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

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'l/4114

eeriest to the intended place of meeting.
awaked for their reception by Bassoord„
house, and Knight. Saxton noel Knight were misplayed
in arranging the mob to receive Hunt. It wouldbei • -
that the Magistrates having taken their station i 4 a
house on the ground, had cstablishesl a line of ess„,.-
hies extending nearly to the hustings. The mob, 1"--
this, dosed so as to form a thick body of men eoaad
the hustings, so as to truant against any attempts".
proach. It was then toneeinesel that the Couaittes4.
sired certain bodies of men forming the Noe to tut
their places at certain distances, and when fir. 16..
arrives!, to open, that lie might pass, and thee .--"'"
diatelv close their rants again. Utley were tante, i.
monished. to " take especial care to admit mas hit
their friends, as their enemies were known to be am*
hand." These arrangements were made with mit
form and regularity; and when the body, at the halo
which was Sir. Hunt, approached, it would be
that he was escorted by men bearing large stick,,
their shoulders. They came four and six a-breast, be„
I ing banners with sliffsrent inscriptions, and moved',
..
troops well sliscipiirial to march. then they dye:
near they were ordered to wheel off, which ther ad silk
the pre. ision of regular troops: atil. naked; all dot
motions indicates{ a considerable :-rne.-;essee in mitnin.
exercises. Mr. Hunt, at the lie.:•1 ~• t:le holy se se'.
1 which be had been de'scribe'd as Ii- t.htte, dam m.
• ceeded to take his plaee on t!..- laating., or clo,,
to them. One banner tans ia•er:lo.d—`• Eunal Yr.
! presentation or Heath." Ile I.:A &it to Jan—,
Inalect what was meant by chi.. It was it fotf,a,
then to !PO into the question of Parliamentare le.
farm. tin that in hiPet Irally lionistsrahle toil ..
Itriotic on differed from Barb other. Rut el:al
neon
ever varieties of opinion nught exist on this 'dire,
I there a-as no Lemma: us sti who would not resist tom,.
iunity rather than countestance arty atteuyt to aket tie
I Constitution by force. Hut did test the motto, e Equi
~
. nepresetitation or Death,' go to intimate that the Fa.
ties composite the mesemg were deferiained to obeit
equal representation, or death it ottlsi ensue? bid it to
in effect 'Sr. flea' those who displayed the banner es..
sislered e ithal represantation to hr with them so far ,
?lot .cos a-a. that they were determined to nhtais it Lc
fore. or perish. Aii.ith..r bawler Mit inscribed, s a:,
Corn Laws.- lie coma, anted o:, this, and &hewed tla
extreme danger sit exhibiting' such a motto helm ,
lumaitside like that assembled at Manehestet of lON
1 moons at least ; hut, according to 90111 C Statrlllerl4tilit
I meeting consisted of hat fewer than I.lo,ltimponest
. Ought the people. at a period of esieb severe diens% t.,
he thus inflamed ? Let them meet to call fora lefene
if they would; but was it to be endured that threshes!:
assemble in such immense multitasks, to dictate ee
, 1 measures which they wished to see adopted, mil !Jo.
dare thee it tl:at which they demanded were ed tot-
! ceded, ttiey would accept of nothing else. lit kist
1 : touched on the three items of Parliamentary iteitatie
versa' Suffrage, Animal Parliaments, and tattle bile.
. I
. : To the Jnry he subiuitted, that the weavers, shied"
land cotton•spinners, by whom these sondes site
. i agitated, were not the most competent judges of thee:
frets of those changes which they wished to istrosaar,
, I into the Clinetinttion. He showed. that the people. ma
made dissatisfied on these subjects, ascribed to the yak
1 of the recommended changes all the cells with which
Providence might afflict thew, till they supposed the
measure which they called for, and that alone, the paw
cea for every cal:unity. The folly of the mob, is teat
respects, he instanced, by referring to the metiers
which took place, and the complaints which were raised.
when it teas foned necessary to alter ow calmly.. Be-
cause eleven days were added to the dale of the day on
which the change took place, many had tbsmakans to
Irepine, as if they had been actually- robbed ti Attur
days. lingarth, in allusion to this suhjed, had set
i felicitously pictured the absurdities of the mob, by o
presenting them in one of his pictures, as throeine it
their hats, and franticly calling out, " (jive askant.
' eleven days." There was about the same degree arra
I son in this cry, as there was in that of " Annual Parte-
went% Universal Suffrage, and Vote by Ballot' In
he had not yet done pith the banners. Anotherdins
was inscribed, " Let us die like men, and set be odd
like slaves." Who, he wished to know, had betoulin
or attempting to sell the people of Royston, aim
Middleton, and the other places which that day peered
their thousands into Manchester. lie, fur his part, had
heard of no selling for slaves, or any thing of the kis/
What, then, was the object of exhibiting such sham!
One flag was surmounted, by a pike, and another prethe representation of a dagger. What did these stns
hot this (though no man liad the courage sad asdatin
to say it with his lips), that such instruments 'eighth
useful—height procure the Reform wanted to beach&
people? but our laws did not teach that any tech timid
he need to reform the English Constitution. Whim
this meeting of the 16th August? Was it a atedisc. d
the town of Manchester? of the county of Lancaster:l
any particular trade? No; Was it rallied by saynernd
connected with the town ? No; What, then, eat tk
object—what, then, was the purpose, for which it
meeting was called ? These were questioae m whirl
the Jury would have to dire -t their swat It i
ous consideration. He must submit, that it edit
only he for the purpose of inspiring terror sal dew
and he would put it to them, if any man if rpmq
could without alarm behold such bodies if 11,11111%
shoemakers, cotton spinners, and other mecheMilli
labourers, as moved on Manchester on the lab di*
gust, with all the threatening characteristics of ss i*
eliding army. Could such assemblies be lurid ba,
country where laws were framed for the protedisa •
property? If they could, it might he well that ifr
should dispense with the laws altogther. It was Met
Mille for such meetings to be tolerated. WetelbclS7
continued, they would compel the Oovernmestlsew
tail a larger military force, than any friend tehilltrt
try could ever desire to see in England. WM?:
the civil power do in such cases, without the aid
military ? What could the 2011 constables of Itrui7l
ter do against a mob of Aft-Pitt men? Ti,. tilS
finding the mob increase, as it did on the 16t
knew not how far its ramifications might Hued•
could they be certain that the people of Binsisg.•
Coventry, and Preston, were not coining dews 110'
I them, as well as the Reformers of Rochdale, MirlattiA
and Oldhain ? The Magistratel in consequeecebr:
alarmed, and properly alarmed, for the safety L..
propertyantl lives of their fellow-townsmen. tad "";
sequence they were induced to issue a Itatrasivl,
apprehension of the leader of the ustillitude. .._
declared, that meetings called to inspire alarm
roe, were illegal. The meeting of like lath ed.%
if such were the Haw, must evidently be aelawdli• it
would, he doubted not, he made, out awl sfreat..
evidence than it bad been stated by him. Is 17.1.,..
sion, he called on the Jury to pay all sweeties
might be urged by the defendant, and to gifr. 11'.
was sure they would, a conscientious rennet, ape Al.
vs'
their belief of the nature of the case, arni the
foster of the meeting.
?Maas Fidler was the ant witness called. 0 , 'O. :
>V Lion publie.hooso. three miles from litiderpt..
111•16 de the Bth August; saw Mr. float. wines ~,
Ida a derma; &sod then, and remained about two!''"
Whams Moire Mss defeadeet bloothouse. he Is'
_....,,
prtatfar sad asetkismor. at Ilateipett. MiNdk.gliMpr
that day ; be emme after Mr. Runt. atteesPliPitbr"
er
tier; be Inquired if Heat was there, kg
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