Star.
London, England, 1819-09-23 00:00:00

!MIER 23, 18194

anus 7,10 trtuallr absurd t the people came from the
country, and, like other countrymen, carried each his
stick. • That-therwere not armed, even to the point
of self-defenee, was quite clear. Had they been
armed, dreadful, indeed, might have been the result,
sod not hiinclreds, but thousands must hare felt the
Miseries of that day. He also observed, that the
circumstances attending the Meeting precluded every
surmise of intended aucuult, or probable disorder.—
What was its purpose ?—to express an adherence to
the principles of Reform with that effect which com-
bined numbers might give. Similar Meetings, com-
prising similar numbers, had been held in various
parts of the country ; neither tumult nor riot ap-
peared on any occasion ; the object was uniformly
the same public expression of opinion. What had the
people of Manchester—what could they have, in
view beyond this ? Meetings of 10,000 or 20,000
men do not usually keep secrets : they profess all
thei mean, and that usually with a momentary ve-
berarncja which rather exceeds than falls short of
sentiments 'ln 1792, and the following.
s, the public placards, meetings, speeches, &c.
went far beyond what was now seen. Every portion
of our established Authorities was then in nun at-
tacked. If the views of the present day were the
same with those of that day, their conduct -and ex-
pressions would also be the same. But that they
were not the same, even those who did, against all
probability, believe in the existence of designs hosile
to the Government, were reluctantly obliged to con-
fess : not a single transaction, at any one Public
Meeting, had shewn the People to be proceeding
in any such wicked or pernicious designs ; they de-
bated and resolved ; they attempted-nothing further;
indeed, they were wholly unprepared for any further
attempt. On these principles and these facts the in-
ference was clear that the interruption of the Meet-
ing of the 16th was illegal, unconstitutional, and in-
kuman—(Cheers‘.—lndeed, he could not for a mo-
ment doubt on 'the particulars of this business of
blood, which was too deeply infixed in the mind's and
memories of all who heard him, ever to be obliterated
from them—( Loud cheers).—He was not at all sur-
prised at their cheering, because no man could re-
gard the transactions of the 16th without horror :
this circumstance, however, rendered the calm, deli-
berate approbation of his Majesty's Ministers, a busi-
ness of a still deeper dye, and a more extended evil.
It shewed the principle on which this kingdom was
meant, in future, to be governed—he meant by mi-
litary violence : and, in that point of view, the mis-
chief of the approbation a thousand fold exceeded the
mischief of the fact itself. If that lamentable busi-
ness had stood alone, it might in time have passed
Away and been forgotten ; but it was now no single
insulated fact ; it was a precedent by which future
IMeeting's were to be dispersed, and liberty in future
abridged--(Cheers)."—The inference he drew from the
',conduct of his Majesty's Ministers on this occasion,
and on every other occasion connected with the
Meetings of the People, was, that they were un-
worthy of the confidence of the Prince Regent and
of the Nation—(Long and loud cheering).—He did
not'speak of their general conduct or ordinary prin-
ciples of government ; he confined himself wholly
to their treatment of that body of men denominated
the Reformers. It was assertedby many, that the prin-
ciples of Reform were herd only by certain Trading
Districts, and by them merely when suffering
from the state of trade : in fact, that there was no
such piincipli; that it was a pretext, a mere mode of
exhibiting dissatisfaction at the present state of things.
If this were so, which he believed it was not, when
large bodies of men were in a state of suffering and
deprivation, when, in consequence of the pressure of
their feelings, they became dissatisfied and vehement,
what was the course of a wise and humane Govern-
Meat towards such a body of its subjects? To execute
against them all the existing laws in severity ? To
enact new laws for their punishment ? To persecute
and injure them beyond- all law ? Certainly not. It
was the duty of the Government to take the earliest
and the most vigorous measureS4or restoring the
comforts of those •suffering classes—(Hear, hear).
He did, however, most :firmly believe the principle
of Parliamentary Reform to be spread among the
people far beyond those districts—that it existed
wholly independent of the depression-of trade—that
it was daily extending, and that it was deeply rooted
in the peoples' hearts. The real state of the public
mind on the question of Reform was, perhaps, the
most important one that was ever connected with the
go
SQ vernment of this kingdom: he had long felt it to
tte •he had long taken every means in his power
e• •
‘9, ascertain how the fact actually stood : the result
Was a firm persuasion that this principle was neither
local not temporarythat no measures, that no Mi-
euters could extinguish it—and that a continuation
of that mode of opposing it which the Ministers had
Tor some years adopted, would deluge the nation in
'blood, and overturn every existing establishment— I
(Laud cheers): A whole people were not• to be perse.
cured, insulted, overawed (No, no, it cannot): a na-
tion could, neither be arrested, nor imprisoned, nor
tried, nor executed—(Cheers). Two years and a
half ago, Meetings similar to those now held took
place in several -districts ; the Habeas Corpus Act
was suspended ; several hundred persons were im•
prisoned : a momentary check of public declarations
followed ; but was the principle checked ? By no
Means; it was invigorated (for persecution always
invigorated what it attacked), anSerh7is was enabled
to break out again with a firmness and unanimity far
exhibited in 1917.
left

~~

kihi

bons!:
,:eteeedibsreakwainsgclouthtaatg.yawthinheiwaith.haa.dfimrbmenerse
teoNpidbritecri;imin tyleinfal. -
*Ad received the.tbanks of his Maiesty's Ministers,
od
sest
wittresble at Manchester fdlowe f shortly contrasted the .vote of thanks preset+ted to the Ma i-
the name of the Prince Regent. The people of En
had The Habeas Corpus Act was now most wisely left land had been charged with prejudging the Mier
rats usitouclied; the Parliament separated; and. next to
ity ?
same
act
of ive =icemen In the iltdcersese, grates of Manchester, by thus meeting together:
seatthis could nut be
them for their t.ajut ground of accusation.
d"atin patabaii; was son wise to be continued. The scenes after the vote of thanks which had been passed on
mks The worthy Alderman tbon
of
the seal and ardour of the lie-
straws, with the declaration of certain inhabit:um of
cave farmers. At the same time that theix,munbers were
since appeared an all the Public Journals, and sot-
Holy mcreaseti. as
dies conufwersted, the Go- againsthester
.their barbarity, which has iittnic
r of 4 vernatent eohustarili held erselfterth as the mark of
•
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tlUdelibrsaying, that li he asked was, that their
conduct should be submitted to inquiry, and that
they should have a fair trial by a jury of their coun-
trymen. If they were found guilty, they ought to
suffer the punishment which the law awards to crime
like theirs: but if they were innocent, their deeds
. ought to be recorded in the Temple of Fame, and they
themselves not pointed out as objects of hatred to the
great mass of their fellow. citizens—( Applause ).
The Hon. L. DUNDAS, M.P. for York, then came
forward, and was loudly cheered by the Meeting.—
After the very excellent speech of his Learned Friend,
who had brought forward these Resolutions, and also
that of the worthy Alderman who succeeded him, it
was totally unnecessary for him to say much. The
present was a question of a very novel and extraor-
dinary nature: it was this—is there a Constitution,
or is there not ?—( Cheers.) If the people had not a
right to meet, the Bill of Rights was nothing more
than a dead letter: if the right of assembling was to
be limited at the will of the Magistracy, the Bill of
Rights was nothing; for then any timid person, by
making a timid affidavit before- a timid Magistrate,
might have the-most legal Meeting immediately dis-
persed ; and. yet it was upon this very ground that
an attempt was made to • justify the Magistrates of
Manchester—(hear, hear). He maintained that the
People had a right to meet as they did, if they chose.
To have a little music to give weight to their meeting
could not be productive of any danger to the com-
munity ; nor yet could it be injurious to it that the
countrymen should walk together in ranks, or, as it
was now termed, martial array ; for what harm could
possibly result from the playing of a fife or thc beat-
ing of a drum ? He would fairly own, that if there
was•any danger from martial array, it was from the
martial array of those who were sent in to attack the
People—(Cheers). Though he fully agreed with the
general spirit of the Resolutions, he could not help
observing, that lie was rather in favour of an Address
demar.ding inquiry, than of a Declaration expressing
their opinions on the late unfortunate circumstances.
He objected to the latter plan, because he did not
wish the Meeting to imitate his Majesty's Ministers
in any thing. Ile did not wish to prejudge the
question, as they had first done themselves, and as
they had afterwards forced their Royal Master to do;
for that he too had prejudged it, was evident from
a comparison of dates. The melanchOly events took
place on the 16th, and the Prince Regent's thanks
were dated the 21st—(Hear, hear). He said thus
much to*them, his Constituents, because he was now,
and had been from his earliest youth upwards, a
friend to the libm ty of the people ; he trusted that he
should be so to the day of his death, and that, dying,
he might bequeath that sentiment to his son—( Lou-d
applause). It was said that this was a party question;
this he positively denied : it was,a question between
the lovers of the Constitution and its enemies ; and if
it ever became a party question, it would be owing
to the Government leaguing itself openly with the
Magistrates. After pledging himself to support an
inyary into, this dark business, both' in the House
and out of it, the Honourable and Worthy Member
retired from the front of the hustings amid a volley
of applause.
Colonel Comm, of Wheatley, as he could not rest
satisfied with himself, if he gave merely a silent vote
Upon so extraordinary, so novel, and so important an
occasion as the present, begged the.indulgence of the
Meeting fot a few moments, to express his sentiments
very briefly. The present discussion had arisen from
a most violent attack having been made upon the
Constitution, and, froM the liberties of the subject
having been:invaded in the most extraordinary and
alarming manner. In the preservation of those Li-
berties and that Constitution every individual was
and must be interested, without reference to any
party or any set' of men whatsoever ; and it was,
therefore, their bounden duty to call for a full in-
quiry, and to prevent such an alarming attack upon
the rights and privileges of Englishmen either from
passing unnoticed, or from being drawn into a pre-
ce‘lent—(Lord cheering). From all the intelligence
that had. hitherto reached the Public, three facts ap-
peared to be established—namely, that the Meeting
was legally convened, peaceably conducted, and vio-
lently dispersed. These three facts being established,
and doubts still ex'sting, from the suppression of cir-
cumstances which might and ought to have been
communicated to the Public by those who were par-
ties to them, and who knew accurately all that had
passed, surely it was their duty to insist upon a tho-
rough investigation of all that preceded and passed
upon that melancholy occasion, especially after his
Royal Highness the Prince Regent had been gra-
ciously pleased to inform the Lord Mayor and Cor-
poration of London, that with respect to the Meeting
of Manchester, they had not been correctly informed
_-(Loud cheering). The .-reliant Colonel then pro-
ceeded to observe, that Sir William Blackstone, who
bad never been charged with subjecting the preroga-
tive of the Crown to popular clamour, had, in his
Commentary on the Laws of England, recognized
the Statute'of.William and Mary, which declared—
“ Thai the Subject had a right to petition, and that
all ciiiprnitments and prosecutions for such petition-
ing weir illegal." Still, in saying this, he wished to
be distinctly understood: he did not by these obser-
vations endeavour to prejudge the real conduct of
the Magistrates, but tq place them only on the same
footbig on which every Englishman ought to be
placed who had .been accessory in producing such
fatal `results as they all knew had occurred at
Manchester, and to request that they might an-
swer for and explain such conduct—( Hear, hear).—
He lit'ished to GOD that others had been equally eau-
tin:x...l'in not prejudging a case so important, and in
noCholding out the approbation of the Executive
Power, before it could be known that such conduct
had deserved it-r(Loud chore.) Though he could
rotlive afore than a qualified assent to all the
Resbliitioa; yet he most cordially concurred in the
general object of the Meeting,. and heartily joined
shear in resolving to °preserve the most valuable of
all rights an Englishman can enjoy—of meeting to
consider the real state..of the country, and to suggest
th' legal means of correcting any evils, which, upon
due inquiry, may be ,discovered—(Hear.) He was
a•stoilisted.,!iy the -moderation and temperance with
whiar their propodings had been conducted; pro.
bab?s,-,. the 4i;wArsioTi of that day might give a tone
to other Cou,,try Meetings-(llear); and he trusted
*slight induce men of 'honesty, who -were.anxioas to
remedy cktutts, but to. Kamm env thins. that

WO 'valuable, to rally round and uphold the Consti•l
tution " for all of us," to quote again the words of
Sir W. Blackstone, " have it in our choice to do
every thing that a good man would desire to do, and
are restrained from nothing but what would be per-
nicious either to ourselves or our fellow-citizens; and
in so doing, we should best perform our duty- to our
country."—(Hear, hear.) The gallant-t Colonel,
who at the last Election was the unsuccessful Candi-
date for the Representation of York, then retired
amid the loud and enthusiastic shouts of the sur-
rounding raultittide.
Mr. WALKER commenced by observing, that as
there was some difference of opinion entertained by
the Honourable Member for the City of York and
the last speaker, Colonel Cooke, with respect to.the
propriety of wording the Resolutions, he would en-
deavour to prove that they were well founded, not
only on reason but truth ; and, with his Lordship's
permission, he would take that opportunity of ad-
dressing his fellow-countrymen on this mournful and
momentous occasion. The deeds of horror which
had been perpetrated at Manchester were of so dire
a hue, and of a nature so truly appalling, that they
created a degree of emotion in the feeling mind too
intense to be easily tolerated—( Hear, hear.) In all
ages, and in all times, there have been, and still are,
men whose principles are subservient to their self-
interest ; but above all such ignorant and corrupt
minions of a proud and haughty faction, the Man-
chester Magistrates stood proudly pre-eminent—
( Hear.) The page of history that records their ex-'
ploits is written with the blood of their countrymen,
and will ever stand a lasting and blushing monument
of an unconstitutional and tyrannical encroachment
on the privileges. of Englishmen—(Loud cheers of
considerable duratten.) Well did an enlightened Pa-
triot observe, when speaking of the atrocities which
these weak, imbecile, and despotic wretches had per-
petrated, that the plan on which they had acted was
a plan which none but fiends could have devised, and
none but devils have executed—(Cheers.) They did,
indeed, wear the form of man, but it was quite evi-
dent that

" Some devil had thrust sweet Nature's hand aside, .
" 'Ere she had pour'd her balm within their breasts,
" To warm their gross and earthy mould of flesh
" With pity !" •
They wore also the garb of soldiers, but to dignify
them with that appellation would be a libel ou the
character ; and therefore to point them out to the
scorn of future ages, they should henceforward be
dignified with an epithet synonimous to that of coward;
they should be called Yeomanry Cavalry-men, and
should be celebrated for having the courage of
lifting their armed hand against the helpless loveli-
ness of woman, and the unoffending innocence of
harmless childhood---.l('heers.) He then proceeded
to take a view of the conduct of the Magistrates of
Manchester, whom he denominated the instigators
and authors of all those scenes of blood and horror.
In doing this, he desired to be properly understood :
there was not an individual in the land that enter-
tained a more sincere and ardent attachment to the
Laws and Constitution of his country than he did, or
that more respected the high and dignified office of
a Magistrate. How, indeed, could he possibly en-
tertain an opinion to the contrary, when be reflected
ou the conduct of the worthy-Gentlemen who com-
pose the Bench of Magistrates in his native City ?
Their conduct was always regulated by the princi-
ples of justice; and their hearts were always guided
by the dictates of humanity—(Loud cheers.) Yet,
when he found a Magistrate acting in direct contra-
diction to the laws, he looked upon him as one of the
worst enemies to the Constitution. Looking upon the
conduct of the Manchestet Magistrates in, this light,
he could not help denouncing it as flagitious and un-
constitutional; flagitious, owing to the bloody scenes to
which it gave rise ; and unconstitutional, as it prevent-
ed the people from exercising the right of petition.
He proceeded to comment on this subject for a con-
siderable time, and concluded his remarks on it by
saying, that, in the face of law, reason, justice, and
humanity, these contemptible puppets of despotism
had declared the Meeting illegal, and with the most
fiend-like malignity let loose their band ofhomicides to
wallow in the blood of their countrymen. He then
called the attention of the Meeting to another class
of offenders, of a far more dangerous description than
either the valiant calico heroes or the sapient Bench
of wiseacres or wizards at Manchester; for the abuse
of power in the one, he said, was local— in the other
the evil was universal. It was hardly necessary for
him to say that he meant his Majesty's Ministers--
those who were called the advisers and counsellors
of the Prince Regent. He argued for some time that
it was absalutely necessary for the People to petition
his Royal Highness to dismiss them from his Coun-
cils, if they wished to protect those rights arid those
liberties which their fathers had bequeathed to them
(Cheers); and concluded by declaring his cordial con-
currence with the Resolutions which had been sub-
mitted to them.

Mr. LlAnoriovz, (the Editor of The York Thra
being then loudly called for by the multitude, came
forward to address them. He said, that though he
had already declared to the Public his abhorrence
of the proceedings of the Magistrates and Yeomanry
Cavalry, he was again ready to declare to them his
detestation of the hypocrisy of the Magistrates prior
to the Meeting, and of their horrid violation of both
law and justice at that time. He was again ready to
declare to them the abhorrence with which he viewed
the cowardice of the Yeomanry in attacking the de-
fenceless female and the helpless infant, and the sa-
vage barbarity which they afterwards exhibited, in
the cold-blooded murders which they perpetrated.
For the country, therefore, to be silent after such
atrocities, would be highly criminal, and would con-
stitute a direct sanction. He also concluded his
speech by expressing his agreement to the Resolu-
tions proposed.
Mr. FLOWER, Mr. GILL, and Mr. WALL; after.,
wards followed on the same side; but as there was
nothing either new or pointed in the arguments which
they advanced, we have declined inserting them in
our columns. •
The LORD MAYOR put the Resolutions above Stated
to the Meeting, and -declared them carried without a
dissentient voice. • _
Another Resolution was then moved, seconded,
and carried, that it is the desire of this NiesOng tllaE
the Corordittee alreltay appointed `do adcifit• Rid

measures as are requisite to carry the preceding Re-
solutions into effect.
It was then moved by'Mr. Nicoll., and seconded
by the Hon. L. DUNDAS, " That the Thafiks of the
Meeting be given to the Right Honourable the Lord
Mayor, for his ready attention to the rights of the
People, by calling this Meeting, and for his most in-
dependent and exemplary opinion in the Chair."
-After it had been carried, the Loan MAYOR re-
, turned thanks in a short speech.
The multitude then dispersed without the least tu-
mult, and thus fully justified the confidence which
the LORD MAYOR had placed in them.

FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE PUBLIC
MEETING at LEEDS, on MONDAY LAST.

IN CONTINUATION FROM TUE STAR or YESTERDAY.

Mr. CHAPMAN returned thanks for the honour they
had done him in calling him to the Chair. As there
bad been some expressions among them respecting
Mr. Willan, he could have wished that that Gentle-
man had been called to preside rather than himself;
bit since they had placed him there, he would do all
in his power to discharge his duty properly. •
Mr. MASON then proceeded to address the Meeting
on the business of the day. He said he was to have
the honour of proposing a series of Resolutions for
their consideration ; but he hoped they would first
allow him to offer a .few remarks. The last time he
had the honour of addressing them from that place,
he attempted to compare our excellent
,Constitution
to a field of wheat, among which an enemy had sown
tares. Too many of these weeds had grown up in
the neighbouring county, and had destroyed the
wheat. But, to continue the metaphor, it would not
be prudent to root them up, lest the wheat should be
injured ; but let them continue to grow till the har-
vest, and, " when the lord of Lb.:harvest should come,
he would gather together the tales, and cast them
into the fire. Then should every man sit under his
own vine, and under his own fig-tree, without fear !"
But the picture was too flattering to b:: indulged ; for,
how should they destroy the hydra of corruption ?i
Not by the sword, for she had legions at command !'
But let reason and moderation be their weapons, and
then she would be foiled ; for there her myrmidons
were unskilled, and against such weapons she had no
armour. If she shoCild present her golden cup, he
would say to each of them, " touch not, taste not,
handle not," but deal with her as you are directed to
do with the moral tempter—" resist her, and she will
flee from you." He then proceeded to argue, that,
as the Prince and the People had one common interest,
whatever injured the one, must also injure the other.
Englishmen, said Mr. 4ason, in reality, have but
one interest ; they are closely compacted together,
like the members of the human body, and the hand
cannot say to the foot, " I have no peed of thee"—
nor the foot to the hand, " I have no' teed of thee!"
To the opulent part of the community permit me to
say, why should you be afraid to entrust the people
with their native and constituted rights? Think you
that a majority of the people have not the penetra-
tion to perceive that your interest would be their in.
terest ? Thousands, yea tens of thousands of tho -
whom you would thus degrade, though conscious
that you cannot dispense with their services, are at
the same time aware that your opulence and influence
are equally necessary to their well-being. If any part
of the community should be deprived of the right
of suffrage, surely it ought not to be the poor ?
Ought not a porter to be consulted with respect to
the load he has to carry ? And the poor man is the
porter of the State—he is compelled to carry his load.
The landlord can, by advancing the price of his
rents, remove his share on to the back of the far-
mer. Then come the Corn Laws to enable the far-
mer to raise the price of his produce, and of course
his load is thrown on the back of the poor man. And
what must he do? Advance the price of his labour?
No—if he attempts it, he does so at his peril. The
Combination Laws compel him to carry every atom.
Such is the burdened state of this useful, if not the
most useful part of the community--for who laboues
in your fields, exposed to the chilly winds, and still
more chilly rains and freezing snows, to prepare
them for the needful seed ? The poor. Who bends
beneath the summer's sun, to gather in the rich pro-
duce of the earth, to supply your tables with food?
The poor. Who erects your stately mansions ? Who
braves the stormy ocean, to fetch from foreign climes
your luxuries of•life ? The poor. Who, fearless, meets
the daring foe, fills up the bloody gap, and shields
you from the life-devouring steel? The poor. For
Gon's sake, then (for He is the friend of the poor) for
justice sake, for the sake of humanity, for your own
sakes, oppress not the poor—deprive them not of their
native rights—deal kindly with them, and you will
be surrounded with a phalanx of friends, and served,
if you need it, with fidelity and affection. Come, then,
and guide us with your council—assist us with your
influence. You know that we are oppressed—help
us to regain our liberties, and we will not be un-
grateful, for it is not in the nature of a Briton to be
insensible to kindness; the oppressor only is his foe.
Whenever we meet beneath the shelter of our favou-
rite Tree, to chaunt our Evening Hymn to Freedom,
you shall not be forgotten—.
Or la the Chants or Response shall be
Your Names, se Meads to *high Lilserty!
Mr. MASON concluded with proposing a series of
Resolutions, but before they were read,
Mrs. BLACKBURN', as President of the Female Re-
formers of Leeds, addressed the Chairman in a neat
impressive speech, expressive of the resolution of her-
self and her colleagues to persevere in endeavouring
to obtain that Reform in Parliament which was so
obviously desirable for the good of the country. She
put into the hinds of the Chairman an Address; of
which the following is a copy:
„TB; ADDRESS OR TUE PENAL; REFORMER/ OP
LEEDS TO THEIR. TOWNS-WOMEN. • v-
s, Sistaas..—Ake dine like the present, when the choice
of a Elie majority of the People seems to lie Dement the most
abject slavery and that et a Aprons and resaute resistance of
oppression, 'we have Mt it to be oar duty to'unita hand and
Mart, .for the purpose et assisting out husbands, fathers, bro-
thers, and sons, to regain their long-last rights.
..." Inured to habits of industry from our infancy, we hays no
Wish to tear from oar labour; but, alas ! *Ur husbands cannot
*tnd employment—or, being employed,, the wages they receive
acutely Wildest te' peocute food to protons a miserable
naistance. Our dwellings ease atomised smnedeeest furniture,
the Pride and gierl'of ow happier daps; halt trgont to satisfy

the demands df the tat-gatherer of the landlord, ar„l
taus instances our very beds from under us! oict''' ves
take our families to some place of worship on the s,byA,l"ldi
bat now we are on that day confined to our ozetchez,
hiving no clothes in which we can appear with decft. children !--!—!!- But here the heart begins to bleed, „
you who have never felt the agonizing wounds 'dived-1711
piercing cries of your tender infants for bread oher7e!
noon to give them, can have no adequate conception ofZil
ferinp : they baffle description, and set resignation,4l644-1
1, Are we and our children, then, to be starved of
,„
tepee? Are we, our husbands, fathers, brothers, am
be thrown into prison, trampled upon, sabred, and shot, b,lll
we legally and peaceably demand our right to live? ,0,7,
be thus treated when we have committed no crime/
upon you to unite with us—to cheer, to animate, to
and to ccmfort our brave oppressed countrentenani
their arduous straggle for emancipation from thiamin,'
Egyptian bondage ; and will you turn a deaf ear to oat 4:11.
Those -of you whose daily board has been teguiadr,,
with plenty—whose means have at all times been, n0t4,7,
grate to satisfy your wants, but to gratify your desua•
may perhaps turn a deaf ear to our call; but you
tasted of the bitter cup of which we have been rude to lei
too deeply, will not hesitate; you will instaatly come fiend
enrol your names amongst us, and subscribe ;ler mutt:
" Let no one say ehe can be of no service ; every cue 44
can be of service. And let no one run away with the ids
we wish to supply our own wants out of our ceighbeeer:
party. We wish every one to enjoy his own. the .14
wish to be treated like men ; they wish to be enerei tato,
their labour, but they will not remain the passise 5:t0,41
most detestable of Tyrants. Well might another
ind say, • I and my people are odd, and the a.l7erstneu,:k
enemies are these wicked' 13crough-mongens.
• " Who knows but another Esther may arise? Comfrom
then, and join with us."
This Address was very well received, andloll
applauded.
. •
• Mr. WILLAN (of Dewsbury), after seconding Ih.
Mason's Motion, observed upon the unanimositi
ardent wish of the country for the attainment eft,
form, and expressing his conviction that that Item%
would be obtained through the exercise of fair cp
ment illustrative of the merits of the case, ma*
to read the following Resolutions:
" Ist. That the right of the People to meet and comjese
best means of redressing their gri2vanses, and anselioradrok
condition, provided they do it openly and ptaceably, Is eat elf
a natural right, but a right authorised, ar.l acknowledgeare
Constitution and Laws of our country.
" ed. That the town and vicinity of Leeds, the seat anima
of the most useful and staple manufacture of our coins e
woollen cloth manufacture, is suffering ender great Wales
ing anctionc—that its well-regulated Halls and Marts deal
are nearly deserted, the trifling business now carried on,
'confined to the hands and management of opulent
that race of men, the farmer and cloth-maker, always them
port, credit, and safeguard of our trade, and the pronstitei
the labourer and the poor, are now literally swep: mod
destroyed, great numbers of them having fled from our ink
others fallen a prey to the larart.rending effects of croweedjak
while those that from their connections and the tin of hi
friends and, homes have remained, and survived the ills dist
vency, 'have sunk into penury and wretchedness—that cheek
dies of dhe labouring community, the opetraive elotimooke
and dressers, heretofore so independent and comfortable, tie
own an families circutrananees are now dependent seam
partial and precarious employment, while thousands of throat
others'of our fellow-creatures, are fleeing to an tyrerburthed
parish for relief, and wandering from place to place in sorde
subsistence, starving on the way, leaving their families and*
parents in their naked and impoterished homes, dying fur use.

a 3d. That these calamities. great as they are, appestsa
not to exceed the calamities the nation at Ltrge is gentrallysl
fcring under, and do not any more arise from a transinantsa
war to peace;' than want among the labouring people is theo•
suit of the plenty they produce.

" 4th. That to say the ills we are enduring are the efftmd
the Poor Laws, and of a superabundance of workmen, is, o
first place, to oppose, in the most cruel and impious maim,
the commlndmenta of a Same a, which enjoin us all to' isl
the hungry, and clothe the naked ; and, in the second, eh'
least productive and most mischievous ar.d indolent, are rag
in luxury and voluptuousness, to deny the labourer the fejt
meat of those fruits with which a bountifi.l Fulminate*
blesses his efforts.

" Sth. That the present cruel and altogether rITISOCiII 521t11
things, is the result of a partial, unjust, and iniquitous 'wield
Representation—a system that. under the guest and pre Bead
guarding property, has, b 1 levying imposts upon almost car
necessary of life. and upon most materials of maenfac:cie of
commerce, by passing Corn and Combination Laws, and kw
to screen monopoly in machinery, drawn nearly the rads(
the wealth of our country from the best and most useful of ark
the labourers and middle tradesmen, into the hands of there.
did and callous race of beings, the dealers in Borough and Cclrl
hiihrence, who are signalized only as the fomenters of the en
bloody and cruel wars that ever disgraced the page of Woe!,
and as dealers in the most infamous traffic—human Wood!
" 6th. That the House of Commons, as at present mod
tuted, is a perfect mockery of what it ought to be, dual.*
Guardian of the Labour, Property, Liberties, and Loss tide
People; that the Assembly, composing what is called the ;welt
House of Commons, by loading the Nation with three mak/
of new Taxes, when the old ones could not be collected, ote
In nominal amount, and by their unction of the most ?rag*
grants, when hundreds of thousands of the people are as
for want of bread, have outraged every Principle of sound?'
!icy, and forfeited all claim to the Peoples confidence.
" 7th. 'That a Reform in the Constitution of the Comma
House, is not a question of mere speculation, but of aksokse
necessity, the present corrupt system, having nearly prodaceil
disruption of Society, and that so long as the House of Car-
toons remains in the hands of as imbecile and wicked
and are the mere agents and dependants of a Borough anti Ln"
tocratical Faction lod Interest; or is any thing many to a
fair and RIO Representation of the People, so long will the lue'
pie, in a greater or less degree, be wretched and subject
. tole
the prey of designing and factious men—so long will Trade ism
Commerce languish, property be in danger, and the Poor Itr''
ing ; therefore, in order to put an end to these great and natr!'
evils, we deem it indispensably necessary, that the presort =l'
teen of Electing Members to Parliament, should be sholidA
and tke Elective Franchise be extended to all persons, whoa'
caged upon to contribute, either by taxes or servitudeos dr
support and protection of the State--and for the better
serving the source of Law and Power pure, that EICCUOCS
taken by the Ballot Annually—to this end we do fully sPF!"
of and agree to Major Cartwright's Bill of Rights and Libeerol
and hereby determine to support it.
" 8. That it is the Right of the Subject to Petition' he Erb
and either, or'both Houses of Parliament, and all iuter4vs9l,
to such petitioning, are illegal; and, therefore, the cond.:. et_
Lord Sidatouth, in intercepting the Petitions of the IWO!
their Prince, is altogether illegal, and can only be done forr7
purpose of bringing odium upon the Prince; breaking every let
.
by which the Prince and the People are bound to each of
and thus rendering him subservient to the base and wicked &of!
of a venal Boroughmongering Faction, who appear deterw.
on the promotion of their own self-interests ; and that of&
roue train of courtly, fawning, sycophants, and dissolute defer
dents, at the Apense of a starving and oppressed People,.4l3l:_e
establish e-htilitory Despotism,upon the Ruins of the. Constiant3•
" 9th. Thht as by virtue of the Royal Prerogatives ‘Pr!7l;
!Woe which have been acceded to for the protection of the NI,.
14settlei of, the Subject), the King of England Ca,
mere will and pleasure, chuse, or change, his MitiistetesPrwlL
aillasedve, or convoke, the House of Commons; and as fro
tory we find, the Kings of England have, on manyDY
=tended the Elective Franchise to various of their rut"7_
:Subjects, and as his present Mejesty possesses the klwpo",T
we cannot but. _see in die instance of the dbfrankhiong
of Henry VI: which gate each an injurious tuna to our na.?.!7_
ExpeneUture, and the Nets for Triennial and Septennial T;
ments, an inveterate hostility in the How of t°l"l.e.le,
People!' Right of Sultrase; we, therefore, deem it A ja,
that spirited Addresses, couched in respectful terms,
..10.f.:4
warded to the Prince Regent, informing hint of the 4!:,—ts
irritated, and dangerous state of our Country, and fl_anier,ro
Royal Highness to discard the'aten who have etroo's
libel the most loyal, and thank the' most dhloYu!,°f'
;is coono"
Subjects; to make use of the Royal Prerogative's._ ija,„bk
Willa the l'eeplc, against Unit (01411913 gamy, tog

H'
„~v t
! ~~
y
l I
Z '

..hr which Oligiichl is equal in its efforts to disgrace the'
,
d render oblioxious our Prince, as it is indefatigable
Kne, 3n
its exertion. to opprdess and enslave the 'People.
fi. That the charge our Prince has been advised to make
late proclamation, against the Reformers, is with-nit any,
cliegion in truth, and Must have been given for the vile pur
,f gaming the minds of the Reformers against their lawful
igri, in order to afford the Borough-mongers another up.
of deeriving many of liberty, and probably of life h-
.:. ,chile We, the Reformers, have invariably proved our-
the most loyal of his Maiesty's Subjects, inasmuch as we
posed to corruption, alike the enemy of Prince and Peo-
for, as the strength and glory of our Prince proceeds from
trangth of his People, and as the People are strew, in pro-
yn as they are free, every effort, therefore, we make to pre-
aer Freedom, is at the same time an effort to increase the
,„;:h of our Prince ; aevey successful effor we make to
Fanlost additional
Icany
: :a support the 'lntone of our Monarch.
Mat, considering how the great and the opulent have
tr:,, opposed, or sneakingly secluded themselves from the
volous and meetings of the People—anxious only to display
t'aicalte in venal and fulsome Addresses—we conceive that
people are wider obligations to any who now stand forward
gland advocate their cause.
That for the more effectually promoting the cause of
:11 Reform, and guarding our Fellow-Countrymen front
e,;.llinations of Spies and Police Incendiaries, and that the
dins of the Public may no longer be said to be the act
iron individuals, we deem it advisable that persons should
ktally and openly chosen in each district throughout the
,w, and appointed guardians over their respective friends
:lectors, to act as mediatorabetween the King and the Peo-
ci forwarding Petitions, Remonstrances, &c. to their re-
destinati ins ; and to promote the Peoples' cause and in-
• is all ways to the utmost of their power, that we may the
be freed from those despicable men, who now threaten
esolationiu our country; and that particular regard be had
choice of men of probity, wisdom, and firmness
• :VI. That this Meeting views with indignation and abhor-
-the outrage and murders cominiued at Manchester on the
August last, and declare that they will never rest satisfied,
is ?erpetratoraof such wanton- and horrid acts of cruelty

re.b:;:ohl to justice.
tub. Mat the conduct of Henry Hunt, Esq. throughout
ofic life, and mute especially previous and subsequent to
swung of the Path August, 1819, at Manchester, is such
es the praise and thanks•of all true friends to rational
and demands that our sincerest pledges of support be
• aim, both in person and in puree, to enable him to seek
obtain jto :ice for the injuries he and our friends had inflicted
then on that day.
a lA. That out Catholic Brethren of the United Kingdom
!vested strenuously to unite with • us, for the p of
' ca•iperation 43 the great and glorious work of
• from all our mutual grievances. chi" and rniillinns-
; wit. That a Subscription be entered into nowt for the Pur-
of !,eivg sent to the General Fund, which is collecting to
• :bole wretches who perpetrated such horrid deeds at Man-

to justice."
T:..e Resolutionsl?eiag read, Mr. WILLAN said, be-
, they are put to the vote, I beg leave to address a
words to you. I never had an opportunity of
rc:ing before such a mass of Englishmen, panting
:c liSerty ; but I trust the flame burns bright in all
hearts. Much has been written, and much has
teas, on the Constitution. It has been said it
WIZ of King, Lords, and Commons. Ido not
roan to contradict it; but, from the present asser-

ion of the enemies of Parliamentary Reform, it *p-
eas it does not. They tell us if we, the Commons
this nation, were represented, the band would be
hosed, and the country destroyed. Were we, by
turcising our natural rights, to dissolve the civil
Compact, it cannot be a compact of King, Lords;
.d Commons; and, if tt is & compact of King,
Ids, and Commons, 'Commons include all but
Rat are on the parish. A man of 10s. a week is a
ommoner. But they want to establish a fourth,
to call it King, Lords,Commens, and the lower
,der—(Applaute);—ar; if Tou like, in the classical
I gue ct Burke—the swinish multitude! But we
of the Commons ; it is our station, and we claim
•r natural rights. Remember, the story of the
etonsket used to be..applied to a haughty Nobi-
lity. Those who would 10 it over us say, we are a
taperiur class; they are bat the common. people.
Iley say they ought to goVern us ; we say we ought
lo govern ourselves. The'''. lay, the sacred right of
Reny would be destroyed; we. say, the sacred
rill of property is destroyed ; and they who pretend
lobe the'Commons ef England are amongst those
who have destroyed it. But a revolution has taken
puceinpublic opinion, and common sense seems to
ler sway with men who have been led by the nose,
1y what they call loyalty. • I look at the conduct of
the people ar Oldham. They have laid aside their
ms !;earing. Well may our oppressors say, we are
ift for nothing, btu for them to wipe their feet on ;
bat when we prove to them that common sense is
an guide—when we deny all violence, and endea-
VDU: to do as we would be done unto, then shall we
re., in the moral scale, and, if we act as men, who
rethey that dare use us as brutes? The poor have
'Pressed themselves--thousandi and tens of thou-
sands have licked the dust, and bedewed the plain
sith their blood, to raise a hero to fame--(Criss
Ike will do so no more).--1 am glad to hear it,
and remember, when poor people's children cease to
go for soldiers, heroism will be at an end; we have
sere and felt the evil effects of our folly, we are on
the stool of repentance, and I trust it will be sincerp,
or 4 that we shall do so no more.
Tee CHAlRNlAN—Gentlemen, you have beard the
llesolutions, and it remains with you whether they
oto pass or not ?—(Three Cheers).
The Resolutions were agreed to unanimously..
%Joan' BLACKBURN.—In times like the presents
'then Ministerial, and Magisterial, and Military dee-
Xlisen are displaying all their terriZalappearances,
d have already drawn their dreadful sword, and
ii_eatlled it in a part of our fellow-countrymen, it
Incses every Briton, in whose veins remain the least
'IOI blond, or in whose breast is the least spark
nglish freedom, to come forward boldly, and
clrgeously a,lvocate the cause of Freedom and
L "l; ;Isis being the case, I need snake no apo-
Ty for hamducing myself to your notice. The
it) il'inary 5k...,J which has caused us to come toge-
talt44i), is oi.c tiiat disgraces the history of Britain;
11Ind a parallel, we must go hack into ages of barbs-
is twu one left upon record, except that of the
:9Pd-thirsty Herod, who caused all the children of
'4lehem, 5 (Ail two years old and under, to be wur-
°7d- I are we to be delivered from such arbitrary
4,cr ici P"wers?.. By a full and fair Representation
for had we been 'represented, this san-
s “rl 41,f
;,ld never:have been committed in this
Ile need only take notice, that Yorkshire,
11:„, R utland, the smallest county, send
me numla?p of Members to Parliament ; while
the tivoniite seat of an Oligarchy, sends
Parliarnsint as Yorkshire, Rutland, and
to,-,,..ther. Old Sarum sends too Members
~" "mem, and other insiguificant Boroughs send
',twister. Oldborough, in Yorkshire, sends
.1."111%c to Parliament, and Ripon, a small

market torn, sends two. I should hare said, Gen-
Itlemen,Miss Lawrence sends them, that the people of Ripon do not send them ; and, therefore, we may at-
tribute to this cause the introduction of the Corn
Laws, for one of the Members for that Borough, I
'believe, introduced that measure. You will agree
that these things should not be ; it is the right of
levery Englishman to be fully and fairly Represented;
then
I hope you agree with me, that Parliaments
ought also to he of a shorter duration than that of the
Septennial Act, that Suffrage should be Universal,
that is to every sane person of the age of 21, the
Elective Franchise should be extended. How is this
country to be preserved from the present faction, if
the greatest part of its population is to be denied their
Elective Franchise ? Such scenes as have passed in
Manchester, must soon pass in various parts of the
kingdom, if the present system should continue. I
hope, then, that you will firmly join your voices, in
order to make known your dissent from the measure,
and join in a cool, yet firm voice, to deirtand your le-
gitimate rights. I would direct my voice to those
who profess Whiggism and moderate Reform—l
would say to those Gentlemen, if you wish Anarchy
on the one hand, or Military Despotism on the other,
to be established in this kingdom, then hold your
p'eace, join not with us in the laudable cause of Re-
form ; but if you wish the country to be preserved
from both these extremes ; if you wish the People
to be Represented, and the King to enjoy his Prero-
gative, come forward and join ns fix the laudable
cause. I would direct my voice towards the large
Manufacturers, and I would say tcsthiin, if you wish
the Manufactories to be destroyed, and the labouring
classes, and the middle Manufacturers to be driven
out of the country ; if you wish to send our commerce
and trade away, then dissent from us, Five your voice
against Reform : but if you wish our Trade and Ma-
nufactures to flourish, it you wish to keep our me-
chanics
at home, all societies to prosper, come, like
men, unite your voice with us, and in a calm and re-
solute manner demand a Reform ; such a Reform as
shall put every man in possession of his just rights.
There is another class of persons that I would desire
to address, that is the Ministers of the Gospel ; but,
mind you, I don't mean such men as read the Riot
Act upon the steps of a certain house, in a secret man-
ner, that they might have occasion for an excuse in
shedding the blood of their countrymen—(Hear.)—
No, friends, my voice is directed to those men who
wish well to their country, who regard the laws of
their peaceful master, that hate every false way, that
warn the people against every vice ; I call upon them
to join with us in the general voice, and not to
charge the people who are placed under them, from
joining or sanctioning the cause of Reform'. Do they
wish to put an end to the most diabolical and
wretched bribery and corruption that ever disgraCed
any kingdom in the world? Let them then declare
it, by sanctioning the cause of Reform. Look at our
present Elections, see their beastly drunkenness, their
wretched bribery—read the accounts of the last Par-
liament, there you see such bribery as disgraces the
basest of mankind. Look at Penrhyn, where it is said
a certain Divine was engaged to negotiate for a ma-
jority of the Electors. It is said that £6OOO was
given to 15 Electori to secure their votes. The
•Borough only contains 29. I direct my voice to all
Radical Reformers, and friends of freedom now
around me, and in all parts of the land—l say'to
them, let your eye be 'single, then your body politic
will be full of light; you •have one object, and only
one object; I advise you to have in view a Radical
Reform in the Commons. House of Parliament; all
other subjects I advise you to give up, if you have
had any idea cf them; we want no more, let every
object be disbanded, and this one object kept in
-view. You have been charged with wishing to esta-
blish Deism, I trust that this charge is not well
founded ; all questions of theology I would have you
to set aside; politics is what yotf ought to have in
-view, and particularly Reform in the Commons,
House ; leave all subjects of a minor nature to be:
discussed by those who despise the cause; I say, at;
the same time, embrace every object that tends either,
more or less to advance the cause of freedom, and to
restore you to your political rights, as such I advise
you to abstain from all exciseable articles, and by
that means you will deprive your oppressors of their
means to oppress. Will you spend your money in
order to purchase instruments to cut you up; or will
you spend your money with those persons in whose
hands is a weapon to slay you?—(Cries of" No, no")
—I trust the hint is sufficient, and that you will take
it ; " I speak as unto wise men, judge ye what I say"
—(Loud cheers).
Mr. JOHN Ssirrnsost—Mr. Chairman and Gentle-
men, when I view this large and peaceable assembly.
—when I contemplate the unparalleled distress and
privation that has caused such an immense mass of
people to meet together, and when I look round and
can neither see an Alderman nor a Merchant coming
forward to take the lead in this important business
(I beg leave to say I do not see a merchant of this
town—l have not the opportunity of knowing all the
Gentlemen that have done themselves the honour of
addressing you), I have the vanity to hope the ab-
sence of such men will be an apology for me intro-
ducing myself. But why is there so much back-
wardness in men who would do honour to themselves
and their neighbours? Why will they not come for-
ward to assist you in removing the load which lays
so heavy on their own shoulders? I warn my poli- I
tical opponents, those honest men, of whom 1 know
there are some, not to trust the guidance of their 1
opi-
nions to the under operators who stand at the•helm.
I warn all classes of society, not to trust to those, whose
business is to amuse the mind and beguile the attention
of the patient, while the Ben oughmongers dose is
swallowing—depend on it, you had better trust your
own judgment,than depend on either of them, for while
one party rings the alarm-bell of revolution, the other
prates about moderate Reform, to take your attention
from the main obj ect,while both laugh at your credulity.
Awake from your lethargy, you who have any thing
worth your preserving—leave such men to keep fish-
ing in troubled waters, condemning men when they
are in danger, and applauding them when tle storm
is blown over—let them remain grovelling among
the quicksands of inconsistency till they are brought
to reason, by being dashed against the rock of eternal
truth, or politically drowned in the waters of public
opinion. I am not speaking for a Party, I am speak-
ing for a Public. The blood of the slain, the gaping'
wounds) the dreadful groans of your dying brethren

and sisters, plead your cause, and bid you now take'
your own ground and keep it ; that ground is on the
rock of Universal; Civil, and Religious liberty ;
Major Cartwright's Bill, or a proof you have !to right
to it. Stick to this, and yoti have nothing to fear ;
lose it, and England will stand a chance of being I
dismembered, and being sold in lots to a number of;
Continental Robbers. Think to what a state are we
come; the despotism of Faction has been succeeded
by the despotism of Law, And the despotism of the
Sword has entered ; the Liberties of the World are
in the hands of the Paupers of England. Think not
that I mean to insinuate that none but paupers are
our friends : we have some of the most enlightened
men in the world on our side—(Hear, hear, hear).
There is no argument to cope with hunger, and if
you are soothed into a moderate Reform, this land
of shopkeepers will become the bedlam of the world.
Gentlemen, the greatness of this project, the danger
of taking one false step, and the fatal consequences
that would follow, overwhelms my mind. I know
to what obloquy I expose myself. I have not, with-
out reflection, taken upon myself this responsibility ;
but seeing as I have done, men prejudged before
trial, and when the door of the Bastile was closed
upon them, it was forced upon me by an imperious
sense of duty ; and if the people of this country are
to become " hewers of stood, or drawers of water," to
men who care little about their interests, I am clear
of this great transgression; and if in common with
my countrymen, my children are destined to yoke in
with negroes ; or if they are lodgers and be slaves to
householders, they will have this for their consola-
don—they will be able to say, our father was not
guilty of bringing us into this state. * Then go on
peaCeably, and if you meet with opposidon, regard it
not ; follow the example of our friends at Manchester.

The CitAtrtmAs.—Gentlemen, it is necessary to
apprize you, that Sir Charles Wolseley was wrote to,
and it is supposed the letter has never reached him.
He then read Mr. Hunt's answer as follows :
" Sts—Tour favour of the 11th inst. has this moment reached
me ; I have neither any letter nor parcel from you before. It is
impossible for ine to attend your. Meeting at Lteds, although I
wish you every success in the holding of it. I shall be engaged
in bringing the Manchester murderers to justice, and unless the
people of England join hand, heart, and pocket, their property,
their liberty, and their lives, will be at the foot of a military
despotism."

Mr. MITCHELL called upon the Meeting to observe
that their worthy friend, Henry Hunt, the moment
he got the letter from Leeds, that moment, though
so busy with the endeavours to bring the perpetrators
of the horrid deeds at Manchester to justice, he sat
down instantly to answer it, and what says he? He
says, unless the people of England join hand, heart;
and pocket to du this, to bring them to justice, their
property, liberty, and their lives, will be henceforth at
the foot of a military despotism. What ought to be
done here? particularly so when the whole country
are pouring forth their mites as fast as they can, to
bring the wretches to justice ; what ought to be done
now ?—(Cry V—A subscription.) Aye, I think so, I
need not repeat it myself, it would be a dereliction
not to suffer it to pass into a Resolution.
It was immediately passed with acclamation, and
a large sum of money was then collected, which Mr.
MITCHELL placed on a Chair, and• drew it in front of
the hustings, saying—" Gentlemen and Fellow-Conn.
trymen, I hope, if I have taken aliberty to-day, by
introducing this subject, that the proceeds will amply
excuse me' (laying his hand .on the money collected),
saying, " Here is the needful; Gentlemen; it is this
that enslaves us, and without it.we have found we
can by no means get our freedom. -In this large pile
there is a great quantity of silver." He. conducted
by stating that' he knew Englishmen would sonttir
bute their last mite, and shed the last drop of bkreif,
to save their country—(Cheers.) - -
Mr. MeecnELL proposed a Vote of Thanks to Sir
Charles Wolseley, Messrs. Harmer, Pearson, and
Denison, for their Manly exertions in the cause of the
persecuted Reformers ofManchester ; and. the propo-
sition was'adopted with acclamation.
A motion of Thanks to Mr. Hunt, the steady, intre-
pid champion of liberty, -was agreed to with the mcst
'signal display of enthusiastic approbation,.
Thanks were also voted to Mr. Cobbett, accom-
panied by the expression of a wish for his speedy re-
turn to England.
Upon the proposition of a Vote of Thanks to Mr.
Banks, the Mayor of Leeds, for his uniformly kind
and humane conduct towards the people, Mr. CHAP:-
MAN said, that he felt peculiar pleasure in putting this
motion, as he understood that this worthy Magistrate,
instead of evincing the arrogance of power, consulted
the wishes of the people, and maintained the cha-
racter of the laws—(Applause).
The motion was agreed to with the warmest testi-
monies of approbation.
Mr. MITCHELL proposed Thanks to Mr. Chapman,
the Chairman ; and the motion being adopted with
acclamation,
Mr. Citarstaw returned thanks, expressing the
pleasure he felt in meeting the esteem of his country-
men, and declaring his resolution always to maintain
the rights of his country—(Loud plaudits).
A proposition for abstaining from spirits, wine, tea,
beer, tobacco, and all exciseable articles, as far as
possible, was adopted with the most expressive evi-
dence of •resolution, several in the crowd exclaiming
upon the first mention of it, " We have abstained for
some weeks, and we are determined to persevere;
'our enemies shall not be furnished by us with thel,
means of supporting their system of oppression."
Mr. WiLwor (of Dewsbury) said, that he, for a
considerable time, had used agrimony tea, in prefor-
ence to that so heavily taxed, and that his tea wzs
sweetened by the reflection that it contributed nothing
to the produce of the Taxes, or the support of the
Boroughmongers--(App/ause:.).
A Resolution was also passed, That the Thanks
of the Meeting be given to the Female Reformers,
who' have so boldly and nobly stepped forward, to
join in emancipating the country from that cursed
Faction that was clamming them and their infants
for want of bread.

The CHAIRMAN said, I doubt not this will meet
your approbation more than any other, as they arc
your wives, your daughters, and your sweethearts—
(Immense applause).
The Meeting broke up about half-past six o'clock,
without the slightest disorder. .
After the Meeting had closed, the Committee, with
whom the Requisition originated, dined together,
and spelt the evening .iu a .very rationally -convi-
visl maser.


LEEDS, SEPTEIVBER2I.--Ten7p. tn.

FROM OUR PRIVATE CORRESPONDENT.

I am happy to say, although such serious appre.
hensions were entertained yesterday, the night passed
off quietly ; and the peace of the town and neigh-
bourhood still remains unbroken. The great bosly
of the Reformers, after the Meeting, travelled to their
respective homes ; but several large prrties of the
most respectable among them, met afterwards at-dif-
ferent houses in this town, where Suppers had beet
provided for them, and where they kept it up untila
late hour, although, it is said, they abstained from all
exciseable liquors !
The Female Reformers have become .extremely
numerous, and are rapidly augmenting their num-
ber—as is the case also with the other sex:

During the Meeting yesterday afternoon, upon
Hunslet Moor, about the middle of the business,
much alarm was created, and serious mischief had
like to have been the result i a silly peison, on horse 4
back, rode furiously on the Moor, and spread an un.

. _
- ,
founded report that the cavalry were approachieg to
disperse the Meeting. Considerable alarm and panic
prevailed for a short time, and there was a great
rush among the crowd. It was, however, soon disk
covered to be a hoax, and order was shortly restored,
During the confusion several persons were thrown
down, but no material injury was sustained by any one.
The three troops of Dragoons stationed here were
in readiness during the whole of the afternoon and
evening. They were kept out of view of the Meet-
ing, and there was, luckily, no occasion for their _
ser-
vices.far. the conduct of the numerous asseme
blagesof Reformers at this place, give the lie to the
Manchester Magistrates.
The Subscription on the Moor, yesterday, for the
relief of the Manchester sufferers, amounted to £l5
15s. and lid. and among it there were five separate
farthings: the money was chiefly copper. •

KILMARNOCK REFORM MEETING.

EXTRAOT Or A LETTER FROM A GENTLEMAN IN Kit:

WARNOCK, DATED SATURDAY EVENING, SEPT. 18.
4, You will be anxious to know the result of the
Reform Meeting of to-day, in this place, and in great
_ _

haste I take the first opportunity of giving you an ac•
count of it. Every one was in readiness to suppress

rioting. A troop of Hussars arrived this morning
from Ayr, those stationed here having been called to
Paisley at the beginning of the week. The Con•
stables were convened in the Town Hall, where the
Magistrates and Justices of the Peace were assembled.
After deliberating, they came to the determination;
ifwti Violence was offered, or if decorum was not
violated,' that they should allow the people to meet
and say what they chose, and that it-flags :with 'Ob.
tious inscriptions should be displayed, they had per:.
sons to note them down, and if reprehensible, tobring
the bearers afterwards to account for so doing.
It is well there was no occasion for the inter-
ference of the Public Authorities, for the much-feared
Kilmarnock Meeting of Radicals has just turned out
what I Suspected—a quiet, peaceable assembly. The
Committee, about half-past twelve, went out on the
Newmilns-road, to meet their friends from that guar*
tier, and in a short time they entered the town, to the
number of six or seven hundred, in a very orderly
manner, without music, and no flag was to be seen;
instead of these, many of them had Scotch thistles
placed in their hats. They went up to the ground,
when the business of the day was commenced at the
appointed hour—one.

~,.

From the flattering appearance of their good
conduct, numbers of respectable persons and cansta.
bles went up to see what the Meeting was like, and
at the dinner hour, with three or four Gentlemen, I
walked that length. We were agreeably surprised
ut the peaceable spirit which seemed to reign among
them. It was any thing but a great Meeting, as I
have seen more persons at a tent-preaching in the
neighbourhood of Glasgow. There might be front
1500 to 2000 persons, as near as I can guess. The
person who was addressing the Meeting while I was
there gave a pitiful account of the times, in rather

•
an eloquent manner.
g, Most of the speeches were violent, however,
though containing a variety of melancholy truths,-
It is very pleasing to the inhabitants of this place
that they have behaved in such a manly, becoming
manner ; indeed, to their credit, every speaker in-
voked them to abhor every thing like riot and cOn-
fosion, and -to detest proceedingsiike those in Glas-
gow and Paisley, as ruining the cause of Reform.
" The Meeting has dismissed ; the country Re-
formers are all on their way home ; the town is quiet,
and as if nothing of the kind had taken place."

The Committee of the Societies of Political Pro-
testants, lately established at Leicester, have put.
lished . an Address to their Fellow Townsmen, in
which they profess to give a statement of their prin..
ciples and the object they have in view. Their sole
objects, they assnre us, are-:.to obtain the repeal of
the laws which -affect the liberty of the people, to
-destroy the corrupt influence of an insolent Arista
cracy in the Commons House of Parliament, to pre-
vent those. who vote away the public money from
receiving it themselves, and to render the Represen-
tatives of the People more dependant on those who
are the legitimate fountain of all power. Convinced
that the diffusion of political information is the lest
means of obtaining these objects,. they have formed
themselves into Societies for this purpose. Equally
averse to despotism on the one hand, and anarchy on
the other, they wish to see the Constitution of their
country (which faction, they say, has almost de-
stroyed) !escort(' to its original purity.

f.
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