The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-01-15 00:00:00

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NOR!

THUMBERLAND MEETING.
To roaformity with public notice, a meeting of the'
freeholders of the county of Northumberland took
place at Morpeth, on Wednesday last, for the pur-
pose of taking into consideration the conduct of the ;
High Sherif, in refusing to call the meeting, and for
addressing his Majesty and both Houses of Parliament
upon the late proceedings against the Queen.
Sir Jones Soo:motet being- called to the Chair,
was received with great applause. He fancied it was
unnecessary to read the requisition: it had been pub- I
listed in the newspapers, and must have attracted
their particular attention. He would venture to say,
that a requisition more temperately worded, or more
constitutionally eleawn up, was never presented to a
High Sheriff. With respect to the signatures, they
meat be familiar to them all; they were respectable!
from their character, respectable from their talents
andjability ; and he could safely say, that the gentle-
men who had signed that requisition held landed pro-
perty in the county to the amount of 200,0001. per
',mum. it had struck him with utter astonishment
that such a requisition should have been flatly refused
by the Sheriff. His Hon. Friend, Sir C. Monck, in
writing to the Sheriff to inquire his reasons for that
refusal, had offered him a fair opportunity to correct
his judgment; but what did he do ? He not only
confirmed that refusal, but refused tl give any reason
for it. Such conduct was unprecedented and unwar-
rantable. He requested them to give every person a
fsir and impartial hearing ; their's was a cause that
would not suffer by discussion; and he hoped they
tvould, by their good conduct that day, convince the
world that the friends of liberty and the defenders
of the constitutional rights of the people, were equally
the friends of order, loyalty, and good government.
—(Applause.)
Sir COARLZS MONCK then addressed the meeting at
cinsiderable length. After a few observations on the
ti4ject of the meeting, be said, that in the present pe-
rilous conjuncture of affairs, it behoved them all to
cordite' themselves with the greatest circumspection
both in speech and action, because the purpose for
they were met was to maintain the dominion of
la*, and to complain of the inroads of arbitrary and
despotic power. He should, proceed, therefore, in the
first place, to explain his reasons for thinking that a
vote of censure on the High Sheriff was founded both
in reason and in right.—(lpplause.)—He did not
deny that there was a discretion vested in every offi-
cer, but it was not nn arbitrary discretion ; it was a
discretion marked out by law and by analogy to the
principles of the constitution, and the authority by
which the officer was appointed, In all courts of law,
when a Judge refused an application, be invariably as-
signed the reasons which, under the constitution and the
late. would justify him in not acceding to the application.
If his construction of the law were correct, there could
be no doubt that the conduct of the Sheriff was unlaw-
ful. The right of petition was established by law ;
and it was a maxim of the coostitution, that whatever
WAS lawful in itself, made every thing lawful nem-
ssry to it. The Parliament of that day, it wa, true,
had not put any restraints upon the conduct of the
Sheriff, because it never contemplated that he would
ever attempt to obstruct the people's right of petition-
ieg, mach less be guilty of a direct infringement and
violation of that law. In considering the conduct of
the Sheriff, many circumstances Lad crossed his mind,
aed 1w really felt unable to refrain from stating, that
at that tune-the conduct of the Sheriff called for some
partii tiler expression of indignation. It was little
snore than a year since it was pretended, that there
v-sre bodies of men holding meetings with reform in
their mouths, but meditating nothing less than the
destroction of the constitution ; and Parliament, upon
such representations being laid before it, had pissed
certain scatntes by which they pretended the right of
petition would be better enjoyed by being confined in
narrow bounds. And when the liberty of meeting,
if not curtailed, was at least confined, was that the
season for their regular officer to refuse his undies
to a requisition of the county ? Was that the proof
given to them of the sincerity of the profession of Mi-
Livers, that the late acts were meant the better to se-
cure the right of petition, that when they wished to
exercise that right they are thus to be obserncted and
prevented ;—(Amilause). The Sheriff is an officer
appointed by the Crown, and holds his office at the
pleasure of the Minister of the day; and if the Mini-
ster did not animadvert upon his conduct, if he did
not instantly dismiss him, he sanctioned and adopted
the acts of the Sheriff. It was not yet 12 months
since they had met in that hall to congratulate his
Majesty on his accession to the throne ; their fidelity
to the Crown was then extolled, and credit was given
thorn fur their good intention. Was this refusal the
earnest they were to receive of the feelings of the
Government towards them? Sir Charles Monck con-
cluded by moving the several resolutions.
Mr. Stolle seconded the resolationi.
EARL GRIT here presented himself to the meeting,
and was received with the most rapturous and enthu-
siastic applause. After it had subsided, his Lordship
was proceeding to address them, but be had only ut-
tered a few words, expresSing as his reason for. rising
as early, that he did not see a disposition in any per-
son present to oppose the resolutions which had been
proposed, when Mr. Orde • observed he meant to op-
pose them ; and his Lordship instantly sat down, and
said he would trait till Mr. Orde bad addressed them.
Mr. Oars immediately rose, and was received with
mast violent marks of disapprobation. The business
of the meeting was interrupted . for a considerable
time, and it was not before both the Chair Man and
Earl Grey had begged of them to give Mr. Orde a
patient hearing, that silence could be obtained.
Mr. ORDR then proceeded.—He was sorry it should
be considered a favour for him to be heard for a few
minutes. He had site. given them his opinion, as a
plain country gentleman, and be would never hesi-
tate to state his sentiments fairly andimpartially. He
was too proud to affect an opinion for the purpose of
gaining popular applause, and too high-minded to
borrow the sentiments of another. He then alluded
to the conduct of the High Sheriff, and obierved, that
if the Sheriff bad complied with the requisition he
&maid not have blamed him ; but as he bad not done '
so, he contended that he had only exorcised that dis-
cretion which he was bound to use in the discharge of
the ditties of his office, and be was not bound to give

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