The National Register.
London, England, 1821-02-11 00:00:00

Majority &gainer the motioat 146
WEDNESDAY, Fall. 7.
There being only tturty-eight members present at four
o'clock, the Speaker *lectured the House to stood adjourned

THURS.:IA Y. /XL 8.
Mi. BYNG presented 'WWII:111S till the subject of Si. Pau.
eras church; to light Poplar, with gas, &c. Ordered to be
referred to Committees.

Mr. S. WORTLEY presented petitions from wnolfen
manufacturers in the W. bi Riding of Yorkshire; from Leeds.
&c. pray mg Hist the House would alter the laws regarding •
the stamping of woollen cloths. The hon. member gave
notice, that on an e.srly day be should moire fur is select
committee to enquire into the allegations of the petition*,
the state of tile laws regarding the stamping of woollen
cloths, &c.—Read and ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. C OMEN presented a petition front farmers of Glom•
cestershire, complaiurng of agricultural distress, and prays
ir'. for relief. He said that grain was now 6.. per bushel.
It had been said that Ets. was the lowest price at w hick
grain could be sold so as to afford a fair profit to the grower.
Now Is. difference made a change of 5,000,0001. to the
fanner; but the difference in the prices now occasioned a
hiss of 10,000,0001. yearly to the growers. If the deterio-
ration were 1 or 21. more, then the loss to the farmers would
he 20,000,0001. How could the farmers go on under such
disadvantageous cirimustances, &c.
Petitiou received and ordered to lie nn the table.
Petitions were presented f Sealesby, Leicestershire
—Hurt ;erfuril,—Suriey, &c. praying the restoration of the
Qu. mioie to Lie Liturgy.
Mr. DEN MAN said, that these petitions were more no.
cessary than ever, for since the end of the proceedings io the
Lords, the conduct towards the Queen was rif it more unjust
and calumnious character than. The ministers ram talked
of the numerous depusitions that had nut beets brought !for.
ward, and they had also at their own experice, circulated
time Attorney Geueril's ttoicluent as the ruse proved against
the Queen. Was that to be denied or out 1 Amid specr bo s
of certain Lords bud been sera through the country tit the.
. .

Goverinin sit expellee, anal under (sank+ I would the noble
lord deny thisl would the 'louse bear these thin;►—that
House a hich berme(' at all Is 'cards, determined to suppult
maunders ? it has said, that all proceeding,' were to be
abandoned, and yet the noble lord dealt in such fatal insia."l-
- Ile would suppose a If the noble lord were.
cliar,,ed with acts of bribery, Nes in Ireland; if a new
ministry here to send a commission to Ireland In enquire
iota the conduct of the ell-11k011bler j said if au abashed
initostry atitcsicardas abanalmsed the bill—would the Noble
Lord d cm it just to be spoken of at a guilty peasimage
to the legality of the ques • regarding the
liturgy, he never had a doubt about it ; and if the Qurru
had accepted the proferred bribe, he should have held her
win 1.1 thy ni the protection trans and opinion of the counts",
alien the Queen would always enjoy, as long as the wan
true so herself.—(Lousi cheers.)
Lord t ASTL LIIIEAra II thought it was hard that the gen-
tlemen opposite were to have warrant sit chase" against
tae iminstr, without their being allowed to ratite at bawl
in defence ; the Queries party %Vele 10 puy journals, and
so cit COMO slander, and if Goss.' mural sent mow rots
reeled io (minis, then there has high 'dent es But MI long
as this systi us lasted, sit 101148 i it %u► said this gurus 1011 should
nut be at rest, he would petaevcre on detlariug eloat he
otcetno-d in be taut,

Ur. IIL.IIL olr-ervett, that if Ili, N..ble Lord did cot
(For tOrlialltaftoll arloi,c 46.)

LAW REPORT.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH,
THURSDAY, yEit: A.
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT.
Ti' C I!. SIR F. DuRDETT.
When the . I full, the Aitorney.General
moved for the ! the Court upoti Sir Francis
Burdett.
The worthy Baronet d just entered the Court, ac-
companied by Lord N 0.,. it, Mr. Hohhouse, M. P. Mr.
P. Palmer, M. P. Mr. Bickerstatf, Sir Robert Heron,
and several other friends.
Mr. Scarlett then put in two affidavits : the first from
Sir Francis Burdett, which set forth, that he had beer. a
kiembei of the Imperial Parliament for twetity.lour
Years, and had uniformly !teen an advocate for a legal
and Constitutional Reform which he openly avowed,
and felt and believed to be essential to the stability of
the Throne, the vigour of the Governmem, and the
contentment and happiness of the people. That his'
invariable object had always been to effect that Reform
by such uteans as would prevent the interposition of
popular excess of any kind. lie Ind always conceived
that the right of Petition was a right saciedly recognized
by the Constitution, and in the exercise of which the
people had a right to protection, and not molestation.—
l'lse affidavit further stated, that the Hon. Baronet when
he heard of the fatal affair at Manchester, felt it to be a
dating military outrage, directly attacking tile right of
Petition, and one which urged hint to call upon his
Constituents to come forward and protest against such
an outrage.
The other affidavit was front Mr. Harmer, and merely
went to skew that the Honourable Baronet could not
have seen Lord Sitimouth's approbation of the Manches-
ter Magistrates at the time he wrote that letter.
Mr. Scarlett then ruse, and made an admirable appeal
to the Court in beim! lof the worthy Baronet. .r he
Learned Counsel set out with stating, that, whateve.
might have been the political differences which, at par-
ticular times, he might have had with Sir F. Burdett,
yet it was utterly iinpossible he could look upon him the
less, on that account, as a man of the first importance
to society. There never was, he said, a man upon whom
the public attention was wore fixed, or the public affec-
tkin wore concentrated. Sir Francis Burdett might,
indeed, be said to be a man upon whom a friend was
never alienated on account of political differences. In
all the relations of life, lie stood disinterested, honoura-
ble., and illustrious, and for twenty-five years stood erect
a mid the admiration of his country. Throughout that
long period his conduct had always been open and
avowed. His high birth, his splendid fortune, his illus-
trious talents, his education, placed him by continoti
consent, first among the fiat rank of the Gentlemen of
England. His life had been a public one—it would
form a part of the history of the country, and would be
reverenced by impartial posterity, when the judgment of
his contemporaries should he reviewed with calmness,
sod divested of political passion or prejudice. On no
former occasion had a British Court been called upon to
take cognisance of a case more important, or with re-
ference to a more distinguished man. When a gentle-
man of England, like the Hon. Baronet, called on the
gentlemen of England to cotne forward for redress of
snevances in a case like the transactions at Manchester
tit was ridiculous and fallacious to say his object was to
excite tumult. The Bill of Rights had declared the
right of the People so petition the King, and he hoped
it never would be said in a Court of Justice that he who
is recommending the subjects of the country to petition
the King was exciting tumult. It had been said by one
of the greatest legislators, that the best government upon
earth was that in which every Mani:lug! had a sense of
justice which he preferred to private interest. There
was no country where that feeling applied inure than in
England. So long as the people of England were dis-
posed to treat every species of wrong done to individuals
se wrong done to themselves, so lung would freedom be
dearly cherished ; hut if the transactions of Manchester
could pass unheeded, they might in future look for a
Government riot of freedom but the sword. The Court
would see by the affidavits that the defendant did not
feel that the disapprobation of Government could alter
his sentiments which !I • expressed in his letter. lie
WAS firm in the generous ardour of an Engtishinan acting
upon the best motives. The Hon. Baronet did not know
at the time lie wrote the letter that the dreadful outrage
was not the rash act of some military commander, who
had poured in his armed bands upon a defenceless body
of the King's subjects, quietly assembled to exercise a
constitutional right. The feeling of indignation was
natural upon hearing the ,vst.t. In making this address
in behalf of the delendam, he c'iu not mean to enquire
into the objects of those who assembled the meeting.
It was a fact, that some of those persons had attacked
him with deep political feeling. Toe question was,
whether it was a proceeding which could have been
approved even by the Judges of the land t The employ-
mein of the military was obnoxious to every lover of the
Constitution. The letter did not call on persons to resort
10 'moult. but to petition Parliament, and secondly, to
chew the sufferers there was a feeling in their country.
men which might lead to redress. If the day should
ever come it: which a Gentleman of England should be
punished for one expression of such motives, there would
be an end to all feelings of honour and freedom. He
knew the Court would not punish for such motives.
, Whatever might be the decision of the passing day, he
wonld say, if the Hon. Baronet was spared to discharge
his duties to his country, he would, to the longest day
of his life, act with more caution.
Mr. Deumao, on the same side, said, his feelings were
more acute, if possible, than those of his learned friend.
Having barn employed fur the honourahle baronet from
the conseneneesiteot of the prosecution, lie was enabled
to judge of all the facts. He did not consider it lieCedl.
miry to go into a review of all the features of the case,
butt he was anxious to &lend himself against the charge
of pot nth ling sufficient opposition to the letter which
was circulated to prejudiee the hounorable baronet at the
time of his trial. Ile wished to clear himself front any