Star.
London, England, 1830-05-25 00:00:00

MEETING AT OLDHAM.

On Monday last a public meeting was held on Bent-
green, Oldham, to consider the distressed state of the
country, a repeal of the corn laws, radical reform, &c.
This was, we believe, the first political meeting which
has been held in the open air in this neighbourhood for
some years past ; and, notwithstanding a very extensive
circulation of placards throughout the neighbourhood,
the meeting presented a very different appearance from
that which was exhibited by the meetings held on the
same spot in the high and palmy days of radicalism, in
the year 1819. The assemblage might amount to 400
or 500 persons, a considerable proportion of whom ap-
peared to have been attracted merely by curiosity. At
four o'clock Mr. John Haigh, of Oldham, was called to
the chair, and read over the requisition by which the
meeting was convened. He then proceeded to expatiate
on the effects produced by the changes in the currency—
effects which, he said, he clearly foresaw, even when Mr.
Cobbett himself was in doubt about them.

The meeting was then repeatedly addressed by Mr.
John Knight and Mr. Fitton, of Radical celebrity, and
by a Scotchman, named Millar, who said he was one of
the distressed weavers, but whose dress and personal ap-
pearance by no means betokened that excess of misery
which he described as haring fallen on the hand-weavers.
The speeches were, of course, similar to those which
were formerly wont to be delivered upon similar occa-
sions; and a series of 13 resolutions, evidently drawn up
by Mr. John Knight, calling for taxes on machinery, a
reduction of expenditure and taxation, a repeal of the
corn laws, a radical reform, and a variety of other mat-
ters, were unanimously passed ; and petitions to both
Houses of Parliament, founded on the resolutions, were
agreed to. It was also resolved to form a society at Old-
ham, on the principles of the London Radical Reform
Association. The meeting then quietly eepersted.—
Manchester Gazette.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF RING'S BMW, Dusini, MAT 21.
EX-OFFICIO IN FORM ATION.

THE KING V. GRATTAN.
At the sitting of the Court, the ATTORNEY-GE-
NERAL having stated that Mr. Grattan was in attend-
ance, moved the Court that judgment be pronounced
upon him.
Mr. PERRIN then rose, and at great length com-
mented upon the affidavit put in by Mr. Grattan in mi-
tigation of punishment—and animadverted in very strong
language upon the affidavits which had been filed by the
Crown in reply. Mr. Perrin concluded by stating that
Mr. Grattan did not deny his responsibility, nor did he
by hie affidavit seek to lessen the liability attachable to
the crime as stated in the informations; he did not deny
that the publications were grossly libellous, but he did
deny that he countenanced their publication, and he
expressed his total dissent from, and his utter disappro-
bation of, the spirit in which they were couched. Mr.
Grattan, said Mr. Perrin, has admitted on the records of
the Court hie legal liability for the publications in ques-
tion; from that responsibility be does not seem to shrink,
but he has filed his affidavit for the purpose of showing
the Court, that though legally responsible, he is not mo-
rally guilty of publishing libels, the spirit and style of
which he utterly condemns.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL here called upon the Offi-
cer of the Court to read the libels, which appeared in the
Freeman's Journal newspaper of the 24th of August and
the 18th of November, 1829. As soon as the Officer
concluded,

The ATTOANEY-GBEIRAL said, that now the libels
had been read, he should leave it to any man who hoard
them to say, if they were not the most atrocious libels
that ever appeared in print ; and if he had suffered them
to pass unnoticed, he would be undeserving of filling the
high office he had the honour to hold. If Mr. Grattan
had not filed the affidavit that he had, it was not his (the
Attorney General's) intention to have said one word in
the way of aggravation ; all he should have deemed it
necessary to do was to have had the libels read, and leave
it to the Court to say what punishment they would in-
flict upon Mr. Grattan. As to the time at which Mr.
Grattan put in his plea of guilty, he thought it necessary
to say a few words to the Court. The defendant at first
challenged the Crown to the proof of his proprietor-
ship, and he did not withdraw his plea until the
Crown were prepared to join issue with him. The
plea of guilty, he says, was put in by the advice of
Counsel—and certainly more ingenious counsel than
Mr. Grattan's were not to be found. His consciousness
of his own innocence, he says, first induced him to
put in a plea of not guilty, but his Counsel discover
some nondescript kind of interference on his part in
the management of this Journal, which induce them
to think him legally responsible, and they advise him
to withdraw that plea, and put in one of guilty. Mr. ,
Grattan was not the reigistered proprietor—he was not the',
author of the libels—he was not the Editor of the Paper,
but he was the husband of Mrs. Grafton, and therefore be-
cause some old debts remained to be collected belonging
to the establishment, the Counsel advise him that he was
legally responsible. Can any man believe, said the At-
torney-General, that this was the real cause why he was
advised to withdraw his plea? Mr. Grattan says in his
affidavit that he was in communication with the persons
who had the superintendence of the establishment; but,
my Lords, unless these communications had reference to
the publication of the libels, how could Mr. Grattan have
been held responsible for them? The crown was ready
to join issue with him on that point; they thought they
had the means of proving, that though not the registered
proprietor, he was the bona jide proprietor, and from this
investigation Mr. Grattan shrunk, and substituted a plea
of guilty for that of not guilty. The Attorney-General
was here about to comment at great length on Mr. Grat-
tan's affidavit, but the court intimated to him that they
would not trouble counsel at either side to proceed further
in the case.

The Court then consulted for some time, and said they
would not pronounce judgment on Mr. Grattan at pre-
sent, but would wait until the Attorney-General should
move them again upon the subject.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—My Lords, the motion is
with the Court, and your Lordships will deal with it as
you think fit.
Judge JEBB—After what has been thrown out by the
Court, perhaps, Mr. Attorney, you had better turn the
matter in your mind.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL then bowed, and left the
Court. DUBLIN, MAY 22.
MR. GRATTAN.—This gentleman was brought up for
judgment to-day. The Attorney-General, Mr. Joy,
stated that he had no wish to press the proceedings fur-
ther. Mr. Grattan's connection with the paper was acci-
dental, and altogether he did not deem it a case for se-
verity. Mr. Grattan, therefore, is free ; and we have to
say, that this is one of many occasions in which the press
and public liberty are under deep obligations to the pre-
sent Attorney-General.—Pilot.

KILDARE MEETING.—There was a most respectable
meeting held at Naas on the 19th instant—R. Archbold,
Esq. in the Chair; William Lewis, Esq. secretary—at
which strong resolutions were entered into, and a peti-
tion agreed upon against the meditated imposts of the
British Minister. His Grace the Duke of Leinster, Earl
of Mayo, Colonel Connolly, Mr. R. Cassidy, and a great
number of gentlemen of the first respectability in the
county, attended, and moved and spoke to resolutions.
EmIGRATIONO—.TWO vessels crowded with emigrants
for America, sailed from Dublin quays yesterday morning
—one of them, the Brothers, a splendid ship of great
burden, bound for Quebec. The passengers, with the ex-
ception of not more than ten, were from various parts of
the interior.

EXTRAORDINARY APPLOTLIENT...-At a Vestry held
in Carrick-on-Suir, on Thursday, it was proposed by
Surgeon Flood, a Protestant, and eventually carried by
the meeting, contrary to the wishes of the Minister, that
each of the Catholic inhabitants should only pay one
halfpenny towards the assessment. Accordingly the Ca-
tholic householders, in all 432, were only taxed one half-
penny each, which amounted to eighteen shillings, and
the remainder of the assessment, which this year
amounted to 361. 11s. 2d. was applotted on the Protes-
tant parishioners.
LORD LIEUTENANT Or IRELAND.—It is asserted,
that his Grace of Northumberland will be the last noble-
man who will 611 this high office. The contemplated
changes are, the appointment of a Secretary for Ireland,
who is to have, in virtue thereof, a seat in the Cabinet,
and in whom is to be vested all the responsibility of the
government, and all the patronage of the country.—ln
addition to these arrangements, lord lieutenants of coun-
ties, the same as in England, are to be appointed, with
an express stipulation, that they are to be constantly re-
sident in their counties ; consequent upon this arrange-
ment all the present Commissions of the Peace are to
be called is, and new ones issued by;the respective Lords
Lieutenants of the counties: By this means all cause of
invidiousness in a radical reform of the Irish magistracy
will be avoided.—Evenieg Post.