The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-01-23 00:00:00

Mr. Dickinson made answer—" I cannot ask favours of
Government, becaase, if -1
do, they will expect them of I
me." A goodlinswer—an excellent reply ; but whillil !
it not have been nearer the truth, if Mr. Dickinson had I
• stilt, " Really 1 have got so much from Government
int-self, that 1 am ashamed to ask any thing for any body I
else ?" I got bold of some odd documents in the course
0. M Investigation. gentlemen, about !!cheater Gaol,
ifs
among others, of an account of monies allowed, in
5_ !,for the maintenance of the Somersetshire yeomanry.
• 1 tied 5,8951. received by Mr. Dickinson, who is colonel
.vf that corps, for the service of the officers. Doubtless
Mr. Dickinson will be able to show that he never pock-
eted one farthing of that allowance. Doubtless he will
mace for papers and returns to show what became of the
money, for I can't find any body else who knows what'.
'became of it. Mr. Hayward. who stands near me, was
an officer in the corps in 1821 ; he never touched a Ail-
. Beg of the money, nor ever knew any one who did
What went with it? 5,0001. a year paid to the Yeo-
manry! and for what? For crossing over to Bristol
and drawing their sweetie, when I was asking for the
same things that Mr. Henning asks for today. A most
. important service! a praiseworthy muster! And when
will the gentlemen draw the sword again? To drive
the tax gatherer and the bailiff from their doors before
long, if things goon in this way.—(Cheers and laughter.)
Put this is not the only picking which Mr. Dirkirsun
has got from Government. I find him a collector of
customs in the Bristol Channel; having a grant from
Vie Crown of the Flat Ilolin Light Honse—a holding
which a irked of mine tells me he would give 3,0001. a
• year for.
The lien Aerator interfered. The public conduct
.of gentlemen (lie said) might he touched upon ; lint not
their private affairs. The light house in question was
Mr. Dickinson's private property.
Mr. Dicxixsox spoke to order, amid much disepproha-
*inn. He begged the High Sheriff would allow Mr.
.llunt to go on. Now the accusation bad been brought
forward, both his pnhlic character and private reputation
.were concerned in its being fully canvassed.
The thon Sumer begged to say, that the grant to
.54. Dickinson was not a grant from the Crown, but
-from the Trinity House. The *hole was private pro.
.party.
Mr. Hoag insisted that the grant was from the Crown.
Ile bad the document in hie hand which proved it.
" Patent, dated 1737—lessee, Wm. Dickitition."
Mr. flummox deilared that the document was inac•
curate. lie would 'thew that it was so.
Mr. Hoax still contended that tie was right. Nor
was tide the only instance in which Mr. Dickinson had
ben ben, fisted at the cost of the public. He had
.held place under the Whigs, and bad .tuck as close to
o,e emoluments of his place then, as he did to these of
his li IA house now.
. Mr. DICKINSON said that he never had taken place
with the Whigs.
Mr. HUNT—Then it was with the Grenvilles: there
was a place somehow. In fact, lie did consider Mr.
Dickinson as in some degree one of the greatest paupers
of whom he had spoken to the meeting. He did not
m -ire these charges unfairly ; he had written to Mr.
Dickinson •n Sunday last to say that he should bring
them forward : let 'Mr. Dickinson refute them if he
could. Ile challenged Mr. Dickinson to come forward
to the meeting, and say how much money be had
received out of the taxes since he hail been member for
Somerset. (Loud cheers.) What was the true cause of
the tuitional distrese? What was the root of the evil?
(I;ties of " A corrupt House of Commons.") The meet-
ing vas right; and nineteen twentieths of the nation
were compelled to admit the fact. This was the very
marrow of the question. (Cheers.) He said the
Same thing now, that he had- said '2O years batik.—
" If the people were—feiriv -represented in the House
of -Common*, NEI cattiolttict-be-sa their present eitua-
tion."—(Cbeerino, ) He would not •at that moment
tooth the subject of the church. He knew that to touch
the gentienicn in black was to tonch a nest of hornets
(lengl.tcr) ; not that he was afraid of the hornets, but
there was a elergyman (Sir. Ciestoaell).going to address
the mstiaing. and- he would leave the pa:sons to him.—
Hut what dial the meeting say to the game laws? Was
there any man present who bad been convicted for kii!-
ing a hereon his own grounds?—(Cries of " I have" from
several places.) Ought not a farmer as Ito tilled his Lied
to have the ;outline of that land ? Oug:it be not to be
entitled to kill either for his amusement or Ids advan-
tage. the game or vermin which came to destroy his
corn i lie twit the game act to be one of the most
cruel and arbitrary laws which bad ever been imposed
by any government since first goversimenta caine in
fashion.—(Cheers.) Was it not too b tat that a farmer
Wh.l walked nut with his sheep dog should hi, fined or
imprisoned if that dog happened to kill a hare ?—(Cries
of "question " from souse persons.) Question? Why,
that was the question. Would it out be a good thing
for the rollout• to he relieved from ail tacit oppressive
lAws? To have the turnpike act, anal the salt lax, and
' the malt tax, and the leather tax, dual the fornier's rid-
ing horse tox, and the tradesman's draught horse tax
repealed ?--(Ctieers.) What if the Sleeting petitioned
parliament to malts persons stay at home and mind their
fiaehs instead of becoming magistrates?—(Great cheer.
ing and hingliter.) HO was silent with resi.cct to
Church property. lie certainly would wish to see that
repent y lirou;:tit to the hammer in liquidation c f the
Debt. lie waald also wish to see what were called
Crown hods, brought to the hammer, hat unless the
House of Commons was reformed—unless the pveple
were really represented—those things could not be done
—justice could nut be done to the nation at large. Of
himself, he wished to say but little: lie only wished for
egoist laws, enacted by the real representatives of the
peop!e. Ile hoped to see those things accomplished ;
if they sLoahl not be accomplished, be hesitated nut to
say. what he had often said before—that a bloody revo•
I Ition n mild take place in this country. If a reform
were to take place, it would be a revolution—hut it
would lie a bloodless revolution—the revolution lie
wished for.—(Applause.) It was stated hay Mr. Sand-
ford, that a requisition had bees presented to the Sheriff
to call a Meeting for Reform ; but they should recol.
I.ct that a pledge of that sort had been given at Taun-
tm, and had haen violated. There coul.l not be a more
respectable Meting than the present, and lie would
a :vise them to press the question of Refortn.
The Hrct Sueatre here said, that he certainly would
nut put that question from the Chair.
Mr. Hoer protested elainet the conduct of the
Sheriff. The Sheriff was hound to do his duty; he oas
not to dictate to the Sleeting, but to put the question
fur their approbation or disapprobation. It they did
not petition for Reform, they might as well not petition
at all. If the Sheriff would not do his duty, and pat
the Petition for Reform. lie hoped that not a hand would
be held imp for any Petition whatever.
The Iltl7ll SHERtird again declared that he would not
I put the question.
Sir. HUXT.—The Meeting was called to consider the
best means of gaining relief from tha present distress—
. they seemed to he of opinion that the best means of all
was Reform. Would the Sheriff, if lie refused to put ,
that question, perform his duty ? He hoped the Meeting
never would vote for the milk and water trash contained
in Mr. Ilanning's Petition. There was no more chance
of its being entertained in Parliament, than there we. of
Mr. Hanning's leaping from the top of the Cathedral
without injury; but even if it were entertained, it would
give no solid relief—it would confer no teal benefit on
the emtatry, They would not act like Englishmen—
they would be worse than slaves—they would be mere
dolts lf they-would allow themselves to be so far duped