The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-10-26 00:00:00

and bade the Members go about their hastiness, fo
they were no longer a Parliament. He actually
'turned them all out, locked the door, and put the
key in his pocket.—(4 isogls.j—Why might not
the mime thing be again done, if an evil and ambi-
tious Minister, with 100,000 melt at his command.
wished to overturn the liberties of the people ?
(Applartse.)—He would now say a word or two on
the anhject of prejudging tho question. He ad.
mitted that if ever any question hail been pre-
judged, it was certainly this very question—whe-
ther the Manchester Magistrates, or the Manchester
yeomanry, or both, hid acted right or wrong? Hut
by whom had it been prejudged? By the Prince
Regent's Ministers. The moment they received the
6r►t account of the melancholy transaction at Man-
chester, they penned a letter of thanks to the Me-
iistrates, which they rent to the isle of Wight to
receive the sigr.xture of the Prince Regent—and,
when that was obtained, it was transmitted to those
who had authorised the proceedings of the 16th of
August. Ile did not wish to be ton severe nu Mt-
nisters for this act, because they might have been
deceived by the representations of the Manchester
!Magistrate:. But wind could they say 10 their
subsequent conduct, when the City Address was
presented to the Prince Regent ? Tnne enough
had etairsed, before that Address was presented, to
enable Ministers to procure further information on
the subject. They ought to have known that the
meeting at Manchester, though a large one, was

perfectly peaceable—that there was n; attempt at
tumult or riot, until the cavalry broke in on the
people—aml that, therefore, there was no reason
for 'sliming that Mlle and insulting answer in the
mouth of the Prince Regent which they had done.
—(Applause./—They ought to have had correct
issforination on the subject; if they had not, they
were much to blatne—and if they had, and refused
to act ou it, the only inference was, that, having mice
acted wrong, they were determined to persist iii
the same line of conduct.—(Applause.)—He did
not see how it was possible fir the people of this
vonittry, after witnessing transactions of this sort,
to remain silent. What slid they ask for ? Not
for punishment without trial—not fur decision with-
out evidelice; no, they demanded fair, full, and
free inquitY !—(Applause )—After marking how
the Plince Regent's Ministers had prejudged the
question, first by flanking the Magistrates, and next
by the answer to the City Address, it became ab►o-
loiely necessary that an extended inquiry should be
demounted—and that was all which was called for by
the Resolutions that had been put into his hands.--
flaying had no share in driswing them up, he might
be permitted to say that they r►flected honour on
those who framed them. They called for nothing
tint inquiry—they touched on 110 subject that was
nut immediately connected with the business of the

meeting—they were coot:lira in temperate slid mo-
derate tenni—sod evinced 31 due regard for those
free principles, on the sneers of which the pros-
onity of the country deuentled.—(Applarse./
Stiirch then read five Resolutions, asserting the
tight or the subject to petiti.nt the Throne, con-
twinning the haste with whiz!) the thanks of the
k'rince Regent were given t.) the Manchester Ma-
gistrates, and calling for a full parliamentary in-
quiry into the sanguinary transaction of the 16th of
August.

Mr. STUittil moved the first Resolution.
,Ir. RtOON, jllll. Void, hr had the honour to
1-. e deputed to the task of seconding the Re.tilu-
wit,. /it doing so, be was relieved from a consider.
al.le portion of that difficulty which he must other-
ivise have felt in the discharge or his duty, In con-
sequence of the eloquence displayed by the Gentle-
-111411 who had just spoken. Ile censured the con-

duct of the cfturch;vardens, who hail thrown obsta-
.cles in the way of the present meeting. It was very
well known that those Gentlemen had prevented
0- beadle from making a trifling emolument by
do •eminatiog the ►►ot►ce, and, its consequence, they
hail bren obliged to resort to strangers for that pur-
pase. Those persons did not pet form their duly
Fonestly—many of the notices were used as waste-
paper—and the intended meeting was not there-
fore generally known. When this was coupled
with the improper conduct of the churchwardes.s,
in ordering the beadle to tear down the notices,
leiterday, and with their antecedent refusal to call
N toretiag, It was clear that they had done whatever
lay in their power to frustrate the wishes of the
pirl4lllollMBll, and to prevent them from speaking
sentiment,. They said they wished to pre.
serve the peace of the parish—and how did they
mean to effect this ? By preventing the inhabitants
from speaking what they felt witl► respect to the
recent proceedings at Manchester—end declaring
Ineir opinion of a Ministry, who had been instru-
snentally concerned in insulting a venerable Peer
of the realm, because he advocated the rights of the
people.—(Appluuse.)—This they had done in tl e
titer of the Act of Settlement, which raised WV.

limn and Mary to the Throne. Such was the coil-
sloct of those Ministers, who were about to raise an
additional body of soldiers for the support of whom
Obis devoted country was to be more heavily taxed.
Applause.)—Here the worthy Gentleman en-
tered into a detail of the transactions at Mai,

Chester. and contended that the meeting was
perfectly legal. When such a meeting was vio-
ly'r:ly dispersed by a body of cavalry—when a
number of individuals were slaughtered or tram-
pled on—could they be blamed in calling for in-
quiry ? if, un the day of the meeting, the Maxis.
trate, had filled the arena with armed men, so as to
prevent the people from assembling, such an act
wittily, certainly have been illegal, but it would have
In-en-infinitely more merciful than the course that
was adopted. He was, however, happy to soy. that,
aminipt the force by whom the people were hewn
mid in' down, there were none of those brave men
who Inel raised the military character of England
Si. such a glorious height in foreign warfare. The
totrucitire of the 16th of August were committed by
t•et of -men, who, fur the tint time, had an °ppm-
Issiiity of using their swords, and of displaying their
iegintentale. This was their first military exploit,
:it,d he hoped, for the honour of the country,
it would he their last.—(Great appfunm.)—
The worthy Gentleman then proceeded to observe,
t hat, even supposing, for argument's sake, that the
meeting was tumultuous (and the contrary was
known so be the truth), the Riot Act might to have
been read• as near the assembly as possible. This,
however, was not done. It wee read in a room, at
considerable ffielsueelsesurthe scene of action—
sod Alas first-rain dmapippie rerverf.d: of their
• ;
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