The Sun. — London, England, 1820-03-27 00:00:00

ran.- 0 ril Sg t it tv~S ing the- for- DM IIC htit. 1113 c Pt ott ask lett) ?heti Atf•• whit Mr. alas. ooc :burn . , nye udgis : a ~ e i~• con' ',ling• , the coo': Conia tv4.46 ot), rIC, les. alli tO b itn e to tie- wer. "I'olll 1(111 j COll. a Oa OU Its 3 flaVe the .r the Id be ether !eCeS ° cunt . , 1, Bo ° ern 1') rcet 1110 0 wha t ' Y 00 Th i : l et 0! : HS il t: ou►r* nativo . :af)tiOt i t illo 3 aii agree d vaS 11° ,r if A ;rOW" i be o 101 that I l one' actiol" ce vid ell 'L kilo% to broil re ,te I,e b e (I° ,: .e.rd ''' was, by ealliug a great number of wit- .1 11'" ,, ,:5, to wear out the patteuee of the Court and At first sight it would appear that they Were brought together promisenonsiy; but at bon tom there was not only dexterity, but craft in tits selection be made. Where were those seven hun dred householders who were said to have signed the requisition for the meeting ? kl'hy were they not brought forward ? Was the Jury to be caught by such A roan may prove much by wit liesses which he produces, but much may be in ferred from witnesses which arc nut produced.— Why are not the seven hundred who call d the meeting, here to account for the objects of it ? Because they never called it—because they ne ver signed a rrquisition—breause the whole was a. base fabrication. Not (toe of them ap llears--not a witness produced ever signed a re "ltis, then, was one head of negative evidence. Now, to turn back to another part of the defence, one which pains had been taken to peep entirely out of view for some days back— Was there any evidence offered to show that train ing did not go on in the neighbourhood of Man chester for ,some time preceding the meeting ; Was there any confirmation of the unparalleled assertions, that this was done only to make the people March with more regularity into Manches ter ? Was any one prodoced who had been so alrilled, to say that it had no other ohject than that 1 No. It there was no other design, why :not prove it ? Was it unreasonable to suppose that th e Magistracy should have felt alarm at this training!? Why, the object of it was clear ; at least, hitherto, it has not been disproved. 'Why not contradict Chadwick ? Because they "it'd not do it. So much then for their in tegrity. The Jury had before seep the impotence of the defence. Now, a word as to the defen dants themsekes. No one could be more sorry than he was to see Banefoid in such company, for ire seemed discreet, his deleoce was marked by talent, and his conduct to the Court by respect. lie deserved to be in better - company. Bamford had said, and so had Mr. Hunt and the Doctor, that they considered certain principles their poli tical tights. Amongst these Annual ParliaMents n d Universal Suffrage. Johnson said the same, and added, that maily•very worthy and honest men agreed with him. He (Mr. S.) hoped there were .soine honest oleo who did not agree with him. They say, " we think Annual Pariiaments and Unit. .versal Suffrage are the rights of the people." Now,, the. brat place, this was not she time for trying the doctrines of Reform ; and in the next, it was of lithe consequence what Johnson, the Jury, or himself (Mr. S.) thought about it. One thing, however, Was clear, that if a mall has a system of Reform, whatever that be, a nd if he at tempts to dictate that to the Parliament, he be comes a transgret:sor to the lews of the couetry. It is not only ag dust the law to say " we must have so and so, tilts system or that," bat it is also 'against Reform itself. To say that Annual Par liaments are polincal sights is very absurd ;. there tau be n 4, Political rights but what issue from the law, and these the law coodenses. Well then, say they, they are natural tights. Natural Tights I They might Its wt tl. 3t-1y they have a right front nature to be a Peer. In whit.. leaf of the book Of nature, be would be glal to know, were these to be twilit( written ? fib, but again, they a re e t , le-nli9l to tn e constitution. hey were not essential to it, - because they never existed. The House of Conn - toms was a body emanatin g origi nally from the Crown. 'f lie rights of the people but gt „k„„n y recogniztoi for, in our his toty, we lino one Member nerned by the King, anti another by time Shertff. The people - came by de g r ees to have the whole power of scuffing them, but this was' the work of ages. It was quite impossible to thitik that any sudden change could he effected in a system of so long standing. He then observed upon the danger of preaching these ' , loCiriOeB at large meetings. As well might Car tile say the best religion was reason, and salva quo was but a fable. He hoped, for the honour of the country, that things would never come to that pass, that we should take our religion front a tinman, and our ideas of poli'ies front Mr, Hunt. The observation upon Mr. Car lile was not uncalled for ; for if Mr. Hunt did not approve his principles, why take this man—au unlettered man—by the hand, and introduce him to the notice of the people at Manchester ? Ile did not doubt that if Catlile's doctrines were acted upon, a new mode of get (log 3 trial through a Court would be by doing away the allegation of an oath. The , Learned Counsel theft recapitulated the charges against the defendants.. The charges were, for conspiring to bring about a meeting, and to excite discon tent—doing, this it; a menacing manner, and holding that unlawful meeting in a menacing manner. These, he contended, were all sup ported by the evidence. He would `show the System and connexion. With this view, he read the resolutions passed at the Smithfield Meeting, at which Mr. Hunt. presided only a abort time before.-- He then read the Address Calling a meeting fur the 9th of August, to con eider of the proprie•y of electing a Legislatorial Attorney to represent them in Parliament. Elettry Bunt, Esq. in the Chair. Was there nu !largess, no Gentleman, in the neighbourhood of Manches ter, more interested in its welfare than Mr. Hunt, to preside on such an occasion ? To this meet tug Sir Charles Wolseley :Ind others were invited. The Magistrates were held tip to ridicule in bills Posted about the town, anti their placard was treated with the inmost derision, es being un grammatical and absurd, because it was worded as such papers had commonly been, on the autho rity of the best writers, and contained nothing Preposterous in the eyes of those accustomed to the ordinary forms, and allowable abbreviations Of . language. In this state of things Me. Hunt Came from London— , Mr. Hunt said, it was not in evidence that he ad Mo uef•n oLondon. Mr. SCAIILETT—WeII, then, he had gone from the country, or he had dropped from the clouds. Mr. Hunt said, this was trot in evidence. The JUDGE said, th4t which had been stated an allowable figure of sH-ecl4. Mr. Hunt repeated that t;. was not in evi °time. The-JUDGE- inqui;ed b it ible withoi:t heitig proved in evideuee. Mr. SCARLETT tvt:St on—As Mr. Hunt would not let him say that he. came from London, he had beet, COolent to ..ippo,e Iba! he. had dropped limn the clouds. He proeeetivd to shoa- that Mr. Hunt had come to Bullock-Smithy to Meet Moor house. 1 hither Moorhoose had repaired tt. seek him. It the Jury bole in miod what bad then oc curred, there was an end of Moot honse'S 'defence. He would put it to any man, if Hunt, on 'coming to Manchester, was to ;aspire respect for the Ma ;.:istrates, or to hold them up to public contenapr. He, on his arrival at Manchester, had described :heir cotillion to have been illegal, and said, that as nine tailor' were wanted to make a man, so it seemed that 9 Magistrates were wanting to publish a placard (alluding to a paper that bad been is sued signed by nine Magistrates). He (Mr. Hoot) thought the meeting which had heel' called, but which the Magistrates hart prohi bited, was not illegal, duct advised the people to have another meeting. This advice he had the audacity to give, with the newly elected Legisla torial Representative (Sir Charles Woiaeley) sitting by his side, or at least in another carriage close by. He (Mr. Hunt) considered that meeting to he lawful which the Magistrates had declared to he illegal, and he recommended the calling of another, which he invited those lie addressed to attend, at the same time calling on Chum to take as many of their friends with them as they could. The Magistrates pronounced a meeting t o be ille gal I—he declared it to be lawful, and wished an other to be called, that he might contest the mat ter with them, and Mr. •Moorbouse, it should seem, was to attend the witness during the result of the struggle. Mr_ Hunt passed the week be tween the 9th and the 16th of August at the cot tage of Johnson, the brush-maker. He (Mr.- Hunt) bad called no witnesses to show how he hail passed lois time, while there, and they knew of nothing that he had done iu the course of the week, with the exception of the ridiculous bra vado of offering to surrender himself to the Magistrates on the Saturday preceding the 16th of August, at 'a time when he knew that he had committed no act for doing which they could have been justified in arresting !JIM. He (Mr. Scarlett) thought he could show how Mr. Hunt bad been occupied iu that week. He had been engaged to drawing up and issuing en address to the people. This had been proved by his own witness, (Mr. Grundy), who bad seen the original of a paper, issued to call the meeting of the 16th, in Mr. Hunt's hand-writing. This document cootained a repetition of the advice which be had addressed to the people on the 9th of August, and had undoubtedly not been issued till after Much consultation ; and it Was in COn- StaltatiOns On the subject that Mr. Hunt had been occupied dining that week. The language of the bill was not a little remarkable. Part of it rah thus :—" Come then my friends, to the meeting, armed with no other weapon than a self-ap proving conscience." Why, who had told him that they were coming to the meeting , armed with any other weapon ? Why was this hint necessary Looking at the language of. that bill, could it he doubted that Mr. Hunt had had consultations with Johnson, Knight, and others, while undetermined whether he should go hack or not before the 16th ?—The tesuit of those con sultations was his making up his mind to stay over the 16:h. From the language of the hill to which he had adverted, it was evultut that Mr. Hunt was fearful that the people, inflamed as they were, would he quicker in their motions than he could have wished them to be—too quick for the sue eessfol accomplishment of his object. Could this be doubted, when it was seen that he thought it necessary to caution them against coming armed ? This, and this alone, was the advice that he meant to give, but not daring to do it openly, he adopt ed time precaution of telling them to come armed with no other weapon titan a self-approving conscience. In consequence of this mandate, three witnesses called by Bamford had prayed that the sticks which they had taken out with them were left behind on the way. They had also been cautioned against making resistance, even though their leaders should he taken. Timis too was in pursuance of the wish of their chief, who felt naturally anxious that his [nest should not take the field till their organization was com plete. Ills instructions were, in consequence, to this effeet—" For God's sake do not sho'w your teeth till you can bite." It was his object to keep hack the preparations, and hence the advice that they should not come armed; and, to make it the more significant, be believed it could be shown that the word " armed" bad been printed in italics. But then the Magistrates were invited to attend the meeting to argue with the leaders of the people.—(He begged the Jury to note that expiession), and convince them that they were in error, it indeed their reasonings wete (speci ous. This invitation was but a jest intended to hold up time Magistrates to public deri sion. Could it be pretended that it was looped they would be aide to reason with a multitude consisting of eighty thousand men, women, and children ? Who were the leaders alluded to ? Was Mr. Gallic, who had been invited to the meet ing, one of them % Was Mr. Smith, of Liverpool, one ? But it was right to say, that that Geode wan ought not to be regarded as one, seeing that he, though invited, had declined going on the hustings. That day's placard described the ob ject of those calling the meeting to be, to advo cate time eternal priaciples of truth and justice, atui to claim privileges, with their right to which (unfortunately for those opposed to them) the people were but too well acquainted. It went on—" We hereby invite, (this was the lan guage of a placard signed Henry Hunt,') the Magistrates who called the meeting adver tised for Monday illegal, to come among us and discuss the merits of the question. If we are wrung, let them do their duty by setting us right, instead of preventing our meeting by violence." The Magistrates, forsooth, were to discuss the question of Parliamentary Re form with Johnson, Bamford, Dr. Healy, Swift, Wilde, and Cathie, stud Moorhouse wool perhaps to decide between them. Could any man affect not to know time meaning of an invitation like this? Could any one doubt that the object of it was to hold up the Magistrates to acorn and ridi pleasure of those cakling the meeting whether they should be tatinaed, insulted, or trampled itaoti ? Whatever oiiinion might be fanned on tae events of the 16th of August, he worifa con tend there, as .well as elsewhere, that the Magis trates, looking at the preparations for the meet ing, connected as these were known to be with the drillings and trainings which had previously taken place, would have deserved to be dismissed from their situations, if they had 'not taken their • Stations on the ground, and adopted precatitiOns to guard against excesses that might ()Cent:. The Learned Counsel then went over the evidence Of Chadwick. That yoang man had lett Arienelie4- ter at t melee o'Clm•k nieht, on the,lsth of Au gust, to go to White MoSs a having heard that the training was going on at that place. He four cl a large hotly of people on the ground, Marching and performing other military evolutions. They formed in liae two deep, and all present were Made to fall in,. The words " Make ready," " Present," `c Fire," were given ; and at the word " Fire," a consentaneous clapping' of hands took place. Instead of going into a tedious in quiry into matters wholly irrelevant on the pre sent occasion, Mr. Hunt would have done well to apply himself to prove that no swab drillings and trainiugs had taken place. These, however, were to be disproved. The testimony of Chad wick had not been shaken, and no slander had been breathed on the testimony of this witness but by the breath of Mr. Hunt. What be had deposed was not at all at variance with the evi dence given by Shawcross and Murray, who saw nothing but marching and forming at White Moss. Those witnesses, in fact, corroborated the testi mony of Chadwick. They were present live or ten minutes before they were attacked ; and as the party were marching all the time, it was trot stir prising that they did not hear the words " make ready,"--" present,"—and '' fire," as these evo lutions were not performed while birdies of men were marching. Who had contradicted Chad wick ? No man—ao man but Mr. Hum. He (Chadwick) proved these evolutions to have con tinned for hours, and all the spectators were form ed in line, being supposed favourable to the views of the conspirators. Murray then conies on the ground, is called a spy, and a body of them pursue him. 'this Chadwick saw, and this Murray and Shawcross hail proved. This drilling, it was frit, by the parties, w ould not bear the inspection of a constable. He (Murray) was accordingly beaten, and forced to kneel down and forswear his alle giance to save his life. Murray, however, though he did this,, was so severely treated, that when conveyed to his home he was confined to his bed, tumble to move. Chadwick then described the ayaroach of one of the parties to Manchester on the following day, the halt before Murray's house, and the shout of the crowd, with the cry, No White • Moss lanibugs." He described similar eo a duct on the part of that body with which Mr. Hnot eame. But then Mr. Hunt would have it believe.) that be had no comroul over the mob. This, however, would not do. Mr. Hunt was not to tell them at °tie time that he lied such con trmd over the crowd -that 'he had the merit of keeping them peaceable, and at another that he had no command of them at all. The evidence of Chadwick was confirmed as to the (wicket of the crowd by one of the defendant's wit.' nesses, Mr. Tyas, who, he bad learned (since ,his arrival at Yolk), was a Gentleman of must respectable character, who had distinguished himself at the University of Cambridge—Mr. Tyas went even further than Chadwick, for he described the mob to have hissed and groaned at the Star, where the Manchester Magistrates were assembled. This hissing was in derision of the 'line wise Magistrates, as they were called, and this conduct, on the part of the mob, furnished a (air sample of the treatment which they had to expect if they accepted the invitation given them to attend the meeting'. A further manifesto' iota of the disposition excited among the crowd was found in their conduct when they arrived opposite the Police-office, in Manchester, where they hissed and groaned at the constables on duty. Was this conduct to be regarded as indicating any thing like respect for the Magistrates and the Police ? He contended, that the authorities could not be upheld, and order co u ld not be maintained, if persons in office were to, be thus contemptuously treated. Why were the special constables to be insulted ? They consisted Of some of the most respectable inhabitants of that vast town. This Mr. Hunt himself had proved by one of the few respectable witnesses that he had called. The Learned Gentleman then described the advance of different bodies from vat - ions places distant front two or three to nine or twelve miles from Mans chester, with all the appearance of persons well disciplined. A number of trainings had been known to have previously taken place in the neighbourhood of Manchester. Several large bodies of men had been seen exercising at Tandle Hill, and various other placer:. ,One person had seen 2000 persons thus assembled between 6 and 10 in the morning. It had been proved, even by the defendant's witnesses, that Bamford, or some other leader, had been engaged on the morning of the 16th in exercising the Middleton people by forming them into a hollow square. It had been proved that sprigs of laurel had been given to the leathers of the sections or companies, and then they marched triumphantly to Manchester. Why had all the precatitions proved to have been adopt ed been taken ? Why was all this, if nothing more than a common meeting was intended ? These very precautions showed that something more was in contemplation, Could the Jury ima gine that these proceedings had no object but to preserve order at the meeting of the 16th Au gust ? He could not Inc a moment believe that they were to be caught saith such chaff. He would agree that Hunt had taken great pains to pi event an explosion on the 16th August. He (Mr. Hunt) had called many witnesses unnecessa rily. to prove that the words which he had used on ibe hustings, " put them down and keep them .down," did not apply to the military. He (Mr. Scarlett) had never made them a part of the case. Rut this he inside a part of the ease, that Mr. Hunt would not have thowght the precautions which he had used necessary, if lie had not thought it probable that some breaking out would take place. He then adverted to the testimony good, had, and indifferent ; shooed •e lire o a t little bearing on the merits of the case io favour of Mr. Hunt and his friends. He partieul trly di rected the attention of the Jury to the evidence of the witness Schofield, the Dissent Mg er ; he would ask, them it they Commld believe that man on his ? He (Schofield) could no• at first recollect that he had written for a sedirjoos oe , ,e s .• paper; then he could not re - collect that what he had written h a d any conneeion With polities, though it turned out that they were connected wi:b nothing else. Theli he sweet the p a p e rs t h at he had furnished to the journal in question to have been written one before, and come after the 16th of August, and then that hotli were written afterwards. The 17 witors'eeS, however, to w hich he had Made alhielon, l ad drown that there was enough in the mode in which the meeting had been drawn Wgether, 'combined With the previuos train ings, to inspire terror and alarm in the minds ei all the peaceable and respectable inhabit:lets of Man chester. On the threat that that town should be made a second Moscow, and on that of one o f a party, that he would get as good a coat as that which the 'person to whom he add; essemi himself wore before night, he laid no stress as eonoected with time meeting of that day ; hot he must con tend, that these threats breaking out, notwith standing all the precautioos that had been used, went to prove what were moterstood to he the ultimate objects of the conmhioation.-- In spite of all the orders issued to t! ,e several leaders of that day, it had been sliewn that the feeling was the effect of time cOma,piracy, which would eventually go to array the poor against the rich. To this they were come at lest, thought ma!ters were not ripe for proceeding 'to action on that day. It was worthy uf remaele that Mr. Hunt had not thought it necessary to explain those significant words, your enemies,' which he admitted that he had used. It had been sworn, and perhaps very trimly. that at the time be littered them, the military were hot io sight, and thence it was to be interred that they did nut apply to them. To whom then did they apply ? —Was it to the Magistrates and the constables ? Sorely the Jury were not to be told that it was • too much for demagogues to go about at this time of day to inflame the people by representing the local authorities, to whom they owed obe dience, to be their enemies ? To do as Mr. 11 nu t had done—to tell the people that they had a He'll: to do what the Magistrates had told them they had no right to do, and to invite them to do it in defiance of their authority, what was it but to teach the populace that they might trample onahe Magistrates when they pleased, though it trii 4 lit not be his good pleasure to do so at that parti cular time ? 'This borne in mind, he for one could not but give credit to the honour, to the integrity, nay, to the judgment of that Magistrate, who had given it as his opioion, that had the persons acting such a part, been allowed to go on without interrup t ion, Manchester might not have been srauding at this moment. He referred to the riots in I7SO, and to the subsequent proceedings against Lind George Gordon, or a charge_ of Higo Treason for the part he had taken in them. Froto mis chiefs which ensued from the pubi'!c mind !reins: inflamed as it then was, though without any evil intention as it appeared in the first instance, and froan the prosecution then instituted against the then Lord Mayor of London, for not putting a stop to the riots in the first instance, he inferred that the Magisti ales of Manchester were justified in taking those precautions to which they hail so promptly 'resorted. He complained of the man ner in which Mr. Holton had been vilified, for the evidence which lie gave in the course of this trial. That Gentleman was a man of fortune and of family, and known for a most humane and charitable man in that part of the country. It others did not e see or hear, to that.which he had deposed, it by no means followed that that to which he had sworn was untrue. He had thooght time shout which he heard proceed from the crowd Was one of defiance. He had seen sticks and stones in the air as the cavalry advanced, and had seen the crowd closed in upon them before they reached the hustings. To contradict this respect able persou, Mr. Hunt had called a number of witnesses who did not see or hear what Mr. Holton had described. But,• if in addition to those brought forward, lie (Mr. Hunt) had called forty thousand more to prove that they knew nothing of the circumstances is question, (teat would not materially have altered the nature of the case. In various points lie spewed that Mr. Hutton's evidence was corroborated by toe evidence of Mr. Orton, and even by that of Mr. Tyas, and by another witness for the defence, a very respectable man, Mr. Hobsoo. 0 her wit nesses heard the words used to direct them to lock arms, and these Were said w be addressed to the crowd by order of the Committee. lie did not believe that it was intended to proceed to vio lence that day ; but time object was to prove that they could make themselves most formidable when ever they chose. Why else the words " Be firm !" &c, that were proved to have been used ? It wa meant to show the town of Manchester that those forming the Meeting knew how to combine in suet) strength that they could do what they pleas ed. The people of Manchester were loyal and re spectable, and be was satisfied that they desired no meeting, like that which had been called in their town for the 16th of August ; he did riot believe that 700 of the respectable abitants losd signed the requisition calling the meeting. Mr. Swift might know the parties who had coiled the meeting, hot be (Mr. Scarlett) did not, and Mr. Hoot had known better than to produce one wit ness to prove that fact.. It might be that 700 weavers had put their names to some paper, but no requisi tion had been signed by 700 of the respectable inha bitants of Manchester. The mixture of women and children in the crowd, on which so much stress had been laid, he maintained was common to every mob ; and this was one of the circumstances which caused the (larger attendant on such Meet ings. Such a meeting as that of the 16th August he showed to be nolawful e from a reference to the law as laid down by Mr. Seijeant Hawkins iu irs Pleas for the Crown. He would press these questions on the Jury while considering their ver nict :—Did they believe the meeting to be unlaw ful ? Did they believe that the witnesses who bad sworn to have felt alarm were not all perjur-