The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-01-11 00:00:00

t

couNrr .►IEETING Al' DERBY.
-

A Meeting of the Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, and
Freeholders of the County of Derhy, was held oa

appointment
si luence
Monday the Sth inst., agreeably tol.,thien
co
of the Sheriff, Francis 111 tinily, u
of a requisition sie tied by " a numerous and highly
respectable body of noblemen and gentlemen." The
object of this meeting the reirisitionists stated to be
to address his Majesty at this important caisis, for
the sob purpose of :144tariug hint of their attachroest
to the Throne, and of their determination to' support
the Constitution in all its branches: but soder the
very peculiar circumstances of the country, it was con-
sidered by a very large majority of those who were en,•
vetted, as being itatended chiefly, if not solely "to helper
up," as a widely circulated handbill expressed it, " an
ad niinistration which has become t he contempt and aver-
Sion of an Insulted people. 'This opinion was not esinfia-
eil to the susaller freeholders of the county, but pervaded
the highest ranks ; and it being understood that an
amended address would be proposed to the meeting,
au immense concourse of people floated into the town
early is tbe.forenoon& Iron, all parts of the mate, •
anflwagerly awaited the hour of assembling. •
Sir Oannoit flttsWs MO to move the original &J.
dress. which was seconded. by Sir Itihay.ar Witmea,
of Chnitlestion, but seemed to be the fixed deetraniea-
lion of an incalculable ipajority of those present, to
receive no address whatevir from any of the'q
Par
who had signed. the requisition. • t•
A • •
Loud and long repeated calls Were, in the
time, made for the Duke of Devonshire, rut hisaniZ
was hailed with the most enthusiastic shouts of W.
plane'. At length his Once rose to move the ausembal
address, and amidst repeated' interrnptions ,ofwp-
pious', mixed n-ialt occasionsl expression. of disap- •
1/ointment and (tinny. front the already disetwollted
requisitioniste, delivered his sentiments to the follow.
ing effect :•-•
ale began by stating that he was ready at all times
when occasion required, to testify, both by his opiniqn
and by his conduct, his loyalty to his King, and his ul•
alterable attachment to the constitution as by law esta-
blished ; bat that he should discharge a part only of his
duty if. while he conveyed those opinions to the throne,
he (lid not accompany them by a statement of the comsat,
which in his opinion has led to the present agitation of
the country. If the liberty of the press, said his Oran,
hmi been partially abused—if designing men have bees
found who have perverted it to the worst purposes by
making it the vehicle of seditious and blasphemous
opinions—if persons have been found who have takes
advantage of a time of difficulty and pressnre-to alienate
the minds of the ignorant front the established govern-
ment of the country, yet by tine rigour on the part of
Government those evils might have been repressed, and
they ate wholly insufficient to account for the present
disturbed and agitated state of the public mind. ff not
the whole, the chief part of all these evils is to be found
in the unfortunate and disastrous counsels of those who
advised the prostitution to be instituted against the
Queen. The public cannot fail to suspect the pnrity of
those who professed that the injury done to public mo-
rals by the conduct of the Queen abroad was the motive
of the prosecution, and who were yet willing to have
encouraged soil countenanced that evil by making her
an allowance of 56,101M1. per ann. it she trogild continae
to live abroad in the very place where her supposed of-
fences were committed. The public qatinot regime
those who attempted to establish their case by witaisaa
whose character would not bear the test of inquiry, sad
who at the same time neglected to apply to those pet-
sons of respectability who held sitaations near the
person of the Queen, who could have confirmed or con-
tradicted the reports raised against her. Are we then,
exclaimed his brace, to he surprised if a loyal, no-
ble, and generous people adopt with ardenr awl with
seal the rause of t heir Queen, whom they consider in-
Pared and oppressed ? Are we to be surprised if, in
their ardour and in their seal, they occasionally
exceed those botinds which extreme prudence and sober
wisdom world prescribe? The public hail a right to
expect that no hlinisters would attire to institute a pro,
reeding of :inch importance and solemnity without the
clearest an I strongest proof. Yet, in the result, they
have been compelled, in obedience to the declared voice
of the people, to abandon their own nicasure. Kilt the
evils of this disastrous proceeding have not ceased with
the procee.ling itself. They have sunk deep, and it is
to he feared they have done more to injure the morals of
the country and. to • shake the stability of the throne.
than all that could have been done in a long course of
years by those designing perilous whose efforts are sup-
poem' to have been so siscraissfnl as to have imposed
upon the country the necessity of making a public
declaration of its 'loyalty. Ile wished. he said, to state
that in the vote he gave iu the flown of Lords,
according to his couviction and accosting to his con-
science, he felt that he was placed in the double cha-
racter of a judge and legisiatoe--suil that he was
halm' to consider not (Ally what was just towards the
Queen, but what was most expedient for the country and
the monarchy. Ile hail, however, no hesitation in de-
daring that, in his opinion, the proceedings against the
Queen, had been the chief cause of the present
and that the conduct of ministers had been most culpa-
ble. Thus feeling, thus concineed, said lilt Grace, lam
wallies to make the strongest avowal of loyalty to my
Sovereign ; hot I should act with injustice to fins and
to the people, if I did not urge the accompanying of the
;mowsl with a plain exposition of the cansei•of these
evils which we all deplore. Attarheikas I hare bees
from my infancy to the King. I feel the ismirliat that
the cosilitet'of his ministers has been such as alone could
lower him in the eves of the people, winless! humilia-
tion on the Royal Family. lam glad art Itiviethis olp-
portinsity of declaring in• this aunty, which r consider
as my home, my total disapprobation of the persecution
of. the *teen. As a loser* as talvontan, as the mother
of see whom we bare lost. I eopgrainlate my reentry on
the Queen's escape from the Bill &Pains aid l'enaities,
and I tryst that the tinseis'isbe4at distant whew the eyes
Or the King's ministers will be. opened to the folly of
their conduct, anal that the good heart and wander feel-
ings of the King will induce him, when nine/acne*,
by bad advisers, to restore her Majesty to (heat situation
to represent the rdrisers
Loif the ow:fares agaimat the
ashy:rill:ores:Lir:be') which are
as.retldieueuhti.et:teru.f whiischirwarses
gore* Is so lorger entitle to. the enujideare of his .lit•
frog, to preclude the pussibilito of a remold of &sew.
sions which Acre 'faint:J.4lw romstry, odd to serum:
~NO sack ecustuues, wad cuaciliotory policy es reould
aerate ittermed trourrillity did restore the Ammeter
dad prusperiid of cities. During the time In'
Grace was rending the address, he was repeatedly inter-
rupted by the noisy vociferatious of ths
calling on the Sheriff to diciallfe the meeting, This was
their last vain attempt to disturb the proyeediogs, for.
on witnessing the enthusiasm of the meeting
iss the te
eeption of the amended address, they slunk. away front
em Ilan. 'flieir nowhere, hoverer, were so iecoeset
Unable in evinparienn with the multitude remainingths
their departure was sesreely enticed.
T. W. Coin, Key. jun. ease of the Mead/era foe ll`