The Sun.
London, England, 1821-05-17 00:00:00

vince the country that it might be better de-
cided in that .House without an ,oath, than in
other placeS where oaths were aditiinister'ed to
the witnesses. If he knew any thing of a British
II Ouse of COmmons=-(lotid cheers from the Oppo-
sition),77they.would discharge their duty to their
constituents upon a better principle.---:(Hem-,
hear !)=lie was confident that 'the good sense
and manliness of Parliament would loOk at•othe
I.question as an attempt—a feeble attempt, thank
God, to 'revive the inflammation which had sub-
sided. To that manliness and intelligence, which
was its natural characteristic, he looked for the
i putting down of discord, and the discountenanc=
ing of-treason and rebellion. We'Were delivered
from the delusion of another great question, and
this.was an attempt to renew the excitement of
the public mind. Whatever might be said to the
disadvantage of Parliament, and whatever pains
might be taken to degrade and vilify the House
of -Cortnnons, and propagate an opinion that it
was not respected, .he would say that the voice
of Parliament had a magical influence on the
public mind. The danger of treason had disap-
peared before the thunder of Parliament, and he
was still confident that the confusion could- never
be revived by the Hon. Baronet, if the manliness
and wisdom of Parliament continued-to manifest
itself as it had ever done.
Mr. SCARLETT compared the Noble Marquis
to .a Magician, who effected all his objects, not
by reason, but power. The Noble Lord was
sure of-his majority, but knew well haw to carry
war into the enemy's quarters. The Noble
Lord's defence was not-remarkable for modesty.
—He admitted that trial at York proved the
illegality of the Meeting; but the regularity of
the means taken for •dispersion had never been
proved. 11 was a fact that persons quietly 'as-
sembled had been attacked by a military force,
and trampled upon. In such a case, whO could
say that inquiry ought not to take .place ? It was
(the Hon. Member observed) a subject for Par-
liamentary .inquiry, and the :Hon. Baronet who
brought it forward Was not subject to the charge of
exciting tumult. Having been alluded, to with
respect to the trial, he couldonly say that his duty
required him to be silent on that subject. lie
would only say that the account of the examina-
tion of Mr. Halton, the Magistrate, was not suf-
ficiently copiotts and coarrezt. He believed that
the Magistrates had
.no- intention to call out the
military. Mr. Hulton had assured him, on the
faith of a Gentleman, that he had never ordered
the yeomanry to advance on the multitude, and
was, not aware of their advance till he saw them
mingled pellmell with the multitude. He after-
wards thought he saw thein in danger of being
overpowered, and on being applied to by Colonel
l'Estranme to know what he was to do, he had said,
" GoocCGod! do you. not see the situation of the
yeomanry ? They must be saved." Upon this
the Colonel (as he bad a right to do) advanced
to their relief. lle then described the evidence
of Mr. Tyas, and from what he thence col-
lected, corroborated as it was by other- wit-
nesses. he could not see that the Maolstrates
were just objects of censure.- If they had erred
at all, their error had been very venial. But
other parties were concerned. in this great ques-
tion ;—the Magistrates, the Constables, and the
Military. lie throught from the peculiar cir-
cumstances of the case that the yeomanry of Man-
chester (to whom he meant no disrespect,), was
the worst force that could be employed on that
occasion, as they might naturally feel somewhat
indignant that such a meeting should take place
under the auspices of an individual who had no-
thing to do with the case. lie thought the yeo-
manry had made an unnecessary attack upon the
people, but at the same time he admitted -that
they might have believed that, they were only
doing their duty. It had been said that there
was some precipitation in thanking the Magis-
trates for what they had done. Without any
view to party feelings he must say, that the thanks
—the unqualified' thanks which had.been given
to the Magistrates and to the military, it appear-
ed to him were calculated to produce exaspera-
tion throughout the country. Such a-step on the
part of Ministers was calculated to influence the
Magistrates, and perhaps the Grand Juries, as
from that time it immediately- became a Govern-
ment question, and individuals who were a.g.
grieved, had inconsequence but little -chanCe of
obtaining redress in the ordinary way. He con-
sidered that the people had done all•they could
to obtain redress. The Bills they had prepared
had been rejected, and .he did not know what
they could have done more. When this subject
Was formerly before the House, it was contended
that an inquiry could not take Place in 'that
House till the questions then pending had been
disposed of. That argument failed now, and he
thought it was only by that House' that a satisfac-
tory inquiry, could be instituted.
The ATTOIINEY-GENERAL would not detain
the House long at-that late hour, as the speech
of his Learned- Friend had exculpated Minis-
ters, and the Magistrates from any deliberate
design to disperse the meeting as it was dis-
persed. It was said the. people had. done all
they. could do, but then it was-complained that
these Bills had been thrown out by the Grand
Jury. This was the first time he had ever heard
that the throwing-out of a Bill by the Grand Jury
was to be considered a proof of guilt against
the parties accused. He strewed' that in various
ways the subject might have been brought before
the Courts of Justice. But this had not been
attempted, though. subscriptions were opened to
defray the expences of prosecuting the parties
concerned. A considerable part of the money
so subscribed had been- expanded, not in such
attempts, but on the *inquest at Oldham, acid oil
the defence of Mr, Hunt 'at York.- •Itirad now.
been admitted,- that the meeting 'at Manchester
was illegal. 'Phis had not been admitted when
the subject was formerly under' consideration.—
(Cries of " No.") Ile Maintained that:its
gality had not •been admitted .always, and he
should prove,,- by referring to 'the Resolutions
come toat the York County
Meeting, that there
the proceedings of the !meeting had :been de-
scribed-to be-legal.- He .should have gene fur-
ther,- but was relieved from the necessity-of doing
so, by the speech otitis Hon. and Learned Friend.
•He complained of the exaggerated statements made