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ANNUAL REGISTER, I8I7. 



it was aimed were violating the 

 public peace, and coiniiiitting 

 outriige. The second subjected 

 those who did not disperse within 

 an hour after proclamation , to the 

 same punishment as if they had 

 been guilty of tiie most aggra- 

 vated dimes. 



Sir James Mackintosh, after va- 

 rious observations h;id been made, 

 movt'd as his amemlment, that 

 instead of tlie words " -hall suffer 

 death as in ciise of felony, withotit 

 benefit of clergy," the words 

 " shall suffer transportation for 

 the term of seven years," should 

 he substituted in their stead. 

 The committee thereupon divided, 

 when there appealed, for the 

 amendinent 26 ; against it 70. 



Sir James Mackintosh then said 

 that he had anothei amen-lment 

 to propose in that important 

 clause relative to public mtetings. 

 As it now stood, a power was 

 given in the case of propositions, 

 stirring up the pt-opie to hatred 

 or contempt of the government or 

 constitution of this realm as by 

 law established. No man in this 

 House would say that there was 

 any intention of using the word 

 government in any sense where it 

 might be confounded with admi- 

 nistration But if that were true, 

 what was the use of inseiting the 

 word "government?" The use of 

 the word in this clause could have 

 no tendency but to create the 

 most dangerous misapprehensioiis. 

 He would therefore propose the 

 omission of the words " or the 

 government," leaving the passage 

 to run, 'or the con-titution of 

 this realm as bylaw estabJished." 



After some conversation, this 

 amendment was negatived. 



On the reading of the next 

 clause, for the apprehension of 



persons offending as above de- 

 sciibed. Sir Samuel Romilly pro- 

 posed to leave it out altogether ; 

 contending that as at present 

 framed and understood, it might 

 give some officious magistrates a 

 pretence for dencuncing the most 

 peaceable and constitutional meet- 

 ings, and would rather tend to 

 occasion riot and confusion, than 

 to prevent sedition and rebellion. 

 The clause was defended by the 

 ministeis, who carried it by 46 

 against 16. 



Sir Jantes Mackintosh next pro- 

 posed, that tlie exemptions ex- 

 tending to lectures in the univer- 

 sities, in the inns of court, and in 

 Gresham college, should also in- 

 clude the East India college, and 

 lectures in medicine, surgery, 

 chemistry, and all others bona 

 fide intended for the improvement 

 of learning, the sciences, and the 

 arts. This amendment was also 

 rejected, with the exception of the 

 East India college. 



All the clauses being gone 

 through, the House was resumed, 

 and tlie bill was ordered to be 

 reprinted. 



On March 14th, the order of 

 the day standing for the third 

 reading of the bill for the more 

 effectually preventing Seditious 

 Meetings and Assemblies, Sir M. 

 W. Ridley, after a speech in which 

 he declared it to be his duty to 

 oppose the pa-sing into a law an 

 act wholly uncalled for by the 

 isting circumstances of the coun- 

 try, moved as an amendment, to 

 leave out the word "now," and 

 insert after the words " be read 

 a third time," the words " this day 

 six months." 



This being the last day in which 

 the two parties had an open field 

 for contention, the principal force 



of 



