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-Such, then, is this SECRET Committee. And, what is this Committee to do? Why, it is to examine the SEALED UP papers; and, then it is to make a report to the House of the result of its inquiries, and of the measures which it thinks proper to recommend in consequence. And then the House is to decide without seeing the papers! Or, I suppose, at least, that this is the course, it having been so in other cases of Secret Committees.Having now given this subject an opening, and having brought the history of the Luddite measures down to the appointment of the Committee of Secrecy; I shall, for the present, take my leave of it, with once more requesting my readers to WATCH THE WHIGS, and mark what their conduct will be through the whole of this transaction.- -In neither House have they yet opened their lips upon the subject.

LORD SIDMOUTH could. He could see, not "loted for in this manner were uniformly only an insurrection of the head to provide" found to be."-The reader will ask, against, but also an insurrection of the perhaps, how it comes, then, that Mr. belly; for, in the speech by which he in- Whitbread's own name was put on it: but, troduced his motion for thanks to the Re-reader, of what use is his name, if there gent for his Message, he is reported to have be a majority on the side of the minister? said; They (the government) ought to "be prepared for the worst. If their "hopes should prove to be unfounded; if it "should please Providence to afflict the "country with another BAD HARVEST; "how heavy would be the responsibility of "the Government; how heavy that of their "Lordships, if they neglected to take such "precautionary measures as the occasion "required?"-Very true, my lord! Really, very true! And, doubtless, as you are so sensible of the heavy responsibility that will fall upon you both as a minister and a lord, if precautionary measures are not taken to meet the affliction of another bad harvest; this being the case you, doubtless, have in view some means either of augmenting the wages or income of the poor, or, of lowering the price of their food. There appear to me to be only these two sets of means; and, as your lordship seems to be so fully sensible of the responsibility, there can be no doubt that one or the other will be employed. The former object might be accomplished, to a great extent, at least, by certain savings which I will hereafter take the liberty to point out to your lordship; and the latter, by adding to the quantity of corn by importation. But, I have not now room to do any thing more than merely open this most interesting of all subjects.- -We must now, before we take our leave of this subject for the present, return to the House of Commons, where, on Tuesday, the 30th of June, we find the ballot producing the following members for the Secret Committee:

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SUMMARY OF POLITICS.

LIBEL CASE.-Messrs. Hunt.These Gentlemen, proprietors of the EXAMINER, were, in the term before the last, prosecuted by Ex-Officio Information by the then Attorney General (Gibbs), who is now become a Puisne Judge, for the publishing of a passage, in which the writer gives his opinion of the qualities and character of the Prince Regent. -The trial, by SPECIAL Jury, as usual, was to come before the court of King's Bench, at Westminster Hall, on Friday, the 26th of June. But, the Special Gentlemen being called over, and only six answering to their names, the trial was put off, and, of course, it cannot come on till after the next term. It is curious enough, that the last time that these gentlemen were before the same court, only six of the Special Gentlemen appeared, and, of course, six others were called up promiscuously out of the common pannel. Messrs. Hunt were acquitted upon that occasion.

-Various conjectures have been hazarded as to the cause of this putting off;. but, while I pretend to know nothing of that cause, I do know this, that the parties prosecuted have been put to a certain expense, and that not a light one; that

they are now to remain, marked out as criminals, for another four or five months; and that, if acquitted or unprosecuted at last, there is no means of their obtaining compensation for their anxiety and loss. -They have behaved, however, most manfully upon the occasion; they will receive for that conduct, as they merit, the thanks of all the real friends of public liberty; and they will, I trust, live to see the day, when they will receive a more solid reward in beholding the triumph of that cause in which they are labouring with so much diligence, spirit, talent,and effect.

BRISTOL ELECTION.

or two of hired voices. How great was his surprise, then, and how great the consternation of his party, when they saw it announced that Mr. Hunt was about to make his appearance! Sunday (the 28th of June) passed, of course, without any business being done, but not without dreadful note of preparation."— -On Monday morning, the day appointed by the Sheriffs for holding the election, the Guildhall, the place for holding the election, became a scene of great interest: an injured and insulted people resolved to assert their rights against the intrigues and the violences of a set of men who were attempting to rob them of those rights.After the nominations had taken place, the sheriffs adjourned their court till the next day.- -In the evening great strife and fighting and violences took place; the White Lion Inn, whence the Club who put in Mr. Bragge, and who are now at work for Davis, takes its name; this Inn was assailed by the people's party, and, it is said, pretty nearly demolished. Mr. Davis's house at Clifton is said to have shared the same fate; and, this and similar work, with terrible battles in the streets having continued till Tuesday night (the 30th of June), the SOLDIERS WERE CALLED IN, AND, IT IS SAID, ACTUALLY MARCHED, INTO THE GUILD

From the Letter, at the head of this sheet, the reader will find a pretty good preface to the history of this Election, which is quite another sort of thing than what the friends of Sir Samuel Romilly appear to have taken an election at Bristol to be.- -The intelligence which I have from that City comes down to Wednesday last, the 1st instant. I may, and, I dare say, I shall, have it to a later date before this Number goes to the Press; but, I shall now give the history down to that day.Sir Samuel Romilly's friends, at their meeting at the Crown and Anchor, talked of Mr. Prothero as an opponent; | but, not a word did they say of MR. HUNT. A farmer was, I suppose, thought beneath their notice. We shall, however, see HALL!Pause, here, reader. Look that farmer doing more at Bristol, I imagine, than they and their subscription will ever be able to do.In the Letter, before inserted, I have shown how Mr. Hunt, whose residence is in Sussex, was taken by surprise. He was wholly ignorant of the vacancy, 'till Thursday evening, the 25th of June, when his news-paper of Wednesday informed him that the writ, in the room of Mr. Bragge, had been moved for on Tuesday. He came to London on Friday, set off that night for Bath, and got into Bristol on Saturday evening, where he was received by the people with a pleasure proportioned to their surprise at seeing him come. Hart Davis had made his entry in an earlier part of the day, preceded by the carriages of bankers, excise and custom-house people, and, in short, all that description of persons who are every where found in opposition to the liberties of Englishmen.

As it was settled amongst the parties, that
Davis was to meet with no opposition from
either MR. PROTHERO OF SIR SAMUEL Ro-
MILLY, he expected a chairing on the
Monday, amidst the shouts of some score

at this spectacle.- -But, how came this
to be necessary? It is said, that it was
necessary, in order to preserve property.
But, how came it to be so?
Who began
the violences? That is the question.-
And I have no hesitation in stating my
firm belief, that they were begun, not by
the PEOPLE, but by their enemies.-
I state, upon the authority of Mr. JOHN
ALLEN of Bath, whom I know to be a
man of honour, of strict veracity, and (if
that be any additional praise) of great pro-
perty; upon the authority of this gen-
tleman, who requests me to use his name,
and who was an eye-witness of what he
relates, I state, that, there were about
400 men, who had been made special con-
stables for the purpose, who were planted
near the place of election; that these men,
who ought to have been for one side as
much as for the other, were armed with
staves or clubs, painted BLUE, which, the
reader will observe, is the colour of the
White Lion, or Bragge and Davis, party,
and, of course, the PEOPLE, who were
for Mr. Hunt, looked upon these 400 men.
as brought for the purpose of overawing

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is added by my informant, that Mr. Hunt was greatly applauded by the whole of his audience. He expressed his conviction, that the soldiers would not voluntarily shoot at their countrymen; "but," added he, "if military force is to carry the election, "the sooner the shooting begins the better; " and here am I," said he, laying bare his breast, "ready to receive the first ball.”— Let us now see how the factious view this matter.-The COURIER abuses Mr. Hunt in the style to be expected. The Times speaks of him in this way: "The poll commenced "at ten o'clock. In this farce Mr. Hunt "plays many parts: he unites in himself "the various characters of Candidate, Goun"sel, and Committee, as he has not one "human being to assist him in either of

them and preventing them by force from regarded.-Well, but the SOLDIERS exercising their rights. These men com- ARE CALLED IN; and, as I am inmitted, during the 29th, many acts of formed, the Soldiers were, on Wednesday violence against the people. But, at last, morning between five and six o'clock, adthe people, after great numbers of them dressed by Mr. Hunt in nearly the followhad been wounded, armed themselves with ing words: "Gentlemen; Soldiers; fellow Clubs too; attacked the Blues, and drove "citizens and countrymen, I have to ask them into the White Lion. Here the a favour of you, and that is, that you mischief would have ended; but the Blues, "will discover no hostility to each other ascending to the upper rooms and the roof," on account of your being dressed in difhad the baseness to throw down stones, "ferent coloured coats. You are all equalbrick-bats, tiles, glass bottles, and other ly interested in this election. You are things, upon the heads of the people. "all Englishmen ; you must all love freeThis produced an attack upon the house, "dom; and, therefore, act towards each which was soon broken in, and, I believe," other as brother towards brother." It gutted. These facts I state upon the authority of Mr. Allen; and I state them with a perfect conviction of their truth.The reader will observe, that the great point, is, WHO BEGAN THE FIGHT? We have heard Mr. Allen; now let us hear what the other parties say. In the TIMES news-paper of the 2d July, it is said by a writer of a letter from Bristol, who abuses Mr. Hunt, that when the nomination was about to take place," Mr. "Davis and his party made their appear"ance. The friends of Mr. Davis wore "blue cockades, and they were accompa"nied by some hundreds of persons bearing "short BLUE STAVES, who had been "sworn in as special constables."This is enough. Here is a full acknowledgment of the main main circumstance" those capacities."- -Well, and what stated by Mr. Allen: namely, that hun- then? What does he want more than a dreds of men, sworn in as Constables, were good cause and the support of the people? armed with staves of the colour of one These are all that ought to be necessary to of the candidates, and that they accompa- any candidate. What business have lawnied that candidate to the Hustings.-In the yers with elections? And, ought the peoCOURIER of the 1st July, the same fact, in ple to want any committee to tell them their other words comes out. The writer (of duty? The Morning Chronicle takes a another letter from Bristol), in speaking of more sanctimonious tone. It says on the the precautions intended to be taken, says: 2d of July, (in the form of a letter from "Our Chief Magistrate has summoned Bristol: "It is much to be regretted, that "his brother officers together, and as the "the regularity and peaceable demeanour "constables assembled by Mr. Davis's" with which our Elections were formerly "friends are to be all dismissed at the "conducted, are now totally disregarded. "close of the poll, and their colours taken "Notwithstanding the exertions of Mr. Da"out of their hats, there will be no pro- "vis's, Mr. Protheroe's, and Sir S. Ro"vocation on his part to Mr. HUNT'S" milly's friends, to prevent a recurrence 66 party."-This, coming from the enemy, "of the outrages which endangered Mr. clearly shews on which side the aggression "Bathurst's life at a late Election, the had commenced.-Therefore, for all that" procession on Saturday was assailed by followed, the party of Davis are responsible."vollies of mud, stones, dead cats, &c. -We shall know, by-and-by, perhaps, "Mr. Davis fortunately escaped unhurt, who it was that permitted these hundreds of " except from one stone which struck his Constables to hoist the colours of one of the candidates, which was, in fact," a declar"ation of war against the people," and as such the Letter in the TIMES says it was

"arm." Here are two things to be observed: first, that Davis, Prothero, and Sir Samuel Romilly's friends, the friends of all of them are here spoken of as co-ope

rating Aye, to be sure! League withness had signified his pleasure, that Lord the devil against the rights of the people! Wellesley should conduct the formation of This is a true Whig trait. But, the mud, the Administration in all its branches, and stones, and dead cats! Who in all the should be First Commissioner of the Treaworld could have thrown them at "the sury; and that Lord Moira, Lord Erskine, "amiable Mr. Davis ?" It must have been and Mr. Canning, should be Members of some Bristol people certainly; and that of the Cabinet.-That it was probable, that their own accord too, for Mr. Hunt was not a Cabinet, formed on an enlarged basis, there at the time.-Mark how these prints must be extended to the number of twelve discover each other's falsehoods. The Cou- or thirteen Members: that the Prince Rerier of the 1st July gave us an account of gent wished Lords Grey and Grenville, on Mr. Davis's gracious reception. It told us, the part of their friends, to recommend for that RICHARD HART DAVIS, Esq. the His Royal Highness's approbation the late Member for Colchester, and the pro- names of four persons, (if the Cabinet ❝fessed candidate of the White Lion party should consist of twelve) and of five Per"in this city, was met at Clifton on Satur- sons, (if the Cabinet should consist of "day by an immense body of freeholders thirteen) to be appointed by His Royal "and freemen, consisting of the most re- Highness to fill such stations in His Coun "spectable and opulent inhabitants of the cils as might hereafter be arranged.—That city, and was preceded to the Exchange His Royal Highness left the selection of the "by a cavalcade of upwards of one hun-names to Lords Grey and Grenville, withdred carriages, and a numerous body of "his friends on horseback and on foot." But, not a word about the mud, stones, and dead cats, with which he was saluted. Yet these were flung at him; and flung at him, too, by the people of Bristol; by hands unbought; for Mr. Hunt spends not a farthing. They were a voluntary offering on the part of those men of Bristol who were not to be corrupted.--The COURIER of Thursday 2d July, states, that both horse and foot soldiers had been marched into Bristol.- -SIR FRANCIS BURDETT mentioned this circumstance in the House of Commons on Thursday evening. The Secretary at War said he did not know of the troops being brought into the city. But this will be found to have been the case. WM. COBBETT.

State Prison, Newgale,
Friday, 3rd July, 1812.

MINISTERIAL NEGOCIATIONS. DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED, RELATING TO THE LATE NEGOCIATIONS FOR MAKING A NEW MINISTRY.

(Continued from page 832.) May, 1812, were intended by His Royal Highness to constitute the foundation of his Administration.-That His Royal High

out any exception or personal exclusion.That in completing the new arrangement, the Prince Regent has granted to Lord Wellesley, entire liberty to propose for His Royal Highness's approbation, the names of any persons now occupying stations in His Royal Highness's Councils, or of any other persons.-That if the propo sition made to Lords Grey and Grenville, should be accepted as the outline of an arrangement, all other matters would be discussed with the most anxious solicitude to promote harmony and general accommodation. WELLESLEY.

No. 18.-Lord Grey to Lord Wellesley, dated 2d June, on the Subject of No. 17.

My Lord, I lost no time in sending for Lord Grenville, and have communicated to him, since his arrival, the proposal

de to me yesterday by your Lordship. We have felt the necessity of a further communication with our friends, and this, I fear, will make it impossible for us to send our final answer to the minute which I had the honour of receiving from your Lordship yesterday evening, till a late hour to-night, or early to-morrow morning.To obviate, however, as far as I can, any inconvenience which might arise from this delay, I think it right to state to your Lordship, that the feeling which I yester (To be continued.)

Published by R. BAGSHAW, Brydges-Street, Covent-Garden..
LONDON: Printed by J. M'Creery, Black-Horse-Court, Fleet-street.

VOL. XXII. No. 2.] LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 11, 1812.

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possess are, when one reflects on them, really terrific; and, if their conduct is not to be investigated, either through the means of the press, or through any other means, what responsibility is there? What check is there? And in what a state are the people who are so much within their power?

SUMMARY OF POLITICS. LINCOLN JAIL.-On Thursday, the 25th of June, a discussion took place, in the House of Commons, upon the subject of the treatment of the prisoners confined in the Castle, which is the county jail, of Lincoln, to which, as the public will recollect, Mr. FINNERTY -With this preface the reader will, with and Mr. DRAKARD were, sometime ago, the greater advantage, enter with me upon committed by the Judges of the Court of a review of the debate upon Sir Samuel RoKing's Bench (Lord Ellenborough, Judges milly's motion. I shall here insert the Grose, Le Blanc, and Bailey), for the term part of his speech which was most material. of eighteen months, in consequence of trials It is but a very faint sketch of what he said; for LIBEL.--The discussion here alluded but, it will enable the reader to form a to, arose out of a motion made by Sir Sa- pretty good estimate of the conduct of the muel Romilly, grounded upon a Petition of parties implicated." It appeared," he THOMAS HOULDEN, lately a prisoner said, "that the Petitioner, Thomas Houlfor debt in the jail at Lincoln. The object" den, was brought before a Magistrate, of the motion was to obtain the appoint-" Doctor Caley Illingworth, who on a comment of a committee to inquire into the "plaint preferred by the gaoler, ordered grounds of the complaint of the petitioner," the petitioner to be removed from the who complained of ill-treatment on the part" apartment in the prison which he had hiof MERRYWEATHER, the jailer, and therto occupied, and to be confined, also on the part of some of the magistrates, "though but a prisoner for debt, in one of especially one DOCTOR CALEY IL- the cells appropriated to common felons; LINGWORTH, who, as is now become" (Hear, hear!)-and it further appeared, the fashion in almost every part of the king-"that the petitioner was left to remain dom, is at once a Clergyman and a Justice" closely confined in this cell for eleven days of the Peace.- -The public will remem- "and nights successively; (hear, hear, ber, that Mr. Finnerty presented a petition" hear!);--and it also appeared, that durto parliament against the conduct of this "ing that period he was denied the use of jailer and the magistrates. He was shut pen, ink, and paper, and that no friend up in a place the stench of which alone was "whatever was permitted to have access to enough to kill any man. He was commit-"him. (Hear, hear!)-What the mighty ted to this distant jail by Lord Ellenbo-" offence was that had called down upon rough, and Judges Grose, Le Blanc, and him the indignant severity of this Doctor Bailey, on the 7th of February, 1811, for" Caley Illingworth should hereafter be ex18 months, for a libel upon CASTLE-" plained, and it should be also satisfactoREAGH. He was shut up in a place de-"rily proved, that this confinement in a stined for felons; and the stench of the cell for eleven days and nights, would place was such as to be alone sufficient to "not have even then been put a stop to, deprive a man of life in the course of a few" had it not been for the unexpected intermonths. By his courage and perseverance "vention of a certain circumstance, which he has not only bettered his own condition," could also be very intelligibly explained. but that of others also, and is now, I hope, "But he could not help asking what was in a fair way of doing the public a still" the authority under which the Magistrate greater service.—The conduct of the ma- "meant to shelter such an act of oppres gistrales, as they are called, but of the Jus-"sion? (Hear, hear!)—He knew of none tices of the Peace, as they ought to be call-"-(hear, hear!)—the common law, he ed, stands in need of investigation more "was confident, gave none; but it had than that of almost any other description of "been contended for, he understood, that men in authority. The powers they now "all this authority was derivable to the

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