He

fact, when those troops, and those em- | ground, had, nevertheless, a story not ployed in the dock-yards, were deducted, quite unsuited to existing circumstances, there remained not quite 4,000 men ap- and from which a lesson of admonition plicable to the enslaving of the population might, perhaps, be drawn. In the Deof the metropolis, and twenty-five miles camerone, a story was told of a king who round it. He had only one more obser- had given himself up altogether to the vation to make, which he believed would guidance of his ministers, and had never prove convincing to the noble lord him- seen or heard of the affairs of his subjects, self. The number of men employed but as his ministers thought proper to reshould be compared with the duty they present them. The ministers betrayed had to perform. In all former peace- their trust, and, by keeping their sovereign establishments it had been thought neces- in total ignorance of passing events, were sary that the number of men should be enabled to abuse his power, and at length sufficient to allow them to be three nights provoked the people to acts of violence. in bed and one on duty. Such, however, A revolution was contemplated, from was the present state of the home-service, which, however, the monarch was saved compared with the number of the troops, by the wisdom of one faithful courtier, that it admitted of their being two nights who had, by some means, discovered the in bed and one on duty. He could there- danger. This courtier procured a consifore, by no means accede to the pro- derable number of monkies: one of these priety of the noble earl's motion. he dressed up in royal robes, and taught Earl Grosvenor, in reply, said, that all to personate the king; the others he he had heard only the more confirmed his adorned with the trappings of state, and opinion, that despotism was the ultimate made them to imitate the council. end of the system for some time past pur- also procured a number of inferior anisued by his majesty's ministers. All our mals, such as dogs, cats, and rats, which ideas of government seemed to be com were to represent the people, and on these pletely reversed, and we were every day he put chains, all directed towards that approximating to those continental notions, particular corner of the room where his of which the least that could be said was, council were sitting. The courtier having that they were abhorrent from the feelings sufficiently prepared his exhibition, inof Englishmen. The noble earl had duced his sovereign one day to visit it. amused their lordships with a strange The monarch was at first surprised, but statement of the disposable force at our displeasure soon succeeded, and conceivdock-yards, and the intrepidity with which ing that the exhibition was intended to another part of it was employed in pre-ridicule himself, he was about to plunge venting the aggression of smugglers. In a dagger in his courtier's heart. The answer to this part of the noble earl's courtier prayed for mercy, and permisspeech, he might remind their lordships, sion that he might retire to the country that the yeomanry and cavalry force of for a year, and promised, that if on his England was nothing less than 20,000 men, return to court, the object of his scheme well armed and equipped. But if this was not discovered and approved, he army was not sufficient for the counterac- would willingly submit his breast to his tion of internal aggression, had the noble master's dagger. He obtained his prayer, earl forgot the local militia, or the possi- and on his return found the whole system bility of calling in the army in Ireland and of government altered, the king emanciin France to the assistance of the execu-pated from the chains which the self-intive? On the whole, it appeared to him, that, owing to the habits of travelling, to our contact with foreign courts, to an admiration of foreign modes, we were rapidly approximating to those feelings and notions which must prove destructive of our liberties. If during the prevalence of this feeling, their lordships felt disposed to tolerate it, he would allude to a foreign tale, though certainly one of past times. Bocaccio, though not in general remarkable for the chastity of his tales, and who rarely had ventured on political

terest of ministers had imposed on him, and the country restored to happiness and tranquillity. He should leave it to the House and to his majesty's ministers to apply the fable.

The Amendment was negatived; after which, the bill was read a third time, and passed.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Friday, March 13.

PETITION OF ROBERT SWINDELLS'

COMPLAINING OF THE OPERATION OF house in that manner; with their staves THE HABEAS CORPUS SUSPENSION ACT.] lifted over his head, they exclaimed, Sir S. Romilly rose to present a Petition" This is our authority, and where are from Robert Swindells, of Macclesfield, in those men you have in your house?" the the county of Chester, whose case he had petitioner said, "What men?" they anadverted to in the course of his observa-swered, "Why those men you have in tions on the Indemnity bill. The petition did, he perceived, differ in some respects from the statement which appeared in the Chester newspaper, but that statement substantially concurred with the petitioner in all material points. This petition was forwarded to an hon. friend of his, in order to be presented, before he alluded to the case in that House; but his hon. friend (Mr. Bennet) being prevented from attending the House, had sent it to him to have it presented. He now proposed to have the petition brought up, in order to have it laid on the table. What might become of this petition hereafter he could not pretend to say. He did not know that the sufferings of the poor petitioner, with the loss of his wife and child, might not be made a topic of merriment to enliven some future debate. Be that as it might, he would do his duty in present ing it.

The Petition was then read; setting forth,

"That on the 10th of March, 1817, at twelve o'clock at night, when him. self, his wife, and small child had retired to rest, a number of people came, with threats, knocking with great violence at his door, demanding entrance; the petitioner got up, and opened the window, requesting to know who was there; the reply was, "constables;" he told them to go away, that they had no right to disturb him in that manner; they threatened him with many threats and curses, and exclaimed, "If you don't open the door we will break it open, we will break it in pieces if you don't open the door and get us a light;" the petitioner's wife, being very much alarmed, and far advanced in pregnancy, did intreat him to open the door, which he did as soon as he got a light, and in rushed a number of men, viz. Mr. Samuel Wood, alderman, Mr. Joseph Tunnacliff, silk manufacturer, James Powell, banker's clerk, and several others, acting, as the petitioner supposed, under the authority of the magistrates, with staves lifted as if they meant to fell him to the ground instantly; the petitioner asked them for their authority for coming to his

• See p. 973.

your house?" the petitioner told them he had got no men in his house, that there was no person in his house except himself, his wife, and child; Mr. S. Wood and others took the light, and searched the house, but found no men there; Mr. S. Wood said, "There have some men slept in your house;" the petitioner told him that no man did ever sleep in his house but himself; they began to rummage his house and destroy his property; they demanded the keys of his chest and boxes; the petitioner said he did not know where they were; they threatened him, with their staves brandished over his head, that they would break the chest in splinters if he did not get them the keys; the petitioner's wife and child being down stairs, as they got out of bed, and she fearing the consequence of their threats, told them where the keys were; they got them, and opened the chest and box, one of them having the box under his arm, and said they would take it along with them; but as the keys were found, and the contents rummaged, it was left; all this was done to the great damage of the clothes and other contents, every thing being unfolded, broke open, and thrown about the house, every bonnet and hat being broke flat together; they demanded another candle, but the petitioner did not offer to comply, and they threatened him with staves as before, so that he got them one; that being lighted, a party went up stairs, pulled the bed-clothes off the bed to the floor, turned the bed up of a heap, went to the beaufet, pulled out most of the contents, and broke and threw them about the floor; they also opened his wife's work-bags, her sewing which she had been preparing for the child she then carried was also thrown about the floor; when they had plundered his house in every direction, they took with them a bundle of printed papers and pamphlets, and went off saying it would not be long before they would visit him again, which they never have; neither have they returned his property which they took away with them; but the scene did not stop here, for on the next day, on the 11th of March, his wife declared to him and many others that the fright and starvation with cold

succeeding year, for then the war malt duty of 16s. per quarter was laid on, and the price advanced 5s. The advance then was after the rate of 17s. 6d. per quarter on the malt, leaving the brewer a profit of 1s. 6d. That was also a full justification. The petition stated, that at another period, namely, in the year 1816, it was equally a matter of surprise, that the brewers had lowered the price of beer, but that the public were very much obliged. But what was the reason of this reduction, but because the war malt duty had ceased, and the 16s. per quarter taken off? What would have been said, if when the war duty was taken off, the brewers had not done so? It would be too tedious to go through all the different times that alterations had been made; he would, therefore, only say, that the price was fixed, in 1762, at 34d. a pot, when the price of malt was 19s. 6d. a quarter, and hops 50s. a hundred weight. It continued at 34d. until malt was at 61s. 4d., and hops 14 guineas. The brewers were subject to a loss for a great number of years, and he must here allude to an expression of Mr. Barber Beaumont, that when they once fixed the price, they would not fix a losing one. That was not the fact. After the advance in 1799, they made some little profit, but they had previously lost half their capitals. The next advance was in 1801, when malt rose from 61s. to 84s. per quarter. In every instance had the brewers been fully justi

was begged to put his signature. He then said that he believed the whole statement to be utterly false. The House should look with great jealousy and suspicion at a matter which produced a great revenue, of which no one would dispute that the government stood in great need. Mr. Calvert said, that it was with regret that he trespassed upon the time of the House, but he felt it necessary for the purpose of proving to the conviction of the House, that the petition of Mr. Barber Beaumont was a most scandalous petition. The attempt to procure signatures was not confined to one place, but every part of the town was resorted to. He had passed by one of the stations, and he had there seen boys and persons of all descriptions setting down their names. He hoped that the few words which he should have to submit to the House would carry weight with them. Certain charges had been made against the brewers, and among them that of having created a monopoly of an essential article, of mixing deleterious ingredients with it, and of advancing the price at their caprice, and without any justifiable grounds. With regard to the monopoly, which was stated to be confined to 11 houses, although the porter-brewers in London were considerably more numerous, it was only necessary to look to the evidence given before the police committee. Three gentlemen were there examined, one of them was the owner of only one-eighth of the public-fied. With regard to the beer being renhouses which he served, and another of one-seventh. That surely would not be a monopoly; for looking to the total number, it was a most ridiculous and absurd charge, and he should say no more upon it. He should have a word or two to offer, however, respecting the capricious wantonness of advancing the price, and he should produce the statement of the person he had alluded to, Mr. Barber Beaumont. The first charge was, that in the year 1802, the price was advanced without any reason whatever. He rather thought, that for that rise, there existed good grounds at the time. These were, that the right hon. the chancellor of the exchequer summoned the brewers, and told them, that he should increase the several duties 3s. 4d. a barrel on the beer, 8s. a quarter upon the malt, and 14d. and eight-twentieths of a pound on hops. That was a full justification for the advance in price. It was the same in the

dered injurious to the stomach from the use of deleterious articles, he hoped he should have no occasion to tell the House, that the brewers of London were incapable of introducing poisonous articles into the common beverage of the town, day by day, week by week, and year by year. Of this his hon. friend (Mr. Barclay) had the other night given a convincing proof, when he said, that they must be brought in by cart loads, which could not be done secretly. What, then, could possibly be the consequence but loss of property and loss of capital? That was alone sufficient to convince the House, that no deleterious ingredient could possibly be resorted to. It was practically impossible that any thing could be used besides malt and hops. Legal proceedings had, a few years ago, been taken against the proprietor of a Sunday newspaper, for the publication of a gross libel, charging the brewers with the use of the deadly night