114] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1819. 



that committee. He then gave some 

 reasons why his Majesty's ministers 

 had resorted to the step of layinsj 

 the affair before parliament; and 

 concluded by moving an address 

 of the tenor above mentioned. 



Earl Staniiope said he had no 

 objection to the words of the ad- 

 dress, but wished there had been a 

 further explanation of the measures 

 intended, which were left vague 

 and ambiguous ; and he proposed 

 adding the words " not violating 

 the principles of the constitution." 



The Earl of Liverpool contend- 

 ed that the addition was wholly 

 unnecessary ; and after some fur- 

 ther conversation it was rejected 

 without a division, and the address 

 was agreed to. 



Lord Sidraouth then proposed 

 that a secret committee should be 

 appointed consisting of eleven lords 

 to be chosen by ballot, which was 

 also agreed to. 



In the House of Commons, on 

 the same day, Lord Castlereagh 

 moved a similar address to the 

 Regent, and the appointment of a 

 committee of secrecy of 21 mem- 

 bers chosen by ballot, both of 

 which motions were carried. 



The report of the secret com- 

 mittee was laid before the House 

 of Commons on July 8th, contain- 

 ing a brief detail of the particulars 

 alluded to at the beginning of this 

 chapter. It was ordered to be 

 printed, and taken into consider- 

 ation on the 10th. 



On that day, Lord Castlereagh 

 rose, and after various preliminary 

 observations on the extent and 

 causes of the existing disorders, 

 and the insufficiency of the means 

 hithertoemployed for their suppres- 

 sion, he proceeded to state the 



proposed powers to be granted by 

 a bill which he should ask leave to 

 bring in, and the duration of which 

 he would limit to the shortest pe- 

 riod at which parliament could be 

 assembled to act as circumstances 

 might require. There were three 

 points to which he thought atten- 

 tion ought particularly to be di- 

 rected : — 1st. To make a more 

 effectual provision to keep the 

 rioters from p()ssessing themselves 

 of arms. 2. To guard against the 

 effect of tumultuary meetings. 

 3. To give more effectual power 

 and more extensive jurisdiction to 

 the m;igistrales of the disturbed 

 districts, .-is to the first, respect- 

 ing arms, the law at present re- 

 quired that a deposition should be 

 made on oath that arms were de- 

 posited in a certain place before 

 search could be made. He would 

 propose the alteration of giving to 

 any magistrate of the disturbed 

 districts the power of searching, 

 and of authorising his officers by 

 his warrant to search, not only for 

 stolen, but for secreted arras; and 

 also of calling on the inhabitants to 

 surrender their arms, receipts being 

 given for the same. At the same 

 time h^ wished to make a provision 

 for suffering those to retain their 

 arms who might have occasion to 

 use them in defence of their pro- 

 perty. As to tumultuary meetings, 

 which had lately taken place not 

 onlyinthenight,butinthedaytime, 

 of great num bers of persons, for the 

 purpose of training, at present the 

 magistrates could do no more than 

 read the riot act, and order therfi 

 to disperse, and that not ii'l the 

 end of an hour: his proposal there- 

 fore was that tbej should have a 

 power of juimfidiately dispersing 



a tumuU 



