Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-04-29

SUBSCRIPTION. WHICH provinces fuhd Tor the
! expenses OF these missionaries. and also for
/ the purchase OF seditious tracts which are read
and commented on at their meetings. Some
| OF these tracts. nOw before your committee,
| incu.caie in the most arttul manner, the ne
! cessity OF overturnng what they call .. the
people, who are described as cOnsistin. of Ia
5orers, arulaps, tradesnen, and every profeS-
sion useful TO society. new order is declared
10 be the will OF the people rebellion is justi-
(, fed by the assertion, that nation cannot
De a rebel aud all religion is disavowed, as
well as LOYALTY, by the assertion in answer
10 tue question, Would you live without
Cots or Kings" 1--WE abjure tyranny ofeyery
kind"
IL seems. indeed, to he part of the system
adopted by these societies, to prepare the
minds of the people for the destruction Of ths
present frame ossociety, by undermining not
only t.elr habits OF decent and regular sub
ordination, but all the principles of morality
and religion. Your committee find, that
there Is scarcely any very numerous socle-
tyin the parts above referred 10 of whose pro-
ceilings they have obtained an account, ia
which some of the leading speakers do not o.
penly ;yow the most se6iiious opinions and DO
not excite their hearers to he prepared for ac-
tual inSurrection. Topics for discussion are
selected with this view; amongst others, the
question, whether the jacohin or the l0yalist
was the best friend 10 his country. Even
where petitIoning is recommended, IL Is pro-
poSed 10 be conducted in such manner, by
London NJ the same time, in several parties.
attached To each petition. as might induce an
eilnrt 70 obtain by force whatever the, deman
dad. \ general ided seems prevalent amsns
those who coidposc those societies. that some
fixed day, at no great distance, i 10 he ap-
pointed for a general rising. They have been
taught 10 look to the meetings in LoHfon, a.
the signal for their operations and have been
ia the habit Of adjOurung their own ASSEM-
bles simultaneously 10 the same aav-anti ia is
a lamentoble instance Of the common interests
which they feel. ii not OF the ConneXion which
Is formed with those most Implicated in che
outrages committed in the METROPOLIS that
about Manchester and some other places Inc
greatest eXu taton was alififes Ted previous 10
the meeting in Spa feds on tiicse,'oni Decem-
Der; aud lie taking O.. ine j0weranl the ruin
OF the bank, was puhlciy and confidently pre-
dictcd. Ihe news OF ne result was Impatient
~ expected, the rostls were crowded iurias
the night with Member Of persons many Of
them delegates iren the different societies In
TIE country, waiting the arrival OF the Mar
coach, and the disappointment was mot conceal
| ed. when II was asrcrtained that the riot had
! been quelled without much serious oreNteusiye
| mischief
II appcars tint The confidence Of the disaf.
tecied IS such iat they represent the mum
| hers enrolled as amounting 10 several hundred
| ihousand and tneir societies are duly incfeaS-
ing that N their lists tliey distinguish by par
| tlcuiar mark hose among their subscribers
| who are dbie bodied men, and ready TO act
when required; aud that they also keep list
| of those who refuse 10 Join them, in what they
| caii "Bsacfe Book" and threaten vengeance
! against those persons when the general insur-
reciion shall take place. In some parts of one
! populous country, where nearly every village
has already it, tiampden Club, the members
! make II no secret thatthey consider themselves
| az OF no other use than as being ready 20 act
whenever they are called upen; on their a9-
| mission they are said TO be listed and receive
| secret card, with the words he Ready, be
| Steady"
ltlaI, ,(,ff =
| seem entirely changed --they already caicu-
! late upon The share Of land which each is to
| possess, and point ont the destruction OF the
| C1urcnes, as the necessary consequence of
| their success. II appears that preparations
are al progress, u several places, for providing
arins---the demand upon gun-Smiihs for
| every species oi lire arms, has been beyond all
former example; the IN tention IS protested, O
| having recourse for still larger supply TO
those towns where arms are manufactured,
ana where they are 10 De obtained at very
| Tow Iatc, from the general cheaPness of labor
| atthiS tins-ai'd IN case # necessity they are
| 70 be seized by force. Tile facility Of couyer-
| ting Implements OF hlsbanGry into offensive
! weapons, has beenSuggestei, and persons have
! been sent 10 observe tie state Of particular
! places where deposits OF arms f0r the pub
! nc service were supposed 20 have been
| formed
| your committee Sud, that system of secret
association has been extended to the InalIuiac-
| turing population Of Glasgow, and some other
societies have a.aiiei. Themselves Of the same
! pretcXt, Of parliamentary reform or the broad
esq basis, your committee are firmly persuaded
| from the Information which has been laid
before them that their ultimate object is the
overthrow ~ force the existing form OF 20
vernment. That the time for attempting this
enterprise was to depend upon the simutane-
ous rising Of the disailected in England, with
some emssarlGs from whom occasional inter
course appears t. have taken place. amt that
some prOvi1cn OF weapons has boS1 made by
tilis association.
Your committee have now submitted to the
house WHIT they conceive TO be a fair and not
exaggerated statement ut the result OF their
investigations. They have thought themselves
preciuGed from Inserting, in an appendix the
Information from which it was drawn, by t5e
consideration, .hat unless it were extremely
partial and incomplete they could not make IL
pubic without hszardng the safety of many
respectable individuals, aud in some instances
without prejudicing the administration of pub
lie justice.
On review Of tie whole, it is great salts
fdcilOntoyOur committee 10 observe, that not
/ wtDs landing the alarming progress which has
| been made in the system OF extending disaffec-
ton ana secret societies, It's success has been
| confined 10 the principal manufacturing dis
trictS, where the distress is more pTeYaent,aud
numbers more easily cOilccted-and that q en
IN many Of these districts, prvations have beei
| borne with exemplary patience y resignation,
and tie attempts oil the dlsaEected hove been
! dlsappointed-tE that tew,if any Oh the higher
| orders, or even OF the middle class OF society,
! andscarceiy any Of the agricultural population
| have lent themselves to the more violent of
| these projects. Great allowance must be made
! tor those. who, under the pressure OF urgent
| distress, have been ted TO listen TO plausible
! and confident demagygues, in the expectation
OF immediate relief il is to he hoped. that ma
/ nv Of those who hive prr4oad N a cpr+at, =,