The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-08-04 00:00:00

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" The Cause for which HAMPDEN fell in Me Field, sad RYDNEY died en Me Sel,okl!"

COURT OF COM,110A• coUNCIL.

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Yesterday a Court of Common Council was helot to'
take into , consideration the question respecting
Mr. Sheriff Parkins, an also to consider the subject.
of the rejection by th• Ilu t‘e of lonia of the
Petition presented to their Lordships by the City of
London. agans• the Pill of Pains and Penalties eow_j
pendin4 agains: her Majesty.
The Lon to MA loa said, that a requisition had been
presented to Wm by several lieash••ra of th • Court, ;t.
call another t'onrt of Connnon Council, in order to,
consider the propriety of presentioix another Petition
on the tame subject: His Lordship added that he
returned to that requisition a circular answer.
Mr. Saraos withdrew fur the present his motion
respecting an in •rsraie of the Recorder's salary.
Mr. OLD:IA NI said, that hoforr any other business
should be proceeded on, it w..uld be right to call en
the Retnembren:er to inform th • Court whether the
Petition agreed to be presented to the Holm of Lords,
on the snbiect of the proceediitgs against the Queen,
had been received or not.

Mr. lblox said, that it. was perfectly well known
that the Petition was not received by the House of
Lords.

Mr. T. N. IVltataws said, he world move that the
adjourned motion respecting the conduct of Mr. Sheriff
Parkins should be-proceeded on.
After 'line cnnversa•ion, the ltem,•mbrancer was
called on to state how the Petition had been dis-
posed of.
The figmcmonaarrga sail that he accompaniel the
Sheriffs of the City of !.on !on, wl, , presented the. Peti-
tion to the ifint,,e of ro:ontons. That th,. Sheriffs.
with the Kenr'•m'rranrer, then waite I on Lord Erskine,
and re,iticste.l him to i.reseot the Petition to the ilonse
of Lords that his Lord.,l,ip r all the Petition, and
expre:'sed 50410 ,Itoti!.t, tr?,r!her it would be reeeire,l,
hut said th it h • would consult Lord Holland and
Lord Lans,lown on the sobject that the next da♦
Lord Erskine m .ved that the Petition might be laid
on the table, shich n:otinn w:s negatived : that it was
then moved that the l'eg'ion be rejected, which motion
was carried. 'l•he Retti.nuitrancer added, that the
Petition was rejected on tlr• ;:round, that it stated as
facts, circ•amstances, whim ev.•n their Lordships were
unaegnainted with, and wmi cotta, Ibe known alone!
to the Secret l'fmtnaittee.

Mr. PAM. Sai.l that afte,. !be decision that had
taken place on a former a‘C •rsion—after the opinions
that had been deliverel in that Court, he would take
np but little of their time. '1 ha areamieuts which had
been used on a recent occasion wee,• fresh in the minds
of the Court ; the questi..n they had to consider, was
one which affected the interests and the liberty of Eng.
lishmen at large ; he was Ineprised then, to see Baptist,,
aatna-so-sriwirierenret tht.nuttet fairly, and on Ismaili
grounds, 3911.414 T 1 get rid of is by a side wind.
They would wish to pot off the question for the present,
because another Court might not be held for some
time. For his n part he would say, that he never
felt more anxious to treat a subject with impartiality,
and with an ilness tl; in the present; he would aveal
to nothing but to the rond sense sad the good feeling
of the Court. A Petition had been presented by the
City of London to the House of Lords on a most im
portant snhject, and that Petition, it appeared, was
not receiv:d by their Lo..,:ships—he would sat- that
there never was a Petition which was more carefully
considered—:pryer was there less int aition to give of-
fence--never nas there a more .invious disposition to
treat any sukert more t• toperatcly and mare respect-
fully, and yet it had been stated that the petition was
framed as ititemb-il to :.:ive offen.:e to their Lordships.
lie would not go so Mr as Mr. Fox hail gone in the
Honse of Co:::mons; and th it gre it man had said,
that if a Petition It ui even contained m ,tter amonnting
to high treason, i: yet ought to be received. Bat whe•
thee that opinion was right or wrong, the right of Pe-
tition was an imp.irtant right ; their Petition was pre-
sented a,rainst a Bill of the utmost importance—sa Bill
which affects the Throne, as well as the peace and the
liberties of the people. Upon such a subject 'hey (the
Court) conld not be too anxious; they, as was their
right, and, he thonght, as was tbe:r duty, presented
their Petition on the subject, and he never could think
that a mere technical objection ought to be made
against a Petition from such a body as the City of
London presented on snch an occasion.
haps it would he well for the Court to
as technical

duct of that :I.l'44o)ly—its recorded acts—its inde-
pendent and cowtitutional conduct on all occasions
Tbe Honourable 31emin-r concluded by moving certain
Resolution% (for whicif see advertiseusent-).

. .
Mr. Helicons/ seconded the Resolution,.
Mr. S. Dixoy said, that as lo the right of petition,
that was never doubted by the Howe of Lords ; but
though the Common Council has a right to petition,
ilvsy had no right to dictate to their Lordships. He
w 4 convinced that a more proper answer had never
been given on any occasion, than that given by the
'House of Lords to the Petition presented by the former
Court. The Court undertook to say, that the pro-
v ,eeeding agninst her Majesty was folnded entirely on
the evidence cont..ined in the Green Bag, Which they
proceeded to tie.eribe. Many of the !Ards had
thought, most justly in his opinion, that the language
*as extremely impertinent i it certainly would have
risers most improper for them or for any ether Court
to isferfere in a cause pending in a Court of Jostles;
but had they a better rigio to interfere and to express
their opinion on the grave proceedings pending
against the Queen ? He felt satisfied that Nhatever
might hi their intention., their proceedings went to in-
;tire the 'Tattle of her Majesty. An Address to the
Throne• had hie., talked of en a former occasion, but
that Address had not been brought forward ; to suet
an Address a written answer would have been given ;
in fact they dare nut present it. (Criet ,if order l order r)
He felt on this question, as on any other, as rode-1
pendent as any Gentleman who heard him, and lie
hoped they would not suppose that if he opposed the
Resolutions before them he would he actuated by any
impure Or estwortlay motive.
It*. nt.pshist said, that from so old aXtenber as the
tientletnanAlio hail just sat down, he would have ex-
pected, 00. inch an occasion, something in the shape of
reason RP argument. lie hail only tete wish on the
present omasiou—it was, that the Worthy Gent/envoi
would. publish his speech, and send it round to the
world. In the way of •trzunient, he (Mr. t ;Wham) hail
nothing to reply ; lie would confine I • self, therefore,
to some desultory observations that had been made. it
bail been said, that if they wished to serve the Queen.
they bad not gwie the right way about it; fur his part
~he Lad no wish to serve any one in particular—he was
not the servant or the advocate of the Queen, or of her
opponents ; he stood there to support the principles of
fret..doing—to support rights which he cleisidcrell dear
arvi valuable to Englishmen. He felt that the Bill of
Pains 4J . Penalties alpine her Illaje•ty might be
nude one dirto affect the liberty and safey of every
man and woman in the country. Ile lool.ed on tln•
Bill against her Majesty as similar to other Bills, th,
preamble of which should be proved; but if the Manse
otortis. about to act en a alLtvik ir.4. a 4 past* i
legislative, and partly judicial, he thooOit that ii..
r _

irrater was the necessity of such a Petition, tri that
*rhich had been presented and rejerte I. A Petition
,from the City of London on so soiroun an tveasion,
ught nut to have been rejected on na..re trrlitilea!
gnotooln---it did not vary from ordinary Pejtions I•re-
'sente.l to their Lord+hips, and if such Petition did nut
go to violate, in a very great degree, the ruder and
orders of their Lordships' ihni*e—if it were only
verbally or technically in iccurate, be for our cancel red
that that the importance of the subjeet ought to out-
weigh the were objectiullitioi!it of form ; ■nd that
the Petition of 11u• Ctiy of leitiuti on a sub,ert deeply
affecting, not inertly tior Qutoson, but the dignity of the
Throne and the tranquility of the Country, ought to
have been received. Ihe ilunotirah'e Gentleman (.Jr.
Dixon) ha I said, that they (the l•r.warnu 4 'moon!) dare
sot address the Throue uu this sit!iject, I•rraose a writ-
ten answer would have been retururd to th •ir
The Common Couucil of London dare todo every thing
that was honest, constitutional and isidel..nolent—th4
sever dared to do more. That AololresA was nit tool-ea,
because it was considered that it might be distressing
to the feelings of Isis Majesty, divellin:, as it necessarily
would, un domestic misfortunes. 'llse Worthy lien-
tlea,an sat tkown, paying a very handsome compliment
to the public spirit and the talents of Mr. Fs:aril.
Mr. WILLI tMS supported the ;notion.

Mr. .ilderman WAIT'INA,I said. Oat the right to
etition was a right universally arliaowledged.
'an Ilononrable Gentleman (Mr. Dixon) ret! :4 lecture
in the Court, as if the Conn had done any thing t .at
deserved a reprimand from hi from a higher IlUar-
• not-merely al.
siihj'ect in the
i;vitrevioit
ha tloee

perh3p+ it 1$ as
framed in sic!' a

jections. The

strict rause,

lou
the rare and

pardonable error, brcanse it was on of *air,
• huManity. One of the prod eessors of his Lord,
*hip (Alderman live!iford),-wituse memory would out-
live the marble that recorded his virtues, had gone out
of the strict came perhaps when be addressed the late.
King on the wnotes of hie ?objects, but that address
gained fur hint ionn,rtal honour. The question br
fore them was rate which they could nut cuuw.•roatsise,
unless they were prep red to compremise every thing—
unless they were pr.•pared to forget their liberty and
abdicate their rights as free Citizens. lie was sat's-
Bed they would not do so. He rejoiced to say, that
whatever might be the event of the proceedings
against her Majesty, the mauly and decorous spirit of
the Common Council of London would do honour to
its Members, and would serve to convince the country,
that the greatest spirit and independence might he
combined with the greatest nt Aeration. Ile thought
that they were imperiously milled upon to present
another Petition to the House of Lords ; it would shew
their respect towards that assembly, and it would be
a powerful refutation of their en►mies, who gave ont
that they framed the former Petition in such a maser

lia.ec :pains that bail been taken to Ironer their I:inner Peti-
tions, be dill imagiae that Pintail, inaccuralies might
crept itsto_it. Perhaps it might have bten inae-
&irate in souse rev:wets, but after all, !oohing on the
Petition, he waos-at a !oss to lainceire how they "could
present a diderent Petition to the ll.use of Lords.
They were not boomed to have jntlicial I.n.owledee of
facts. indeed they could hive no "nolo k tt •leolge.
It was en.onglo for thrill to bel:.!ove goat tide nalitu-
tional proceedings were about to be adopted to petition
against them, but if the rule were to be followed
which had been recently kid down, how could they
petition at all--on what could they petition but our
general report ?—were they to wait for more certain
evidence, their remonstrance wonlol come too Lite ; if
they were not correct when they petitioned on tines-
tions which might be pressed upon them by the geny
ral voice of the country, then he would say that the
right of petition would be but of little value, became,
it could be but seldom or mover exercised. 1 h.
Worthy Alderman next adverted to the leavings a
the late Petition. IVhat did it state ?—that i: ap
mired to they the Bill originated in the Report ef
• Secret Committee. Here they spoke. with die..
et they spoke as men whop felt that they might

as to ia4ttie its rejection; those, sokinst that
and invades! rdbiafty be adstit putlair•aaiforas
.• I •-• 4)4..01. ,

rotted on stich an oeca,ion. iioweyerrr. deserved xreprintand from hi to, or (roma higher gnar-
-Ihe well r the Conti to acquiesce, and ter. The question before them WaS not-merely af•
objections were made to their Petition, feeling her Majesty ; it stfect4 ere7y subject in the
is their duty t another Petition, land. Rtery persou who suffered by .q.iires,ion h •tl
neli a man a avoid those ob. a right to complain. and the mode hv which thwe
the W i—sourptstfnia(sehrtiser wade by the itoliri.lnelotother,)
. .
;bat Owl iiiie. rliheu contacted should Out be too Weide or too eriti-
they might hate s ood ex-used; it was a early examined. Noftritlistanrling all the rare and
rror, Istwatist it was on the side of Justice pains that hail been taken to frAre their former Peti-