The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-05-16 00:00:00

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were the soldiers attacked, but actually unlioree&
He begged to say that he did not meets to impute
to him any disposition wilfully to mislead the •
Haase by stating falsehoods—he should be the
store anxious to abstain from any harsh observe-'
tin" in consequence of certain eircethstanees,
which, perhaps, he (the Solicitor-General) might
not recollect, bat which he (Sir F. Borden) never
should forget ; but he belonged to a profession who
were in the habit of tusking the_most of their case.
" Da us a Viruses" was their peculiar motto.—
Having thus stated, in the order they occurred, the
different statements u they were Heide, he next
came, in .the due course of the climax' to the
Noble Lord opposite (the Marquis of Landes-
derry), who in the regions of fancy and insagivation
soared far above his compeers. Nut only had his
statements been since proved unfoundre in fact,
but so far from being even exaggerations they were
total and entire fabrications. Hr staled that
.there was gm interference on the start of the
,geilintry; that 'the people awned the yeomanry
synth stones and sticks, and even fire-arms. bat
Viet none were used by the military against the
ple. The Noble Lord had said that the great-
est caution bad been taken the day previous to the
meeting, to remove from the place all the stones
sad other things that could do mischief, yet notwith.
ittiseding all this attention, ■ shower of stones was
*wet] upon the ueoffending heads of the military,
pad the day after a waggon load of stones was
fisund.—(Hear, Attar./—The Noble Lord stated
that the people brought the doors in their pocket',
but even if they had done so, the multitude wits
wedged in so closets that it was quite impossible
they could have used their hands. There was a
net of philosophers who thought the moon was full
Alf stases ; this he thought quite as possible as that
telgeir should be found in the pockets of the people
hear)—But the Noble Lord going one
Ole!) higher, stated, that so eidisposed were the
Magistrates to interfere, that one read the Rint
Act, another rushed like a second Decino to save
his country amongst the populace, and was
trampled to the ground.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—
Hut the Noble Lord's Magistrates grow like Fal-
stajf's buckram-men ; a third, he said, actually
gut to the hating's. and there he read the Riot Act
in a tone of voice that must have been audible to
every man at the meeting. All these statements
had since been proved to be false. Courts of J ea-
lice, which are nut in the habit of receiving us
gospel the assertions of Minis era, which that
House was too much disposed to do, arid, therefore.
not so easily misled from the paths of truth, land
since proved these istatsineuta to be unfounded.
They were provali.At thia ifelse by the inset dis-
interested witnesses—patens who had no cons-
feelings with ally of the parties-.witnesses,
libel, as unobjectionable es ever yet had
beeM produced. If any man were to reed the evi.
deuce produced on the trial at York, there is not
olio single individual, except Mr. Honor, that
does am speak of the peaceable demeanour of the
people. Oh ! indeed he believed there were two
more, there *es a Mr. Twyell, end acme other, ell
Gentlemen, too. But even Mr. Hutton, the Chair-
man of the Magistrates, beanuie no one else would
take the office, bad eat stated whether it was by
his command the attack was commenced, and to
this day the public 'vete ignorant whether this
brutal attack of the yeomaury was the effect of
their own animosity, heated by drink, or whether
they acted under some higher authority. It is
circumstance as notorious as the sun at noon day
not one of his brother Magistrates, not even Mr.
Nadi'', nor the Rev. Mr. Hay. who had been in
constant communication with the King's Ministers

before as well as after the meeting, supported the
statement, and the only conclusion they could
draw was, that Mr. Hultou's senses were formed
i.nielferensly frame the rest of mankind. Whether that
-Meeting were legal or not, and he contended it was,
there could oat be the slightest justification fur
',its violent dispersion.—/Heur, hear.)—He there-
Tore hoped the House would go along with him
.is demanding an inquiry, that they might ascertain
.rolsere the blame should be laid. It was well known
to the Ministers a long time previous to the meet-
ing, that certain) proceedings were going forward,
they were acquainted with the banners, they were
aware of the drilling and training, yet they never
gave the slightest hint fur interference.—(Hear.)—
it appeared from a paper on the table, on the
statement of an officer well known u oder the old
Government of France, and lately under the new
Government of England, the " Lieutenant of Po-
kes" (for the Magistrates have been always in
illiss habit of presuming ugaiiist the people)—that
they saw the prospect of disturbance—that they
mere in fact alarmed—yet sieve, attempted to niter-
Tere. The next authority on this subject was Mr.
Spooner of Birmingham', who stared,that Ike meeting
•ito elect •legislatorial attorney was illegal. It might
be extremely ridiculous, but he saw no more berm
in electing a legislatorial attorney than a Mayor of
Garratt.—(4 haugh.)--its a letter from that gesitle-
Man to Lord Sidinouth, it appeared that the coo-
-1 duet of the people was peaceable sod orderly, ul-
though lie entertathed souse epprelieuriuns respect-
lag the meeting. But this ineeliog was considered
'the amet objectionable of all those that were held
throughout the country, although it took place after
various others that occurred in the metropolis, under
the eye of the Minister.. When the Smithfield
meeting was held, the then Lord Mayor of London
entertained similar fills* ea the Birmiugluito
tratessind applied tothe mine nuthurity soothe " Lieu-
tosusaimiPoirear bat Lord Sid mon t h, who consulted
thrlAvr eaves if the efeaterl. did not thiok it right
teriatattme; but nothing could mark more strongly
thitAlittelition of the people. than when Mr. Har.
MOM Was trims away by a warrant. and Mr. Hunt
at hiaside, nut our even doubted the authority by
which it was dime—so that if it were the inteutiois
of Ministers to irritate the good feelings of the
people, they were theu disappointed. sod in his
mill he believed it was their iuteatiou. Emis-
saries were sent onsorsgst the peOple. fisurl.
bills were circulates', ,"one in patikolar. " Go
it, Iv says I" atai • Oat lufamous ihirecter,

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sou to have gone 'appeared In
Nadin was walking ; yet the
whole transaction wee:41111111i11C—OPen this, that
Nadin could not serve a eramiot without the assist-
ance of the military; yet not even this had he
dared to swear on the trial at York. There was
the evidence or Mr. Saxton, who stated that one
of the yeomanry said, " There is that villain,
Saxton, run hint through."—" No," replied the
other, " I should rather leave that to you;" and ac-
cordingly he dad make a throat at him—(Heor)—
and yet this man was suffered to escape.—(Hear.)
What does the law of England say on this subject ?
It says, that even in taking a delinquent you are
not to use violence that would endanger his life,
unless there was no other mode left, and this, too,
in a case where, if taken, his life would he the for-
feit of the crime. Such is the law of England,
founded on the law of God, handed down to us in
that sacred book which we profess to believe. One
of the first precepts given by God after the de-
struction of the world, to the only surviving
man, the common ancestor of all mankind, was,
s Whoso sheddeth mati's b'ood, by man shall
his blood be shed." And even in the case of occi-
dental murder lie was supposed not free from guilt,
because he ems ordered to go to the city for refuge,
and there remain until purified by the high priest.
—( Hear, hear.)—The law of England, founded
on this law, recognises but one case in which the
shedding of blood can be justified, aid that is in
self-defence, and in the shedding of blood by
accident, more or less guilt will attach, aa there
appears more or less carelessness in she person
so shedding it. Lt no instance is a man per-
fectly harmless ; even in a ease when attacked
by another, he is not to attempt to destroy
him, until " driven to the wall," and that there
remains no other mode of protecting himself,
although great encroachments have been made upon
the laws, and the laws of public riot are rendered
much more severe, and the greatest of all severi-
ties are introduced into that which was intended as
a precoation. the Riot Act, but which, like all
other abuses of the Constitution has now become
permanent. But severe as is that Act, it does not
justify violence, but mudi less such deeds of vio-
lence as were perpetrated upon that occasion. It
states, that those who remain on the ground an hour
slier it has been read are liable to be indicted and
convicted of felony, and this surely is severe
enough, Ind in some instances it is carried into
effect. Ile heard that some time since, a lad of
sixteen years of age was convicted under this Act,
at Shrewsbury, and was sentenced to execu-
tion. But was it ever heard that it was jus-
tifiable to attack men unarmed, to cut &mu
the old and young indiscriminately, without dis-
tinction of age or sex ?—(Hear, hear. hear.)—So
anxious were the Manchester heroes to obtain these
laurels, which in no country have been considered
an honour, that in rasping to make their attack on
the multitude. they knocked down a woman with
a child in her arms, which he thought world at all
times have been her protection ull over the world
against any thing human; and then, indeed, the
statement was, that the child fell out of the mother's
arms !—(Hear, hear.--And when they arrived on
the field of slaughter, and the people were anxious
to get away, the only one passage left open was
obstructed by the arms of the military. The un-
armed crowds were turned buck by the bayonets of
the infantry, and the sabres of the yeomanry. lie
recollected reading an account of those melancholy
transactions in some of the paper. of that day, par-
ticularly the New Times, which spoke in • tone of
exultation of the occurrences that took place. It
described the countless multitudes rushing to the
only avenue that was open, and in their impe-
tuosity sweepiog down buildings before them.
Why, it was more like taking a town by storm,
where the officeis bad lost all command of the

soldiers. Well -might he ask, is this a Christian
land—a land of libeity ? But although he should
' ►eceive no answer but fine and imprisonment, he
alioaldanswer—this rs a Christiau land, this is a

.land of liberty, and we shall let men in power
know, that at least the blood, whatever may be-
come of the money of Englishmen, must be
accounted for its this House.—( Loud cheers.)—
,It had been said that the soldiers were intoxicated
. when they performed these deed.. He should ra-
ther it wee so, and that they acted under the influ-
ence ofa temporary• insanity, than performed a cool
deliberate act. There was a person examined on
that trial, who, being asked how he knew the peace
officers, ►uid that he saw them knock down the peo-
ple with bludgeon.. and then he immediately knew
they were peace officers.—( Hear, hear, and laugh-
ter.)—The Hon. Baronet then adverts(' to the un-
fortunate man that had been killed. It was said
that this merely occurred by accident; but they
had the evidence of the woman who lint him out,
stud she said she never saw such a mangled corpse,
Ile was scarred from the simulder to the hip ; in
fact, she used a comparison which he was ■lmost
ashamed to mention—he hail the appearance of a
soldier that had beets flogged. But they had a
still stronger di.closure in the evidence of Mr. hilly,
• who stated, "that the Magistrates were to meet
to-morrow to consider the crime." That is, in
fact, after sll the outrages that had beets committed,
they were to meet and consider with whet crime
they should charge the person they bud taken.
Ministers had then supposed that the people would
hare been terrified from meeting about Reform.
Rut this is not the ease—they do meet; but the
Moistens, unlike Macbeth, having gone so fur,
do not choose to go farther, but prefer going
bock. As Large • meeting as the Manchester
meeting took place in Westminster, at which
he (Sir Francis Burdett) was present. A sub-
scriptlon was entered into to relieve the tufferers
there, and above six hundred persons were actually
relieved, including tame special constables, and
one person who was suspected of having been a spy
at Manchester. There were also ISO women who
received assistance.—(Hear, hoar.)—You have the
evidence of Mr. Hutton, that he saw a woman
fainting with her breast cut open. You have the
confession of the Ministers themselves of the guilt
of these transactions ; for if a man is chars.

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feet. We nest ante to the Hon. Member for r which very hansl.bille had been distinctly traced to
Dover (Mr. Wilbraham), what stated that is was not these spies who'hed hod sedoced the unwary into
%anti' after the soldiers had been assailed with sticks, practice. which led them to a fatal end. The next
and stones, and missiles of various descriptions, paper was that of the Rev. Mr. Hay, from which
that the their arm; after him followed, in it appeared that there was a fine of constables from
proper order, se ascending the climes, his Ma- the Magistrates down to the hustings; so that no-
jesty's Solicitor!Generol. *ha, not satisfied with thiag c•old be.. beets noomeasy then for • per-
going the lengths of others, stated, that not only sou to have gone there. Indeed it appeared that