Star.
London, England, 1817-03-04 00:00:00

or two Members of the Secret Committee, he was'
now firmly of opinion, that the Report . was no-'
thing better than “ a piece of waste paper." The cir-
cumstance of the present Lord Mayor, and other
eminent men. king Members of the London Union
Society. was iiritself a complete refutation of the
basis upon which the Report was chiefly founded.
The Hon. Member concluded amidst loud cheering.
Mr. BARCLAY next presented himself to the Meet-
ing, and was received with much disapprobation.
He admitted that he had voted for the suspension of
the Habeas Carpus Act, but at the same time desired
to state, that he had done so only from a feeling of
the necessity of such a measure. founded upon the
Report of the Secret Committee, which had been
laid before Parliament. He was induced to attach
credit to that Report, because he knew that permits
were on the Committee who had been the habitual
opponents of his Majesty's Ministers, and who would
certainly have felt disposed to give every opposi-
tion to a Ministerial measure, which they had not,
after the closest scrutiny, found necessary. He lie.
tiered, with his Honourable colleague, that the evils
which did exist were not of any very great extent ;
and he also accorded with Mr. Ponsonby in thinking
that the people of this country were sound at heart ;
but that there were individuals going about who took
advantage of their distresses, and endeavoured to in-
stil into their minds the seeds of sediticn and disloyalty.
Those who had said that there• Was no feeling hostile
to the Constitution in existence, must have forgotten
the tricoloured flags and cockades, the emblems of
Revolution—( Cries of of ! ep for a long continuance).
The CHAlRMAN—Gentlemen, noise and clamour is
but a poor substitute for reason and common sense.
Mt. Barclay is your Representative ; he has a right to
address you, and you ought to hear him—(liear ).
Mr. BARCLAY, in continuation said, that he con-
ceived that more injury had been done to the cause
of Reform by the, meetings where those flags had
been displayed, than by any other conduct which had
cothe under his notice. Fqr himsrlf, he could only
say, he was a most anximis advocate for a Reform in
Parliament, and should at all times lend his aid to
obtain it. With regard to the suspension of the Ha-
beas Corpus Act, he considered that measure rather
as a measure of prevention than otherwise; and it
bad his support, because he was convinced it would
prevent persons from going about and seducing men
who were naturally inclined to support order and de-
corum, to commit crimes that would eventually lead
them to the scaffold. He desired to add, that it was
his firm belief that his Majesty's Ministers would net
act intemperately or harstily ; and in that feeling,
aided by the consciousness that he bad acted to the
best of his judgment, he should stand acquitted in
his own' mind of any intentional error.
Mr. Kassum begged to ask, why the Laws in
existence were not put iu force to punish the guilty
conspirator's, if any conspiracies really existed i
Mr. BARCLAY said, there was no man who, view.
ing the circumstances of the times, had not admitted
the necessity of *some alteration in the laws.
Mr. CALVERT said. a distinct question had been
asked, namely, why the laws, as they existed, were
not put in force i That was precisely the miestion
which he wished to hear answered. Sir S. Romilly
bad asked the same question in the House of Cons-
mons ; and, although answered by the Solicitor-
General, that the character of the Societies which
bad recently been formed was different to those to.
which the laws in existence applied, expressed himself
dissatisfied. He also remained dissatisfied, and there-
foss should oppose, at every opportunity, any new ,
laws, untille was convinced the old ones were inelff.l
dent for the protection of the public peace.
The first Resolution was then carried as amended,
at the suggestion of Mr. Kaman, with loud cheers.
The remaining Resolutions were also put, and carried
unanimously.
. Two Petitions to the Houses of Lords and Com-
mons were then proposed by Mr. HALL, and agreed to.
It was then resolved, that Earl Goosvenoit should
present the Petitiolt to the House of Lords, and Mr.
CALYRRT to the Commons.