The National Register. — London, England, 1819-11-07 00:00:00

:. na NORFOLK COUVTY MEETING. A requtiailion bowleg been we:tented to the High Sheriff of the comity of Norfolk, asmie of its ulna Uplill.l3l ivloerta . hle itthibitatits, desiring him to CAI a io oblie r •1 loisg to take into conoutlrrolion the Lie notortonote try iti tiliCe4 at ,%to orlirs.er, Sir .l idiom W)n.llsain ti•r Iligh Sheriff, appointed Mislay last for that purpose, a; .1 made boilable pll•pau,tloos at Ilse Shire-hall, in the t le of Nor a 101, fur lliP aceontinottai ion Ili the ill& s essf guy t!‘ nit•ll who a err likely to atleonl a. orators or apeCia lu,* 111.1 1.1111111 tall! ure.s.iun. lir mt.i.hrg, ono a ont Leto, e *toted, ma% appointed b 1 be :1 In the shi,e-hall, in the Cistle r and it little h. fure I o'.lu, k the High Simla made his appearance there, a.teinied I)) the Etc' of Albemarle, L Rory, Sir '1•. llide%or, Ear t., sir T. Bak,•i, Bari., Sir R. P. Bt., '1•. W. Coke, E. Woiletuni.e, Esq. 11116 , 1101N111 tur the i oddity; lino. E. 1 iarbord, Hun. T. Priinirom, M.P., J. M.l3Joalol, M.P., J. W. D. Nlerod, Esq. AIX., General IL i pet, C ipt.iiii lleatieliamp, N. itoliiighioke, E.g. Mayor of I!).ni id), E. Lambe, S.'l. South% ell, N. NI milt lbw:site, .1. ;terror, AI. Elwyn, P. Hie .1, E Rolle, J. T. Aloti, It.Pohtle, W.Voster, J.J. IScrling Itl,E•ri Archileatoo Bathurst, Rev G. Glover, Key. R. F. Elwyn, Rev. J. P Cullyer, Rev. O. Sandlloy, Rev. H. Wilson, Rer. W. New combe, Roy. D. Home. mod 11141ty other respectable gen- Return and f►erlolders of the county. At the same Imre, hundreds siirronniled the doors, and the cry for •au ad join ninent 10 St. Andrew'a-hall became so veliument, that &I specific motion was wade to that etfo.l by the Earl of -Allienonilr. it was inimrdiately after edified! by a.•ela. illation, and at shout 10 minim.. past lit O ' Cina the whole party, piecedril by the fifer)" who had attedided ut the Sirire•hail, arrived at St. Andrew's-hall, which the Mayor hail obligingly lent them for the day. The Misting. , (which.w•ere the Janie erected a -Aleut time since for the accommodation of the Bible Society) were crowded in a moment to such a degree, that a pail of them gave way, moil some apprehensions were excited fur the ►einaiudee, ..s.iod tltc ball, which is very epacions, and will contain be tween 5 and 6,' OU per►on.. oda initni•dialely above three parts filled. The High shrrid , who was among the last ho entered, was received, on mouldier (lie hastings. •• most 'maul:non. applause. A. soon as this had subsided, lie came tut ward to open the business of the day, and in doing 8o observed, that be had thought it his duty to cuuvamr the present meeting, in con•equruee of a requisition, to take emu consideration the proceedings at Dlaucheater, haring hem presented, worded in the most ,lcmperate and constitutional language, and shoed by a Jiuwerons body of Ilse mobility and gentlemen of the char• ty. Midis ver &mists might arise regarding the expe diency or necessity °film mca•inu %%Welt he had adopted, tso donlits coeld arise in any gentleman's mind regarding the right pos , esseil by every individual, whatever were Ids political sentiment., to be heard w ills silence and atten tion. This was all hie hail to say to the hearers nt the meeting; but to the speaker , he would suggest the pro• priety of confining themselves to the .object of the requisition, and of ireelevant or inliainimstory topic.. Whatever irregularities on his part might occur in the proceedings of the meeting, a. thi. was the tarsi user which he had ever had the honor of presiding, would, he trusted, be attributed to his waist of experience, and nut to his want of good intention. — The Under-Sheriff then came forward and read the requisition, and the nanwrof those who hail sub.cribeil it; after which Mr. Coke moved. and the Earl of Albemarle seconded the proposition, that the High Sheriff should take the chair. _ The motion having been pm and carried . in the affirms tile, and the high Sheriff haring token the chair in consequence of it, The EARL of AutnraAßLE came forward, and address.. log himself to the !digit Sheriff, said, that it wa" Allotted to hint to open to the meeting the business fur which it was then assembled. In doing so, he could :mete them, that it rejoiced his heart to btaitil before a meeting so numerous and revectaltle, to open the hnsine,s on a Inch the county of Nos folk W 34 that day publicly sit t to deliberate. He telt—yes, lie fearfully felt, how arduous was the task im posed upon him; but in the present momentous crib.* ut the country,.,.: a tree Plate, when au -lir• rounded it on every side, "ben the aspect of its affairs presented so much serlotts Cllo6e•tur AtAtrn in every qll4l , ter, it "retold indeed be mipardopable in him if ho shined" Item what he believed to be hi, ditty. In order to per. _ orm the , Olity which bad been as.ngued In he chunk' throw himself on the general indulgence of lb. in all. To his friend , in the meet lug he si Id appeal tor that kind ness which Ite had before rapes icneed at their 1141146, and for "Inch he could medire them that he was most grate tith and to hi; enemies iu that hall—but he 'Mist wit h draw that word, and lather say his !Radii al oppoitcots, because he trusted that lie had not a personal enmity eu..:1111.11'Ili, and lii was sure that he himself bore enmity to no marl. (Clieers.) To lib, political opponents, then, lie would al - peel f..t w,bat hr Mined,' was Always ready to grant, and ghat I:ceiT Cogli•limaii had a right to demand- 7 a lair heating and fair 'dn'. (Loud applause.) Encouraged by their aeornhateiti to prureeil, the dirt which lie Mould mike of the lioca ty lie hail obtained of addressing Mein, would It: in pay a debt of gratitude to the High Sheriff. Ile would tell that gentleman, that be war coin talissiontil by the individii tie who signed the retplisition— a body of mar. nevi r rynalled in puiut of respectability anal tia4.!teis by ; the sitVcribers to any presto"' requisi tinii in that county --lie .se,,ulti tt.li Weil, he repeated, that his ate comini , sititted by them to convey to pin,, the high Sl t esiff, .heir timmintosts thaitis for the readiness "nit which i.e Itad receded t , . Nei) 11.1111 t 0, and had enabled them to meet Ilya, opc•ily, lea hilly, and couhtim„ tionail), io poblir,a•wolbly, to ilc.:lare the opittliiti of Mc tawny of Not folk. (Clit eis.) Tile sentiments of that great county coold tint be cull retail from any declination aetecd to in a coiner, Isowe seriicetatity and home. courty that declaration might be •ignett; lion et er eit throe finnan to a nl that renter tability might be inerewiert, as iu this city they were loci rased, by ratting in the whole Stott of the No. folk hi--es, overall, lined the dram major, fife major, and drunimet „boss uf the corr.. , till manhalli d iu military Diller, ill 1111 r ()OW!' of 111 iiiii ion and I iglu of service, and.merebett op lei mi military, deli het a',ve, kelt ingirlietstiN b o dy. to add their 1141111 PS to this notable scroll, the Nor wich d, Oat ation. (Lung and cootiutied closer,.) In going i n t o 'lie di tails of the horrible proceedings at itiastrliester, (fur lie could call them by no other name), and in com menting on Item, he should attend most closely to the TILE NATIONAL REGISTER. recoinnienelettou of the High :Sheriff, and should abstain I noshing easy thing that appealed to him irrelevant, or calcaleted to intlame the public mind in the lightest dottier. buoy indeed ehould lie be to tomb upon any thing that Should have a tendency to totlanse the public ; bill even if los were so town/icily dispueed, he knew et nothing ell t could be said or done %loch could 'Mow the public mind into a greater foment than that into which it had been thrown by the simple statemeeur ton the question which had led to tbe present meeting. That question was simply this—whether the people of .imgland were to contmue to enjoy their liberties, under the safe gnat d and security tot the written law of the land: or seemlier, alien last ally assembled, %Orland riot cr tumult, to exert:tie their nano% iedged arsd inalienable right of petitioning, us of reilinUalioting out their gi set alleys, real or rupposed, they were to be subject to the will and a • pace ul usagiestruiv., alto, acting nude' the iothience of their owls inissublett jusiginint, os in hose sub.ersieucy the Alititstets ul the S.:rooms, shall put.aside the forms of lass, sand at their pleasme tot der the niiiitary to sabre, cut, and ride through a crowd ut unarmed and defeueeless siren, woolen, and clititireu. (Applause, and tries of He could assure them, that what lie was saying was 'milting mare than a Wt statement of facts, and that he could louse the teat' el* every syllable which he had as-a, tied. indeed. he was too sensibly :slanted at the state of the country to Glib to inflame or ii mutate the public, mind. Disi lug The ;:ti eerie. of his political life, and no one would drily ant they had been full of great and important events) he never line seen their rights and liberties exposed to daugess like twee n Lich menaced them at the present moment; ne. ver bud he seen loweriog over the nation a storm so dark and ler census, to hoist; never did lie see (for he mast say the word,) never did lie see revolution so near before. When he looked around him, .and saw molls* but geuetal o brute and nth onduct on the .part of the Government; (appiause and hisses;) when he saw such a man as Lord filen illsans„ st tuaii veuerahle for h.s age and for his viitues dismissed from the Liewtenancy of the vs eat Riding of York• shirt, for no tither reason ataigueti, or pietended to be signed, but that he had thought iuquiry ut cesoary into nu spearelit bie.am of the commutes!' ; whet he saw an at tempt made lu degrade such a nom us Lord Vitas+ illiam—an attempt, us ha - ls ai the smite tune It'll it honoured him, re. Coiled toil the beads of his enemies from a bum it proceeded ; a lieu lies this illusir.liu, individual, the commis ince of y hose es lime lute had been one continued proof of loyalty and fidelity to his King, degraded, (loud cries el " Nu ; hu moured"); he be,,,ged pa. tion,attempted to b.: degraded, for proinutii.l; hen, non , than tbis he saw an ad dition of 10,000 sueu about to be made to the standing army, foe the almost opeely avowed he 'eight say, for the impudeut ly avow e d pas , pose of keepiug Joy ii the people; wheo he saw a determiusition on the pail of .111:.tsicrs to combat public opium'', not by argument, Out by moderation, not by couci has ion mist good government, hut to put It down with the sword and bayonet; %Altus he saw al. tins, (aud lie cuuld as sure them that all Sins Was fact), it required but little petit.- tuition on Ms pint in say, that such -late sit things could ashi last 'slug, and that dwelt a cuuree were persever e cl in, revoluaitio dant be at hautl. (Hear,. hear, mire:Jed with loud cites of "shame," which occasioned louder hunt of applause trout the multitude iii the hail.) He had said nothing sit which .he either was or ou,:lit to he ashamed. (Loud cheers.) Revolution, he repeated it, Was nem at hand; hat twitter it was to proceed (ruin the encroach ments or a deep,' .c Governmem, or from the uuiuly dispo all • ;flee peopie, o ll e. e iw w not. Rath were to be equally el-preestted ; i n.l sore lie .w as, that if lute firs. ebou7d coati uu«, the wood you d assuredly follow—that despotism ens the part of 11. e M teistrn mould nut fail to produce tin bu e on the part of the people, (Cheers.) 1 his, it has to tie, _vs as but the opinion of a single individual, in which there was no inure valve than there was rvoliOii its whet he said : .stah, however, at it was, it was most sincerely his, ,and be now stood .forivaid assaiouv to impress it on list. public mind, testi seas his firm eonvietiop, that nothing could yard lei th; impeuding danger, nothing could save the country final resolution, anarchy, and bloodshed, but the Whiou of fewer tobilny and character throughout the noun to y -of Intss, such as bad signed the present requisition—of men, who terse ready to put themselves before the people, and to say to them, s• Here use are, your friends, ready to stand in the gap netw et n the misrule of tioverinuent on the our side, and toe wild current of popular licentiousness mos the otber"—of men, who were determined to prevent, byall the coustitutishisal means in their power, any infringemeut on the rights and privileg es of the subject—and of mess, ea,er at all times to atticit to late distresses and even the wishes of the poor, us tar as that could he done consistently with the well-tieing of the state. (Loud m beers.) VS he tiler he was or was not acting under a mistaken opinion, the meeting would be best able to judge; .use thing at least he knew—that he was acting with a sincerity which no man living could impeach. ( Cheer,.) Acting. thee, with that sincerity which he proleitied, he now came fore/aid tip • on those true Whig press:hides, wnich of late yenta bad been out of favour a ith the Crown, mad Misunderstood by the people, but from which neither the from a of the Court n.hr the orgies t of the country could ever induce hint and his is imeL to saner. Standing forward nu those pain, spies, he should always hr as ready to observe treat wan due to the just prerogative of the Crown as he should he to defeud what was due to the fair rights of the people, since it was equally the duty of every homiest Enalisintran to defend the Croilli front the IllaillNss of the peaple, es it was the people crow the microacluumits of the Cron u, or any other pone, what soever. (I,:heers ) to dem% the duty which hail been im posed on unto, he had a complaint to make of a mpst vitro ordilarim nature : it was, tout OM he had out sutticient to make list a „case. but that his case was too busing fur him. Hr should always wish, if postage, to ovoid Whining the. Maids of the people; but here the bare recital 01 the facts could lute but in souse slog, - ee produce such all etlrcl aa it Iwo any comumat or statemeut from him. Atiel her thing wee thy of their attention was, that, state the case us he might, nothing could equal the impression which the naked facts Isere calculated to create. Against, then, all situ weight of reasoning. mailing for inquiry, he could not lied any thing like one solid argument. Failing in this completely at Lune, he bad looked abroad fur as nadOln j and w here could Ise loon n . it better than in the notable tied:teat ion of that c.s •iiire sad looked wilt some care into the document so coded, but .ve n there he found no /Melillot at def.:flee. No aileniot was there made to any the meeting was illegal; no :attempt to say, that any tweak Was committed by rise people. Nu, those n ler sent forth the declaration could slot tell such a story; neither could they attempt to say ally thing to justify or excuse the conduct of the alagietrates nil the Yeomanry. Surely, then, that must Ise a had cause delLuce of whi. h net a single syllable could be advauced. NOV 7 (Cheers.) Then however, as if to help it out, eame I:Or ward some person with a most lively imaginatime a 'met happy ingenuity, and hit upon the word " prejudgitig." It was a good word : it was a clap-Trap which pet haps might take I if it did not, they had iii. other, and theiefore Thee were obliged to use it, and work it hi the bite was they possibly could: null worked it they had to the very hest of th it power and ability. Proceedings lies the pressed were rdiainatitied as prejudging a question about to be tries : "'lacy were hareh, (Fey were premature, tlity were hostile to the trial by Jury. and were aii indecorous infringement on the impartial admitsistration of jostler." If they had been co, he could assure them that he would bare been as ready to disapprove of them us any of the dechirationists, and was as ready to sign a declaration' to that effect as the drum-major of the Norfolk Militia could he, or as the young. est (hummer aAu ever put his mark to the same sort of isti unmet ; but though the deciarutiuts of such tontine ads as ithstrate truths were good, a here its this ease was the appli cation of them ? In the name of cominnti seise, or, if son will, iu the name of double-relined sophistry, how could a mere proposition for inquiry be tortured into prejudging of the case to be inquired into/ (Loud cheers.) The noel- Lord then pruceeeed to bay, that having made these Meier. tedious on the Norwich des hit-aeon, it became his duty in intioduce to the notice of the meeting a paper a hich had been suboequently published, and a hic h wasentitled "Ob servations on the Nuns ice 1/velaratiou e' and so perfect no mailer, Si, complete it refutation did it coition, Of that pro duction, that he would not lessen the strength of the aram meats by any ob creations of his own. The noble Eat! then read the following document to the meeting:— " It is not a little extraordinary that the Norwich Declaration, on the subject of the proceedings at Manchester, should have been so largely signed; and signed by men of judgment, sense. and reflection. One past of it is. indeed, unexceptionable; for every thinking person must agree in the opinion, that vast we senitolies of uneducated people are very ill adapted for effectual deliberation on questions connected with law, morals, or pole fiat ; that such assemblies are. in odaer• respects, greatly to be deprecatul ; and that the attempts which certain individuals appear to be making, to instil into the minds of the lower order, seditieus aad blasphemous notions, are, in the highest deenete worthy of reprobation. " But let me inquire of my fellow-citizens, whether thee truths aflord any real justiflcatten of the violence which, on the 16th of August, took place at Manchester, under the sanction of the magistrates; or of the manner in which that violence has issec been countenanced by still higher authority. " It is acknowledged, that some of the facts, connected with' that mournful day, are not, at present certainly known. The statements contained in the public prints have varied (according to the political bias if the journalists) as to some of the minor particulars of the awe. But, alas! how flinch is ascertained ! It is ascertained that an armed body of Cavalry attacked the assembled multitude. It is tocertained that these merciless citizen soldiers ninde a free me of their sabre. It is ascertained that men and women were alike the victims of their indiscrine. nate cruelty. It is ascertained that several individuals lust their lives, and that a large number of persons were severely wounded. It is ascertained that Englishmen imbrued their hands in the blood of Englishmen. is ascertained that the Secretary of State for the Dome Department, in the mane and on behalf of the Prince Regent, addressed a public letter of thanks to the officers and privates of the Manchester Yeomanry, by whom this sleughter had been so ably effected ! " It is in dispute, whether the Riot Act hail or bad not been read. It is in dispute, whether some of the multitude were et were not armed with sticks and others with stones. It ii in dispute, whether any movocetion had es/ had not been rectittNl by the Yeomanry, before they commenced their butchery. But will any one be bold enough to assert that the reading of the Riot Act is reading wholly inaudible to the people, aad nut called for by the circumstantr4 of the case)—that insulting lee gouge—that even sticks and stones—afforded a reasonable et cuse for bloodshed and massacre ? _ " It is possible that taare may have existed some circumstan ces of a palliating nature. It is right thet these eircutristaccts should be known; it is right also to withhold the language rt final condenination, until they have been inquired into. The demand of the people ought undoubtedly be for inquiry—A); investigation—fur trial. Notwitlmanding . the many dreadful facts which had been ascertained; I am of opinion that this should have been the leading, perhaps the only object of the mcctir.g lately held in St. Andrew's.hall. But the charge of prejedg ment, which forms the principal point in the Declaration, a. nevertheless extremely absurd; and for a plain reason, namely, that there is no trial of the case pending. " An outrage, which appears to be of the most atrocious kind. has been committed. Nobody denies the fact. Ministers base nut only approved but applauded that outrage. The people en' plain of it. They do not linally condemn, but they arraign. aid loudly arraign, the Magistrates of Manchester, and the :%lint,- ters of the Crown. he declaration wisely informs us, ties " The case, which involves the characters and conduct of mese gentlemen. may be considered as in a 'course of trial." This a entirely false. The case, I repeat, is not in a course of trial. The question, whether Hunt and his Runtimes be guilty or not guilty of sedition, has absolutely no connection with the main question. The conduct of the Magistrates, and of the Ministers, is under laa tribunal whatever, but the tributuilof public opinion. Let these gentlemen, then, be arraigned they ought to be arraigned—undisputed facts require it; let them, by smite metes or other, be brought to . a trial before dui: country. list A . inquiry" and " investigation" be the demand of every En''- likhnual, until inquiry and investigation shall have .rou:.ily taken place ; and when that great object shall have been effceteu, it will then be the time foe both Whigs and for Tories to acquit, if they are not compelled to condemn. The Noble Lord then resumed.--Nothing could le^ more complete than this SWIM er. Not au arument could, for moment, he opposed to it, for the best of all possible tea sons—the asl ,lions could sit be controverted. The tact ant, that thee." was sin cause pending: justice had been asked for, but justice had been denied ? the tribmial. had been appealed to, but the tribunals had beefy shut aga , ind the injured. It might be said of justice iu this case, in Me words of the poet— " The Spanish fleet thou canst not see, " For 'tis not yet its sight !" (Loud laughter). But then, say seine of the advocates ea the other side, "There is a case of a Coroner's Inquest at Oldham." Ile begged pardon of those gentlemen, their was each 31 ease; but the person presiding . over that imp.; had, some how or ntlier, Conte into contact with the times itt 111,torMster, and therefore wished to have v little snug law of his own : for after a long invesiigaiMs , what hail lie thought fit us Ju i Why, he aMourned Cie inquest for sly weeks. He was not mach ~f a law) er I lull he knew that •urn ilditbur iiiii ent was, if not , nut nary to the at least coatrai y to u.e practice of it ; for if the Coroi,er had the power in adjourn 'turn( t; eeks, he had Ilse miner to adjouru for sic mouths Laid for eves 4 told Blur 1110 11 ; 1 ' a"Y time defeat the lan, m iibedience to t hose whom he t Aid his superiors. But even in doing this be latul hero unfoilu nate : whey there teas but one argument on w high the sup porters of lee Mauciiestcy luuLifiliate'i noted t b 6r c""ces