The Sun.
London, England, 1820-03-27 00:00:00

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was, by ealliug a great number of wit-
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11'",,,:5, to wear out the patteuee of the Court and
At first sight it would appear that they
Were brought together promisenonsiy; but at bon-
tom there was not only dexterity, but craft in tits
selection be made. Where were those seven hun-
dred householders who were said to have signed
the requisition for the meeting ? kl'hy were they
not brought forward ? Was the Jury to be caught
by such A roan may prove much by wit-
liesses which he produces, but much may be in-
ferred from witnesses which arc nut produced.—
Why are not the seven hundred who call d the
meeting, here to account for the objects of it ?
Because they never called it—because they ne-
ver signed a rrquisition—breause the whole was
a. base fabrication. Not (toe of them
ap-
llears--not a witness produced ever signed a re-
"ltis, then, was one head of negative
evidence. Now, to turn back to another part of
the defence, one which pains had been taken to
peep entirely out of view for some days back—
Was there any evidence offered to show that train-
ing did not go on in the neighbourhood of Man-
chester for ,some time preceding the meeting ;
Was there any confirmation of the unparalleled
assertions, that this was done only to make the
people March with more regularity into Manches-
ter ? Was any one prodoced who had been so
alrilled, to say that it had no other ohject than
that 1 No. It there was no other design, why
:not prove it ? Was it unreasonable to suppose that
the Magistracy should have felt alarm at this
training!? Why, the object of it was clear ; at
least, hitherto, it has not been disproved.
'Why not contradict Chadwick ? Because they
"it'd not do it. So much then for their in-
tegrity. The Jury had before seep the impotence
of the defence. Now, a word as to the defen-
dants themsekes. No one could be more sorry
than he was to see Banefoid in such company, for
ire seemed discreet, his deleoce was marked by
talent, and his conduct to the Court by respect.
lie deserved to be in better -company. Bamford
had said, and so had Mr. Hunt and the Doctor,
that they considered certain principles their poli-
tical tights. Amongst these Annual ParliaMents
n d Universal Suffrage. Johnson said the same,
and added, that maily•very worthy and honest men
agreed with him. He (Mr. S.) hoped there were
.soine honest oleo who did not agree with him.
They say, " we think Annual Pariiaments and Unit.
.versal Suffrage are the rights of the people." Now,,
the. brat place, this was not she time for trying
the doctrines of Reform ; and in the next,
it was of lithe consequence what Johnson, the
Jury, or himself (Mr. S.) thought about it. One
thing, however, Was clear, that if a mall has a
system of Reform, whatever that be, and if he at-
tempts to dictate that to the Parliament, he be-
comes a transgret:sor to the lews of the couetry.
It is not only ag dust the law to say " we must
have so and so, tilts system or that," bat it is also
'against Reform itself. To say that Annual Par-
liaments are polincal sights is very absurd ;. there
tau be n 4, Political rights but what issue from
the law, and these the law coodenses. Well
then, say they, they are natural tights. Natural
Tights I They might Its wt tl. 3t-1y they have a right
front nature to be a Peer. In whit.. leaf of the
book Of nature, be would be glal to know, were
these to be twilit( written ? fib, but again, they
are et,le-nli9l to tne constitution. hey were not
essential to it, -because they never existed. The
House of Conn-toms was a body emanating origi-
nally from the Crown. 'f lie rights of the people
but gt „k„„ny recogniztoi for, in our his-
toty, we lino one Member nerned by the King,
anti another by time Shertff. The people -came by
degrees to have the whole power of scuffing them,
but this was' the work of ages. It was quite
impossible to thitik that any sudden change could
he effected in a system of so long standing. He
then observed upon the danger of preaching these
',loCiriOeB at large meetings. As well might Car-
tile say the best religion was reason, and salva-
quo was but a fable. He hoped, for the honour
of the country, that things would never come
to that pass, that we should take our religion
front a tinman, and our ideas of poli'ies front
Mr, Hunt. The observation upon Mr. Car-
lile was not uncalled for ; for if Mr. Hunt
did not approve his principles, why take
this man—au unlettered man—by the hand,
and introduce him to the notice of the people at
Manchester ? Ile did not doubt that if Catlile's
doctrines were acted upon, a new mode of get-
(log 3 trial through a Court would be by doing
away the allegation of an oath. The, Learned
Counsel theft recapitulated the charges against the
defendants.. The charges were, for conspiring to
bring about a meeting, and to excite discon-
tent—doing, this it; a menacing manner, and
holding that unlawful meeting in a menacing
manner. These, he contended, were all sup-
ported by the evidence. He would `show the
System and connexion. With this view, he
read the resolutions passed at the Smithfield
Meeting, at which Mr. Hunt. presided only a
abort time before.-- He then read the Address
Calling a meeting fur the 9th of August, to con-
eider of the proprie•y of electing a Legislatorial
Attorney to represent them in Parliament. Elettry
Bunt, Esq. in the Chair. Was there nu !largess,
no Gentleman, in the neighbourhood of Manches-
ter, more interested in its welfare than Mr. Hunt,
to preside on such an occasion ? To this meet-
tug Sir Charles Wolseley :Ind others were invited.
The Magistrates were held tip to ridicule in bills
Posted about the town, anti their placard was
treated with the inmost derision, es being un-
grammatical and absurd, because it was worded
as such papers had commonly been, on the autho-
rity of the best writers, and contained nothing
Preposterous in the eyes of those accustomed to
the ordinary forms, and allowable abbreviations
Of. language. In this state of things Me. Hunt
Came from London—

, Mr. Hunt said, it was not in evidence that he
ad Mouef•n oLondon.

Mr. SCAIILETT—WeII, then, he had gone from
the country, or he had dropped from the clouds.
Mr. Hunt said, this was trot in evidence.
The JUDGE said, th4t which had been stated
an allowable figure of sH-ecl4.
Mr. Hunt repeated that t;. was not in evi-
°time.
The-JUDGE- inqui;ed b it

ible

withoi:t heitig proved in evideuee.
Mr. SCARLETT tvt:St on—As Mr. Hunt would
not let him say that he. came from London, he had
beet, COolent to ..ippo,e Iba! he. had dropped limn
the clouds. He proeeetivd to shoa- that Mr.
Hunt had come to Bullock-Smithy to Meet Moor-
house. 1 hither Moorhoose had repaired tt. seek
him. It the Jury bole in miod what bad then oc-
curred, there was an end of Moot honse'S 'defence.
He would put it to any man, if Hunt, on 'coming
to Manchester, was to ;aspire respect for the Ma-
;.:istrates, or to hold them up to public contenapr.
He, on his arrival at Manchester, had described
:heir cotillion to have been illegal, and said, that
as nine tailor' were wanted to make a man, so it
seemed that 9 Magistrates were wanting to publish
a placard (alluding to a paper that bad been is-
sued signed by nine Magistrates). He (Mr.
Hoot) thought the meeting which had heel'
called, but which the Magistrates hart prohi-
bited, was not illegal, duct advised the people to
have another meeting. This advice he had the
audacity to give, with the newly elected Legisla-
torial Representative (Sir Charles Woiaeley) sitting
by his side, or at least in another carriage close
by. He (Mr. Hunt) considered that meeting to
he lawful which the Magistrates had declared to
he illegal, and he recommended the calling of
another, which he invited those lie addressed to
attend, at the same time calling on Chum to take
as many of their friends with them as they could.
The Magistrates pronounced a meeting to be ille-
gal I—he declared it to be lawful, and wished an-
other to be called, that he might contest the mat-
ter with them, and Mr. •Moorbouse, it should
seem, was to attend the witness during the result
of the struggle. Mr_ Hunt passed the week be-
tween the 9th and the 16th of August at the cot-
tage of Johnson, the brush-maker. He (Mr.-
Hunt) bad called no witnesses to show how he
hail passed lois time, while there, and they knew
of nothing that he had done iu the course of the
week, with the exception of the ridiculous bra-
vado of offering to surrender himself to the
Magistrates on the Saturday preceding the
16th of August, at 'a time when he knew
that he had committed no act for doing which
they could have been justified in arresting
!JIM. He (Mr. Scarlett) thought he could show
how Mr. Hunt bad been occupied iu that week.
He had been engaged to drawing up and issuing
en address to the people. This had been proved
by his own witness, (Mr. Grundy), who bad seen
the original of a paper, issued to call the meeting
of the 16th, in Mr. Hunt's hand-writing. This
document cootained a repetition of the advice
which be had addressed to the people on the 9th
of August, and had undoubtedly not been issued
till after Much consultation ; and it Was in COn-
StaltatiOns On the subject that Mr. Hunt had been
occupied dining that week. The language of the
bill was not a little remarkable. Part of it rah
thus :—" Come then my friends, to the meeting,
armed with no other weapon than a self-ap-
proving conscience." Why, who had told him
that they were coming to the meeting, armed
with any other weapon ? Why was this hint
necessary Looking at the language of. that
bill, could it he doubted that Mr. Hunt had had
consultations with Johnson, Knight, and others,
while undetermined whether he should go hack or
not before the 16th ?—The tesuit of those con-
sultations was his making up his mind to stay over
the 16:h. From the language of the hill to which
he had adverted, it was evultut that Mr. Hunt
was fearful that the people, inflamed as they were,
would he quicker in their motions than he could
have wished them to be—too quick for the sue-
eessfol accomplishment of his object. Could this
be doubted, when it was seen that he thought it
necessary to caution them against coming armed ?
This, and this alone, was the advice that he meant
to give, but not daring to do it openly, he adopt-
ed time precaution of telling them to come armed
with no other weapon titan a self-approving
conscience. In consequence of this mandate,
three witnesses called by Bamford had prayed
that the sticks which they had taken out with
them were left behind on the way. They had
also been cautioned against making resistance,
even though their leaders should he taken. Timis
too was in pursuance of the wish of their chief,
who felt naturally anxious that his [nest should
not take the field till their organization was com-
plete. Ills instructions were, in consequence, to
this effeet—" For God's sake do not sho'w your
teeth till you can bite." It was his object to
keep hack the preparations, and hence the advice
that they should not come armed; and, to make
it the more significant, be believed it could be
shown that the word " armed" bad been printed
in italics. But then the Magistrates were invited
to attend the meeting to argue with the leaders of
the people.—(He begged the Jury to note that
expiession), and convince them that they were
in error, it indeed their reasonings wete
(speci-
ous. This invitation was but a jest intended
to hold up time Magistrates to public deri-
sion. Could it be pretended that it was looped
they would be aide to reason with a multitude
consisting of eighty thousand men, women, and
children ? Who were the leaders alluded to ? Was
Mr. Gallic, who had been invited to the meet-
ing, one of them % Was Mr. Smith, of Liverpool,
one ? But it was right to say, that that Geode-
wan ought not to be regarded as one, seeing that
he, though invited, had declined going on the
hustings. That day's placard described the ob-
ject of those calling the meeting to be, to advo-
cate time eternal priaciples of truth and justice,
atui to claim privileges, with their right to which
(unfortunately for those opposed to them) the
people were but too well acquainted. It went
on—" We hereby invite, (this was the lan-
guage of a placard signed Henry Hunt,') the
Magistrates who called the meeting adver-
tised for Monday illegal, to come among us
and discuss the merits of the question. If we
are wrung, let them do their duty by setting
us right, instead of preventing our meeting
by violence." The Magistrates, forsooth, were
to discuss the question of Parliamentary Re-
form with Johnson, Bamford, Dr. Healy, Swift,
Wilde, and Cathie, stud Moorhouse wool perhaps
to decide between them. Could any man affect
not to know time meaning of an invitation like
this? Could any one doubt that the object of it
was to hold up the Magistrates to acorn and ridi-

pleasure of those cakling the meeting whether
they should be tatinaed, insulted, or trampled
itaoti ? Whatever oiiinion might be fanned on
tae events of the 16th of August, he worifa
con-
tend there, as .well as elsewhere, that the Magis-
trates, looking at the preparations for the meet-
ing, connected as these were known to be with
the drillings and trainings which had previously
taken place, would have deserved to be dismissed
from their situations, if they had 'not taken their •
Stations on the ground, and adopted precatitiOns
to guard against excesses that might ()Cent:. The
Learned Counsel then went over the evidence Of
Chadwick. That yoang man had lett Arienelie4-
ter at t melee o'Clm•k nieht, on the,lsth of Au-
gust, to go to White MoSsahaving heard that the
training was going on at that place. He four cl a
large hotly of people on the ground, Marching and
performing other military evolutions. They
formed in liae two deep, and all present were
Made to fall in,. The words " Make ready,"
" Present," `c Fire," were given ; and at the
word " Fire," a consentaneous clapping' of hands
took place. Instead of going into a tedious in-
quiry into matters wholly irrelevant on the pre-
sent occasion, Mr. Hunt would have done well
to apply himself to prove that no swab drillings
and trainiugs had taken place. These, however,
were to be disproved. The testimony of Chad-
wick had not been shaken, and no slander had
been breathed on the testimony of this witness
but by the breath of Mr. Hunt. What be had
deposed was not at all at variance with the evi-
dence given by Shawcross and Murray, who saw
nothing but marching and forming at White Moss.
Those witnesses, in fact, corroborated the testi-
mony of Chadwick. They were present live or
ten minutes before they were attacked ; and as the
party were marching all the time, it was trot stir-
prising that they did not hear the words " make
ready,"--" present,"—and '' fire," as these evo-
lutions were not performed while birdies of men
were marching. Who had contradicted Chad-
wick ? No man—ao man but Mr. Hum. He
(Chadwick) proved these evolutions to have con-
tinned for hours, and all the spectators were form-
ed in line, being supposed favourable to the views
of the conspirators. Murray then conies on the
ground, is called a spy, and a body of them pursue
him. 'this Chadwick saw, and this Murray and
Shawcross hail proved. This drilling, it was frit,
by the parties, would not bear the inspection of a
constable. He (Murray) was accordingly beaten,
and forced to kneel down and forswear his alle-
giance to save his life. Murray, however, though
he did this,, was so severely treated, that when
conveyed to his home he was confined to his bed,
tumble to move. Chadwick then described the
ayaroach of one of the parties to Manchester on
the following day, the halt before Murray's house,
and the shout of the crowd, with the cry, No
White • Moss lanibugs." He described similar
eoaduct on the part of that body with which Mr.
Hnot eame. But then Mr. Hunt would have it
believe.) that be had no comroul over the mob.
This, however, would not do. Mr. Hunt was
not to tell them at °tie time that he lied such con-
trmd over the crowd -that 'he had the merit of
keeping them peaceable, and at another that he
had no command of them at all. The evidence
of Chadwick was confirmed as to the (wicket of
the crowd by one of the defendant's wit.'
nesses, Mr. Tyas, who, he bad learned (since
,his arrival at Yolk), was a Gentleman of must
respectable character, who had distinguished
himself at the University of Cambridge—Mr.
Tyas went even further than Chadwick, for he
described the mob to have hissed and groaned at
the Star, where the Manchester Magistrates were
assembled. This hissing was in derision of the
'line wise Magistrates, as they were called, and
this conduct, on the part of the mob, furnished a
(air sample of the treatment which they had to
expect if they accepted the invitation given them
to attend the meeting'. A further manifesto' iota
of the disposition excited among the crowd was
found in their conduct when they arrived opposite
the Police-office, in Manchester, where they hissed
and groaned at the constables on duty. Was this
conduct to be regarded as indicating any thing like
respect for the Magistrates and the Police ? He
contended, that the authorities could not be
upheld, and order could not be maintained, if
persons in office were to, be thus contemptuously
treated. Why were the special constables to be
insulted ? They consisted Of some of the most
respectable inhabitants of that vast town. This
Mr. Hunt himself had proved by one of the few
respectable witnesses that he had called. The
Learned Gentleman then described the advance of
different bodies from vat-ions places distant front
two or three to nine or twelve miles from Mans
chester, with all the appearance of persons well
disciplined. A number of trainings had been
known to have previously taken place in the
neighbourhood of Manchester. Several large
bodies of men had been seen exercising at Tandle
Hill, and various other placer:. ,One person had
seen 2000 persons thus assembled between 6 and 10
in the morning. It had been proved, even by the
defendant's witnesses, that Bamford, or some
other leader, had been engaged on the morning of
the 16th in exercising the Middleton people by
forming them into a hollow square. It had been
proved that sprigs of laurel had been given to the
leathers of the sections or companies, and then
they marched triumphantly to Manchester. Why
had all the precatitions proved to have been adopt-
ed been taken ? Why was all this, if nothing
more than a common meeting was intended ?
These very precautions showed that something
more was in contemplation, Could the Jury ima-
gine that these proceedings had no object but to
preserve order at the meeting of the 16th Au-
gust ? He could not Inc a moment believe that
they were to be caught saith such chaff. He
would agree that Hunt had taken great pains to
pi event an explosion on the 16th August. He
(Mr. Hunt) had called many witnesses unnecessa-
rily. to prove that the words which he had used on
ibe hustings, " put them down and keep them
.down," did not apply to the military. He (Mr.
Scarlett) had never made them a part of the case.
Rut this he inside a part of the ease, that Mr.
Hunt would not have thowght the precautions
which he had used necessary, if lie had not
thought it probable that some breaking out would
take place. He then adverted to the testimony

good, had, and indifferent ; shooed •e lire oat
little bearing on the merits of the case io favour
of Mr. Hunt and his friends. He partieul trly di-
rected the attention of the Jury to the evidence of
the witness Schofield, the Dissent Mg er ;
he would ask, them it they Commld believe that man
on his ? He (Schofield) could no• at first
recollect that he had written for a sedirjoos oe,,es.•
paper; then he could not re-collect that what he
had written had any conneeion With polities,
though it turned out that they were connected
wi:b nothing else. Theli he sweet the papers that
he had furnished to the journal in question to
have been written one before, and come after the
16th of August, and then that hotli were written
afterwards. The 17 witors'eeS, however, to which
he had Made alhielon, l ad drown that there was
enough in the mode in which the meeting had been
drawn Wgether, 'combined With the previuos train-
ings, to inspire terror and alarm in the minds ei all
the peaceable and respectable inhabit:lets of Man-
chester. On the threat that that town should
be made a second Moscow, and on that of one of
a party, that he would get as good a coat as that
which the 'person to whom he add; essemi himself
wore before night, he laid no stress as eonoected
with time meeting of that day ; hot he must con-
tend, that these threats breaking out, notwith-
standing all the precautioos that had been used,
went to prove what were moterstood to he
the ultimate objects of the conmhioation.--
In spite of all the orders issued to t! ,e several
leaders of that day, it had been sliewn that the
feeling was the effect of time cOma,piracy, which
would eventually go to array the poor against
the rich. To this they were come at lest,
thought ma!ters were not ripe for proceeding 'to
action on that day. It was worthy uf remaele
that Mr. Hunt had not thought it necessary to
explain those significant words, your enemies,'
which he admitted that he had used. It had been
sworn, and perhaps very trimly. that at the time
be littered them, the military were hot io sight,
and thence it was to be interred that they did nut
apply to them. To whom then did they apply ?
—Was it to the Magistrates and the constables ?
Sorely the Jury were not to be told that it was
• too much for demagogues to go about at this
time of day to inflame the people by representing
the local authorities, to whom they owed obe-
dience, to be their enemies ? To do as Mr. 11 nut
had done—to tell the people that they had a He'll:
to do what the Magistrates had told them they
had no right to do, and to invite them to do it in
defiance of their authority, what was it but to
teach the populace that they might trample onahe
Magistrates when they pleased, though it trii4lit
not be his good pleasure to do so at that parti-
cular time ? 'This borne in mind, he for one could
not but give credit to the honour, to the integrity,
nay, to the judgment of that Magistrate, who had
given it as his opioion, that had the persons acting
such a part, been allowed to go on without interrup-
t ion, Manchester might not have been srauding at
this moment. He referred to the riots in I7SO,
and to the subsequent proceedings against Lind
George Gordon, or a charge_ of Higo Treason for
the part he had taken in them. Froto mis-
chiefs which ensued from the pubi'!c mind !reins:
inflamed as it then was, though without any evil
intention as it appeared in the first instance, and
froan the prosecution then instituted against the
then Lord Mayor of London, for not putting a
stop to the riots in the first instance, he inferred
that the Magisti ales of Manchester were justified
in taking those precautions to which they hail so
promptly 'resorted. He complained of the man-
ner in which Mr. Holton had been vilified,
for the evidence which lie gave in the course of
this trial. That Gentleman was a man of fortune
and of family, and known for a most humane
and charitable man in that part of the country.
It others did note see or hear, to that.which he had
deposed, it by no means followed that that to
which he had sworn was untrue. He had thooght
time shout which he heard proceed from the crowd
Was one of defiance. He had seen sticks and
stones in the air as the cavalry advanced, and had
seen the crowd closed in upon them before they
reached the hustings. To contradict this respect-
able persou, Mr. Hunt had called a number of
witnesses who did not see or hear what Mr.
Holton had described. But,• if in addition to
those brought forward, lie (Mr. Hunt) had called
forty thousand more to prove that they knew-
nothing of the circumstances is question, (teat
would not materially have altered the nature
of the case. In various points lie spewed that
Mr. Hutton's evidence was corroborated by toe
evidence of Mr. Orton, and even by that of Mr.
Tyas, and by another witness for the defence, a
very respectable man, Mr. Hobsoo. 0 her wit-
nesses heard the words used to direct them to lock
arms, and these Were said w be addressed to the
crowd by order of the Committee. lie did not
believe that it was intended to proceed to vio-
lence that day ; but time object was to prove that
they could make themselves most formidable when-
ever they chose. Why else the words " Be firm !"
&c, that were proved to have been used ? It wa
meant to show the town of Manchester that those
forming the Meeting knew how to combine in
suet) strength that they could do what they pleas-
ed. The people of Manchester were loyal and re-
spectable, and be was satisfied that they desired
no meeting, like that which had been called in
their town for the 16th of August ; he did riot
believe that 700 of the respectable abitants losd
signed the requisition calling the meeting. Mr.
Swift might know the parties who had coiled the
meeting, hot be (Mr. Scarlett) did not, and Mr.
Hoot had known better than to produce one wit-
ness to prove that fact.. It might be that 700 weavers
had put their names to some paper, but no requisi-
tion had been signed by 700 of the respectable inha-
bitants of Manchester. The mixture of women and
children in the crowd, on which so much stress
had been laid, he maintained was common to every
mob ; and this was one of the circumstances
which caused the (larger attendant on such Meet-
ings. Such a meeting as that of the 16th August
he showed to be nolawfule from a reference to the
law as laid down by Mr. Seijeant Hawkins iu irs
Pleas for the Crown. He would press these
questions on the Jury while considering their ver-
nict :—Did they believe the meeting to be unlaw-
ful ? Did they believe that the witnesses who bad
sworn to have felt alarm were not all perjur-