Star.
London, England, 1821-05-16 00:00:00

THE MANCHESTER MEETING.

Mr. BENNETT rose to present Petitions from two
or three individuals, sufferers on the eventful 16th of
August, from the unheard of excesses committed by
the Military in the dispersion of a Meeting held at
Manchester on that day. The first was the Petition
of Lees, of Oldham, who stated, that on the day
in question, his brother, John Lees, had been tram•
pled upon by the Yeomanry ; that he was sabred by
them, and that in some days after he died of his
wounds ; that an Inquest had been held on the body,
but some informality occurring on the part of the
Coroner, the Court of King's Bench annulled the
whole proceedings, and declared them irregular from
the beginning. The Petitioner complained, that al-
though his brother had been thus inhumanly but-
chered, he did not know whom he ought to prosecute.
He sought the protection of the House, and entreated
that, for the sake of justice, the persons concerned in
this affair might be brought to punishment.
The next was from John Green, of Hollingwood,
near Oklham, who was also cut down by the Ca-
valry, and sought redress at the bands of the House.
Another from Edward Jones, of Lancaster, and
another from John Atkinson, both sufferers, and join-
ing in the prayer that justice be dealt out to the
oficnders.—All these Petitions were laid upon the
table, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. CItEEVEY said he had three or four similar
Petitions in his hand. The first was from James
Woolstanton, who stated, that he had been a sufferer
on the fats' 16th of August, having received a num-
ber of sabre wound's from the Cavalry, and being
brought to the brink of death in consequenctof them.
The Petitioner prayed the House to take his case into
its consideration. The Hon. Member said he would
refrain from making any other observation on these
Petitions, than that of adding his fervent prayer to
the House that the actors in that sanguinary affair
might be brought to condign punishment—(Hear).
The other Petitions presented by Mr. CRZEI/ZY,
were from Wm. Scoffield, and Wm. Wrightwain,
of Manchester, and James Tomlinson, of Oldham.—
Laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.
A petition from Mary Stillingfleet, who had been
wounded, was also received, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. Aide: Lion WOOD presented other Petitions
to the sat= effect, namely, those of Mary Black, cut
down by a Yeoman; Margaret Goodwin, and John
Shields, of Manchester; James Herewith; William
Hebbert, of Hollingswood, Oldham ; and Daniel Mel-
lor, of the same place. The complaint and prayer
were nearly alike in all.—They were laid on the table,
and ordered to be printed.
Mr. HOBHOUSE was sorry to say he too had a
number of Petitions in his hand of the same melon•
choly nature as those already presented to the House.
They all complained of dreadful violence exercised
towards their persons, in a way unknown to, and ihot
sanctioned by the law, and prayed the House to vin-
dicate the justice of the country, by bringing the
guilty to punishment. The Honourable Member then
presented the following Petitions, with a short his-
tory of the sufferings of each Petitioner:
Thomas Kelly, of Manchester, trampled upon and
cut down by the Cavalry, on the 16th of August;
I several sabre wounds; was confined eleven weeks is
ithe New Bailey, and then liberated, without the sha-
dow of a charge being brought against him.
William •Thompson, also wounded, stated, that he
was present at the Meeting, and did not see an at-
, tack made upon the Cavalry.
NVilliain Barnes, of Edmonstone, in Lancashire,
sabred and cut down; not during the Meeting, but so

late as nine at night, when the Cavalry were wanton-
lug in blood about the streets; witness escaped with
his life only by taking shelter In a shop.
John Lees, of Royston; present at the Meeting,
and saw no attack en the Cavalry.
T. Ashton, wounded with a sabre at the Meeting:
Elizabeth Neil,"of Manchester, cut down, had all
her ribs on one side broken, and was confined to her
bed for five weeks.

Joseph Coates, of Oldham, wounded on the head
by the Special Constables; confined to bed 24 days.
David Dawson, of Yoticshire, father of Edward
DaWson, who, after lingering fifteen days, died of
his wounds.—This Petitioner had been told, that in
England there was no wrong without a remedy, but
his son's death was still unpunished. He prayed the
House to do its duty by him.

Lord MILTON said he had presented a Petition
from chit man before, and he believed he was very
sincere from the artless manner in which the Petition
was worded. It did not seem to be one of those
Petitiott got up on a certain occasion or to forward
any particular object, but the unsophisticated effusion
of a father's indignation and a father's grief. '

Mr. HOBHOUSE said the Petition before him
shewed that it was not drawn up with much art.. It
was either written by the Petitioner himself, or by
somebody else (win his dictation.
William Ogden, old and infirm received two sabre
'cuts, and was badly braised by the special constables.
Petitioner was put into. imminent peril of his life;
hoped as the laws had been so openly violated, some-
thing would be done.
A female, named Margaret Horrocks, cut down
and trampled '
upon ; complained further, that the sol-
diers used the most dreadful oaths at the same time,
which shewed that they were not masters of them-
selves, bat acting under the influence of the worst
of passions.
Another female, Biddy Marks, shoulders dislocated,
and legs lacerated.
William Booth, struck five times with a sabre by
the same Yeoman.

Thomas Grimstone, both arms broken, head cut,
and confined seven weeks in the Infirmary. Is a
weaver, and was able to support a wife and three
children ; now in the Workhouse at Warrington, with
his miserable family !—(Hear).
Catherine Coleman, mother of nine children ; re-
ceived three wounds ; was thrown on the ground,
and, whei some humane individual endeavoured to
protect her, a Yeoman cut at him, and endeavoured
to reach her person.
William Steward, several sabre cuts on the head ;
offered to come to the bar of the House, and speak
to the events of the 16th of August in the most
solemn manner.

James Chisnell, was present at the Meeting; Ca-
valry not attacked.
Simon Mellor, of Royston, was present.at the Meet-
ing, and saw a woman die of her wounds. Peti-
tioner thought the attack was premeditated, other-
wise some one concerned in it would, before now,
have been brought to justice.
Mr. HOBHOUSE said the language of all these
Petitions was ariess to the last degree, and such as
merited the consideration of the House. Perhaps
the facts stated in them would give the lie to the
scandalous and foolish inventions which had been
circulated respecting the consequences of the fatal
Meeting of the 16th of August, at Manchester—
( Hear ).—He would not anticipate the debate by
saying more at present.
The Petitions were all laid on the table, and or-
dered to be printed.
Mr. JAMES presented a Petition from Nathan
Broadhurst, who had been a sufferer on the 16th of
August, and who was now a prisoner in the Castle
of Lancaster.

Mr. HARBORD presented a similar Petition from
William Beckwith. He then proceeded to detail the
circumstances which had occurred at Manchester on
the day in question, and contended that' a political
soldiery, and not the regular troops, were employed
to disperse the multitude—(Hear, hear). The chief
actor in this scene of blood was a Clergyman, a cha-
racter whose duty it was to promote peace and good-
will among his fellow-creatures. He should not pro-
nounce any opinion upon the conduct of that
dual ; his merits would be duly estimated before an-
other tribunal—a tribunal before which he must ren-
der a strict account of his actions. It appeared, how-
ever, that his services were viewed in a high quarter
as most meritorious, for he had been promoted to a
living of £2,000 a-year in consequence of the politi-
cal zeal he had evinced. The Honourable Member
then referred to the Oldham Inquest, and maintained
that the facts connected with it ought to be strictly
investigated. It appeared that the Courts of Law
afforded no adequate redress to the complaing par-
ties, and he should, therefore, support the prayer of
the Petition for evidence being received at the Bar of
the House. The impression as to the transactions
was strong upon his mind, and co-existent with that
impression, was the apprehension and horror he felt
of men acting as the Manchester Magistrates had
done, without having considered the consequences. -
Mr. Serjeant ONSLOW vindicated the conduct of
the Yeomanry, and denied that they were a political
soldiery as had been represented. He next adverted
to the conduct of the Rev. Mr. Hay, the Manchester
Magistrate, and said that his late promotion had risen
from the good opinion entertained of him by a di.-
tinguishea Prelate who had given him the living, and
not from any considerations of a political nature.
Lord MILTON was ready to admit that the Yeo-
manry in general ought not to be designated as a
political soldiery, but in the neighbourhood of Man-
chester there was too much reason to believe that
they were actuated in a very great degree by politi-
I cal feeling. He wished to know if the living to which
Mr. Hay had been appointed had not been given to
him with the understanding that the Prelate in ques-
.

tion was to have the presentation of a living which
was at dip disposal of Government ?—(ileer.)
Mr. BATHURST—Certainly not ; no such' thing.
Mr. HARBOR') said that the explanation given
by his Noble Friend as-to Yeomanry Cavalry in ge-
neral was precisely that which he intended to have
given himself. As to Mr. Hay, he declared on his
honour, that everything he had said respecting him.
had been substantiated by the information he had re-
ceived from a friend of ,that Reverend Gentleman—
(Hear, kear).--The Petition teas then laid son the
tables and ordered to be printed.
Mr. F. PALMER presented a Petition of a similar
description from a person named David Ellis.—Laid
on the table, and oidered to be printed.
Mr. COKE (of Norfolk) presented a Petition to the
same effect, from an individual named Birch, who
represented himself to have suffered severely on the
day in question.—Laid on the table, and ordered .to
be printed.

' Mr. S. C. WHITBREAD presented two Petitions,
complaining of similar grievances; the one from W
Getty, and the other from James Boothby. The Pe-
tition from the former individual stated all the con-
fusion that had occurred on the 16th of August' to
have been occasioned by the Cavalry.—Laid on the
table, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. LENNARD said he had also some Petitions
to present from persons who had suffered, in what
might justly be called the Manchester massacre. He
would nit anticipate the statement which was to be
made by the Honourable Member who was to bring
the question before the House ; but would now, with,.
the leave of the House, submit the 'Petitions which
had been entrusted to him. The Honourable Mem-
ber then presented Petitions from Elizabeth Gaunt;
John Grenagh, and William Bromley, stating that
the parties had been trampled upon and wounded by
the Cavalry on the day in question.—Laid on the
table, and ordered to be printed.
Sir ROBERT WILSON presented similar Petitions
from Joseph Jones, Joseph Ingle, arid Edward John-
son, who had been cut down and maimed for no
other reason than because they had attended the
Meeting. The latter had. two of his ribs broken.—
The Petitions were laid on the table, and ordered to be
printed.—The Hon. and gallant Member, in/went-
mg a Petition of the same nature from William Cheet-
ham, took occasion to comment on the conduct of
the Mayor, who exclaimed to the Petitioner,
you, 111 cut your head off!" He then moved, that-
the Petition be read, as he wished to afford to a Noble
Lord who was present an opportunity of vindicating
his character from the imputation of having,. as
Foreman of the Grand Jury, refused to sanction the
Bill of Indictment preferred by • the Petitioner. It
appeared that the complainant had received a wound
in the neck, of three inches long, and one inch deep,
and that nine inches of the rim of his hat had been
taken off by the sword of one of the Yeomanry Ca-
valry. It further appeared, that the individual had •
belonged to the 2d Lancashire Militia, the regiment
to which the Noble Lord wgs attached. The Petition
contained some severe animadversions on the feelings
evinced by the Noble Lord upon the occasion.

Lord STANLEY denied that he had acted in any
unworthy manner towards.the individual in question.
It was certainly true that he (Lord Stanley) had been
Foreman of the Grand Jury that had thrown out the
Bill of Indictment which the Petitioner had preferred ;
and it was no less true that he knew him to have be-
longed to the same regiment in which he (Lord Stan-
ley) had the honour of holding a commission ; but
then it did not follow, as a necessary consequence,
that he was to espouse his cause further than circum-
stances might warrant. Upon seeing him wounded
after the affair in question, fie expressed a regret that
any person belonging to his regiment could have ex-
posed himself to such an attack. He disclaimed the
slightest idea of treating the sufferings of the Peti-
tioner with levity or indifference.
Sir R. WILSON explained ; and the Petition was
then laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
The Hon. and gallant Member next presented Pe-
titions to the same effect frorn-Joseph Bryerly, Mar-
garet Booth, Ann Whittaker, and three sister s, aged
twenty-four, eighteen, and fourteen—namely, Eli-
zabeth, Ellen, and Isabella Ilarvey.—Laid on the
table, and ordered to be printed.
The Hon. Member presented Petitions of the same
import from Mary Fields, and Robert Taylor Wylde,
who stated himself to have been detained for twenty-
six days and nights in solitary confinement, before
he bad been brought to trial at York, for the sole
offence of being a Radical Reformer.—Laid on the
table, anti ordered to be printed.
The next Petition presented by the Honourable
and gallant Member, was from John Bryerly, who
stated that he had witnessed the acts alleged in the
other Petitions, and was prepared to depose to them
at the Bar of the House.—Laid on the table, and or-
dered to 13.: printed. _ _

The Honourable and gallant Member then said,
that the last Petition be held in his hand came from
an individual who had presided at the Manchester
Meeting; it came from Mr. Henry Hunt, against
whom the law had been strained to its utmost se-
verity; nor could the proceedings in his case be
viewed in any other light than as vindictive, cruel,
and unjust—(Hear, hearj.
Lord MILTON said, that the case of Mr. Hunt
and that of the other persons connected with the
proceedings at Manchester stood upon quite different
grounds:--((lear, hear).
Sir. RoßEta WILSON now said that he had a
Petition to present from Mr. Hunt, in reference to
the sitnaeon in which that Gentleman was iliced as
a prisoner in Ilchester Jail. The Petitioner stated,
that the Jail had ,been intentionally selected, with the
view of aggravating his punishment, as being one
of the most unhealthy and worst regulated in the
kingdom—( Hear, hear).
mi. scARLETT said, that in refutation of those
statements, iL was aullicient Jo say, that the Affida-