The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-11-06 00:00:00

tti' ...

terial sato the redemption of the Estate, sod his Lord-
ship said if be were on the Jury, be would consider the
a man on a point not connected with the sub;ect
might give an inadvertent answer, without any inten-
tion of swearing falsely.
The SOLICITOR-GO/IRA L said, that after the sagges.
tion of his Lordship, he did net think it prudent to pro-
ceed-way further in the prosecution.
The Jury, therefore, under his Lordship's directions,
yeterned a verdict—Not Guilty.
Mr. SCA MATT said that be was sorry the trial did net
proeseti. as be had no doubt of the honorable acquittal
of his client. lie had been at great expense in bringing
witorsaes from the island of Martinique, and expe-
rienred great difficulty in collecting persons who could
speak to transactions so far back as 1797. The Learbed
Commit said he was now sarreanded by witnesses of
the hi these respectability. who were ready to bear testi-
mony to the honour and ietegrity of the defendant.
• The Cala' J USTICI said, that however painful itrnight
be to the defendant, as an individual, yet the ends of
justice ware folly attained by the result.

TRIAL BY JURY.
-....--

Yesterday, a numerous and respectable company met
of the Crown and Anchor Tavern, to celebrate the
twenty•eighth Ausivereary of the Acquittal of Thomas
Hardy, John Horne Tooke. and John Thelwall, on a
charge of iktostructive • Treasoa. The triumph which
the m quital of these gondolas& gave to the indepen-
dence of English Juries, over an atteMpted inroad upon
their iadepeadcnce, and through thee upon the liberties
of the public, in the unconstitutional doctrine of Cow''
'lnactive Treason. It is impossible for any party •
seet of the Want day to impute .to the men,
whom the transactions of that day terminated, a;
of endeavours subversive of the liberties of
any portion whatever of those slanders which,
tempted to be cast upon the Reformers of that 'mat
day—slanders which accuse them of ignOrallipe and
meats' incapacity. When any such accusation is
brought against the remnant of men of 1794, or against
those who, having risen op since, revive their memory,
it will be enough to point to one name in the report of
the trial of 1794. Whether an intimate knowledge of
the constitution, the laws, or the language of his coun-
try be concerned, it is enough for the lover of philoso-
phy sad of freedom to point to the name of John Tooke,
a name which shall remain in the memory of the people,
and upon the marble of science, after the countless ap-
' pellations now in the Red Book, and then in the mus-
ter-roll of office clerks and contractors apprentices.
shall be utterly lost.
• On the present occasion about three hundred gentle-
men assembled, and at the suggestion of Mr. Holloway,
Mr. Woofer took the Chair.
After dinner, and before proceeding to the bosiness of
the evening, Mr. Woobse returned thanks for the ho-
mer which hail been conferred upon him, and award
the company that though he was bat a prisoner et
large (being almost immediately released from donate)
would do the best he could to discharge his duty.
Afire dinner the following toasts were given, followed
by observations, which we give in a condensed form.
The ClialitillaN maid, that there was some nations and
tete of men who were rather reluctant io paying atten-
tion to Sovereigns. He hoped. however, that the corn
soy now assembled would, without any hesitation, do
justice to their Sovereign, and concluded by *lying—
" The Majesty of the People," which was drunk with
three times three.
He seat adverted to a toast which eheekl be ghee
'with some consideration. There were Juries who were
packed, and as such subservient; but there were others
elle would do their duty; and so long as they could
find twelve honest Englishmen who acted from con
science, it was still worth the while of all lovers of free-
dom to drink—" Trial by Jury."
Before he named to them the neat toast, it would be
it • ry for hint to state to them, that there had been
no lapse in the keeping up the remembrance of this
proud triumph. It was not so much the escape of the
four men it hose names he had to mention, as it was the
escape of the whole people of the country from a most
dangerous attack upon their liberties. Constrictive tree-
son, had it not been put down, would have been an ad-
ditional means for allowing packed juries to pat the li-
berties of the people in so much jeopardy, that nothing
but the sword of the people themselves could have res-
cued them front its thraldom. The power of the people
bad obtained for them a momentary triumph over that
abominable perversion of the law. It was some consuls.
lion to the lovers of freedom that they had mat and cele-
brated this triumph for 26 years, He would, therefore,
propose the Ir-alths of Messrs. Hardy, Tooke, Thelwall,
Iti,,h-r, and Baxter. The health was drauk with doe

honours.
Mr HArtnr,in returning thanks, hoped, that they would
accept the will for the deed; be hoped they knew hisser],
• sincerity, and devotion to the cause.
Mr. THEI.WALL rose, he said, with considerable emo-
tion. lie, and those who hail been named along with
Lint, had not lost sight of that which they all loved, even
in gm truest of times. —There had still been some of "the
sale of the earth" which hail adhered to the cause
while i.e was faraway. There was a time at which 'because
was 'rented by the opulent, and trampled upon by the
• guest, butt still there were always some by whom it was
respected. Yes, some hail always kept alive the princi-
ples, and that not by private association but by public
•nnouncetnent ; and, in order that it might be fully ap-
precitted by the people, it only wanted more publicity
hereafter. 'The four, whose names had been mentioned,
had done their duty to their country and their King.—
' The worth of Hardy's principles had been established ;
now that, at the age of 84, he had Mlle forward to coun-
tenance the friends of public liberty.
Mr. BAXTER said, that there heti been complaints of
want of um/flintily among the Reformers. This lie re.
rretted, anti recommended to them the advice of Mr.
_ Horne Tuuke, which was—that, if they went not all
the tray together, they should yet agree as far as they
went.
The CHAIRMAN then gave—" The Memory of J. H.
Tooke, acd the other deceased Patriots of 1791," which
was followed by—
" Lord Erskine, and the Three iudependentJuries who
acquitted Hardy, Tooke, and Thelwall."
Upon which the CHAIRMAN read, amid the applause of
the Alerting, the fulloiving letter, which Ale. J. Nichol-
WI haul received from Lord Erskine:—
Sir,-1 beg the favour that you will explain to Mr.
Cleary and Air. Gardiner, the cause of my being pre-
vented from the pleasure of receiving them with your-
. self, on Wednesday last, and you will further much
oblige roe, by expressing to your worthy friends, when
. assembled on the sth of November, that 1 regret my not
haying it in my power to meet them ; but that if they
desire it, I win cot fail to be present !rhea they re-rte.
amble next year.
" When all circumstances are duly considered, no
public events can, in my opinion, be better chovin to
be held in perpetual remembrance amongst us than the
acquittal of Thomas Hardy, in 1794, from the unfounded
• charge of Constructive high Treason. A great portion
of the ordinary period of human life bas since passed
away, and a very abort time, indeed, can now remain to
sae. But lam sure that, even in my dying hour, 1 shall
call to mind the august spectacle of London on that day,
which proved at once the firm foundation of our lives
and liberties, whilst the Trial by Jury shall continue,