The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-02-09 00:00:00

-44.t4
A I .

witnesses, be had • worm to believe
assault consisted in these wretches
a few old wonsei.—(Lseghter awl

. said, that the pamphlet which lie
had handed to his Noble Friend on the occasion referred
to by the hon. Aldermen, had been put into his hand
that night, and he could not vouch for its accuracy.—
(Hear, hear.)—When the hon. Alderman stated that he
had esamioed the manuscript, and that it did not con-
tain the words "my people,' he (Mr. litiskisson) must
believe that statement, and must suppose that the mis-
take had arisen from an error of the press.
After a few words in explanation from Mr. Alderman
WOod,tlie petition wu ordered to be printed.
Mr. PELHAM presented a petition from the town at
Spalding, in the county of Lincoln. deprecating' the late
proceedings against the Queen, and praying for the re.
storation of her name to the Liturgy.----Laid on the ta-
ble, and ordered to he printed.
Mr. HI 711 E presented a similar petition from thecae.
poration of the city of Perth.
After some observations from Mr. Hume anti• Mr.
Iluantssost, it was laid on the table, and ordered lobe
printed. •
Mr. HONYWOOD presented a petition to the netts
effect from the gentry, clergy, and freeholders of the
(musty of Kent. The High Sheriff of the county, he
sras sorry to say, hail refwed to call the meeting, after
taking two or three (lays to consider the requisition
presented to him. The county, therefore, in cow-
qiience of the late bills, had been forced to meet in the
Nisi piers conct, in the town-hall of Maidstone. That
was the reason why the meeting had not, perhaps,
been so numerous as on former occasions on which the
county had been convoked, the room being rapable of
containing only 600 or 700 prrsons. But, es to
the unanimity of those who attended ; he could vouch
in the most confident manner, for only one hand had
been held up against the resoluti !!!! s, and that was by
a pay Lieutenant of the Waggon 'Frain. A loyal
address had been gist up in the county, which com-
plained loudly of the diffusion of blasphemy; hot
seeing opposite to him the Worthy Baronet, (Sir E.
Knatchbull), his Hon. Colleague, lie would ask him if
there had been any prosecutions for blasphemy in the
county of which he was a magistrate.
Sir E. KN ATC I L L should have made
very few remarks indeed, if his liononrable Friend
hail not attacked the rowlurt of die high sheriff, and
represented this as the unanimous petition of this
county of Kent. (Mr. lloxywoon ithserved :terns•
the table, that lie had stated this to he the unani-
lllll us petition of the meeting, with the exception of
one person.) It was true that tile high sheriff did
take suns time to consider what answer he sh•uld
return to the requisition, and that at last he said he
did not think it right to comply with it. The high
sheriff thought that the majority of the county were
hostile to the meeting, and for a proof of that lie was
indebted to the requisitionists themselves, who could
not get five magistrates to sign the requisition. ..111
to prosecutions fur blasphemy, did it follow, because
there might have been none in their own county, that
therefore they were to be blind to the interests of the
country at large :--(Hear, from Lord Castlereagh).
As to the unanimity or the meeting, lie should only
MI that the lieutenant who had held up his 'hand
against the petition had almost forfeited his life in
Consequence of his dissent.
The petition having been brought up,
Mr. HONYWOOD explained.
Sir ROBERT WILSON, as one of the requisi-
tionists, would say, that the excuse set up.by the Ho-
nourable Member opposite was a very feeble one. But
lie (Sir Robert Wilson) thought that the only ques-
tion was, whether the requisition was so respectably
signed as to justify the High Sheriff in convening the
county
Sir E. KNATCHISULL explained, and in conclu-
sion observed, that he would now say something for
his lion. Friend opposite, which his lion. Friend
ought not to hate left unsaid. In a strict legal sense,
this was to be taken as the petition, only, of the Will-
vidual who had actually signed it : and th t indivi-
dual certainly, it must he confessed, was a very re-
spectable, worthy, and amiable gentlemen.—(Hear.)
l)r. LCSIHNOTON said, that a more complete ex- ,
emplitication of the evil consequences of the two bills
which were so hastily thrust down the throat of the
last Parliament could not well have occurred. It ap-
peared here, that a requisition for a meeting of the
County of Kent, feigned by four sir live Peers of the
realm, and by GO freeholdere of the county; that this
requisition was offered, in the usual course, to the
cousitirration of the Iligh Sheriff; that the requisi-
tionists were unable to obtain Isis consent to hold a
county meeting, on the ground of their not having
obtained the consent of live magistrates of the county
of Kent. Perhaps he should be told, that such a
meeting could he held if the high sheriff and the ma-.
gistrates approved of it. Why, who were these Sheriffs
and Magistrates In these days, Sheriffs were appointed
hy the Crown. and Magistrates by the saute nomination.
.—(-Ifeets, *ewe, from the Treasury ttenches,};-He
inaletained it to he a fact, that that was so far dial
case, that this nomination was made use of for poli-'
deal purposes; that the Lord-Lieutenant selected for
his Magistrates those whose political opinions be
thought to be most conformable with hisown.—(Hear.)
—Anv Sheriff might now, in despite of any requite&
dun. lintrever respectably and numerously signed. by
his single "flat" decide, tit it such a meeting sliwnebt.
not be held.—(Hear.)---With an Mom Friend of 'his,
who was shortly about to bring the subject under the
notice of the House, and an Hon. Baronet who had,
already ably addressed them on the subject, be
laishington) wetted that the late statutes bad
gone manifestly to cripple and abridge the right of
Petition, which the people of these kingdoms had en-
joyed for ages, unimpaired, till the Noble 1 oral
(Castlereagh) unfortunately took upon himself to
amend the Cuostitution.---(Ilear)
Sir "31VMM KMATCHBULL and Mr. HONTWOOD mu-
wally explained.
Sir CHARLES BURRELL (we believe) differed
from the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Dr. "tusking.-
ton.) That Lords-Lienteuant were appointed be the
Crown, he (Sir C. Burrell) admitted; but were they
ant generally men of the highest rank and chancier,
and of the politic.Bl opinions not of that aide of the
Haw only (Ministerial). hot of the other side also :
110111EKT II Ititf iN wished to snal(e out remark
on what hail fallen fr.uu the Hon. member who spoke
l that Lurds-
taLtllt with
hfotitinindt,
gos• :it•ist virtuous, the ihost IR;