The National Register.
London, England, 1819-08-30 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER .'

Mr. Bouchier here requested she might be discharged; as the
evidence was ai slight; and the Bench ordered her to be dia.
charged.—The Chairman, Mr. Norris, eldressed her with great
humanity.
Hunt—This. after twelva days' solitary confinement !
After the whole of die evidence had been lead, Hunt said to
the Rend); May i he permitted to ask who is the prosecutor?—
Mr. Norris : The Crown. Hunt: In ppoerson I—Mr. Norris: The
Solicitor of the Treasury is here.—Hunt: Your name.—Mr.
Bourchier Bouchier.--Iltint : I mu kuoe the name of the
prosixtror. as I may have oats ion so bring an &elan !
Mr. Norris: Mr. Botioh,er has been sent by the Crown.—
Hunt : I wish to know who is the responsible person, in order
that iEit should torn out that after being eleven days confined,
I have committed Ito 111KIICe. 61)1111: we may he made res-
ponsible.
Mr. Norris . J take it, that those who have sworn to the parti-
cular facts are in the present instance responsible.
' Hunt : But is it not necessary that there should be a prosecutor ?
Mr. Norris: The Crown prosecutes: if there he any particular
prosecutor. it must be the Attorney General.
Mr. Ilitn• theft ad.lressed the Benci, 'o the following effect :
" I know that I ton now addressing the stone magistrates who
took the first depositions against me: but after that evidence,
and the amended evidence, has been real, is it for them, silting
as his Majesty's Justices, to administer justice.—.l hope, and do
not donbt, they will dismiss from titer minas all prejudice, and
and act upon the evidence. Some witnesses say that those bodies
, which came from the country came in military array, but they
could not explain what they meant by military array. Solace
say they came with sticks. One says, they were so far in ndii
tary array as to have clubs at their left breaats„ similar to mus-
lets. But they all agree that none of thesu did any act to inti-
midate. !Can the magisirates say we should be committed on
such evidence for a mistleincattoor,after eleven days'confineruent?
Is not this a sufficient punishment for any offence that we have
committed? The eyes of all England are fixed upon this matter.
I stand 4ere with a eastiction that.l have reed right'y ; but it is
doubtfulirlicilier those who hear tie have that cunt:Action. The
Country is in a very agitated state, and will be in amore agitated
state till this education is settled. Are you upon this evideoce to
send us back to solitary cot finement ? (Mr. Norris No.) One
of the maoitarates.whom I do not now see told me all the blood
that had iieen shed must be set to my account. After having
been remanded for tieagm—after having been held up to the
country as a traitor—and alter having b. en committed on that
charge, and now there beiqg no evidence (geed to support it, I
appeal to. you to lay aside all private feelings. (Here there was
applause in Court.
Mr. Norris : No tumult shall be made ; if there is I shall
commit the parties guilty of it.
Hunt : There is nnt..ttempt on my part to make tumult ; the
man who makes any disturbance is my perminal enemy.
Hunt resumed. I expected to have stood here on a much
greater charge--on a charge of high treason; and 1 have also
been charged with murder. I submit to you there has not been
one particle of evidence of these. Many of these prisoners
I never saw till they came Into the box. I admit that I
did attend the meeting for the purpose of addressing it, coma-
tiering the laws of the country allowed me. I did not coneider it
.as a matter of pleasure, but on the contrary, • painful duty.
Having had the honour to yresent to the Secretary of State.
Remonstrances from other meetings, thin' him to be laid beture
the PrinceJtegent, it was intehled a Iteuictistrauce LC: oblides
nature should be sent front this meeting. It was the unanimous
opinion of those cone rned in this meeting, that we should nut
imitate BirminAliam. The proclamation had pronounced that
object illegal ; and though I did, nut thin/. it at first illegal. yet
in my opinion it was foolish.
Without three months' notice given to all the inhabitants, I,
as Chaimian, would net have put such a question ; and it was
entirely given up, even if the meeting an the 9th had been
held ; and we have moat respectable evidence of it, from men of
as much property and respectability ax any in this Court. The
resolutions intended to have been proposed, were lost in the late
bustle. Bat it will be proved it was intended to convey, certainly,
a strong vote of censure on Lord Sidinuatit for refusing to pre-
sent petitions fruit Manchester and Stockport ; and then a
solemn appeal to lei.. Royal Highness the Prince Regent, to take
,„*.Atto consideration the distressed state of the country, and anew
the connection between the people and the throne.
I shall not trust to my feelings as to what took plate on dis-
persing the meeting ; it would be much better if a grect portion
of that were buried in oblivion. Upon this evidence, I beg that
you will not commit. you thane down the apple of discord
for perpetual contention. and continue the people in agitation 7.
there the Bench interrupted him).
Mr. Norris: your iangutige is now improper.—What account
of this you may have to make nowt be conveyed to Powers ln;,lier
than ourselves. If the Countty were in tenfold theacgitation you
speak et', 1 sod my Brethren should do our duty.
!font resumed : I did opt mean to throw out any imputation,
nor AA any thing as a boon. hut I demand justice; nor will I
accept any &your. I certainly did ask ;he Governor whether I
might be permitted to walk in the garden, but the moment I
knew Mr. Johnson had been refusal by the Magistrates, I would
have sawed ofr my right hand .betorwl would bate gone into it !
Mr. Norris—Dins-tans were given to a surgeon, a most eta
alienable man, to see Mr- Johnson ; and if necessary for Lure to
walk out. that he should have pernusaion to do .o.—(Joan.on ad-
seined this.)

Hunt resumed—l most say I suffered much bodily pain from
the blows of the constables :mil bom.rabres. They are risible. I
scorned to tell the Ibs.tor of U. My health eel:Aunty has, by toy
apprehension and oinfitkownt, been preserved: the exerthas I
sulff have trade to keep that meeting quiet, would have 4.fie,(:.
ted me for years. I have slept on a bed such as I would not
have ppt my .ervants on ; but, thank God, 1 have dept well and
have suffered nothing, but front the rem:lxtion of my fr Ilow pri.
boners, an.l the manglzd creatures cut to death. 1 have no coot
plaint to make artainst the jailor, nor of the air of tie jail.
Aloorhouse—As the law presume, persons innocent until :on-
vinyl'', 1 beg to say we ought to be used as well as possible, whit:
we are kept in prison.
wris : Yon may all of you hay^ Enid.
loorhouse: When brought pp here Inti:re,t was warm, and
co: ducted myself in a way for which I am rather sorry.
'the Magistrates then withdrew.
ow their return, %Ir. Norris snit': Ileory Dont, aril you all:
we sent for %Ir. Bouchier in order that we might ili:4111
fully peruse the depositions.—lt is a most painful duty to me to
commit you for Conspiracy. We can, however, lay our bands
on our hearts and say, "we have done our duty.' As to the
charge of Conspiracy. though you might not have been &hive.
titer previously to the Meeting, yet in the eye of the law all those
who commit separate rots, tending to one illegal object,are guilty
of that crime. Coupling the two Meetings together, taking'
into consideration the manner in which the last was arise:ll6lNi,
with such insigwa. and under such demonstrations, with the
black flag, the bloody dagger, the words equal representation, or
death—the coming in a threatening niannAir tinder these banners
—these were a dire.:t stiewing that the overthrow of the Govern-
ment was unavoidably eonteinplatul. So discussion cduld be
bad, where that 11.4! wa-; intimidation was its direct object. Toe
charge now is, ..that of having coop red to alter the law by
force and threats." It is an illegal procedure sufficiently made
mu; and calls upon us imperatively to commit you for trial he.
fore a proper tribunal. It is now my painful duty to commit
you to Lancaster Castle.
Last night Dial net tieing produced. Henry Hunt, Robe. Jones
Ilacton (Dr. Healew.essagge swift, .1, T. Saxton, Sam. Bamford
Rob.= Wild, AO Jekta Kaisht, were sent off to Lancaster Castle
..m.:nittcd to Lake tea' trial at the mining Al4lAlt4 Jesepli

AUGUST Stt

Johnson wu admitted to bail, himself in l,nonl. and two sureties
in 5001. each. The same bail MIS demanded f,.► kl tint ; half that
amount for the others. Johnson was borne home on men's shoal.
deer.. folk wed by a Libble of women and boys. Moorbouse is
also bailed.

The loser clam:L*l4d got hold of some very curious notions
shout Hunt. and expected not only that he would be immedi-
diately liberated, but that the Magi.trates were anxious to induce
hive .o walk out of the prison. far did this view pretail, that
many said he would not lease its walls without • premium of
thirty thousand pounds ! Others said the Duke of York wag
conung down to set him free. So little right apprehension had
the populace of Il unt's acktal condition. and what a sober-minded
tenacious thing the law of the land is. They could DM undentand
that the crime of Conspiracy has any terrors in it.