The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-10 00:00:00

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object, and obliged to seek mischief elsewhere, lie
spat a elan „slimed 'JII9Oo tpoorar itor mil of
wart, to Haley ind? tlisafood, etem, with e
message, entreating ilyet; totter/on as many pelt, es
they eneld its St. Giforget'silleilest:lhey. piid ot the
slightest attention to his invitation. The fellow was
net set satiSfretimppeteiveeetVely ',totted trise
on to still farther (mention: Op the '}4th of
March, notwithstandilig Tip could
.geif itabOdy to
unite with Mtn to *ilia mtveritotaiteitri*
he determined Mill 'to till lout ItifreleeihetilettliVig.:'
He went to two turesolis,"tiliff broidlrpipoied
them to set fire to the inawaVa'crorlei 'it Menthes.
:ter ; but they rejected ties• diabolical scheme. Ile
then wanted (hem to go said attack Potter's fac-
tory, end said he wield aecompany them, and if
siessild stickby Imi he vrolild set fire to
it litinaself—at the same time producing, from under
his coat,* crowbar to aid his perpdse. The people
whom be asked refined again to join him in his plans.
Dohorst, Lomas, Waddington, end other Spies,
Liessk all the pains they could to get introduced, and
form an acquaintance with the persons known to be
imaged in promoting Parliamentary Reform.—
They got introduced to a man named Sellers; and
less' a circumstance occurred which may explain
~hat was lonnerly eo Inuchd welt upon-1 mean the
latanefactore of large 'knives at this tithe, for this
,Selters was' strongly .reensmthended to make, end
procure to be made, as mahy knife.handles as he
possibly could. Tinny contrived at length to get up
a meeting, but not more than 10 or 12 cn'ild be got
ingether, on the 17th•of March. This meeting was
deelared too *small to go to- work. Another was
held on the 23d, but only twelve or fourteen as-
gonmed—shis again would not do, and Deburst of
•bie- awn authority -appointed the Meeting for the
fflith, and it was recommended to be held after dark,
•illeleisrst said, that it 'was clear nothing now would
4ide-but-ph yeical force. Oa returning to Middleton,
be said that he knew a house in Manchester where
1,000 guineas were concealed, and they could be had
reise moment after the attack. He further og4'dt that
*ben they had this meney they could either eppiy it
,te•promote the general object, it that should appear
advisable, or escape with it out of the country. lie
also said he knew an old lady on an adjoining green,
whose house Was full of valuable plate, and
that if they had this (which would be easily done) it
weeld Set things ageing pretty well for them. The
Wileittle to whom this intimation • was made, re-,
*tad the proposal with horror, and finding
he bad gone a little too far, 6401%1" said he, " it is
all a joke; I dld'nt 'lean any such thiug." The
people, thus perpetually- reminded Of these burnings
',end plans of mischief, acteally believed that such
''hatters were in preparation, and a great thing was
gained fur those Spies by. habitually reconciling the
People to listen to such desperate projects. I shall
show 'another -attempt to give an air of mystery to a I,
transaction in itself open and free from the imputation
of crime. A Meeting was arranged for subseqeently
convening a large public one. One of these Spies,
however, proposed, that all persons should toot be
permitted to commune with this preparatory Meeting
—that it ought to be select; and for this purpote
recommended that pieces of paper should be cut '
Into a. triangular 51)4pe, and then cut into two ,
pieces, one man to hold one, and the person coming
to the Meeting to present the other) Wei by com-
paring the one piece with the other, it would be seen
whether the visitor had permissions to be present:— I
Sellers declined having any thing to do with this paper
editing, and said that he would never attend any
aseetingvagain, said would recommend his friends to
follow the same course. • Duhurst finding, as well
as his brother spies, that nothing could be done,
complained bitterly to Hutton, whom he had em.l
ployed to carry messages to mod fro, that he had ,
spent his last shilling, and that the People would not
tome forward and meet like men. The People were
it this time tired of meetings, and had acteslly given
them up whets these spies were vent down to en-1
courage them to go on.—[llear, hear!]—Wadding-
ton repeatedly exclaimed, that the People welter set
of d—d soft foods, and would not 'come forinird.—
Duhurst subsequently got some persOus to go with
him to the Royal Oak; and told some people there
1 that Helton' of New Mills, had beets to view the
baracks, and had laid down a plan for an attack on
them. Another individual went by persuasion to the
George and Dragon Inn, and was dragged into a
room by Duhurst—to some persons there assembled,
Duhurst affirmed he had received papers from Lon.
don, acquainting him with intended meetings, to
'Consist of a hundred thousand, mid in another in.
stance of seventy thousand persons. The individitel
alluded to answered, • I don't believe it.' •Ditherst
he'd show lettersthe either* continued, 'if you
kehow a hundred letters, I won't belleye it.' • On
another occasion, Waddington told a man named
Ryegate, of a Meeting to be held; when' 60 or 70
abousand persons would be present. • Ryegate
he did not believe it.' I shall not go any nuttier
into the facts of this case. I bate said quite
enough to show the mischievous conduct of these axe-
I treble agents; and that as far as regards this petrol
the country,' nothing lite a case had been made out
'for the Suspensions of she Hibeas Corpus. Not.
.withstanding all the efforts 'of 'these reisettfints,
sot more than ten or eleven perstint Were ar-
rested ; and what is extraordinary, not an actual
trench of the peace occurred. Waddington
and Lome were taken into .cuatody •by the Maids-,
'hates but discharged nest day. It is tree inform.
4ons were given of the 'ellsteuee of a traitotoes•con-
411ney—of meetings. of Persons calling themselves
draigitles—of a grand rising for the loth' 'of March,
ertd.flettthe town wf Manchester Wes the spot fixed
on; but I think it obvious' that without tire efforts'of
spies not one Meeting would have taken place. We
have heard of various meetings in that neighbourhood
for the bight of the 30th, and of the advantage of the
full moon for the porpoise; but with all this psiade,it is
clear that the arresting of 10 or 11 men, including the
'spies, would not account for the aelversil tranquillity
•of the neighbourhood on thistneuifel day.ltis a known
fact, that owthatilay' Manchester', and the other
°suspected towns, were perttoctly quiet. If such an
enquiry be beseoWeel on 'iltesWilteenistancein as their
importance *Nita, ticinee efAhet • SWIM enormity
„twill be &wavered. Hay; itti'elfirer • of the
Quarter Sessions, asserVetl4 tfiat prilefit dfcanspltacy
would be given. 'Where shall we look for them ? is
it in the liberation of all the persons arrested, with-

'PI IF, STAT ES N:1,01

SI CRET COMMITTRE.

out trial, aisdthos entreating to _be tried ? With-
ontanetioint any reflection, I+m bond to declare,
that'tbe People feel convinced the Government was
issposed upon; and if they are not now themselves
We-rounded tley were imposed upon--if they do now
in confidence believe that the accused entertained de-

sigiew trwititt to the 'pearbf thin nig
teneistent with Mat' o.llollto send them back unfet-
tered to their homes. I trust that the facts of this
Petition will be tooted into otieddy, Intl to The
'beltelb. I alit Mete particblirly desirous of this, on
account of the errstety at one Gentleman who lias
sribscribed it, to purity the striae throirs on the cha-
racter of his part of tire country."
The Petition was then brought up and read :-
4. The retitinuers state, that at the time when evil-designs
were imputed to the labouring classes io that neighbourhood,
concealed under the disguise of an ;anxiety to obtain a Reform
in the Representation, not only did those classes exhibit noten-
dency to Insubordination or violence, but sustained with exem-
plary fortitude an unparelleled extremity of dieters—That
without implicating themselves in a defence of the propriety and
prudence of al the political proceeding's of the labouriter classes..
they insure the House, after careful and assithous enquiry, that
their proceedings have been completely misrepresented—That
with respect to the Meeting of the 10th March, fansiliaely called
the Blanket Meeting, nothing could exceed the quietness and
order with which they proceeded to it, and denuded them-
selves during its continuance—That it bad hero •publicly an•
-
nounced several days before, and no intimation given or its im-
puted illegality—That. no attempt was made to disperse it by the
civil power,. but that without warning, and as the Petitioners
believe, without having the Riot Act read (though it isdouhtfol
whether even that Statute could have been legally enforced), the
dragoons, acting under the orders of the Magistrates.
dashed among the multitude, nod compelled ' them to seek
safety in dig*, although the Magistrates at that lime did not
worm the discretionary power over Public Meetings with
which Parliament has since invested them.
•• That between 2ittruid SOU petite's... in the coarse of that and
the preceding day, were wised, and lodged under circum-
stances of great hardship, in a prison which csmaiased before
their arrital nearly three times the number of pewits which it
was originally calculated to receive; mad teat eight of these men
who refined to give bail for their appearance. were committed
to Lancaster Castle, and discharged without trial, after having
been detained there nearly six mauls, among people of the most
profligate description and character. . .
•• That on Saturday, the 49th March, piddle alarm was excit-
ed by an Advertisement from 'the Magistracy and Police of
Manchester, matine • Information. dtc. •
The Petition thither represents, that the Rev. Mr. Hay, I
Stipendiary Chairman of the tiolfiwd Quarter Sa-ssiois; did in
his address to the Grand Jury allude to the subject iu the fol-
lowing terns.—[Here read.) • •
'• Ihe Petitiouer3 express their conviction that this House
will learn with surprise that all the persons arrested. and &sic-
noted as partaken in this adeged conspiracy, have beeisdis-
charged without trial. 'they urge the ditager,• if there be the
aligatest suspicion of their guilt, of restoring men to liberty,
and to the capability of &dog mischief, who ate declared to
base cuaueeted themselves with a design of such atrocious
wickedness ; white, on the other hand, they insist, if there be
no toandation for the views imputed to them. that plaice and
humanity require that they should be publicly 'and legally ac-
quitted.
•• The Petitioners Mate, that the discharge °fame men having
excited their attention, they entered upon an extensive and rigid
enquiry into the grounds co which traitorous designs had been
imputed to them, and the result of their examiuntiou as, a post
live and irrefragible conviction that no conspiraty ever existed,
that no violent designs were in contemplation, or ever propus-
ed, except by. hired Spies awl Informers.
The Petitioners persuade themseivesthat it will afoul great
satisfaction to this.Hease, to leans, that although no Wert was
left untried by these misereaots to ensuare the labouring classes
into acts of riot and insubordiamion. their villainous schemes,
and exhortations addressed to men enduring the severest priva-
tions, have been eminently and uniformly intosteemfol. The
Petitioners represent that daring the early part of last year woe-
turfed and domiciliary visits were frequently made, attended
with the greatest abuse sod inherounity, by the interior agents
of Police. without she exhibition of any warrant or authority.
They state their conviction that she employment of • -pies in the
manner and to the extent to which it has been tweeted inthat
district, is pregnant with conseqdences the molt dangerous to
the tranquillity of the country, and trims an anxiety tat make
the truth known to Parliament, and to siadiente the loyalty of
their neighbourhood, they Wirral the House to institute ao eu..
quiry into the matters contented in their Petitlosa, acid into the
proceedings not only of the lobouriag clones, but of the Magi*:
tract' and Police at Manchester. its neighbourhood. and they
pledge themselves to furnish sack evidence as they believe will
completely establish the conclusion which they have Asenwelses
formed, after a most careful and deliberateeoquiry."
It was ordered to be laid on the-table, and to be
printed.
Mr. PHILIPS begged that it should be sobonisted
to the consideration of the Secret Committee.—[/fear,
hear!)
I SURCHARGES ON FOUR-WHEELED CARRIAGES.

Mr..METHUEN wisbpd to his informed,' whether

the Right Honoutable Gentleman oppot.ite meanitu
afford any relief from the surcharges on Foor-wheeled
Carriage..
The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCHEQUER
replied, that an Act for giving some relaxation of the
Horse. Duty, which passed two year* ago, whold'be
again submitted to the consideration of the House
during the present Session, and that he intended to
introduce into that Act some relief en the subject al-
luded to.

SUPPLY.
The Report• of the Committee of Supply was
brought up mud read.

Mr. BROUGHAM begged to know whether the
Noble Lord opposite could give ant htfOrmatiou as
to the time when the Repot t of the Secret Comolittee

night be expected.
Laid CASTLEREAGH - replied io a very,low
tone of voice. Ile was• underxtood to say, that it
might be expected in 14 day or two at furthest.,
Mr. BROUGIUM hoped, that the Petition from
Manchester, containing se many very inapotientfams,
would be referred to intneciiittely.
ABOLITION OF•TI4K BLAVE TRADE.
Lord CASTIEREAqiyi moved " That the H...,
do testily. itself -into a, Conisittee *of ' the
hose, to take into consideration the Treaty 'COS*
eluded between his Majestrand -the Conrtaf
for the Abolition 'flat Slave Trade."
-On the Speaker's leaving the Chair, •
Lord CASTLEREAGH moved, "That provi-
sion be made for carrying into emotion the Treaty
between his Britanoic Maiesty and his Catholic Me-
jelly, signed nit the 23d September, 1817, for pre-
venting the* soliects 'from 'engaging hi any illicit
traffic in Slaves."-.4tretoport of thit motion, his
Lordship' said, in calling the- attention of the
House to she Treaty under consideration, he was
desirous 'that it shoold be looked at in reference
to the 'Address from the House on the subject;
and with • recollection that that has imposed a
stronger duty on the house and the country to
make every esertion to give effect to their own
recommendations. There was no better mode of ex-
citing the attention of the noon to the ref/elation,
of this Convention, than by showing the state of the
Abolition at the end of 'last Sessiout and the change
that has since taken place. In reference to AO
question of the Abolitiontato distinct questions. arise
First, with respect to th taw of Abolilion io general=
and secondly, the regulations necessary for carrying
into effect the measures _already prottided for the.
Abolition. Looking to the first, the state of the
lair of Abolition, it most be satlsfactOry to the