eal cause of the present distress,
and that the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his majesty's
ministers were alone capable of affording serious relief to
the present distress.

Mr. Barclay seconded the motion of the Right Reverend the
Bishop of London, to which Lord Cochrane assured the meeting
he entertained no objection.

Great confusion prevailed in the meeting, some crying out
for Lord Cochrane's motion, while others were equally loud in
testifying their anxiety for the vote of thanks.

The Duke of Kent then put the motion.

Lord Cochrane said that his sole object was to have an
opportunity of moving his resolution after the present was
disposed of.

A person from a distant part of the room exclaimed: "That resolution
shall not be put, for it is a libel on the Parliament." Several other
remarks were made, but they were generally unintelligible from the
violent uproar and confusion that prevailed. Loud cries of "Put Lord
Cochrane's motion first" were mixed with the cry of "Chair, chair."

The Duke of Kent said that he had attended this meeting with a view
to assist in promoting an object of charity, and he had no doubt that
such was the intention of the noble lord (Cochrane). Of this he
was sure from the noble lord's own declaration, as well as from his
knowledge of the noble lord's feelings. The noble lord had, indeed,
himself stated that he had no wish to introduce any political, or to
press any, measure likely to interfere with the object of the
meeting. Therefore, he called upon the noble lord, in consistency, in
politeness and urbanity, not to urge any political principle; and the
noble lord must be aware that his proposition had a strong political
tendency. The proposition was indeed such, that the noble lord must be
aware that it was calculated to injure the subscription, for those who
were not of the noble lord's opinion in politics were but too likely
to leave the room if that proposition were pressed to a vote, and thus
a material object of charity would suffer through a desire to urge a
declaration of a mere political opinion.

Lord Cochrane disclaimed any wish to provoke political discussion.
He expressed his desire merely to declare a truth which no man
could venture to dispute in any popular assembly, in order that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and others present, might have an
opportunity of reporting to Government the decided sentimen