The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-16 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY gave notice that
on this day week he should put certain questions to the
Noble Viscount at the head of her Majesty's Government
upon the correspondence that had been laid on the table
relative to the affairs of Spain.
RIOTS AT BIRMINGHAM.
The Earl of WARWICK wished to put a question or
two to the Noble Viscount opposite, upon a subject of
great importance. Should he be premature in introducing
the subject, he should be happy upon an intimation from
the Noble Viscount to delay bringing it forward. But he
must say that the importance of the accounts seemed to press
with increased rapidity. Nevertheless, although he stood
in the situation of Lord Lieutenant of that county, he had
received no communication whetever on the state of Bir-
mingham, either from the Magistrates or from the
Home Office; had he done so, he should have given
any communication his immediate attention. He
wished to know from the Noble Marquis whether
there were a sufficient number of London police in
.Bir-
mingham, and whether they bad all the extra assistance
that was necessary to enable them to preserve peace and
order? From the public accounts that were given, it
did appear an extraordinary thing, after all the
time for preparation which had been afforded,
that the events should have been allowed to take place
which were represented to have occurred. Those who
were carrying on this Chartist outbreak against the re-
spectable inhabitants of Birmingham were neither more
nor less than a portion of the political union that had been
established for many years—a union which the
Government had declared to be illegal, but the
existence of which nevertheless had been connived
at from that time to the present. Those very individuals
had been supported through thick and thin by the Govern-
ment in such a manner as, he (the Noble Earl) verily
believed, gave them the impression that their existence
as a union was sanctioned.—( Hear, hear.) The power of
putting an end to such a union had been allowed to re-
main dormant a great deal too long. He would be glad
to hear from the Noble Viscount what his information of
the state of Birmingham really was, and if he (the
Noble Earl) could do anything in aid of the Noble
Viscount's views in putting an end to the unhappy
events there. Though be veryimuch questioned the pro-
priety of the Noble Viscount's policy in allowing those
persons to go on so long, he (the Noble Earl) should most
willingly give him his anxious support, and if necessary
proceed this very night to Birmingham.—( Hear, hear.)
The same language which had been held at the Political
Unions long since was held now, and he regretted that some
prompt step had not been taken before this. There were,
moreover, Magistrates put into the list in the course of the
last year, many of whom had themselves been Political
Unionists and Chartists. Those individuals were placed
in a very difficult situation, and he happened to know himself
one or two of them who had encountered great personal
danger. He trusted, however, that every assistance would
be given to ber Majesty's Government from every quarter,
when houses had been attacked, and such violent assaults
had been made, as bad been reported to have taken place,
to put an end to a repetition of such misconduct.

Lord ME LB OU RN E said, if he understood the Noble
Earl right, he had asked him what he understood to be
the present state of Birmingham. With respect to that,
he must say that the accounts he had received were of a very
general nature, but he was assured from all that he had heard
that the accounts of the newspapers were too true. some
houses had been burned, and others pillaged and plun-
dered, but he believed that the quiet of the town
was now restored How far the authorities of
the town were to blame for allowing these
things to go so far he was not then enabled to state. The
Noble Earl then asked him whether there was a police force
in the town of Birmingham sufficient for the purpose of main-
taining tranquillity in the town. In answer to that be had to
state that he apprehended unquestionably that there was a
sufficient military and police force to effect so desirable an
object. The Noble Earl had then stated that he as Lord
Lieutenant of the county had not been applied to on the
present occasion—that no application had been made
to him either by the Magistrates of Birmingham, or any of
the authorities of the; place. Why that course had not
been taken he (Lord Melbourne) was :unable to state,
or to give any explanation of it. The Noble Lord then
proceeded to what he conceived to be the cause of the
present outrage, and in refering to that, he stated that the
Political Union had beelconnived at by the Government
of his late, and that of her present Majesty, that the con-
duct of those persons had been so entirely supported by the
Government, that people naturally entertained the belief
that the conduct of those who had disturbed the peace
of the town upon the occasion the Noble Lord had re-
ferred to, were upheld and supported by the Government.
lie could only say with respect to the meetings that had
been held and the language that bad been used in that
town, and the opinions that had been uttered at these meet-
.

ings, he had always in the highest degree disapproved of
them. He had always been of opinion that sooner or later
they would meet the results that had taken place, and so
far from his being surprised at them, his only surprise was
that these results had not taken place much sooner, and
upon a more extensive scale. At the same time he con-
tended that her Majesty's Government had acted with per-
fect propriety in the course which they had pursued, and
he thought it would have been extremely injudicious if
lie had acted towards the political unions in any
forcible manner. He believed the evils did not arise
from the formation of these political unions, but
that the evil arose from the Meetings that had
been held, and the language which these gentlemen had
given themselves the license to use, and which they had
been undisguisedly holding forth to the people, that it was
by force and violence they were to carry their objects and
their designs. He ( Lord .11.) had always seen the
danger of these proceedings, hut in the state of the law and
the present state of the country he had not seen, nor did he yet
see the means by which these proceedings can be put an
end to, and he never knew a time or an occasion on which
it wc.uld have been so extremely inexpedient to resort to
strong measures. With respect to what the Noble Lord
had said relative to these persons having been supported
by the Government, he could state with the utmost con-
fidence that they never had been supported in anything
that was illegal, or that could be considered an infraction
of tilt law ; and with respect !• what wra imprudent or
dangerous, it was impossible for the Government to take
any stronger measures than expressing their disapprobation.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that, from the
statement of the Noble Viscount, it appeared that there
was no deficiency of force of every description, but it did
appear that there was a deficiency or authority—( Cheers)
—a deficiency on the part of the magistrates to keep the
peace, and he should like to know who were responsible
for these magistrates —(Cheers.) The Corporation of
this town had been formed contrary to the advice which
hod been given towards the end of last year, and with-
out having had the consent of Parliament.—( Hear,
hear.) But not only had the Corporation been formed,
but magistrates had been appointed—(Cheers)—not by the
Government, not by the Noble and Learned Lard on the
Wo)lsack, but by the Secretary of State, in consequence
of recommendations in a manner, in his opinion, contrary
to the laws and constitution of the c iuntrv, and, as he be-
lieved, contrary to the intentions of Parlian eat, ‘‘h), when
they passed the Corporations Bill, understood that the ma-
gistrates should be appointed in the usual manner by
the Crown, and not recommended by any tarty or
any body of mn n residing within the Corporate district.
What had been the consequence? After a most dis-
graceful riot had existed for more than a week, fqr
be believed upwards of ten &Ir. at least, this large
town, one of the largest n anufacturing towns in the
Kingdom, containing property to an innnense amount,
and one of the mast respectable populations in the country
had been treated like a town taken by storm—houses had
been burnt down. Ile had been in many towns taken by
storm, but never had such outrages occurred in
them as had been committed in this town only
last night; indeed, the eyes of magistrates appointed
by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in
their presence property had been taken out of houses and
burnt in the public streets notwithstanding the presence of
police and troops. This ought not to have been al-
lowed to go on under the eyes of magistrates
and almost under the eyes of the troops, without an)thing
being done to prevent these outrages. It wou!cl have been