§
Lord Cochrane moved, that a petition should be read which within ten minutes had been put into his hand. It came from an individual who was ready to prove at the bar of the House, the falsehood of certain imputations on the public that had lately appeared in the newspapers as the report of the secret committee. He thought there could be no doubt, that allegations of this nature should be examined before the House proceeded to suspend the liberties of the country. The individual in question stated, that lord Sidmouth knew beforehand the proposals and intentions of the parties who excited the tumult at Spa-fields; that certain instruments, resembling pike-heads, had been ordered, by a person in the dress of a game keeper, to be made at the shop of one Bentley; that those instruments were nothing more nor less than spikes, for securing the head of a fish-pond against marauders; that certain police-officers had come to this same Bentley, and had ordered him to fabricate some more spikes similar to those he had made for the gamekeeper; and that these imitations, fabricated by such orders, were the pike-heads produced before the committee of secrecy. The petition contained much other curious matter, for the truth of which he did not hold himself responsible; but he thought that it ought to be examined into, and a committee appointed for the purpose; because it would be satisfactory, that the proceedings of the House should be grounded on truth, or that, if the allegations contained in the petition were false, the individual who had attempted thus to impose on the House should be severely punished. It appeared to him a most extraordinary circumstance, that though a private person, when accused, was allowed to exculpate himself in the best manner he could, the whole people of England should be condemned, unheard, by a selected committee—and all knew how committees were selected. This was so extraordinary and unjust, that he protested against it, and trusted the House would not sanction such a proceeding by its vote, when it was notorious that no serious disturbances had taken place. It was true, that a small body, calling themselves Spenceans, had meditated an attack on the property of the country; but they were not above a
§
590
hundred in number, even in the opinion of the lord mayor. That a few desperate individuals might have evil designs he had no doubt, but that the constitution was in danger from any such wretched individuals, no one could seriously imagine.
§ The petition from Henry Hunt, of Middleton-cottage, near Andover, was then read. It was couched in the same words as the one this day presented to the House of Lords. [See p. 546]. It was ordered to lie on the table.