The National Register.
London, England, 1812-07-12 00:00:00

TILE NATIONAL. REGISTER.

4C$

once which had been carried on in the several counties mentioned in
the Report of the Committee, was of a nature the most alarming ;
that the plan was organized, and carried to an extreme, Against which
the existing laws could give no security. It was at filar, the Noble
Lord stated, supposed that there was no necessity ter ref:trine to any
other means of restoring the country to its former peace and tran-
quillity, but the complexion that throe counties had now eastoned,
rendered it inditpensarily necessary to resort to measures of a mere
decisive and authoritative nature. The form in which the large body
of the rioters now appeared was military, their object evidently ma-
lignant, their actions diabolical cranes. He was of opinion th :t the
origin of the disturbances by which the country was diseractel, was
not at all necessary to be enquired into, their present state was the
question. The extent was notorious. Depredations was hourly
committed ; the properties and lives of respectable and itioflensive
individuals were taken away, and there eaxisted no security tor any
who were not joined with this bend of extermivators. They marched
forth in the array of battle; they were not satisfied with opposing
the civil, they were determined to prepare theinaelves likewise to
meet the military power of the country. They said to each other,
" it is impossible for any authority to shake us if we adhere to our
plan. and make ourselves competent he engage with tile military."
If Government would sink into apathy or indolence under such
circumstances, what would be the state of the country ? It they
were not immediately to resort to measures nene~ atrette than those
that had already been tried in vain, where was the man wile con
1.
say he was not appreheroive of assassination ? The Bill he should
introduce to meet the system he was deprecating contained three
clauses ; first, with respect to arms ; see and, with respect to rumul-
tuare meetings; and thirdly, with respect to the power of the
Maeistretes, the Magistrates should have the power o: searching
for :tons wherever they suspected they were secreted or stolen. They
should have the power of eemandirg awns from any person, for tee
purpose of keeping them in security, at tho same time that families
would not he deerived of such arms as were necea:ary to drfenct their
houses. They should have the po.eer of dispersing• all tutqultuary
assemblies by night and day, and if any individual in such assembbes
refused to obey the authority of the :Magistrate, he was to b: adjudged
guilty of a mislemeitootir. The power of the Magistrates was to
continue tor a time to ba limited, and the Bill only to operate in those
districts where the disturbances had t,hen place. Alter some turther
observatiotts, Lord Castlereagh concluded by moving a Bill to tile
above efr ct.
Mr. W n term F. A contenLd, that the present laws were sulliciant,
if acted up el with energe by the Magistrates to answer al! the pure
poses ietendad ha. this Bill. He eppesed all the arguments of the
Noble Lord, and stated that the persons who had excited the disc
turbanccs, For assumed a military thrm. He strongly disap-
proved of the practise cat sending spies amongst those deluded people,
es the efnct prodiAd by such a practise was not so much the ebtaine
11W useful intannation, as the inciting them to such crimes as they
had not before thought of. H.. argued against giving such power to
the Magistrates in those comities. The state of liberty a man woted
enkie in eve! y other part of the empire was so extretnely contrasted,
that the counties to which the Bill referred would be considered as
inha!iitett by people of a diikrent native, governed by a ddierent
system, and by prejudices would become so meted, that we
suppose them breathine a difliaent atmosphere, and even
diroinginseed by a lfereot complexion.
Mr. WI Leal, soece obesrved, that if the opinion were to prevail
that our suffering these evils was without any remedy unless by at
pecca, it %void(' be the very means of preventing that peace so much
desired. The evils were :Omitted to exist, and they were licit to wait
till they should be full blown, and attain tie:it maturity of strenetls,
but to correct them in time, and t:ike them Ly milder means then
could afterwards he employed.--(Hear, hear
Sir F. B el( Derr observed, that the Lion. C,entleman who had just
sat down (Mr. WiLlerterea) :coined nispoaed 16 go to the length of
torttee for extorting information.—(No, No ! then Mr. Witberterce.)
The Hon. Gentleman does not assent, but dna was the effect Of his
words.—(A gneral cry of Ne, Ni l)—The Lion. Geetl :man certainly
meant to say, as his words appeared to him, that such measures woual
prevent the evil front apreadiog, :net prevent our going that h.:l%th
that might otherwise be necessary . 1f he wider. oseti that the inteedett
measure was designed to mike a capital c 'tenet (oily a miaderneenor,
and to facilitate .i nial, he would certainly vote tne L
tit
this light he could net consider the Bill. 1 t would eive to tia eeia-
trate, on the contrary, an uuconetitutional newer, and anielit be the
cause of tench operession.
Mr. CANNING was illjillCl to think, that Ministers were dung
rather too little thanitoo teuch.
The Hon Mr. LAMill. expressed his assent to the bringing ie of the
Bill.
Lord C :sere ER EACH in reply, maintained, that tarture had in no
in:e.tece ever been sanctioned by the Governmeie. 01 1 relanO. in the
abseacc of ail law, the only safety was in martial lete and • e measure
of pre elaiming martial law hid afterwards received time sanction of the
United Parliament. If an Hon. Baronet thought pumse ',oil, JO Ili.*
HiCred, were to be described as tolture, he ought, with egtual pro-
priety, apply the same tam to the whole bjsternotainilitary pumsh-

,t`

141 •
4
.~