structive proceedings have been generally the want of employment for the working manufacturers, a want, however, which has been the least felt in some of the pl ces where the disorders have been most prevalent; the application of machinery to supply the place of labour; and the high price of provisions; but it is the opinion of persons, both in civil and military stations, well acquainted with the state of the country, an opinion grounded upon various information from different quarters now before your committee, but which, for obvious reasons, they do not think proper to detail, that the views of some of the persons engaged in these proceedings have extended to revolutionary measures of the most dangerous description.

Their proceedings manifest a degree of caution and organization which appears to flow from the direction of some persons under whose influence they act; but it is the opinion of a person, whose situation gives him great opportunities of information, that their leaders, although they may pos-ess considerable influence, are still of the lowest orders; men of desperate fortunes, who have taken advantage of the pressure of the moment, to work upon the inferior class, through the medium of the associations in the manufacturing parts of the country.

The general persuasion of the persons engaged in those transactions appears, however, to be, that all the societies in the country are directed in their motions by a Secret Committee, and that this Secret Committee is therefore the great mover of the whole machine;

and it is established by the various information to which the committee has before alluded, that so cieties are formed in different parts of the country; that these socie ties are governed by their respec tive secret committees; that dele. gates are continually dispatched from one place to another, for the purpose of concerting their plans; and that secret signs are arranged, by which the persons engaged in these conspiracies are known to each other. The form of the oath or engagement administered to those who are enlisted in these societies, also refers expressly to the existence of such secret commit tees.

The object of this oath is to prevent discovery, by deterring through the fear of assssination those who take it from impeaching others, and by binding them to assassinate those by whom any of the persons engaged may be impeached. These oaths appear to have been admimistered to a considerable extent; copies of them have been obtained from various quarters, and though slightly differing in terms, they are so nearly the same, as to prove the systematic nature of the concert by which they are adminis tered.

The oath itself is of so atrocious a nature, that your committee have thought it right to insert the form, as it appears in one of those copies :

"I A. B. of my own voluntary will, do declare, and solemnly swear, that I never will reveal to any person or persons under the canopy of heaven, the names of the persons who compose this Secret Committee, their proceedings, meeting, places of abode, dress,

features,

features, connections, or any thing else that might had to a discovery of the same, either by word or deed, or sign, under the penalty of being sent out of the world by the first brother who shall meet me, and my name and character blot ted out of existence, and never to be remembered but with contempt and abhorrence; and I further now do swear, that I will use my best endeavours to punish by death any traitor or traitors, should any rise up amongst us, wherever I can find him or them, and though he should fly to the verge of nature. I will pursue him with increasing vengeance. So help me God, and bless me to keep this my oath inviolable."

The military organization carried on by persons engaged in these societies, has also proceeded to an alarming length; they assemble in large numbers, in general by night, upon heaths or commons, which are numerous and extensive in some of the districts where the disturbances have been most serious; so assembled, they take the usual military precautions of paroles and countersigns; then muster rolls are called over by numbers, not by names; they are directed by leaders sometimes in disguise; they place sentries to give alarm at the approach of any persons whom they may suspect of meaning to interrupt or give information of their proceedings; and they disperse instantly at the firing of a gun, or other signal agreed upon, and so disperse as to avoid detection. They have in some instances used signals by rockets or blue lights, by which they comavunicate intelligence to their par fics.

They have procured à considerable quantity of arms, by the depres dations which are daily and nightly continued; they have plundered many places of lead for the purpose of making musket balls, and have made some seizures of gunpowder.

Their progress in discipline ap pears from the representation before given of the two attacks upon the mills of Rawdon and Henbury; and the money, which has been in many instances obtained by contribution or plunder, answers the purpose of support, and may serve as an inducement to many persons to engage in these disturbances.

The system of intimidation, produced not only by the oaths and engagements before mentioned, or by threats of violence, but by the attack and destruction of houses and factories, by actual assassinations in some instances, and attempts at assassination in others, under circumstances which have hitherto generally baffled all endeavours to discover and bring to justice the offenders, all tend to ren der these proceedings greatly alarm. ing to the country. In many parts the quiet inhabitants consider themselves as enjoying protection only as far as the military force can extend its exertions, and look upon the rest of the country, where the disturbances took place, as at the mercy of the rioters.

The legal proceedings at - Not tingham checked the disposition to disturbance in that quarter, but this effect did not extend to other parts of the country; and though the proceedings under the special cominissions since issued, and the convictions and executions at Lan

Caster

easter and Chester, appear to make a considerable impression, they have been far from restoring peace and security to the disturbed districts.

A great military force has been assembled; the local militia bas been in many places called out, and has done good service; the yeomanry corps have been active and highly useful. Many of the magistrates have zealously exerted their powers, some of them at great personal hazard. In many places great numbers of special constables have been appointed from amongst the more respectable inhabitants, and the Warch and Ward Act has been in some places put in force, though attempted without effect in others, or abandoned from circumstances already stated. All these efforts have proved insufficient effeetually to put down the spirit of disturbance and it is therefore the decided opinion of your committee, that some further measures should be immediately adopted by parliament for affording more effectual protection to the lives and properties of his Majesty's subjects, and for suppressing a system of turbulence and disorder which has already proved destructive of the tranquillity, and highly injurious to the property and welfare of some of the most populous and important districts of the country, and which unless effectually checked, may lead to consequences still more extensive and dangerous.

Embargo and Detention of American Ships-From the London Gazette, Saturday, August 1.

At the court at Carlton House,

the 31st of July, 1812: present, his royal highness the Prince Re gent in Council:

enter

It is this day ordered, by his royal highness the Prince Regent, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, and by and with the advice of his Majesty's privy council, that no ships or vessels belonging to any of his Majesty's subjects be permitted to and clear out for any of the ports within the territories of the United States of America, until further order; and his Royal Highness is further pleased, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, and by and with the advice aforesaid, to order, that a general embargo or stop be made of all ships and vessels whatsoever, belonging to the citizens of the United States of America, now within, or which shall hereafter come into any of the ports, harbours, or roads, within any part of his Majesty's dominions, together with all per sons and effects on board all such ships and vessels; and that the commanders of his Majesty's ships of war, and privateers, do detain and bring into port all ships and vessels belonging to the citizens of the United States of America, or bearing the flag of the said United States, except such as may be furnished with British licences, which vessels are allowed to proceed according to the tenour of the said licences; but that the utmost care be taken for the preservation of all and every part of the cargoes on board any of the said ships or vessels, so that no damage or embezzlement whatever be sustained; and the commanders of nis Majesty's ships of war and privateers are hereby instructed

to

My Lords and Gentlemen,

It is with the deepest concern that I am obliged to announce to you, at the opening of this parliament, the continuance of his Majesty's lamented indisposition, and the diminution of the hopes, which I have most anxiously entertained, of his recovery.

The situation of public affairs has induced me to take the earliest opportunity of meeting you after the late elections. I am persuaded you will cordially participate in the satisfaction which I derive from the improvement of our prospects during the course of the present year.

The valour and intrepidity displayed by his Majesty's forces, and

those of his allies in the Peninsula, on so many occasions during this campaign, and the consummate skill and judgment with which the operations have been conducted by General the Marquis of Wellington, have led to consequences of the utmost importance to the

common cause.

By transferring the war into the interior of Spain, and by the glori ous and ever-memorable victory obtained at Salamanca, he has compelled the enemy to rise the siege of Cadiz ; and the southern provinces of that kingdom bave been delivered from the power and arms of France.

Although I cannot but regret that the efforts of the enemy, com bined with a view to one great operation, have rendered it neces sary to withdraw from the siege of Burgos, and to evacu te Madrid, for the purpose of concentrating the main body of the allied forces; these efforts of the enemy have, nevertheless, been attended with important sacrifices on their part, which must materially contribute to extend the resources, and facilitate the exertions, of the Spanish Nation.

I am confident, I may rely on your determination to continue to afford every aid in support of a contest, which has first given to the continent of Europe the example of persevering and successful resistance to the power of France, and on which not only the independence of the nations of the Peninsula, but the best interests of his Majesty's dominions essentially depend.

I have great pleasure in communicating to you, that the relations of peace and friendship have been

restored