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

be demonstrable, that the shouting of the popti-
lace, and the resistance they made to the military
with missileand other weapons, upon the seizure
of their flags, impressed the Magistrates with the
strongest conviction of the danger in which the
yeomanry were placed, and of • the necessity of
sending an.additional• force to their assistance.—
Cientlemen on the other side had assumed a tone
about the trial at York, as if Mr.. Hunt had been
acquitted, instead of having been convicted of
convening-an illegal meeting. It was laid doWtt
by the Learned- Judge who- tried the cause that
a meeting which endangered the public peace
was illegal, though the parties did not appear
armed, and the old constitutional maxim was ap-
plied. on that occasion, that numbers constitute
force, force terror, and terror illegality.- It was
said, that the warrant ought to have been exe-
cuted by the constables only, and much reliance
ivas placed upon a supposed statement of the
Learned-Judge, that no evidence had been given
by Nadir' as to the necessity of employing the
yeomanry. It was true no 'evidence had been
given by Nadir', because the Learned Judge had
refused to receive hearsay evidence ; but there
'as the evidence of Mr. Hulton, which, in his
opinion, was perfectlY unexceptionable,•notwith,-
standinp-, the sarcasms which had been thrown out
against him. There was also the evidence of Mr.
Phillips, who, upon being asked whether any at-
tempt was made to execute the warrant without the
assistance of the Military, replied, "Certainly not,
it would have • been madness to attempt it."
With respect to the sending up of the second
hare.,of soldiery to the relief' of the first,
," Maintained that the MagistrateS, when they
had reason to believe that the yeomanry were in
danger, were bound ,to protect a-body of men,
117 hose lives were notless valuable to the country
than those Of which' they new. -deplored the loss.
-r-he questionwas not whether the general objects
of the meeting were such as to justify its disper-
sion; but whether the. dang-er in which the yeo-
maury were placed' Was such as to justify
.their
''"sene ? The Learned- Judge who- tried. the
cause at- York had' refused to receive evidence
1-% hich went merely to the conduct of the soldiery,
and that interdict had operated very favOurably to
the rioters ; but it was a little too much, after
they had received all the benefit of that exclusion
of evidence, to turn round now and •saythat the
PvogQcutorn were afraid to risk ie. The question
'!:as not so" much .what :.the danger actually
:was, as what -it appeared to be to the Ma-
gistrates. Sorrie men placed in authority might
act most unwisely, and still not exceed their
Jurisdiction ; others,
.on . the other hand, might
exceed' their jurisdiction, and be guilty of
saving their country. He would never consent
t°put men of humane character upon their
at, a,s
criminals, for having exercised their
best discretion in circumstances of such difficulty.
and danger," such doubt.and such alarm.—(Hear!
from: the Ministerial Benches.)—lf they went to
a Court of Law, the' judges of the land would
tell them that they must prove something wilful
and malicious-against the Magistrates in order to,
convict them. If a Court of 'Law would refuse
to entertain such a charge, was it fitting that Par-
liament should be called upon not to aid, but to
Fo2ntravene the law, not to advance the interests
:11justi6e; but fo minister to the gratification of
of der and revenge ? With respect to the conduct
e",ernrnent, they were called upon to give an
bellicediate opinion, and that opinion could only
t°rmed upon the information before them.—
fo ley had expressed unalloyed satisfaction,
.not
lir the blood. which was shed, as was said by the
be • Baronet, but for the blood which had
Len saved,- for the blood which the Magistrates
d'.(l redeemed from the fatal necessity of shed-
-I!,ng------(Cheers from the Ministerial Benches.)---:
Very letter of the Rev. Mr. Hay, written on the
evening .of the transaction, which was the
t° formation upon which Ministers acted, remained
ti that • very .hour unimpeachable in every par-
aePlar• Ministers were bound to consider the
lormation which they received from the proper
Itutborities as true, until the contrary was proved.
ab% did not pretend to vie with the' Honour-
') BaronettoPposite in felicity of illustration,
_Ut could not help reminding him of the just
44a.d wise retort of the Priest, when the Jester
t 4 id to him, " how foolish you- would appear, if,
tidings for. which you have sacrificed so
pu,cti turn out to be false?"—" What" said the'
ir,!est) " ,
turn will be your foolishness if those tidings
brs'n out to be true ?" It was the duty of an
trlest and courageous AdminiStration- to act for
country,,'and not to hesitate for themselves,
1 , they were now arraigned.a second time for
,',„"ng manfully and steadily pursued. this duty.'
,4fltV Reformers fought at 'a great advantage, for
the 'louse acceded to their proposition, they
could haie thi..!"snetion of Parlilinent to colour
lad' unconstitutional . pretensions; if not, they
a pretext for 'inveighing against Parliament.
uGrand-Jury had already determined that
ere Was nothing to justify a trial by a common
10.,. f, therefore, the accuser had not been
auto to make out a prima facie case against the.
i
tecusNl, what iight had the Milne to presume
that a clearer case could be made out against
em, when the accused should also be heard in
teir defence ? After some further observations,
lion. Member- concluded by declaring, that
"o if it had beed fit in 1819 to institute an in-
t:l.44Y, that a ferment might be allay 4, it was
not fit to institute it in. 1891, that this ferment
11[4:3ht be renewed.
Air. IIOBHOUSE rose to answer more particti-
T .Ile
'denied the observationi of the last speaker. e
'enied that any case had been made out for jus7
tifying the attack which had been made on these
l'°Or defenceless people, collected together on
The 16th of August. " Take a mouse by the tail,
l,ild it 'would bite you," was a saying of a well
known character of antiquity. No wonder, then,
then, that there should be found a, sufficient spirit
in •a large body of. the British. people, collected
ththus together, to • resist an attempt to disperse
eni.in the exercise of ,a legalised right, or, in
other words, to. defend themselves against at 7
_l!ek.. The opinion which the House had given
°J;cl.!dY. ort this question had been pronounc-
e.% immediately after., the alarm
...which had
'1)._111.1. excited by.. the sta.ternents of ditfe-
e Persons, niore especially by that of