181^.] 



State of Public Affairs in Octoler. 



©wing to the known indcpcndance of 

 this a;cntlciTiat!'s political principles, all 

 the officers of state, wlio iisualiy attend 

 the city festivals, forbore during this 

 mayoralty to attend any of them ; but 

 tlie livery of Loudon, thinking differently 

 of him and his principles from the Re- 

 gent's ministers, have paid liim l!ic uim- 

 tual compliment of electing him a se- 

 cond TiJiE. It has been the negligent 

 practice of the livery, at tliese cleclioiis, 

 to adopt the order of succession among 

 their aldermen ; but the individual next 

 in rotation to the present Lord Mayir, 

 having rendered himself obnoxious by 

 a self-blazoned servility to ministers, he 

 was set aside by a vast majoiity. The 

 -day of election was the 2Sth of Septem- 

 ber, when a poll being demanded by 

 Alderman Christopher Smith, who had 

 been rejected by a show of hands, it 

 cnmmeuced the same day, and was con- 

 cluded on the 5th inst. when the numbers 

 "Here, — 



For the Lord Mayor . . . 2,6 "16 

 For Aid. Coonibe .... 2,446 

 For Aid. Christopher Smith . ],0.5o 

 On which the Court of Alderman re- 

 turned the LordlMayor a second time; 

 and it is believed that Aid. Smith will 

 be passed by. 



Meetings have taken place during the 

 month in most of the great towns in the 

 kingdom, for the purpose of petitioning 

 or remonstrating against the measures 

 which have produced so unexampled a 

 degree of distress among all classes 

 of the people. Liverpool, Paisley, 

 Norwich, Stockport, Nottingham, and 

 •Sheflicld, have distinguished tiiemselves 

 on this occasion; and the third divi- 

 sion of the metropolis, the immense 

 borough of Sontli-wark, Itas imitated, in 

 the energy of its resolutions, those which 

 had previously been passed in London 

 and in \\^estminsler. The business was 

 opened by Mr. Hart, followed by Mr. 

 Calvert, the member, Mr. Hall, and 

 Mr. Kemmish; but the speech of Afr. 

 Henry Scmiltes exhibits so genuine a 

 specimen of the present feelings of the 

 public, and is so perfect a pattern of 

 poi)ular elorpience, that we should do 

 injustice to the orator, and to the pub- 

 lic, if we omitted to lay it before our 

 readers, as if appeared in the Morning 

 Chronicle of the following day : — 



Mr. .Sciiui.TKS said, iliat upon an occa- 

 sion of this nature, every ninu who was in 

 the habit of eonsidcrin:; public atfairs, 

 or who was capable of feeliiiij for his fellow 

 creatures, or who was in any decree sus- 

 ceptible of patriotism or bcncv<'lcnee, was 

 iuuud to coutribute, by all the means ia 



3(^5 



liis power, to promote the redress of tliose 

 wron'^s of which this ill-fated country had 

 but too much reason to complain. Under 

 this inlpres^ioll, lie felt it his duty to pre- 

 sent himself to the attention of the meet- 

 ing ; and he should offer his sentiments, 

 nndelerred by the frowns of power or 

 the sneers of ridicule. It was, he declared, 

 most gralifyiu}; to his niind to find this as- 

 sembly, at such an important Juncture, so 

 prompt to follow the laudable examples of 

 London and Westminster. The situation 

 of the coimtry was truly deplorablc- 

 With an enormous debt, excessive taxa- 

 tion, stagnant commerce, starvini; manu- 

 facture, and nearly ruined a;s;riculture, 

 England presented an object of pity to 

 tho e nations, ol* which it had heretofore 

 boon the basis for suppoi t, or the model 

 for admiration. Thus was the country 

 fallen throuj^h that weight of taxation, 

 which was the great cause of ail otir evils, 

 through which a host of sycophants and 

 parasites, of pensioners and plaecineii, had 

 been enabled, not only to rob us of our 

 property, and to endann;er oin- live?, but 

 to make great strides towards depriving 

 ns of that which was more valuable thaa 

 life or property, namely, our political li- 

 berty. But the prospect of the country 

 was even worse than its present condition. 

 By our geographical situation, we were 

 peculiarly calculated for trade, and by 

 trade we had principally subsisted. If 

 then our trade failed, the taxes could not 

 be paid, and a national bankruptcy must 

 be the conse(|uenee. This position could 

 not be disputed ; and he would appeal to 

 any man acrpiainted with the commercial 

 world, as to tlie state and prospect ot our 

 trade. The distress of trade was in fact 

 undeniable — it was to be seen and felt in 

 every quarter of the empire, and in every 

 class of the community : and it would be 

 absurd to suppose, as the minister wished 

 to inculcate, that such universal calamity 

 was the mere result of a transition from 

 war to peace. No — the evil lay deeper, 

 and thieatened a long-lived raisfoitune. 

 Such, indeed, was the general and just 

 impression of the public; and, tliciefore, 

 instead of that mirth and glee, that gaiety 

 and merriment, which mi^ht be expected 

 on the restoration of peace, we saw no- 

 tliinc; but misery and despair ; the mer- 

 chant without markets, the maiiufaetniTr 

 without customers, the tradesman and hi* 

 family starvin:,', itie agriculturalist aban- 

 doning his farm to emigrate to some fo- 

 reign laud, if he can contrive to escape 

 the horror of impiisonment ; a great part 

 of the land con<eqiiently left uncultivated,- 

 and the labourer thrown upon the poor- 

 rates, while the common, if not the ex- 

 clusive, topic of conversation thr.<ughout 

 tlie countiy, refers to extents, distiesscs, 

 or sxccutions for rent and taxes. Siicli 

 were the gloomy symptoms of the times — 

 3> sucji 



