Star. — 1819-09-21 (London, England)

CRIPPLEGATE WARD MEETING, SE;?. 20.  A Meeting of this Ward was announced for two o'clock this afternoon, to take place in the Parish Church of Cripplegate. The Churchwardens, Messrs. however, to perBmEi t Is; acnhdu rßceh otwo arb,ehavingp rreopfuriseattl, a second notice was exhibited, in which the Meeting stood for three o'clock, and the rnquest-room was substituted for the Church. About half-past three, Mr. Alderman WOOD entered the room, and, after observing upon the inadequacy of its size, suggested the propriety of adjourning into the Church-yard, for the greater accommodation of the inhabitants. A Resolution to that effect was accordingly moved and carried, and thither an assemblage of 2,000 people, who covered the ground, instantly repaired. The worthy Aldefman then addressed them, regretting the inconvenience to which they were exposed by the refusal of the Churchwardens to grant the use of the Church ; it was the first time, he believed, that they had ever.been under the necessity of meeting in the open air ; but to-day, the fineness of the weather rendered it rather a matter of congratulation than otherwise, and the smallness of the Chute's would have effectually prevented the congregation of such numbers as he had now the honour to address—a Meeting, indeed, larger than any Ward Meeting he ever remembered to have been present at. He then entreated a patient hearing for', all parties. Mr. STEVENS, after observing with much severity on the conduct of the Yeomanry Cavalry, which he compared, for illegality, unfairness, and a desire to excite popular commotion, to that of the present Lord Mayor of London, to whose baneful example, and unconstitutional public conduct, he thought that the shameful measures of the Manchester Magistrates, i " creeping, servile, timid set of men," were to be attributed, moved a series of Resolutions, to the effect of maintaining-Ist, The indisputable right of petition, as one inherent in the people, recognized by the Constitution, and, in fact, by every Administration from thetime of the Revolution-9-d, Thelegality and peaceable deportment of the Meeting convened at Manchester on the IGth of August last-3d, The fact of its illegal dispersion, and of the horrible consequences which ensued in the exercise of wanton acts of barbarity on the part of the Yeomanry Cavalry, by the slaughter and wounding of men, women, and, children, by those " wanton barbarians'"-46, The unwarrantable, illegal, and culpable conduct of those local Magistrates, under whose direction they acted, in refusing to grant warrants of commitment against the alleged murderers on that occasion, or to receive depositions on oath against them, or to hold Inquests on the victims of their craelties—a conduct amounting to a refusal of all justice, and a denial of all redress to the complaining parties. The • sth Resolution protested against that conduct, chiefly as "The commencement of a series of measures intended to destroy the riitts and privileges of a free-born people;" and called upon the country to guard vigilantly against the encroachments of that fearful and blood-stained monster, a military despotism. The 6th recognized. the necessity of providing for the pecuniary wants of the widows and children of the sufferers in the late melancholy *event at Manchester. The 7th, the expediency of entering into a subscription for that purpose. And the Bth, the propriety of presenting a Petition (which was read), by the hands of a Deputation from the Ward, praying that their Honourable court would be pleased to devote for that purpose, in behalf of their suffering countrymen, a portion of those funds, for whose application the Germans, Russians, and Portuguese, had never applied in vain. The reading of these Resolutions was followed by loud applause. Mr. STEVENS observed, that the Chttrchwardzns, he believed, were afraid to face their 'parishioners— ( Shame) ;—he knew not where they were.; they might, for ought he knew, be closeted with the Lord 'Mayor at the Mansion-house; there flight, perhaps, be a mutual understanding with his Majesty's Ministers to Knight not only John Atkins, Esq. Lord Mayor of London, but Mr. Bevan and Mr. Brown also, Churchwardens of Cripplegate-Without; for their exemplary conduct—(A laugh).—Or they might. as he bad heard, have gone down, taking the'key of the Church-door with them, into Essex ; i however, not at the Parish expense—(" VerjelfZt He then glanced at the inimitable plot .which the Lord Mayor bad alluded to, which he had pretended to have discovered, purporting to be a plan for the burning of the City of London, and the massacreof its inhabitants. 'This was sufficiently ridiculous ; but there was one circumstance of a serious nature connected with it. A Coroner's' Inquest hyl been recently held on the body of an unfortunate man, whose imagination had Leen so strongly haunted by the terrors excited by this invention of his Lordship, that he had committed suicide; and in the paroxysms of his frenzy he had frequently believed himself a victim to the atrocious fury and violencead the imaginary incendiaries ; nay, he was so mad, as to have shouted out, when he apprehended himself to be in danger—" Send for the Lord Mayor"—(Laughter). After some further remarks, which were warmly applauded, • Mr. NEWELL seconded the Resolutions. Mr. Alderman WOOD proceeded to put the foregoing ones successively; each of which was carried unanimously. Mr. STEVENS then moved, that the Deputation ;consist of twelve Gentlemen of the Ward whom he named : also that the Petition which had been read should be finally adopted. These Resolutions, together with a vote of thanks to Mr. Stevens, the mover, and Mr. Newell, the seconder, of the eight preceding ones; of censure's couched in no very lenient terms, upon the conduct of the Lord Mayor, in endeavouring to encroach; upon the established rights of the Citizens of Low 'don, as connected with the summoning of 'Common Halls, &c; of thanks to Messrs. Aldermen Wood and Waithman, for their firmness in resisting such en-' croachnients ; in opposing the intemperate zeal a the Lord Mayor, exemplified on the occasion of the first Smithfield Meeting; and in exposing his Lordship's Fire-plot; a vote of thanks to The Times, The Morning Chronicle, and some other of the Daily Pa-' pehrich s,fothrey had assertedtheindepen the cause of Publicfeelingdentandmanlyibet wittl;w and of National Independence, so as to entitle themselves to the gratitude and esteem of all free-born Englishmen ; to Mr. Ajpierman Woo,, for his ad mirable conduct in the Chair; 'argil° Mr. Pollen and. Mr. Yellolay, for the promptitude with which they had met the Requisition, and attended the Meeting; were all carried by acclamation. The Committee, or Deputation 01 Twelve, then adjourned, for the, purpose of arranging measures for entering into a, Subscription, and the multitude dispersed without the slightest irregularity or tumult, at about a quarter to five o'clock.