The Sun.
London, England, 1820-04-06 00:00:00

je,ey's liege sOblects. His then proceed-
ed to lay do aot the law UpOn both these points neatly
io the sanie terms' as those he osed in addressing
the Jury at the recent trials at York. 'l'e) coosti-
tote an unlawful assembly it was not necessary
that any riot or disturbance should take place.—
The mere assembling with offensive oreapons was,
in some instances, held to constitute an unlawtol
meeting. Any large body of persons coming t.o-
gether, under such circumstances as to excite ter-
ror and alarm, would be an unlawful aSs,enbly.
Corning armed to remedy ot common grievance,
would also bj illegal. In looking at the present
meeting, the July might he of opinion that the
object of the great body assembled was liwtol,
I •
and their intention innocent ; but if there were
any amongst them who wished to give a wrong
turn to those intentions. the toeetiog, as far as
they were coliceined, would be unlawful, and they
would be guilty, though all the others ini4itt be
ittooceut. If sonic persons went armed to the
meeting in the expectation of attack, and deter-
mined to make resistance, they would he acting
illegally ; and any person why saw them there,
and remained afterwards, would also be acting
it
legally. In the same manner, it any persons
went to the meeting, not knowing that there Were
to he any inflammatory speeches, or 11-eggs with
inflammatory iosctiptions, or any persons armed,.
and that they afterwards saw sock flags and arms,and
heat t! such speeches, and yet continued at the
meeting, they would also be •actin;; illegally.
With tespeet to the terror which the meeting was
calculated to excite, he thought it would be one
of immediate danger ; bet it the Jury should
think the danger froth the Meeting Was remote.,
or only of a future rising, they would give a spe-
cial .verdict to that ellect, as his mind eggs hot
pcifectly made et as to that being tl:e loud' of
tenor whi, h would tender the meeting illegal.
IV had no 10-sitation in saying, that a meteinou
the subject of bringing persons who bid commit-
ted crimes to jostler W4S a legal One, but, sitting
_there, he did not judicially know who those were
hr► had commitied crimes such as had hett
al-
luded 6). thoil -be had jodiciai knowledge of the
proceedings at the Manchester meeting;, he could
give no opinion on it. They might be pertectly
innocent who caused its dispersion, or they Might
he guilt y. He could not now di cede ; but, if
ever the subject came judicially before hint, lie
should be prepared to give his opinion on it. lie
agreed in the opinion, that numbers alone did tort
render a meeting illegal ; there should be some
circumstances attending their assembling calcu-
lated to inspire terror, before it could be so
deemed. If he saw a large assentbly, consisting
of men only,. he might perhaps apprehend. dan—
•gere but he could not have- the same feeling it it,
were mixed of men, women, and children. lie
cold& not concur with the Learned Comisel for
the defendants in-the statement that people had a
right to aim as he had described. lie admitted
that any man might have arms suitable to his
rank, but
_pikes were not of this description ; and
in point of law he had no difficulty in saying, that
the people had no right to carry arms to a public
meeting because they might coutemplitee being
attacked. Such carrying of arms was hkdy
to
excite terror, and was thelefole illegal. • His
Lordship theo proceeded to go Ott-noel' rite evi-
dence, commenting as be went ; awl in the course
of his observations took occasion to recoil , flint
he had .atked one of the WitnesSes whether any,
and what portion of this meeting was composed
women and children, in order to form a lodg-
ment as to the peaceable intentions of the pat-
ties ; and lie added, that in a recent investigation
Which had taken place before him, respecting
a Large assembly of a similar teatime, it appeared
that a great portion, at least one-eighth par't of
it, was composed of woinen and children which
circumstance had made a great impression- net his
mind, that no mischief was contemplated or to be
apprehended on that day. In cooeitiSioo, his
Lordship said, they Were first to consider Whether
the meetiog was calculated to es.cite terror, from
the people being furnished with sticks nod stave.:,
considering that the womeu were hahited in
mourning, and that the staves were mounted with
crape; and if they were of opinion that terror
was excited, then all the people wit' saw these
things, and still4emained,- were guilty of being
present at an unlawful meeting, and especially
those who were active partisans. It, however,
they were of opinion that these appearanees,
sere not -calculated to excite alarm, then they
were to _cimsider whether the people having
pistols anti pikes were not likely to excite terror ,
and, if so,' then , their verifier should apply to
siren of the defendants as. saw them,- and upon
this point the evidence was much stronger against
Dewhorst and Broadhurst than any of the other
defendants. They were next to consider whether
the inscriptions and drawings on. the flags wet e
calculated to excite sedi.ion and disaffection ; acid;
it so, Deerhast anti Broadhurst saw them, gird
afterwards remained to take a part in the proceed-7
logs, then they 'sere goifty. • Lastly, they wete
to consider whether they had had an accurate ac-
count of the speeches and resolutions giveo. to
them by the witnesses for the prosecution ; and it
they had, and they thought them calculated to
excite disaffection io his. Majesty's subjects, theti
those who tittered thcm, or remained to sanction
them, by holding up their bands, aregnilty ; but
he begged to say, that it the Jury entertained any
douut on either of these points, or as to the parti•
cipation of the defendants, then it would be their
duty to acquit the defendants.
The .Tory retired, and, attet consulting together
for allow twenty minutes, returned with a verdict
Of—Guilty against all the prisoners, except those
two (Wilde and Astro) as to whom the prOseett-
tioti had been given up.
It was remarked that the verdict was a general
one ; though Mr. Raine, in his seedy, had given
up the counts which referred to the charge of con•
spiracy. It was, however, tmtletstood in Court
not applying to that charge.
Me. Justice BAYLEY was about to pass sen-
tence, when Knight requested to be followed tee
say a tew words in mitigation. His 'Lordship
said, Ire would give .hito and the other deleudatitS
till to-morrow morning `to prepare any affidavits,
or any statements for that purpose•
ACQUITTAL OF RICIIARD OWES.

Richard Owen was next put to the bar, charged
with wilful end corrupt perjury, in hiving sworn