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

0

THE STATESMAN.__

LIVIIRPOGG MEETING.
Liverpool, Dee. IS. 1040.
The important meeting at the Town-hall, convened
for the purpose of addressing the King, on the state of
the country, and on the recent conduct of ministers,
was held on Wednesday last ; but no discussion took
place, owing to the following circumstances :
The court-room, which is the usual place of meeting i
when the Mayor presides, will not hold more than
about 1000 persons (the Town-clerk thinks only 600.)
Knowing this, the ministerial party were encouraged to
attempt what they call " packing the hall," in which,
of course, they might be successful, lithe). could influ-
ence 500 men. This was tried by every means. Cir-
culars were issued to all the tradesmen enslaved to " the
party" here; secret meetings were held; and on Tues-
day night the workmen in their employ were regaled
with beer, and ordered to attend at the gates of the
Town-hall early on Wednesday morning, although the
Mayor bad called th 2 Meeting for twelve o'clock. This
order was obeyed; and early in the morning a few
influential tradesmen, who are notoriously looking out
lovernment places, brought up their unhappy mow,
plikaiaca.of two or three hundred. At twelve
'.o'clock tQx rushed into the hall, but were iturnedi-
ateWylowed b a mass ofj resirciatle people, who
4114erevery sp in the room. remained
eoutside, and Is pracfle• was dreadful. After the
Mayor had opene business of the day,Vottlas
Booth Esq. rose and Adiessed the umfting. Allmoies
heard him for some me menus, fop the ministerialists
were confident that they had strength enough to carry
an address of their own. But Mr. Booth soon put an
end to their hopes; he used some strong and patriotic
expressions in favour of the rights of the people, and
condemnatory of ministers, which excited a burst of ap-
&ruse to loud and decided, that the hootings and bill-
ings of the third men were completely overwhelmed.
Finding thus, that discussion would never do, and that
their plot had so far failed, as to render their prepared
amended address hopeless, the Tories became furious
and riotous in the extreme, and not one of the Glad-
stones, the Ewarts, the Bombers, the Boltoas, or the
!leaked's, gave a word or sign for silence to their
wretched adherents. All was uproar. Ihe Mayor in-
sisted upon silence, and was supported by the requisi-
tionists and the bulk of the meeting, hut all in vain ;
and at last the pressure of persons entleavottring to
obtain admittance was so great, that the most horrid
cries of suffocation were added to the systematic
yells, and many persons were in great danger.
The Rev. Mr. Shepherd wished the address to '
go to the vote, knowing well that a majority
of the meeting was favourable to the dismissal
of ministers; but it was determined by the interested
rioters, that no one sletwiell-low-heard. The Mayor 11«
dared he could see is one corner of Me room • party
determined to prevent discussion; and he ordered the
constables to take up any man whom they could mark
out. This, however, was impossible; the pressure
was so very great that no officer could act; and the
rioters increased their violence. The Mayor stood
upon the bench, requesting to be heard, but in vain;
the slaves kept up their cries; and every one knows,
that in a close room a very small party may success-
fully disturb a public meeting. The Mayor at last
called out, that, as he could not obtain silence, he
would dissolve the meeting; which he did.

possible to to suppri die disorder, this prlrposely
created, Me liar's., with the concurrence of the po-
pular party, dissuiped the 'twang! Such were the
iiisl. dirty means by "fish a desperate and contemptible
faction ensleavo o prevent the expression of pub-
lic opinion, and cept an address to the Throne,
suitable to the a I complexion of the times, and
praying a choose of men and measures, as the first
steps towards a system of conciliation, tetrenchuieut,
sad reform.

Nothing more need be said to shew the baseness of
this faction, than what the preceding narrative con-
tains. Their object is, however, not yet attained.
Indignant at the outrage perpetrated in the presence
of the chief magistrate, and in defiance of his utmost
efforts, as soon as the crowd dispersed, a large number
of opulent and highly respectable individuals reas-
sembled and drew up another requisition, reciting in
strong terms the disgraceful and riotous proceedings
by which the meeting of this day had been disturbed,
and prematurely dissolved ; and calling upon the
Mayor to convene, at as early a day as possible,anothrr
'wetting in an open place, capable of holding a larger
number, sod where the disturbers of the public peace
might with greater farility he noticed and apprehend-
ed. A number of names of great respectability, and
never before affixed to any requisLion emanating from
the opposition party, are said to be attached to the new
application addressed to the Mayor. The result it is
said, will not be known till to-morrow morning ; niost
probably that upright Magistrate will comply with a
request so moderate and just. At all esents, rest
assured a town-meeting► will take puller, the omit nn-
uterous in all probability ever held in Liverpool.
Every one I hear speak of the proceedings by which
the Meeting was interrupted, appear to feel indignant
in the extreme, and the liberal Tory party appears to
be ashamed of this Latina, and their despi..ahl.:
ma then eras.

It is rumoured that the Mayor has declined inviticz
the Duke of Wellington. by a formal deputation Irma
the corpmation, to honor Liverpool with a visit. It is
espected his Grace is this day at Chester. The War-
rington clime have invited him to visit one of their
municipal coteries.
_

In St. M•••• 's church, on Sunday evening, a Re-
verend gentleman asserted that thing derogatory
to the Queen, which the Key. Mr. It— B— had ut-
tered, much of which was too gross to he admitted in
any decent debating society, rue inspired by the deity!
Where, in the works published by Carlisle or David-
son, are any passages to be found, so hostile to Chvi,
tinny ? It surprises many here that the Queen's Attor-
ney-tieneral has not noticed the atrocious attacks ttpon
her Majesty's character, from eertais pulpits in this
town. The &mend..s of the Queen are full of predic•
tions announcing new and more terrible proceedings
against her.

It was reported yesterday, that Lord Harrowbv
us resigned his °ince of President of the Conned!.
Yesterday Lord Castlereagh, after transacting hit-
siness at the Foreign Other till three o'clock, left won
for his teat at North Cray.
List of Visitors at Brandenburgls !louse on Wednes-
day last:—
Ills Royal Highness the Prince Leopold. who remained
two hours with her Mniesty: Colonel Lied-
tenstitAleneral Sir R. Ferguss.m. J. litone. Euv, M. P.,
him llama, P. Moore. Esq. M. P.. Mr. W%till, M. P.,
Mrs. Demean, Jlrs. Wild,, Captain White.
Lord Clifton has declined to present the Address
to the King, which was lately voted by the Corpora-
tion of Canterbury, fur which City his Lordship is
one of the Members.
It appears requisitions are signing for a Court of
Common Council, for a meeting of the Livery of Lon-
don, and also of the County of Middlesex, to cousider
the propriety of petitioning Parliament fur the Resto-
ration of her Majesty's name to the Liturgy, and for
the restitution of all her other rights and digni-
ties. We have no doubt but that this example will be
speedily followed by every county, city, town, and pa-
rish in the United Kingdom, for we believe that all
parties concur in thinking that her Majesty's name
ought never to have been omitted iu the Liturgy.
To counteract the impression made by a secret
Media', at which an ultra-loyal Address was voted,
a Requisition was presented to Richard Tomaon, Esq.
the Deputy, requesting him to convene a r ?areal and
public Meeting of the inhabitants of Ramsgate, at
the Town Hall. With this request the 1) puty not
chasing to comply, a notice has been signed by Samuel
Sharwood, Esq. for himself and one hundred and five
other Requisitionists, fur holding a public Meeting on
Tuesday next, at the London Hotel, fur the purpose of
respectfully addressing his Majesty. By this means
the sentiments of the householders and inhabitants at
Urge will be ascertained and expressed, and not those.
of a junta who assume the liberty of affecting to be
the Representatives of the town.
Liverrool, Dee. SI, ItiYO. BANKRUPT LOTALTT..—" How are the Mighty
If it is right to judge of the tree by its fruit, the fallen!"—The Col poration of Northampton have ever
click of ultras—whose political creed is to do whatever been foremost in sending, what err culled, Loyal Ad-
their masters require—determined at their private dresses on every trivial occasion. Coutident in their
/ ciente meeting on Saturday, if they saw no chance strength from local and interested circumstances, they
of successfully opposing tll patriotic measures likely have generally given to these Meetings the appearance
to be proposed at,that day, to spew their loyalty, and of propriety by calling the inhabitants together.
love of social order, by exciting riot and disturbance, Alarmed however, now, at the inroads of reason, end
violating the peace, and render it impossible for the fearing disoussion, they adopted on this occasion a
Reformers to make themselves heard. At all events, more prudent plan. At the song annual dinner on
whether the plan was formed on Saturday or not, it St. Thomas's day, held at the BOAR AND eIIOWN pub-
was acted upon this day. At an easy hour this morn- lie-house, (usually denominated Sot's Holi,) when the
ing, a number of persons assembled at the doors of the " key-holes was corked to prevent listeners, and the
Town-ball, and when it was opened,the room allotted for waiters driven from the room, and a part only of
town-meetings was rapidly tilled to exceth. The Mayor their own hotly was present : the sapient Mayor, Bei-
presided. A Gentleman named Booth, opened the lifts, and Aldermen drew forth the intstionabk record
sines of the meeting on the part of the requisitionists. of their loyalty, the sacred AdJrese of the select few.
The enthusiasm with which those parts of his speech it was carried umenitssorsly, of coarse, and his Ma-
was bailed which reprobated the late measures, and jetty's hea.th drank in the Parish pet.tch. But the
apparent prospective policy of the Administration, con- Ministers ? Why, after all, these sapient monopolists
vinced the factious few that there ass not the least of loyalty did not dare to insert one word, by way of
chance of their being able successfully to oppose any approve of their conduct. The Cuerier will, no
one of the popular resolutions, by fair and honourable doubt, blazon forth the Address as the act of the
meats. They, therefore, had recourse to their social town; but the independent inhabitants are taking
order men, who filled one corner of the room, and set measures to expose the trick, and 6t the stamp of cow-
up such an uproar as silenced the Rev. Mr. Shepherd, tempt upon the tricksters. The Address was laid for
whose manly arguments the wretched cabal had no signatures at the Tows Hall, and in three days, by
other or better means of answering. The Mayor re.- dist of reefer's/es, thirst, end promise, it has ob-
peatedly interposed in hopes of intimidating the rioters. i mined ISO siguatite*--.Vereellves : What readers
and ordered the special constables to take them late it most humiliating to the party is, the Address to
custody, but the POOM was so extresi.ly crowded his the Quest obtained ltide signatures, without a single
orders could not be obeyed. At last, finding it las seasitatiou, in Aaj. she time.

The requisitionists immediately assembled in
their committee-room, and at at a deputation to the
Mayor, with their thanks, fur his judici conduct,
The 3layor expressed himself obliged; and said that
he had noticed the riotous party in the corner, as he
had declared in the meeting : and, from what he had
since learned, he was convinced there had been an or-
ganised plot to prevent discussion !
The requisition is now renewed, and is receiving
the signatures of the most respectable gentlemen of the
town, requesting the Mayor to call a meeting in sonic
capacious place, where the inhabitants of the town
may be properly accommodated, and where the peace
officers may preserve order.