The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-10-06 00:00:00

1

bout 20 al 30,000 t. on an election, *esi*S. tempted
to look to the Minister for reimbursement; and,
the'refnre those 'they did send to Parliamtint should
be sent free of every expense Whalever. With this
view, books would be opened in the room, and•every
one who chose would have an opportunity' of sub-
stribing.
Mr. HARRIS then read the five following Resolu-
tions :-
-Ivt. That the Election of Meathets of Parliament ought to he
cqnducted according to the principles of old English Freedom,
which declare that Elections shat be free and v. 'thou( corrup-
tion.
.2(1. That the City of Westininstes will not disappoint the ex-
pectation of die Couutry. hut, fidluN ing up the great example
it has set, return its Representatives to Parliament free of cx-
pence.
3d. That Subscriptions he entered into to defray the expence
of the ensuin Llection, and that Sanciel Brooks, )sq. be Trea-
surer of the hand ; to the support of which it is the boundett
duty of every Elector and friend to purity of Election to con.
trihnte.
4th. That Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. having, with unshaken
firmness, invariably ex prow.d the sense of the peolVe in evil re-
port and good report. and lent his best assistance to restore to
OM those inestimabl•• blessings of the Constitution, of which
they have been deprived, by a long series of fraud and hypo-
clitY, by endeavouring to obtain for them a fill, fair, and tree
representation in I',trliamrnt, and maintaining the right to Trial
&,./,.ev in all cases whatever, even at the cost of PERSGVAL IM-
11MISINVENT, is a fit and proper person to hr again returned one
of the Representatives in Parliament fur the City of Westmin-
ster. - (Loud and rei,eraleil applati,e
Before he read the .sth Ret-olution, which related
to Lord Cochrane, he thought it would be proper
that the tiro letters, explanatory of his Lordship's
p•Oitical principles, should be read, which was ac-
tortlioglx• done by Mr. Richter.
The first teas dated the :filth of Sept. Ifi!e and set forth
that his Lordship had never ust•d the trust reposed in him to his
private advatrage, or to promote the interests of those with
%limn he was connected by the bonds of consanguinity or
ti,:i:!•4l.p. It then proceeded to point out the good effects
o hica uotdd have resulted from a compliance with his Lord-
• p's motion town after he had been returned to Parliarneat)
for a list of the places and pensions held by Members of the
Rouse of Common; and their relations, It next adverted
tie his Lordship's exertions to carry into effect the •provi-
sions of the Acts relative to prize concern-, by which two-
Words of the navy now employed would be rendered more
efficient than the whole •Sll present is And concluded by
attributing his Lordship's absence from the !loose Of Com-
mons solely to ill health. -The seen d letter is dated Septem-
ber Id. In this his t tualip pledges himself to vote, on all
*eras ons' for Parliainentsav Reform, and to support every
measure for the abolition of sinecures. With respect to the
Catholic Question, his Lordship says-" So long as its (tlte
Catholic ltelizio..'sl imlisi•orial auricular roof .ssion, and
its principles, f soorable to desiotisits, prevailed on the Con-
tinent, I was hostile to it ; but. I am now inclined to grant the
Claims of the Catindies of Ireland provided they are content
to reeei VP the privileges of Englisainen, and to relinquish their
predelictian favoor of the Jurisdiction of the Pope, which
they seem anxious to euablish an that part of these kingdoms."
On the subi-et of a Nasal ()hirer being a I' einosentativ e for
Westminster. he observes -" One half of the taxes levied on
the swag I• of Ftsc!aiol di-finned on the Navy -fur objects
ts hirh th'abiliiy of all Vie is il sitar hers of Parliau:ent can-
not detect to be i•ermicous, from the inspection oh' oretoints;"
and thence inf•rg the iieco:•sity of having persons acquainted with
nvirtieat atthirs in the lI,IIIsP of Cummins. linl, lastly, on tie
eiinject of thi,e:ing. he S:lt S—" I am no advocate for hogging;
shoo., I main iim, &ion a km:owl-drr of lac's, that veer
emus could ..ot governed at precut if :he power did not
exis,- a pow... %yak,' n ill cease to he abused whoa Pardo-
en:ar/ intinence -hall cease to place fools and boys in tom.

Mier the npplause excited by his Lordship's let-
ter.; .obsided, ris read the following Re-
solutions:—

SA, That the Right !lon. Lord Cocitraae, by his manly sup-
port of Sir Francis Burdett, and his prompt ationtion to the
wishes of th,s !lector• at the time of Mrs Commitment to the
Tower by the late !louse of Coinmous ; for his assertion of the
Piga, of 1:14. P..0n!.. n Tr;al by .1 ory, and hav;ng ple h. d hon.
self to as.is: in prworing a full. fair, and free ftepresentati m 4.f
the Peo le in Parliament, the correction of the gross and scan-
dalous corrudtion4 and anwes in varimis departments of the Gii-
vrrninent. and the eitjoyin.'nt of religious liberty, is a tit and
proper prrson In represent this City in Parliament.
...it, lit it the It esolul ions of this Meeting he communicated to
Sir F. Burdett and Lor.t t oeloane by the Chairman.
• 70. That lord Cochrane, if elected. he requested to pledge
hi uself to resign his Seat in the Commons House of Parliament,
accepting of Chiltern II undreds, in case he should be order-
ed out of thr ling I ,in his naval Ca pa ity.
Pth. Tl:at the C"inmittre who can meted the Election in West-
Minster, in he requested to carry the Resolutions of the
• bleclii;:t into riled, and that the individuals of Ibis Meeting do
rye Lis. it hest ibsistaoce to the same end.
The CHAIRMAN then put the question on the four
first Itesointions, which were adopted unanimously.
That iteolution, which pledged the meeting to
support the return of Sir Francis Ilurdett, was ear-
Tied %titli the loudest demonstrations of satisfaction.

The sth Resolution, with regard to Lord -Coch-
rane, being put,
Major CARTWRIGHT rose. He said, he did not
know that he should oppose the nomination of Lord
Cochrane. The letters which his Lordship had
written,• were so far satisfactory ; but still he wanted
from him an additional pledge, before he could cor-
dially support the resolution now proposed. In
one of -the letters, there was an allusion to plans
which his Lordship hail in agitation, and which, of
tourse, might require his own presence in their execu-
tion. Bat such was the present state of the coun-
try, that the Electors of Westminster could not
dispense with the services of any one of their Re.
presentatives at home.—He had a strong presen-
timent, that in the next Parliament, the liberties of
'the country would either be sunk for ever, or
rise with renewed vigour. • Before acceding to this
Resolution, he must know from his Lordship him-
self, whether he would accept of a ship from Minis-
ters, and go abroad, while their Representative.—
The great battle of our liberties was not to be fought
In the Mediterranean. but in St. Stephen's Chapel
(applause] ; and it behoved the men whom they
chose to be coustantly at their post. lle (Major
Carte right) was once a sea-officer, and when called
upon for service during the American war, he had
refused it, because he felt convinced that he could
'slo more good at- home. Indeed, if Lord Cochrane
were chosen without some such pledge; it might be
'a strong motive With Ministers to give him a ship,
and seed him abroad immediately ; for by this
means they would lop off at last one of the arms
of our Representation in Parliaßent; " If, then,"
said the Major, " his Lordship is present, I wish
to know from himself whether he will accept an or-
der to go out of the Country as a naval officer ?"
These observations excited some applause, mixed
with strong murmurs of disapprobation. As Lord
Cochrane, however, was not present, the Major em-
bodhAl his wishes in the shape' of a Resolution—'
" That his Lordship be requested to assure the Elec-
tors, that no professional considerations as a sea-
officer shall induce him to quit the kingdom, if elect-
ed by them as a Representative." •
Mr. RICHARDSON opposed this motion with great
warmth. It was asking a man, whd, as an officer,
-had done good service to his Country, and might here-
after be its glory and defence, to disgrace himself for
ever.—(Applause.]—It was sending him fettered, tied
hand and foot, into the House of Commons; and the
• proposition oould_only be made for the purpose of
getting his Lordship rejected alt•agether.