The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-18 00:00:00

ARREST OF DI- LEGATES.

(FROM OUR ON% REPORTERS )
BIRMINCiRAM, FRIDAY MORNING, 11 O'CLOCK
Brown and Fussell were arrested at two o'clock this
twe Wing by the Birmingham police. I understand affi-
dttvits have been made before the Magistrates that the
above parties " had made use of inflammatory language
tt nding to excite her Majesty's liege subjects to a breach
of the peace." Both surrendered without any opposition.
This step has thrown the borough into the greatest ex-
citement, but the members of the Convention, much to
their credit, are exerting themselves to the utmost to
prevent any outbreak.
As soon as the fact of the arrest became known, peo-
ple began to crowd round the public office in Moor-
street, and by 10 o'clock there could not have been less
than 600 or 700 persons assembled. At 9 o'clock in
the morning Dr. Taylor met the people in the Bull-ring,
and implored them not to resort to violence, but to
leave everything to the discretion and deliberation of
the Convention. The following handbill was distributed
among the crowd, and bad been posted round the
town :

CHARTIST ARRESTS !-CONSPIRACY BY

THE POLICE.

" Men of Birmingham,—An attempt has been made,
b an arrest of one of your Delegates, and threats
against the others, to rouse 3ou into a partial outbreak !
Be calm and steady. Trust to the Convention and dis-
appoint the malice of your enemies. All the London
Chartists are already liberated, and you have nothing to
fear for your friends, Brown and Fussell, if you do not
injure the cause by a premature outbreak. As soon as
the charge against them is known, you will be advised
how to aqt, and in the mean time they shall be pro-
tected.
" Friday, 16th May, 1839."

Tnere wat an immense congregation of persons in
Lawrence-street, where the Convention sit, and Mr.
0 Brien was loudly cheered by the populace on ap-
proaching the Chapel. It is understood that Brown
and Fussell will undergo an examination before the Ma-
gistrates this day, and will be liberated on giving bail
for good conduct for the future. Should they not do
so they will be sent to Warwick Gaol.
At the sitting of the Convention this morning, a
messenger announced that the multitude in Moor-street
was increasing frightfully, and that he feared an attempt
would be made to liberate the prisoners. He was de-
sired to inform the people that the Convention would
adopt every means to procure their liberty, and to beg
cf them to disperse.
In the course of the night, all the Chelsea pensioners
were sworn in special constables ; who, together with
the police, were kept in the Barrack-yard ready for
action, if necessary.

EXAMINATION OF BROWN AND FUSSELL,

Tnis morning considerable excitement was caused in
all quarters of the town, by a report that John Fussell
and Edward Brown, two of the Birmingham Delegates
to the National Convention, had been arrested during
the night, and at an early hour the streets in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Police-office were crowded by an
immense number of persons anxious to know the cir-
cumstances connected with their arrest, and the result

of their examination. It, was at first rumoured that the
prisoners, immedieely on tbeir arrest, had been sent off
under an escort of soldiers, to Warwick Gaol, but such
appeared not to have been the case.

At ten o'clock the following Magistrates made their
appearance on the bench of the Public Office. The
Mayor, J. T. Lawrence, Esq., John Bootle, NI.D., W.
Chance, Esq., Thomas Boulton, Esq., Thomas Beilby,
EN., Thomas and Francis Clark, Esqrs., and Jos.
Walker, Esq.
F. O'Connor, Esq., soon after entered the Court,
which was filled by a considerable number of the respect-
able inhabitants of the town.

Brown and Fussell were then placed at the bar,
charged with having assembled, in a tumultuous man-
nor, large numbers of the people, and uttering inflam-
matory language, with a view to excite the violence of
their hearers, to the great danger and inconvenience of
her Majesty's peaceable subjects, and against the peace
of our Sovereign Lady the Queen.
Mr. O'Connor said, that he appeared as counsel for
the prisoners, and requested that the Magistrates would
order the warrant, by which they had been appre-
hended, to be read over, if such was not contrary to
the practice of the Court ?
Mr. Gem, one of the Magistrates' Clerks, informed
Mr. O'Connor that it was not the practice of the
Court.

Mr. William Charles Chapman, principal collector
of taxes for the Birmingham district, was sworn and
examined by Mr. Gem. He said that on the 21st of
March last, he was in the Bull-ring, Birmingham—
there was a meeting there in the evening, which was at-
tended by probably about 200 persons. He saw the
prisoner Brown there addressing the crowd.
lir,. Gem—State as nearly as possible the words he
made use of.

Witnese---I feel I am placed here in rather a delicate
situation, and the Court will allow me to say in ex-
planation— _ ... .

Mr. O'Connor—l will not allow you to go into any
explanation. Go at once into your evidence.

'The witness said he had made notes of the observe.
Lions of the prisoner, which he wished to read in evi•

dente.

Mr. O'Connor objected, and said the course to pursue
was to give his evidence in the first instance, arid refresh
his memory, if' he found it necessary, from his memo-
raindums.

Witness—l can only swear according to the minutes
I have made. I went into the Bull-ring, and listened
to what was said by the prisoner ; and when I retired
from the meeting I went home, and on considering the
expressions used, I acknowledge that it made an im-
pression on my mind of which I had no expectation. I
sept ,very little that night, thinking of what I had
heard, and after recalling to my mind the different sen-
tences made use of—.

Mr. O'Connor—l object to this course. It is
gi6ng a colouring to the evidence.

The MAYOR requested Mr. Chapman to state facts
as nearly as he could.
Mr. Chapman then proceeded to say, that having
thought the matter over on the following morning, he
made memorandums, and was prepared to swear to their
truth, except as to tho order in which the language was
used. " Our leader, Mr, Thos. Attwood. called upon
the Government the other night to strengthen the navy
fgainst the powers of the Continent and he was received
with sneers." The next sentence was this, " I call
upon you all to do as I shall do—arm your-
selves and be ready, and then you will be prepared
to meet your enemies, whether they come from
France, or Germany, or Russia, or your own domestic
trrants." The next sentence was this :—" I don't
know how long you mean to bear the tyranny of the
rich aristocrats, but I can tell you I mean to bear it
very little longer. The man that does consent to do it,
is a rank coward. Arm yourselves, and be ready to
resist your oppressors. Depend upon nothing but the
Almighty God, and your own right arms. Gentlemen,
you know that the aristocrats have left you scarcely
enough to support nature, while they are wallowing in
wealth and luxury on their sofas, and rolling through
the streets in their carriages ; and if a poor
beggar looks up to them and asks for a trifle,
they throw themselves back in their carriages,
and treat him with disdain and contempt.' Then,
continued Mr. Chapman, followed this expres-
sion, which the prisoner repeated several times during
the evening, " D—d scoundrels—they rely on the sol-
diers for putting us down, but they won't—they are
taken from among our own ranks, but if we are united
what can the soldiers do ? We have only to walk arm
in arm, and we could trample them under our 'feel:"
This was followed by an allusion to a flogging lately
given to a soldier, in which the speaker attempted to
work up the feelings of his hearers, and from the state
of the soldiers' feelings generally, to rely on their non-
resistance. The prisoner then went on to say " The
Whigs are greater scoundrels than the Tories—hypo-
crites who, under the pretence of liberty, deny us all
our rights. We will demand our rights, and
if our aristocratic tyrants do not grant them we must
seize them by force of arms. They are violating the
Constitution every day—they are the enemies of the
country, and we must arm ourselves to resist them.
They may hang me up at the rope's-end if they like—l
am ready to shed my blood for the sake of posterit3.
Prepare yourselves with pikes and muskets, and
bayonets, and swords, and be ready to fight for your
lives and liberties, whether your enemies are foreign or
domestic tyrants. Read ' Paine's Rights of Man,' 1
say nothing about his theological works, but I agree
with every word of what he says in his ' Rights of
Man.' 1 stand upon the rights of nay order. We, the
working classes, will not submit to the tyranny of the
aristocrats," Frequent allusion, olasei ved Mr. Chapman,
was then made to the idea of" retributive justice," con-
veyed in a threat to the enemies of the working classes ;
but the worst expression I heard was one conveying
the idea of their commencing the struggle by arms, as
a sacred duty, succeeding in it, meeting the Almighty
at the day of judgment, and receiving from Him the
fullest approbation in the words of Scripture, " Well
&we, thou good and faithful servant," &c. There was
afterwards another expression used by the prisoner :
" Let the aristocracy make their laws ; we, the
working classes, will make ours—we will do no
,work for them, and we will take care they
shall have nothing to do with our rights." The
witness then deposed that he was present in the
Bull-ring on the following evenher, when he note" the
following expressions made use of by Brown :—" My
1 opinion of physical force I have often told you. It is
this. I believe we shall never
get our rights without
I it." Then there was a pause :" I don't mean to
wait much longer." Then he went on . '‘ My opinion
of Universal Suffrage is, that we shall get it in three
moots, though some think it will be three or four
rs ; but if we get it in three or four months it must
by force, not persuasion." Another sentence fol-
d :--', The fellows in the House of Commons will
othing for us if they can help it."
y Mr. Gent--1.-low was this address received?