The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-03-18 00:00:00

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Titreva fi' Nt,
Par-want an a rran glortent made tevenlas.. the I
v n ailenditi:: to repo: t the proceedings or the Trial of
Ilunt, aim the er defendant*, charged with a eon-
si 'cicy . were admitted at a quarter brims. seven This
by the 1: r• den item-, near the toy-e-hridge.
.tr. Stave's- obligingly conducted them into ( mart. and
ai I o4teal florin uitl*tlie front seats of the Atm.-
‘• End waiting-Luxes. Shortly alter teveral
p..varois here admitted into the gallery. and a few indi-
vialoals, principally Solicitors arid conductors of provin-
g nal jenroals, found seats in Hi.. Juries' waiting-hox, and
lase"( six ladies took possession of a small box at the
~ritel of the I ot.rt„ on the right of the Bench. At
oncbt o'cleck a more general admission of strangers took
place, anal tho front seats iu the two galleries were in-
stantly oreupied.•A writ notatiorr of persons immediately
follon .d, till not one inch (groom in either gallery was
unoccupied. The box, which on IVeditestlat was
I—t•rved for the attorneys, anal which is tailed Ibr .1,-
I..rotovs• box, was, on this occasion. appropriated to tier
rcception of lie Magis!rates, wills the exception of the
front seat. which wag orcnpieal, as above stated, lay the
London Reporters. In the rush, however. it oils in-
vaded by malty who had ma claim to sit there. 'flo•st
utcr fortliwi:h informed by the officers of the Court Mar
they mind retire. The mandate was reluctantly albeed
by some, hot others obstinately retained Neil' sears. Sc-
‘eral of these were finally expelled by the order of the
Alagistrates on their arrival.
number of a itneises put down for the preseen-
tion exceeded eighty r for the defence one hundred anal
three. It was understood to be the expectation of those
comet-reed in the case• that the evidence for the Cron
might close by three o'clock, if the cross-examinations
di not extent' to an nrinsual length. At all events, it
was istended that the prosecution should close in tine
day; anti it was rorjectured that the whole proceedings
might heiwoughr to a termination in the course of Sa-
%ureic.
Tim; defendants' witnesses. in two bodies, ming
to one hundred and forty men, marched from itoclolaie
11;y the way of Huddersfield and Halifax. They joined
tit Leetl+, where they slept. They carried two banners,
inscribed • The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing
bin the Truth.- They were well entertained uti the
road gratuitously by the Reformers, and supplied with
/nonce to maintain them in York. and billets are pros ided
fir them on their return.
At a quarter before nine, Messrs. Hunt, 3100rhoutt%
Saxton, Jones, Wilde, anti Healey entered the Court,
and took their seats at the table. They were afterwards
~.fined by all the other defendants included in the in-
cicttnent, with the exception of Knight, who is in cun-
t rement at Lancaster.
At nine o'clock, the Judge (Mr. Justire BAYLEY) took
has sent ou the Bench, and immediately the cause of the
king r. Henry Hunt, Joseph Johnson, John Knight,
James Muurimuse, Joseph Healey, John Thacker Sax-
ton, Robert Jones, Samuel Bamford, lietarge Swift, and
Hobert Itilde, was called on.
The names of the Special Jurors were then called over
bs the proper officer—ten only aosnered, a tides ass
den prayed, and the following lientlemen were sworn:
Wm. Hull, or Horne. Esq. Fran is Robson. Esq.
Win. Cheater, Esq. Timothy Hutton, 1:14.
James Barker, Esq. George Barwick, Lay.
John Hutton. Erti. John (*hada it*. Esq.
pro. Atkinson. juu. F.sq. tll illiana Selby, lay.
T•LtS LION.
Senpaus Bromley Warne Addy.
' The Jo.on tsarinp been 'wows—
La consequence of the extremely crowded state of the
Court, thtJudge found it necessary to direct some of
die defendants, also dial not conduct their own cases, to
retire from the table. This *as accomplished with great
difficulty. Mr. Hunt having declared, that lie and his
fellow defendauts were ready to acquiesce in any ar-
rangements that the Court night suggest.
Mr. Hove informed the Court, that he was retained
fur John Thacker Saxton alone: and Mr. BAIIIAiID an-
nounced himself to be retained for the defence of Moor-
tome and Jones.
Mr. Lirri.coaut opened the pleadings by reading the
iedictenent. The crowded state of the Court having
drain created some difficulty,
Mr. LIVNT said, lie hail to suggest that which would
rake sonic room. He had to request that all the wit-
nesses forth, Crown then in Court might be ordered to
withdraw.
The witnesses on both sides were imniediately ordered
to leave the Court, and retire out of sight and out of
heariug. They basing withdrawn,
the suggestion of Mr. Hunt, it was ordered by
the Judge, that all witnesses found in Court, after the
esWce now publicly given by the Crier, should be pre-
'Laded from offering evidence on either side.
Pram. firer and PCARaON said they wished no ex-
ception to he made.
t was inquired if there were any objections on the
pert of the defendants to Mr. Maule, the Solicitor fur
Nee Treasury, being present?
hoar said, certainly not and lie apprehended
that on the other side there could be uo objection to
n!r. Pearson's remaining in Court.
The JUDOS remarked, that those professionally con-
corned in the proceedings might remain.
Mr. ScsaLsrr said, it could hardly be hoped that any
one of the Jury was wholly unacquainted with souse of
the principal features of that case which became his
July to bring under their consideration. Various re-
ports of the cimuoistaoces had been circulated all over
the country, and it was not to he supposed that some of
these find not fallen into their bands. The la this
might be a subject of regret, he bad the'
confidence that the Jury be had now to address, as wet
as from a Correct understandissic of the important duty
which they had to discharge, In deciding betwein the
defendants anti the Crown, throw all that they had pre-
viously beard wholly oust of their thoughts, lie con-
jered them to dismiss from their minds all prejudices,
favourable or unfavourable, that they might have con-
ceived, and, as far as was in their power, to forget any
such previous conception, and treat the whole case ac-
cording to its merits, whatever these might appear to
be, from the evidence that would be brought before
them. For himself, he was glad that this question was
at length to be tried before a Special Jury of Yorkshire-
men. He rejoiced in this circumstance, because the
Jury before whom it was brought could hardly by pos-
siLlity be influenced by any local or personal consider-
ations that might elsewhere have interfered pith the
due administration of justice. Had the choice been left
to him, he knew not
talrsret of men to whom he would
ve more cheerfully ha ed the case than to a Jury of
that county. ON the poet of the country,therefore, he, for
one, feltrfectl3r satiafied with the result of the dell-
s;on which had been; come to on this subject: and it
afforded him sloe*, gratification to have the honour of
addressing a body omen who could not in any way be
•led aside from their duty, by local fears, prejudices, or
rosineetions. They must all be aware that the chargh
preferred against the present defendants grew out of a
Prelim, which took place in the county of hancaster, in
the month of August last. The defendants were charged
with holding anti assisting at an illegal meeting—a meet-
isqr, the object of which was to inspire alarm and terror
in the minds of their fellow-subjects. It was necessary
to detail certain circumstances which had

for hilt'

THE SI

TRIAL OF MR. lICNT
I I preceded Go-meeting al!udelyo, and three woola for-1
themsees. maw:- et cicharge against the ,teried-
AND OTHERS. lv
[int,. and. it/ the same time, reflect light tou other parts;
lof their .'we.!uct. '11‘... di fen:lams rile proved to hate!
; planned assent*. of puldie meetiegs: if it should be!
: shorn that to change the law of the land by foice had
been in contemplatiour either in the beginning or in the
progress of these meetings, they would lie responsible ,
to their country. It was undoubtedly the right of the ;
• people of England. in any particular place, to hold
. public meetings for the purpose of taking into their
consideration alleged grievances, and to ask for the re-:
dress of them. The right to bold such local alerting.
was among the most valued privileges of British inb-
jects. But those meetings were unknown to the Consti-
tution—unknown to the practice of former times, and 1
unknown to.the 14w of England, which were called for
the purpose of un:ting for one r object all parts
of the nation. and which, antler pretence of seeking for
relief from alleged grievances, went to inspire terr.w
and alarm. If the Inhabitants of any county should
consider that they were aggrieved by evils that were
peculiar to their district, they had a right to meet for
the purpose of petitioning the Throne, or one or both of
the Houses of Parliament. for their repeal. But it was
not a part of the law and the Constitution of the land;
it never had been, and he trusted that it never would be
a part of them, that 'the inhabitants of any particular
place sl Id pours. the right of calling on all the
people of England, to meet at one given time, and at
one particular place, for discussing the grievances of
which they might complain, and of coming to resolu-
tions on the remedy which they, in their wisdom, might
think ought to he' adopted. such, be would repeat it,
never hail been the law, amt such. he would comma,
never could be the law, and be would tell the Jury why
it could not. No man could deny that the physical
power of a country rested with thi people, awl those
who, like sante of" the present defendants, contended,
that all ri,zlit and all power came originally from the re-
solutions of the people ;—they who, referring bark to a
very early period of our history, found in such resolu-
tions the grounds of our Constitution--they. eoutending
that the people hail thence a right to inert too mew.
proved that susli meetings must be contrary to laws—
they, if they could suppose all the people in England
assembled on some important occasion, on one great
plain, to pat forth their claims, must, in recognizing
such an assembly, admit as a consequence, that in suck
a Case all Constitutional power, and all the functions of
the State would return to the original mass. It fol-
lowed then that if so vast an assembly—an assembly
possessed of such mighty powers were convened
ti adopt measures for the general good, that it would
re% the functions of the constituted authorities, and
the whole form of the tiovernment would be dissolved.
Ileiwe, then, it followed. that the people meeting of their
own free rill, or obedient to the call of some aspiring
demagogue. to suite for any general purpose, and not
for the remedy of any local or peculiar evil—it followed,
he would maintain, that such a meeting, absorbing all
law, never could be a legal assembly. If a ease were
supposed of which modern times 'Worded no example,
like that of Athens, where thirty thousand citizens form-
ed the State, and where it was theit established rule to
meet occasionally for the purpose of re-modelling their
lasts. then the powers of the Government being con-
stantly with the people themselves, such a proceeding
sn'orhi not be at variance with the Constitution under
which they lived. lint even at Athens, though inch
extensive powers were exereked by the citizens, the
greawr part of the population was doomed to unre-
lenting slavery, and were allowed no voice in the public
debates. The character of the meeting from which the
present cliatge had sprig he would now invihteilso.
Jury to investigate. The right of the people of England
to meet and discuss their peculiar grievances lie had al-
ready admitted. This was a privilege which from an-
cient usage they had a right to claim, and he trusted
that no factious disturber—that no sanguine ilemagogne,
and no piddle alarmest would ever be able to shake that
right fur which our ancestors had fought and bled, and
which lie hoped we should know how to preserve and
to hand down to our posterity. The Jury would pre-
sently see low far these wholesome principles of liberty
had been acted upon by the defendants. Of the course
which Mr. Ilnnt hail taken we need not say much, for
the notoriety be had gained left little doubt as to the
very prominent part which he had acted. The others
were more obscure, and lie would therefore tell the Jury
who they were. He then read over a description of the
several callings of the defendants, and proceeded to show
that they were all connected, in some sort of way, In a
general scheme for altering the Laws and I 'ffiistitation
of the country. To commence with Mr. Hunt, it ap-
peared that fie had, some time in the th of July,
isle, assisted at a meeting held in Smithfield, by whom
assembled it was not now their business to inquire. At
thud meeting certain resolutions were passed, the object
of which was to inculcate on the people of England that
the time was mow come when some extraordinary and
efficient measures should be taken to remedy the tails
14 hich were then the subject of complaint ; when, in fact,
something like a Provisional Government should be es-
tablished, to annul those laps which were passed with
the concurrence of that boil at present called the Home
of Commons. It appeared that Mr. Hunt and the party
with him proposed resolutions that came to that in sub-
stance. Among them were two that went to assert that
the people were not bound to obey the liws framed
Parhaimmt, as at present constituted. The rub/floe
body assembled at Smithfield proceeded to declare
the people of England were not bound to pay the to
imposed, nor obey tbe laws at present in force, trs
such a Parliament should be procured as met with
approbation of those by whom the resolutions just meg-
tioned had been framed. He alluded to the proesedift
in Smithfield for no other purpose than to thew Ohs
of Mr. Hunt's Wog
,7:17:77.1 n 7tVoing ie
Bth of August a meeting. was called of the : pelt,
Manchester, for the purpose of taking into coos
thou certain public grievances—to discuss the best lied,
of obtaining a Parliamentary Reform, and to cheese a
representative to be returned by that meeting to sltAn
the House of COOIIIIOIII as their Legislatorial Attorney.
This, he thought, lutist strike every one, as a measure
that did not fall any thing short of the highest nide-
meanour. Acting thus, they at once renounced all bro,
and set the authority of the King himself at noughtr.by
which alone, in the early periods of our Constitutioh.
all Parliaments were called together. It was keeiri
that in other time% Parliaments were wholly regal.*
by the will of the Crown. It was only after the
of of many ages, and favoured by a variety of happylit
dents, that England became possessed of that ps
deliberative assembly now seen in the House of -
mons. On the Bth of August, it appeared then that r.
Hunt made his appearance in the neighbourhoothilof
Manchester. He was met at a place nine miles di t
from that town, and conducted by Johnson, anoth of
the defendants, to Stockport. Ou the morning of
9th, it will be found that they were together
proirress towards Manchester, with, as ir ben
Wolselev in their company. He coOld prom,
words used by Hunt himself, as well as from bill
about the town of Manchester, that the mee •
for the purposes before specified had been prohl
the Magietes as illegal, and the people were' .I
hidden to attewl it. It appearsethat Mr. Hord wog
disappointed, and displeased at the conduct of the people
on that occasion. They had offended him in some sits-

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