The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-20 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

11.t10:11ALI .—Azavrer, Sir, or I shal! cou:to;t-
-)oa:

it ness.—Thao n..ver was a f!eiciency of 40W. In
my accounts; srr ler..ther th.l not cumpoood for coc.
Olt. Ilarrison.--IVer•• nut you in danger of being
transpurtA emir'. the Emhestlement Act ?
The t•oc4 stoattml the atrover to this yoestion.
Jaitiet co-dig-well the testimony of the Last

l'rivis.eitstuined by Mr. 11.—I ant not In the air-
play of ti. .• nor w 44 I ever; I want to the
Windmill-I...ken with Jo'in Itobitvosti ; I did a:it see
him have any liqu.ir on ?hit night ; he 41141 nut appear
so be intuticateil. I Ani generally a sober 11149, but I
get a et .p s.asetinies; I thin! *Ay I gut a dm) last
week, hat I4W nut disrae • myself. I was formeriy
employed in carrying uui pur.tiial publications. !,nt
I eanno! say that I cv..r t•oI41 two;:enyiy trash. 1 WAS
at to Mr. Illeare, of Mane:wizen

.%Ir. II I:ego:L.-4 sitnirte, nit- I. rd, I ca'r't ask
hint if h.• I f: that p!ac.• hon.,ttraialy?
N'itnr<s.----Yun may if yJu plea4r---111 answer it.
llrre the rase fur the prow' ati at tinsel
Mr. 1hre.4.1t4 arr.-:lest to r..oy; cam:l:rating siva
bill text in a must sinKnlar tnamter.

JUL llli-5uA". ftE.ELgerjoN.
—dm—

A minim-iv:4 and respectaLle party of the friends of
Thomas tt iliun. gal. dined together ye:wit:ly, at the
City of l.,itidon Tavern, .!%; -li.ipAKatr.street, In cele-
bration of tint gentleman's re•elretivn as tine of the
Repre‘entativint of the 'it,. At a quarter put six
o'cloch, Mr. %Ikon eteere.l the hall. accompanied by
Jo4epli Marryay, Esq.. M. Sir Walter Stirling. lien.
Brown, W. N. RaikoN, EA+ and a number of other
gen!leuil.n. Mr. .111111.itt took the chair, sopportea
ors the right by Mr. 111'0,41, a:la by Sir Walter Stirling
on the left.

When several tut had been drank, the CHU/MAX
gave " I he health of Thomas Wilson, Esltheir Repre-
sentative," w:tieli was drank with the gteatest ratite.
siastn.
Mr. Wagon rose t.• retnrn thanks fir the honour
which they hal conferre.l cheers.)--
On his conduct in Parliament, or on Cie votes which
he hail g:rea there, it %would be us, k•. to dwel: ; it
anitzlit he sutiicistnt to say, that, front the experience
he had had sine hr first offered himself to their no-
tice, he felt th.. prtpriety of atihering to the prirciisles
which he had f,rat. rly avowed, atol of supporting the
Government of the country. Ile truste.l that he
should allay` retain the r;00.1 u!ditiott of the Livery
of London. and of his *ahoy-citizens, for he never
could fortret Gilt it WAS his deity to uphold corporate
interests as inseparahly connected with the public wel-
fare. Ile the l returnel his thanks to the stewards,
who had (Alien :At much trouble on the present occa-
sion. tir..at as was his preen: CUM' of gratification.
it would not have been so complete, utilr:w tlwy hi I
hal for their chairman a person who was distingeish-
el f..r mere:vane •knowledge, f..r great talents, ma
enblensishe I iategrity of chars...ter. Such, however,
was th • Worthy Chairman, who hal kindly col:setae:l
to prrsile on this occasion, awl who hi.: thus added
to the many obligations whirls he la 1.1 to adakar•
ledge.

:trier sneml tun is sail a Wresses the useelieg
brok • nip. .

SHE PROGRESS OF PUBLIC OPINION

P.UII.I*MENTARY REFORM.

\,.. 111.

The Pr.orress of Public Opinion Is, un . very orcs•
sion, a meted by the state of public spirit, ;trot the
eirenni:tatices by which that sentiment i 3 pru 1111 l tool or
depressed. Man is never, in his Lightest state, a
Witte of pare and alo.t..ct intellect. Ills judgnsent
relive to his means ..f peiwnal and social intprov...
agent, ali•petids emisiderably on th- manner in which
his rosions or imagination are excited by the incl.
&tits that arrompany the objects of his approbation.
In political pursuits this it peculiarly the case. Dia-
tharaisL, J, they 'Alia al., fair ardour and enthu-
siasm, yet tieing, to a certain a xtcnt, of a problems.
lieal nature, aid combined will a view enatingen.
cies, the concurrence of such ativeteitious eircaasstaares
as strongly r 'use the f-elings and animate atlas-hawed,
are indispensable for cotamuuicatinu to any puUtical
object a great or permaneut popularity. Independent
of th • pit...in:age of tarn of w. fight and talent, the fit-
ness of the object for the exigency of the times. the
'gate of the people as to temper, and the r. Laken of
the tour:try as to peace or war, are circumstances
width materially affect the public jadgtuent upon all
political questions. It is almost supa•rbutius to add,
thlliigh, in an a•stituale of pub lo opinion, extremely
Hec..ssary to keep in mind, that the corp!itiun of any
people, in reference to poverty or wealth, and t.i com-
plaint and content, Las the most direct arid decisive
influence un the feelings and pursuits of political par-
ties. 11.11. re a people are depressed, they will ardent.
Iv desire reli..f, arts be advueatcs f r plans otpolitical
amelioration ; where people are at case, they only de-
bite to remain secure, ansl are generally intiurnerd, in
pruportiun to their affluence, enure by fear than hope,
in the eohtemplation of any siaefue of political aner-
ation. The Latter disp sitiun is greatly pronnotral
and cuntirftwil by the ordinary occupations and habits
of life. and especially by those, too obvious to specify,
that produce an uv. ravecni-ar anxiety fur personal arid
tenip.:rary benent, anal en!renefer a t• ' lity and de-
basement iacuwpatible with a public or a generous
spirit.
Such considerations as these are proper to be kept
in in rid, while reviewing that interesting period in
the Progress of Public Opinion, which is the subject
of our pre-ant as well as of one preceding notice. At
the time when the celebrated motion of Mr. Dunning
WAS adopted by the House of Commons, every requi-
site eircnonstame appeared tu cmuhiur tu favour and
promote the tel.:hes of tt:e advocates of political Re-
form. .t Ii the feelings of the twilit' were excited;
and the titeAsure, then proposed in Parliament wire
not unly iu union avith the s•ntimentt of the people,
hut cowhide., by the most distinguished leaders that
were ever collected in a popular cause, whose rank in
life was calculated to eta :in the highest respect, anal
whose talents, integrity, and influence, ionimunicated
to their objects in atilE.tit•nal and indisputable value,

eigseded them the Lirest prospect of ni:imat•
sesesem.

From the in;senntlnet. tti.sfortunes, and extrava-
gance, which lia.l atten.led the Anteriessu war. ail
opinion generally preva led that Ministers exercised
an aneUtUltitUtiull3l it::1110/11,:s: I.Ver the representative
hotly, and that nothing short of a change in the con-
stitution of Parliaoseat comb' afford an c:rectual re-
medy fur the general complaints. 'f'he most respect-
able people of the county of York hul delegated la
gentlemen as a committee fur proinutin: the retrenie
went an.l refortu at which they Aimed, and their peti-
thin was followed by others of a similar kind. trout
2; of the principal counties. and oust of the large
towns in England. In the beginning of February,
I7SiP, a plan was brought forward by Mr. Burke to:
securing the itstlependetre of Parliainent, and intro-
ducing economy into the various departments of Go-
vernment. The first propositiol in his plan was to
abolish the ulli,se of Secretary of State fur the C 0!...
sties; and the utulost efforts of Ashoinieration could
preserve this ufh a only by a majority of 2t."4 to •.!ttl.
she Hoard of Trade was also abolished by 21
19M; though other objects were defeated, which. if
erried, would have produced a saving to the nation,
as he stated. of inure than a million a year.
It was 02 the skis of April, l; KU, when the nu-
'serous petitions of the people were appointed to be
taken into consideration, that Mr. Dunaing supported
theist, by moving that " the indu..n:e of the Crown
had in rease.l, wits itscr..a. :fly, anti oitliht to be
The news of toe proceedings of the slay was
received by di • nation at large with ..n exultation as
livAy as if it had announced a military triumph. 1 ether
motions, the object of which was to ascertain the in-
depeudenee of Parliantent, were likewise carried ; but
when Bunning proceeded atteneards to mute that
the Treasurers of the Climber and Household, and
certain other officers whom be specified, sh.suld Le ex-
clu led from having seats in the House, it was obvious
that corruption ball regained its influence, the majo-
rities ua the side of the petitioners diusiuished, and the
members of the unpopular administration were enabled
to retain their tottering seats.
At this crisis, usweretedly, intervened a strange
series of trecurrene•st, which, by their surprising and
alarming effects, en.,erissed for a time the feelings and
attention of the pudic. and diverted them from the ob-
noxious political measures of the Govern:Nest which
had hitherto exited their tesentment. About the
middle of May. Sir O. Saville had sisasle a 111 ItiOn for a
repeal of s our penalties enacted against the Eunian
Catholic*. To oppose this repeal a so. iety was fusine.l
in London, which took the title of the Protestant As-
sociation; and having became very nuttier tusly stip-
ported, they prepared a petition, whirls Lord 04-oree
Cordon, their Prssitlent, undertook, on the •2d of June,
to present to the House of Common'. o'l tae condition
of being attended by the petitioner,. to th • !louse. In
coml.-401..11er of this direction, a itauliitutle of 51.1 or
11t5,11410 men, spoivistbleti its St. lleor.rs 's fields, and pro-
ceeded, with their petitiuu and their Pro•sident, to the
House of Commons. I.:igniter and riot, such as have
been rarely exhibited, very semi ensued, and raged
with unreatitted fury till the night of the 2d of June.
Catholic chapels w.•re destroyed, the prisons in which
certaits of th.• rioters were contained who has; been ap-
prehended at the coastwise-men! of the disorder, were
1.0.1::• I and demolished : other scenes of destruction
were frightfully disi.larsl its various parts of the uso-
troinslts, alai nu less than thirty six conflagrations,
raised by tii.• si•o••t•i. were vats! to hare been cotnits•sl
on a sii.:.:lc from th:: ut fl..scpsteal and
Ili ilsgate.

Ihe catasequence of these extraordinary Installs
was as ma lase: holy in the w.ty ut itilluenc.t as
their direct e.l.ect u:run the peite:. and the property
of the metropolis. consternatioa they pruditeed
cot:filmed long anal deep. Such was the alarai anal
terror al.-casiutied by them, that the ardinar which
had appeared tier aniutiog impair meetings and as-
sJciatimts, with a view to oppose the measures of Go.
Tenement, was in a considerable degree suppressed.
The advocates of Ministers took advantage of the ore 1.•
Skin, and represented even the most respectable of the
county meetiu4s as having a tentlettry, like the Pro-
testant Associations, to set the people iu array against
the thiveroment and re.,41 order ut the euenzry, anal
foment a spirit of insurrection and rebellion. Uncon-
nected as these di.rcrent meetings were, their obj.c.ts
and their tendencies ware con:ow:dell by the weak
and tenth., and Al: Janis fur pe.see and property was
raised for the purpose of stilling the deusamis fur
shose legitiiirite defences by which the peace and pro-
perty of tile e 'city are
secured. Ihe c owiderations of sharp and short-
sighted pruden.: had, however, un this u2casion, the;t
full circa. Deseitions from the pupuiar came took
place. It LeAtme a fashion to decry all popular meet-
ings as e:::reniely dangerous ; and anionic the monied
and c. tttttt tereial men such a feeling was created, that
all attention to the principles of the Constitution was
overruled by C.cir urer•ween;ng anxiety for the in-
terests they had at stake. Had it nut beea fur these
uccurences, it is probable, that, though the Minister
hail recover,-• 'is majority in the House of CUM:110112,
the spirit of opposition which prevailed in the different
counties would have compelled him to hare made
some concessions to the people. These transit. tions,
however, extremely strengthened the hands of Attila-
nistralit,n, and deprived the exertions of the popular
leaders of a considerable share of their previous
power. At the same period, also, the popular party
becam, in some degree weakened, by the divisions
which took place in county and other political meet-
ings, relative to the expediency of annual Parliaments,
and of other political regulations which were then
proposed to be adopted.