102] ANNUAL KEGISTKH, 1817. 



tion of her Majesty, and her ina- 

 bility to receive company. 



'i'he morning was ushered in 

 Avith 1 inging- ot bells. The guards 

 mounted in white gaiters, and 

 wore new clothes. Carl'on-house 

 was thronged during the whole of 

 the day with all lanks, paying 

 their respectful congratulations. 

 1 he Tower g\ins tired at one 

 o'clock ; the tii ing of the Park 

 guns was dispensed with in con- 

 sequence of the indisposition of 

 the Queen. 



TKIALS, &c. 



One of the first trials upon an 

 accusation of the crime of sedition 

 was that o: Niel Douglas, an uni- 

 versal fireaclier in Glasgow, who 

 was charged with words spoken 

 in tlie jiulpit in derogation of his 

 Majesty, of the Prince Kegent, 

 and the whole House of Com- 

 mons. The trial took place in the 

 high court of Justiciary in Edin- 

 buigh on May 25 ; and the result 

 was, that after a due attention to 

 the evidence produced on both 

 sides, Douglas was declared not 

 guilty, and was dismissed from 

 tlie court. 



A tiial in wliich the public was 

 uiuch n.ore interested was that 

 of the elder \A'atson, Surgeon, at 

 the couit of King's Keiich, Wtst- 

 minster Hall, accuseti of high 

 treason. It conmienced on the 

 lOthof.Iune, and was continued 

 till ^Monday the i6th, when tlie 

 jury [jroniivniced a verdict of Not 

 guilty. Tlie other peiS'ns impli- 

 cated in the same accusation were 

 aFterwai'ds discharged by ttie law 

 officers. 



About the san-e time a disposi- 

 tion to tumult and outrage broke 

 out in sovei al of the n)idland and 

 northern counties, particularly 



Lancashire, Yorkshire, Notting- 

 hamsiiire, and Derbyshire. These 

 were for the most part speedily 

 quelled ; and from a considerable 

 nvunbcr sent for trial to York, the 

 whole were either pronounced 

 not guilty, or pie\iously dischaig- 

 ed, with the exception of two, who 

 were detained by a secietary of 

 stale's warrant under the suspen- 

 sion of the Habeas Corpus Act. 



A more melancholy result suc- 

 ceeded the trial of a number of 

 prisoneis, who were comnntted to 

 the gaol of Derby on a charge of 

 high treason. A special (on)mis- 

 sion was issued to four judges, who 

 in the month of October entered 

 upon their office j and nothing 

 could be moie honourable to the 

 criminal justice of the country 

 than the manner in which it was 

 executed. After the persons who 

 had been ailjudged worthy of death 

 had undergone their tr'.al, Mr. 

 Den man lequested of the court 

 that the prisoners remaining at 

 the bar might be permitted to 

 w ithdraw tiieir plea of not guilty, 

 and substitute that of guilty. The 

 attorney-general readily consent- 

 ing, nine prisoners were allowed 

 to amend their plea, and ten more 

 were permitted to join them. It 

 was generally understood that their 

 jiunishment would be commuted 

 for some ligh'er sentence. Twelve 

 more next apjieared at the bar, 

 whose names being called over, 

 the attorney-general rose, and 

 after a speech displaying much 

 feci ing, made a declaration that 

 his painful task was now closed, 

 and that the hand of mercy was 

 meant to be extended to all the 

 rest. The devoted number were 

 only three, Urandreth, Turner, 

 and Ludlam, who were executed 

 at Derby on Novendier Jth. 



CHAP- 



