The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-03-27 00:00:00

T; iE sTATESMAN.

•
ram at twelve o'clork. where be saw large hands of
wen training by revtlur leaders. 71w ev,.!euve of
Slasweroars ilt•rwood, and Mw: ray, was not in coot radii--
don to that of ut,a.l • it Th
Chatiwirk ;0.0 S:1;411.1f rail:HP:4l4llf 01111alisl:osililifillnillleiarirgli;
him called a sloy. The Jury had heard Mortar himself
deseribr the ill-treatment be; haul received : they obliged
hint to abjure his allegiance, and administered the form
of aa omit to that effect; after which he was let off with
two additional blows. They 14441 heard that one nuan,
ago actin: as a leatles, awl' forieuril the party into a
square for the purpose of reading a letter which had
been received from Jlanrhrster, was afterwards seen
heading a party to the meeting. It next appeared, that
the procession to the meeting., in which Mr. Hunt was,
had stopped before Mr. Murray's door. for the purpose
of booting and hissing, and some of them cried omit,
“ No White muss limithiegs." The hissing before Mur-
ray's door was proved by the respeetakle testimony of
Mr. Toss, and of Hr. Smith; lust Mr Tye, went farther,
and he (Mr. Scarlett) was :;fail that Mr. Tvas bad been
promisee:l ; tor lie had understood, since he canoe to
York, that lee was a respectable young gentleman. who
hail distinguished himself eonsiderably at the rniversitv
of Cambridge. Mr. Tyas's evidence proved the hissing
near the polire-office. The Learned Connsel then pro-
ceeded to state the training at Tantlle-hills, and the cir-
cumstance of liamford's giving direetions to his divi-
sion, on setting oat fur Manchester, to keep order, and of
his haying distributod laurel leaves to the [redress. Why
was it necessity to command them to he orderly, unless
they is:lda disaiesitio• to he otherwise? .The defandaila
bate also graced their cause bythe evidence ofMr.J.ficliel-
fiellf,thedissmoingrlergynean.Hewonld say me hing more
of bane than asking whether be could be beliet ed on his
oath--he who could not recollect whether he had
written fur the Ahrnritexter Obarrrer or not, or what he
had written'? lie (Mr. Scariest) hail called seventeen
nit:wows, respectable men, men of property in Man-
chester. who all proved that they felt alarmed fur the
state of the town ; locked, their acts hail proved their
salami, fur they had taken precautions to guard against
the apprehended sitisehief. Bamford himself seemed to
have the -aim feeling, by the orders which he haul given
to keep quirt. Fie (Mfr. Seeded) gave credit to the
reeling% of those who conceived that Manchester was in
danger if that meeting continued together. Lord
Gordon. at the ia•ail of 111,000 persons, over whom be
had itithence, eras nut able to restrain them, and he
was only acquitted of high treason from his peaceable
istessisetts. So wools, Me. Hoot now be, if he bad been
indicted for high trspsyn. The Lord Mayor of London
was preset-toed for Itut having dispersed the Gordon
molt, even hefore 'any riot bad been committed. It was
notteeessary for hint to say any more on this point. His
holy object was to vindicate the character of that high-
spirited siagistrate, Mr. Hulton—than whom a more
charitable and humane man did not exist in the
roomy where he lived. Ile bad not sworn that
stinks and stones were thrown at the cavalry, but
that it appealed to hint they were raised up. Wo.
men anti children had mixed in Lord George dordon's
averting ; but that was proved to he illegal, and to must
every meeting be which was calculated to inspire terror
and alarm in his Majesty's peaceable subjects. It was
laid down by Mr. Serjeant Hawkins, in his Pleas of the
Crown. that to commute an illegal meeting an act of
riot or violence was Lot necessary. Any meeting calcu-
late., to intimiel.se was illegal. Why had not the defend-
ant shown that the here was lawful ? And here he
shoot.' observe, that one of the zreatest causes for alarm
was His mystery with which the trainings were con-,
dilated. k berm said there thee meeting asigembleil to '
uisruss political 44.•sti . Was it to he supposed that
political science, as jt lead been called, could he consider- ,
ed by an assembly of 50,000 persons: Did not Mr. Hunt
state to the people that it was " a tremendous meeting?"
Did not two of the witnesses prove that he used this ex-
pression? M rilunt was for two hours mini tei eg a respect-
able gentleman from Slanchester. to show that he had not,
iu speaking of the projected meeting of the 9th of
August, made nse of the word " adjourned," but that he
had adopted the word " postponed." The evidence,
however, proved that he had used both these words. The
legality of the mertinz, at common law, was to be de-
, tided 'ley the circ ttttt stances connected with it. slr.
Hunt had defended the meeting as no less legal than an
assionhly of citizens in Pallier-yard. The meetings in
Palace-) aril were /if a deseription that was well known
to the Constitution. The meeting. at Manchester, on the
other hand, was convened by some secret committee,
assisted Icy 'dr. Ilunt. The broad question for the Jury
to deride was, whether this was, or was not, a lawful
assembly ? He contended that the intention of Mr.
Heat was, either to call on the people to meet for the
election of a member to serve in Parliament, as hat! been
done at Birmingham, or else to pass such resolutions as
were agreed to at Solidified in the month of July. If
they were of opinion that the parties had tithe• object
in view, then the meeting was clearly illegal. But, even
independent of that, if the mode of assembling, if the vast-
, mess of numbers, if the system of organization which ap-
, ',eared conspired to impress terror on the ttt i t ids of peace-
able men, it was an unlawful meeting. The next matter for
dirk eonsideration would be the part which each of the
deli mslausts took in the transaction. With respect to
Al:•. limo, no doubt whatsoever could be entertained.
Ile appeared to be the grand mover tit the whole
tuseleitie. With respect to Johnson, they found him
with Sir. Fluent at the hies:: age, and there proposing him
as rhairman. A very remarkahle conversation, which
i took plan with Johnson, was also detailed by two of
the witnesses. Evidence was, however, given by two
I persons, who declared that they would not believe the
' wifeless, Willie, on Isis oath. Slater, 011 e of the wit-
! arises. was a publican •, and Willie a butcher, a total
i stranger to Johnson. Johnson happened to go to Sla-
ter's whit:. Willie Cr.,, there, and the conversation turned
on the losiness of the approaching Ilith of August. Had
any one rontrailicted the fact. that such a conversation
had taken plan? No; hot two persons, a botcher and
a Litiller, were seed for express from Manchester, who
st ited that they did not believe Willie un his oath.
I I% illic swore that he had a certain conversation witis
Johisson, and, leaving totoutioned it to smile person, it
name io the ears of the magistrates, stint sent for
his. It appeared that he WAS watched, and, as hr re-
tetracil fr the magistrate's, Johnson wilt a servant
after him, to call him into his shop. Willie's !ei-
detic.. .ittlit 'wittily proved that Johnson had a previous
Limo ledge .1 the meeting, and that hr had said " They
cc outs' bring styli nemilwrs together as would enable them
to set at non flit any soldiers that might he brought
against them." Moorhonse, it also appeared, was with
Mr. Hunt. He had gone to Smedley-cottage, and had
also accompanied Mr. Hunt to the longings. At the
Stockport meeting he told the people to attend at Man-
chester on the 16th, and to bring end) them as many of
their friends as they could. Moorhoesse, on the morning
of the Itith, set out with his coach from Stockport, and,
in the lit of this eight mile stage, lie stopped and wa-
tered his horses for half an hour. Was not the object of
this delay to wait for the procession, and to arrive re-
gtdarly with it ? Moorhonse went on, and was hailed
by Mr. Hunt opposite the Exchange. He got into the
baronche, and they approached the hustings in the same
earriage. Moorlionse, he therefore argued, was a
principal part in this design. It would he for the
.bury to considered whether be was not the person
who chiefly incited the Stockport people to anted the
meeting. He next Case to Wilde, whom they found
diret•siii; the people to lock arm-ia-arm round the

',listings. Dr. Ilealey, it appeared, was elso there.
!,Isacrliceheitii pllii, c.tsi:ic
tihinnikeritg
it would
asuld tbeheiproper to allow men to
pleased, to hear what
they pleased, sod to deliver any sentiments they liked.
He hail now merely to call their attention to the
rticular points they lied to consider. Ist, Whether
assembly was an mil:whit one; and, nest, what
ar.t. the respective individuals took in it. If great
art
1d.% of people were to he congregates! together
pm all quarters, it would be better to give up the
power rather than retain it, when it threatened pc-
' ell?na consequences tsitheir persons and properties. lie
was, however, of opinion, that the law, as it now existed,
was powerful enough to repress disorder. He hoped
the Jury, by their verdict, would thew that it was, and '
that no twelve Englishmen would be found to say that
such a meeting, assembled under such circumstances,
and in such a manner, was, or ought to be, tolerated
by law.
Mr. Justice II MET proceeded to address the Jnry.
He would he as hrief as possible in adverting to the me-
rits of both sides of the question. And, in the first place, 1
he earnestly entreated of them to dismiss entirely from
their 'Moils carry feeling connected with political or
party question, and not to take into consideration what
the consequences of their verdict might be, but merely
to consider what verdict, according to the evidence,
they were hound to give. Ile would, in this case, lay
entirely out of the question the conduct of the military
and the Magistrates. The great point fur ronsisleration
was the conduct of the crowd on this occasion ; and as
dm arts of the Msegistrates, of the military, and of the
constables, might create a prejudice in their minds, he
had cautiously abstained from suffering them to he in-
vestigated or entertained in the course of the trial. If
the ease justly admitted of doubt, they would give to
the defendants the benefit of that doubt, and pronounce,
with respect to them, a verdict of acquittal. Ile was sa-
tisfied, that if the evidence imperiously called on them
to romp to a different conclusion, they wonted come fear-
lessly to that conclusion. Ilia idea was, that the inquiry
should he conducted in such a nay, as, if possible, to
give even the defendants themselves satisfaction as to the
mode in which it was carried on; so that, if a verdict of
guilty was recorded against them, they might have au
opportunity of saying that their trio was an impartial
one. After these very few preliminary observations, he
should proceed to point out to the Jury the nature of
tile present indictment. 1; contained a charge of con-
spiracy; of union flit assembly—of riot. lint on the
puhjeet of the charge of riot, he woold not propound to
them any oliser v.:thins, because he concei% ell that the
consideration of the other charges alone remained fur them.
On the subject of indite lul assemblies, Mr. Serjeant liaw-
lius's opinion %VIVI, " that a great number of people,
meeting under visit circumstances as cannot hut en-
danger the public pearl, and raise fears and jealousies;
among the icing's subjects, was au nulais fill ;ism-tidily."
And lie addin v:i, as an exemplification of his opinion,
" persons meting together arches!, in a it arli kr moor er."
That, however, was not essentially necessary to consti-
tute an unlawful assembly. Taking. :ill the circum-
stance together, if's meeting " endangered the public
peace," noel tendril to " raise fears and jealousies among
his Majesty's sitbjectic," it was an an unlawful assembly,
although the people dill nut appear armed. There-
fore, one of the questions the Jury would have to
decide uas, whether the meeting now under consideration
consisted of such numbers of people. and was called tugether
under such ciretanttanees, as could not but endanger the
public !relict. ! It might be. that, in a tery large assembly.
there were ream persons entirely innocent of any inipreper
',object. He liedito hesitation in stating, that it was Dot he-
rinse a meeting was composed of (10.tM persons. or bees use
it was a body containing womea and children, that therefore
it web an unlaw fel assetuhlt • Bert in an assembly so con-
illifnied, and met for a perfectly legal purpose. !flity Indivi-
duals introduce it themselves illegally in order to give to that
meeting as undue direction. which world produce terror in
the minds of his Majesty's subjects, although b 9,00 persons
out of a meeting offi0.1•10 were completely innoeent, yet there
might be It or till illegally met there. an,: hose 12 or%) would
be liable to be tried on the ground collies inz illegally assembled.
With respect to the subject of rust:Tie:try. it was necessary
to observe that the defendants were red liable to hr found
guilty. although they were seeking the same end, if the
Jury were not of opinion that they were acting in purstianee
of one common design• with the privity of all. If. in this
case, the Jury should be of opinion that these per,,ois could
sot hose come together in the way described, without a pre-
sinus meeting between the parties, that was stillieient et I-
, dence of a preconcerted plan. hot if the Jury were of opi-
nion that they might have met together by accident, without
pr..vious arrangement. then the charge of conspiracy must
be dismissed from their minds. In considering the matter
of conspiracy, they must look to the case of earth defendant,
and sec with which of the defendants he conspired. The
fact of assembling did not stand on the same ground, I
be-
cause, if iii such a meeting as that, twelve persons as-
se-tabled for unlawful purposes, those twelve might be found
guilty of illegally assembling, though there was no previous
j conspiracy. In deciding this ease', they would take all the
attending circutustances Kato consideration. Oise of these
circumstances was, the appearance Ii; i;:r parties as if they
had been drilled. With respect to banners, their illegality
did not extend to every man present at the meeting, but only
to those particular persons who adopted these hauliers, and
the sentiments inscribed on them. So also in the case. of
drilling. It could only affect those who knew that drilling
was practised for illegal purges is.
The Learned JI'DGE theta proceeded to recapitulate the
voluminous evidence adduced in the course of tail interesting
' trial, briefly commenting on it as he went on. it nes given,
he observed. In evillence, that Moortunise was a relicions
lean, and constanth read the Bihie to his family—a fact
stated to Induce the inference that he would not be !.rullty of
an illegal or immoral act. It was also stated. that Mrs.
toloorhouse, though in the family way. went threueli Me
crowd; and It was putt likely. if danger had been 'ppm-
heurled.that her husband would have permitted her nu attend.
With respect to persons walling in the military step, to
which sisters' witnesses bad sworn, it could not affect the
persons charged, sinless they were proved to have been
cognizant of the fact. As to the cap of liberty. It was one
of the insignia of the Crown; and when the King wen: to
Parliament. an cMcer of State always bore it before him.
It did not, therefore, of tiec•-ssity. wren any thing seditinas.
With respect to any stoppage of business occasioned by the
meeting, it was positively sworn by a great mass of esidenee
for the defendants, that it was not at all interrupted : and,
certainh. if any Interruption of business had taken iii/ler, in
a greet town like Manniiester, it would have been easy to
have called es idence to that fact. . . ... ..

The Learned Ji:11611 has lug proceeded throfigh the evidence
Riven on the fir4t three dace. and the hour having arrived at
which the Court usually adjourned, said to the Jury, that he
would desist. and adjourn the Court if he fatigued them.
The Court then adjourned till kloada) at 9 o'clock.