The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-30 00:00:00

not', and if lie dig laW)retaS
different opinions according to 'their private
In short, no one ever email define What
a libel was.; and for himself he believed 'every
thing. he eve!' wrote might' by soirie lawyers be
calledlibels. He had now to draw the notice of
the meeting to the condect of a 'Gentleman to
whom Mr. H. Wit's eminently indebted for getting
out of his danger. He tnefiet. Mr. Peation;-'who,
along with Mr. AVooler, was She firs- ter attack
the abotahrahle systeia of 'striking .Special Juries.
But the cause of Mr. Woofer wits not .5o import-
ant as that of Mr. Hone; for Itlr. P., by opposing
the corrupt list of Jurymen, had unintentionally
done more good to the pablic'than any'cithir io-
dividnal. Not only Mr. Hone, bin the public at-
huge, were indebted to that Gentleman (Mr.
Pearson) for having so bravely placed himself -in
the gap, and endeavoured to bleak down that
practice. He con-eluded with moving the thanks
of that Meeting to Mr. Pearson. Here there was-,
a cry for Mr. Wookr, but
Lord Cocunatee rose. He said it was impos•
sible for him to express the gratification he telt on
the present occasion. Indeed, his sentiments
were very different from those which operated in
his mind at the time when he attended another
meeting iii that room, which was convened for a
purpose that was a mere delusion on the public—
that of pretending to relieve the distresses of the
laboering poor by.a paltry subscription. Nothing,
indeed, could be more interesting; than the occa-
sion for which they were then met ; it was an
occasion in which the people came to express
their sentiments on their dearest rights, and as long
as the people condecsed themselves in that way,
tyranny could ne vershake t his land. He would glad-
ly support the motion of thanks to a Gentleman who
exerted himself as ?Jr. Pearson hail done, for if.
others had done so before, Men waild not have been
nejustly convicted for imputed crimes which they
had never committed ; and, if Mr. Pearson had not
mark such a struggle, the acquittal of Mr. Hone
might not have taken place. It was an insult to
that great Metropolis to confine the list of its
Jurors to about 400 individuals, many of whom
were known only as being the creatures of the Go-
vernment ; and by whose instrumentality, after
most abominable charges, contrary to all evidence,
were given by judges, many innocent men were
convicted. The present, . however, was the
greatest blow that tyranny ever met with iii
this country. Short of a radical Reform in the
House of Commons, this Reform in the Trial
by Jury was the most important. When any of
the Gentlemen who heard him therefore sat on
Juries, he hoped they would guard thenif)elves
against the miarepresentations which were made
by Lawyers ; and be hoped this subject would be
soon taken up in a proper Manner in Parliament..
He spoke feeling 4 on this subject ; hut the ease
of others had been flinch worae, for many were
convicted and punished with death, on the evi-
dence of the most abandoned characters; men
were convicted by packed juries, and ou the evi-
dence of suborned
~aud false wit uesses. But now
we had seen ()livers and Castles, the eyes of the
public were opened; amen` they saw that the times
of Jdiries and Scroges were to be preferred
to these, beceest those felifaws took the whole
of the °ilium upon themselves. If the Trial
by Jury were totally abolished, he was of
opinion there would "be much less chance of
the liberties of the countrye perishing than when
Jeties .were packed. He then adverted to the
sentence that had been passed f;11 him upon an un-
iffia conviction for breaking ont of priihn. A fine
of .1001.• had been thus imposed on him ; but
sooner than have paid that fine he would have re-
mained and rotted in prison ; his constituents paid
it for him, and relieved hint from his most painful
situation. That money he wished now to rettirn---
and with feelings of heartfelt thankfulnesi to Mr.
[lone for his manly end able'exert ions in defence
of the liberties of the people, he would now lay
down the hundred pounds %Odell he. then held in
his hand, in addition to the Sums already sub-
scribed for him. Lie could not help adverting
to a former occasion, when he had determined
not to put his baud in his pocket to give a single
penny, because he saw the attempt to gain a sub-
scription was mere artifice and delusion, to con-
ceal the rest cause of the distresS; but now he
could do it from the bottom of his heart, be:sense
the object of the subscription deserved every re-
compense for the noble stand he had made under
the persecittions be had encountered. He wished
it was in his power to do inore, but it was•not.—
Ile now, however, with the most grateful feelings
laid down the amount of 1001. with which his fine
had been paid, and he never in his life lid an act
with greater satisfaction.' He concluded with
some remarks on the injustice of his own case,
and finally seconded the motion.
Oa the question being carried imanimously,
Mr. PEARSON said he acknowledged with grati-
tude the friendship of the Meetipg, ineonsevence
of the part he had taken. tie had come forsVard'
on the late occasion in consequence of seeing the
great body of power and talents that lind been
prayed against a helpless individnal, but one who
had been so deservedly successtuf. He was,.
therefore, but a new soldier in the cause of li
bet tv, and he coaiideted the thanks of the com-
pany as the bounty he was to receive for embark-
ing in their behalf ; but he hoped they would 're-
member that the bringer of a recruit was 'always
liberally paid, and Mr. Hone was hiS brioger.—
When he.went to the Crown-Office,' he found a
host of ti e abettors sit tyranny,' mere hustlers iii
that Augean stable, in which the chariot of Per-
seCtition was already harnessed' and mounted by
Jehns ready to drive over the victim, in adoration
of the god of their idolatry.
Sl'oecn moved a Resolution of Thanks to
Mr. Waitliman.
Mr. Woareve seconded the Resoliition In a keg.
„speech, itt the course of which, he inveighed,.
it; a strain of acrimony, again the system which
had dictated the prosecution of Mr. Hone,
the result of which would have the 'effect of
hurling back _ upon the slanderers in poweT,
the charge of disaffection and dislOyalty on the'_
part of the people. But theY would find -the(
the people, seconded Ityilidependept Juries, were
folly prepared to defend the bull wark's'of ttie lapd
against their daring intiovthibul. "A's llbtking"vias
60 outrageous and contemptible as usurped power,
so nothing was so triumphant as innocence And re- ;