GENERAL HISTORY. 



[73 



confined to one town, one county, 

 or one district. It pervaded seven 

 or eight counties 5 and tlie (iisaf- 

 tected were acting by associations, 

 by correspondence, and by send- 

 ing delegates from one meeting to 

 another. With respect to tiie em- 

 ployment of spies, he affirmed, 

 that whatever might be the lan- 

 guage of orators or writers, the 

 fact was, that in ])ractice this wea- 

 pon had always been employed. 

 He allowed that considerable dif- 

 ficvdty existed in the application 

 of this principle ; but it was al- 

 most impossible, without such 

 means, to secure the information 

 necessary for the public tranquil- 

 lity. IJe then resorted to the ))e- 

 culiar character of the^present dis- 

 turbances, and concluded with 

 calling upon their lordships, in 

 the name of eternal peace, of good 

 order, and of security and liberty, 

 to adopt the proposed measure. 



Some further observations were 

 made by different lords, which it 

 is unnecessary here to repeat. The 

 question being at length called for, 

 the result was, for the second read- 

 ing of the bill. 

 Contents, present . . . 109 

 Proxies 81 



Total . . 



Non-contents, present 

 Proxies 



Total 



190 

 50 



Majoiity 140 



On June 19th, the third reading 

 of this bill was called for in the 

 House of Lords. Several peers 

 took the occjision of giving their 

 sentiments on the subject, but 

 n(jtliing occurred to render their 



observations particularly remark- 

 able. The third leading was car- 

 ried by 

 Contents, prcicnt ... 73 

 Proxies 68 



Non-contents, present 

 Proxies 



141 



20 

 17 



37 



Majority .; ... 104 

 On June 5th, Lord Casthreugh 

 presented to the House of Com- 

 mons a message relative to se- 

 ditious meetings, expressed in the 

 same terms as that sent to the 

 House of Lords, with a bag of 

 papers accompanying it. His lord- 

 ship said, that he should now con- 

 fine himself to a motion of tl.anks 

 to the Prince Regent, assuring 

 him, that the House would take 

 the pa])ers into their immediate 

 and serious consideration. After 

 this motion was disposed of, l.e 

 should submit that the papers 

 should be referred to a select com- 

 mittee, to be confined to the same 

 persons as were membeis of the 

 last, except the late attorney-ge- 

 neral who had ceased to be a 

 member of that House ; and in 

 his stead he would ])ropose the pre- 

 sent solicitor-general. 



Lord Castlereagh's first motion 

 being agreed to, he next moved 

 for referring the papers to a com- 

 mittee. Lord P^olkestone moved, 

 by way of amendment, " to ex- 

 amine and arrange the same, and 

 to report the substance thereof to 

 the House," which a\ as negatived. 

 it was then ordered that a com- 

 mittee of secrecy, corisisting of 21 

 members, be appointed ; after 



which 



