The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-10-02 00:00:00

POlt PEACE.

Fifteen Gentlemen, Gentlemen, df the first fainiliet in Derby
lately signed a requisition to the Mayor, requesting •
him to call a Public Meeting in the Town Hall, for
the purpoSe of petitioning for Peace, and one of
'these Gentlemen preiented to the Mayor, and ad.
ded thersiunte his own iolicitatien: The Mayor,
however, hesitated, And at length said, he could not
comply with the Gentlemen's request; that-is, he
could not comply wish the request of those who wished
10 restore Peace to a bleeding world; These Gentle.
men, indignant at such conduct; along with one
hundred and ninety others, Signed a requisition to
their Townsmen thernselies, Which was attended t*
by near 4000 orderly and wellsdispiiied persons, in
the Merkel-place, on the 26th lilt;
Soon after twelve o'clock; Wm: Struft, Esq. pro.
posed that Dr: Forreater should be desired to take the
chair; whhih proposition was seconded, apparently,
by eiery bne preient ; and which being complied
with on the part of the Due, or, he opened the be.
(finest by reading the requisition that had been sent
to the Mayor; after which, Jos. STRUTT, Eq. step:
pod to the front of the huitings and expressed him.
self to the following effect :—Gentlemen, there are
few occasions whiCh could induce me to address s*
large. and respectable a meeting as the present ; but
when duty calls me to advocate the best interests of
mankind, I shall do shrink from its performance. I
did dot indeed expect to have addressed you in tide
place ; but Is the Mayor has denied us the use of
the inside of the Hall, we have, without his consent,
assembled on the outside. Gentlemen, it is unne-
cessary for me tb enter at leities into a minute de.
scription of that ficiOd of miseries, which a wan,
unparalleled in its length and the int ans of carrying
it on, has inflicted upon our native country; with
theie you are too well acquainted for me to be under
the Riad! necessity of repeating them; lent it would
show a tame acquieseence to its ravages did we not
express Our desire for the return of the blessings of
P. ace; which will never he obtained without the
penp:e expressing their anxiety for it, in all quarters
of the kingdom. Millions upon millions love i.,eetl
fi.leied to otir national debt ; our taxes are become
pportable, except to men of large fortunes; and
a cquittless number of human lives have been seer,.
I aced In the carrying on of this destructive war ; yet
1 would be the last man in the country that would
sacrifice its honour for the obtaining a P ace. This
is no party question, though obloquy has been ua.
availingly, attempted to be Cast upon our motives.
For though we may differ in opinion about the •
causes of the war and the conduct of those %she
carry it on ; we must all, for the sake of suffering
humanity, express our anxious desire for Peace; a
substantial, a permwe-it, a el its Itossourenle P..ace.
It has been triumphantly said. in the House of Come
mons, that the people wished for war, • bectioae they
did not petition against it. Let us she*, this tiny,
that the Inhabitants of Derby participate not in se
abhorretit a feeling; and the they will et longer be
parties to the criminality of its prosectifinn; without
sedding fortli their protest agai on it. The present
Itime may be olnocted to by some people As iMproper
to sue for Peace. But what time so proper as %hew
victory has crowned our arms! and, as I do not ex.
pest that victory will, for any serfosts length of time,
continue fhithful to our standard, let us, in God's
name, seize the opportunity to Offer terms to the
enemy before It is too late to offer them without
marks of pusillanimity, which to me would be most
distressing. We have no right to suppose the enemy
averse to Peace, until he has refused to treat with es;
then why do we always suffer him to have the ho.
nour of offering the olive branch, as though we were
backward in stifling the miseries, and in promoting
the happiness of mankind.
This speech frequently met with the warmest
cheerings from the assembled multitude. A series of
excellent Resolutions were then passed and carried
With unanimous acclamation.
Atter a suitable Petition had been read, Mr. ED.
WARDS came ton wards and seconded its adoption,
by saying, that he was n sincere friend to Peace,
though it had been urged in other places that we
could not obtain it without blemishing the glory of
our arms. Ile was of a contrary opinion ; and
though he was far from wishing to sacrifice either the
interest or the glory of our country, yet h.' sac it
right to second the efforts of our arms, by proposing
, ten ms of Peace.

The Rev. Mr. IrmaVasco, neat came forward en
the 7th Resolution, ♦iz. " That a Country 'professing
to be eminently a Christian Nation, and which boasts.
of all its attachments to good morals and social or.
der, is peculiarly called upon by the precepts of Re-
ligion, to make every effort in its pow r, for semi-
nating the multiplied horrors of %Var." Mr. 11.
stated that it would ill become him, as a Miniver of
Religion, to suffer sentimmits like those just e %pressed
to pass by without manifesting his warmest approba.
tion of them. Sentiments like these, had been
branded with the appellation of Methodism—let it be
so, as every good man must lift up his voice in this
great cause. It had been said that Peace would be
dangeroaa—what a scandal ! The Sun of Britain had
not sunk so low, as to beafrnid of the consequences
of Peace; from an enemy whosearmies we had con.
quered in the field. The way to oppose France both
in Peace and War, was to unite the People oss the
broad and hallowed principles of justice ; and thet♦
we need not fear her nor all the world.

Mr. PIKE felt most warmly enimated on the pre.
sent occasion. The Town of Derby, in setting this
glorious example, would receive the thanks of the
country; and those thank* would be the thanks of
benevolence, flowing from grateful and sympathizing
hearts.
The besiness of the Meeting concluded in the most
peaceable manner, by pa Bing a vote of censure et
the Mayor' and a vote of the ' most enthusiastic
Thanks to Dr. Forester, for his impartial conduct it!
the Chak, and for the manner in which he con.
stantly deports himself to the towtillf Derby; for
which he very politely returned theirecunpany the
compliment.
Private letters from Gibraltar state, .that the Ex.
pedition which lately loan, ' for the Adriatic, under
the command of Admiral '7ItLEMANTICI, had for its
object the seizure of Catarro. There is ho farther
account of the plague) reported to bars brakea o 4
at Gisse.

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