VOL. XV. No. 14.] LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1809. [Price 18. In the year 1802, PHILIP HAMLIN, a Tinman of Plymouth, wrote a letter to MR. HENRY ADDINGTON, the first Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, offering him the sum of £.2,000 to give him, HAMLIN, the place of Land-Surveyor of the Customs at Plymouth. In consequence of this, a criminal information was filed, against the said HAMLIN, by MR. SPENCER PERCEVAL, who was then the King's Attorney-General, and who, in pleading against the offender, asserted the distinguished purity of persons in power, in the present day. From the Bench great stress was laid on the gravity of the offence of tendering a bribe; of the baneful tendency of such crimes, in a moral as well as in a political point of view. The Tinman was found guilty; he was sentenced to pay a fine of 100 pounds to the King, and to be imprisoned for three months. His business was ruined; and he himself died, in a few months after his release from prison.- -POLITICAL REGISTER, Vol. II. page 1621*. 513] " -[514 "it was set on foot upon grounds of a public nature, and the spirit, in which "the prosecution originated, still remains; "it is, therefore, submitted to your lordships, not on a point of individual feel"ing, but of PUBLIC JUSTICE, in which "case your lordships will consider how "far the affidavits ought to operate in mi 66 "in SUMMARY OF POLITICS. REFORM. Under this head I shall introduce, from time to time, such matter as appears to me to be connected with the great question of Parliamentary Reformation," which question is, I perceive, to be brought forward for discussion, in the House of Commons, at no great distance of time. I shall also bring under this head many tigation of punishment."-- -Public jusmatters of Abuse and Corruption; and, in- tice! Public justice! Public justice! deed, every thing, which shall appear to Public justice! Oh! Public justice!me well calculated to shew, that a reform Well; what said the Judge? What said of the Commons' House of Parliament is MR. JUSTICE GROSE, in passing sentence necessary. For reminding me of the upon this man ; Such a practice, if perlittle pithy history, contained in my motto, mitted, would lead to mischief incalcula I have to thank the Editor of an excellent ble; for, it might extend to every office Sunday Paper, called THE EXAMINER. To" in the appointment of the great ministers be sure, this history is admirably calculated" of the state, civil, MILITARY, and ecclesifor producing good impressions, at the pre-" astical, and would supersede men of ability sent time. Here we see what was done to "and integrity, and place, in their stead, the tenderer of a bribe, in 1802. It is only the ignorant and corrupt."-Very sound seven years ago. Let us now hear, a little doctrine, most excellent doctrine! of what was said upon that occasion by How the Revd. Mr. Beazely will be dealt MR. PERCEVAL and by the JUDGE.Poor with it remains to be seen; and we will Hamlin confessed his guilt; he stated, in wait for the event; though I cannot help his affidavit," that he sincerely repented stopping here, for a moment, to point "of his crime; that he was 40 years of out to my readers the valuable fact, that age; that his business was the sole this was a political writer, as well as a priest; "means of supporting himself and family; and that, besides the tendered bribe, he "that a severe judgment might be the urged his merits as being the author of a "total ruin of himself and that family; pamphlet (another dirty pamphlet), in fa" and that, therefore, he threw himself vour of the ministry of the day.—But, upon, and implored, the mercy of his while we bear in mind the affair of the prosecutors and of the Court." -In Rev. Mr. Beazely, are there wanting cases, reference to this, Mr. Perceval, the present which have come before the parliament, Chancellor of the Exchequer, observe, said: whereunto to apply the principles of pub"The circumstances which the defendant "lic jus ice," upon which poor Hamlin was "discloses, respecting his own situation in sentenced to fine and imprisonment? Are "life and of his family are all of them there wanting cases of tendered bribes? topics, very well adapted to affect the Are there wanting cases of bribes actually private feelings of individuals, and, as given, and answered in value received? "far as that consideration goes, nothing Are there no persons, who have been "further need be said; but, there would proved to hold offices in consequence of "have been no prosecution at all, in this such bribes? And have any measures "case, upon the ground of personal feeling; been taken to punish any of those persons? R 66 Reader, if thou be'st a man; if thou hast one particle of justice in thy soul; thou wilt answer these questions, without any assistance of mine; and wilt not fail to furnish, out of thine own mind, a suitable commentary. Upon the Trial of poor Hamlin, Mr. Perceval said: My lords, I think it is due to the age "and country, in which we live, to state, "what, indeed, is universally believed, that "there never was a period, in the history "of this country, or of any other, in which "the characters of persons, in an exalted "station of public life, were so free from "all suspicion of this species of offence, as at "the present moment.". Reader, this was said by a man, who was then one of those persons in exalted stations; who is now Chancellor of the Exchequer; to whom Mr. Adam sent Digby Hamilton about the Note in Sandon's possession; who, in conjunction with Mr. Adam, charged Digby to enjoin Sandon not to destroy that Note; who, when he had been told that Sandon had destroyed the Note, did, in conjunction with Mr. Adam, communicate a knowledge of it to some members of the House of Commons; and, who, when the Note was, afterwards, found to be still in existence, did speak of it as a forgery of Mrs. Clarke. But, what is most of all worthy of remark, is, that it has fallen to the lot of this very man to bring into the House of Commons a bill, a bill! aye, a law, to put a stop, under a government in which he is the prime minister, to those very practices, the rarity of which he insisted upon, in 1802, and for having attempted a single instance of which he called for "PUBLIC JUSTICE" upon the head of Hamlin the Tinman! Englishmen, if you fail to draw the proper, the practical, the profitable conclusion from these premises, then are you indeed besotted; then will you indeed deserve to be treated with disregard and contempt beyond those which are shown towards the beasts that perish.The reader will have observed, that, during the recent Inquiry, the persons, who took the side of the Duke of York, seemed very much alive to the feelings of the parties accused. One complained of harrowing up the soul of the Duke; another of wounding the honour of Colonel French; another of tarnishing the fame of the families of those, who were charged with bribery; one spoke of the honour of General Clavering, even after he had confessed his offer of a bribe; and, Mr. Robert Knight, after he had himself proved his having given a bribe, was, Oh! by one member, represented as a gentle man of honour, who once had a seat in that House. "Public Justice," that public justice, which was demanded against Hamlin, in answer to his humble prayer for mercy, none of these gentlemen called for; that public justice, before which Hamlin and his family could not stand for a moment. Even now we see the bribers at large; nay, we see them in quiet possession of their offices. True, the frequency of the thing; the having witnessed a continued succession of advertisements, respecting the purchase and sale of offices under government, and also of seats in parliament, does form some little, though very little apology for Knight, French, Sandon, Tonyn, Dowler, and the rest of the bribing crew; but, had not poor Hamlin the same apology? Was not the same excuse good for the preservation of him and his family? Hamlin was fined; Hamlin was sentenced to pay a fine of 100 pounds to the King, and was imprisoned for three months. Think of this, all you, who love even-handed justice. Think of this; bear it in memory till your last moments; and imprint it on the minds of your children. No " private feelings" were to stay the hand of " pub"lic justice," in the case of Philip Hamlin. The ruin of his business and family was not to stop the even course of public justice. Oh! bear this in mind, and hope and labour for the day when the remembrance of it may be of practical advan tage!In my last Number, I had the pleasing task of recording the Resolutions passed at the Meeting, held in the City of Westminster; and, in my present, I shall insert, entire, the speech of SIR FRANCIS BURDETT, delivered upon that occasion, which speech I take as I find it reported in the Courier news-paper, and I select that paper to copy from, because it is, in general, a supporter of the present administration. But, if my pleasure was great in inserting an account of the Proceedings at Westminster, how shall I describe that which I feel at inserting an account of the proceedings in the City of London, where a spectacle has been exhibited, cheering to the hearts of all those who love their country, and terrific to nobody but its foreign and domestic foes. -At a Common Hall; that is to say, an assemblage of the Livery of the City of London, which was held on Saturday last, the 1st of April, the following excellent Resolutions were moved by MR. WAITHMAN, and were unanimously passed; and, it will be seen, that the hope I expressed was not groundless, namely, that the conduct of the Lord Mayor would not be forgotten.I shall take the Resolutions, just as they stand, published by authority, in the news-papers; because this is a very memorable transaction, and will hereafter be a matter of frequent reference, for which reason I shall number the Resolutions. FLOWER, MAYOR. In a Meeting or Assembly of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Liverymen, of the several Companies of the City of London, in Common Hall Assembled, at the Guildhall of the said City, on Saturday, the 1st day of April, 1809, RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, measure calculated to remove abuses and root out corruption. 5. Resolved Unanimously — That these Abuses form only a part of a wicked and corrupt System, which has been long acted upon, and no permanent good can arise from the late investigation, unless followed up by a general reformnation of Public Abuses in every department of the State. 6. Resolved Unanimously - That the Corporation of London did, in Petitions unanimously agreed to, and presented to both Houses of Parliament, during the last Sessions, state, "That their burthens had been considerably augmented by gross abuses in the management and expenditure of the Public Money, by a profusion of Sinecure Places and Pensions, which have not only added to the sufferings of the people, but created a pernicious influence, corrupting and undermining the 1. THAT it has long been matter of notoriety, and has lately been proved, beyond the possibility of doubt, that Abuses of a most corrupt nature and ruinous ten-free principles of the British Constitution." dency have existed and still exist in various branches of the Administration of Public Affairs. 2. Resolved Unanimously-That to detect such Abuses, and expose to detestation those men who have-wickedly connived at or participated in them, requires no small degree of virtue, independence and patriotism, all which have been eminently displayed by Gwyllym Lloyd Wardle, Esq. in instituting and conducting the late Inquiry into the conduct of his Royal Highness the Duke of York. 3. Resolved Unanimously. That the said Gwyllym Lloyd Wardle, Esq. is therefore entitled to the Thanks and Gratitude of this Common Hall, for his persevering and independent efforts, which have already produced beneficial effects, and are likely to lead to still more advantageous results; and they express their confidence that having so manfully and ably commenced this arduous task, no difficulty or danger will damp his ardour or impede his progress in a cause so honourable to himself and so essential to the best interests of his country. 7. Resolved Unanimously-That no measures calculated to remove these oppressive and alarming evils have yet been. adopted, nor can any rational expectation be formed that such measures will be adopted, while the mangement of the Public Affairs is in the hands of persons who are themselves the greatest Pensioners and Reversionists in the kingdom. 8. Resolved Unanimously-That it has since appeared, by the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons, that 78 Members of that House are in the re ceipt of £.178,99! per annum, out of the Public Money, who, with their relations, and the Naval and Military Officers in that House, must give a most preponderating and dangerous influence to a Ministers of the Crown. 9. Resolved Unanimously-That if any doubt could remain as to the baneful effect of such influence, it has been sufficiently exemplified by the rejection of Mr. War dle's late Proposition in Parliament, against the most conclusive evidence, and unequivocal sense of the country; and where it appeared that all his Majesty's Ministers all the Placemen-and all the Pensioners, then present (stated to be 82 in number) voted against the said Proposition; while, of course, in the Minority of 125, not one of the Ministers--not one Placeman-not one Pensioner-and only one Naval and one Military Commander was to be found. 4. Resolved Unanimously-That upon the same principles, and for the same reasons, they do highly approve of the conduct of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. (the Seconder) Lord Viscount Folkestone, Samuel Whitbread, Esq. Sir Samuel Romilly, Knight, General Fergusson, and the rest of the 125 honest and independent Mem- 10. Resolved Unanimously-That other bers, who supported Mr. Wardle's propo-Governments have crumbled into ruin→→ sition on the 15th of March, 1809, and trust that, uninfluenced by party or feelings of interest, they will support every other States have been subverted, and their ancient and venerable Institutions overthrown, by the folly, profligacy, and vices of their Rulers; and, in the opinion of this Common Hall, unless this overwhelming tide of corruption is resisted by temperate and timely reformation, it must inevitably lead to the ruin and subjugation of this Country. 11. Resolved Unanimously - That it will be highly expedient for the Livery of London, some time during the present Session, to meet for the purpose of laying a faithful statement of their Grievances before Parliament, and pray for redress of the same. 12. Resolved Unanimously-That the Thanks of this Common Hall be given to Alderman Combe, one of the Representatives of this City in Parliament, for the support he gave to Mr. Wardle's Motion, and for his uniform independence and incorruptibility in Parliament. "universal hiss echoed through the hall. 66 Sir William addressed them in dumb shew, he bowed, put his hand upon his heart, all in vain. The Lord Mayor "thought to conciliate, but he was obliged "to retire amid universal groanings, hissings, &c. Sir Wm. at length gained a " partial hearing; he said the resolutions "went to charge Government with cor"ruption.-(Shouts of Yes, yes! and you along with them).-Why, said Sir William, "I believe many of those connected with "the Duke of York to have been corrupt, "but Gentlemen in the House of Com"mons spoke three or four hours each, and if every one was to do that, we should be sitting still. I then only spoke a few "words. Cries of they would not hear you." Your vote."-" How did you vote?") Indeed, Gentlemen, there was "such confusion I did not know how to vote; many did not know how they voted (hissing). I assure you I am no Place"man, no Pensioner. (Roars of derision; "You are, you are,' A Jobber, a Con"tractor, shame, shame, off, off.') Sir Wm. "made a low bow and took his seat beside "the Lord Mayor."The "worthy "Alderman" was not less unfortunate than his two colleagues, SIR CHARLES PRICE and MR. ALDERMAN SHAW, the former of whom, when he came to speak of having given his vote according to the "best of his judgment," excited such general hisses and cries of off! off! that the Honourable Baronet" was compelled to retire.MR. ALDERMAN SHAW seems to have proceeded for a while without interruption, until he came to these words: "For my own part, I can safely 66 13. Resolved-That Sir William Curtis, Bart. Sir Charles Price, Bart. and James Shaw, Esq. three of the Representatives" for this City in Parliament have, by their recent conduct therein, shewn a contempt and disregard for the opinions and interests of their Constituents, and a base subserviency to the will of Ministers; and are, therefore, unworthy the confidence of their Fellow-Citizens. 14. Resolved-That the Lord Mayor has, by refusing to convene a Common Hall upon the three different requisitions, by presuming to dictate the terms and object of the present requisition, by the reluctance he even afterwards evinced, and the trouble and delay he has created, shewn a contempt and disregard for the Rights and Privileges of the Livery, and is unworthy the confidence of his Fellow-declare, that I judged of the Duke of Citizens. 15. Resolved-That the Thanks of this Common Hall be given to Robert Waithman, Esq. for his manly conduct in the present instance, and his unremitting zeal upon all occasions where the Interests of his Fellow-Citizens are in Question. "York, as I should have done of any other "Englishman, upon the same evidence," when, as the reporter states, a certain monosyllable, accompanied by off! off! proceeded from numerous voices.- -Now came the close, the excellent close of this novel and heart-cheering scene. The resolution of censure against Messrs. PRICE, SHAW and CURTIS having been carried with 16. Resolved Unanimously - That the foregoing Resolutions be signed by the Town Clerk, and inserted in all the Morn-about only a dozen dissenting voices, Mr. ing and Evening Papers. WOODTHORPE. I would fain give all the speeches, delivered upon this occasion, and especially the two speeches of Mr. Waithman; but my space will not allow of it. One speech, however, I cannot refrain from giving; and that is the specch of Mr. Alderman CURTIS, who is also a member of parliament. "Sir William Curtis next appeared. "Immediately a tumult, which we would vainly attempt to describe, arose. One WAITHMAN came forward and proposed ROWCROFT stepped forward in favour of "the Noble Lord;" but, when his object became apparent, he was assailed by cries of" You are his partner and adviser, "and ought to justify your own acts. You "are his brother contractor. You have in"volved him in the hobble, and may try "to release him. We understand you "both, and the public will know you "soon."--After some further altercation; but not until MR. ALDERMAN COMBE had expressed his determination to take the chair and put the resolution, if the Lord Mayor would not, the Noble Lord came forward, and said, that, not from his own conviction, but for the sake of the peace of the City, he would put the resolution himself, which he actually did, and, with his own lips, proclaimed, that the Resolution of censure of his own conduct had been carried!The thanks of the Livery were then given to MR. WAITHMAN, and if ever man living, or dead, deserved such a mark of approbation, Mr. Waithman deserved it. Twenty years has he been labouring to unglue the eyes of the Citizens of London. No difficulties; no discouragements; no calumnies have slackened his efforts. He has always said: "they are "blinded; they are misled; they are "deceived, cheated by cunning knaves; "but, still there is good in their hearts, and one day or other, it will appear." I remember his saying this to me, about thirteen or fourteen months ago. The beauty of it is, too, that he is a man of excellent character, in every respect; that he is a plain unambitious man; that he is perfectly disinterested in all he does; that he is a real patriot, and as faithful and zealous a subject as any the King has in his whole dominions. "Oh! the loads of abuse that most worthy man has had to sustain! The public have recently witnessed the effects of his zeal and activity, with regard to Christs' Hospital. Having brought forward a shocking instance of abuse there, the Reverend person accused does not, for he cannot, deny the charge; but he fails not to accuse Mr. Waithman of being an enemy to the civil and religious establishments of the country! This school was endowed for the purpose of affording the poor men of England an opportunity of elevating their families by the education of their children. It is required, that the father, or other guardian of the child, should make and sign a declaration, I believe, on outh (though I will not be quite sure of that) that the child, proposed to be put into the school, is of such an age, &c. that he was born thus and thus; and, that the father or mother, or child himself, if an orphan, has not the means of paying himself for the education of the child. Now, it appears, that the REV. DAWSON WARREN (let us have his name as we can read it), Vicar of Edmonton, in Middlesex, whose son was got into the school, admits that his income is £.850 a year, and that his life is insured for £.8,000.- -Can there be a more crying abuse than this? Nay, and when a motion was made for the expulsion of the boy, it was urged, as a reason against the adoption of the motion, "that it might "establish a dangerous precedent, which might lead to the expulsion of half the "school." Yet, by exposing this shocking abuse; this wrong shamefully done to our poorer countrymen, and that, too, by one of the most richly beneficed clergymen; by exposing this abuse, and by persevering, as he does in every thing he undertakes, Mr. Waithman called down upon his head the charge of being an enemy to the civil and religious establishments of the kingdom.It has been uniformly thus: reason upon abuses, and you are answered by a charge of jacobinism: state facts, and you are a traitor. If there be no construction of law that will reach you, recourse is had to calumny; meet that and defeat it, and recourse is had to cowardly insinuation. All the vices, all the weaknesses, all that is defective in the people is armed against you. Prejudices are created and nourished, with a degree of care and of malignant perseverance hardly to be conceived; and thus the triumph of falshood over truth is insured. For twenty years has Mr. Waithman been struggling against this torrent of overwhelming corruption and falshood. Truth, however, has, at last, forced her way, thanks to Mr. Wardle, through all the obstacles that existed, and on Saturday last, Mr. Waithman received ample compensation for half a life of anxiety and of labour.Now, then, will Mr. Yorke and Mr. Perceval say, that this is mere "popular clamour ?" That it is not the voice, the sober sense, of the people? True, the Livery of London did hiss, and cry of off! But, this was an expression of their indignation at conduct, upon which they had all the means of forming a cool and correct opinion. If, indeed, it had been now that the subject had been first discussed, the case would be different; we should then say, that they ought to have listened patiently to both sides; but, the whole of the evidence, in |