Star.
London, England, 1819-11-19 00:00:00

COrENTRY MEETING DISPERSED

Another instance has occurred of the dispersion
a Public Meeting by force. In the Star of Saturday
last we announced, that. Public Notice having been
given that a Reform Meeting would be hold in the
market-place, Coventry, last Monday, the Magistrates
had issued a Proclamation, stating, that the spot
named in the Public Notice, being the Market-place
—a place of resort for public business, and a great
thoroughfare through the City—no Meeting of the
description alluded to in the Notice would be per.
mitted to be held there; and that if attempted to be
held, they would consider the same a breach of the
peace, and take the most efficient means to-suppress it.
Being thus led to understand that the objection of
the Magistrates was only to the place proposed for
holding the Meeting, the Requisitionists issued a
new notice, that the Meeting would be held, not in
the Market-place or in the Town, as at first intended,
but at Friar's•green, a spot about half a mile from
Coventry. Against this new place of Meeting, or
the Meeting itself, the Magistrates issued no prohibi-
tion, and the Meeting took place accordingly ; when,
as stated yesterday, in a motion made in the Court of
King's Bench, relative to this business, Mr. GOODALL,
High Constable of the City of Coventry, followed by
a body of 600 Constables, armed with cudgels, rush-
ed into the assembly, beating all who came in their,
way, wounding many, and by these violent means
dispersed the assembly.
We are not yet in possession of all the details, but
we subjoin such as have reached us. The subjoined
extract from The Coventry Mercury, embraces only
preliminary matter—that Paper being put to press
at an earlier hour than the time of meeting. The
extract from The Birmingham Chronicle is so com-
pletely contradicted by the statement of Mr. CHITTY,
in the Court of King's Bench, which we also subjoin,
that we consider it as altogether a mistatement of
the facts : impartiality, however, demands that we
I should not withhold it from our Readers.

If the facts be as stated by Mr. Ctimr, we can-
not but consider the Magistrates as having at least
acted without due consideration. In fact, if there]
was any tiling illegal in the People] meeting at',
Friar's-green, and if the affidavits on which Mr.
Currrr made his motion be correct, the Magistrates
were themselves instrumental in causing the Meeting
to be held there, by stating in their Proclamation
their objection, not to the object, but to the place, of
the Meeting ; and when a new spot 'was fixed on, not
even expressing the slightest disapprobation.
On the present occasion, the parties aggrieved haVe

taken the tight course to bring the question fairly to
issue, by applying to the Court of King's Bench; and
ilia ltule granted b; tl,c Court to SiWV. Lause why a
Criminal Information should not be filed against the
lligh Constable and 01-hers named in the affinvits,
will put the matter in a regular train for legal inves-
tigation.

CON-ENTRY, NOVEMBER 15.
(from The Civostry 3fercury.)

It is with reluctance we inform our Readers, that
a Meeting is intended to be held this morning, on
Greyfriars-green, for the purpose of passing a vote of
censure on the Manchester Magistrates. It was ori-
ginally announced to be held in Cross Cheaping, but
the Magistrates declared their determination not to
allow any assembly to be held on that spot. We un-
derstand the Meeting will not be confined entirely to
the residents in the city, who may be inclined to mis-
spend their time, but that we are to be favoured with
the attendance of numerous bodies from the neigh-!
bouring villages. Upwards of 500 of the principal in-
habitants have been sworn as Special Constables ; and
we are happy to add, that every other precaution
has been taken by the Magistrates to ensure the peace
and safety of the City. Mr. ELLICF. (one of our Re-
presentatives) having been requested to preside on
the present occasion, declined the honour, asserting
that he had particular business which would detain
him in town. Some remarks having, however, been
made on his conduct, this Gentleman transmitted a
letter to the Secretary, in explanation, of which the
following is a copy :

" Wrrt, Nov. 15, 1819.

" Sin—As I feel persuaded you would not willingly misrepre-
sent any communications which it was my duty to address to
you, as the organ th:ough which a considerable body of my
Constituents have thought proper to correspond with me, on the
subject of their intended Meeting on the occurrences at Man-
ebester, I take the liberty of requesting you will correct an error,
which I have no doubt you have involuntarily fallen into, in
some observations on the correspondence which has passed be-
tween us, in The Coventry Recorder, of the 12th instant"—
[Here Mr. Ewer enters into an explanation of sonic private
particulars, of no interest to the Public, and then proceeds]—
` With respect to the other strictures you have been pleased tor
make on my conduct in this transaction, I have only one remark
to offer, which is, that I think it would have been but fair to
have mentioned, that between the dates of my answers to the
two Requisitions, Parliament had been summoned, which might
possibly, in the opinions of most of my Constituents, have re-
conciled the reasons assigned, at the different periods, for my
absence, and induced them to grant me the indulgence of their
excuse, which I solici:ed.
. .