The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, .Auousr 10.

The House was summoned to the House of Peers to
hear the Royal Assent given by commission to the Bill for
the repeal of the duty on flint glass.
Mr. SADLER presented a petition from Leeds, pray-
ing for such an alteration of the Church Government Bill
as should remove the impediments to the endowment of
churches and chapels by private individuals ; also, a petition
from the workmen employed by Messrs. Chapel and Guest,
01 Prestwich, in Lancashire, iu favour of the Regulation of
Labour in Factories Bill.
Mr. LEADER, in presenting a petition from the parish
of Clontert, in the county of Cork, complaining of an in-
stance in which the police were engaged in exciting a dis-
turbance, adverted to the sentiments which fell last even-
ing from the Lord Chancellor. The Hon. Gentleman said
that he had read with the deepest regret the observations
alleged to have been uttered by the highest legal authority
in the country, in which it would appear to be intimated
that the meetings which had taken place for the purpose
of petitioning Parliament, to redress some of those many
grievances under which the people of Ireland were suffer-
ing, were of a rebellious description. It was true that
Irishmen were not by law entitled to the same pro-
tection or privileges as Englishmen, and that the
Habeas Corpus Act which could only be suspended in
England by Parliament was not in this its most important
feature, yet extended to Ireland. It was a melancholy
truth that this distinction existed still on the Statute
Book, and that by a clause in the Irish Habeas Corpus
Act, the 21st and 22d of George the Third, the Lord
Lieutenant had the power, in cases of actual rebellion
or invasion in either country, to suspend that Act. Though
this was true, the spirit of the times, and the less severe
policy of late governments, rendered that clause of the Act
obsolete and almost forgotten. In 1786, when necessity
was declared to warrant the measure, the Irish Parliament
suspended the Habeas Corpus. In 1798 it did the same ;
in 800 it did the same. He found no instances of the
Habeas Corpus I eing suspended by proclamation ;
and if a necessity existed, it was the duty of
Parliament not to leave the responsibility on any Lord
Lieutenant, but to imitate the conduct which was pursued
by all the Parliaments of Ireland when there was a neces-
sity to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act itself. He was
sorry to see high legal functionaries looking for a summary
mode of suspending the palladium of British liberty, or
giving a new or wider construction to what may constitute
rebellious acts. By this enlarged construction of what
was rebellion, the poor tithe payers of Ireland, or
the starving manufacturers, could not meet to complain
without exposing their country to have the Habeas
Corpus suspended by the proclamation of the Lord-
Lieutenant and Council. When this power was not en-
trusted by the Constitution to the King himself, lie
feared the existence of power in the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland, which did nut exist in the King of England,
would be considered a new cause of jealousy in Ire-
Isml—(llear, hear, bear)—and if England were awake
to her interests, every real grievance in Ireland should
be removed, and every cause for jealousy removed also.

There were grievances, and whilst they continued there
would be meetings, and the complaints and petitions
against tithes and church abuses would he loud an
numerous, and the Act which had recently passed
this House, would be little calculated to repress the
dissatisfaction and discontent of the people.—(Hear.)
Mr. HUME trusted it would be found that the allega-
tions of the petition, which were of the most serious na-
ture, were not correct. After what had been stated in
another place by a high legal authority, relative to the
construction of the Irish Habeas Corpus Act, he should be
most happy to hear from the Learned Gentleman opposite
(Mr. Crampton) his construction of that Act, and what
was the weaning of the word rebellion contained in it.
Mr. CRAMPTON was unable to inform the Hon.
Member whether the statements in the petition
Were correct or not, but he believed no complaint had
been made in any other quarter than the House of Com-
mons. If a tithe of the statements in the petition were
correct, there had been gross misconduct somewhere.
With respect to the Habeas Corpus Act, he admitted that
the Act for empowering the Lord Lieutenant to suspend
it was peculiar to Ireland, and probably very wisely
so, but it never could he contended that he had
that power with respect to meetings at which parties
could only commit petty offences. But whenever rebel-
lion raged, whether in a province or a county, it was
in the power of the Lord Lieutenant to suspend the Ha-
beas Corpus Act. Where any number of the King's
subjects united together for the purpose by force of com•
pelling a change in the law, or beating down the execu-
tive, by which life and property were endangered, that he
understood to he the meaning of rebellion, and nothing
he believed had been said by a high legal authority in an-
other place disagreeing with that. The topics which had
tended to raise the people into combination were that the
law of Ireland:was not equal to that of England.
Mr. CALLAGHAN, in supporting the prayer of the
petition, stated, that he had not heard of a single resolu-
tion proposed or passed at any meeeting in Ire!and which
could be considered illegal by the most technical lawyer.
It was obvious that in the part of the county from which the
petition came, the Government were endeavouring to put
down meetings by means of the military and police. It was
therefore not surprising that parties so situated should
come to that House. The assertion that Ireland was in a
state of rebellion was totally without foundation, for, with
the exception of one or two counties, Ireland could not
be in a better state than it was at present. He trusted
that conciliation, and not aggression, would be the order
of the day with the Government in future.

After some observations from Mr. LEADER and Sir H.
31uscaavn, the petition was ordered to be printed.

Mr. LEADER presented a petition from Bury, in Lan-
cashire, against the employment of the military in the col-
lection of tithes in Ireland.

Mr. HUNT supported the prayer of the petition.
Mr. HUNT presented a petition from the Northern
Political Union of Durham, and other friends of Reform,
signed by upwards of 40,000 person!, to the same effect.
He alluded to the recent events at Clitheroe, and hoped
that no such outrage would again take place, for every man
should have a fair hearing, whether he were a Tory, a
Whig, or a Radical.

Mr. HUAIE seeing the Hon. Secretary for Ireland in
his place, would take the opportunity of asking him whe-
ther it was the intention of Government to institute, dur-
ing the recess, an investigation into the Revenues of the
Church in Ireland, as if not, he must persevere in the
motion of which he bad given notice.
Mr. STANLEY said, th❑t such a course would be un-
necessary, as it was the intention of Government to ap-
point a commission to inquire into the subject, which
would not only report upon all the subjects mentioned by
the Hon. Member, but would, in fact, go much further.
Mr. HUNT presented a petition from a person named
Webb, against all taxes on knowledge, and one from a
person named Briggs, praying for the better regulation of
lunatic asylums.
kfttr a desultory discussion respecting the Lords'
amendments to the Lunacy Bill, it was agreed to dissent
from them ; and a Committee was appointed to request
a conference with the Lords, for the purpose of stating
the reasons of such dissent.

The Committee having been appointed, they withdrew.
On the motion of Mr. SPRING RICE, the Consoli-
dated Fund Bill, the Assessed Taxes Composition Bill,
the Exchequer Court Officers Bill, and the Army Half-
pay Bill, were read a third time and passed.
Mr. SPRING RICE brought up the Report of the
u,ual Sessional Addresses, which recommended addresses
to his Majesty to take measures for remunerating R. Ber-
nal, Esq., Chairman of the Committee of this House, to
the extent of 1,2001. for his services this Session, and
for remunerating certain other officers of the House.—
The report was agreed to.
Lord AL FHORP moved an address to his Majesty,
praying that be would be graciously pleased to confer some
ecclesiastical dignity on the Rev. the Chaplain of the
House.--Ordered.

Mr. S. RICE moved the third reading of the Lord
Chancellor's Bill.
Colonel SIBTHORPE wished to correct a❑ error as to
what he had said with regard to the Lord Chancellor's
salary and retiring pension. He had been reported to
have said, that he would have no objection to give
the Lord Chancellor a larger salary than was proposed by
this Bill. Now, what he really did state was, that he
thought the salary was enough, and not too much, for the
Lord Chancellor as a working man, but that he thought
the retiring pension was too large.
The Bill was then read a third time and passed, as was
the Party Processions Ireland Bill.
Mr. SPRING RICE brought up the Report of the
Committee on the Lord Chancellor's Sinecures Bill, with
amendments.

Mr. HUME said that nothing which he had heard had
induced him to alter his opinion, that the retiring
pension of the Lord Chancellor was too much : 1,0001.
out of the 5,000/. was given to him on the plea of abolish-
ing certain offices. It was well known the Lord Chancellor
and all the other members of the Government took office
with the understanding that they would abide by any
measure of economy that might be adopted, and there-
fore the receiving 1,000/. for the abolition of sinecure
offices was inconsistent with the principles upon which he
accepted office. Having made these remarks, he would
content himself with protesting against so large a pension.
Mr. HUNT said it was all true that the Hon. Member
had stated, but what was the use of mentioning it to the
House, when the grant had been confirmed by a majority
of 60 to 2.

The report of the amendny nts was then agreed to.
'the report of the Committee on the Stage Coach Du-
ties Bill was brought up by Mr. S. RICE, and ordered
to be engrossed.
THE GREEK BOND-HOLDERS.
On the order of the day for the third reading of the
Greek Convention Bill being read,
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT took this opportunity of
presenting a petition which had, in some degree, reference
to this subject. It WAS a petition on behalf of the holders
of Greek Bonds, arising out of the loan of 1625, to repay
which the revenue of the Government had been pledged.
They were certainly entitled to considerable attention, par-
ticularly at the present moment ; and he thought that Go-
vernment ought to interfere to obtain for them some secu-
rity for the money they had advanced. The petitioners
wished only that their.case should be fairly considered, and
prayed that the House would make due provision for the
protection of their interests.
Lord ALTHORP said the object of the convention
was to place the Government of Greece on a more stable
foundation, which would benefit all its creditors.
_ _

Mr. RUTHVEN;vIsTred to remove the impression that
had gone abroad, that he was averse to this Bill ; no ma❑
was more friendly to it than himself.
Mr. ROBINSON would allow the Bill to be read a
third time, but he begged it to be understood that he was
not a consenting party to its provisions.
After some observations from Sir F. BURDETT and Sir
R• VITYAN, the Bill was read a third time and passed.

LUNATICS BILL
A conference then took place with the Lords upon their
Lordships' amendments to this Bill, which ended in their
Lordships not insisting upon those amendments.
O❑ the motion of Mr. S. RICE, a message to the
Lords was agreed to, for a copy of their Lordships' report
on West India affairs, together with the appendix.
Mr. S. RICE moved the third reading of the Civil
List Payment Bill.
AFFAIR AT CLITHEROE.,
➢lr. S. RICE moved the third reading of the Civil List
Payments Bill.

Mr. HUME would take that opportunity to put a ques-
tion to the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Lamb)
on the subject of the melancholy. transaction which took

place at Clitheroe a few days ago. He was the mote
anxious to put this question, because he saw that an H in.
Member (Mr. Irving) who was connected with that tran-
saction was now present. He was informed, that when
the Chief Magistrate of Clitlieroe understood that the Hon.
Member, who was then at a distance of two miles from
the town, was about to enter it with troops, he objected
to the proceeding, from prudential motives. Mr. Hume
then proceeded to state the circumstances of the case, as
they have already appeared ; and proceeded to say he hail
abstained from asking any question upon this subject for
several days; but as he supposed the Right Hon. Gentle-
man had by this time received full information upon the
subject, he hoped that he would now detail the whole of
the circumstances. He the more especially wished this
to be done, because he hail this day received a petition
from Whalley, complaining that the constituted authori-
ties there had behaved in a manner highly unconstitutional.
Mr. IRVING would state, as shortly as he c mid, what
took place on the occasion to which the Hen. Member al-
luded. A considerable time ago, an intimation was made
to him (Mr. Irving) by many of the most influential and
respectable inhabitants of Clitheroe, that if he offered
himself as a candidate, he would be well received. To
that a short reply was returned, and this was the only
communication he hail hail previously to his proceeding to
the town. Another gentleman, it appeared, had also set
up as a representative of the borough. There were in that
neighbourhood three manufacturers of great wealth and
importance, and, lie believed, highly respectable men,
with whom, however, be had no acquaintance. They em
ployed a very considerable numb.r of men—not less, he
supposed, than 2,1300 or 3,000, Each of these gentlemen
was considered by some as a proper person to represent the
borough. He knew not how they had come to a deci-
sion, whether by ballot or otherwise, as to which of therm
should stand ; but one of the three, Mr. Fort, was se-
lected. There was, however, another interest, which did
not consider any one of these gentlemen as a proper repn-
, tentative for the borough. A committee had been formed
of the gentlemen constituting a part of the constituency of
Clitheroe, and on the invitation of that committee, he
(Mr. Irving) had been invited to come forward as a can-
didate, and personally to present himself to the electors of
the borough. That invitation was accompanied by a state-
ment which hail been forwarded to him, emanating from
Mr. Thomson, and be believed Mr. Fort also joined, that
he (Mr. Irving) might enter Clitheroe in perfect safety.
In answer to that invitation, he replied that he would
reach that town on the evening of Monday the 30th of
July last, and in performance of that reply, he proceeded
to visit that town. He was joined at the house where
he had sojourned for the night in the neighbourhood of
Clitheroe, by about 60 persons, manufacturers, gentlemen,
and yeomen mounted, and with that cavalcade, increased as
it proceeded by about twenty individuals on foot, he pro-
ceeded to enter the town. On reaching the town, he
found a dense concourse of people assembled,—indeed, a
multitude he was not prepared to expect. Stones were
thrown, some directed at himself, and others at the gentle-
men by whom he was accompanied. He (Mr. Irving)
was personally insulted in the grossest manner by being
spit upon. Stones and other missiles were hurled into his
carriage, and yet he was inclined to view all this with per-
fect indifference. After this, three several attempts
were made to open the door of the carriage, and
those attempts were accompanied with imprecations
of the grossest nature, such as "Pull him out,"—
" Burke him,"—"D—n him, kill him." This all
transpired before he (Mr. Irving) had reached the
inn, and it was but justice to say that he had only been
saved from being dragged from his carriage by a person
who seemed to be of great importance amongst the multi-
tude, and who, it subsequently appeared, was the game-
keeper
of his (Mr. Irving's) opponent in the canvass, Mr.
Fort. He succeeded in arriving at the inn in which the
self-formed committee in his support had assembled, and
which, on his arrival, he found densely crowded, indeed
so densely crowded, that hail he made an attempt to enter,
it would have been impossible that he could succeed. At
this moment, there were persons busily occupied at the
hind part of the carriage in the endeavour to overturn it.
The linchpins of the carriage were also attempted to be
removed, the stones were flying as thick as hail, and
under the order of some voice in the multitude, the post-
boys were ordered to drive on. They did so, despite of
every attempt made by him (Mr. Irving) to stop them.
He could not feel surprised that they obeyed the order to
drive on—such was the shower of missiles by which they,
in common with himself, had been attacked; and when
they were surrounded as they were by a multitude of the
greatest scoundrels in the world.—(A laugh.) He begged
not to be understood as describing his constituents of
Clitheroe in such terms, nor could he do so, for though
the multitude or mob amounted to about 10,000, yet the
constituency of Clitheroe were not more than between
200 and 300 at most. He again begged to repeat that
he was the mere instrument in the hands of others, and
had not himself done any act calculated at all to give of-
fence to any party. Having been driven away from the
town in the manner and under the circumstances which he
had described, at the next neighbouring place, to which he
had been carried after a long and mature deliberation of
the Magistrates who had assembled, they thought fit to
send for a military force from the adjacent town of Burn-
ley, which was distant two or three miles from the place
at which they had assembled. He here begged to remark
that his belief was, that whatever feeling had been raised
against him, owed its origin to his having voted in favour
of the Anatomy Bill. At the place where they proceeded
to after leaving Clitheroe, he and his friends had remained
some time, when the landlady gave information that the
resting place of the party was known in Clitheroe, and
that a great body of men were moving from that place,
towards the place in which he had taken up his tempo.
rary abode. At this period he should remark that Mr.
Garstang, the Bailiff of the town of Clitheroe, of whom
it had been said that he dissented from the course pursued
of calling in aid a military force, had a consultation with
the Magistrates, and came from that consultation con-
vinced that the conduct of the Magistracy was called for
in this instance, and he had even joined with the body of
Magistrates who had acted in signing the report made by
them in reference to this transaction, to the Secretary of
Stare for the Home Department. He now came to the
last point which, in reference to this transaction, it was
necessary for him to refer—namely, as to the return to
Clitheroe. He must first observe, that before this, Colo-
nel Clayton, one of the Magistrates who had acted, had
set out on his return home, when, on meeting with the
military, he again turned back and joined the party.
The party then returned to the town, and on enter-
ing it, he (Mr. Irving) perceived that the numbers
of the crowded multitude had been greatly reduced ;
in fact, it appeared to him that at least two-thirds of
the people had gone away. Still, however, a great con-
course of people remained, and it also increased as they
proceeded again in their entry into the town, and in their
progress the military were assailed with missiles, stones,
and brick-bats, which were thrown from the houses as
the cavalcade proceeded. In addition to this, other of-
fensive weapons, such as sticks, were used by persons in
the crowd against the military force, which was most se-
verely attacked in that way. It was then that the com-
manding officer applied to the resident Magistrates to
read the Riot Act, and in obedience to that application,
the Riot Act was read by the Bailiff, and other Magis-
trates, in various parts of the town. The commanding
officer of the military party then endeavoured by the
action of the horses of the corps under his command,
to disperse the crowds which had assembled. In do-
ing this, he was extremely sorry that injury should have
been done to any individual, and nobody could regret '
such an event more than he (Mr. Irving) did; but
soldiers, when called upon to act, and having weapons
of defence in their hands, could not be expected—nay,
it was natural that they should resist the attacks with
which they were themselves assailed. After this en-
deavour to restore tranquillity, he and his friends again
proceeded from the town, under the escort of two troops
of military. Under that escort they had reached a neigh-
bouring town (we believe Whalley was natned by the
Hon. Gentleman), when, in consequence of information
which followed, one troop of the military was sent back
to endeavour to restore the public tranquillity of the
place. He would here remark, that notwithstanding
what had happened on the first occasion, he (Mr.
Irving) had been anxious to have canvassed a certain por-
tion of the electors of the borough, who were distant from
the town itself; but he had been informed that in that dis-
trict the men were armed, and that it would be as much
as his (Mr. Irving's) life was worth to make any
such attempt, and therefore it was that he bad abandoned
the canvass. To this fact he begged to call the attention
of the Attorney-General, whom he was glad to see in his
place, as one which greatly interfered with the freedom of
election; and he could assure the Houle that be made the

statement without having in view any personal motive,
but on general views with reference to the rights of any
individual claiming or seeking the representation of any
town or borough. He also could assure the Attorney-Gee
neral that he could point out the chief actors in the system
of intimidation or interruption to a candidate, which had
in the present instance been practised, and those individuals
were certain of the members of the committee for securing
the election of the opponent candidate to him (Mr. Ir-
ving). He could not hot take the present opportunity of
noticing the conduct pursued by a candidate for the neigh-
bouring town of Blackburn, Dr. Bowring, who had been
pleased, in the course of his speeches and addresses to the
electors of that borough, to attack and cast imputations
upon him (Mr. Irving.) The Learned Doctor hail
strongly alluded to his (Mr. Irving's) being a West India
proprietor, and insinuated that, therefore, he was inimical
to the abolition of slavery, while, at the same time, the
Learned Doctor well knew that he had suggested a plan
which had met the attention of Government, by which
that subject might he set at rest. The Learned Doctor
had said much elsewhere as to what he (Mr. Irving) was,
and he would take the liberty of telling the House
what he was not. He was not either an Atheist or Deist
in his religious principles ; neither was be republican in
his political principles, nor had lie trafficked in revolu-
tions.—(Hear, hear,) He thanked the House for the pa-
tience with which they had heard his statement, and for
the attention they had bestowed upon it.—(Hear.)
Mr. LAMB was glad that he had given precedence, on
the present occasion, to the Hon. Gentleman who bad just
,at down, because his statement had much lessened that
with which he must hive necessarily troubled the House.
He (Mr. Lamb) was not prepared to pronounce any de-
cided opinion upon the conduct of the parties voncfrned in
the transaction in question, for some of the statements
with which the Government ha:l been furnished, and hav-
ing reference to some points affecting some of the troopers
individually, had only been received in the course of this
day. He regretted that any town in this country should,
on any occasion, have manifested and displayed such a
spirit of dictation, and such a feeling of hostility to free
discussion, as had been manifested by those who bad so
long and so loudly complained against the party who had
been called the boroughintingers.—(Hears hear.) With
regard to calling out the troops upon the present occasion,
he did not think that the Magistrates could be blamed for
the course they had pursued. A misconception had gone
forth that the bailiff of Clitheroe (Mr. Garetang) hear
opposed the military being called out; for, as h d
been stated by the lion. Gentleman opposite, that ger2-
tleman had joined with the Magistrates, who had acted
on the occasion, in their report of the transaction to the
Government. The only doubt or question upon his (Mr.
Lamb's) mind was, why it was that the Hon. Gentleman
opposite, and his friends, returned to Clitheroe accompaa
nied by the military. If the military went there to
allay any tumult that prevailed, he could not thinle
it was quite correct that they should he accompanied
by, or that they should carry back with them, the
cause of that tumult. At the same time he did not
mean to dispute the right of the Hon. Gentletnan to enter
the town ; but it certainly appeared that the tumult which
took place on his appearing was renewed on his return
with the military ; and when one troop returned (in the
manner described by the Hon. Gentleman) without him,
peace was reetortd. He (Mr. Lamb) had already said that.
an inquiry was going on with reference to this transaction,
and therefore he was net prepared to give any decided opi-
nion with respect to it. Therefore, the only question which
he had to answer on the present occasion, was that put
with reference to the reading of the Riot Act. The Riot
Act had been read by Mr. Abhott, a Magistrate, from
doer of the inn, and who afterwards went on horseback
and again read it amonest the mob ; and it had also be
a
read byMr. Garstang, the bailiff, in other parts of the too X
Even after this had been done, the attacks upon the milit ry
were continued, and he conceived that not the slightest
blame could attach to the commanding officer for the
course which he had felt it to be his duty to pursue. The
Magistrates bad said it was time to disperse the mob, and
on that authority the commanding officer had acted. He
did not believe that the troops had been guilty of any vio-
lence, but he thought that the great damage had arisen
from the persona who, in the course of the tumult, lead
been trodden under foot.
Mr. HUME inquired how long it was after the Riot
Act had been read, that the people were charged upon by
the military ?
Mr. LAMB replied, that the question put by the lion,
Member for Middlesex involtod one of the points on which
he had not yet received accurate information.
Mr. HUNIE could not hesitate to deny the aspersions
insinuated by the Hon. Member for Brarnher, against the
learned gentleman, Dr. Bowring, who was a candidate for
the representation of Blackburn. Dr. Bowring was
neither an Atheist, nor a Deist, nor a republican, but in all
the conversations which he (Mr. Hume) had had with that
learned individual, he hail found him a friend to all that
could tend to improve the condition of mankind. To say
that Dr. Bowring was either a republican, or a trafficker
in revolution, was inconsistent with the character of that
learned individual.—(Hear.)
An Hon. Member (as we understood, the Hon. Mr.
Cosa') bore testimony to the high character and respecta-
bility of the Magistrates Who had acted on this occasion,
and with whom he was personally acquainted. He could
assure the House, that between the chair and the bar of
the House, there did not sit more honourable or inde-
pendent gentlemen than the Magistrates who had been en-
gaged in this transaction. At the same time he must re-
mark, that the neighbourhood of Clitheroe abounded with
individuals connected with manufactures, who were, he
was sorry to say, at all times ready to join in any popular
disturbance.
Sir E. SUGDEN hoped, that now, as was alleged, that
the people had got a full representation, they would show
that they were satisfied with it. His Hon. Friend might
undoubtedly, if the excitement at Clitheroe had been one
of a temporary description, have done better in not return-
ing there for a while; hut as the tumult was one preme-
ditated in its character, and raised by a number of
indi-
vids;
yt at sorsieignmht
ter bledfienr
efr
goingoi mn tt hhi) eeacnekleei
teghtliteobrneo.uorfh
lot
firo,
dalit'istaoHnwdoni IhFwer Friend
had not thus returned, he would have been stigmatized as
a rank coward. The words " the coward Irving" would
be in the mouth of every man there ; and the persons who
now found fault with him for going back to Clitheroe
could be the very first to despise him for not doing so.
It was a lamentable thing to find that a man like his Hon.
Friend, one of the first merchants in the first commercial
city in the world, should, when seeking the high honour
of representing a town like this in the British Parliament,
be met by such outrageous and disgraceful hostility as was
manifested in this instance.—(Hear, hear.) lie agreed
with his Hon. Friend near him, in not attributing tide
outrage to the Reform Bill, or to the constituency of
Clitheroe, but to an assembled and disorderly multitude
from the surrounding neighbourhood.
Lord ALTHORP said, that if such outrageous pro-
ceedings as had taken place in this instance should be
resorted to in the case of other elections, he was afraid
that there would be an end to the I eedom of election
dtogether.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped and trusted, how-
ever, that this would be a rare instance of such an oc-
currence. If it had been the new constituency in Cli-
theroe, to whom the Reform Bill had just given the right
of voting, that had acted in this manner, the circumstance
would have been to him a subject of much sorrow and
regret, and he should at once protest against such a pro-
ceeding on their part, as one of the grossest outrages that
could have been committed against the freedom of election ;
as, however, even the new constituency of Clitheroe would
be small in amount, this riot, occasioned by a mob of
upwards of 10,000 individuals, could not be attributable
ftoormtheerme,lelacutitown arsioattst,rilonbugtable
before as
the in
Reformthing like it, was thought of, to other persons who had
nothing to do with the representation of the place in ques-
tion. In fact, it appeared that the riot was occasioned by
an assemblage of the people from the neighbouring court.
the
case
Bill, of
or many
any
try. Now he believed that any borough situated as
Clitheroe was, in the middle of an extremely populous dis-
trict, might be liable to the occurrence of riots of this
description, whether its constituency amounted to twenty
er to three hundred, which was the actual number at
resent in that place. He would not discuss the question
as to the prudence of the Honourable Member in returning
to Clitheroe. He was satisfied, that if the Honourable
timber could have foreseen that the effect of his return-
ing there, would be the necessity of dispersing the people
,y force, the Hon. Member, as any other Member of that
House under similar circumstances would do, would not
have taken a step that would be followed by such conee-
quences. He did not mean to deny that the Hon. Mem-
'ier was justified in going back to Clitheroe, but the ques-
tion here was one of prudence, and as to whether the Hon.
Member would have forseen that the calamity of dirtePseuriBtin
ofg
a mob of persons by force would have been
courage,
i
Isis
returnmi
atnhteariening .liheiswrep was
be attended by such conArquences. n conclu-
sion, repeat what he bad already said,that outrages of
his description were to take plat!e at elections, there would
be an end to the freedom of election..—.(Hear.)Mr.
Mr. HUNT was far from justifying the outrage which
I
had taken place in this instance, but this he would
• iin, that such proceedings must be the inevitable cruse.
tqauaititeon surefo r
co that no
e:oh wouldn ee for
have
eke of
it would
taken such a step, if he could have foreseenioe the
must i
quence of the present State of things, when they 1011114