74] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



which Lord Castlereagh moved 

 " That such members as were of 

 the committee of secrecy appoint- 

 ed on the 5th of February hist, 

 and who are now members of tliis 

 House, be members of the said 

 committee." Sir J. Newport ob- 

 jected to the proposal, and by way 

 of amendment gave a nomination 

 ahiiost entirely new. A discussion 

 of some length followed, after 

 which the House divided^ For the 

 original Motion 126, For the 

 Amendment 66 : ]Majority 60. The 

 main question was then agreed to, 

 and the solicitor-genei'al was add- 

 ed to the committee. 



Lord Folkestone then moved, 

 " That it be an instruction to the 

 said committee that they enquire 

 particularly into the origin, cha- 

 racter, and extent of the disaffec- 

 tion supposed to exist in the coun- 

 try, &c." which was negatived. 

 Another motion was offered by 

 tlie same noble lord, which was, 

 to make it an instruction to the 

 said conniiitfee that they enquire 

 into the particular case of every 

 person detained under the })ro vi- 

 sions of an act passed in the pre- 

 sent session of parliament, &c. ; 

 which was also negatived. 



Tiie Second Report from the 

 Connuittee of Secrecy of the House 

 of Commons was to the following 

 effect. 



In forming an opinion on the 

 present internal situation of tiie 

 country, your committee could 

 not fail to bear in mind the infor- 

 mation laid before them, at an 

 early part of the session, upon 

 whicli their fu'it repoit was 

 founded. 



The papers now communicated 

 to tlie conmiittee, continue tiie 

 nariali\e of the proceedings of 



the disaffected in the counties 

 before referred to, viz. Lancashire, 

 Leicestersliire, Nottinghamsliirc, 

 and Derbyshire (to which, part of 

 Yorkshire and the towns of Bir- 

 niingham and Stockport, mu^t 

 now be added), from the period 

 of that leport down to the present 

 time. 



Your committee find in these 

 papers, not only a complete cor- 

 roboration of the justness of the 

 apprehensions, which they tlien 

 expressed, but proofs, equally de- 

 cisive of the continuance of tiie 

 same machinations, and designs, 

 breaking out into fresh acts of 

 violence and insurrection, up to 

 the present moment. 



Your committee stated in their 

 former report, that " even wliere 

 petitioning was recommended, it 

 was proposed to be conducted in 

 such a manner, by an immense 

 number of delegates, attending in 

 London at the same time, in se- 

 veral parties, attached to each ])e- 

 tition, as might induce an effort 

 to obtain by force whatever tliey 

 demanded ; and that a general 

 idea seemed prevalent, that some 

 fixed day, at no very great dis- 

 tance, was to be appointed for a 

 general rising." 



The first attention of yourcom- 

 mictee has been directed to the 

 l)roceedings of the public meeting 

 held early in Marcli, in the town 

 of iManche&ter. At that meeting, 

 which consisted of persons as- 

 sembled from various towns and 

 populous villages in the vicinity of 

 Manchester, as v,'ell as of the in- 

 habitants of Manchester itself, it 

 was proposed by the same leaders 

 Avho had previously atti acted the 

 notice of your committee, that 

 the petitioners should assemble, 



at 



