1S16.] 



Meeting in Spa-Fields. — Speech of Louis. 



461 



public money on innumerable men and wo- 

 men, who are tlie holders of sinecures, pen- 

 sions, grants, and emoluments of various 

 descriptions, without bavins; ever per- 

 formed tlie smallest service to their 

 coimtry. 



That the sole cause of tliese desolating 

 measures and practices, is the want of Ike 

 people beiiifT represetited in the Commons 

 House 0/ Puiliament, and the return of 

 members to that bouse by those base and 

 corrupt means, which were by the members 

 thrmseli'cs sliaiiiclessly confessed to be " as 

 nolori' us as ilie sun at noon-day." 



That a petition be jnesented to the 

 Prince Regent, beseeching iiini to take 

 into his gracious consideration the suffer- 

 in;;8of tliis industrious, patient, andstarving 

 people, piJiying that lie will be pleased 

 immediately to call^e the parliament to be 

 assembled, and to reconnncnd to thcni, in 

 the most in'sent manner, to reduce the 

 army, to abolish all sinecures and all p(;u- 

 sions, grants, aud emoluments not merited 

 !>y public services; and to apply the same 

 to feed the "hunory and clothe the 

 NAKEn,"' so that the unhappy and starving 

 people may be saved from despeiation; and 

 above all, to listen, before it bo ton late, to 

 those repeated prayers of the people, for 

 being restored to their undoubted right of 

 enjoyinL' the benefit of Annual Parliaments 

 chosen freely by the people. 



That Sir Francis Bnrdett, bart. be re- 

 quested to wait on the Prince Regent, and 

 deliver this petition into his hands as soon 

 as possible. 



That Henry Hunt, esq. be requested to 

 acconipany Sir F. Bindclt. 



That Sir Fraucis liurdetf, bart. assisted 

 by JVlajor Cartn I iuht, be requested to pre- 

 pare and bring info Parliament, as soon as 

 ihey meet, a bill for a reform thereof, 

 agreeable to the constitution. 



That tills meeting do adjourn to Mon- 

 day December •■>, then to assemble to hear 

 the answer of the Prince Regent, in Spa- 

 field-;, at one o'clock precisely. 



That this meeting do re-assemble the 

 first day after the meeting of Parliament, 

 in Palace-yard, Westminster, at one 

 o'clock, to petition Parliament for a re- 

 forui thereof, agreeable to the Consti- 

 tution. 



That our fellow-countrymen of Bristol, 

 Liverpool, Manchester, Kiimingham, Not- 

 tin;jhai)i, Leicester, Glasgow, Paisley, and 

 of every city, town, and populous place in 

 the United Kingdom, are hereby invited, 

 and requested by this meeting to assemble 

 and meet on the .sa.vi<' day, at the same hour, 

 and for the same i'Uui'ose. 



.Sonic l)oj.s, women, and loose pcr- 

 siins, afterwards proceeded tbrouj^h flic 

 sln-ets, alfacketl some b'llcliers' and 

 bakers' sI)oj)s, and broke tlie windows 

 of Lord Casflcroagh ; but file towu was 

 quiet by iiujc o'clygk. 



FRANCE. 



The two Cbaiubers have met, and 

 tlicir sittings bave been opened by thd 

 foUowinp; .siicecb from Louis: — 



Gentlemen, — In opening this new Ses» 

 sion, it is extremely agreeable to me to 

 bave to rejoice with you on the benefits 

 which Divine I'lovidence has deigned to 

 bestow upon my people and upon me. 



Tranquillity reigns throughout the king? 

 dom ; the amicable dispositions of the fo- 

 reign sovereigns, and the exact observance 

 of treaties, guarantee to us peace without; 

 and, if a senseless enterprise has for aa 

 instant caused alarm relative to our inte- 

 rior tranquillity, it lias only served to elicit 

 a further proof of the attachment of the 

 nation, and of the fidelity of my army. 



My personal happiness Jias been in- 

 creased by the union of one of wiy childrea 

 (for, you know, my brother'.s are mine) 

 with a young princess, whose amiable qua- 

 lities, seconding the attentions of the rest 

 of my family, promise me a happy old age, 

 and will give, I trust, to PVairce, nevF 

 pledges of prosperity, by confirming the 

 order of succession, the first basis of this 

 monarchy, and without which no state caa 

 be in safety. 



To these blessings, it is true, there are 

 annexed real pains. The intemperance 

 of the seasons lias delayed the harvest; my 

 people suffer, and I suffer more than they 

 do; but I bave the consulation of being 

 able to infoim you, that the evil is but 

 temporary, and that the produce will be 

 siitiicieni for the consumption. 



Great chaiges are unhappily still neces- 

 sary; I shall iirder to be laid before you a 

 faithful statement of the expences that arc 

 indispeiisabie, and of tlie means for meet- 

 ing them. 'I'lie first ot' all is economy. I 

 have alieady made it operative in all partg 

 of the administraiion, and I labour vvitb- 

 out ceasing to make it still more so.^Al- 

 ways united in sentiment and iniention, 

 my family and myself will make the same 

 sacrifices this year as the last, and, for the 

 rest, i rely upon your attachment and your 

 zeal for the good of the state, and the Iro- 

 nour of the French name. 



I continue with moie activity than ever 

 my negociations with rhe Holy See, and I 

 have the confidence that their happy ter- 

 mination will restore perfect peace to the. 

 Church of France. But this is not all, and 

 you will be of opinion with me, no doubt, 

 that we ought not to restore to Divine 

 Worship that splendour which the piety of 

 our fathers had bestowed upon it — (that 

 would unfortunately be impossible), but 

 to ensure to the ministers of our holy Re- 

 ligion an independent income, which shall 

 place thiin in a condition to be able to fol» 

 low the steps of him of whom itissmH, that 

 he ithi good ichcievcr he Winf, 



Attached by our condqct, as we are in 

 lic9rt, to the diviae precepts of' icligiun, let 



