HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



279 



liad composed and published va- 

 rious books and addresses, recom>- 

 mendinf the election of delegates 

 to a convention : they had con- 

 sulted on the means of forming a 

 convention, and where it might 

 be held : they had agreed among 

 themselves and others, to meet to- 

 p-ether for the execution of those 



o 



purposes: they had procured arms 

 to be made to that intent ; and they 

 had resolved to aid the Kirig's ene- 

 mies. 



The speech made by the Attor- 

 ney General, on opening the 

 prosecution, lasted nine hours: it 

 contained a circumstantial account 

 of all the particulars mentioned in 

 the reports of the secret committee. 

 Among the papers he produced in 

 evidence, many were intemperate 

 and abusive of persons in th: mi- 

 nistry, and of high rank in official 

 -lepartments; but however severe 

 Ml the character of indivi<lua!s, or 

 rash in the expression of sentiments, 

 no charge of treason could strictly 

 be brought against the writers. 



It was a rem.arkable circumstance 

 on this celebrated tnal, that of 

 those witnesses v/ho deserved credit, 

 none criminated the prisoner ; and 

 t'lat those w'ao deposed againsthim, 

 were found, on examination, to de- 

 serve none. AHOther circumstance 

 no less favourable to him, was that 

 the proceedings of the societies 

 were of public notoriety. Tlicy had 

 applied to members of parliament, 

 earnestly soliciting that they would 

 present tht'ir petitions to the House 

 of Commons for a parliamentary 

 reform; which appeared uniformly 

 to be the sole object of their re- 

 quest. The legality of Mr. Hardy's 

 conduct was convincingly proved 

 from the answers to evL'ry question 

 |Mi4 cross examination by those who 



were summoned to give their evi- 

 dence. A variety of means was 

 tiied to substantiate and bring the 

 charges of treasonable practices 

 homo to the prisoner ; but they 

 proved ineffectual ; and the good- 

 ness of his character repulsed every 

 insiiuiation to his disadvantage. 



The speeches of Mr. Erskine and 

 Mr. Gibbs, in defence of Mr. Har- 

 dy, were universally considered as 

 finished pieces of professional kno\v- 

 ledge and eloquence. The puhlic 

 was loud in its mutual congratula- 

 tions on the foicible and effective 

 manner in which they silenced 

 every attempt to estiblish the fatal 

 doctrine of constructive treason. 



The satisfaction uf tlie puhlic qn 

 the acquittal of Mr. Hardy, which 

 took place on the 5th of Novcm- 

 be, was for this reason great, and 

 expressed without restraint. Eveiy 

 man felt liimself interested in op- 

 posing the introduction of maxims 

 destructive of all personal security, 

 and that subjected him to the ini- 

 quitous interpretation of the law 

 in cases that ought never to need 

 explanation. 



The trial of Mr. Hardy lasted 

 eight days ; during which the anx- 

 iety of all men how it would ter- 

 minate, was visible not only in the 

 metropolis, but in every place 

 - throughout the kingdom. When 

 the circumstances of the trial were 

 made known, the verdict of the 

 jury impressed the public with the 

 highest sense of the importance 

 of that strongest bulwark to justice 

 and liberty, that had been felt for 

 mar.y years. 



Mr. Tooke was tried on the 

 17th of November: his personal 

 character and his distinguished ta- 

 lents contributed to render his trial 

 peculiarly remarkable. It was 



attended 



