all public meetings. What had fallen from Mr. Deane on the subject of the assessed taxes, proved that no complaint could be ill-timed. Much had been said of our distant calamities, and he trusted the effect of the present Address would be

check corruption in the Parliament, and redress the grievances of the subject. With respect to the assessed taxes, he could say from his own experience, as a Commissioner under the Act, that the Inspectors and Surveyors had arrogated so much. power, and behaved so insolently, that he had ceased to act as a Commissioner of Taxes while the oppressive and arbitrary clauses were in force.

Mr. Marsh) are we to sit down quietly and trust to the investigation of Parliament, after the specimen they gave us of their integrity in the Duke of York's business?-Did they not gravely tell us, that there was neither corruption nor connivance at corruption!-but did the Peo-to induce his Majesty to do his utmost to ple believe them? No! He was certain that nine hundred and ninety-nine,, in every thousand individuals in the Country, were of a contrary opinion. He trusted that the Country would always be able to defend itself, both against foreign and domestic foes. The ancients had represented Liberty as a beautiful nymph, and worshipped her as a goddess; and, like most ladies, she required a little watching (a laugh). Our ancestors celebrated her rites every three years; but septennial Parliaments were soon introduced, and the homage paid by Parliament to her shrine became less fervent.-He concluded, by saying that he had no doubt the Prince of Wales, who had not received a German education, but was an Englishman every inch of him, would tell his father, that the people of this country were not to be goaded too far without resenting it."

MR. DEANE, of Waltham, supported the Address. He went into a long detail on the subject of the Assessed Taxes, and was heard with much attention.-In the course of his speech he stated that, the Surveyor under the Assessed Taxes had recently surcharged a gentleman who kept a Taxcart, because he had the luxury of a cushion on the seat of it. He supposed that if a man was to sit in a Taxed-cart with stuffing in his breeches, the Surveyor would tell him, that under the Act he had no right to wear breeches in a Tax-cart. Mr. Deane concluded with a motion, which was unanimously carried, to instruct the County Members to apply to Parliament for a repeal of that part of the Assessed Tax Act, which vested the powers of deciding on appeals, in the hands of Commissioners appointed under the Act, and took it out of the Courts of Law.

MR. GOODLAKE supported the Address, in an animated and energetic speech. Alluding to what had fallen from Mr. Montague, respecting the present being an ill-timed Address, that was an old and stale trick with the friends of Ministers at

MR. SILLS, of Abingdon, said a few words in support of the Address.

LORD FOLKESTONE shortly replied. He called upon the hon. gent. (Mr. Montague) to tell the meeting who the men were who were actuated by motives of ambition and avarice in calling the present meeting? (Name! name! resounded from all parts, but Mr. Montague made no answer.) His Lordship then read a Resolution of the House of Commons in 1680, expelling a Member for calling in question the right of the subjects to petition.

The question being then called for, the Sheriff desired those who meant to vote for the Address to hold up their hands, when all, except a very small number, voted in this manner, and loud acclamations resounded through the Hall. Three or four only held up their hands for Mr. Montague's motion against the Address.

MR. C. DUNDAS then rose, and stated, that it gave him much satisfaction to declare, that he perfectly coincided with the sentiments of the Address that had been voted. On the subject of the grievances under the Assessed Tax Act, he could assure the Mee Jng tlt he would be happy to listen to any compaints that were made to him, and would cheerfully bring them before Parliament.--This speech was received with great applause.

It was then resolved that the Address, and the King's Answer when received, should be inserted in the County, and in all the London Newspapers, and the Meeting broke up about five o'clock,

LONDON :-Printed by T. C. HANSARD, Peterborough - Court, Fleet - Street;

Published by R. BAGSHAW, Brydges-Street, Covent Garden :-Sold also by J. BUDD, Pall-Mall.

VOL. XVII. No. 4.]

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1810. [Price 1s.

Many public Officers and Accountants have raised great Estates to themselves, at the expence of "the Public, when it is evident they have had no lawful means to attain them: and several persons, "whose duty it was to hinder such Exorbitancies, measuring their requests rather by their own avarice "than by their merit, have obtained for themselves Grants to such a value, as in foregoing Reigns have "been esteemned large Supplies towards great and public services: which has been another great cause "of the Debt that lies upon the nation. This general mismanagement of the public affairs did actually "spread itself over the whole kingdom, and seems to be owing to a disposition of Offices and Places, "where men were rather chosen for their inclinations to serve a Parly, then for their qualifications to serve the Public. And these men being conscious to themselves of the many Frauds and Offences "committed against the Public, have no other hopes to shelter themselves from Justice, THAN BY "TAKING AWAY THE REPUTATION OF THOSE WHO DESIRE TO DO RIGHT TO THEIR “COUNTRY BY DETECTING THEIR INIQUITIES; and being UNITED IN GUILT AND IN"TEREST, they endeavour to amuse and impose upon those, whose posterity, we have too much reason "to fear, will groan under the sad effects of the wickedness of the one, and the too great credulity " of the other. We chearfully depend upon your Majesty's wisdom, that all our Grievances, by your "grace and favour, will, in due time, be redressed and removed, by PUNISHING those, who have been "the cause of them, and by entrusting none in the administration of public affairs, who, for their own "private advantage, have manifestly contributed to the calamity of their Country."HOUSE OF COMMONS TO QUEEN ANNE, in 1702.

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ADDRESS OF THE

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their villainies.

THAN BY TAKING AWAY THE RE“PUTATION OF THOSE WHO DE"SIRE TO DO RIGHT TO THEIR "COUNTRY BY DETECTING THEIR

"These men," said that SUMMARY OF POLITICS. truly Honourable House of Commons, PECULATION.Is it possible to read These men, being conscious to themthe Motto to this Number, without making" selves of the many frauds and offences, a.comparison between the House of Com-" committed against the public, have NO mons in the reign of QUEEN ANNE and " OTHER HOPES TO SHELTER those in this Jubilee Reign? When have " THEMSELVES FROM JUSTICE, we, during this reign, heard such language from a House of Commons; and, shall we ever hear it again?This language was addressed to Queen Anne the first hour, as it were, of her coming to the throne; and" INIQUITIES."--Reader, need I point the consequence of it was a reform in out to you the recent cases, wherein the every department of the public expendi- conduct of the Public Robbers of King ture; but, the Dutch King had contracted William's reign has been so happily imithe Debt, the all-enchaining and all-corrupt- tated? I had not this Address in my mind, ing Debt; that curse remained, and it has nor do I know that I had ever read it, gone on increasing in mischievous effects, when, last summer, I observed, with reas well as in its amount, until the nation is spect to the garbled documents and other in that state, which the original opponents publications respecting ME, that, in blastof the Debt foretold that it would be.ing the reputation of those who endeaBut, if in the reign of William III. Pecu-voured to expose them, consisted the only lators bought estates with the public money; if this was, at that time, a subject of complaint, what would the same House of Commons have said, if they had existed at this day, when a sum equal to the whole of the taxes raised, in the reign of Queen Anne, annually, would scarcely supply the annual amount of waste?In this Address of the House of Commons to Queen Anne, there is a passage; whence the reader of the present day will clearly perceive, that Public Robbers have always played the same tricks, and especially the trick of calumniating, in all manner of ways, those persons, who have endeavoured to detect

hope of the Public Robbers" to shelter "themselves from justice." I gave this sentiment to the reader in almost the very words, in which it had been expressed to Queen Anne a hundred and seven years before by a House of Commons famed for its wisdom and its integrity.It is of the greatest possible importance, that the public, that the people in general, should bear this sentiment in mind; and should be constantly upon their guard against the va rious arts, which are, and which always will be, made use of by the Public Robbers, for the purpose of destroying the reputation of those who have the spirit

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to expose their robberies." Being," said | cellent man, MR. WAITHMAN, who has that wise and virtuous House of Commons; lived to see arrive all, yea all, the national "Being UNITED IN GUILT AND IN- calamities that he, from time to time, pre"TEREST, they endeavour to amuse and dicted, and many others, which neither impose upon those, whose posterity, we he nor any other man could have possibly "have too much reason to fear, will imagined. For many years, MR. WAITH"GROAN UNDER the sad effects of the MAN was called a jacobin and leveller; be "wickedness of the one, and the credu- was so called because he made a motion "lity of the other.". -Alas! how fully to address the king for an inquiry into the has this fearful prediction been realized! shameful failure at the Helder. Nay, as We do, indeed, groan, literally groan, often as he rose his voice against any act under the burdens, which have grown out of folly or corruption, or national mismaof that system of peculation, of the first nagement of any sort, so often was he rise of which this House of Commons called a jacobin and leveller.What complained; and, let us always bear was the natural consequence of this cry, in mind, that this terrible system never to join in which a great majority of the could have got to any head, had not the City were persuaded? what was to be expeople been credulous enough to listen to pected from this? Not, perhaps, that Mr. the calumnies, which the peculators propa- Waithman would give the thing up; that gated against the enemics of peculation. he would retire to his home in disgust, « United in guilt, and interest, they endea- and abandon his country to its fate this, "vour to amuse, and impose upon the peo- perhaps, was not to be expected: but, it "ple." Just as they do now. Exactly was to be expected, that many many as they do now. Only now, the times are others, though entertaining the same sensuch, that the longer success of such en- timents as Mr. Waithman, but having less deavours must inevitably sink this nation political courage, would be deterred from into a state, not of what is commonly call- coming forward. There are very few ed ruin, but of actual submission to a fo- men, who have the courage to meet such reign yoke. The people have, in fact, a host of slanderers as were set to work been their own undoers, not intentionally, upon Mr. Waithman. The mere time to be sure, but still they must take a great and labour of giving a simple negative to share of the blame to themselves. They each of their downright LIES are more have been the instruments, the tools, in the than any man has at his command. If, hands of others; but, it must be confessed, during three months of the last year, I had that, in but too many instances, they written only a simple assertion, in contrahave been the willing instruments. There diction to every Liɛ that was, during that can be no doubt, in the mind of any ra- time, published against me, it would have tional man, that the City of London; that taken up the whole of my time. No wonthe tameness of that City; that its having der, therefore, that men, in general, should been made a mere instrument in the hands be afraid of exposing themselves to such a of the minister of the day: there can be swarm of calumniators!The wretches, no doubt, that this City, thus made use of, who are employed for this purpose, are has been a principal cause of the present afraid of no consequences; they have nodangers of the kingdom. The people of thing to apprehend; they themselves the City of London were amused and im- have no character to lose; from the na posed upon; they were persuaded to be- ture of their office, they must be destitute lieve, that "all those who desired to do of all sense of honour and of shame; and, right to their country" were jacobins, le- generally, their associates are of the very vellers, republicans, rebels, traitors, sans- worst description of men and women, culottes; no matter by what, or by how But, while they are, from these causes, many names, those persons were called; quite fearless and callous, the world do the people of the City of London were not know, and cannot know, that such is persuaded to believe, that all such per- the case. Whatever gets into print carsons were enemies of their country. Chargeries some degree of credit with it; and, it any mau with frauds and offences against the public; why, what was the answer to you? “You are a jacobin, and want to "overturn all order and government.' Such was the answer, which, for years and years, was received by that truly ex

is next to impossible, that, by some part of the people composing a whole nation, the calumnies, though pure inventions of such wretches as I have described, should not pass for truths, and should not produce, at least, some effect, upon the minds of a

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the matter in this light! In this light, however, a man must view it, and upon these principles must he act, or, as to any hostile movement against corruption, or public robbery, he had better remain quiet. It is, as we see by this Address to Queen Anne, the lot of him "who desires "to do right to his country," to have his reputation taken away," if possible, Ly those, who, out of the public raise great estates to themselves; by those who have raised great estates, when, it is evident, they have had no lawful means to attain them; by those, who, being united int guilt and interest, endeavour to amuse and impose upon the people. This, we see, is the lot, the inevitable fate of that man, be he who he may, that" desires to "do right to his country.”. --When I first cast my eye upon the passage," being I" uned in guilt and interest, &c. &c." I could not help thinking of the she-peculators and robbers, who as they came down into this county, last summer, tossed the forged documents and base ca lumnies against me down in the streets of the towns and villages, through which they passed. "United in guilt and inte"rest" haunted by the double dread of punishment and poverty; such were the wretches, who published and circulated against me the calumnies of last summer; and such are the wretches, who are now, by all the arts that craft and malice can devise, endeavouring to take away the reputa tion of Mr. Wardle.To return a little to the Address (which is a document well worth our attention at this moment ;) we' see, that the House of Commons spoke out plainly about the Estates that men had acquired, without having had visible lawful means of attaining those estates; and to be sure, nothing can be more just, or more reasonable, than that, when you see a public officer or accountant rearing great estates, without having visible lawful means, you should inquire how he came by such estates. Is there any gentleman, who should see his steward purchasing estate upon estate, and who knew, at the safe time, that the steward had no means of his own wherewith to make such purchases; is there any gentleman, so cir cumstanced, who would not instantly set on foot an inquiry as to the source of the funds employed in purchasing the said estates? The answer is ready: There is no gentleman, not a downright fool, or a careless prodigal, who would not set on foot such inquiry. If a poor girl be

part of the people; and, as no good man, no man of proper sentiments, can, without pain, know, that he is looked upon, by a considerable part of his countrymen, as being a villain; so, there are very few men indeed, especially if they have families whose feelings also are to be consulted, who can muster up the courage to expose themselves to the torrents of lies, which are sure to be poured out against them, the moment they openly declare themselves the enemies of public robbery. For my own part, I have now been so long used to bear the calumnies of these miserable wretches, and am so happy in the conscious innocence, good sense, and fortitude of those, whose uneasiness under a participation in such calumnies could not fail deeply to affect me, that I care nothing at all about any thing that is said against me, through such channels. know, that there is a certain part of the people, who believe that I am what the advocates of the Public Robbers describe me to be. Very many there are, who, from a refinement in baseness, only affect to believe it; who know better, but, who are very desirous that others should continue in error. But, after all, I know, that there are, and that there must be, a great number of people, who do sincerely believe, that I am what the advocates of the Robbers describe me to be. Well; I cannot help this. It is no fault of mine. I know, that the greater part of well-informed people are perfectly convinced, that all that has been said against me by these knaves is false. And, then, I have always perceived, that one effect of such abominable falsehoods being published against me is, to create inquiry, personal inquiry, into my character, and my conduct in private life; and, such inquiry has produced a wonderful impression in my favour. Another effect of the calumnies against me has been to bind my friends more firmly to me. They, at any rate, well know how false and how malicious are the charges alledged against me by the advocates of the Robbers: they must, of course, feel indignation at those charges; and the effect of that indignation is an increase of attachment to me. So that, upon the whole, if one can but bring one's mind to be tranquil under the knowledge, that one is thought ill of by a considerable part of one's country-men, one gets nearly as much as one loses by the calumnies. But, how few men are there in this, or in any country, who can be brought to view

shall be found to have committed frauds. upon the public purse, no matter in what way it may have been done.

PARLIAMENT. The Session which opened on Tuesday last, the 23rd instant, has discovered, to those, who believed, or pretended to believe, that the Ministry would be left in a minority, that even this ministry can command a majority as well as any other.The KING'S SPEECH and the ADDRESS, will all be found at the end of these remarks. There is nothing, which, at present, I shall remark upon in the first; and the second is, as usual, a mere echo of the first. The Amendment was as follows: After the word "That," in the second paragraph of the speech, to insert these words:" That we have seen "with the utmost sorrow and indignation "the accumulated failures and disasters "of the last campaign, the unavailing "waste of our national resources, and the "loss of so many thousands of our brave troops, whose distinguished and heroic "valour has been unprofitably sacrificed "in enterprizes, productive not of advantage, but of lasting injury to their coun"try-Enterprizes marked only by a re"petition of former errors, tardy and

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seen with a gown or a pair of shoes finer than she can be expected to have bought with her own means, and at the same time, with a gold watch, or some other trinket, she is carried before a justice of the peace to give an account of the means by which those fineries got into her possession. And, why, let me ask, is not a public officer, or accountant, to be made to give an account of the means by which his estates have been so suddenly attained? -Well, but how were sentiments, such as these, relished by QUEEN ANNE? What did she say to a parliament that held such language to her? Did she give an answer discovering a partiality for the Public Robbers, of whom the House of Commons complained? Did she shew, that she loved such vermin? or did she shew, that she hated them?She said: "I shall con"sider the several particulars of your Ad"dress, and always have great regard to the "representations of the House of Com"mons, and to the true interests of Eng"land." And she was as good as her word; for she, with sincerity, set to work to reform abuses, to punish peculators, and to set, in her own manners and conduct, an example of moral virtue, and of œconomy without loss of dignity. Out of her own revenue she voluntarily gave large sums, in order to make up for the falling off of the public revenue; and, in her Speech at the conclusion of the first Session of Parliament, held in her reign, the war having then begun: "I must not con"clude," said she," without acquainting "you, I have given directions, that my "part of all the Prizes, which have been, "or shall be, taken during the war, be ap"plied entirely to the public service; and, I hope my own revenue will not fall so "short, but that I may be able, as I desire, to contribute yet further to the ease of my "people.' She did all this too. These were not empty professions; and, it has, with great truth, been observed, that her honest and fair dealing towards her people, was one of the greatest glories of her glorious reign. She was no hypocrite; her heart was truly English; and, during her reign England attained a height, from which, I have always thought, she has since been sinking. Never can she rise again, unless there be a House of Commons to act upon the principles expressed in the Address, part of which I have taken for mylotionstiges, think the ministers right. The unless there be a House of Controus will act a faithful part towards the and punish, really punish,

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uncombined, incapable in their success "of aiding our Ally in the critical mo"ment of his fate, but exposing in their "failure his Majesty's Councils to the scorn and derision of the enemy. "That we therefore feel ourselves bound, "with a view to the only atonement that "now can be made to an injured people, "to institute, without delay, such rigorous " and effectual inquiries and proceedings "as duty impels us to adopt, in a case "where our country has been subjected to "unexampled calamity and disgrace." This is very good; exceedingly proper; nothing could be more true; but, for all that, there were, in the House of Lords, only 92 for it, while there were 144 against it; and, in the Commons, there were only 167 for it, while there were 263 against it; leaving the ministers a majority of 52 in one House and of 96 in the other.-Well, then, MR. WINDHAM, what do you now think? You still think, of course, that there needs no reform of the parliament; but, pray, admit, then, that the ministers are right; or, at least, that the nation, through its competent representa.

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Apti-Reformists, who were for this Amendment must now be strangely puzzled. gothen joy, with all my heart, of this