The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-02-11 00:00:00

Oy an 011-11111 rue
10 aillperllC/JC 1111 C
of she Court, in awarding criminal its eemitional
but he thought it right to observe, that it *might be
extremely hard to bring the parties to that froths of
mind which might be desired. And 'he had to I
state, that • week after the rule had been obtained,
the Court of Common Council, consisting of the
Lord Mayor. the Aldermen, and the deputies of I
the householders of London, had come to a resolu-
tion that this prosecution ought to be given tip. and
that the City Solicitor should be directed to give
up the management of it. and it was now con- .
ducted by :mother Solicitor. If the temper of the
present times were considered, nothing was more
calculated to keep alive the feelings of roger and
animosity than persevering in proceedings of this
kind. The public mind was now pretty well at
rest on the Manchester business. but this was well
adapted to revive its anxiety. It now became his
duty to state more particularly the matter of the
affidavits. There were thirteen affidavits put in
by the prosecutors, and answered by about twice.
that number; they were rather long. The first was
from Mr. Atkins, the late Lord Mayor. He stated,
that he had received two applications, the first from
about seventy-three, the latter from about fifty
Liverymen, who were extremely anxious that the
Livery- should give an opinion on the transactions at
Manchester, to convene a Common Hall for that
purpose; that he declined to do so; that among
these were Messrs. Hurcombe, Fearon, Stevens, &c.
and that he verily believed the delay and obstruc-
tion on the 49th September, proceeded from a pre.
conceived union among the people, who had signed
the requisition, and others. to obtain that which had
been formerly refused. This was his view of the
probability of the circumstances, and this was cer.
tautly a pretty strong oath. Messrs. Brown, Roth-
well, Turner, and Gibbs, swore that they verily be-
lieved a plan had been laid by Messrs. Waithroan.
Thomson. Fearon, aml Stevens, or wine of them.
Three of them did not mentiou the name of Bum.
stead. Brown swore that oil the morning of the
49th September, Mr. iliarrombe delivered certain
printed papers or handbills to one Deane, to be
distributed. Ilurcurnhe swore, that he went into
Court, in company with Mr. Coates, and that he
did not give any paprr4 to Deane. Coates and
Deane earifirmed this statement on oath ; and the
three positively declared. iii their affidavits, no such
thing had happened. Mr. Cullisigrolge deposed,
that during some part of the time when the ob.
attraction took place, Mr. Hurcombe stood across
the pie where the election boards were kept, and
when a person of the name of Hill asked him to go
away that he might get at them, he (Mr. Hur-
combe) turned to depoueid„ and asked him, had
there been any order to that purpose ? when depo-
nent said not. Hill also swore that he had received
no order; so that with respect to Mr. Hurcombe, lie
had no doubt but that the rule must be discharged.
The affidavit of Mr. Brown. one of the Mar-
shals, contained so much irrelevant matter, that it
was difficult to select from it what bore upon the
case. After swing a cumber of minute particulars,
it proceeded to say, that wheu the Lord Mayor
and the other Aldermen retired, Alderman %Valth.
man came forward in front of the hustings :
whereas, it was sworn by himself and many other
persona, that he lead gone behind. and did not
come forward till lie saw Brown offer violence to
Mr. Thomson. Brown also swore that he saw
Thomson lay his hand ou the Common-Ser-
jeant, on which he interfered ; hut the Common.
Serjeaut did not at all confirm this statement.
—Macy of the affidavtis skewed that not a blow
was struck from beginning to end. Sheriff
Parkins swore positively, that he had no concert
vrhativer with the other parties; that lie scarcely
knew any of them except Mr. Hunt, who bad
once addressed him in language little calculated
to conciliate, conveying a threat if lie did not ap-
point • certain person his Under•Sheritf.—(A
laugh.)—Mr. Denman then described the contents
of the Common Serjeant's affidavit. in which he
stated- his having charged Mr. Thomson. on his
oath as • liveryman, not to interrupt the proceed-
ings ; his being pointed out to the Livery by Mr.
Hurd, who said, " There is the man;" his being
addressed by the nickname of " Little Jeff,' and
his belief that he was pointed at by Alderman
Weidman, in alluding to the conduct of Judge
Jefferies. Alderman Waithman score that in what-
ever language lie used, lie (Heald nothing disre-
spectful to the Common Serjeant, or unsuitable to
the habits of intimacy on which lie had stood with
that gentlemen. All the other Defendants swore
they load had no concert with Mr. limit. Mr.
Detinssis then went through the affidavits of Mr.
Turner, the Under-Sheriff; of Mr. Gibbs, and of
Mr. Robert Smith, which latter, lie said, included
violent and unsupported charges against Alderman
Waithman and Sheriff Perkins from the beginning
to the end, in general terms, but was material to
the defence, inasmuch as it chewed that there was
a strong party stationed on the right side of the
hustings, prepared to oppose all the proceedings of
his clients and their friends. After noticing the
affidavit of Mr.Woodthorpe, and those of others, the
focts alleged in which have been repeatedly before
the public, the Learned Counsel interred that the
affidavits of the prosecutors genteelly did not at all
affect either Mr. Parkins or Mr. Buinstead. He
then recited at length the affidavits of his clients,
Alderman Weidman, Mr. Buinstead, Mr. Hues
combe, Bud Mr. Fearon.
The first of these stated, that the deponent con-
staidly believed that it was the right of the Livery,
of which he was a member, to discus, public griev-
slices; that the late Lord Mayor had twice refused
to convene a Common Hall, though required to do I
so. with the view of exprewing an opinion on the
transectious at Manchester; that he understood the'
Livery intended. in consequence. to meet in the
open air, in the yard of the Guildhall, but that he,
conceiving such a course would lead to great disor-
der, caused a letter to be inserted in two news-
paper*. dissuading them therefrom, and advising
them to mina en their right um the 49th September,
previous to the ordsuary business; that he had seen
lhe Resolutions which had been prepared ; that
when the Lord Mayor, and the Aldermen were re-
tiriug
into their own room, Mr. Thomson handed
a paper its the Lord Mayor. containing a copy of
the Resolutions. but that his Lordship passed ra-
pidly by without speaking; that deponent him-
,Half retired to the back of the hustings, and
remained there till he saw the Marshal rudest.