16] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



convinced, that notwithstanding 

 tlie failure on the '-Zd of Decem- 

 ber, the same designs still con- 

 tinue to be prosecuted with san- 

 guine hopes of success. 



Your Committee liaving thus 

 stated the general result of the 

 evidence which has been laid be- 

 fore them, respecting the state 

 of the nietiopolis, !ia\enow the no 

 less painful duty of calling the 

 attention of the House to what 

 has been passing (hn'ing the same 

 period in ditf'ei'ent |)arts of the 

 country, a subject of equally mo- 

 mentous consideration. The first 

 tiling which has here forced itself 

 upon their observation, is the 

 widely dilFused ramification of a 

 system of clubs, associated pro- 

 fessedly for the purpose of parlia- 

 mentary reform, upon the most 

 extended principle of universal 

 suffi'age and annual pailiaments. 

 These clubs in general designate 

 themselves by the same name of 

 Hampden clubs. On the pro- 

 fessed object of their institution, 

 they appear to be in communica- 

 tion and connexion with the club 

 of that name in London. 



It appears to be part of the 

 system of these clubs, to promote 

 an extension of clubs of the same 

 name and nature, so widely as, if 

 possible, to include every village 

 in the kingdom. The leading- 

 members are active in the circu- 

 lation of publications likely to 

 promote their object. Petitions, 

 ready prepared, have been sent 

 down fiom the metiopolis to all 

 societies in the country disposed 

 to receive them. The communi- 

 cation between these clubs takes 

 place by the mission of delegates ; 

 delegates from these clubs in the 

 country, have assembled in Lon- 



don, and are expected to assemble 

 again early in March. Whatever 

 may be the real object of these 

 clubs in general, your Committee 

 have no hesitation in stating, from 

 information on which they place 

 full reliance, that in far the greater 

 number of them, a^d paiticularly 

 in those which are established in 

 the great manufacturing districts 

 of Lancashire, Leicestershire, Not- 

 tinghamshire, and Derbyshire, and 

 which are composed of the lower 

 order of artizans, nothing short 

 of a revolution is the object ex- 

 pected and avowed. 



Your Committee find, from 

 equally undoubted information, 

 that the doctrines of the Spencean 

 clubs have been widely diffused 

 through the country, either by the 

 extension of similar societies, or 

 more frequently by the interven- 

 tion of missionaries or delegates, 

 whose business it is to propagate 

 those doctrines throughout every 

 society to which they have access : 

 it is the universal practice of these 

 societies, to require from the 

 members a small weekly subscrip- 

 tion, which provides a fund for 

 the expenses of these missionaries, 

 and also for the purchase of sedi- 

 tious tracts, which are read and 

 commented on at their meetings. 

 Some of these tracts, now befoie 

 your committee, inculcate in the 

 most artful manner, the necessity 

 of overturning what they call 

 " the privileged class," as dis- 

 tinguislied from the people, who 

 are described as consisting of la- 

 bourers, artizans, tradesmen, and 

 every profession useful to society. 

 A new order is declared to be the 

 will of the people ; rebellion is 

 justified by the assertion that a 

 nation cannot be a rebel ; and all 



religion 



