The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-12-23 00:00:00

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WESTMINSTER ELECTION.
ka_.
A Meeting of the, inhabitants of the parish of Sull
George, Hanover-010*re, was held at the Gan Ta-
tern, Pimlico, at seven o'clock no Monday evening;
it was very numerously and respectably attentled.—,
Mr. Puller, in the absence of Mr. Brace, litho was
prevented from presiding, as he had premised, by a
severe domestic atliiciien (we understood the death of
bit wife), was called to the Chair; and, after the
Resolutions had been read over and put to the As-
sembly, Mr. Hoottottas CAW forward and spoke to'
the following e&ct
Ile began by observing, that it was lo that 'room
that be first had the happy opportunity of meeting the
Electors of Weslmiuster, after he had beeu put in no.
ruination ; and that it was with great pleasure he saw
in it on the present occasion many of the same faces
which he had then seen, together with a vast accts.

mutation of new and honourable • ones. Since that
time, many momentous events for the Electnre• of
Westminster had, happened. The first was, ►hat-the
prospect of division among the Friends of Fteedons,
which appeared on the day of nomination, was
no longer the object of alarm and apprekensiew
the noble name which had then been brought for-.
ward was now prudently . and wisely •withdrawis.
Had it been his fate to base contended with sn

amiable, honest, and accomplished a man as the
individual who posseced it, he should have bachnie
consideration with which to satisfy himself in case erf
victory, and that was, that he should
.not have driven
Lord John Russell into retreat and retirement : Lord
Russell was already in Parliament, and had distin.
guished himself therein defence of the People; and
by retiring from the present, had acted with his usual
good sense, and had continued those favours which
England and Englishmen have a right to expect from
the House of Russell... (Applause )..The second event
(if that might be called an event which was only a to.
mour) to which be alluded was, that another Gentle-
man, whose name was truly illosttious, had also de-
clined to interrupt the general potion. It was hard
to say that he had withdrawn who had never come
forward ; but still he (Mr. Hobhoese) must congratu.
;late the Meeting that they had not to behold in array
against them-the flame of Whitbread, a name which
never could be mentioned without exciting esteem
and gratitude in the mind and bosom of every honest
Englishmati.—(Applause.)—At the same time he
would not compromise the cause which he had un-
dertaken to support, neither would be ever resign it
unless it were into better hauds. 01,e objection
against him was, that Westminster wanted a
more rational Reformer : it was hard to say what
was irrational in such a subject : for himself,
be was a moderate Reformer, because he would
not step beyond moderation in any thing.--.. 1
They too were moderate Reformers, because,
when they had found the remedy for their grievances,,
they were willing to apply it. Sir F. Burdett had:
told the Meeting at Liverpool that the Whigs had
promised to do every thing needful in the cause of Re.
form: they were willing to make Parliaments triennial,
and to extend the right of suffrage to honseholders ;
and that being the case, he called the Reformers
molted, an expression which had been much cavilled!
at. A sort of manifesto of their oponents had lop.
peered the other day in a public paper, under thej
title of Westministeriani, which was a very long, hard,;
unintelligible word. It began, "It is not the least
of modern wonders to have seen that the eurrult (he,
means curule) chair of C. Fox should he aspired to
by Candidates advertising their pretensions in broken
English." He scarcely knew what the writer of this
paragraph meant, unless it was a sarcasm on Sir M.
Maxwell, w hose answer to the Requisition lately ad.'
dressed to him was false, incorrect, and broken En.
dish. The writer then went on to say, that "it was
his duel with Mr. Paul, and not his politics, which
'first made Sir F. Burdett Member for Westminster."
This was an absolute lie ; it was his long-tried ser-
vices its defence of their rights that made the Electors
of Westminster return the best of men as one of their
Representatives. He then proceeded—" They bat
offend their lungs in vaentitig their weight in West-
minster, unaccompanied by that something which 1w
the fourth day of the conflict made manifest the is.-
'potence of Jucobinism, when left to itself even in 1W
supposed emporium." The hireling means that you
were bribed to do your duty ; it was hardly requisite
la contradict so base, so foolish, and so insidious an
rismartioetr"Catharine de Medicis had said, that 66 a
lie for three weeks was as good as truth," and their
adversaries acted upon such a principle; but her,
'wonld not allow this lie to ton for more than three
days, but Would give it an early and positive .1
contra-
diction. It is then hinted, that. " before Candlemis,
be, Mr. Hobhouse, would be better instructed in
election proceedings." Unfortunately, if it was
meant that by that time he should learn to em-
ploy'' bribery, he must answer, that he had neither
the power nor the inclination to do it ; besides,
if he had, no Elector of Westminster would allow
Mar to exert either the 'one or the other. The
last paragraph of this notable writer on which be
should comment, contained this eztraordinpry
and impudent assertion—:bat " bit election tot
Westminster, under all the circumstances of the pep.,
sent juncture, would be not a step merely, but 6
stride"—to what ?—to rev olution.—( Laughter.)'l-
If by revolution were meant change, he hoped that,
it woild ; that it would lead to a change of a man
14tke Sir M. Mszerell, for one who would act and
speak according to their directions ; bet if by revo.
tostion were metier the disnrgatization of civil so.
iciety, the hireling scribe has said thet'which is not
merely (else, but that which he knew to be so: if
there were any then friends to social order, it was the
Meeting which he was addressing; they were de.
siroos of correcting the abates of the present system,
'which, unless they were corrected, would end in a
total dislocation of the system, amid that ruin, and
bloodshed, and carnage, which was witnessed in Ire-
land : for be recollected, that the bloodstained
orange-riband was hoisted in 'London during the last
Election ; an& he knew that there was one Wl-
tidosl who wished to see it dripping with blood its
this country also. He then quitted this subject, and
resumed his attack on Sir Meteor Maxwell, who,
he said, was determined that the Electors of Ir.
minster should have him. "•It would Indeed- a
forced marriage; but be seems resolved, notwith•
standing, to drag you to the altar, and to find
rafSoll when he gets you there; You, howestr)