Star.
London, England, 1819-11-24 00:00:00

Ot object, he had connected himself with the Radi-
cals. The truth was, he was no faxoUrite at all trith
them, fdr they not-only abused their immediate op-
ponents wild were in office, but also beitowed a sort
of post obit compliment on all who had ever been in
(A laugh) ; yet he did not much blarrie them, for the
Government seemed to give countenance to the vitu-
peration of some of the minor publicutiotii, assuming
that the sufferance they gave them was an atonement
of their acts. Whether the tact was so or not, he

would not undertake to say ; it was -enough for him to
have given an opinion upon the state of the country,
and he hoped he had made himself understood—
(Hear, hear). He would again repeat, there was a
great want of confidence in the People towards that
House, which was reasonably increased by the prac-
tical proofs of the inutility of the Representation for
the last ten years, and the cause of Reform was in=
creasing from day td day. It created incessantly a.
fever in the public mind, and exposed it to all the
designs of men interested in making it •the tool of
other purposes. But the mischief was not of that
giant size which it was said to be—(Hear, hear).—
Few partizans were attached to the doctrines of An-
nual Parliaments and Universal Suffrage, and the
accounts of Reform Meetings should be received with
great caution : when we read accounts of hundreds
of thousands marching from one town to another,
with flags and emblems, it should always be recol-
lected that the leaders of them are the identical per-
sons who are playing the same game in different
places. There were some 40 or 50 persons on per=
manent duty, who, lay the excitement of flags and
speeches, were always sure to collect a mob of the
idle and unemployed, in every town through which
they passed ; but of all the thousands assembled, he
was sure, if the question was put, very few of them
would be able to answer about Election by Ballot,
or Universal Suffrage. It was true, many such
Meetings were held in different parts of England,
but as things will ever find their level, there could
be no danger apprehended from them. Whocould
hear of a Meeting to return a certain Baronet as
their Legislatorial Attorney, (for they had too great
horror to say Member), to this House, (which by
the way would be the worst trip he ever took in his
life), and not feel pity arid contempt for them ?
It was merely owing to their moderation that more
were not sent up, for they might with as much pro-
priety. have chosen ten Legislatorial Attornies as one!
From such causes then no alarm was to be enter-
tained ; but there were Gentlemen in that House,
who, by running into the opposite extreme, were
Radicals at the other end.'These were they Who
maintained that any alteration in the Representation
I was incompatible with the Constitution. Such men
were no better than those who sent up the worthy
Baronet, as their Legislatorial Attorney. Did it never
occur to them, that there was a great difference in
the condition of this country, compared with what it
was forty or fifty years agot Delegation was then
an unexplained mystery, and the Public knew no-
thing of the proceedings of its Representatives, save
through the misty medittni of Roman and unintel-
ligible names ; reading was not general:- But now
there were three to one who read the proceedings
of the Senate, and with whom their conduct was
matter of comment; very often of the least fa-
vourable nature—(Year, hear !).—lt was wisdom
to temporize ; what was venerable some forty or fifty
years .ago, was now oppression, and what was then
safe was now insecure. This was not the age to use
the language of intolerance, saying, " I must hear
nothing of changes," why every man in the street
was .able to see the difference. But if their object
was, by new laws and fresh troops, to stifle the pro-
gress of reason, and putting themselves at the head
of these troops, say, " we alone are capable of judg-
ing of the changes 'which ought to be made," they
/were greatly mistaken, and were arrival at a dread-
ful crisis. Such was the state of things upon the
16th August last, a day which the Honourable Gen-
tleman spewed his good sense by not alluding to.
Up to that time, the subject upon which public dis-
cussion fed itself was the doctrine of Parliamentary I
Reform ; but the circumstances of that day have
given a new tone and bias to the public mind. Re-
form was henceforward lost sight of, and entirely ab-
sorbed in the superior ittwortance of the other.—
Neither was this feeling local nor confined to para•
calm- districts ; it was the almost general expression
of the whole Country. He had had no particular
wish to propose an Amendment originally, but seeing
that no allusion was made to the subject upon which
the whole Country were calling upon the Prince for
an inquiry, he consideted it would be disappointing
the Country to be silent upon it: He was unwilling
to go into a detail of the circumstances attending
that day, but it was a subject calling upon the House
to institute an inquiry, as well for the justification of
the Magistrates themselves, as for the satisfaction of
the People--,(Hear, hear). Without giving an opi-
nion, or prejudging the question, the facts which
were not disputed, were such as to call for inquiry;
—Here was an unarmed multitude—for what pur-
pose assembled was very immaterial, who were rode
in upon, and cut down in hundreds by the military I
If this did not require investigation, what did? (Hear).
He made much allowance for the state of mind and
the party feelings which separate the rich from the
poor in these disturbed districts, but still, where blood
had been shed, it required to he justified—(Neer,
hear).—lt had been said, a very strung cause was al-
ready before the Law Tribunals of the country, which•
would, eventually, satisfy the ends of public justice.
If this was really the case, he much rejoiced at it ;
indeed feelings so sore deserved to be satisfied, and
it was unwise to delay it one moment. The Meeting
was said to be illegal. Granted ; the leaders sedi-
tious, and the people traitorous ; granted also, for the
sake of the argument. But it was at this moment
that the grievance began. Why, after tli,! leaders
were taken up without resistance, and their bodies
lodged safely hefore the Magistrates, did the military
force still remain to disperse the assembled multi-
tude ? They were then a mob without a leader, a
body without a head, and an army without a Gene-
ral, yet nothing has since been heard of but horsemen
cutting. down men, women, and children, without
distinction, unresisting, and inoffensire—(Heer).—
It'Was true, many of these accounts have been exag-
gerawkbut still there remain " stufiborn facts," to
wlike cannot ehtit our eyes—persbns brought in
wowed, and Inqluests 'holden on the dead. Why
me the military at all called in ? They .may say it
was because Mr. Nadin expressed his doubts of being