Star.
London, England, 1810-10-23 00:00:00

RE6ORM IN PARLI4iVENT.

MUTING OF THE INHABITANTS OF RENT.
Yesterday, pursuant to the order of the High She-
riff, in consequence of the requisition of a number of
• gentlemen, a respectable, though not very numerous
. meeting of the inhabitants of the county took place
at Maidstone.
The Huai Sneerer arrived at one o'clock, and in
opening the business, addressed the meeting to the
following effect
11 Gentlemen, I had the honour to call this meeting
of the inhabitants in consequence of a requisition de-
livered to me by Sir William Geary, which the Sob-,
. Sheriff will read to you. I trust, that, for the ho.'
nour of the county, you will give an impartial hear-.
log to every Gentle Man who may think it necessary
SO address you upon this occasion."
The Sua•Suzeter having read the requisition,
• The HIGH SHERIFF again rose, and said that he
had further to inform the meeting, that he had re-
ceived a letter from their worthy representative, Mr.
floneywood, to this effect, that when he had signed
the requisition he had hoped to be able to attend the
meeting, as it was his duty to do ; but that, from
the effect of repeated attacks of the gout recently, he
felt himself unable to attend. He trusted, therefore,
that his Constituents would accept this as an apology
for liisbbsence; and begged at the same time to state,
that,. in or out of Parliament, he should ever be a
friend to Reform.
Mr. Homes then came forward, and said, that he
believed the opinion to be now universally entertain-
ad, that Nmething beyond the common, the mere
ordinary change of Ministers, was indispensably ne-
cessary for the salvation of the State. That expe-
dient, of changing the Administration, had been tried
over and over again, during the present reign ; and
• yet, for a considerable number of years, the condi-
tion of the empire had been uniformly on the decline.
Moreover, it was perfectly obvious that the great
body of the people was indifferent as to the question,
who were Ministers ? To what cause, then, was this in-
difference, respecting the persons composing the Ad-
ministration—this want of confidence in public men,
to le ascribed ? It was, unquestionably, not owing
to any want of talents ; because within the last fifty
years there had been frequently in the Administra-
tion persons of the highest talents and the most ac-
complished minds. Not to any want of talents, then,
but to the lamentable want of public honesty, was I
~ this indifference of the people to be attributed. What
that great Statesman, Lord. Camden. had said of his
time, snore peculiarly applied to the present period :
that constitutional authority declared; " that tech
was the want of confidence in public men, that the
-Ministers of the day might pursue whatever measures
they pleased, withott restraint, and thenceforth defy
all opposition." The country was now suffering the
,consequences which that great man had so long since
predicted. If they were without any lawful remedy
for the evils they complained of, they might well de-
spair. But they were not without a remedy, legal
and constitutional—a remedy all-sufficient flew their
object, and' of true English growth. He conjured
them, therefore, not to cease to employ the means
given them by the constitution and the law, till they
should obtain such a reform as would emancipate Par-
liament from Ministerial bondage, and place the re-
presentation of the people on such a footing as would
prevent the recurrence of the degraded and dangerous
situation to which the country had already been un-
fortunately reduced—(Loud applause.) The object
for which they had been that day convened, was to
promote a reform such as he had described. To such
a reform, however, some objected, as unnecessary—
whilst others considered it as a dangerous novelty. As
to this objection, that it was a dangerous novelty, he
begged of the meeting to call to mind what had been
the sentiments of many great men at different periods
upon this subject. The immortal Chatham had ut-
tered a prediction " that the northern boroughs would .
net survive the last century, and that if the House of 1
Commons should not reform itself within, it would
be, reformed with a vengeance from without." In
addition to this authority, they had the statement of
the son of that great man, (the late Mr. Pitt) in
178.5, " that avithout a parliamentary reform, the na- .
tioe would be involved in new wars—that without a
reform in Pailiament.the country would not be safe
against bad ministers, nor could good ministers be of
any use." The events of the last twenty years fur•
niched the best commentary on that prediction. But .
what had Sir William Blackstone, whom no person
could accuse of entertaining democratic sentiments,
said upon the subject ? That learned authority had
stated, that the spirit of the British Constitution re.
quired a more extended representation of the pette
nin Parliament. But what was &till more, aau
thy no way inferior to any he had quoted, a man,
who for powers of mind and force Of genius was not
inferior to tiny (Sir William Jones), had declared
himself decidedly in favour of a reform in Parßankent
and hrque.uhed to his country one of th 4 most. excel-
lent of his works in support of this national .question.
He could not suppose, therefore, after the authorities
he had referred to,' that any question could be made
as to the necessity of reform. if he were to go into
this part of the subject, however, a boundless field
would be presented to him ; but it wits not his wish
unnecessarily to occupy the time of the Meeting, and
therefore he should Dot trespass upon their patience
. longer than was indispensable in order to make them
acquainted with his sentiments on this important sub-
ject. One observation, however, he could not forbear
to meke, and that was, to ask those who heard him;
'whether they could consider their property or liberties
wine, whilst the Minister of the day had a revenue
of seventy millions at his absolute disposal, and
'Without any of those actual and ealcient checks which
"'were lielierto erroneously siipp.stif to exist ? • As to
the question of reform, however,'r many persons as-
serted, that aninstitution, which had existed for so
many ages ought not to be altered.; but for his own
part, he considered the constitutitg As composed, like
the human frame, of two principits—of the spirit,
Sadao{ the form. The spirit was unqufstonably tilted
sod unalterable, tut the diversities. c f ferm might be
assoooitat ; and what the hand of time may have
• hand of wisdom ought to correct. When
urdett had brought forward his plan of
Reform, it had beep objected to as
and not at all su4.etf flit, the circurnstano
times. Mr. Brand'', proposition, which Was
so enerd or extensive, ba,d been 4

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