166] ANNUAL REGISTER, 
a professed intent to set subjects at 
variance with their sovereigns, and 
to incite them to abjure all senti- 
ments of loyalty. 
It was observed, on the other 
side, that twelve months had elapsed 
since this book had made its first 
appearance. If it contained the 
poison of which it was accused, mi- 
nisters were highly culpable for 
neglecting to bring the author to 
condign punishment ; and their 
present conduct left the world to 
conjecture what could have been 
their motives for having so long 
delayed so indispensable a perform- 
ance of their duty. This tardiness, 
however, might not proceed from 
any other cause than a persuasion 
that works of this nature should 
stand or fall on their own worth or 
demerit; but the present zeal, so~ 
officiously displayed in order to dis- 
courage the reading of them, and 
to discover the abettors and pub- 
lishers of seditious writings, was 
probably the effect of a settled de- 
sign to let loose among the com- 
munity a set of spies over the con- 
duct and actions of individuals who 
should, by keeping them in con- 
stant alarm, render them diffident 
ef each other, and loosen all those 
bonds of friendship and intimacy 
that unite men together, and en- 
courage them to act a resolute and 
manly part on such occasions as 
require it. 
Much of what had been spoken 
in former «debates was repeated in 
the present ; which consisted en- 
tirely of the opposite sentiments 
on the transactions of the times, 
entertained by the friends and foes 
of administration; the first con- 
tending for the rectitude, and the 
other for the impropriety of its 
conduct; and supporting their re- 
1792. 
spective opinions by the same argu- 
ments, and almost in the same 
words that had already been used 
for those purposes. 
That particular commotion which 
was chiefly adverted to during this 
contest, was the riot at Birmingham, 
and of the outrages of which the 
people of that place had been guilty 
towards the dissenters. The magis- 
trates of that town had, it was said, 
basely connived at the barbarities 
committed by the populace, and 
even instigated them to their per- 
petration, This infamous behae 
viour was the natural consequence 
of the illiberal ideas concerning the 
dissidents from the religious estab- 
lishment of the kingdom, indus- 
triously disseminated among the 
vulgar by the enemies to toleration; 
who under the pretence of being 
the ardent friends of government, 
laboured to cast an odium upon all 
those who differed from them in 
spiritual matters, It was seriously to 
be lamented that persons of all de- 
scriptions were implicated in these 
scandalous proceedings. Not only 
the ignorant among the laity, but 
individuals of consideration among 
the clergy, gave way to this intole- 
rant spirit; represented the dis~ 
senters in such colours, as necessa~ 
rily rendered thera odious to their 
fellow-subjects: and exposed them 
continually to ill-treatment. 
No fewer than thirty-fix affida- 
vits were produced by Mr. Whit- 
bread, in corroboration of the neg- 
ligent behaviour of the magistrates 
of Birmingham during the riots. 
According to those depositions 
they even went further than bare 
neglect: they encouraged the li- 
centiousness and fury of the mob, 
by speeches tending manifestly to 
encourage them to mischief, and 
by ° 
