencead the ima-
ginary incendiaries ; nay, he was so mad, as to have
shouted out, when he apprehended himself to be in
danger—" Send for the Lord Mayor"—(Laughter).
After some further remarks, which were warmly
applauded, •
Mr. NEWELL seconded the Resolutions.
Mr. Alderman WOOD proceeded to put the fore-
going ones successively; each of which was carried
unanimously.
Mr. STEVENS then moved, that the Deputation
;consist of twelve Gentlemen of the Ward whom he
named : also that the Petition which had been read
should be finally adopted.
These Resolutions, together with a vote of thanks
to Mr. Stevens, the mover, and Mr. Newell, the se-
conder, of the eight preceding ones; of censure's
couched in no very lenient terms, upon the conduct
of the Lord Mayor, in endeavouring to encroach;
upon the established rights of the Citizens of Low
'don, as connected with the summoning of 'Common
Halls, &c; of thanks to Messrs. Aldermen Wood and
Waithman, for their firmness in resisting such en-'
croachnients ; in opposing the intemperate zeal a
the Lord Mayor, exemplified on the occasion of the
first Smithfield Meeting; and in exposing his Lord-
ship's Fire-plot; a vote of thanks to The Times, The
Morning Chronicle, and some other of the Daily Pa-'
pehrich
s,fothrey had assertedtheindepen the cause of Publicfeelingdentandmanlyibet
wittl;w
and of National Independence, so as to entitle them-
selves to the gratitude and esteem of all free-born
Englishmen ; to Mr. Ajpierman Woo,, for his ad-

mirable conduct in the Chair; 'argil° Mr. Pollen and.
Mr. Yellolay, for the promptitude with which they
had met the Requisition, and attended the Meeting;
were all carried by acclamation. The Committee,
or Deputation 01 Twelve, then adjourned, for the,
purpose of arranging measures for entering into a,
Subscription, and the multitude dispersed without
the slightest irregularity or tumult, at about a quar-
ter to five o'clock.