Star.
London, England, 1820-03-18 00:00:00

met together, in yielding to it ; toisa they would find,
that on the evening of the 9th. he was haranguing
the people, lititcl s kr of oft. Magistrates who
prohibited the M
:by
.4:iy the appellation of No: 9,
in allusion to nine t . He used terms of extreme
reptoath and contumely in mentioning thesecentle-
men, declared that he conceived the object of the
IPeople to be legal, stated his-opinion that they were
acting in a weak manner to yield to the suggestions of
the lqagistrates, and invited them to meet him on the
16th of August. Having given this notice, that the
Meeting of the 9th was adjourned, he proceeded to the
residence of Johnson, near the town of Manchester,
which lie understood to be called Smedley-cottage.
—The Magistrates now received information on
which it was very difficult tin act. They were in-
formed, that movements had taken place among the
people composing the immense population of the
neighbourhood of Manchester, in the dead hour of
the night, five, six, and even ten miles off, which
were of a nature quite unprecedented. The Magis-
trates thought it necessary to take measures forthe
preservation of the peace : they felt that the calling
of a Meeting by a person who had no connexion with
the town, who had no property in or about it, was
likely to lead to serious mischief. They determined
to ward off the evil; and the prudence of their deter-
mination appeared evident when they were informed,
that on the 15th of Auguit, in thc night time, a
number of persons assembled at a place called White
Moss, and had been observed going through the evo-
lutionsof military discipline, in such *manner, that
no one who had seen soldiers performing their exer-
cise could entertain a (1( übt that the persons thus.'
employed had some ulterior object in training at such-
an hour. The two persons who gave the informa-
tion drew near to these individuals—so near that they
were discovered and pursued ; they were followed
by bodies of men detached from the main body, and,
when overtaken, were beaten most unmercifully.--,.
One of them, of the name of Murray, was discovered'
to be a Special Constable ; be was obligect, in ordek
to save his life, to fall on his knees and abjure his at.
legiance. This circumstance would give the Jury
some idea of what the object of these people was. •
Mr. Hunt here interrupted the Learned Counsel.
He wished to know how the Learned Gentleman
meant to connect this circumstance with the charge
alleged against him and the other defendants?
Mr. Justice BATLEY said, the Learned Counsel
was, perhaps, introducing this as a matter which
would be connected by collateral evidence with the
general charge.
Mr. Hunt objected to the introduction of the cir-
cumstance which the Learned Counsel was stating,
as having nothing at all to do with the specific charge.
Mr. Justice 'law-Er said, he had a right to sup-
pose that the Learned Counsel would not introduce
any circumstance which was not material to his case,
and that he would not advert to any fact which he
did not believe that he had evidence to prove. If be
acted otherwise, the iesult would be beneficial to the
' defendant's case, and certainly not to his.
Mr. Hunt said, he felt himself happy in being
placed under his Lordship's protection.
Mr. Scarmait)voceeded. He had, he said, too
long been acquainted with the duties of his profes-
sion, to introduce, to the prejudice of the defendant,
matter which he did not think he was warranted in
stating. He *Old inform the defendant, if it were
any pTeaswe to him, that he would endeavour to
connect him deeply and criminally with the circum-
stance of which he' had just been speaking. He ex-
pected to prove that Xt.. Hunt was most deeply and
criminally connected:With the proceedings at White
Moss. Those *ho were clothed with 'authority in
Manchester, having thought it their duti to forbid
the Meeting called for the 9th, and Mr. Hunt hav-
ing taken upon himself to preside at another, called
for the 16th of August, the Magistrates found it ne-
cessary to have recourse t 6 those Precautions which
may be lawfully applied to all large Public Meet-
tines. They accordingly made those preparations
which the nature of'the case seemed to demand, and
now he had to open to the Jury a scene, which,
among all those which had been witnessed in this
our native land, had had no example. He then pro-i
ceeded to describe the Meeting of the 16th August,
and, from a large county map, he pointed out to the
Jury the situations of theevillages in the neighbour•
hood of Manchester, from which the Reformers,
ntirched on that morning, 'to assemble in' the area
near St. Peter's Chbrch. The majority of the popu-
lation of Manchestethe described to consist of a prior
laborious people. Their numbers and their condi-
tions would alone* have justified the Magistratei in
adopting some extraordinary precautiOns to preserve
the public peace, had the Meeting been' confined to
the inhabitants of Manchester alone, when called
at a time of such general distress. 'tie then
shewed, that from such being the case, bodies of men
were seen, on the 16th day of August, marching
from all points of the compass towards Manchester.
—At Middleton, the defendant Bamford would le
shewn to have been busy in arranging in military
order a body of three thousand men. 'Though they
were not in uniform they had made considerable
progress in their military e;ercises. Under Bamford's
directions, they dressed and formed a hollow-square
with great regularity, and tiley put laurel leaves in
their hats, that they might be distinguished from
others. This party was joined by another, two thou-
Sand strong, from Rochdale. From
mOldham a Cbdy
of men had marched, with which it would be proved
that the defendant Healey was connected. In the
first instance it did not appear that he assumed the
command of those with whom lie marched ; but, in
their progress towards Manchester, he would be
proved to have expressed a strong opinion on the
probable effect of the Meeting, and to have declared
that he looked forward' to a glorious result from the'
proceedings of that day. From other parts in the
vicinity of Manchester, bodies of men were idianc-
ing, and he believed that on every highroad leading
to the town a similar spectacle was To be seen.—
Things were in this state up to eleven o'clock on the
morning of the 16th, when that party was seen ap-
proaching Manchester, -which had been observed on
the preceding day training at White Moss. Murray,
the man whom they had so cruelly beaten, was then
lying in bed, unable to move, from the bruises he
had received. When the party from White Moss
came opposite his home, they made loud huzzas,
halted, and by their whole conduct proved that they:
exulted in the recollection of the proceedings of the
anteriof day, and hailed the sufferer to confirm him

in the oath they bad forced Mtn to take, or to give'
him a..warning of what mighterestat froth his purpl-
ing kdifferent course from that
Which it was their
Pleasure to enjoin.'; It was at' elibut eleven o'clock
that Mr. Hunt and his party were seen entering the
town. He came in an open carriage, and Johnson,
3loorhouse, and Wright, accompanied• him on his
approach. The Middleton and Rochdale parties bad
united, and Mr. Hunt entered, therefore, as at the
head of an army of 5000 men. But the numbers
that accompanied him were greater than the amount li
he had stated, as such an army is usually much in-
creased by the stragglers picked up on the way. He
(Mr. Hunt) first approached Murray's house. Here he
stood up in the carriage, seemed to 'assume the tone
of a Commander, the word to "halt" was given, and
the same token (wl,ether it 'A' a 5 to be taken in good
or in bad part it was for the Jury to consider) of a
knowledge of what occur red on the preceding day at
White Moss, was given, that had been given by the
.party from White Nloss.. Thence pas,ing on, Hunt and
his party arrived at the Star Inn, where the Magistrates
were engaged in the discharge of a most arduous duty.
They were greeted with hisses and groans, and va-
rious expressions of contempt. They next passed the
Police Office, where the Constables were in ete same'
way saluted. with hoots, hisses, and groans'; and from
thence the party, prooeeded to the intended place of
meeting. This had been engaged for their reception
by Bamford, Healey, Ikloothouse,and Knight. art-
ton and Knight were employed in -arranging the
mob- to receive Mr. Hunt. It would be found, that
, the 'Magistrates having taken their station in a heuse
lon the ground, had established a line of Constables,.
extending nearly to -the hustings. The mob, upon •
this, closed, so as to form a thick body of men round
the hustings, to guard against ;any atrempt to
_ap-
proach. It was then announced, that the Committee
desired certain bodies of men, forming the mob, to'
take their places at certain distances,. and when Mr:
Hunt arrived, to open, that he might pass, and then
immediately close their ranks again. They were fur-
ther admonilhed, to " take especial care to admit
none but their friends, as their enemies were known
to be near at hand." 'niece arrangements were made
with .great form and regularity ; and when the body,
at the-head of which was Mr: Hunt, approached, it
would be proved, that he was escorted by men bear-
ing large sticks on their shoulders. They came four
and six a-breast, bearing banners with different in-
scriptions, and moved like troops well disciplined to
march. When they drew near, they were ordered to
wheel off, which they did with the precision of re-
gular troops; and, indeed, all their motions indicated
a considerable proficiency in military exercises. Mr.
Hunt, at the head of the body of men who had been
described as leading, then proceeded to take his
place on the hustings, or dose to them. One banner
was inscribed " Equal Representation or Death."—
He put it to the Jury to reflect what was meant by
this. It was not for him to go into the question of
Parliamentary Reform. en that subject, many ho-
nourable and patriotic, men differed from each other.
But whatever varieties of opinion might exist on
this subject, there was no honest man who would not
resist to extremity, rather than countenance, any at-
tempt to. alter the Constitution by force. But did
not the motto, " Equal-Representation or Death," go
to intimate that the parties composing the Meeting
were-determined to obtain Equal Representation, or
death would ensue ? Did it not, in effect, say, hat
'those who displayed the banner considered Equal Re-
presentation to be with them so far a sine qua non, that
they were determined-to obtain it by force or perish.
Another banner was inscribed " No. Corn Laws."—
He commented on this, and shewed the extreme dan-
ger of exhibiting such a motto before a multitude
like that assembled at Manchester, of sixty thousand
persons at least; but, according to some statements,
that Meeting consisted of not fewer than one hundred
and fifty thousand persons. Ought the people, at a
period of such severe distress, to be thus inflamed ?
Let them meet to call for a Reform, if they pleased;
lint was it to be endured that they should assemble
in such immense multitudes, to dictate the measures
which they wished to see adopted, and tb declare,-
that if that which they demanded were not conceded,
they would accept of nothing else? He briefly touched
on the four items of Parliamentary Reform, Univer-
sal Suffrage, Annual Parliaments, and Vote by Ballot.
To the Jury he submitted, that the weavers, shoe-
makers, and cotton-spinners, by whoin these ques-
tions were agitated, were not the most competent
judges of the effects of _those changes whiCh 'they
wished to introduce into the Constitution. He shewed

that the People, once made dissatisfied on these sub-
jects, ascribes to the want of the recommended
changes all the evils with which PROVJDENNE might
afflict them. The folly of the mob, in some respects,
he instanced. by referring to the Meetings which took
place, and the complaints which were raised, when it
was found necessary to alter our Calendar. Because
eleven days were added to the date of the day en
Which the change took place, many had the weakness
to repine, as it they had been actually robbed of
eleven days. Hogarth, in allusion' to this subject,
had most felicitously pictured the absurdities of the
mob, by representing them, in one of his pictures, as
throwing up their hats, and franticly calling out-.
" Give us back our eleven days !" There was about
the same degree of reason in this cry as there' as in
that of " Annual Parliaments, Universal Suffrage,
and Vote by Ballot." But he had not yet done with
the banners :—Another of them was inscribed, " Let
us die like men, and not be sold like slaves !" Who,
he wished to know, had been selling, or atte.mpting
' to sell, the people of Royston, Oldham, Middleton,
and the other places which had that day poured
their thousands into Manchester ? Ile, for his
part, had heard of no selling for slaves, or anything
of the kind. What, then, was the object of exhibiting
such a banner ? One flag was surrnounted by a pike,
and another gave the representation of .a
What did these mean but this (though no man had
the courage and audacity to say it with his' lips),
that. such instruments might • be useful---might pro-
cure the Reform wanted to -benefit the. People ?, biit
our laws did not teach that any such should be used
td reform the English C2nstitution. What was -this
Meeting of the 16th:of Atqtust Was it a Meeting
'of the town of Manchester -the L'Onnt bf Lan-
caster ?--or of Oiyfpartiettla;:-4;i467,-,.- it
hy any person rctlnneetedlsviilallhe
No.! What then avaa the alqt—solhat=then.Wasthe
purpose for
were questions to which the Jury wotild have to di-

rect their most serious cortsideration. He must sub,
mit, that it could only be for the purpose of inspiring
terror and alarm; and he would put it to them, if
any man of property could without alarm behold
such bodies of weavers, shoemakers, cotton-spinner...,
and other mechanics and 14ourers, as moved on
Manchester on the 16th of August, with all the
threatening characteristics of an invading army._.
Could such assemblies be lawful in a country where
laws were framed for the protection of property ? If
they could, it might be well that they should 4is-
peme with the laws altogether. It was impossiltle
for such Meetings to be tolerated. Were they to be
continued, they would compel the Government to
maintain a larger military force than any friend to.
his country could ever desire to see in England.--
What could the Civil Power do in such cases, v. ie.+
nut the aid of the Military ? What could the tsv.-
hundred Constables of Manchester do against a rnr.a.i
of sixty thousand men ? The Magistrates finding the
mob increase, as it did on the 16th of August, knc7t-
not how far its tarni::cations might extend. Hew
could they be certain that the people of Birming-
ham, Coventry, and Proiston, were not coming
down upon them, as well as the Reformers of Roch-
dale, Middleton, 'and Oldham ? The Magistrates,
in consequence, became alarmed, and properly
alarmed, for the safety of the property and lires
of their fellow-townsmen, and, in consequence,
they were induced to issue a warrant for the ap-
prehension of the leader of the multitude. The
law declared, that Meetings called to inspire alarm
and terror were illegal. The Meeting of the 16th
of August, if such were the law, must evidently be
unlawful. This would, he doubted not, be madeout
much stronger in evidence, than it had been stated
by him. In conclusion, he called on the Jury to p:ry
all attention to what might be urged by the defen-
dants, and to give, as lie was sure they would, a con-
scientious verdict, expressing their belief of the nature
of the case, and the real character of the Meeting.
Thomas Fidler was the first witness called. He
.keeps the Red Lion public-house, three miles from
Stockport ; was there on the Bth August; saw -Mr.
Hunt, ..lho came in a gig, with a servant, dined there,
and remained about four hours. Witness knosscs:tlie
defendant Moorhouse ; he is a coach-proprietar aad
auctioneer, 'at Stockport. Moorhouse was there that
day; he came after Mr. Hunt, accompanied. by his
brother ; he inquired if Hunt was there, and; 70-,opped
five or ten minutes; wituers informed him Cunt was
gone towards Stockport. Moorhouse was there be-
fore, -while -Hunt was in the house ;"but /le did not
come in, he only stopped. opposite the stable: that
was half an hour after Mr. Hunt's arrival.

Hunt—Then it is not true, as Mr. Scaxlett stated,
that I was met liy Moorhouse, and by him con-
duced to .BtockpOt ; that is not true.
Witness—NosXe (witness) did not know whether
Mr. Moorhouse ingnired- for Mr. Hunt when first he
came ; he knew Moorhouse for twelve years ; he WAS
in the habit of calling when he passed that way ; he
knew him intimately before that time : he could not
say whether he was in the habit of attending Meet,
ings before•3ugust last or not.
Cross-examined by Hunt—This was the principal
house at Ballstruck. Moorhouse was not the only
person who asked the question that day as to Hunt's
being there ; it was a pretty general Inquiry.. Wit-
ness did not know Mr. Johnson, of Manchester ; the
only person who inquired for him was a person named
Jump, whom he did not.admir. Witness kpew mare
of the persons charged with Moorhouse; he heard
of no plots going on ; he merely conducted three
parties of two.
Cross-examined by Serjean-t Huttoca—He said
he knew none of the parties who were injured, ex-
cept Jump. •

-Henry Lomax being sworn, said he kept the White
Lion at Stockport, on the.Stli of August last. - Oa
that day, late at night; he saw Moorhouse and Hnnt
together; he saw them also' next morning about
eight o'clock; Mr. Hunt went into Moorhouse's late
at night, and they came. out together in the -morn-
ing ; they were afterwards joitked by another, whom
he did not know, but they called him- Sir Charles
Wolseley ; he also raw Parson Harrison; there *as
a crowd about them.; he thought the object of the
crowd was to see. Mr. Hunt; he saw no crowd in
Stockport, except when Mr.-Moorhouse or Mr. Hunt
were making some of their speeches; they went into-
Mr. Moorhouse's ; Hunt, Moorhouse, and him
they called Sir Charles. Mr. Lunt and Sir.
jpwles
went into a gig, and Moorhouse and klarmon:into
one of Moorhouse's chaises.
Cross-examined by Mr. BA anow—Moorhouse
was not in the habit of taking in horses to bait. but
On this occasion he saw Mr. Hunt go into the, yarki ;
he •cOuld .not say- whether. Mr. Moorhouse ever
made any political speeches before August..but:then
and after great crowds were often assembled botind
his house. He could not say whether any of his
speeches were made before Hunt came from the New
Bailey Prison.

Examined by Mr. Huttoex—Witness said he kept
chaises, but was not a rival of Mr. Moorhouse. He •
knew Meetings to be held at Sandybrow, but never
saw Modrhimse there; he must have noticed him if
he was there. He did 'not 'attend on-the hustings
upon any of those occasions ; witness was called uppu
to serve as a 'Yeoman, and attended on the same
business at Manchester ; Mr. Moorhouse, however,
might have been at those meetings without his know-
He.-never saw the Duke of Wellington pass
threugh SrOckport, nor a crmyd round Mr. Serjeant
Cross upon any occasion ; he did not see Mr. Cross
after the Derby trials ; he was- at Manchester as is
Yeoman of Cheshire—;Here the witness smiled).
Himt.—Oh, yol laugh at it; did you see anything
at Manchester to laugh at?
Witness saw nothing particular there.
Hunt.:—Did
you see nothing particular; why them
did you laugh ? .
Witness laus.theJ at nothing particular. He went
there for his king .and Country, and always should.
if necessary ;• he saw no particular transactions; he
was dressed in uniform, and had arms: nothing tock
place that struck him as being particular; he saw
some banners, but no marching in array, extent the
Yeomanry and soldiers ; he saw. many in coniusloa .
timilikietwilt.
.I.le was at St. Peter's-field about an
*pc, or an -boor and a half; ho saw frothing parti-
cular. The Cheshire Yeomanry had nothin to do
biat:statid on' the ground. He raw people disabled,
bui it did not 'attract 114 partici:ilk. attention, for he
did nut look at them much. Sonic were cut, belt he.