The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-03-25 00:00:00

SIR FRANCIS BURDETT.

TRIAL OF

LEICESTER ASSIZES.
Tavasiray, Muni 43, !NO.

41111.•
Wilt KING tr. ellt FRANCIS BIJAIMITTs
As early u seven o'clock the people gathered is treasidera-
goantities before the entrance of the CANIa.IIO6IIII. The
greater part of the compaay consisted of well.ireseed females.
About half. past seven they were allowed le enter part of the
1101. The Court-ileum hes very little cureesienee fur a
thronged auditiwy. The greatest ieceavaniesace at mune
prevailed i. disposing of the saeltifunle, which crowded
ie. Throm,l, the politesem of Mr. Bainbridge, the Cinder-
Sheriff, the gentlemen of the press were acremasedated
with seats nearest the Greasers Mimi* ea dm earth side of
the hall. The coinpauy, disported in irregular Mauna. truism
filled every tenable situation about the floor, and the dif-
ferent galleries and staircases of the Greet, made an appear-
more uncommonly interessieg. A snore eager aedereeded
assemblage is aeMora witueseal, rum in the Meter/mills.
The weather, with a very alight exception of sheet two
boom of rain, had berm tosidersaly bright SOO MOW in she
previons days of this week. SW F. Burdett, Agee tribi had ;
excited all the caveats* which we have bee. describing,
was out with the bounds every day until this, the swain
of his trial.

At 15 minutes post 9 a !mad shout Cram without anemone-
Pit the arrival of Sir Francis, who immediately entered the
Cuort, and took hoe seat at the table, just order that of the
Judge. He wore a flesh great coat over a !thick coat and
naiiacost, and seemed to be in unusually florid health.
The Court was honoured with great numbers of the county
Gentry, amoug whom were Lady Noel, the mother of Lady
Ryrnu Lady Elisabeth Norman, Mr. Otway Cave, Mr.
Pack, Lord Robert Manners. Sir George Robinson, Mr. God-
frey Monday, Mr. Gisburne, and M►. Pipe Wolfarsion.
At half•past Mae M;. Drums. and Mr. Phillips entered
the Conti, and took seats on each suds of Sir F. Burdett.
71Ir. Serjeant Vanessa, on entering, bowed g►aciously to Sir
F. Burdett, and again before taking his seat. Sir Frown
bowed courteously in return each time. Several of the Geo-
Heinen almve named were in friendly cononsuisioa with Ste
Francis until 20 minutes before tea o'clock, when Mr.Jos-
lice Best look his seat. The Jury was them called over, and,
the fullowitag Gentlemen answering to their games, were ens-
panstelled and swum :
Henry Green, En. Edward Farnham, Esq.
Thomas Wright, Esq. Yal. Green, Elm.
James Pickering Ord, Esq. Jobs Adams, Esq.
Joint Haycock, F.sq. Clement Winstaaley, Egg.
Henry David Colman, Lig. Prairie Forrester, Esq.
F. W. 'Wollaston, Esq. Jobs Go•dacre,
The Court was interrupted for • few minutes, while his
Lordship received 1111.111! bills front the Grand Jury, and
char ger, them from attendance.

Mr. BALOU•Y egissied the plesdiutes, and stated that this
was an infurinati•• against 84 Franck Burdett, churl/lug
him that he, titling a seditious and evil disposed person, did
publish, or cause la be published, a certain libel, purport.
iil 10 be a letter addressed SG • perms in Weslnsinsier,
which letter was isiteuidett to brio[ the Government into ba-
irnl and cuolempt amen hie Majesty's rabirets, and cope.
cially the soldiers • *ea to stake it he believed. that tbe lat.
ter bad cut down •id tuberosity esokoeml, sad as forth, cer-
tain of his Majesty's subjects, said to have here portably
and legally ennobled at Miniehester, as the 11th of Au-
gust last. The Meer to "wettest was as fellows
ii+scrom
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_ .
• frilenlleserass-0• =Ol- Obe newspapers this teransiug,
hating arrived hie tweeinig, I woe filled with
shame, grief, and indignation at the wooer of the hived
spilt at 31auckester. This the; is she sower of the buraegb-
111011gers to the petitiolusig people! This is the powetical
proof of our staasliag ie soss need of Reform! These the prac-
tical blessings of oar glorious losprosighosnager slosinivat ion !
This is the see of • standing army in time of peace! It seems
our tither. were oat such fools as some would make us be-
lieve, in opposite% the eettblishowst of • staading army,
moil sending King William's Dottie gamed. soot of the
country. Yet wooW Heavee shy hod beta Dutchmen,
or Switzer.. or Flimsiness, or Harourrevions, or any thiag
rather than Fraglishonea, who have done seek deeds. What !
kill tarn smarmed, sosresistiog ! and, Gribeielle Ged ! mouses
too, disfigured, maimed, cot draws, sad trampled upoo by
dragooas !--is this lisselood? This • Christi.. land? a
land of freedom ? Can such thing, be, aril pus by
us like a summer cloud, ',shelties'? Ferbid it every
drop of Euglieh blood in every vein that does not
proclaim its °weer Issmard ? Will the Orilllemell of Eng-
lead support or wick at such prascreediugs ? They have a
great stske is the corsdry—they hold great estates, sad they
are &mud in dory and in boomer he rosurider them as re-
taining fees oa the part of their aranotry for upholding its
rights and liberties. Sorely they will at length awake, and
find they have dollies to perform besides fattenisog bullocks
and planting crabbers.. They sever cam stand tamely by, se
lookers-on, while bloody Name rip open their mothers'
wombs ! Thry most joist the gramma voice, lewdly denamod-
ing justice nail redeem, sad head public meetings thrnugh-
out the country to put a step in its cemeseeteaserst 10 •
reign of terror and of blood. To steed essesolatio• as far as
it cats be afforded, and legal redress to the widows aid ne-
phritis, cud souirluted victims of this unparalleled 111141 bar-
barous outrage. For this ramose, I propose that •
netting elmould be (relied iso Wesemineler, which the Gera-
Omura of the Constrainer will arrange, sod whose moss-
mous I will hold myself in readies to attend. Whe-
ther the realty of ear Meeting will be death by military
execution, I law not, but this 1 know, a man can die bet
once, sad never better Mao is 'nadir:straw the cameo( his
country. Excuse Ibis beady address, I ems scarcely tell what
I have writers. It may Lea libel, or the Attoesey.General may
call it so,jost as he please*. Whets the serara Bishop. were
tiled fsr a libel, the army of James 11. then encamped on
Hounslow Heatk, fur supporting arbitrary power, gave
three cheers on hearing of their sequittal. The King,
startled at the noise, asked, » What's that ?" " Nothing,
Sire," was the isaisser.‘ hot she soldiers shoat ing at the ac-
quittal of Mermen Bishops." “Do you call that wonting?"
replied the misgiving tycoon, and shortly after abdicated the
grivirtinsent. 'Tie true James mold met Maki torture au kis
net Isar the living Bosh from their boors
with a rat.u%nitse non flog them alive ! Be
this as it may, our duty is to Mete, sad Eogland expects
eves y sum to do Isis stony.

I remain, Gesil;aneo, nest trimly and Ibithfully,
" Your most obedient &roam,
" F. BURDETT.

Kirby Park, August Z 2, 1819."
Serjeant VAUGHAN then row, in obedience, as he said, to
his duly, as Counsel fur the Crown, oa an information
which had been tiled by his Majesty's Attorney-General.
euttsolerili4 with whom the grave accasatioa of the present
infinmaiwn had originated, be was sot surprised at the
attakty which the trial had excited. The lint Law Officer
of the Cruwu had thought fit to brig before a Jury, for an
act of high sedition, a Gentleman of high fortune, of
ancitut faintly, of considerable political importance, sod
our who was at present a eandidate for the Representation
of one of the chief sod mast popsies, cities is tbe empire.
the rause by had andenaken had regwirsd ingenious
lefr.l exposition, or great subtlety of argument, be would
bare mr,retted his lot, is being appointed M conduct it is
the abo•nee of professional persons of superior talents.
But in his 111111 d. he had a straight At/want 11111.1110 to penes.
Thu Jury kid,* Weiss aed easy dotty to diaeltarst• Them
were only two tvseidepatises. rwst, was Sir F. Israeli the
milluir of the letter esteedly, did it law the ratlines sad
ucuusti its i Weal character charged is the ieforissiiwa ? These

marked) timbale hi kern
the Goveriament or any of its authorities nor. pnblic rota.
tenipt, was, in his estimation, a libel. That hr nsholit,•.l
as the rule of law respecting the woe awl he h... 1 no fn. or
bearing that opinion rejected by the Bruck, As the clog:, of
the information was fur inculeatiug hawed and dislike. f el,.
Goverunseut amosigits sishjetta,and esprcially iSa soldier., • t
would be ',remelt' Mil the al/egotism shook, be moral
each of its bemires, and the Jury usoblet to be satisBed ghat .t
did relate in the asineuer alleged
.10 the Government, the
lablifes, sad Ike subjects. As to motives in raw whrie
they could wily be owitively kismet to Moe Maw iminnwittiog
the Simi, iaad hie Maher." it teas maosotil to Wire sae effect Ire
the libel, to prove the intention. lithe libel wearer a sied• -
Sinus teadesey, sock mitts' be fairly assumed a. the eke: t
of the writer. Every ass must he supposed In kboii-
liefore•hred the coosequenee of his own act. If ea, sod ttie
Jury believed the effect of the libel to be Seiliti..iss,
must find the Ihrfeudant guilty. The form of sllr Idol was
a Letter to the Electors of Weetenester on the Irausactioos
at Manchester on the I dili of Antrum last. Tailor trai.s.
actions were under consideratioa is 'mother Court -it i!.st
very instant. He did sot wish Waal any collateral gnesu .u.
It was nothing to the present cssewhethertle use. Hog of Mao.
cheater were legal or illegal; but he winshl ink. the libel's
to say that the meeting was absolutely illegal. The riled
of subjects to petition was unquestionable; it was the his i'. •
right of Englishmen; and if any cortailownt a this "WWI
take place, it must be attributed to those who perstatrd u,.
exercising it contrary to the interests, sad so the iminioe..l
danger of the existence of other eights. 811414 an a excuse
of the right of petitioning threatening the right. of liberty,
at property, or of say other natural sod commou ;whis
made the assembly so exercising it an illegal amembly
It was sot neeessasy, however, to establish that propo-
sition on the present occasion. Hrd the mortise been
sad the soldier. committed the wage. racemes, it
was wit few any persons to write down comments be-
fore the waned parties should be brought to trial. VI .4.
sot the letter a libel on the Goveroanesst am! wldirrt ' By
a shame, grief, and isidignatkos," the author moat hss e
resat that be felt shame mad iedigisatioes sgainill the (M.
refitment sad its authorities, and grief for Ilse auppood
sufferers. Supposing such to be the author's own fret-
less, cook. there be any doubt that it was Isis inten-
tion to awaken the some feeliep in show whom I.e ad-
dowsed? It was possible that he might misinterpret the
messing. lie (Sir Frawis) defended hioiself, and
well indeed might he trust in his owe powers of midersiand.
lag for such a purpose. He would therefore inform them
what they world to eosiddrea• the correct Morelos:lotion of
his words. He (Mr. Vaughn) imputed to the sullen, the
letestios of applying the odious term of "
ionroughmon-
garer to the Government. It us. insportaiit that it,,.
boon should be oweerstond, as the information charged it as
Wog used by way of reflection on the Goverommal. Kt-
lalalliballalleting must mean a trading, a besynig sod selling
of boroughs. If this imputation were not mean is apply
401111,41loomumest, whim could it apply ? What ronnemon
clad She eight or petilietsieg, the subject chiefly allioled to,
With begoirootertag, antoept ley this suppminion The
itione the people most be aeldressied to She Houses of
. What eonld he wool by the animism to Oaths.
meolory ilieftwas, hat to tosiowt it with boroughwougetinr.
The imputation of that part alba libel was clearly, that the
Gweremeol had 'blahs's' • particular degree of power and
ballot:nee by trading in hompothe. The Learned Counsel pre.
sumed that the allusion shin to alaasliag armies, in time of
peace, owl beacon lo east alines ea the Government for
keeping up sash au army. He did not object to the jea.
lowly of the Gimatitatiow respecting warding armies—. it was
a prevailing and howierable principle of the Constitution.
It was by reams of this jealousy that the Iloilo,. Rill a as
obliged to be passed from year to year, in 11b11.11.1 In
which that Act who annual', mewed. But twee was
an impunities that the Government had made ma improper
use of the army, sad that the tranasctiow at Maisitereier re.
fleeted disgrace both on the GoVersintriel Sold its *Wilkey,
the author expressing his wishes that the soldiers emplosed
had bees foreigners is order, as must be presumed, to ave. t
the disgrace from English soldiers, He would leave that
matter with she Jury. They were not then trying the Menus
of British soldier., hut be should have 'opposed that their
gallantry abroad ought to have shielded diem from ealeiruny
at borne. It rasher belonged to cowards than to such brave
men to be creel. Another passage of the lethir asked,
Is Ibis Eughusd?" fie. They must all know that an .user.
rogatury was frequently put as strongly as Mb alfirinseiver
could possibly be. The inference then would be, hthie
out Euglaad, but a savage, slavish country, where the soil
of liberty bait for ever set." Again, " can sorb:Minor lo,"
At. What was this but the language of excilemeso ? sup-
pose the massacre to have been real, with all the womolincs
and other disastrous events reported to have taken place,
what would have been their retinae* ? %Vont.' they not
bare said, " Upon my Weird this is nowt then Englishmen
ought to bear.' This was obviously excising the minds
▪ Ilse peewits addressed to opposition to the Gore, n.
Men . As to the reproof of the coasestry eenilerneu,
who, like the Jury, perhspe, disliking the "ism:gins of v._
litical life, were said to speud their time 111 Camisole cattle,
and planting cabbages, he would make no remark upon it.
lien had differeut tastes which each hail a right to todu:g-..
He had beard, indeed, that Me man who roottl make is•
cabbages grow wleere sine 1..4 grown is. tire, wee a Itemise.
los ho his country. " Bloody Neroer." foe. Who could
be intended by this term It must be meant to be
plied to the Government. The passage immediately fol.
lowing wsuswil that She moo of tenor and hlutad bed
commented. This takiu as a whale, must More hewn in.
tended fur excitement. It could not be dune rn stronger
teems. He need uut ray that there could be au lite.
rat mesaiag to the analog to Nero, who was raid to have
ripped epee his own mother. But could any one doubt that
there was art liftoff'sa of excitemetst evens... the GOVern.
meal. by this allusion to the most liatefol act of the most
baleful reign ever known in the world, sail One conspieriion
attempted betweru it and the deed. of the
verstsout ? The letter went on to direct she II shrug of
public meeting to inquire into the eireinneO,riseell helots
described. No one wouldsay that public ow.iiiie. sow the
proper places fur such a diarmastrou. If th. !meting were
legal mid the soldiers had committed the sides& one Root
bestial excesses, was there nu law to punish them? Could
they imt be prosecuted in a legal manner In sock a case
a mass could not be permitted to wide Jima the reputations
of the accused, but was bound himself to OM) piiblic
miser mud prosecute the parties. A tactful( was called
is consemsence of the letter, infisinuartoey resoloiumo
were passed Oa the conduct of men 10111e11 ifeti in
any case to have been submit'. .1 to a Jury to toter.
some its legality. There wits next a ..,!:pos.iiteu in.&
the meeting to be called would be 'object to ioneiriso.
lion by military viuleoce. %That was thie but to 5i0611.00. II at
the comae, was wader martial law ? 1.1.1 to
excite sedates ? Thar. were only two ways of interpeesiug
it. The Mforeace moot be that soy person iw nonaber sear
parlous, however peaceably sad usefully employed in sly
sloiliays of tiresome 'object to be idernipted by the troop., •
arilltdelseeediittillioasust tenlitalitlithei"pci which
eowisogubtbi tb: mMeturb
l amccia"rerdiwougb s d
t.

were the awl, ponds for shit Jury to deride. Al 10 the Arai,
be supedlead there wadi bor questioo quota it,- Inetwern
the Crows said tie Difioniest. The waive. •wee had
before iodised lbw Weave it, mead meat probably wee soy
trouble la leg is et peereet. beweererbere Oblehd-be
any ' 61MN entity wield
be telly preeedldp Bette.. The egad wasigPillbe be
the 'sty ebb OM** eeeeideeerinei teteren e
of epiehee alight' hove been emereertied .eppea, die lee of
libel, obey bed here (be weld rep bapptly) put et
reel. dad the jury weerhging 41el pewee la deride,
might give lb. 111 dory view, full and com-
plete deliveraece. He thought ibrtit wog no great sta.
Acidly is defining what was or swiltot a libel. Any wr, t-
log (he wished his opinion to be warted) temiwe to hrtuff
" _