The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-12-17 00:00:00

DiaraßßVl
WIUTINEATILe•maI the night of Saturday did, be-
tween .tbe hours of eleven and twelve o'clock, a
house:occupied by a party of Major O'Donogbue's
Police, at Ballinscor, near Castletown-delvio, in this
county, was maliciously set on•ftre. All the men were
on patroie at the time, with the exception of one left
in charge of the place, who, bearing a 'noise in the
rear of the house, went round to examine, and found
the thatch on tire, which, with considerable difficulty,
after obtaining assistance, he succeeded in extin-
guishing. The wives and children of the constables
were at the time asleep, some of whom would have
probably lost their lives, had the diabolical attempt
succeeded.

We have also heard, with deep concern, that meet-
ings of an illegal tendency have very recently been
held in the immediate vicinity of this town. We can
tell the misguided persons, who assembled on these
occasions, that their movements are watched by a
vigilant Magistracy, who will.not suffer such proceed.
ings -to recur with impunity—and we exhort them to
shun paths that lead only toilestruction.—(lVestintatli
Join-Hal.)

efti*VfATAiiii4

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itema:

The Mayor and Bailiffs of Monmouth having on
Mr. Home's arrival at Hereford, signified their inten-
tion to present him with the freedom.of their borough,
about eleven o'clock on Monday that Gentleman, accom-
panied by Robert Price, Esq., of Foxley, M. P. for the
county of Hereford, Kedgwin Hoskyns, Esq Walter
Palnier,,Esq. and other gentlemen of that county, ar-
rived at Monmouth, where they were received with the
ringing of the bells and every demonstration of joy—
fifty
of sixty burgesses, notwithstanding the short no-
tice they hod of his approach, meeting Mr. Flume at
the turnpike-gate, on the Hereford-road, with music,
and flags. At the entrance into the Town-hall he
was received by the Mayor, in his robes, the Baili.rs,
&c. &c., and, together with J. H. Moggridge and John
Lucy Scudamore, Esqrs. (to whom the freedom of the
Borough had been previously voted, but who were this
day to be sworn in,) Thomas Swinuertoo, Esq., T.G.
Phillpotts, Esq., James Phillips, Esq,, of Bryngwin,
and many other gentlemen, took his seat on the
bench with the Mayor. Mr. Moggridge, having been
honoured with the first freedom voted after the emanci-
pation of the Borough, was first sworn, and then ad-
dressed the Mayor, 11.tilitTs, and Burges-es. in a short
but appropriate speech, which WM/ received with the
loudest shouts of applause. Mr. Scudamore was next
sworn, and returned his warmest thanks for the ho-
nour done him.

The Mayor then rose, and in a justly clmplimentary
speech, spoke of the great public merits of Mr. Hume,
and of the obligation the nation was under to him for
his public services, and for the still greater services
which be would have rendered the country, if he had
not, in a great majority of cases, been conoteracted by
ministerial majorities. The Mayor professed himself
a firm friend to Parliamentary lleforin, a decided enemy
to every-•ipecies of corruption, and the advocate fir
retrenchment in every branch of the public ex!mmli-
tnre ;icons•luillne a very energetic address amidst the
acclamations of a crowded hal!, by pro;i4)sing
• Hume, Esq. M.P. to be elected a Burgess of Mon-
' mouth; which was seconded by I'. G. Phillpots, i:s►l.
in a speech replete with good sense and sound consti-
tutional doctrines.

The nomination of Mr. Hume was received with a
thunder of appl tuse, and his election carried unani-
mously and by acchunation.

Mr. /lune then rose and returned thanks for the
high honour which hal been conferred noon him. He
warmly congratulated the linre-esses of Monesnath
the success of the glorious strnggle in which they had I
been so long and so ardubusly cog :se-v.l ; he congra-
tulated them on having arrived at the due kna•aleil :e
of the rights which nature and the constitution of
their country had conferred upon them, ::11.1 on their
vindication of those rights, as men determined no
longer to submit to political and moral deL7ra-
dation. He said, that even in the horrible state of
rottenness in wilier a vast majority of the Boroughs of
Great Britain were sunk, if such manly, virtuous, an.!
patriotic energies were exerted, and by legal means
directed to the same great end, great impravement in
the state of the country would ensue ; hut without a
fair, full. and equal representation of the people
in Paigiatnent, which at present they have not,
this country will, he Gala, never recover the proi-
perity and happiness it has lost, nor regain its fora.er
high and honourable station amongst the nations of
the earth. Be conjured the Burgesses of Monmouth
to persevere in their honourable, patriotic, and consti-
tutional course, till the representation slier.nf in Par-
liament became real, insteail of virtual—till thee, the
people, were there represented, instead of a I;eanc!l r.
the aristocracy, which converted the iiifinence it
thereby acquired with the Minisv.r to time purposes of
gross self-interest, and the smt .port and emolmitnent
its family and dependents. Mr. Burne sai.!, be ti it•teml
that the contribntory boroughs would cats!' tii free
and constitutional spirit of alaturiauth, and disdain to
be any longer made the tools of their own vas,alage,
degradation, and oppression. He then adverted to the
corrupt state of the representation of Vie people in
Parliament in boroughs in general ; and, seleetine
Queenborougls out of a multitude of other instances,
said, that from public documents and facts, which no
man could disparage or doubt, he wonid have prove,:
in the House of Commons, had lie been permitted, that
about 190 burgesses of that borough had for many'
years past been kept inconstant pay, at an expense of
the pubic of upwards of twenty thonsand pounds an-
nually, but which he said was nothing like equal to
the amount of the different sums of money paid yearly
to the family and connexions of (as we understood him
to say) the Lord Lieutenant of the county of Alon-
mouth. Mr. Hume successfully exposed the ahnses of
Ministers in the lavish expenditure of the public mo-
ney, expressing his firm belief that retrenchment and
reform, honestly and firmly pursued, might save nearly
ten millions of money to this oppressed and sinking
country. He most feelingly described the direful and
distressful effects of inordinate taxation on the property,
the comforts, and the privations of the people; and, as
wishing well to the Constitution of Government, which,
if administered in its true principles and in its genuine
spirit, would ensure the happiness of every class of the
community, its own permanence, and the safety, peace,
and tranquillity of the country, lie deprecated the con-
tinuance of a system which devoured the fruits of in-
dustry, had already converted millions into paupers, and
now threatened the extinction of the " middle and
higher orders." The speech of Mr. Hume (of which we
are compelled at present to offer but a very meagre and
inadequate account to our readers, and the deft iem:ies
of which we shall gladly supply another time) was re-
ceived throughout with the loudest demonstrations of
applause, and we believe we may safely say the :e never
was a more attentive, a more impressed, or a nitre gra!e-
ful audience.
Mr. Moggridge next proposed the election of Robert
Price, Esq. of Foxley, Member in Parliament for the
county of Hereford, as a Burgess of Monmouth ; which
was carried unanimously ; as were the elert.ons of
James Phillips, Esq. of Bryngwin : Walter Palmer,
Esq. of Pencoyd ; and Kedgwin Hoskyns, Esq. The
excellent addresses of which gentlemen ne are sorry
we cannot this week insert.
In the afternoon, Mr. Hume partook, by I .vitation
of a dinner at the King's Head,at which, note ithstanil'
mug there was a notice of a few hours only, u wards o
seventy gentlemen sat down. Amongst w om, be.
sides those already noticed as present in the Hal