66] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



sealed up in a Bag, and deli- 

 vered by command of iiis royal 

 highness the Prince Regent. 

 By the lords connriittecs appointed 

 to take into consideration tlie 

 several Papers sealed up in a 

 Bag, and delivered by command 

 of ins royal highness the Prince 

 Regent, and to report to the 

 House 3 and to whom were re- 

 l"crred several otlier Papers 

 sealed up in a Bag, also deli- 

 vered by command of his Royal 

 Highness : — 



Ordered to report. That the 

 committee have met, and proceeded 

 in the examination of the papers 

 referred to them. 



It is their painful duty to report, 

 that these papers afford but too 

 many proofs of the continued ex- 

 istence of a traitorous C()nsj)ii'acy 

 for the overthrow of our esta- 

 blished government and constitu- 

 tion, and for the subversion of the 

 existing order of society. 



The attempts of the conspira- 

 tors have indeed iiitherto been 

 frustrated by tlic active cxcitions 

 of the govcrnuieiit, and particu- 

 larly of tlie magistnites in diHer- 

 eut parts of the comitiy, in exe- 

 cution botli of the general laws 

 provided for the maintenance of 

 the ]iublic trancpiillity, and of tlie 

 special jjowers re>ently given by 

 parliament for that jjinposc ; bu't 

 the infornration contained in (he 

 papers refcired to tiie committee, 

 leases no doubt in tlieir muids, 

 tiiat t!ie same wicked and des- 

 perate designs arc still actively 

 pursued. The information from 

 which they have drawn this })ain- 

 ful conclusion, ai)i)cars to have 

 been collected from many vaiious 

 sources often unconnected with 

 and unknown to each otlier ; but 



it is uniforni in its general result, 

 and it is corroborated by a strik- 

 ing correspondence in many mi- 

 nute pai'ticulars. 



This intelligence must be con- 

 sidered as resting in many of its 

 parts ujion the depositions and 

 cominimications of persons who 

 either are themselves more or less 

 implicated in tlese criminal trans- 

 actions, or who have, apparently 

 engaged in them, but with the 

 view of obtaining information, and 

 imparting it to the magistrates or 

 to the secretary of state. 



The testimony of persons of 

 both these desciiptionsmust always 

 be in some degree (piestionable ; 

 and your comnnttce have seen 

 reason to appi ehend that the lan- 

 giuige and conduct of some of the 

 latter may, in some instances, 

 have had the effect of encouraging 

 those designs, which it was in- 

 tended tliey sliould only be the 

 instiuments of detecting. After 

 making, however, to the best of 

 their judgment, all due alh)wance 

 for these circumstances, the com- 

 mittee are fully pcisuadcd that tiie 

 following is a oirect and not ex- 

 aggerated statement of the result 

 of the infoimatiou which has been 

 brought under th.eir view. 



The Papers relate almost ex- 

 clusively to the principal nianu- 

 factuiing districts in some of the 

 midland and northern counties of 

 England ; and although the dis- 

 aii'cctcd in the country aj)i>ear still 

 to be looking to the metiopolis 

 with the hope of assistance and 

 direction, it is to the parts of the 

 coimtry ab6A e referred to that the 

 more recent projects of insurrec- 

 tion seem to have been confined. 



The committee think it their 

 duty here to remark, that although 



in 



