The Sun.
London, England, 1820-03-18 00:00:00

feet confidence that the Jury be had now to ad-
dress, as well as from a correct understanding' o 1
the important duty which they had to discharge
io deciding between the Defendants and the
Crown, throw all that they bad pieviously heard
wholly out of their thoughts. He conjured them
to dismiss from their minds all prejudices, favour-
able or onfavourable, that they might have con-
ceived, and as far as was in their power to forget
any such previous conception, and treat the whole
case according to its merits, whatever these might
appear to he, from the evidence that would be
brought before them. For himself he was glad
that this question was at length to be tried before
a special Jury of Yorkshiremen. He rejoiced in
this circumstance, because the Jury before whom
it was brought could hardly by possibility be in-
fluenced by any local or personal considerations
that might elsewhere have interfered vvith the due
administration of justice. Had the choice been
lett to him, he knew not any set of men to whom
k! would more cheerfully have referred the case
than to a Jury of that County.. On the part of
the country, therefore, he for one felt perfectly
satisfied with the result of the decision which had
been come to on this subject, and it afforded him
sincere gratificasion to have the honour of ad-
dressing a body of men who could not in any way
he led aside from their duty by local fears, pre-
judices, or connexions. They must all be aware
that the charge preferred against the present De-
fendants grew out of a meeting which took place
in the county of Lancaster, in the month of
Au-
gust last. The Defendants were charged with
holding and assisting at an illegal meeting—a
meeting, the object of which was to inspire alarm
and terror in the minds of their fellow-subjects.
It was necessary for hint to detail certain circum-
stances which had preceded the meeting alluded
to, and these would furnish in themselves matter
of charge against the Defendants, and, at the
some time, reflect light on other parts of their
conduct. The Defendants were proved to have
planned a number of public meetings : if it should
be sheata that to eh age the law of the land by
force had been in contemplation, either'in the be-
ginning or in the progress of these meetings, they
would be responsible to their country. It was
undoubtedly the right of the people of England,
in any particular place, to hold public meetings
for the purpose of taking into their consideration
alleged grievances, and to ask for the redress of
them. The right to hold such local meetings was
among the most valued privileges of British sob-
jec.s. But those meetings were unknown to the
Constitution—ooknown to the practice of former
times, and unknown to the Law of England,
which were called for the purpose of uniting for
one common. object all parts of the cation, and
which, under pretence of seeking for relief from
alleged grievances, went to inspire terror and
alarm. If the inhabitants of any county should
consider that they were aggrieved by evils that
were peculiar to their district, they, had a right
to meet for the purpose of petitioning the Throne
or one or both of the Houses of Perliamety, for
their repeal. But it was not a part of the law
and the Constitution of the land; it never had
been, and he trusted that it never would be a part
of them, that the inhabitants of any particular
place should possess the right of calling on all the
people of England to meet at one given time,
and at one particular place, for discussing the
grievances of which they might complain, and
of coming to resolutions on the remedy which
they, in their wisdom, might think ought to be
adopted. .Such, be would repeat it, never had
been the law, and such, he would contend, never
could be the law, and he would tell. the Jury why
it could not. No man could deny that the physi-
cal power of a country tested with the people,
and those who, like some of the present defend-
ants, contended, that all right and all power came
originally from the resolutions of the people ;
they who, referring back to a very early period
of our history, found in such resolutions the
grounds of our Constitution—they, contending
that the people had thence a right to meet en
masse, proved that such meetings must be con-
trary to law. ;—they, it they Could suppose all the
people in England assembled on some important
occasion, on one great plain, to put forth their
claims, must, in recognising such an assembly,
admit as a consequence, that in such a case all
Constitutional power, and all the functions of the
State would return to the original mass. It fol-
lowed then that it so vast an assembly--_an as-
sembly possessed of such mighty' powers, were
convened to adopt measures for the general good,
that it would resume the functions of the consti-
tuted authorities, and the whole form of the Go-
vernment would be dissolved. Hence, then, it
followed, that the people meeting of their own free
will, or obedient to'ihe call of some aspiring de-
magogue, to unite for any general purpose, and
not for the remedy of
.any local or peculiar evil—
it followed, he would maintain, that such a meet-
ing, absorbing all law, never could be a legal as-
sembly. If a case were supposed of which modern
limes afforded no example, like that of Athens,
where 30,000 citizens formed the State, and where
it was their established rule to meet occasionally
for the purpose of re-modelling their laws, then
the powers of the Government being constantly
with the people themselves, such a proceeding
might not he at variance with the Constitution
under which they lived. But even at Athens,
though such extensive powers were exercised by
the citizens, the greater part of the population
was doomed to unrelenting slavery, and were al-
lowed no voice in the public debates. The cha-
racter of the meeting front which the present
charge had sprung be would now invite, the Jury
to investigate. The right of the people or Eng-
land to meet and discuss their peculiar grievances
he had already admitted. This was a privilege
which from ancient usage' they had a right to
claim, and he trusted that no teed OM (his' urber—
that no sanguine demagogue, and no public alarm-
ist would ever be able to shake. that right tor
which our ancestors had fought and bled, and
which be hoped we should know posy to preserve
and to hand down to our posterity. The Jury
would presently see how far these wholesome prin-
ciples of liberty had been acted upou by the de-
fendabts. Of the course which Mr. 'Hunt had

taken he need not say much, for tl►e notoriety he
had gained left little doubt as to the very prou►i-
nent part which he had acted. The ethers were

1 more obscure, and he would therefore tell the
Jury who they were. He then read over a de-
scription of the several callings of the defendants,
and proceeded to show that they were all con-
nected in some sort of way in a general scheme
for altering the Laws and Constittition of the
Country. To commence with Mr. Hunt, it ap-
peared +hat he had, some time in the month of
July, 1819, assisted at a Meeting held in Smith-
field, by whom assembled it was not now their
business to enquire. At that Meeting certain Re-
solutions were passed, the object of which was to
inculcate on the people of England, that the time
was now come when some extraordinary and effi-
cient measures should be taken to remedy the
evils which were then the subject. of complaint;
when, in fact, something like a Provisional
Government should be established, to annul
those Laws which were passed with the concur-
rence of that body at present called the House of
Commons. It appeared that Mr. Hunt and the
party with him proposed Resolutions that came
to that in substance. Among them there were
two that went to assert that the people were
not bound to obey the laws framed by Par-
liament as at present constituted. The enlight-
ened body assembled at Smithfield proceeded to
declare that the people of England were not bound
to pay the taxes imposed, nor obey the laws at
present in force, until such a Parliament should
`be procured as :net with the approbation of those
by whom the Resolutions just mentioned had been
framed: He alluded ao the proceeding in Smith-
field for no other purpose than to show the Jury
the probable cause of Mr. Hunt's being invited to
preside over the Meeting held at Manchester. On
1 the 9:11 of August a Meeting was called of the
' people at nanchester, for the purpose of taking
into consideration certain public grievances—to
discuss the best mode of obtaining a Parliamentary
Reform, and to choose a Representative to be re-
turned by that Meeting to sit in the House of
Commons, as their Legislatorial Attorney. This,
he thought, must strike every one as a measure
that did not fall any thing short of the highest
misdemeanour. Acting thus, they at once re-
nounced all law, and set the authoriy of the King
himself at nought, by which alone, in the early
periods of our Constitution, all Parliaments were
called together. 1, was known that in other times
Parliaments were wholly regulated by the will of
the Crown. It was only after the lapse of many
ages, and favoured by a variety of happy acci-
dents, that England became possessed of that po-
pular deliberative assemhly now seen in the Elonse
of Commons. On the 8!1, of August, it appeared
then, that Mr. Hunt nestle his appearance in the
neigirhor►rbood of Manchester. Ile was met at a
place nine miles distant from that Town, and con-

ducted by Johnsdn, another of the defendants, to
Stockport. On the morning of the 9th, it would
be found that they were together making progress
towards Manchester, with, as he believed, Sir C.
Wolseley in their company. He could prove from
words used by Hunt himself, as well ss from bills
that were posted about the town of Manchester,
that the meeting called for the purposes before
specified, had been prohibited by the Magistrates
as illegal, and the people were forbidden to attend

it. It appeared that Mr. Hunt was disappointed,
and displeased at the conduct of the people CM
that occasion. They had offended him in some
measure by the disposition which they had mani-
fested to yield obedience to the orders of the Ma-
gistrates. He made a speech on that occasion,
couched in very indecorous language, in which
he spoke of the Magistrates, nine in number, as
being nine taylors, at the same time reproaching
the people with having yielded a too ready ac-
quiescence with their prohibition. He found
them disposed to obey those who might be called
their Governors (as there was no Corpo.
ration or other public body regularly con-
stituted at Manchester), he found them ready to
yield obedience to those entrusted with the ad-
ministration of the laws,and such conduct he repre-
hended as unbecoming and pusillanimous. He con-
sidered the time to have arrived when a different
• course ought to be pursued, and he consequently
gave notice that he would hold a meeting in Man-
chester, on the following Monday, Aug. 16, and in-
cites them to attend him on that day. This notice
given, Hunt went to the residence of Johnson,
near Manchester, a place called Smedley Cottage.
There he remained some days, and while there, he
I should be able to show that he was visited by
Knight, and another of the defendants. In the
mean time he (Hunt) had gained a sort of popular
reputation in Manchester, which any man might
obtain with little difficulty who could descend to
go about, making seditious speeches, and flatter-
ing the passions of the mob. Apparently in con-
nexion with the proposed meetings, certain secret
drillings at the dead hour of night were known to '
take place at various places within the distance
of five, six, seven, or eight miles round Manches-
ter. These drillings, though decidedly unlawful,
were boldly carried on, and. were dangerous to
approach. On the morning of the 15th August,
a party of men were seen at a place called White
Moss, practising military evolutions, in a way that
could leave no person who, had ever seen troops
exercised in doubt that some ulterior object
was in view. Attracted by curiosity, those who
saw the party at White Moss ventured to ap-
proach, when they were pursued, beaten, and
treated with great cruelty. One of the two per-
sons who thus found themselves in the power of
the drillers, being recognised as a special con-
stable of Manchester, to save his life he was
obliged to fall on his knees and recant the alle-
giance which he had sworn to his Sovereign.
Mr. HUNT begged to ask if the Learned Gen-
tleman meant to connect these proceedings with
the matter at issue ?

The JUDGE apprehended that Mr.Searlett would
proceed to connect these with the matter before
the Court by evidence. It he did not do so, he
should certainly caution the July against suffering
a prejudice to be excited against the defendant by
the introduc►ion of collateral nutter•.

Mr. HUNT remarked, that his Lordship must be
aware that tiothing but b a remaik Hour the.
Bench would be likely to do away the impres-
sion that might.thos be created by matters not to
be proved in evidence.

The 3uDGE certainly thought that Mr. ,Scatlett
‘voulti not iiiiroduce such topics, if it were not
his conscientious belief that be be able to

establish by evidence their connexion with the
case. If he did not do so, the course he
pursuing would he beneficial to the defendato
rather than to the prosecution.
Mr. SCARLETT assured the Jury that be would
urge nothing to the prejudice of the defendants
that heikel not mean to establish by,evitlerice•—'
He expected to prove, that Mr. Muer
.wasr rat'st
deerly and criminally connected with the proceed;
ings at White Moss. Those who were clothed
with authority in Manchester, having thought it
their duty to forbid the meeting called for the 9th,
and Mr. Hunt, having taken upon himself: t°
preside at another, called for the 16th of AugoSt'
the Magistrates found it necessary to have re'
course to those precautions which may belawfallf
applied to all large public meetings. They i've'
cordingly made those preparations which the 01'‘
tore of the case seemed to demand, and now
bad to open to the Jury a scene; which among s'
those which had been witnessed in this our satire
land, had had no example. He then proceed
to describe the Meeting of the 16th August, an
from a large county map he pointed out to Lbe
Jury the situations of the villages in the neje
bourhood of Manchester from which the lte
formers marched on that morning, to assemble to
the area near St. Peter's Church. The majold
of the population of Manchester, he described to
consist of a poor laborious people. Their nuue
bers and their conditions would alone have jali'
tified the Magistrates in adopting some extraor'
dinary precautions to preserve the public peas(,
bad the meeting been confined to the inhanitseiii
of Manchester alone, when called at a time °
such general distress. He then showed, that Wig
such, being the case, bodies of men were seen, °`
the Itith day of August, marching from all poiti
of the compass towards Manchester. At Mio'
dleton the defendant Bamford would he shown°,
have beets busy in arranging in military order "
body of three thousand men. Though they were
not in uniform, they had made considerable pf°'
gress in their military exercises. Under Barr
Lord's directions they dressed and ho h
formed a 'w;
low-square with great regularity, and they Pd
laurel leaves its their hats, that they might be
distinguished from others. This party was 160_
ed by another, two thousand strong, from Rae'''.
dale. From Oldham a body of men had march'
ed, with which it would be proved that the
defendant
.Healey was connected. In the
first instance it did not appear that- h,e assuor
ed the command of.those with whom be marched;:,
but, in their progress towards Manchester, b:e
would be proved to have expressed a strong oP''
nion on the probable effect of the meeting, nedfl-
„,
have declared that he looked forward to a gtoriOe
result from the proceedings of that dal. 141
other parts ih the vicinity of Manchester, bodies
of men were advancing, and he believed [het °
every high road leading to the town a sinsill
spectacle was to be seen. Things were
state up to 11 o'clock on the morning o' the
when that party was seen apprirechnig
ter, which bad been observed on the preceditt
day training at White Moss. Nieto-ay, the usi
whom they had so cruelly beaten, was then 41
in hed, unable to move, from the brniss-s be b'
received. When the party tent t White 111°/
came opposite his house, tiv-yconduct proved ti 44
a
loud huzz'
halted, and by their whole
they exulted in the recollection of the preeecd;
ings of the anterior day, and hailed the sotiser
to conKrin him in the oath they had forced him 1°
take, or to .give him a warning of what might re:
stilt from his pursuing a difis.-retit course trout 41/7
which it was their pleasure to enjoin. It was Is
about 11 o'clock that ,Mr. Hunt and his Part
were seen entering the town. He came i°
open carriage, and Johnson, Moorhouse,
Wright, accompanied him on his approach
The Middleton and Rochdale parties had unite,,
Mr. Hunt entered, therefore, as at
Lead of an army, of 5000 men. But the, o°, 914;
bers that accompanied him were greater then
amount he had stated, as such an army is 0504
much increased by the stragglers picked up 0111",0
way. He (Mr. Hunt) first approached Mtursle
house. Here he stood up in the carriage, seeloco
to assume the tone of a commander, the word
.r
" halt" was given, and the same token (witelblo'
it was to be taken in good or io bad part it Woo
for the Jury to consider) of a knowledge of wl
occurred on the preceding day at White Moss,'W'',
given, that had been given by the party fr°s
White Moss. Thence passing on, Hunt tie
his party arrived at the Star Inn, where the Mot
gistrates were then engaged in the discharge.
a most arduous duty. They were greeted Wilo
,
hisses and groans, and various expressions of Ore
tempt. They next passed the Police Otlice,
the constables were in the same way salutett rvrtb
hoots, hisses, and groans ; and thence the 10,140
proceeded to the intended place of meeting. dr
had beeh engaged for their reception by Bamford
Healey, Aloorhouse, and Knight. Saxton 'lre
Knight were employed in arranging the mob to
,d
ceive Hunt. it would be found that the Magisto:o
having taken their station in a house on elo.
ground,.bad established a line of constables, 0,
tending nearly to the hustings. The mob,epori l°4o
closed so as to form a thick body of turn rota
the hustings, so as to guard against any ette7o
to approach. It was then announced that jog
Committee desired certain bodies of men fort'
tlhe mob to take their places at certain distal':
and when Hunt arrived, to open that he volgro
pass, and then immediately close their "
again. They were further
.admonished to
to
i)
eir especialen enemies
ees to
xv admitwere
nn etoh übtetheir
rfraite tisitalso,
tdrelo,l,
These arraegements were made with glte-et 14101.
and regularity ; and when the body, at the
of which was Mr. Hunt, approached, it woo` ,c
proved that be was escorted by men bearing
sticks on their shoulders. They came four: je- •
six a-breast, bearing banners with differeo`,oed
scriptions, and moved like troops well disciP,:ered
to march. When they drew near they were oi;_sof
to wheel off, which they did with the precious
regular troops ; and, indeed, all their 10°lioe,joiry
indicated a considerable proficiency in wee
exercises. Hunt, at the head of the body °'eedcd
who had been described as leading, then nr°calete,
to take his place on the hustings, or close to
ewe'
One banner was inscribed " Equal' Reple9refieet
Lion or Death." He put it to the Jury to
.01e0
what was.meaut by this. It teas not for \pica