The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-06 00:00:00

for the moat lawful purpose, might be in such numbets
as to have a tendency to riot, end to create alarm. 80.
not only, according to the Learned Counsel for the ile•
fendants, might meetings assemble in any nansbers, but
they might also go arose I. It might indeed be tree, as
laid down by Mr. Justice Blackstone, that persons hail
a right to have anus for self-defence; but be denied
that such a right was any where mentioned as that of
going to public meetings armed, or that any such right
existed. The Learned Counsel then proceeded to coos.
went upon the evidence as it affected each of the iir-
fendants; and in the conclusion he admitted that there
was not sufficient evidenre as against the ilefendaws
Wade and .Istits. lie should also observe, that the on!y
thing which had been proved against Adamson was the
fact of his having been on the hustings with a cat Of
liberty. -:-o 5
Mr. Justice BATLEY. at about four o'clock. lifffib
sum up to the Jury. Ile coeutnenced by en
them to dismiss from their winds gay feeling of pri;jr-
dice which they might have imbibed on the subject of ti e
present prosecution, and to let their verdict rest upon the
inidence which was before them, and epos that alone.
Such should ever be the conduct of a British Jury ; awl
if with those feelings the defendants should be acquittesi.
they would admit they bad a fair trial; if, on the other
hand, they should be convicted, they must feel that it
was only (rout the force of evidence. The two charges
to which the Joey should confine their attention wen:—
first, that the defendants and others had unlawfully as-
sembled fur the purpose of exciting disaffection, & .;;
and the second was, that they bad assembled to the
common terror and alarm of his Majesty's liege subjects.
His Lordship then pro:Teded to lay down the law upon
both these points, nearly in the same terms as those he
used in addressing the Jury at the recent trials in York.
Tu constitute an unlawful assembly it was not necessary
that any riot or disturbance should take place. Ilse
mere assemblies' with offensive weapons was, in
some instances, helil to constitute as unlawful meeting.
With respect to the terror which the meeting was calcu-
lated to excite, he thought it would he one of immediate
danger; but if the Jury should think the danger from
the meeting was remote, or only of a future rising, they
would give a special verdict to that effect, as his mind
was not perfectly made up as to that being the kind tai
terror which would render the meeting illegal. Ile Last
nu hesitation in saying, that a meeting, on the sub.'s et
of bringing persons who had committed crimes to justice
was a legal one, but, sitting there, be did not judicia'.ly
know who those were who had committed crimes gusts
as bad been alluded to. Until be had judicial knowle-ee
of the proceedings at the Manchester meeting, be rocll
giro so opinion on it. They might be y innocent
whocaused its dispersion, or they at he guilty. He
e,...
could not now decide; but, if ever the t came Julio&
ally before him, lie should be prepared to give Isis opts'
on it. His Lordship then proceeded to go throug'u therthfl_, • •
thence, commenting as he went; and in the contiitr
his observations took occasion to remark, that ht. Sad" • '
asked one of the witnesses whether any, and what pee-
-1616 - 44-1144 adiatiNF—lrai-oemposei of wea
children, in order to form a judgmeat as to teee.seat ' ..
able intentions of the parties; and he added, that in a
recent investigation which had taken place before bitty
respecting a large assembly of a similar nature, it• ap-
peared that a great portion, at lent one-eightb part of
it, was composed of women and children; which circum-
stance had made a great impression on his mind that au
mischief was coateasplated, or to be apprehended or
that day. In conclusion, his Lordship said, they were
first to consider whether the meeting was calculated to
excite tenor, from the people being furnished with
sticks and staves, considering that the women were !w-
-hited in mourning, and that the staves were mounted
with crape; and if they were of opinion that terror was
excited, then all the people who saw these things, and
still remained, were guilty of being present at ea antra -
fel nutting, and especially those who were active Far-
titans. They. were next to consider whether the in-
scriptions amid drawings on the lags were calculated to
excite sedition and disaffection; and, if so, Dewburst
and Broadhurst saw them, and afterwards remained to
take a part in the proceedings, then they were guilty.—
Lastly, they were to consider whether they had had an
accurate account of the speeches and resolutions given
to them by the witnesses fur the prosecution; anti it they
bail, and they thought them calculated to excite disar-
fertion in his Majesty's subjects, then those who uttered
them, or remained to sanction them by bolding up their
hands, are guilty ; but Ise begged to say, that if the
Jury entertained any doubt on either of these points, or
as to the participation of the defendants, then it would
be their duty to acquit the defendants.
The Jury retired, and, after consulting together for
about twenty minutes, refereed with a verdict of—
Guilty against all the prisoners, except those two (Wade
and Astro) as to whom the prosecution bad been given up.
It was remarked that the verdict was a general one ;
though Mr. Heine, in his reply, had given up the collets
which referred to the charge of conspiracy. It was,
however, understood in Court as not applying to tisat
charge.
Mr. Justice BATLiT was about to pass sentence. when
Knight requested to he allowed to say a few worsts is
mitigation. His Lordship said he would give him and
the other defendants till to-morrow morning to prepare
any affidavits, or any statements for that purpose.

•CQVITTAII OP RICHARD OWEN.
Rirhard Oren was nest put to the bar, charged with
wilful and corrupt perjury, in having sworn at the New
Bailey, in Aossvit 130, that be saw Moorhouse on the
hustings in company with Mr. Hunt on the day of the
meeting of the Itith. He was given is charge to the
Jury; and Jr. C. Pearson and the other witnesses ort
the bank of the indictment being called on, but nut al;•
pearing to give evidence, the Judge directed an ac-
iinittal.—l le Wits of coarse dischariml.
The Court adjourned at half-past six till nine O.C.:Us k
to-morrow.

The following transports, which sailed from Eng-
land a short time since, with settlers for the Caro
of Good Hope, arrived at Madeira previous to the
7th ultimo, Pearson ; Stanton, Harr;!.:
AlLury, Cunningham and Brilliant, BettweP..--
They a:terwards sailed together with the Brazen
sloop of war for their ultimate destination.
There is a small white cottage standing in one
of the parks at Iturntsfieid Links, whirh most persons
pass wilitout being aware of the classical intro•st riot
attaches to it. It is situated at the top, or smith site et
the Links, on the road leading to Canaan, and is iIMTVIe.
that ely contigeons to the road on the east sis:e. In thjs
cottage John Home wrote his Donglae I Dr. Blair bus
Lectores and or. Robertson his History of Charles the
Fifth. This intere_sting informattoo is err,' la the et-
thority of a very near relative of Hr. Blair. to wit•ins
Mine partietilars were often related by the Doctor,