Star.
London, England, 1820-04-07 00:00:00

• I

He wished to state.over again, therefore, op, of the,
arguments which he had used in theCdurt ,at Leices-
ter. He had been charged with an intent to bring
the 'Government into contempt, and stir the people
up to discontent—it being erroneously supposed that
the mass of the people were more subjoct to be excited
by warm or violent appeals,th an thoo Who were called
their superiors. Now his argument in answer to that
was, that the publication which was -the subject of
prosecution, was not an Address to the People, but
an Address to the Gentlemen of the Country, and was
therefore, as he had observed, taken entirely outarf
libel ground. On that occasion he bad observed, for
' the purpose of illustrating his argument, that his letter
was not addressed ,to the weaver-boys of Lancashire.
—ln making this observation, he had intended no
blame to Mr. Cobbett, who had addressed the Lan-
cashire weaver-boys, not to any other person addrei-
sing any of those which were called the inferior
classes. If he thought it useful, he would as soon ad-
dress the weaver boys as any other class. But such
had not been his purpose, nor anything like it, and
he thought this was a proper argument to put to a
Jury before whom he had been charged with exciting
the People to contempt of the Government and insu-
bordination. the same paper in which Mr. Cob-
bett had.iesented his mistated argument, he had re-
newed a charge against bim (Sir Francis Burdett)
of having supported the Corn Bill. It was a charge
that he'had often refuted, and was not unwilling to
do so again. He had never supported the Corn Bill ;
but at the time of its passing he thought the People
were deluded as to its importance, and that it would
neither materially benefit the farmer, nor oppress the
community, as was at the time represented. His
reasoning was, that to reduce the price without a re-
duction of taxes at the same time (as the price of earn
determined the value of labour, in almost all its rela-
tions), would be to give an enhancement of a most
oppressive kind to the amount of taxation, and that
the worst effects of their excessive taxes could only
be avoided by keeping up a system of high prices in
every thing else. He thought, therefore, that the
question of the Corn Bill only deluded the People,
and drew away their reflection from the question of
Reform, which, in his estimation, was alone entitled
to their attention. They had been told by some
very well-meaning men, than. Reform was not the
proper object of their pursuit and energies ; that they
ought first to grapple with the Funding System.
But how was that to be done with a Ministry who
were compelled to give the utmost support to that
Funding System, knowing, as they did, that when it
failed, Reform would take place of necessity IP The
Reformers only from these reasoners in sup-
posing that to begin with the Funding System, in-
stead of the question of Reform, was to put the
cart before the horse. When they were told of the
hopelessness of Reform, and in proof were directed
to the spreading of military detachments and fortifi-
cations over the countr2,,,there was a considerable
appearance of propriety intie remarks—(Applause).
Yet to say that Reform had made no progess of late,
would be to shut the eyes, and declare that there was
no light at noon-day. Reform was the only bope,
and the Reformers had been doing nothing but lead-
ing the public mini away from more useless topics,
and binding it entirely to that subject. The conse-
quence had been, that Reform, in the course of aboitt
ten years, had grov'in to diet size of public import-
ance, that the I3oroughmongers did not know how to
meet it. They were determined, however, on meet-
ing it at last, and that by the violation of all the laws
in the country—(4lppleese).--Adverting to the Man-
chester Meeting, and the important trials which had
ensued therefore at York, he would say, that the
Gentleman conducting that trial as he had done,
ought not to be left with the expenses weighing upon
him—(Loud applasue).--In his opinion, conducting
that trial with the temper and ability which Mr.,
Hunt had manifested, proving the legal and quiet
character of the Manchester Meeting, and blowing
out of the Court the whole of the fabricated evidence
exhibited against him, and having shewn upon what
grounds that mum* House of Commons had passed
laws, which were not only ********, but had the
effect of repealing those which formed the best se- I
curity for their remaining rights ; with all these con-
siderations before him, he would say, that Mr. Hunt
had proved himself to be an able defender of the
people's liberties, and he (Sir Franci knew no ar-
gument more forcible in favour of Reform than had
been elicited by the late trial at York. A Jury had
convicted the defendants, and, according to the pre-
valent manner of constituting Special Juries, he be-
lieved that Abel would be convicted of the murder
of Cain, if such were to be the issue proposed for
trial. The Jury had found them guilty of illegally,
assembling, and of an intention to bring the Governt,
ment into contempt. The legality of the Meeting
might be a matter of law very fit for the considera-
tion of the Jury ; but it had never entered any man's
head that the Meeting was illegal till after its dis-
persion. The,parties who called, and were to have
managed the Meeting, took the greatest care to se-
cure for themselves the protection of the law, well
knowing that they had no other protection. But the
Magistrates did not know of the illegality of the
Meeting. Lord, Sidmouth was ignorant of it. No-
b Ody knew anything about it. It was not known
even when the Gentlemen were taken up what they
should be charged with. The Magistrates had ac-
tually written to the Secretary of State to say, that
the defendants were arrested, and requiring to know
for what they were to be indicted? All they knew was,
that the Meeting was to be dispersed, because such
Meetings gave great terror to the Boroughmongers,
What said the Ministerial press in relation to these
Meetings, and the laws which had been passed to
controtil them? What was the boast of Ministers ?
Why, that they had regulated Public Meetings.
Their real object was, however, to prevent the cam.
else of any effective organ which could display the
extent of public feeling. There had been Meetings
before as numerous, as well furnished with banners
lad flags, and yet no notice had been taken of them.
I When lie first stood for Middlesex, he had Meetings
quite as numerous, and the flags and banners were
sore inflammatory than those of Manchester. His
object at the time was not a seat for Middlesex, for
which he had no value, but he was ambitious to
come at some abuses which he knew were then prac-
tising in the prison of Coldbath-fields. There were
banners of all sorts used on the occasion. On one
was inscribed '° No 13astile.," on, another, particular
persons were represented hanging ; all of their-4 tend=