Star.
London, England, 1831-02-09 00:00:00

amount. He hoped that the House would grant the prayer of his pro-
posed petition, and not allow SOO of our most valuable labourers to be
sacrificed to ie effects of the cursed game laws. He hoped that 31i.
nisters would adopt the measure, and he knew that they always had a
great majority in that House.—(A latfch.) .He repeated that he knew
there were many landlords who would give a very opposite advice,
anti one of these, with whom he had conversed, he would take the
liberty of describing to the House. This man was for hanging
.all
the men, and was exceedingly angry with his Majesty for having
granted any pardon.—( Hear, hear.)--This man was always preach.
ing up to him (Mr. Hunt) to be impolite; and this man, when he sew
him once about the time of the Catholic Emancipation 13W.—what was
called the Irish Relief Bill—was passed, he (Mr. Hunt) asked him how
be approved of the measure • the gentleman was at the moment going
out to shoot, and had a double-barrelled gun in his hard ; and he said
that such wu his approbation of the measure, that if he met the Duke
of Wellington and Mr. Peel, he would not care to blow the brains
out of one with the one barrel of his gun, and serve the other in
the same way with the other.—(A laugh.) Yet this gentleman al-
ways said to him (Mr. Hunt), " Don't be violent ;" and he, also,
was one of those who would extend no mercy to unhappy convicts. It
had been said that there was a scarcity of corn in the country but be
(Mr. Hunt) could assure the house, that between Bath and Bristol he
had never in his life seen a larger quantity of corn at this season of the
year. The honourable member concluded with moving that an address
be forwarded to his Majesty, praying for a pardon and general amnesty
to all the prisoners under sentence from the late Special Commissions.
There would never be any peace in the country unless the people
were convinced that the laws were administereC disinterestedly.—

(Cries of question.)
Mr. HUME seconded the motion.
Mr. G. LAMB, after complimenting the hon. member for Preston
for the manner in which he had introduced the motion to the house,
proceeded to observe upon the arguments adduced in favour it. The
honourable member bed asked if there had been any private communi-
cation at the office to which he (Mr. Lamb) belonged, declaring that he
(Mr. Hunt) acted the part of an incendiary during his visit to the coun-
try to obtain evidence in support of his motion. Unfortunately it was
not necessary that any private letter should have been received upon
this subject, for every account from the country gave lamentable
proofs of that conduct. Now, what was the object of the modes before
the.house ? Why to call on this house to step in between the psesepo.
live, and call upon the crown to extend lenity, and grant se =Misty to
those persons who had cleated disturbances, and produced disorder in
the country. What 1 were they to hold out an encouragement tope:sons
to disturb society ? He trusted that they would do no such thing. With
respect to the charge brought against Mr Justice Aldersoa, he was sues
that he would very shortly prove that there was nothing improper in that
learned person's conduct. The Hon. Member then entered into a state.
ment of the circumstances of the case of the elder Looker, and am
tended that the jury could not have come to any other decision than that
which they had come to. With respect to the younger Looker, he
could not understand why they were not only to pardon him, but to
raise a testimonial to him, and wreath him with Se crown of laurel.
Now, what right had the Hon. Member to ex that lenity should
be shown to this young man, when he TWO that he had written a
letter to a parson threatening to bum his farm, and rip out his b—y
guts; (hear.) He hoped the Hon. Member would give up addressing
mobs, and confine his observations to that House, where Us talents
and abilities would be more effectively employed than in addresses to
mobs (hear.)
Mr. BENETT begged, in reply to some statements made by the
Honourable Member for Preston out of the House. relative to his (Mr.
B.'s) conduct, to say that the Honourable Member for Preston was not
justified in the observations which he was reported to have made. He
(Mr. B.) admitted that he had said upon more occasions than one, that
much of the disturbance which bad taken place in the country was owing
to the writings of Cobbett and the "etchings of Hunt. (Hear, hear.)
The Honourable Member hers entered into an expLusseimi of the dr-
cumstanas connected with the mob with which he had bun sawed;
they ;refused to obey him when be asked them to separate, se
that they were not his men, but Mr. Hunt's men : (He*
hear, hear.) They said that they would not hurt a hair of his
head, but that they would break his thrashing machine, as well es the
others. He told them that he would oppose them himself, when they
went to break his machine, and that he would not use any hams
against them ; but he threatened to take every step possible againstibinn
at a future day. He subsequently, upon a threat beiZmode that
wouldhave his blood, pulled out a pistol from his et, and sidilhe
would have the life of any one who attempted to injure him. He was
Immediately struck with a stone, and he attain!, would have shot the
um if hecould have seen him. The mob subsequently went toward
&podia aim:hint of his, about half a mile off ; he instantly sent for a
detachment of the Salisbury Yeomanry, and met the moo, who to.
treated into a wood, from which they might have escaped if they
pawed; but no, they thought proper to attackthe troops; but it was
met until they had been twice or thrice assaulted, that they
;Wthe peasantry, and certainly one man was
.. Member, after adverting to the Inquest upon the body of the
man who had been killed, observed that some comments had been made
en his being the Magistrate who committed these men he trial. This
he denied; on the contrary, he was the means of 21 of dross deluded
persons being allowed to pat large upon their own rattgokance. Al.
though he was the foreman of the grand jury, be never went into the
jury-room for two days, when the bills upon which those labourers
were indicted, were under anidaation; (beer, hear.) Noe did be
give evidence to hang those unfortunate men, as had been said ; on
the contrary, when he found that his evidence was likely to hang
than, he refused to come forward and give this seri of eve.
dance : (hear, hoar.) The Honenzable Member that alluded to
the conduct of an overeeir in his parish, wham be
with bethg accessory to the riots in his neighbourhood. Held=
that the chameter of these riots was so simple as the hon. member foe
Preston would Insinuate. Allusion had been made to a person named
Barret. Now the overseer before alluded to, gave him a character for
honesty, &c. although he knew full well that he was a bad character.
The hon. member also alluded to two other persons, and 'hewed that
they were not poor or impoverished individuals. Indeed, he only se-
lected those for prosecution who were above want; and eme of the per-
sons in question had a very large sans in the Savhip• Bank. This
chewed that it was not poverty solely that drove those benridmte in-
dividuals to commit acts of riot and distutbanos. He admitted that he
had ascribed much of these outrages to the wridngs of Mr. Cobbett and
the speeches of Mr. Hunt. But how amid he say abasing:onm
everywhere he went he heard the names of the boo. member foe
and Mr. Cobbett. He was, however, glad to inform the house, that
all the persons who had been injured by the Salisbury yeomanry, had
recovered, except are man who had been slat dad.—(Laugher.)
He denied that the farmers in general had excited the mob to tumult,
though there were some instances of misconduct by same of that class.
He was happy to my that the goad feeling was not estirely gene from
the farming labourers. He had heard them say "We have been down
long enough, we will be uppermost now ;" but these wads were
spoken in the moment of excitement. Notwitbtatding what had
been advanced by some writers to the contrary, he maintained that the
Area were over, that the Special Commission had put an end to them.
The labourers were not the burners • those people generally creme haw
a distance. He could say that be hid not presented any man thronglt
ill will ;be felt much reluctance in prosecuting any at all. It na.
rosined for the country and the House to judge between the Member ie.
Preston and hinessiE That Hon. Gentleman had mad* his statement,
and he (Mr. litumett) gave his explanation. The Hos. Member sat
down amidst load Aim
Mr. J. SMITH elmented dat, out of all the risen in hie neigh-
bourhood, one only was sawn ter punishment; that am was a no.
toeloualy bad
saddled
wee sentence to be mommetal fee fourteen
years. He felt saddled dish in the ms ended of lichens, shoes
only were selected for polarises: who had hem bad &imam= ; ass
of thaw was a constituent of him own. Almliestiss was made to
(Mr. Smith) to interfere on his behalf, but be Asian& to do ei4 arr ac-
count of his infamy. lie thought that the Goa mment had athened
the soundest discretion respecting the pimbhommis maim the *dal
commission. It was not the province of the hones is
Morin tospact-
' log those punishments.
Sir J. YORK observed that, after the two brag sponese of the
Members for Preston and Wiltshire, be should sat mew much of
their time. Those were the parties in this we. The Member tar Pres-
ton for his party ; the Member for Wiltshire for his perry; and the
Government fur all. Good OOP h irso it St ho the Base to Inter-
fere with punishments? It was the hrm s? ma kines that sae
broken, not the Member foe Preston's Mae:kiss machine; if k wale,
•he doubted much if that Honourable Member would oonailmene so
whitewash them. (Loud laughter.) The endsn was whether this
House should contribute to break down the Est of she
Constitution. (Hear, bear.) Ho thought that ineladmiary
=of the hon member toe Puna had oostelbsted vase ass soy
glee to the disturbances. Copse, who tees emiented, wont he a
titan* under the same at Hest. hi sidle to 'ribose his labeesse. Os
smother occasion he rode a white awry so doubt In order is etresent
blineVt" (laughter-) Thn he sailithar he Preston sonlimed
se the nprenentativo of the nispomented ; be aim aossidemi
bknodf a radical rehearse, salielsg fIR troilibmileme sae s 0•0014
The hen. isember had certainly same asiesslog lodides abasbabilitff
he was an admirable span, on of ibe 114.16 roma" tell'
Ms capacity entitled to respect, sod ite hoped am risewants
pay due amesuien to him. He (Ws Joseph) would glee him as mid%
which was sot to make long speedos, but to memo hie sendoossie lm
11 a precise farm, and not inuoduce so much verbiage, (laugnoes). If he
elmeresd this rule, he (Sic Joseph) would net despoil e? waft him
shake heads with the adommeey- et that loose, and as erne of the 411,
become the intimate ceseimmiss of the hon. and pliant General, the
member far Liverpool pond les#ter).
Lord 110APETH speed diet die been should receive with cow-
troy, and Ibsen with atesadon, to the member ter Preston; hot=
he admitted thisilse thought dud hes. membee bed bees inlisenced
motives of mistaken humanity. There wee us such thing as
minim punishment under the Special Commission; any penes who
attended to the reports of the trials weld me skis. He would set
Jodie* the house against the youth who ha lilisesif Imes
artier to save his father; hut, be mil net lama to plies him ohms
an Roman and !hiatus sets of virtue. The hoses geoid set who •