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

MITTED AT MANCHESTER.

A Reqnisition having beenpresented to the Right
Honourable the Lord Mayor of Yoitt; signed by
above 460 respectable inhabitants of that City *and,
neighbourhood, desiring him to call a Public Meet-1
ing, to take into consideration the late unforttinate I
events at Manchester, his Lordship appointed _this I
day (M inday) for that purpose; and erected a hust-
ings in the Guildhall. in order to accommodate the
different Gentlemen who were likely to attenJ as
Orators on the occasion.
About 10 in the morning, 4.000 or 5,000 people
paraded the streets of the city, with benners and mu-
sic, and in what is called at Manchester martial array,
for they marched in a regular procession of six abreast.
A man preceded them with a large black board on a
pole, on each side of which was inscribed, in white
letters, " Order:: whilst the whole of it was deco-
rated with black crape. The band of music came
"next, making a horrible discord of unmusical sounds ;
1 after which was borne a very large flag, inscribed
iir Magna Charta"—" Trial by Jury"—" Bill of
Rights"— and " Liberty of the Press :' then a yellow
lag, with the inscription, " To the Immortal Me-
mory of the Reformers Killed at Manchester on the
16th of August." The union flag succeeded, inscribed.
" England, Scotland, Ireland similar to that exhi-
bited by the Orator at Smithfield. The whole were
decorated with emblems of mourning. In Coney-
street, the band played " The Dead March in Saul,"
during which the great concourse of people took their
hats off their heads, and, by remaining uncovered,
gave to the spectacle a very solemn and imposing
appearance.
About half-past 11 o'clock. the Committee, accom•
pealed by the Honourable L. DUNDAS, W. BRYAN
Comte, Esq. S. W. Nicoll, Esq. and several other
Gentlemen of respectability, proceeded from Etridge's
Hotel to the Mansion-house. On arriving there they
were loudly greeted by the populace.
Precisely at 12 o'clock, the Right Honourable the
LORD MAYOR opened the business, by stating, that
in c.nsequence of having received a Requisition most
respectably and most numerously signed, he had con-
vened the present Meeting, and requested the Town
Clerk (It TowNeso Esq.l to read the Resolutions.
This was accordingly .tone; after which the LORD
MAYOR said, that from the confidence which he had
that they would all concur in maintaining good or-
r, and would conduct taemselves with the utmost
propriety, he had not placed a single Constable in at-
tendance nor sworn in an additional Special Constable.
He had always seen the greatest order prevalent in
the city, and until he saw something otherwise, no-
thing•of that sort should ever be done. Having thus
briefly opened the Meeting, he intimated to it the ne-
cessity of appointing a Chairman. An universal cry
of " The Lord Mayor to the Chair r immediately
pervaded the whole of the Hall, and his Lordship
took the Chair amid the enthusiastic greetings of the
assembled multitude He observed, that at so nume-
rous a Meeting as-that which he saw before him, there
might be different opinions on the subject; he, there-
fore, hoped, that they would giie every Gentleman
who wished to address them an attentive hearing,
.aid that they would confine themselves to the subject
of the Requisition.
S. W. NICOLt., Esq. (one of Counsel to the City
of York, and also Recorder of Doncaster,) then rose.
He said, that in bringing forward the Resolutions of
that day, it was not his intention to address them as
friends of Parliamentary Reform, or as its enemies,
but as Englishmen, who possessed a free Constitu-
tion, and Who were entitled to the benefit of the Laws,
made equally for the benefit of all—( ). la re-
probatinic the breach made in those Laws- and that
Constitution by the late transactions at Manchester,
all parties must join, since it was only by their -con-
junction that redress could be obtained—(Near). He
trusted, therefore, that they .would, through the pro-
ceedings of the day, carefully avoid whatever might
be a ground of division either there or elsewhere ;
the Meeting at which they were then assembled, it
was not unlikely, might serve as an example to nu-
merous others in the country ; but it could only do so
by avoiding subjects of offence, and by strictly- con-
Ifining itself to that point in which all of them could
i
Icoincide—(Cheers). The Resolutions which he in-
tended to offer to their notice were grounded on a
few facts and principles which appeared to him to be
incontrovertible. The first was,that it was the con-
stitutional right of the People of England publicly to
discuss State grievances, and thereon to address, pe-
tition, or remonstrate, as they might -deem expe-
dient. This was not the right of the high and opu-
lent alone ; it was the right of all; it was the right,
not of 70 or 700 only but of 70,000, or of any num-
bers, who conceived 'themselves aggrieved; it was a
right not to be exercised as suited the mere pleasure
of Ministers, or Magistrates, or Military ; (if it
were so, they might assemble, indeed, to congra-
tulate or approve, but never could assemble to
petition or remonstrate) ; but it was aright toemselves, be
exercised at the pleasure of the People th
uncon6ned and unrestrained, so long as disorder
or excess was not committed by them. In the nest
place, he held that the Meeting of the 16th August
was in strict pursuance of the above right—it was for
a lawful purpose. This was clear from the nature of
the notice. The people assembled peaceay, nd
nothing tending to disorder had occurred, or wais
likely to have occurred, when the violent irrigation
of the Volunteer Cavalry took place. Much aar
been said, and pretences had been held out, dais!
and military array. What was this military array .
The people walked in ranks, as is usual on most
every occasion of solemnity. Freemasons walked al
rank Hear)--Friendly Societies walked in ranks
s-v
-4fleA —the Cosporition of their city Walked
malts. as there auy thing classing or destructive
of the peace in such processions? Nu ;4t was simply
for the sake of more solemn efect. The story -

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