Star.
London, England, 1819-11-25 00:00:00

I

ls* dr ,iinnerg, inscribed with such unmeasured 1
epithets; al !ftilierty or Death,'! &c. and the hotori
riot* raOtslif the'rnilitiry:ariAy. of the bodies which
cettiptiseci.thit Meath's, add of their drilling up to
the very itight-preeeding • it; were Most unequivocal
and imperishable testimonials., of the illegal spirit
Whith lid thein together oh that occasion, and of the
propriety of dispersing them. The Honourable Gen-
tleman conchided, by
se:pressing his acquiescence in
the original motion. •
Sir JOHN SPRIGHT said, he believed there
had scarcely, since he had sat in the House, been a
Motion for inqui'r'y proposed for which he had not
given his vote,' He should be sorry to be thought
second to•any 'man in lamenting the events which had,
taken place at Manchester; but although he admit-
ted the necessity or inquiry, he was decidedly of
opinion that the object of the Amendment would be
better attained by the investigation of the Courts of
Judicature, than by any interference of the House. Ile
then entered into an able exposition of the affairs of
Manchester, and the question of Parliamentary Re-
form, and concluded by declaring that he had never
mixed in any society, the political circles of that
House excepted, in which he did not find the senti-
ments of the majority to be, that some reform in the
House of Commons was necessary; but he depre-
cated the idea of making any concessions to what
were called the Radicals.

Mr. LYTTLETON agreed with his Hon. Friend
in thinking that the present Amendment was not the
best calculated to convey to the Throne the senti-
ments of the House and of the Country. In voting
for the -Address without any amendment, • he hoped
he would not be considered as concurring with Mi•
nisters; he thought that their misconduct was the
cause of the prevailing discontent in the Country,
and he looked upon the dismissal of the Earl Fitz.'
william as having alienated from them the heart of'
every honest man.
Mr. CANNING.—The House had now heard the
different opinions of every class in that House on the
Address,- the Amendment, and the General State of
the Country. He could not comprehend the reason-.
ing or the policy which prepared the Gentlemen op-
posite to concur in the original Address, and yet to
tack to it this Amendment. The first duty to be
performed was to suppress the disaffection which
was now allowed to be spreading. The Gentlemen.
opposite did not think the simple Address sufficient
to express their duty, without the aggravation in the
Amendment. The individuals pointed at by this
Address were to be told they were to be put down.
but at the same time that a party in that House sy
pathised with them. The numbers in the Minority
(air he would contemplate a Minority) would be
counted with the greatest anxiety by the objects
of this Address ; they would see that a party in
that Houk, thodgh not prepared to support their
pretensions, yet were not determined to oppose them.
He would wish for unanimity on this question, be-
cause he was certain that unanimity in carrying this
Address would decide with tenfold certainty the im-
pression which would be made on the objects of the
Address. This division would give these men called
Radicals (he hoped he should not again in the course
of the debate use the expression). not only consolation,
but hope. There were two distinct topics on that
day—in one of which these great Aristocrats agreed
with their associates, while on, the other hand they
;'differed:

-; and, Oh, shame to Aristocracy! they con-
sented, humbly consented, to sink the point of diffe-
rence, and to dwell entirely upon that in which they
were agreed. But what said the Amendment pro-
posed by the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
Tierney) opposite, of their new allies? Why,• in the
very words which he would read, they were admitted
to be persons who were engaged in " schemes inju-
rious to themselves, dangerous to the public quiet, and
inconsistent with the security of the Constitution:—
And yet it was with these co-operators the great men
of York shared the honours of the hustings, and with
whom, on some points, they professed to entertain
opinions in conjunction. What, now, was the doc-
trine of these great men as to those excesses? Deal
kindly, say they, with their faults; endeavour to re-
' cal them, by explanation, from their delusions; do not
visit their transgressions with coercive measures, and
returning, sense and tranquillity will be the result.l
o,alcon days f peace when such golden glory
can be realized oßut why did not the great men of
York, when they met the great rabble on their com-.
mon hustings, convince them of their theoretical de-
lusions? Why did they not endeavour to recal the
wanderers? Why did they enter into a compromise,
to avoid the discussion, and remain determinedly silent?
Had they done so, then indeed the sacrifice made at
York would not have been made in vain—then, in-
deed, might they have felt a compensation in having
saved their new allies from the ruinous consequence
of their mischievous course, and the Constitution of
the country from danger. Wholly opposite was
their proceeding, directing, as they did, their con-
joint efforts to what was already decided, namely,
the immediate assembling of Parliament, and avoid-
ing all reference, not even uttering a word on a ques-
tion which so essentially affected the Constitution.—
In his conscience he believed, nay, he went further,
and would say, that many of those who supported.
the Resolutions at York, in their consciences believed
that the effect of that Meeting must have given
encouragement to those very schemes which the
Amendment under consideration now rebuked.
Mr. LYTTELTON rose to order. The imputation
of a motive, such as that stated by the Right Hon.
Gentleman, was disorderly—(Cries of Chair, chair).
The SPEAKER observed, that to impute a motive
was certainly disorderly; but, in his apprehension,
the Right Honourable Gentleman did not put his.
arguMent with that intention.
Mr. CANNING—Most certainly the Chair took
the view of the obsei4ation which was by him in-
tended, and he must be•allowed to state his conscien-
tious conviction, that the difference would be im.
mense between acceding to the Address singly, and
sending it out to the country qualified by an addition,
which would haie the effect: of divesting it of its
wholeseme harshness. He now proceeded to the great
point of difference, naively, the transactions at Man-
chester; and, he now callednpon the House to review
the course that question had taken before it reached
theconsideration of Parliament. Let every Honour-
able Member reflect-oolis own previous feelings on
that question aim festerday, and then sick -himself
whether the legality 'F ilisgality •of that Meeting,.
.wai not by' him the expected point of discussion

that pniu4 had been disenssed on both= sides cif. riae,,
14-A(4114. :Until his explanation. that night, he under-.
stood the Ifonoarablettentlemanoppolite (Mr. Scar
lett): to agree.with his, Right:Hon. Friend (the *Attar-
ney-General) as to its illegality. If
,wrong hi this
supposition, those who .contended it !vas illegal hid
not the benefit of the )Elonciurabledentleman's opi-
nion, but they had that of his flight lion. Eriend
near him (the Attorney-General), and not 'of
alone, .but of every Lawyer who spoke upon
question. In the Course of two nights' Debate, not one
Lawyer In.theliouse had ventured to standup and
maintain. that the Meeting at Manchester on the Ir
Of August was not an illegal one. For its illegal,
they had the opinion of his Right Hon. Friend (Mr.
Plunkett), who broughtto the investigation of every,
subject a powerful miud, habits of deep investigationo
anti that; professional knowledge which must render
his opinions valuable to the preseataige arid posterityw;
Against all this there was only, a sort of conditional,
negative on the part 'of the Hon. Gentleman oppo-
site (Mr. Scarlett). If, therefore, the question was -
be decided by weight or tale, with all the weigin
one scale, and only, at best, a negative quantity ,
the other, the House could not, for a moment, hesia•
tate to pronounce the Manchester Meeting, on
16th day of August last, an illegal one. There
were two reasons on which the Manchester question
was pressed as a fit subject of investigation for
House ; first, as being an attack upon the Constitt_
tion ; and, secondly, because inquiry was demanded
by the Resolutions of various Meetings, in different:
parts of the country. As to the first reason, without
taking into consideration the many small spots of
ground, occupied by di fferelic reasoners, he considered
that as disposed of, by the admission that
Meeting at Manchester was illegal---(Hear, hear).—
The Resolutions were the next point to be considered.
He had taken the trouble of looking into them,
it was curious to observe that all the Meetings .
which they were passed, set out with the assumption
that the Meeting was a legal one. First came
Westminster Meeting—(a laugh); with them the .
semblage at Manchester was " perfhctly Constitu.
tional. Next, the Corporation of London—that--
Body, with plenty of Lawyers, too—(a laugh);
them the Meeting was " a Body leally assembled.
Then came York, equally " legal." Next Halif
"assembled according to law. Richmond,
rural Meeting—(a laugh), "legal and constitutional.
Reading, "
.perfectly legal." it was strange that
further they receded from the Metropolis, the opinion
of its legality increased. The Devon County Cl•-'
he would not trouble the House with the Club's
nion, though perhaps it was better to state it-
Meeting not beyond the pale of the law"—(Hi
hear ! from the Opposition). Now, he would
giving all due authority to the expressed demands
these Meetings thus convened upon grounds so totally
false, had he not a right to presume, until those '
dies should again re-assemble, and though convir
of the admitted illegality of the Meeting at
chester should still continue in their support of
solutions passed under a different impression, was
not warranted in asserting that these Meetings •
taken by surprise, and under a misconception
ceeded to a decision that was no longer tenable
And here it was impossible to overlook those
flagrant misrepresentations by which the pubh,
mind was worked up to such a degree of tnijustifi—
able irritation. It happened to him from accident
have taken the daily press on these transactions
gross. No person, until he carefully applied .-
self to the search, could ascertain their contradic-
tions, who was in the habit of perusing them
in diem. He had taken, from the circumstance
his absence, a strong dose of these diatribes,
taking the most violent as the most candid, he
dared solemnly to that House he never before
a tissue of misrepresentations more atrocious C
hear). 'The first proof of this fact that intnitu
convinced him, was the statement that the Magis-
strates of Manchester were necessarily actuated
embittered feelings towards the People, from
circumstance of their being generally master
nufacturers (Hear, hear). Happening to have
connections in that part of the country, he personally
knew, that however true such a circumstanc'
might have been in any other county, it was •
invariable rule in Lancashire not to put into
Commission of the Peace persons connected
manufacturing establishments--(Hear, hear,
There was no person who bad ever conversed
Lancashire man but could have informed himself
the.fact; and he was not an honest man who '•
not have inquired before he ventured she assertion
(Cries of Hear, hear). This -atrocious statement
passed current for many days ; when, lo ! there
from the same source a tardy acknowledgement'
the Magistrates were not manufacturers, accomr
with the observation, that though the master
facturers were not in the commission of the peace,
-mem, built upon the falsehood, was not

true. How many persons must have read the
tion, who perhaps to that hour were not aware
falsification? How many persons in the country
whose suspicions were first aroused by this awake
statement, remained up to the meeting of that '
under the influence of that delusive impression.
Hon. Friend of his, for whom he ever should
Min a sincere and unfading friendship, he. would
don his name, or perhaps that was_ unnecessary;
be said the Member for York (the Honourable
Liam Dundas) misled by one of those sources
formation, had stated at the York Meeting, t
swords of the Manchester Yeomen were sharpened
for the Meeting of the 16th of August. That obser•
cation ha.d been publicly retracted by his Honourable
Friend, but in the mean time the Resolutions 4.. -
bad passed. Those, no doubt, were disabused
saw the denial, but it-came too late to prevent
'mischief it must have produced in the mf
many. There was another assertion of a
nature, made at the Norfolk Meeting, by a
highest honour, whom every person that knew
must respect. He stated, that a woman was
by a soldier from the fury of the Yeomanry,
circumstances too horrible to relate. - This, 1
other assertions, was retracted, but it should
collected. that the Resolutions in these, and
.eases, were passed in the interim between the
mivation of the fileehood and the contradir
If any man wal called upon to decide upon
tions, perverted. b such Krdss pad terrible atograva.
.041114, could be be considered, ansder •stsch ,iii a
master of his passions? Could Public Bo e,

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