The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-05 00:00:00

time by any such remarks. The hon-mrable geatleman resumed
his seat amid great cheering:
The CHAIRMAN then briefly proposed the health of Sir
Francis Burden and the electors of North Wiltshire, and took
occasion rin the name of the ladies present, and that great as-
sembly, to thank him for attending there that day. The toast
was received with vociferous cheering.
Sir FRANCIS ButtDETT. who.was most enthusiastically cheer-
ed on his rising, said, than if any man needed aught to animate
and cheer, and even to flatter him, in his devotion to the insti-
tutions of his country,—to incite him, while he made it his end
and aim to maintain the freedom and happiness of the people,
to defend the church as established by law, and our glorious
constitution of which it was the adjunct,—if aught were needed
to animate the man who was a devoted supporter'of these glori-
ous institutions, as he (Sir F. Burdett) was himself, in the de-
termination to stand ur fall with them,—it was the exhibition,
which he then beheld before and around him, of public spirit,
and the kind manner in which they had done him the honour
to invite, and the cordial and animating way in which they had
received him there that day. It was also animating, even to the
humblest, and deeply gratifying to himself, that that invitation
should come from that industrious portion of the people of Eng-
land which was the foundation of all that was great in this coun-
try. This was to him more a matter of satisfaction and pride
than if he there. saw a combination of all the great men in the
nation, whose greatest dependence was on the people them-
selves.—(Cheers.) It was to hint in animating sight to see in
that room, persons of alCranks, degrees, and conditions, coales.
sing together in the same glorious Cause, and assembling in a
state of society and practical freedom, which was never exhibit-
ed in other nations, and which did not now exist in any other
country on the face of the earth. While they so united the
sound sense of the people of England, they set at nought and
branded with shame those shallow pretenders to patriotism—
those impudent sham patriots and lying impostors who would
• impose upon the people of the 'United Kingdourt —(Renewed
cheers.) They were happy in-living in a state of society which
the experience of hundreds and hundreds of years had proved
to be exactly the result which that meeting exhibited to an ad-
miring world, but which, down to the moment in which he was
addressing them, did not exist in any other country or state.—
Hear, bear.) It was not a great while since they had a person
travelling through their town for the purpose of attempting to
delude the minds of the people in that place,—a " patriot," as
he was called, from Ireland,—a paid patriot,—he meant Mr.
•Daniel O'Connell.—(Cheers and laughter.) Dean Swift had
said, that every thing that was done in Ireland was different
from what was done in every other part of the world ; and in
his (Sir F. Burdett's) opinion, there was something in what
was done in Ireland that was nut only different, but also repug-
nant to the understanding, and as different from what was dime
elsewhere as light was to darkness. He always thim,ht that.
the presence of the one necessarily implied the absence of the
other; but it was not so in Ireland ; there light and darkness
were the same thing-(laughter)—there the crown of martyr-
diun could be worn without its thorns—there it was that the
.ureat patriot, who was sunposed to be making the largest sacri-
fices that he tnight serve'the public is that country, never for-
got the rule of honest lap, his prototype—
" Thus do I ever make sty fool my purse."
—(Cheers.) If he (Sir F. B.) were in the ministry, he would no
more permit anything like an O'Connell rent to he be raised by
than their forefathers permitted
pence from the starving people,
the collection of Peter's pence for the pope. ( Laughter.) Such a
rent did not corneas a voluntary contribution front Englishmen,
but wes wrung lay force and compulsion from lour wretches
under the intimidation practised nn them by the priests, from
whom they dared not withhold it, although at the very time they
gave it, they hail not a potato to put into their mouths. That
rent was collected under sorb dreadful influence—an influence
which he would charaeterize as a sacrilegious perversion of the
priestly office--over the ignorant, and bigoted, and superstitious
people of Ireland—that what should be the altar of peace be-
came the altar of treason, and that rent could be called nothing
else than a fund for the support and encouragement of treason
in that country. (Cheers.) Though the government, some
years ago, when negro slavery was more under consideration
than at present, had deemed it worth their while to put down a
species of superstition which prevailed in our West India colo-
nies, known as (theism; yet this system had been allowed to
spread in Ireland, and government had permitted the priests in
that country to practise a system of greater plunder and extor-
tion from the wretched and enslaved people of that country.
(" Hear," and cheers.) The first thing which he would do, if
he had the power, would he to emancipate those oppressed peo-
ple from that galling yoke, to knock those shackles from off
their feet, and to give them freedom. But in that country cer-
tain men, headed by the priests, whose influence must he ad-
mitted to be great, when it was recollected that even the great
demagogue himself was wont to fall down on his knees before
those priests—doubtless to edify, by his example, his pious and'
enlightened countrymen —(laughter)—t hese men, headed by
the priests, misled and deceived the people of Ireland. What
was the position of tbis country ? It seemed to him, that, at
present, we were in a most extraordinary situation. We have
an administration possessing none of the confidence of the pen_
ple, and having no inundation in the confidence of any part of
the country,—a ministry which, by some strange means or other,
exhibits, at limes, the most singular amalgamation of parties and
opinions, with an inconsistency of principle of the most extraor-
dinary description, and an union of characters of all kinds and
grades; amongst whom were the popish representatives, who
acted under O'Connell, and were every where known as his
"tail," with others of a like description; of whom it might be
said, as had been said by the poet, of sin, that it was indeed
possessed of

" Many a scaly fold,
Voluminous and vast, a serpent arm'd
With many a mortal sling."
(Cheers.) But it was impossible tor this administration to last
long, In England the decision was made--"-was complete: as
was clearly shown by the want of confidence manifested every
where in the present administration. The persons by whom
they were supported—to whom they stooped-to receive support
—were individuals who had -no confidence whatever in them;
who net only 'gave them no credit far integrity or ability, bat en-
tertained a thorough and perfect contempt for their imbecility.
Yet these individuals were themselves the interested dupes of
such a set of persons, acting,
as they did, under the influence
of Daniel O'Connell,--tbe man who, in the House of Coin-
mons, supported ministers. voted aeainst that great apdlistin7
guisneo patriot, wdkiey and others of mar aescription, and
vet, within twenty-four hours afterwards, dined at White
Conduit Honse, arid there denonriced the Whigs as the Most
base and degraded set of people on the face of the earth. (Vo-
ciferous cheering.) Yet again he came back into the house—
for he was mote rapid and versatile in changes than Proteus
himself—and supported that same ministry ; and that ministry
accepted his support, to enable them to carry their measures;
as, from their internal weakness, they were incapable of them-
selves of carrying one measure, or even of framing a measure,
that would operate in any way beneficially to the country
they had not passed one measure that had not grievously
failed in operation, even after coining out of the House of Com-
itry ; for
tnons, and being improved in the House of Lords,—as the
peers, when they found they could pass a measure without
possibility of risk to the institutions of the county, they reluc-
tantly assented, and lent a helping hand to make more per-
fect that which was already incapable of beim_ put in
practical
operation. But let those present look to their measures, and
tell him—for he wanted to know—if any one of them had suc-
ceeded. Their measures, affecting slavers' in our West Indian
colonies; for which the people of this country, to their immor-
tal honor, had with hand and voice concurred to raise the mots-
strous compensation—he mtist call it—of twenty millions of
•money for a purpose towards which this measure had been so
little effective that even now there was again raised the same
cry about slavery, and meetings were held in various parts of
the country. from which it was clear, that in point of fact,
though this country had paid the price, it had not obtained the
end in view, Let us Ink at any other of the measures of this
government; we should find that they wet e mere experiments,
but very dangerous ones, made with the greatest rashness and
presumption. It would seem, too, that they had taken up so
many at the same time that they had not been able to perfect
any otre of them. Even their measures relating
to the trade,
commee, and possession of our East
Indian— territories. we at
present knew not how
it would operate; but we had no reason
to suppose, that it would he less dangerous to our possessions
rc
in that part of the world, than others were likely to prove in
other quarters. (Hear.) Again, if they looked at home, there
were various attempts to retinue the laws,—a matter which cer-
tainly ought to be the first object to which attention should be
directed, and a question above all others, deserving great
estimation and the deepest attention; kit what he wanted to
see was, men who could do their own work ; he wished to see
effected some measure, which in its consequences should be
found to operate advantageously to all. (Cheers.) Again, he
would ask them to look at what the government had done in
the church; and he would ask who was benefilted by that un-
settling of every thing, by those alterzoions which were not
only uncalled for, but were directly adverse and injutions to
the interests and purposes of those whom they were intended
to benefit ? Again, there was another great question, with
respect to which the government measure had not been able•
to accomplish a great deal of benefit. They would understani.
that he spoke of a measure which had called attention
every where to it,
by the feeling which it had excited, and
which had been manifested against it,—he alluded to the
new Poor-law Amendment act. What had ii done? Why
nothing, except that it had caused universal discontent anti
dissensions. (Hear, hear.) Let them go to any other measure
of the present. government, and be would venture to say,
that there was not one that had not produced consequences
foreign to its intention, but had fallen very far shot of being
any improvement;—there was but one, so far as he knew, that
had not (produced temporary. if not irreparable mischief. lie
could tell them that that administration would not long be sup-
ported, as was cfear from the fact that nearly all, the men of
great ability in the country were opposed to it. We had in
this country men of ability and of practical experience, Men
capable of executing, the duties which ought to be executed by
the present imbecile ministry ; but ministers,, by the projects
they entertained, and their adherence to office, deprived the
country of the beneficial exercise of those talents of which he
had spoken, and would not relax- their hold of power till their
body crumbled anti fell to pieces from the very weakness of that
party to which the government of this country was intrusted.
Without caring much about the present aduninistrationSexcept
that he wished to see greater talent and integrity brought into
the public service, he must observe, that we were at present its
such a state that no ministry dared make any encroachment on
the liberty of the subject, on the law, or the constitution.. At
present we were safe from every thing except their incapacity
and imbecility, which nothing could withstand. England had
stood against the combined world—not only against Frunce, a
great, powerful, and enlightened nation, but all Europe com-
bined with France, directed, he supposed, by the greatest
genius of the day almost—Napoleon Buonaparte : but Provi-
dence raised up 'for us a genius greater still, who stood forward
iu the defence of the liberties of his country—he scarcely need
mention the name ofsWellington. (Great cheering.) When
he mentioned that name, he was perfectly satisfied that he men-
tioned the greatest man that this or any other country, in this
or any age or time, produced. (Applause.) No general ever
possessed such great moral qualities, attended. with such scru-
pulous honesty and integrity such a total absence of all self;
and, when they saw such devotion to the country—such an
absence of all ambition anti vanity, and personal consideration of
' any description, it surprised hint the more to see such ability
too on every occasion; nothing surprised him so much as that
singleness of purpose, and honest integrity of mind, which Acme
so conspicuously through the whole of his long successful and
glorious career. (Great applanse.) He would venture to take
the operatives that bad honoured him with their invitation that
day as a sample of the operatives throughout this great empire ;
and he would take leave to address a few words to them, be-
cause,
baying invitations- to meet others, who were in no way
inferior to them in true British feeling and understanding, and
who might not, front the season of the year, find it possible to
render him so great a gratification as he had in meeting them,
by expressing his high regard and estimation in which he held
them, and assuring that he should never hesitate, disrega.rding
all personal considerations, to give them his best support and
assistance, and also the constitution and institutions of the
country. (Applause.) As had been said by their respected
chairman, he thought the.dawn was approaching and daylight
breaking through
.the thick caned, tthich from time to time had
baffled their sight, or deceived, by its lurid glare, a great pnr-
, lion of the people; that, he trusted, was now passing away; and
, that, even in Ireland, the sCales would tall front the eyes of the
i people, and that even ministers themselves, and :hat portentous
bubble, Daniel O'Connell, might burst, and fall like Daeon and

FFIE LIVERPOOL STANDAID;