The Statesman. — London, England, 1820-08-08 00:00:00

I {1 I II , I 1 I 6 fi 4 11 t. I) t • X THE STATESMAN. he rummer in which it was proffered, there appear to me to be two faiths in the address. First, an a, comfit°. .latiou was proposed in which the weaker parts- shoidd vield to the stronger. Secondly—She who lad just claims to the insertion of her name in the Liturgy, was was required to give up those jest claims ; and thereby 'tick a proposition should never have been made to her 31ajesty by the House of Cominotia, w hose province it was constitutionally to advise the King fapplausel, who in an equally constitutional manner hoinill to listen to, if not follow, such advice. flowerer. von all know her, Majesty refused to art upon it—hut whether right o r at tong I shall not pretend to say. The consequence, but , was, a species of trick, not eery ntifreiptently resorted to—the inquiry was stopped, and the Green Sag thrown under the table—Paugliter and applause :j. 7 . 1.1 r, as far as regarded the Hinter of Commons, but the House of Lorde, I presume, took a different view of the question; and as they are generally %opposed to be a more cot:dying body, were requested to take it up—and they did • (I.3ll‘hter !)—.-I . 3killg it then for granted, that the only mode of proceeding left, was by a Bill of Pains and Penalties, I con conceive no Pleasure more out of the ordinary course of law, nor one more objectionable and 'against all our notions of justice. than a general and sweeping Bill of Pains and Penalties for the punishment a.; a particular offence. The two most celebrated men • aucieut and modern times have condemned it—Cicero :rd Paley. Ido not, however, deny that such proceed ing; have been used in the course of our history—in the course of the last century; but if we look to the latest precedent., and see on what occasion they took place, we can see how differently these parties have been' treated, when contrasted with her Majesty, the Queen— ( Hear, hear.)—When the Bill was brought down against Bisbnp Atterhurv, it was stated that . persons of figure arid family wanted to bring in a foreign force to assist the views of the Pretender, and if the fact was so, a cave of state necessity was made out. Bet how different was that state uecessity from the present? Then, when sr great a danger threateneih—them when a foreign torce was invited to our shores—then, when the British • was to be made the arena for di'cord and for fight, --then, when impunity to the guilty might be revolution it the state-a-(Applause.)—every charge against Bishop Atterbnry WA, laid in the report, to which an appendix, ri•ra . ning more thau 200 pages of evidence, was alee t :—While in the present case her Majesty has to meet charges for a period of six years; during which s!:e made many journies to various countries, soh: re spies beset her, or those who appeared as friends he •royed her: and has not been furnished either with a Ilst of the witnesses against her, or the places in which ft . ey charge her with improper conduct.—(Hear, hear!) i:et extraordinary as this proceeding is, having been he. tete the noose of Lords, an investigation having al• ready commenced, and every probability existing that it will come before the House of Commons, I shall feel it my duty to attend to it with all the impartiality ut one who is tidied upon to act as a Judge, and not let my feeling as a man prevent air doing the State that justice evl ich every na!ional question demands from one of the representatives of the people.—(Cheers.) I say that iestice demands, because if the charges are proved, lowever dilS.ailt the task, to decide on the particular Lordship of the case—however unfortunate it may be that Ole Queen should be degraded in the alre in which we Lee, end throughout Eerope.—still I hope I shall do my duty in this case as well as I should do it in any other that similarly comes before cheering) —Mach has been said at various times of her Majesty baing made the tool of faction ; but no such disposition, Gentleinem can be charged on you or me. It has been a.:41) said that the Frieuds of the Quern bade her appeal t I the people in the streets—but such a calumny carries with it its own refutation. The friends of her Majesty have acted a different part. But, Gentlemen, if there are persons existing alto incited her Majesty to this nitasure, of in former measures, and so incited her for tee purpose of promoting their ottn interests, and after that foam' it hest to become the panders to their own pate:ons for place or pension—if the defenders of the Queen became the accusers of the King [cheers), and t' ea talked of honour and conscience—if one talks of r ever bring a public accuser, while be is one of the advisers of a public prosecution—and another talks of tringiag the impartiality of a judge to the decision of a question in which he is one of the prosecutors—if some men who took up her cause are now ready to con demn her, and preclude her from the couttuon advantages remain -I. to a fair trial—if, I say, smith men exist, so far from approving of, or assimilating my line of conduct to Heirs, I shill always consider theist as the basest and vilest of mankind fencers]. 1 am afraid, Gentlemen, are already trouhreil you too long, and therefore I shall row ronrlude be thanking you most sincerely for the manner in which yon have been pleased to honour me. I shall propose to you-- " Prosperity to the County of Huntingdon." After this toast, which was drank with three times three, the band played !harts of Oak. Mr. I. B. KoopaK briefly adiressed the mee ti ng . I rise, gentlemen, to propose a toast which will be grate fal to us all, and which I am sure von will all drink with applause. Without further preface, then, and as I know nothing Irons me could add to the Noble Lord's charac ter as a Member of Parliament, a man, a landlord, a , neighbour, and a friend—one whose condescension to us is not to be met by praise—l shall give von (her Noble Chairtnau, the determined Patriot, and the liberal landlord." Lord Sos sae race to return thanks, and said, Oentle men, unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I rise with deep agitation to return von my thanks. I feel kow unworthy I am of such approbation t but to know that my political feelings are in unison with those of the r npestahle gentlemen I see around me, affords me matter of the highest gratification—{applause]—and the more so, as I am influenced by the same feelings I was in November last Gentlemen. I am sorry that his Majesty's Ministers did not so alter their line of conduct as to get my support [applause]; and I think our country has re cvlyell a fresh disgrace from their late political.proceed i-gs. I glorv, Gentlemen, in being a Whig---an tndepen nem W hig [ebeers], and if an administration, th on gh com posed of any al t friends, acted as the Tories hare I would as strenuously oppose them as I do the present Government [applause]. I am actuated by no factions motive—and I yield to no Tory in the world, either in loyalty to my King and country, or attachment to the just rights and liberties of Englishmen. With respect so the Queen. as I shall be called upon to act as in the nature of a Juryman, it would he wrong in me to tres pass on year time be stating what I think ; suf fi ce it to say, l shall go to tire consideration of that great ques tion actuated by the most impartial notions, nei ther seeking fame on the one band, nor dreading clamour es the other ; and if I hare health to attend the ievestigation. I shall fearlessly, manfully anal con sulmatioesly discharge my duty (cheers). Afy Noble Pripet has thrown est au insinuation against the House Parliament to which I belong, and I heartily agree to it [applause]. I regret to see the Upper House so complaisant tw Ministers, but perhaps if there were a few more independent men in the House of Commons, the country woad mot be so bad as it now is [shouts of applause and laughter). Really, gentlemen, your ex pressions of applause (site overpower me, and I must conclude by /making all your good health. [at the cop clesion of this speech, bravo! bravo! resounded for se veral minutes]. The Rev. kir. Savrtasita, in proposing the nett Walt, sail, that bearing as it did a relation to two Noble Fa milies, who had onferred such benefits on the country, be had little else to say, than merely declare their names; and the more s.s, as most of those around him were fully aware of their many virtues. He then gave— " The Houses of • Itossell and Cavendish, and may the Aristocracy of the Kingd ever be foremost in support of the Rights of the People" [applause]. The ICev Dr. Mat.vinr-1 ran scarcely think myself of sufficient consequence to return thanks for the man ner in whit th:s toast has been received. Blot if a knowledge of the one, and an acquaintance with the constitutional feelings of the other, could justify me, tor justification is already at hand. From the head of foie of those Noble Houses I have received a letter, and, without farther observation, I shall proceed to lay its contents before von. The letter is from the Duke of Bedford. in answer to the request which was trans mitted him, that he %could honour its with his com pany on this day. His tirace acknowledges the receipt of the letter, and expreaaes hih regret at not being able to profit of the invitation : he begs his excuse may be made for his non-attendance, and observing that he can not he insensible to the honour conferred upon his son --adds his satisfaction that the persons oho matured the independence of the county (Huntingdon) had looked to Isis son as a faithful guardian of those inter ests confided to him. The note conclisiles by his (trace's emphatically adding. "1 'mat in tiod you will never he disappointed.'—Such is the virtuous and good feel ing of his lirare the Duke of Bedford ; and if my Noble Friend could possibly degenerate from the feelings of his family, his (trace of Bedford would be the first, lam sure, to mark such a change as it deserved. His Orare, however, need have no such pain, and we have no am Is fear. The past will justify the future, and if without wounding his delicacy I may say so—l can safely add, that no one Member of that Illustrious House is more thoroughly imbued with the patriotic principles of that noble family than my noble friend. Likely then as be is to be the faithful guardian of our liberties and interests, I hope he may continue to the end of his honourable life the houest representative of the County of Multi iticilon —pond applause]. Many minr loyal and constitutional toasts %ere given. SENTENuE TR'ENTY-TWo PRISOSERS CONVICTED OF MGR TREASON! STMT.INO. FRIDAY. Atc. 6. The Court met this morning, pursuant to adjourn ment. and John M•Millan and Andrew Dawson were put to the hir, when Mr. Grant (who with Mr. Cullen was counsel for the eight prisoners whose cases were this day to h.• brought before the Court), moved, that their plea of Not Guilty, which they had pleaded on their arraignment, origin be withdrawn, and that the prisoners nitcht be at liberty to plead diiterently. The Court having heard Mr. Want in support of his motion, and the Lord Advocate having assented to it, the prisoners were severally asked whether they wished to withdraw their plea of Not Guilty of their own free si ill; the prisoners bowed to the Court, and their several pleas of tinilty were then recorded. The Loaf) Anvoe %Tr then addressed the Court, and alluding to the manner in which Mr. Brant had expressed himself respecting the views of those who hal discussed the prosecutions, he said, to show my honourable and learned friend, that his expectations on any point are not likely to he disappointed; and seeing he has Judiciously recommended to chute two men to plead guilty, whom I consider, as the most criminal of the persons at your Lordships' bar—so I agree with him in thinking, that reongh has been done, and that I am now at liberty to arrest the ex tended hand of justice, and to hold forth that leniency and merry to the remainder of the unhappy men before the Court. In their fsvonr I therefore consent to a verdirt of Acquittal. My Lord, when we recollect the number of personsconvietesl, and now awaiting their sentence, atnonntiftg, in this county alone, to no less than 22, and connected with various and distinct arts of trea son, connected nith the affair at Donnymnir,connected with the insurrection at Balfron. connected with the treasonable proceedings at St. Ninian's, and now these last individuals, connected with the like proceedings at CAnielon, I say, when in all these eases convictions have been obtained, I hope it will he generally felt, that we have done enough, and that if I were now to persevere farther. I might be supposed to be influeaced by a spirit, which I disown on the part of the Govern ment, and which I disown on the part of myself. A J ury were then worn, and immediately pronounced James Aitkin, wright, Andrew Burt, jun. James Burt, James Aitkin, grocer, John Johnstone, and Daniel Turner—Not Gel(. The Loan Palm D:NT then addressed Andrew Burt, and the other men who had been acquitted, and hoped that they would consider and lay to heart what they had heard in Court, and retutn to their homes thank ful for the proceedings that had taken place, and with a resolution to become in future honest men and good subjects. James Aitken, Andrew Burt, junior, James Aitken, John Johnston, and Daniel Turner, then bowed, and left the Court. James Burt was again remanded to prison, on account of some offence charged against him in the sheriff-court. Lope) Auvorarr.—My Lord President, I bare now to discharge the most painful part of my duty, in having discharged which, I shall rejoice, namely, to move your Lordships fur the last sentence of the law. The twenty-two remaining prisoners were then severally asked, whether they had any thing to say why judgment to die according to law should not be pronounced upon them, and bowed to the Court ; and the LORD Paestne.x.r, in a most impressive manner, pronounced upon them the following sentence :-- Loan PRILSIDRST—Andrew Hardie, John Baird, James Clelland, Thomas M'Culloch, Benjamin Moir, Allan Murchie, Alexander Latimer, Alexander John stone, Andrew White, David Thomson, James Wright, William Clackson or Clarkson, Thomas Pike or Pink, Robert Uray, Alexandre Hart, John Barr, William Smith, Thomas M'lrarlane, John Anderson, William Crawford, John M'Millan, and Andrew Dawson—Yon present a melancholy spectacle of two-and-twenty sub jects of this country who have forfeited their lives to its jnstice a spectacle, I believe unexampled in the history of this country, such at least as I never witnessed, and I trust in God never shall witness again. The crime of which you have been con victed, is the crime of high treason, a crime the high est known to the law, and the highest I may ven ture to say, which can be known to a reflecting mind, because, in fact, whatever may be the motive, which a man has in view, who engages in the crime of high treason, we all must be aware that that crime whether oltissately successful or not in itsprogress, if progress it has, must produce unutterable misery and confusion. It is impossible that treason can make any progress towards success, without deluging the country in which it takes plate, in blood and slaughter, in plunder and devastation. All countries therefore, and all laws, have considered the crime ofhigh treason as the deepest which any subject can possibly commit. At the same time, I am well aware, that fro, the de- 1 lnsion which has been practised against you, and from the principles, perhaps, which sowed you have iris bibed, yon may view this in a different light, and that 1 1 you may consider yourselves not us the victims ofjus tice, but as martyrs to liberty. Some of you, fur any thing I know, may even glory in your suffering; but remember this, that sentence of death is now to be passed on you all ; and remember that, whatever may be your own opinions, as to the moral guilt of the cri►.►e of which you have been con victed, that all of you, at least, are miserable sinners. All of you have vices and sins to answer for at the throne of God : and, die when vou may, or fur what ever cause, those sins must be answered for ; and, therefore, whatever may he your opinion of the guilt of this crime of which yon have been convicted, re member that yeti still have the sins that beset human nature to answer for at the throne of God ; and I en treat and conjure you all to look into your own breasts, to recall the actions of your past lives, and to pray to God to give you that repentance which leadeth unto life, and which, alas ! the best of us have too much occasion for. Remember that repentance alone is not sufficient — remember that you have to appear before a God who is not only possessed of infinite mercy bat of inflexible justice—that both must be satisfied by us, miserable sinners, before we can hope tor mercy at his Throne ;1 and as we ourselves, alas' have nothing to offer, have I nothing to plead in mitigation of punishment from that I inflexible justice, which must be satisfied as well as his mercy, let we entreat you to have recourse to that Re deemer who stands as a Mediator between our God and us, through whom alone we can all hope for mercy. It only remains for me now to pronounce against one and all of you the last awful sentence of the law. In regard to you, Andrew Hardie and John Baird, I can hold out little or no hopes of mercy. You were selected for trial as leaders of that band in which you were associated. You were convicted, after a full and a fair trial, and it is utterly impossible to suppose, considering the con vulsions into which this country was thrown, that the Crown must not feel a necessity of making some ter rible examples, and, as you were the leaders, I am afraid that example must be given by you. With re gard to the rest of you, I hope and trust that mercy may he extended to the most, if not to all, of you ; but it is nut to this Court that mercy belongs, and we can not guarantee it. It depends upon the mercy of the Crown alone, a mercy which is never exercised capri ciously, and ought never to be exercised capriciously. The Ministers of the Crown, standing in the elevated situations which they hold, are bound to take into view the interest-4 of the whole community, and not to extend mercy to individual eases, merely for the take of merry, if the interests of the country should in fact demand your punishment. k hope and trust however that the contrary may be the case, but let Ilse warn you all, in the mean time, to avail yourselves of the short time that is granted to yon, and to prepare for the worst. The worst may come upon some of yon, and I hope and trust you will be prepared for it, and at all events you will not lire in future the worse men that you have prepared to die. The sentence of the law is, that you, and each of you, be tnken to the place from whence yen came, and that yon be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execu ►ion, and there be hung by the neck, until you are dead, and afterwards your head severed from your body, and your body divided into four quarters, to be disposed of as his Majesty may direct—and may God ' in his infinite goodness hare mercy on your souls. I have only to intimate now, that a warrant will be signed by the Court for your execution on Friday the lith day of September. The prisoner. were then taken from the bar. Loan PaasioxsT.—gentlemen of the petit jury, you are now discharged from further attendance. The Court regret extremely the trouble and fatigue you had on the former occasion ; at present I trust you will not complain of any thing of that kind, and I am sere the country must be s.stistied with your attention ; and I do trust that the proceedings of this commission will bare that beneficial effect upon the country which was intended. great and abominable crimes undoubt edly were intended ; of that we have had complete proof, by the convictions which have taken place of so many. I hope and trust that what has passed in the administration of justice here, and what has fallen from the counsel os. all sides, will have a most useful and beneficial effect, by saskfying the people, that, whatever shades of differences there mar be, whatever little petty grievances this or that order of the community may have, whatever trifling alterations any persons may think nec.ssary in the constitution, the great and important principles of this constitution are the best, the wisest, and the freest that the sun yet ever slw. We may think some of us, that there may he some grievances, others may think the constitution may yet he amended ; but, upon the whole, we all live happily, freely, and comfortably under it, as it stands, and although those who think they have griev ances should not succeed in hating them redressed, al though those who think reformation to some degree necessary, du not obtain it, still they have the satis faction of knowing, they enjoyed a greater degree of liberty, as it stands, than any other nation, and as much, I believe, as human nature in this world is capable of enjoying ; for of one thing be assured, that, unless we continue a virtuous people we are not fit for liberty, and therefore it is that 1 say, that the degree of liberty, which we at present enjoy, is, 1 am afraid, as much as we are capable of enjoying with honk to ourselves, and any attempt to give us a much greater degree of it (I speak not of little alterations or reformations) would, in fact, end in the destruc tion of that which we have. I have only to state the sense which the Court have, with the counsel for the Crown, of the activity of the magistrates of this dis trict, it is highly to their praise ; and I hope and trust, that, from the highest to the lowest, they will persevere in their endeavours to preserve-the pees of this meet important part of the country I and, above! all, to enlighten the people. as to their tray ias niit , and their just rights. The Court then adjourned till 25th Novcr.t t. ten o'clock. THE QUERN. TO THE EDMHt OF THE sTATzusix LClTillt XVII. " Brave, brave, by Heavens —she deserves a Crows " All that had been intended towards her Majea ‘ /Wiesner. eandeer,feelfag, and benerelenee."—m r :c u. stiss's S►ECCH. June 7, WV°. ' We are gemmed by a set of drivellers, w►am mint ,takes assay all dignity from distress, u makes mu calamity ridiculous.'•—Air R. Sract.t. Events crowd upon us in too rapid a sueeessios, admit of that fulness of animadversion which thee u• spectively merit; and many, which at other üb t , would be reckoned important, we are compell e d 4 pass over with a glance. The Bishop of Exeter, whom we recollect, a f r „ weeks ago, to have, in a manner as impeniarea as unreasonable, interrupted the pleadings of h er lh. jetty's Attorney• General, in the House of Lard; sad for which he received front Lord Holland as q r ,. priste chastisement on the spot, has already ah ea i ssi the reward of his services, upon that armies, h e being translated to the valuable see of Linealt. ttiy is rapid promotion. What an inviting exulte f ir his Brother Bishops! It will be the duty of the Ft lie, in the course of her Majesty's trial, narrowly a observe the conduct of the right reverend Bench. With instances of the base and the profligate, it h pleasant to contrast such as are of as opposite as. ratter. Persons of integrity and sound jedgatat sr joke to perceive, that, in the more recent UMW If her Majesty to the loyal and spirited addresses lAA I pour in upon her from all parts of the kin g d om. a dignified, consistent, and lofty tone, in respect What adversaries, such as alone befits leer Majesty, has hues invariably preserved. It is with pride, *ram a d surprise, wo have to acknowledge, that her ilerjenp, surrounded as she is with snares of every Jewelled.% Ihas very rarely fallen into the error of a easpranisiag policy; and never, when she has consaltod reedy he r own excellent understanding. We feel happy h a ti e persuasion, that her Majesty's clear dimmest of her peculiar position, and various relating, will se able her firmly to reject all counsel beatnik t. dimi nish, in any essential degree, the frapeacy sot di rectness of her communication with as, the people of England, her real and only efficient (deeds. Every al. vice, therefore, tending to this end, as it could not but have the effect of placing her proportionally is the power of her enemies, I should, as au advocate idiot Majesty's cause, most tarnestly deprecate. In this spirit, I trust that the removal to Brandenbargh Wow will be so managed, that, whilq her Majesty's inn!. diate comforts may be better consulted, bee retie and more permanent interests will not be sacrificed. As combined with the salutary change cf num, which I have remarked in the more recent answers te the addresses of the people, the absence of Messrs. Brougham and Denman, on the Circuit, and the id occupation of their time in other pursuits, bare af forded ground of curious speculation. The true mid only policy of her Majesty is to hold her adversaries. the Boren glimongers, and their satellites (Lvelitterits), avowedly in the utmost contempt contempt whisk they so richly merit, and limn trLich they cep nerve. but by a criminal complaisas.ce on the part of jeety, or of the public, hope t 3 recover. !n rain, while their conduct is more than contemptible, will they make decrees to screen themselves frees public re* tempt. They might as sell pass edicts to wade themselves immaculate or immortal. The rase of het Majesty seems to be the destined occasion to enakk public opinion irrevocably to pronounce their doom What is now become of their boasted Bills, Wick were so triumphantly to have " restrained the Neer devoteeu of the press," i. e. to have pretested the press from comatenting ox the e)imace of the Borough mongers. They are as wastepaper, lung since ramie ed ad flews et piperers. But perhaps the Bermigk mongers, in order to counteract the admirable Moms of the press, to silence the united voice of the whole nation, and procure the condemnation of We Majesty, by means of unprecedented turpitude, mesa to hare recourse to force. One would think that mat mot be their intention, from the almost constant arrival of troops in the vicinity of the metropolis. To ask these men if they have well considered what they are about. would be a mere waste of breath. Enert Med by power, and bewildered by fear, consideration is always either above or below them. " None but themselves can be their parallel." Although this sentence is, striedi speaking, nonsense, it will not be regarded herr m In."Plilied• In truth. there is nothing in helves encore, or in the earth beneath, or in the waten turekt the earth, like our Boroughmougers. There owe was, and I trust never will be again, in the creates, such beings. As a specimen of " Ivens *stirs" 01 the hu:nan genus, they arc perfectly unique. Out ut their most prominent characteristics, in their semi state or decadence, Is to drive directly at emit lb! jell, without troubling themselves previously to arc* fain whether the means ihey employ be calculated • produce the intended efftwt, or the reverse ; leavieg fact the issue to mere rimer : en i, as the chapter accidents has hitherto happened to circumstances particularly favoulable, they dadlr themselves that it will continue to do so, ender see cumstances diametrically opposite. They seem, larked. to have no idea of causation ; or to know whether cause produces effect, or effect cause. If they bad even time perception of the lbwer animals, it is scarerlY credible that they would, at such a (-risk think It prudent to surround the metropolis with military. lj• they, then. imagine, that the British army of the pre sent day resembles in its composition Janissarits • Praetorian bands? Soldiers, in other countries, art now the most enlightened of citizens. They haw • proved themselves to be the best and most humane of revelationists. Thee have effected revolutions is a day, and effected them wiliont blood. They bun changed nothing but measures. Their order, thew method, their union, their concert, have enabled tam to act with moderation, promptitude, sad effect. Seek have been the recent revolutions of Spate and of Ns' plea. Eternal glory to the military heroes sad d an, who have accomplished these immortal 'Krill