The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-10-24

uoe. ~ was nighiy propaoIe tnat tile Conqueror
would entirely sway the Continent Of Europe,
and that he would offer peace to England. The
peace which he would offer would appear to him
to he completely ruinous to the country, unless
it was preceded by Parliamentary Reform,
| which alone would place us in situation of Sc
| curi,y against his power. He concluded by mo-
wing variety ofresolutions stating, in substa nce
that in the year 1898, it had been offered to be
proved ut the Bar Of the House of Commons,
that 154 individuals returned 10Y members fthat
house ; that ,t'ge portien OF the members Of
that House were Pacemen and Pensioners !; &
that thanks should be voted to Sir Francis Bur-
dett, for calling the attention of Parliament to
the subject of Reform and that he should be
requested to bring it forward early in the next
sion"
Mr. HARE TowNsHzND rose to second these
Resolutions. He stated that he was a farmer,
and was fully sensible of the immense pressure
which the country sustained, in consequence of
the corrupt system OF its representation. He had
a farm at Godaiming, which, if he were to let,
would not bring him greater sum than lS0l
per annurn, and vet the annual burdens amounted
to 1871 lSs. The land-tax was 16l the property
tax 81. the pOorrates AL S. the tax for the high.
way lOi the church rates H. ISIS. the great tythes
SOL and the small tythes Ill. he then read long
letter which he had writtea to the inhabitants of
Codalming upon the subject, in which he stated,
" that he conceived the bow was so far bent that
it could go no further; that to tythes they were
formerly divided into four parts the first was for
the bishop, the second was for the maintenance
Of the church, the third share was for the sup
port of the poor, and it was only the fourth part
Which was poke ted by the rector. The rcctors,
however, now pocketed all. He thought that it
was impossible that any parliament, fairly chosen
could tolerate such an abominable opposition l.
impression upon the people" After some further
observations, he concluded by seconding the re
solutions and stating that it was his intention
to move a petition to Pariizment
Mr.. MALLEr rose, to speak more to the form
OF the proceedings tina m to the substance of what
had been proposed. He thought the proper
mode would be to address the King not to issue
any longer his wrts to rotten boroughs. The
measures which had been proposed in arliament
for reforming what he should never. call the
House of Commons, but the lower House of
Parliament, were most ridiculous. AS to oaths
| there would be no in them, unless the penal.
~ OF perjury were to be attached. He consid.
cred one party in the House OF Commons as e.
qually hostile to the liberties of the country as
the other party. 1t was under the Foxes, the
Grenvilles, the Erskines, and the Howicks, that
the press was Prevented from publishing Lord
Meiviile's trial while going on, and he conceived
1t great insult to- the people of the country. to
say that they were not capable of suspending
their Judgment until they heard the whole Of the
case. He thought there were no reasons to
hope for any thing from the Parliament as it was
now constituted but that the only mode of re.
dress was to beseech the king no longer to sum-
mon Representatives from the rotten boroupils.
There were many of them hardly large enough
to hide the infamy of the Mayor and corrupt
corporation and yet these were the delicious
retreats to which rich stock iobbers and contrac
tors reserted, and from which they came I'D e.
qually prepared to serve their country in the up-
per or the lower House. AS to the ascendancy of
Bonaparte on the continent, he thought that that
man mad never yet conquered any country, whose
subJugation was not first prepared by the COR
ruPtions OF its own government. His success
might at least teach an useful lesson to the pco.
pie Of this country.
MIR. BENTLEY went over at considerable
length some individual abuses (principally in the
fees in public offices) which he thought could
not have existed under fair Representation of
the People He concluded by observing, that
now, for the first time, this country had no
resident or Ambassador in any Court in Europe
The man who was known among the populace
at Westminster, by the name of the Green coated
Orator, then attempted to address the Meeting ;
but as he did not pretend to be Freeholder, he
was not allowed to proceed
MR.. WAITBMAN, observed, that although
there was hardly spot in Europe where a Bri-
fish ambassador could appear : yet we had in this
country no less than thirty persons enjoying pen
sions for life, as having heretofore served the
country III a'diplomatic capacity a circumstance
which could not have existed but under the pre-.
sent parliamentary representation. He then com.
mented on the practice rcsorted to by the enc.
mics of parliamentary reform, to endeavor to dis
cover some flaw in the moral characters of its
supporters, and SO abuse the cause by traducinp
Its advocates this Showed only that the cause
must be strong indeed, against which no other
argument could be offered. Much had been
SAID OF the dangerous Entertainments of Bona
Parte over the kingdoms of Europe but he was
convinced that conqueror had subugated no
country that was not previously subjugated by
the corruption OF its own government and he
would venture to assert, that, previously to the
invasion of Spain by Bonaparte, had there been
IN that country band ofpatriots bold enou 9Th 10
assert, and to demand from their Government the
restoration of their ancient rights and liberties
no Frenchman would have dared to disturb the
security OF that nation. 1t was, therefore the du.
ty, OF Englshmen to assert and exercise this right
while IN their power, and they might then set the
world at defance-He concluded by declaring
his opinion in favor OLA Petition to Parliament
Mr.. CLIFFORD supported the Resolutions. &
thought the only way otrendering them effectual,
would be by recommendation not only to all the
counties but to the parish of Mary-le. bone, the
Tower Hamlets, the great towns, such as VOL
verhampton, and all the close boroughs, to adopt
these Resolutions and petition Parliament Thus
the general sense of the people would be ascer-
tanned, and would be irresistible. 1t was TO this
sense, that Ministers yielded in the dismissal of
the Duke OF York more good was to be expect
ed from the fears OF tyrants and dealers in cor
ruption, than from their sense of Justice.
The Resolutions we're then put and carried
with only one or two dssentents.
MR. Holt WHITE read the petition proposed