The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-12-29 00:00:00

firiV 14 tit:al:lig.

A very intnresting an] iniporlant rase, rrspertinr the
li.thility of ilivgistrates to arrottot fur misapplication
'of the revenows of li•tral Ilitrghs, at the itistance ut
the huriresses. tv-ts ilcrille.l in the Second Division of
the Court of Session oil the I Ith inst.

Thirty-1 'lir hiorgesoes and guild brethren of the
I! royal Rime lo of I nveriiry, averring that they composed
the whole body of the burg••ssrs (exc pt the members
of the Town t'ootarii), brought an action againat the
itrestont Magistrates and their pedeerrsors in office for
some years part (during which period the same rotiing
intelest has invariably prevailed in the tononagen • set
of the burgh), upon the narrative that the affairs
of the burgh hail been intentionally and deliberately
mismanaged. Thr ion:suers stared various specific in,
stances of tnivoppliecitott of the rcvr •s of the burgh ;
in particular, that the losses snstainetl in.a manuble-
tioring speculation, undertaken for the benefit of
one magistrate, had been placed to the
debit of tic^ fnmlu of the Royal Burgh ; and that the
espences ;of olefetodong a criminal indictment, brought
at the iu•tutel of his Majesty's Advocate against the
same Mag-istrate Old frivol before the Criminal Circuit
at Aberdeen), bad likexise been defrayed out of the
funds of the burgh. Various sums were Parch •r speci-
finally eta•ed as having been reerivell by the Magis-
trates, amt nut accounted fur, sod other sums were con-4
descended on with equal precision, as hiving been ap-
plied for the private purposes of the Magistrarcs as in•
dividnt!s, and no: for the uses, purposes, or :15 :Wilt of
the Royal Iltargio. Au. offer to prove one and all of
these assertions was distinctly made.

The rise was originally argued before Lord Pitmil-
ly, Ordinary, and the defences pleaded Ispo.t the part
of die Magistrates wrre (.01.er a gearral denial ilf the
pursuer's assertions) in the first place, that the Court
had n 3 jurisdiction to entertain the artist,' : and, in
the second place, that " barges's:s" had no ,ucla patri-
monial interest as gave them a title to pursue. Lord
l'itsoilly prolonneed judgment, finding that " bur.
tresses, though they haul a remote in•erest in the funds
and property of the burgh, have n p strissrmial right
in the se funds and prolwrty, so as to confer on them
a title to call the Magiitrates to accsotn:."

The harzesses applied by petit•im to the second di-
vision of he Court, and maintained that the general
jurisdiction of the Court of Session was universal awl
supreme, as a civil Collet, so declared st owe, and
so c.intirmeil by usage; and if there was any jii-
rissiktion in the Court of Excite/ier, as maintained
by the ,lefenders, the Court of Se ''.l/11 had at least a
cumulative juris•liction. It wai farther argued, that
in the r2S:. of Dumbarton, in 177.1, the Court of Ex•
chequer b ui exiiressly decided that that Court, as eon-
stitn.e.l since the union of the kipg‘lii:ll9, possessed no
such itrindietion: and therefore, if the Court of Ses-
sion should affirm the judgment of the Lord Ordinary,
it was clear that no means of remedy or reJrass was
open in this conntry to burgess is consplainiug of are
most tiii4rant and specific instances of abuse and usis-
appli..atinh of the revenues entrusted to the uirusge.
went of Al3zioraten for their behoiel.
C inrt tt adhered to the interloeutnr conrelain-
ell

0 0,1 the „round assigaeil by the Lord orliinary,
respect that this Court has pirissliction
in soch inestiu.s.s," au! awarJed expeuses against the
lottrscs•es.

A d ales is Dublin, advertises in the n,..wspapers of
tint c;,e. is " Cor• *taloa Whisk. y. ese saw,: as dis-
tille,l fqr hr use of his Najesty at that Royal mem
is hoped the a;ticle will keep.
The Hippolite, fro;n flarionab to Havre, ;sleet
on t:te cost of Flori./a. Part pf the cargo s4vetl.
The Jack, fza:o the Clyde to Wilmington,
is lvv. off 1% ihnington.

PRICE SI

Prices,

ADARDEEN GNNERAI, COUNTY NEETING•

In consequence of a reqvishloaesigned by the .•
lectors of taxes for this comity. and other gentle ii
the Lord Lieutenant and Con►ener fazed Wednes I
the 10111, for a general meeting of the Noblemen, 9
pay Lieutenauts, Justices of the Peace, and Gummi.
shiners of Supply, to address hie Majesty. The Meet
ing accordingly took place is the New Court-hou
every part of which was crowded to excess.
'I he Marquis of HUNTLT. Lord Lieutenant, took the
chair.
Mr. Manatee. of Pitfollels. opened the proceedings,
11 referring to tbelad►crtirea►ent. signed by the La► I
Lientenaut and himself, calling tl►e meeting.
Mr.Sensin, of Ske..ne, immediately rose, amids
much applause. and io strong and emphatic terms d-
Glared his opinion, that neither the Lord Lieottna•r
nor :he Convenor of the comity had any right wh ;••
ever, jointly or iodic:dually. to call a meetinz of the,
present description. He um aware that, in perilous
times, when the country was either menaced with ;re-
bellion or a foreign enemy, the Lord Lieutenant s►itht
call his Deputy-Lieutenants together to concert r...s
bit re s for the puhlic safety; but in peaceable tin► .1
like the i.rese .1, he contended that he had no such
right, nor had the convener of tl►e county any right
to call a meeting u, on the, rrgaisi•iun of freeholders
or commissioners of supply, whose names ou.,ht to he
published, which had n•rt bee, the case in the preselt

ittst.ince ; and lie therefore begged. that 1. • z:i.iers •r
►could explain to the meeting who or what fr;e'iultis,s
had signed tie° ntinisition.--(Applause.)
.tr. 31ENAI!- st.►t►•d, that although he di.l not een-
sider the genticusa►l had any right to can for the re-
or the names of those who had signed it. {-et
hr did not object to the requisition being read, whic:t
was read accordingly.
Dr. Poaun•e said he hal been perfectly cl •ar-that

the meeting should be called. and it was a very great
mistake that his name did not appear in the repusi-
tiny, which he would have must cordially signed.
The Marquis of Welt.; then rose, and, in a clear
and ilis:inct manner. addressed the meeting nearly at
follows ft, it is highly gratifying to us. to
witness the respeetaitla !may of gentlemen now assem-
bled on this most important occasion, and I trust that
we shall all be unanimous in voting a warm, loyal,
and alfectiouste address to his Majesty; and I also
meet, that gentlemen have coin- here only wit's that
view ; and whatever address may be agreed upon, f
shall he proud in having the honour of forwarding it.
Whatever my political opinions may he, I have never
ob:rudeil them in public ur in private, sad the fine of
cesiturt I have Mtherto Armed I will still continue.
I ani satisfied, gentlemen, that you are assmed I hare
only one object in view, a ,uiely, the welfare'and jo-
'tters: of this large and important county. (Hisses
frosts the galleries.)
Mr. levies, of Drum, withont offering any obserer.-
lion, handed an address across the table.
Mr. Hassles, in se.mndinz the ailiiress, said, that
he would refrain from making any commerts upon the
terms of it, about Which he conceived there could not
be too opinions.
Major Leven 'lvy then nearly to the folllor-
ing effect:—My Lord, after the very guarded and
apparently unexceptionable manner in which the ad-
dress proposed to tills meeting has been worded, I
conceive it necessary to explain the reasons which
actuate me in dissenting tiro the present occasion, and
fir the vote which I shall consider it my duty to give.
In loyalty and att ichisent to his Majesty, and a tient
determination, both as an individual in society and
AS o servant of the Cross u, ti. use my humble efforts
on all occasions to act in a manner calculated to pre-
ss ye inviolate the stability of the throne and the
tranquillity of the country, I will yield to U 3 per:on
now present; but, my Led, on this occasion, I eon•
sister that every one is ea 1. d upon to express his
Opinion; ash I have no hesitation in declaring my
firm cotivictiou, that the great and leading object
sought to lar olitaiocl by transmitting the present ad-
dress, as the s:ntiusenti of the county of Aberdeen, is
to prop up and support the tottering fortunes of the
present ailministration---an administrati- wbi have
compromised the dignity of the crown and the safety
of the country, bete excited the derision of other nee
tions--nations jealous of our glory, our prosperity,
and, above all, of one national honour, which I t, net
no set of men will be permitted to wrest from as, or to
tarnish with impunity. Feeling this in the strongest
matinee, I will oppose any measure calculated in the
most distant way to convey an approval of such
duct ; and if I should stand alone, I am determined
to take the sense of the 'meeting on the subject—(Load
applause).
Mr. Meetings stated his sir-prise that Major Ray
should impute motives which neither the wordiitg of
the address. nor any eireninstanee which had occurred
in the course of the proceedings, could warrant ; that
Ise considered the bon. entlernan oat of order, anti
that he h tdonerely introduced the subject of propping
sip a tottering adrninistra•ion, for the purpose of in-
dulging in a violent philippie against Ministers; that,
for his own part, and be lise,ieved he might say fur all
present, there wit not the most distant ireention of
pro;epitie no .Ijininters, whom he eri4t.tt, 'II he altoge-
ther lets us! of view.

I Lord FounKs tr that Majlr Hay would consent
to withdraw Rill reg. I.IIAM, sad that the tneeting would
he onatriisious. HE could assure that gentleman end
the inertial .that Miniver' were no way concerned
with thn address. whirl' was 4iraply a Meal and eon-
stitatioosi moo to the King. and in no way conveyed
an approval of the twridart of -his Ministers.
Mr. likasratas said,•that so far final apyrrioise ist
the soeslatt of Ministers, directly the contrary seas
the rase.
Major Mow edit alvenated. etatiOr thtst,APid he Ate I
reoreent suppose that Soesterslitia :the ptsitent et ,
weelel in any Aare seed to save kilo Majesty' the pile