Star.
London, England, 1820-12-18 00:00:00

MEETING AT BLACKHEATH. -

Saturday, a very numerous and respectable Meet-
ing of the Inhabitants of the Hundred of Blackheath,
was held at the Green Man Tavern. Shortly before
three o'clock, the Rev. Dr. CRONISIE, the Rev. Dr.
CLARKE, Mr.Wieetasts, Mr. BICKNELL, and several
other Gentlemen, who formed the Committee, entered
the large room ; and immediately afterwards, Mr.
"%Vitaaares, who is one of the Magistrates of the Dis-
trict, was called to the Chair with general approbation.
Mr. WILLIAMB then addressed the Meeting, awl
observed, that they had been convened for the purpose
of taking into their serious consideration the propriety
of presenting to his Majesty an Address expressive of
their unshaken attachment to his sacred person —of
their firm determination to support the redgion, the
laws, and the liberty of their country—and their utter
abhorrence of the revolutionary spiri eand lie blasphe-
mous publications which were now so auda:iously and
so industriously circulate-I. If he were disposed. to
offer his bumble sentiments upon the subject which,
was thus brought under their notice, the lateness of the
hour at which they had assembled would induce him
to refrain from such a purpose. He felt the less reluc-
tance in withholding any remarks of his own, when he
saw the very respectable and enlightened body by
wlnsin he was surrounded ; all of whom, he was satis-
fied, would concur with him in the expediency, as
well as the necessity, of pre t?.itting such an Address
to our gracio..s Sovereign, as he had described.—
It might be necessary to state, that they were called
together in consequence of a previous Meetihg of
some of the Gentlemen of the neighhourhood, who
had assembled with a view to make some arrange-
ments for proposing an Address. Those Gentlemen
had determined that a Public Meeting of the Hun-
dred should be called ; two or three Addresses were
proposed, which were submitted to a Committee then
nominated. The Committee had taken those Ad-
dresses into consideration, and, on the present occa-
sion, they would submit an Address for the approval
of the Assembly. The regular course of business,
he apprehended, would be, first, to resolve that an
Address should be presented—in the next place, to
receive the Report of the Committee—and then to
decide whether the Address sshich they had prepared
was the fittest to be adopted. He would only take
the liberty of adding, that as they had met with
one common feeling, and with one common object, he
trusted that object would not be departed from, and
that their proceedings would be marked by regu-
larity and unanimity—(Hear).
The Rev. Dr. Caomete said, that as hi was one
who had taken an active part in calling the present
Meeting, he hoped he might be excused for stating
the reasons which had induced him to come forward.
When he looked at the respectability by which the
Meeting was characterized, he scarcely felt it neces-
sary to point out the reverence which was due to the
sacred principles of religion, and the respect which
ought invariably to be maintained towards the Con-
stituted Authorities. Man was a political as well as
a moral and religions being—without religion, a
man was a disgrace to his country, and a burthen
to himself—without government, he became a bar-
barian and a savage—(Hear, hear). Tbey all knew
from experience that it was impossible for any Go-
vernment or any Constitution to exist long, if
the Constituted Authorities of that Government
were to he treated with derision and contempt.—
Every Government must either be the Government
of opinion, or the Government of force. If founded
vpon opinion, and upheld by the People, it would
naturally excite the respect of all ; but if it were ne-
cessary to have recourse to force to support a Go-
vernment, it needed not the spirit of a Prophet to
foresee what would be the necessary consequence.—
That a revolutionary spirit existed in this country at
present to an alarming degree, was a fact which, he
was sorry to say, he believed few men were disposed
to doubt. With feelings of horror and disgust must
every rational member of society view the daring
and mischievous efforts which were made to sap the
morals of the People—to alienate their affections
from the Government, and,. in truth, to incite them
to acts of open rebellion—(Hear, hear).—This sedi-
tious and inflammatory spirit had not been incul-
cated without an end in view. The consequences
were at once serious and alarming. The Constituted
Authorities of the country had been insulted; the
Magistrates, the Judges, and the Ministers, had
been held up as objects of indignation and scorn ;
nay, they had even seen the Sovereign himself in-
sulted in his own Palace—(Hear, hear, hear).—
They had seen the Spiritual and Temporal Council
of the Nation traduced and vilified in the most pub-
lic and open manner—and he would ask for what?
Merely because they had acted in conformity with a
proper sense of their duty, and in obedience to the
dictates, of their conscience. On this ground alone
were they exposed to the infuriated attacks of a de-
graded and ignorant rabble ( Hear, hear ! ).—They
had beard, too, that one of the greatest Dignitaries
of the Church had been insulted, while on his way
from the performance of his Parliamentary duties to
the fulfilmert of others of equal importance, for no
other reason than such as he had already stated—
namely, for presuming to act in obedience to his con-
science. This was not all : attempts were made to'
extirpate every principle of social happiness--to dis-
solve every tie between man and man, and between
man and his Gon, and, by the dissemination of the
most pestilential doctrines, to hold up the sacred
forms of our Religion to scorn and contempt—(Hear,
hear).--He would ask any man of sense and observa-
tion how long this state of things could be expected
to last, if such principles were to be permitted to
gain an ascendancy, and if they did nbt receive a
timely check. If there was any connection between
cause and effect in the moral as well as the physical
world, they must lead to an irruption at no distant
period. Rebellion and civil war would be the inevi-
table consequence, it this fiery spirit were allowed
to proceed without restraint—(Near, hear, hear !)
It would be asked, how was it to be checked—how
defeated and frustrated? He would answer, in no
way so effectually as by the loyal and sound part of
the community manfully coming forward, heart and
band, and declaring in the most public manner their
solemn determination to defend their King, their
Country, and their Constitution, and to make every
sacrifice in defence of those laws and those liberties
which they inherited faint their forefathers. This
united determination would, in the first 'place, in-

TFIE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1820.
THE FUNDS.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK:
Bank Stock 222

3 per Cent. Reduced 69% 1/2-3i per Ct. 78%
4 per Cent. 871/B—Long Anns. 17 15-16
India Bonds 255. pr.—Esau Bills par, Is. dis.
Omnium 11/4 pr.—Bank for Acct. 22314
Cons. for Acct. 70% %.

The proceedings which took place at the Durham
County Meeting, given in our columns this day, ex-
hibit such a picture of public feeling as pervades all
England. How different the real feeling, thus fairly
and openly expressed, from the no-meaning verbiage
of Meetings held by stealth, with locked doors ; as is
the fashion with those who wish to pay court to the
persecutors of the Qmor, under the assumed name
of " Loyal Addresses ?" How different also is the
procedure in these differently constituted Meetings!
The friends of the QUEEN of ENGLAND, the fiends
of truth and justice, 'the enemies of conspirators and
perjury, confine themselves to the only question
that has given rise to the present agitation, boldly
speak their sentiments respecting the conduct of the
men who, by their evil counsels, endangered the
afety of the country, and openly express their opinion
respecting the vile proceedings by which the morals
Fs,
of the country have been so deeply tainted. The
1,,
wtmeN's enemies, on the contrary—or 'those who
would be the enemies of alto' individual on earth, if
thereby they could promote certain interests—never
even allude td the late disgraceful proceedings, which
I have covered the objects of their idolatry with di:-

grate "a6:l contempt, but confine themselves to gene=
ral expressions of loyalty, and swelling borsts-of de-
clamation, against seditious and blasphemous public-a-
tionv—as if their individual loyalty had beerrassailed
by the defence of ber MAJESTY ! " Their loyalty !"
What has their loyalty to do With the question ?--,
As to the contamination of public morals by means
of the Press, what do all the dirty streams of radical
and deistical nonsense and folly amount to, when
Contrasted with the flood of immorality with which
the QUEEN'S enemies deluged the whole Empire,
merely that they might, if possible, overwhelm and
suffocate a single individual, left without a protec-
tor ! It is high time that the would-be exclusively
Loyal should be taught, if they have yet to learn
it, that however little may be the portion of com-
mon sense they hope to find in- those whom they
mean to gratify by their effusions, the Public have
sufficient understanding to enable them properly
to appreciate the object and motives of their smug-
gled Addresses; and that the same Public have not
failed to mark with what studied care these Ad-
dresses have avoided every direct approbation of any
one part of the conduct of the QuEras enemies,
during the open persecution of her MAJESTY. .Now
we should like to know hoW such Addresses, which
avoid entirely every mention of the question, can be
convei ted into a setoff, in favour of Ministers, against
the innumerable Addresses which have • been pre-
sented to the QUEEN, and which are now pouring in
from all corners of the Empire to the Kr.No himself,
condemning every part of their public, conduct, and
especially all that was transacted under their auspices
in the late anomalous proceedings? In one word,
how can the loyalty of these " loyal Addressers" be
placed to the credit of Ministers? How can the
unquestionable loyalty of the one cover or annihilate
the mibdoings of the other?

The Meetings throughout the Country are be-
coming so numerous, that it is impossible we can do
more than give brief accounts of many of them ; and
we hope to stand excused of any designed inattention,
should there be even some which may, in the crowd,
escape our notice altogether.
From the Gazette of Saturday, we have given a
goodly list of what are called " Loyal" Addresses,
some of which have been the offspring of Meetings
actually held, though all of the very snuggest order,
and others of private solicitation from door to door.
The experiment of calling upon Public Meetings to
applaud the conduct of Ministers, has met with several
such aukward failures that it will probably be in fu-
gure wholly abandoned. To the instances which we
had occasion to notice last week, we hare to-day to
add some more, of an cqually striking description.
In the City of Lincoln, a Public Meeting was
called to address the Knqo in the usual terms of ge-
neral andindiscriminating adulation, the MAYOR in
the Chair. An amendment, calling for.the dismissal
of Ministers, was carried by a. majority of nearly ten
to one!

At Ipswich there was also a Public Meeting, field
by authority of the Bailiffs. The original Address
proposed, earnestly implored his MAJESTY " to dis-
miss those evil Counsellors from his presence, who
have violated the first principles of law and justice
in their obnoxious proceedings against the Queen Con-
sort." An amendment was proposed, full of the
standing phrases of ultra-loyalty, but saying nothing
of the real point at issue.—tbe conduct of Ministers:
it was rejected by a large majority, and the original
Address carried.

We owe it also, in justice to the respectable Cor-
poration of Canterbury, to state, that the " Loyal"
Address which appears, in the Gazdte, to have
been transmitted from that Body, was not adored
till every political topic of the day was dismissed
from it, and till after another had been rejected,
composed in the more usual style, exclaiming against
" radicalism, disloyalty, and the seditious Press," as
the source of all our evils.

The Meeting of the County of York is, we under-
stand, not likely to take place for the present, owing
to a difference of opinion amongst those who are
anxious for one' one party wishing to confine the
proceedings to the Bill of Pail's and Penalties, whilst
another will not be content unless Parliamentary.
Reform be included.

The Paris Papers of Thursday arrived yesterday.
It is said in accounts from Naples, that the uncer-
tainty of political affairs has been attended with a de-
trimental effect to commercial operations. Not only
are no new orders transmitted, but debts are with dif-
ficulty collected ; and so great a proportion of the
coin has disappeared from circulation, that it is be-
lieved great numbers, during the dcable alarm of
revolution and invasion, have adopted the expedient
or burying it. The English squadron in the Bay
augments daily. The Neapolitans affect not to be
able to fathom the meaning of it.
French Five per Cents.—Tuesday, 78fr. 45c.

The answer given on Saturday evening to several
of the Nobility who called at Carlton-House, was,
66 His MAJESTY is quite well."
Yesterday Divine Service was performed in the
King's Palace, Pall-Mall, by the Rev. Dr. S: CLARKE.
Friday the Duke of CL A ItENCE honoured Mr. DENT
with his company at dinner, at his house in Hertford-
street, May-Fair.

Saturday the Duke of CLARENCE left town for
Bushy Park, but returned in the evening. -..-
Yesterday the Duke of CLARENCE visited the Km.
Saturday and yesterday the following Bulletins
were issued respecting the state of the Ducheo of
CLARENCE and the Infant Princess:
_ _ e, Dec. r 6,—Twelve o'Clock.

" Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Ct.anunee is goihg on
in the most satisfactory mahner, and the Infant Princess Ewa-
urn improves daily. (Signed as usual).
" King's Palate' Dec. 17.—Twelve o'Clock.
" The recovery of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Q.t.
rence is proceeding very satibffctorily. The Infant Princess
Emaseru acquires strength daily.
" Under these circumstances no more Bulletins will be issued
at present." (Signed as usual).
It is reported, in the west end of the town, that Mr.
CANNING is 10 succeed, Lord STAWART as Arobas-
sador from England to the Court of Vienna.