The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-05-24 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER REPORM DINNER.

Yesterday the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Triumph
of Westminster and Purity of Election was celebrated at
the Crown and Anchor T ; Sir F. BURDETT. in
the Chair. The company was more numerous and re- '
spectable than we remember to have witnessed on any I
former occasion. Among them we noticed Lord Ebring- '
ton, Lord Nugent, Sir R. Fergusson, the Hon. O. Ben-
net, Sir IL Wilson, J. Hume, Esq. Sir M. Barrett, Col.
Johnson, Dr. Lusbington, D. Ricardo, Esq. P. Moore,
Esq. Sir O. Robinson, Hoo. C. Hutchinson,J. B. Mooch, I
Esq. Hon. D. Kinnaird, Alderman Wood, &c. &c.
As soon as the cloth was removed,
The CUAIRMLN gave " The People—the only source I
of Legitimate Power;" which was drunk with applause.
Air, " Britons strike home."
The CIIAIRMAN nest gave—" The King, and may be
recollect his own declaration that the Crown is held '
in trust for the benefit of the People." Air—" Rule
Britannia."
The next toast was—" The only remedy for our na-
tional grievances—a full, fair, and free Representation
of the People in the Commons' House of Parliament."—
Air—" Kick the Rogues out."
Mr. STURCE said be rose for the purpose of proposing
a toast, which, the oftener it had been proposed in that
room, had been received with greater enthusiasm and
delight, and which he had every reason therefore to be-
lieve would be received with equal pleasure on the pre-
sent occasion. As long ago as the year Ibo 7, when the
Electors of Westminster first met in that room after the
hard battle which they bad fought against corruption
and Caen in t t; and after the glorious victory which
placed the Honourable Baronet who sat near him as
Representative of that great city, he (Mr. Sturcb) took
occasion to congratulate them on the happy choice they
bad made, and to predict that their Worthy Representa-
tive would never give thew occasion to repent of that
choice by abandoning the principles upon which he was
elected. If he spoke with cootidence at that time, with
how much greater confidence was he now entitled to ad-
dress them, when an experience of 15 years had proved
the steady attachment of the lion. Baronet to the prin-
ciples els:cli he then professed, and given the strongest
asaurauce that lie would adhere to them to the latest mo-
ment of his li fe.(A pplanse.) Had theHon.Bart. boron
the slightest symptom of any thing like tergiversation,
or a dereliction of those principles?—(No, no !)—On the
, contrary, had a Session ever passed in which he bad not
made some effort in behalf of the liberties of the people?
It was true, indeed, that his efforts were not always suc-
cessful, but that was not his fault. He (Mr. S.) ex-
pressed his firm conviction that the only remedy tor the
grievances under which the great body of the people la-
boured was a full sod free Representation in Parliaments
of short duration ; and concluded by proposing the
health of " The steady opposer of tyranny and oppres-
sion, the constant advocate of Parliamentary Reform,
their truly honest Representative, Sir F. Burdett."—
(Continued applause.)

- . ...
Sir F. Buitozry rose tn return thanks. He assured
them that the great pleasure which he always felt in
meeting his Constituents, was enhanced on the present
occasion, both from the manner in which the worthy
elector (Ile. Sturch) had done hint the honour to pro-
pose hit. health. and from the satisfaction with which he
called to mind the various occasions on which they hail
wet since he tint became politically connected with the
independent Electors of Westminster. That connexion
had continued for a great length of time with unditni-
•iisLcd regard. be believed, on both sides, and Ile had

now the more satisfaction in calling it to mind, because
their prospects were now fa: brighter and more promis-
ing than they had ever been on any former occasion. It
had been a source of increasing pleasure to him, from
the first year which they celebrated the triumph of the
independence of Westminster, so nobly straggled for,
and so happily obtained, up to the present moment. He
did not think that he should be promising too much, if
he so far confirmed the observations of the Worthy
Elector who had just add d them, as to say that he
should never swerve from those prisciplee which first
recommended him to their notice. Afterso.long anal.
here're to those feelings, he did feel that never baring
bronght his, mind into a state of doubt or hesitation, as,
to their justice, houesty, and propriety, if any mortal
could pretend to pronounce any thing with regard to
his future conduct, he might venture to predict that
those same principles would continue to inflow.* his
public conduct to the latest moment of his existence.--
(Applanee.)—They had met, year after year, under cit.
eleu,tanee. ,0 more or less public comb went aid
difficulty, lint never, as it seemed to him. at a period
which bore more the appearance of a political crisis thine
at the present-moment. When he called to mind the
general condition of the country—when he considered
the various circumstances of lifetimes in which they were
placed, and the various topics which presented them;
selves in taking that view, so many subjects, all apps.;
rentiy of equal importance, bat upon which it would
now be impossible to enlarge, rushed upon his mind,
that he felt at a loss to know which to mint or omit.
The proceedings of Parliament had at length made ap-
parent to the whole United Kingdom, a truth of which
that enlightened portion of it contained in the city of
Westminster had long been convinced, namely, the
absolute oticeasity of having recourse to that principle,
which would malt* the House or Commons, instead of
being worse than a mere shadow, a constitutional molt
of the voice of the people, and an instrument in the bands
of the people for t Ise control of the Executive Govern 'neut.
It was a great astisfaction to his mind to see so tow
tientlemeo present no that day, aiding and assisting the
great cause of Parliamentary Reform, and he could add
also, that many others would have been present but from
particular circumstances. Hr lamented more especially the
absence of an Hon. Friend of his, as it proree.l4,l from a do-
mestic misfortune—he alluded to Mr. Lamli.on, who so
ably undertook thecauseof Itefurm last year, and did that
justice to it which was to be expected trout his totems
and his integrity,—(Applause.) Since that period.
other propositions had been made, which, though they
did not go the toll length of the opinions which they
en t used of Reform, hail at length produced this
beneficial effect on the public mind, that they proved
the House to be as ailversc to the slightest schemes of
Reform that could be proposed, as to 'boss which were
of a more comprehensive and effectual description.
Lord J. Russell hail brought two propositions before the
Houseovith an ability which raised the greatest-hopes
in the country of ;his futureexertions, oue comprehend-
ing 'chat might be termed the minions of Reform, the
other carrying a Reform to a greater extent. :t might
he deemed a favourable augury, that this last proposi-
tion had met with a greater degrne of support than any
osition for Reform since the period whets Mr. Pitt.
brotaght that subject under the consideration of the
Hasse, ghostly after he cause into Administratioa. For
his part In grits ..winced. and he believed the public
were colesiesed. that a fell, free, and effectual represesta.
lion of the people was absolutely necessary for the safety
of the country. It was a new era in the history of the
country when they heard it publicly avowed by the Mi-
nister of the day, that he was compelled to continue en-
due and burtbensome expenditure for tge purpose of
maintaining what he (the Minister) railed ioniatime in
the House of Commons, bat what they (the Reformers)
properly called corruption in the House of Constnons7l
He believed this was the first time that it had ev
been onblusbingly avowed that corruption in the rare-
sentatioa of the people was necessary to carry on the
tioverstnent of the mostly. if this wee* true, then he
must say that all the euloginme be had ever heard epos
the English Constitution were false, ridiculous, and air
surd.--(Applause.) So different, however, was the view
of the subject taken by our ancestors at the time of the
Revolution, so entirely did Mr. Lecke differ in opinion
from Lord Castlereagh, that that great man declared that
any attempt to poison the fountatos of liberty at their
source was such an offence against the Constitution, that
it would justify the people in resorting to that last prin-
ciple of liberty, resistance to oppression.—(Applause.)
He himself could remember that when he first came into.
Parliament, it was considered a breach of the Orders a
the douse to impute to any Member, that he was noddy
influenced, for no Minister bad then the boldness an
effrontery to say that there were men in tba
House whose votes ought to be influenced by as,
other consideration than a conscientious sense o
duty. The late Speaker of the Noose of Commons
then Mr. Abbot, pretended at least to be greatl
shocked at dissevering a traffic in seats in the House
though no man was probably ni.ne intimately ac 4
quieted with the practice; but now all was change
and no one seemed to be startled at each conduct. Thi
reminded him of the description of the effect proslos
by Sin, when she sprang out of the head of Satan :-
-- " Amazement seized

All th' host of Acs ;•n iii;eltiheYrecoll'd, afraid
At first, and call'd me sin, and for a sign
Portentous held me; but familiar grown
I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won."
Thus corruption appeared to have rapidly won apo.
their affections, and that which was once deemed an
jest of abhorreuoe was now considered all essential an
necessary principle for carrying on the Government o
the country. To whatever departtuen.hoof the Stat
they turned their observation, toe save corruption an
protligacy were every where conspicnoos. The di •
which at present weighed upon the couutryloas admitte
on all timid., but the most extraordinary and contradic-
tory reasons were assigned for that distress. Som
attributed it to what was formerly considered as the
strongest evidence of prosperity, namely, the super
abundance of the produce oh the land [a laugh]; others
ascribed it to causes which were equally unsatisfactor
to the minds of many,
.and all theories might perba
be maintained with same plausibility and skew of lege
meat. But there WWI AO. thing which no plain w •
cmthl possibly misunderstand, and upon which no ter
honest men could possibly differ, namely, that the cor
caption of the House of Commons had tfie effect of COD
verting what was iuteoded by Providence as a hlessin
into a curse upon society. It we looked to our colt:tins
system the prospect was as unsatisfactory. The state o
Ireland afforded a still more striking imotaoce of all th
evils of misgovernment accumulated to au almost in
tolerable extent. He hoped that the exertions no
mildly by the people of England, oppressed as the
were by their on -11 sufferings, to extend relict to di
sister kingdom, nimbi prove that there was no hostilit.
of feeliag or interests betneen tile tao countries. H
trusted twit the people of the Uoited Empire, layin
aside all differences, whether civil or religicus, wool
join heart and hand in their efforts to obtain a full au
tree rqresentation in Parliament. Ile lad heard fte
quent allusious made of late, and particularly on
recent occasion at aLi • • Society, in presenting
Preach Ambassador, to the auty of npholdiuc the
uarchial principle, and Christian virtue. Now of ai
places in the world a literary institution WAS the lea
tit for advocating the monarchial principle. unless whs
is called the Republic of Letters, were to be concrete
into a Monarchy. But it appeared to bins that ther
were no two things so inconsistent with each other
• the Monarchical and the Christian principle. He ti
• begged leave to advert to the words of a great, able,