The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-01-29 00:00:00

in restoring confidence to the tubas of the peo-
ple. This does nut rest merely on my abStr-
tloll, but on the opinions of impartial persons
as avowed at public meeting., wed on the contr.-
1.0115 of le rsoseit Implicated in the outrages. its
bisiotary cis were likewise visible in one comity
here. in the words of the Alagist rates
of the county, the very existence of the law haul
the elrect of changing the mattuficturing distlicts
fro.n u briar little short of rehellton, into one of
certain tranquillity and 11111)4rellt security.' Its
effects were 111.4) moot Advantageously felt in dis-
comertitig several ititehtled insururt-tions, by the
removal of their leaders, awl in this respect were
discernible in the cases of the insitrriction do the
night of the Bth and 9th Julie, when u more for-
table indication of treason haul appeared. Of
those insurgents, 45 were loom' in arms, of whom ten
fled, and have not since bre', heard of, a,n billy of
indictment were found against the others. Four were
on knit convietell, and the re:minder having con-
fessed their treason, threw themselves ens the iniircv of
the Government. This insurrection would have
been snitch more fa 111 l ittalde but for the provision's
a this Act. With respect to that tlescriptiots of
persons oho had been impelled by distress to acts of
violence, it is impossible to regard them hot %jib
compassion; they hail been inflamed by mischievous
psis 1114, by writings and speeches, cod taught to be-
lieve that to the Government alone should emir dis-
tress be attributed. The measure was not difeettd
tagaiipit ahem, but artinst those who took out vantage
of their misery, and converted it to the bare purposes
of disturbing the country and destroying the tonsil-
turnni. I du not mean tosay that they could effect thus
purpose. God forbid that the Constitution of this

country was not established upon a Enoch firmer
ibis 6.111 could be shake's by such ell'orts ! But,
uty Lords, is there no niemis between the security
CI the Ilohhe repose, and the titter demolition of
the State? Nor let it be imagined thot those
terrain's were men of ordiuory talents ; they were
possessed of powers sufficient to give them it great
influence over the lower classes of the people, and
this tolluence they had acquired and rLercised
'rerun:4lll.ly ; and it was by withdrawing them
from cot 1111 l unity with the populace that tranquil-
lity toold be b. :it preserved.
•• 'the Niebli. Loral has adverted to the proceedings
which were adopted agaient the publishers Of cer-
tain Idoepheidons productions. Ilia Majesty's M-
onsters had little expected that such trial. could
have Iwelt a matter of reproach to them. It had
hero a 6.'111.1141 complaint that such prosecutions
lia.l been delayed too long—and Ministers hod
been repeatedly called upoii, both in Parliament
mot out of it, to protect the religion of the COUII.
try. lu undertaking these prosecutions, they
)irlileJ, to they thought, to the general wish, and
to their own conviction of the necessity of such pro-
ceedings, &dim; that the publication of such
works was precisely the means that hail been so
successfully employed in a neighbouring country
to effect a revolirtioir, by sopping the Interrelations
of religion, elestroo log all moral prielei plus, 01,11
removing those impressions (110111 the loosed 111111
Wlill:11 Wight resit-a:li lino front the cominissinii of
crime, without the intervention of human Law. %Vida
re spect to the panegyric pronounced by tilt' Noble
Lord on the right of personal Illierty,and the history
nob whi II he favoured us, but which was probably
not unknown to your Lordships, 1 think that his 314-
jet•ty's Ministers have in this Bill given a proof of
their high respect fur it. The ineissure this Bill re-
peals would not have expired before the IA of
?March—but the Govertiturtit felt that no argument
-could be founded upon the shortness of the time
still remaining, alit',, the necessity for its contiou-
since no Imager exi-ted ; 3et I believe there is nu
record 011 your 3omual. of the repeal of such a
measure. It is not, however, tie et there no longer
-exists ally desire to di:suit. the public ireace ; their •
are at this moment, in the metropolis and rise-
where, mosey persons actively engaged in uttritipt-
ing to frontlet insurrectime, but from many CllllBOll
the of these persons are ill a great
measure deprived of the it powor of mischief. 1% nth
regard to their nature and extent, 1 have it its
command fillip his Royal Highness the Prince Hz-
grist to lay before Sour Lordships papers contain-
ieig iiiformatiote 11111011 the internal state of the cowl-
s.) .nice the 1414 Report of the Secret Committee.
Many opportunities will these arise fur discussing
ti.e propriety of the inrosiire, and the wanner its
%stud, 1., powors have been exercised. With re.
bittEt to the hitter, 1 and the last person who shouted
speak, because the responsibility of tray set wt.
der the provisions of that law is wholly mine.
'nay, however, be permitted to say, that on no oc-
caoilis have I actril will I * street Irgard to the
sofety of the einsiory. 1 have endear mired to act
op 111 iii,, tiece,,itieN of the carte, but I hive utter
nod theta.— (Mar, hear.
The Bill of Repeol was then read a see I time,
tool liae nig stiecessivelv gone through the other
via. sent ho the 11010 e of COMMUltri
.11:4.! I lutist: theii