THE COMMITTEE OF SECRECY, to whom the several papers which were presented (sealed up) to the House, by lord viscount Castlereagh, on the 5th day of this instant June, by command of his royal highness the Prince Regent, were referred, and who were directed to examine the matters thereof, and report the same, as they should appear to them, to the House; —have, pursuant to the order of the 1089 House, examined the same accordingly, and agreed to the following report:
In forming an opinion on the present internal situation of the country, your committee could not fail to bear in mind the information laid before them, at an early part of the session, upon which their first report was founded.
The papers now communicated to the committee, continue the narrative of the proceedings of the disaffected in the counties before referred to, viz. Lancashire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire (to which, part of Yorkshire and the towns of Birmingham and Stockport, must now be added), from the period of that report down to the present time.
Your committee find in these papers, not only a complete corroboration of the justness of the apprehensions, which they then expressed, but proofs, equally decisive of the continuance of the 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 where 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 several parties, attached to each petition, as might induce an effort to obtain by force whatever they demanded; and that a general idea seemed prevalent, that some fixed day, at no very great distance, was to be appointed for a general rising."
The first attention of your committee has been directed to the proceedings of the public meeting held early in March, in the town of Manchester. At that meeting, which consisted of persons assembled from various towns and populous villages in the vicinity of Manchester, as well as of the inhabitants of Manchester itself, it was proposed by the same leaders who had previously attracted the notice of your committee, that the petitioners should assemble, at the same place, on Monday, the 10th of that month, prepared to set out on a march to London, to present their petition themselves to the Prince Regent in person; that they should form themselves into parties of ten each (which arrangement was proposed with the professed view of not transgressing the law); and that they should supply themselves with provisions for the march, and with 1090 blankets for the purpose of sleeping on the ground.
At many other meetings previous to the 10th, which, though comparatively private, were yet numerously attended, it was represented to them, by their orators, that they would be surrounded by the police and the military, and that they would be an easy prey if they proceeded without arms for their protection. They were assured, however, that their numbers, which, in the course of their progress, would amount to not less than 100,000, would make it impossible ultimately to resist them. It was stated that all the large towns in Yorkshire were adopting the same plan, that the Scotch were actually on their march, and that if the petitioners could once reach Nottingham, or Birmingham, the business would be done. They were advised to choose leaders over each subdivision of tens, fifties, and hundreds, and to appoint a treasurer to receive contributions, which were actually made in a great number of small sums, out of which fund they were taught to expect that each man would be supplied with a daily allowance.
A petition was accordingly prepared, with a copy of which every tenth man was furnished; and which concluded by stating to his Royal Highness, that, without the change which they demanded, "they could neither support him, nor themselves;" and they were told, that if their petition was rejected, they must demand it; if still rejected, they must force it, and say they would be righted. It appears, that some of the persons apprehended, were fully prepared to act up to these instructions; though it is to be presumed, that many of them had no very definite idea of the way in which their services were to be employed; and that even among their leaders, some of the more moderate reckoned rather upon intimidation, than upon the actual employment of force. At one of those more private meetings, however, which preceded the general assembly, one of those persons, who appeared to have most influence, avowed himself a republican and leveller; and professed his determination never to give up till they had established a republican government: the examples of the insurrection in the reign of Richard 2nd, and of the rebellion, in Ireland in 1798, were held out, as objects of imitation; and the most violent of such declarations was generally received with the strongest marks of applause.
In consequence of these preparations, 1091 the public meeting proposed took place at the time appointed; and was attended by probably near 12,000 persons: many of these proceeded to the ground in regular order, with knapsacks on their backs, and notwithstanding the assembly was dispersed by the military, acting under the orders of the magistrates, and the principal leaders were apprehended, under warrants from the secretary of state, a considerable number actually marched off on their way to London; many were intercepted before they reached Stockport, but several found their way as far as Ashbourn.
The act for enabling his majesty to detain suspected persons had now passed; most of those, who had rendered themselves most conspicuous in exciting disaffection in this part of the country, had either been apprehended, or had secreted themselves? and all hopes were precluded of any immediate result from the assemblage which had been so long concerted; yet it appears to your committee, from a variety of concurrent testimony, on which they rely, that the previous organization had been extended so widely, and the expectation of ultimate success had been so confidently entertained, that these circumstances produced no other effect on the great body of the discontented, than to delay the explosion, which had so long been meditated; to occasion the discontinuance of the more open meetings of the association; and to call forth the exertions of new leaders, who were determined (in their own phrase) to "reorganize the party." Meetings were accordingly held in several of the townships in the neighbourhood of Manchester, between the 10th and 25th of March, with more privacy, but under the established system of delegation, at which only the deputies from the disaffected places were present; and at which it was resolved to promote a general rising at Manchester, on Sunday the 30th of March, or the following day. A meeting was appointed for the leaders at Ardwick bridge, close to Manchester, on the Friday before that day; where they expected to receive information from Birmingham, Sheffield, and other places, with which they were in communication; having previously learnt from an emissary, who had visited Huddersfield and Leeds, that the disaffected in that part of the country were all ready to begin at any time, and were preparing arms for the purpose. The design was, to 1092 assemble as many as could be collected, in the night, at Manchester; to attack the barracks, the police office, the prison, the houses of magistrates and constables, and the banks in separate parties; and to set fire to the factories in the town. It was even declared by one of the conspirators, that this last atrocity was intended for the purpose of increasing the prevalent distress, in the hope of thereby adding to the numbers of the discontented, by throwing the workmen out of employment. It was calculated that two or three thousand men would be enough to commence these operations, as they reckoned upon being joined by 50,000 at the dawn of day. A proclamation was said to be prepared, in order to be produced on this occasion, justifying the revolt, and absolving the insurgents from their allegiance. Expectations were held out, that a general insurrection would take place, at the same time, in different parts of the counties of Lancaster, York, Warwick, Leicester, Nottingham, Chester and Stafford; and though some of these, particularly the two latter counties, may have been included without any sufficient ground, your committee see just reason to apprehend, that a successful insurrection at Manchester would have been followed by partial risings, to an alarming amount, in each of the other counties. Some preparations were made for providing ammunition, with a view to the arms, which it was intended to seize. The execution of this plan was defeated by the vigilance of the magistrates, who being apprized of what was in agitation, made a communication to the secretary of state, by whom warrants were immediately issued, and the ringleaders, assembled at Ardwick bridge, were consequently seized on the 28th. The magistrates of Manchester thereupon published an address to the inhabitants, announcing the danger, and calling upon the householders to be sworn as special constables, and to assist in preserving the peace of the town. This plan of the disaffected, being thus discovered, and deranged, they became more wary, and secret in their proceedings; but in the moment of disappointment, declarations were made, that it would be impossible to prevent the rising for a month longer. The assassination of persons most obnoxious to their resentment was suggested by some of the most desperate of the conspirators; an attack was made upon the House of one of the magistrates; the life of another was 1093 threatened; and a pistol was fired into the House of a gentleman, who was acting as a special constable. Shortly after this period, it appears to have been discussed, whether it would not be more prudent to discontinue the appointment of delegates, and to rely only upon one man in each town, who might call the disaffected together a short time before the intended insurrection, and seize on horses, preparatory to the attack on Manchester. But notwithstanding this proposition, the same system of connected operation by means of delegates was indefatigably persevered in.
Delegates from Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby, Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and other places in the disturbed part of the country, either constantly or occasionally attended these meetings. The numbers assembled were not large, but the activity was unceasing; emissaries were continually passing from one of those places to another, to compare their accounts of the state of the public mind; to foment the irritation among the disaffected; and to combine some general plan of simultaneous, or connected insurrection; the object of which was, after consolidating a sufficient force, to march upon London, and there to overturn the existing government, and to establish a republic. The same designs were continued of attacking the barracks, and depots, in different parts of the country (one of which was particularly re-connoitred with that view); of plundering the houses of noblemen and gentlemen, where arms were supposed to be lodged; of seizing the magistrates, and keeping them as hostages, and as authorities for levying contributions on the country; of disarming the soldiers by night, in their quarters, or seducing them from their duty; and of providing arms for themselves, partly by these seizures, and partly by an easy method of forming pike heads out of common tools and utensils.
It appears to your committee, that the utmost confidence prevailed among the delegates, as to the ultimate attainment of their object; that the successive arrests of several of the principal leaders, though; they occasioned momentary disappointment, did not extinguish the spirit of insurrection, or the hopes of success, in the parts of the country above mentioned; and the utmost impatience was manifested at the delays which had taken place in fixing the day for the general rising. This, 1094 after several postponements, was appointed for the Monday in Whitsun week, and was afterwards again postponed to the 9th of June, which was thought more favourable for a midnight insurrection, as the moon would then be in the wane. Notice of this last appointment had been so widely circulated, that it became almost of public notoriety; which, while it awakened the attention of those whose duty it was to preserve the public peace, did not ap-appear to derange the preparations of those who were disposed to disturb it. Even where the planners of the insurrection suggested a farther delay, they found it impossible to restrain the impatience, which they had excited among their followers, who had forsaken their ordinary habits of industry, and who must either proceed to the immediate attainment of their object, or for the present relinquish it, and return to their accustomed occupations. On the 28th of May a meeting of delegates in the neighbourhood of Sheffield was dispersed, and some of the parties were apprehended; and on the 6th of June, several persons described to be delegates, (and believed by your committee to be such), who were assembled at another place in the same neighbourhood, were apprehended by the magistrates of the riding, assisted by the military; and the final arrangement of the plan, which was there to be settled, was thus happily frustrated. It was confidently expected, that these arrests would disconcert whatever measures were in preparation, and they appear to have had that effect in the immediate vicinity of Sheffield; but the spirit which had been excited could not be wholly suppressed. In the neighbourhood of Huddersfield, in the night of the 8th instant, several houses were forcibly entered and plundered of arms. A considerable body of armed men were approaching the town, when a small patrole of yeomanry cavalry, attended by a peace officer, fell in with them, and was received with the discharge of several shot, by which one of their troop horses was wounded. The patrol having ascertained, that they were too few to oppose such numbers, thought it prudent to retreat, when several shots were fired after them without effect. On returning with an additional force to the spot, they found that the whole of the insurgents had disappeared; but guns fired as signals, in different directions, and lights shown on the heights throughout the country, sufficiently proved 1095 the extent of the confederacy, and the concert with which it was organized. In some populous villages of Derbyshire, a more open insurrection took place on the 9th of June. A delegate from this part of the country had attended a previous meeting at Nottingham, and an active emissary from thence had joined them in the course of the night. The insurrection began, according to the general plan proposed, with attacks upon houses, for the purpose of procuring arms; in one of which, a sevant was wantonly shot; about 200 insurgents were soon assembled, mostly armed either with pikes or with fire arms, and began their march towards Nottingham, in expectation of increasing their numbers as they went, and of finding that place in full insurrection, and prepared to support them. They were however intercepted by detachments of cavalry (under the orders of active and intelligent magistrates), which came up with them in different directions, and totally dispersed them. Between 50 and 60 were taken and lodged in the different gaols; many fire arms and pikes were taken at the same time, and a quantity of ammunition was found upon the persons of the prisoners.
Your committee have thus stated the prominent points of the information, which has been laid before them, particularly as affecting the manufacturing districts in the Northern and Midland counties, and which has been substantiated, in almost every particular, by depositions on oath, taken before magistrates. The character of the danger remains the same as was described in the former report. It arises from the indefatigable exertions of persons in the lower ranks of life, or but little above them, of some popular talents, inflaming and aggravating the actual distress of a numerous manufacturing population, by exciting hopes of an immediate remedy to all their sufferings from a reform in parliament, and preparing them (in despair of attaining that object) to attempt by force the total subversion of the established constitution of government.
Your committee stated, in their former report, that the mode of organization, practised with such mischievous success in the populous districts, had been in very many instances conducted under the cover of associations, called Hampden Clubs, formed for the ostensible purpose of procuring a reform in parliament; and they now find that in many instances, where 1096 the open meetings of those societies have been discontinued, several of the members of them have assembled more privately, and been the principal leaders in the projected combinations.
In their former report they did not think it necessary to advert to that atrocious system of combination, outrage, and hired assassination, which has prevailed in some of the midland counties, under the name of Luddism; both because the trials of persons, charged with those crimes, were then known to be depending; and because the system itself did not then distinctly appear to your committee to have any immediate application to political purposes. But they have since found reason to believe, that those who are concerned in instigating the people to insurrection, have availed themselves of this powerful engine for the more extended purposes of political innovation.
Upon the whole, your committee have been anxious neither to exaggerate, or extenuate, the nature and extent of the danger. They have not been insensible to the jealousy, with which the testimony of persons, originally implicated in the designs of the conspirators, or even of persons who never having engaged in those designs, have attended their meetings, in order to discover and report their proceedings, ought to be received; but the facts stated by your committee, rest not only upon confirmatory evidence, but on distinct, substantive, and satisfactory testimony; and although your committee have seen reason to apprehend, that the language and conduct of some persons from whom information has been derived, may in some instances, have had the effect of encouraging those designs, which it was intended they should only be the instruments of detecting; yet it is perfectly clear to your committee, that before any such encouragement could have been given, the plan of a simultaneous insurrection, in different parts of the country, had been actually concerted, and its execution fully determined on.
Your committee have the satisfaction to continue to believe, as they have before stated, that the danger, which they have described, is to be found only among the lower order of the manufacturing population, in particular parts of the country, many of whom are labouring under considerable privations, from the low rate of wages, and the increasing price of the necessaries of life; though your committee 1097 cannot but remark that the most active and determined insurgents are in many instances to be found amongst those, whose earnings, even in the present state of the manufactures, would enable them to support their families in comfort. They find that of the promoters of these commotions, many have either left the country, or are prevented from prosecuting their designs. The disaffected appear to want leaders to conduct such enterprises as they have conceived; are frequently disconcerted by jealousy and distrust of each other, and by the consciousness that their plans are watched; and by the arrests of the ringleaders. Great as the numbers probably are, among whom disaffection, to an alarming extent, has made considerable progress, fomented at first by popular harangues, and still by the more powerful, and general excitement of seditious publications, your committee are fully aware, that the number of those, who are now prepared to take the lead in any project of open insurrection, is not to be estimated by the exaggerated reports of their delegates. Though they have been all along taught to look to London for countenance and support, though some of their own immediate emissaries have, from time to time, affected to bring them hopes of encouragement from that quarter, in case of success; and though it has been stated to your committee, that a delegate from the country has recently been attending a meeting of delegates in London; no specific information has been laid before your committee of the existence of any body of men, associated in the metropolis, with whom the disaffected in the country appear to be acting in concert, or to hold communications. Their hopes arise from their own numbers, which if they could be excited to simultaneous movement, would distract their opponents, and would procure the means for carrying their utmost designs into execution. It is hoped, by them, that the timid and irresolute would thus be encouraged to stand forward; and they flatter themselves, that efficient leaders would not be wanting to put themselves at the head of a successful insurrection.
Your committee cannot contemplate what has passed in the country, even since the date of their former Report, without the most serious apprehension. During this period, the precautionary measures adopted by parliament have been in force; many of the most active promoters of public disturbance have been apprehended; 1098 the immediate projects of the disaffected have been discovered and deranged; yet nothing has deterred them from a steady pursuit of their ultimate object. Though hitherto checked, the least advance towards the attainment of that object could not but be attended with the utmost hazard to the lives and properties of his majesty's subjects.
In the late insurrection on the borders of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the mass of the population, through which the insurgents passed, evinced the utmost abhorrence of their designs and projects.— In other instances, where the inhabitants have been called upon to aid the civil power, that call has been answered with alacrity and zeal. Such conduct increases the claim of the peaceable and loyal inhabitants of the disturbed parts of the country to the most efficient protection.
Your committee find that it is the concurrent opinion of many of those entrusted with the preservation of the peace, and best acquainted with the state of the disturbed districts, as well as the admission of the disaffected themselves, that the suppression of the attempts at insurrection hitherto made, may, in a great degree, be ascribed to the existence of the extraordinary powers entrusted by parliament to the executive government, even in cases where it has not been found necessary to call them into action; and that the tranquillity of the country would be put to hazard, if those powers were now withdrawn. In this opinion your committee fully concur; and, confidently as they rely on the loyalty and good disposition of the great body of his majesty's subjects, (even in those parts of the country in which the spirit of disaffection has shown itself in the most formidable shape) they cannot but express their conviction, that it is not yet safe to rely entirely, for the preservation of the public tranquillity, upon the ordinary powers of the law.
20th June, 1817.