he not some secret understanding? Is it not, moreover, strange that Sir Charles Wolseley, the Rev. Mr. Harrison, Mr. Fitton, and Mr. Knight-to say nothing of Messrs. Baguley, Drummond, Johnston, &c.—should be apprehended for words spoken at Public Meetings, and that Mr. HUNT, who, at the late Meeting in Smithfield, recommended you to resist the Payment of Taxes, should escape?-He may be a very honourable man; but on the face of these Truths, which are so well known to be correct, there is just ground for hesitation; at least, so it appears to

"Manchester, Aug. 14th, 1819.

A PATRIOT."

By what motives the writers of the preceding articles were actuated, it is not in the power of a mere observer to determine. One fact however is obvious; namely, that whether the allegations were true or false, they were directly calculated to provoke Mr. Hunt's friends, and to strengthen the dislike of his enemies. These effects seem to have been produced in both instances in a considerable degree; and, as might naturally be expected, retaliation was the almost immediate result. Mr. Hunt and his friends, irritated at the personal attacks thus attempted on his character, proceeded to counteract the impression they were calculated to make on the public mind, by giving publicity to the following articles, which appear in the Manchester Observer for August 14th, 1819,

"IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION TO THE PEOPLE O

ENGLAND.

"The mean and pitiful efforts, which are now making throughout England, to throw contempt upon the honest Patriot of the age, Mr. Hunt; and, to excite the worst passions of mankind against this independent benefactor of an impoverished and degraded people, shall recoil with dreadful retribution on the heads of their authors. The character of Mr. Hunt rises every day in the horizon of liberty: his firm and manly conduct; his unshaken perseverance; the coolness of his head, and the warmth of his heart, have set all their insidious attempts at defiance, and THE PEACE OF MANCHESTER SHALL BE PRESERVED by the prudence of that man whom the two contending Borough Factions have equally endeavoured to ruin in the estimation of the world, not caring at accomplishing their wicked purposes, by butchering thousands of their fellow countrymen, culpable only, because they are using every peaceable and legal means of relieving themselves from the horrors of starvation.

"The fanaticism and madness which destroyed the valuable apparatus of a, Priestley's well-spent life, which drove the first of Philosophers, and the best of Men, to a land where the domination of Priests and Tyrants is unknown, which hurled (as an impious government hireling of that day expressed it)

Sedition's temple smoking to the ground,"

1

still lurks in the envenomed bosoms of those men, who have sueceeded to a little "brief authority" in our day; but THE TIMES ARE CHANGED; the revolution of reason which Priestley appeared to see and foretell, has already taken place, and the bulk of mankind have thrown off their shackles of civil and religious slavery; and, in a voice of thunder, appalling to their oppressors, and as irresistible as the the tempests of Heaven, exclaim, WE WILL BE FREE."

"The same fell war-whoop of these base hirelings of power is sounded from the extremity of the Empire, and the good men who dare to stand forward as the champions of the People, would again fall victims to those blood-thirsty wretches, who are wishing to tread in the steps of those, who in the year 1791 wrapped Birmingham in flames, and sent her artizans and her wealth to enrich the inhabitants of another hemisphere. But the TIMES ARE CHANGED, and the villanous machinations of these REAL TRAITORS TO THEIR COUNTRY will prove abortive.

"We announced the postponement of the Manchester Meeting in our last Journal, and on the day of publication we received from Mr. Hunt the following communication, which we had no doubt had been obstructed in its delivery by the agents of power, purposely to keep it from the public, through the extensive medium of the MANCHESTER OBSERVER. The bold-the manly--the noble spirit which it breathes, prompts us to lay it, without comment, before the Public."

The communication from Mr. Hunt, alluded to in the preceding paragraph, is dated "Coventry, on my road to Manchester, August 5th, 1819; but it was not received until the 7th. It is entitled

"PROCLAMATION THE THIRD," and is addressed" To the Reformers of Manchester and its neighbourhood." At the time when this Proclamation was written, it appears that Mr. Hunt had not been apprized that the intended meeting of the 9th had been postponed; or rather, that it had been abandoned altogether, for reasons already assigned, and that another, for the 16th, had been appointed in its stead. Without keeping this in view, some of its passages will be quite unintelligible.

"SINCE I last addressed you, I see by the newspapers that the Ministers have published their Proclamation, in the name of the Prince Regent, vowing vengeance against all future Meetings for Reform.-I now see by this day's Courier, that the Magistrates acting for the counties of Lancaster and Chester have also published their Proclamation, denouncing our Meeting on the 9th for Reform as an illegal Meeting, and they caution all Persons to abstain AT THEIR PERIL from attending such illegal Meeting; as the Chairman appointed to preside at that meeting, I do hereby publish this my Proclamation.

First, I shall attend at the time appointed to preside at the said Meeting, under the full impression that the Meeting is not

only legal, but perfectly constitutional, it being called for the purpose of considering the best means of promoting that great object, Reform of the Commons' House of Parliament.

"Second, If any proposition should be offered which is illegal, as the Chairman of that meeting I hold myself responsible, and therefore I certainly shall not submit it to the Meeting.

"Third, There is no law that empowers a Magistrate to disperse a Meeting convened for such purpose, unless the Magistrates of Manchester intend to act upon the law that expired in July 1818.

"Fourth, The Magistrates having ordered all persons to abstain at their peril, which means in plain English that those who stay away from the Meeting will do it at their peril, of course all those who are under the influence of the said Magistrates, will certainly attend under pain of their high displeasure.

"Fifth, If any thing seditious or illegal should take place at the said Meeting, surely the law in the hands of the present Attorney General, aided by a packed Lancashire Special Jury, is quite strong enough to meet such an offence, unless the Magistrates mean to dispense with all law, and resort to open force at once; which should they do, the Reformers will at all events know what they have to trust to.

"Your's, &c.

"H. HUNT.

"Coventry, on my road to Manchester,

August 5, 1819."

Mr. Hunt reached Manchester on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 8th, and his escort, and manner of entering this populous town, have been thus described.

"On Sunday evening, the inhabitants of Stockport, hearing that Mr. Hunt was on his way to Manchester, and that he had alighted at Bullock Smithy, immediately resolved upon escorting him into the town; and between six and seven o'clock, the road for the space of two miles towards the entrance of Stockport, was literally jammed with spectators. On his approach to this great body of the People, it was with the utmost difficulty he could restrain them from filling the air with shouts of exultation; but by the wave of his hand he succeeded in prevailing upon the multitude to pay due respect to the solemnity of the day.-IT WAS THE SABBATH! and if ever a people's prayers were sincerely lifted up to the all-wise Disposer of events, it was on Sunday last. "GOD BLESS AND PROSPER YOU," was vociferated from every tongue, with thousands of good wishes for the success of the cause in which he had embarked. He proceeded in his gig, accompanied by our friend and neighbour Mr. Johnson, at a very gentle pace through the crowd to Stockport Union Rooms, where a supper was provided for him and about 100 of his friends, and where a band of the best musicians in the country were stationed to welcome him with appropriate tunes. Mr. Hunt addressed the

People from the door of the Union Rooms; "he sincerely thanked them for their good wishes, and requested them peaceably to depart and afford their enemies no opportunity to censure their conduct, which had been so highly praiseworthy and commendable." The people instantly complied, and departed peaceably to their own homes. Several attempts were made during the evening to dusturb the orderly conduct of Mr. Hunt and his friends, but all to no effect; and about ten o'clock Mr. Hunt retired, along with Mr. Johnson and several other gentlemen. He slept during the night at the house of Mr. Moorhouse; and as it was understood that he would leave Stockport about eleven o'clock on the ensuing morning, a large concourse of people assembled. Their joy surpassed every description, when they were informed of the arrival of Sir Charles Wolseley, at the Bulkley Arms, whose intention it was to have accompanied Mr. Hunt to the Manchester Public Meeting. A very great assembly proceeded with these Patriotic Gentlemen to Manchester. About Ardwick Green, they were met by an immense multitude of people, who rent the atmosphere with shouts of exultation, loudly crying out "Hunt for ever !”—“ Hunt and Liberty," &c. &c.-Sir Charles Wolseley alighted from Mr. Hunt's gig, and took his seat in a post-chaise, in company with two gentlemen from Stockport. Mr. Johnson then took his seat by the side of Mr. Hunt. The crowd increased with the acclamations of the people, and Mr. Hunt proceeded at a slow pace down Market-street, till he arrived at the office of the Observer Newspaper, when three times three cheers were distinctly given. The cavalcade then moved on; and when they arrived at the Exchange, the same burst of exultation was again repeated. They then proceeded through Old Millgate, Hanging-ditch, up Shudehill, and when they arrived at the manufactory of Mr. Johnson, the people spontaneously halted, and saluted their fellow-townsmen with loud and continued huzzas. The route was then continued towards Smedley Cottage, the residence of Mr. Johnson. When they arrived on the open space of ground near St. Michael's Church, Mr. Hunt addressed the people, exhorting them to peace and good order; which we are sorry our limits, in this department of our journal, precludes the possibility of a report. They were then conducted all the way to Smedley; and the people delivered these brave and intrepid champions of freedom safe at Mr. Johnson's house, amidst the reiterated shouts and huzzas of thousands of their friends. Mr. Hunt has since published the following Address, which we present to our readers, as a specimen of the nobleness of his mind, and the purity of his motives."

It is not to be supposed that Mr. Hunt, on reaching the vicinity of Manchester, remained long in ignorance of the changes. which had taken place, respecting the postponement of the Public Meeting. His friends, and himself, were deeply interested in the alteration that had been made; and on his becoming acquainted with the occasion, he published the following letter:

TO THE

REFORMERS OF MANCHESTER AND NEIGHBOURHOOD.

"FELLOW COUNTRYMEN,

“OUR enemies are exulting at the victory they profess to have obtained over us, in consequence of the postponement for a week, of the PUBLIC MEETING intended to have been held on Monday

last.

"The Editor of the London Courier (although he admits that we are only checked, not subdued,) appears to be as much rejoiced as if he, and his coadjutors, had for a time escaped unhurt from the effects of an earthquake, or some other great national calamity; his blood-thirsty imitators of the local press of Manchester cannot disguise the fears of their employers, although I am informed they attempt to do it, by resorting to the most vulgar and impotent abuse. To reply to any of their malignant and contemptible efforts, would only tend to drag them forth, for a moment, from their natural insignificance and obscurity; therefore, you will bestow on their petty exertions the most perfect indifference; for as they are beneath your anger, so you will not even suffer them to attract you notice.

"You will meet on Monday next, my friends, and by your steady, firm, and temperate deportment, you will convince all your enemies, that you feel you have an important, and an imperious public duty to perform; and that you will not suffer any private consideration on earth to deter you from exerting every nerve, to carry your praiseworthy and patriotic intentions into effect.

"The eyes of all England, nay, of all Europe, are fixed upon you; and every friend of real Reform, and of rational Liberty, is tremblingly alive to the result of your Meeting on Monday next.

"OUR ENEMIES will seek every opportunity, by the means of their sanguinary agents, to excite a RIOT, that they may have a pretence for SPILLING OUR BLOOD, reckless of the awful and certain retaliation that would ultimately fall on their heads.

"EVERY FRIEND OF REAL AND EFFECTUAL REFORM is offering up to Heaven a devout prayer, that you may follow the example of your brethren of the Metropolis; and, by your steady, patient, persevering and peaceable conduct on that day, frustrate their HELLISH and BLOODY PUrpose.

"Come, then, my friends, to the Meeting on Monday, armed with NO OTHER WEAPON but that of a self-approving conscience; determined not to suffer yourselves to be irritated or excited, by any means whatsoever, to commit any breach of the public peace.

"Our opponents have not attempted to show that our reasoning is fallacious, or that our conclusions are incorrect, by any other argument but the threat of violence, or to put us down by the force of the sword, the bayonet, and the cannon. They