The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-08 00:00:00

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LONDON:

THURSDAY MOANING. SEPTEMBER 8, 1842.

A meeting of the Magistrates and Deputy
Lieutenants of the County of Stafford was held
in the town of Stafford •on Monday last. The
Tory journals call this an important meeting.
It was called by Earl TALBOT, the Lord Lieute-
nant of the County, and was attended by an un-
precedented number of Magistrates, including
three Peers besides the Noble Earl. On opening
the meeting, he said, " In consequence of the
disturbed state of the country, he felt it his duty
to call them together." Lord WROTTESLY then
moved the following resolution :
One or more stations. to be fixed upon in each hundred
by tlie Magistrates of such hundred, at which the meet-
ings of the Magistrates are to be held, and such special
constables shall be there quartered as the Magistrates
may deem requisite.
That communications be kept up betwixt the several
stations of such occurrences, and information, as may be
decreed advisable, communicated to such persons as the
Magistrates may appoint.
That horses be engaged at each station, under the
saueLion, and at the direction, of the
.Magistrates of that
stati-on, for expresses or extra patrolling when required.
That horse patrols (if practicable to be sworn in as
special constables) be establisned without pay for pa-
trolling, according to circumstances, the high roads be-
tween the stations. The patrolling to be at the discre-
tion and under the direction of the Magistrates of the
hundred. •
That the horse patrol do regularly report the result
of their. patrols to such Magistrates shall
person as the
vppomt at. their respective stations.
T,) the first resolution
Mr. E. BULLER moved
as an amendment, " That the patrol should be
established only in such hundreds as the Magis-
trates for those hundreds might deeni necessary."
The amendment was lost by a large majority,
and the rest of the resolutions were unanimously
carried. In the Tory and little-manufacturing
county of Stafford, therefore, the Magistrates are
organising a new military force for security.
They are to have stations or positions, and those'
positions are to keep up au uninterrupted cum.
munication with each other. Horses are to be
kept saddled for orderlies to ride expresses, and
a horse patrol is to keep incessantly in motion.
Reports are to be regularly made to head quar-
ters, and the whole country is to be placed under
a newly formed army, cf which Earl TALBOT is
the Commander-in-Chief and the Magistrates are
Generals. Before Mr. STunor's emphatic sen-
tence has well got into
,general circulation, the
fact he predicted with apprehension has come to
pass. and one part of the community " mounts
guard over the other."
It has been found in all cases that this kind of
precaution or vigilance provokes some corres-
ponding contrivance to circumvent it; and unless
the Staffordshire Magistrates are disposed to deny
the general laws of human nature, they must
look for some such contrivances amongst the
guarded people. The best organised system of
Custom-house regulations ever devised have
failed to put an end to smuggling. The severest
military punishment employed by BONAPARTE
only excited the guerillas of Spain to fresh acts
of cruelty and daring. Wherever passion or in-
terest holds a powerful sway in the human bosom,
which stop short
schemes to suppress or curb it,