The Express.
London, England, 1848-11-08 00:00:00

TRIAL BY JURY.

Yesterday the 54th anniversary of the triumph of
trial byury, u exemplified in the acquittal of Thomas
Hardy, John Horne Tooke, John Thelwall, J. Joyce, T.
Holcroft, and the other members of the Corresponding
Society, who, in 1794, were tried for high treason, was cele-
brated at Rld'ey's Hotel, Blackfriay. _dearly 100 gentle-
men sat down to dinner, Mr. Parry, the barrister, 'residing,
supported by Mr. C. Lushington, M.P., Mr. J.W i 11. P.,
and other geotlemen who have taken a prominent part in
the progress of reform, being present.
The cloth having been removed, the chairman gave " The
Sovereignty of the People," which he believed to be the best
security for the throne and people. The toast was drunk
with enthusiastic applause. The next toast was " The
Queen," and the chairman in proposing it said, that the
sentiment of the majority of the radical reformers of the
country was to unite the most extensive political reforms
with the maintenance of monarchy. (Hear.) As far as it
was possible for the sovereign to perform the duties of her
station to the benefit of all classes, and within the pale of
the constitution her present Majesty had done so. The tout
was given with three times three and rap Landing.
Mr. C. LcsHINCTON, M.P., having returned thanks for
the drinking of his health, proceeded to give the toast of the
evening, " Trial by Jury." He expressed his gratification at
seeing so large a company assembled to do honour to the ac-
quittal of those patriots who had j• opardised their lives in
the cause of truth and liberty, and in opposing the machine-
tiocs of a tyrannical ministry, a corrupt parliament, and a
despotic sovereign—for George 111., though not a despot by
law, was by his opinions and acts as much a despot as he
dared to be; and had he been permitted to govern the nition
as he wished, he would have reuced the people of this
country to the condition of Russian Errs. Witness his arbi-
trary treatment of America, his causelese wars with France,
his oppression of Ireland—especially .if the catholic popu-
latien of that country—and his fierce exercise of the preroga-
tive. A man who in those days higied at the King on
his road to the House of Lords was punished by the pillory
and five years imprisonment. Looking at past events our
feelings could be only those of exultation and congratulition
the the men who ventured their lives escaped unscathed
—thanks to the jury who pronounced them not guilty of
crime—their only offence being that they were the advocates
of an extension of the suffrage and the shortening of the
duration of parliaments. But for that verdict we might at
this time be suffering from triumhphant tyranny. It wee
remarkable that notwithstanding the deteat of the ministry
in the acquittal of these men, they ventured to renew
their attacks on the freedom of the. people, and
that jiarliament conspired to unction them. In 1796
of
Othe KI 01tKing'11Vill0s person, brought in his bill for the better security
which provided that no pub'ic assem-
bly should come together to consider any public me isure ex•
cept in the presence of a magistrate, which magistrate was
empowered to dismiss such assembly, and to pronounce arbi-
trarily as to what he might consider to be sedition, or what
in the language of the present day was "open and advised
speaking." (" Hear," and a laugh.) Another bill to pre-
vent *editions meetings was afterwards passed, a clause being
inserted by the then scoundrelly House of Commons, provid-
ing that if at a meeting of filly persons twelve remained after