should be an efficient one; but it seemed to him, that it was intended to draw a veil over the public expenditure. The committee would have much to do, if it did its duty. Did the house know, that there were sixty persons now in that assembly, holders of offices, who might be dismissed from them at the pleasure of the crown? If these offices were not to be abolished, a question would arise as to their holding seats in parliament. Ministerial majorities were often made up of suchvotes: the only real road to economy was to reduce such influence. The chancellor of the exchequer had reason to expect that the revenue would not turn out so defective this year as it had last; and he declared, that every satisfactory means would be afforded to examine the situation of the finances to the very bottom. The sum of 20,000,000l. would be the whole of the real peace establishment.

Mr. Brougham predicted that every salutary object would be evaded, by the overwhelming mass of papers with which the committee would be inundated. Such a committee could do nothing; patronage and influence would impede every endeavour at reduction. The house should look into the real situation of the nation. The public called aloud for a reduction; would they refuse to answer it? Destroyers of abuses and the abolishers of sinecures were to be formed out of those very persons who enjoyed them!-There would be a deficit in the revenue of twelve millions, which, it seems, were to be made up by a recourse to former subterfuges, and the old system of jobbing with the bank: would the house make themselves parties to such delusions!

Mr.Grenfell wanted to know what

could be applied this year to extinguish debt, except by borrowing money.

The chancellor of the exchequer enumerated several items of expense and revenue. Taking old naval stores, the lottery, and other branches, there would be eight millions odd applicable, to which add fourteen millions, and there was a total of twenty-two millions, exceeding the supply by about 1,400,000%.

Mr. Brand observed, the proposed committee was not satisfactory; the people of England demanded something more; they were alarmed when they heard proposed retrenchments followed by enlarged salaries; and when they saw the office of the "clerk of the pells" in Ireland continued at a salary of 4,000l. a year, and other offices increased in emolument, it was not possible for them to restrain the expression of their indignation.

Mr. Wilberforce could not give an entire approbation to the appointment of the committee. His mind was pretty fully made up on this point, when he heard the noble lord say it might sit one year, or two years, or perhaps three years. If this were the case, what benefit could be expected from its labours? Could it be even expected to last out its full time?-Was there not one idea intimately associated with such a committee, namely, that the dissolution of parliament would put an end to its existence? With respect to the influence of the crown, it had increased very considerably; it in fact met every man every where. And while he deprecated any attempts to inflame the public mind, he by no means granted that the way to reconcile the people to their sufferings, and to quiet their minds, was by refusing to make such diminutions in every depart

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ment

ment as could be effected without injury to the public service.

Lord Lascelles heard with great satisfaction the statement made by ministers; and believed that the concession made that night would be particularly gratifying, and be most thankfully received.

Mr. Ponsonby was persuaded the fate of the country was in the hands of that house; and it was necessary to show that they were determined to reduce the burthens of the people. He approved of the resolution of his majesty's servants to abate a portion of their salaries : they owed it to the country: but he would go further, and say, there was no individual whatever receiving a salary that ought not to be willing to reduce it. He spoke this as an interested person, and he thought the reduction proposed was not sufficient; for his own part, he was ready to go further. But there were many situations held under government, where the emolument was so small, that it would be cruel to propose a reduction, and cruel to receive it.

The house then divided: for the committee 210-against it 117. There were other divisions, Mr. Tremayne having been proposed in the room of lord Binning, and subsequently of Mr. Huskisson; but ministers carried them.

Mr. Ponsonby, Mr. C. Wynne, Mr. Freemantle, lord Morpeth, lord Stanley, were all proposed as members of the committee, but they severally declined accepting the trust. -Mr. Tierney did not decline, but accepted under a reservation.

House of lords, Feb. 17.-The earl of Aberdeen presented the report of the secret committee appointed to inquire into certain meetings and combinations endangering the public tranquillity.

On the motion of the earl of Liverpool, the report was ordered to be taken into consideration on the 21st instant.

House of commons, Feb. 18.In a committee of supply, sir G. Warrender proposed a vote for 19,000 seamen, including 6000 marines.

Feb.19. Mr. Grenfell went at great length into the enormous profits made by the bank. In twenty years (since 1797) their profits had been not less than twenty-seven millions. He concluded by moving for a "select committee to inquire into the engagements now subsisting between the country and the bank, and to consider of the advantages now derived to the bank, with a view to the adoption of future arangements, consistent with that good faith which ought always to be preserved on the part of the country.'

After a short discussion, in which Messrs. Vansittart, P. Moore, Marryat, Huskisson, Manning, and lord A. Hamilton, participated, the motion was negatived, by 90 to 40.

Mr. Bragge Bathurst appeared at the bar with the report of the committee of secrecy.

As the report of the secret committee of the house of commons is more circumstantial than that of the secret committee of the house of lords, we shall insert the former.

"That it appears to your committee, after a most attentive consideration of the documents submitted to them from various parts of the country, that attempts had recently been made to take advantage of the distresses of the labouring and manufacturing classes of the nation, with a view not only to effect a parliamentary reform on the principle of annual parliaments and universal suffrage, but to cause the total overthrow of all our insti

tutions,

tutions, and of every description of landed and funded property.

"That this system of general spoliation chiefly proceeded from the doctrines maintained by a number of societies distinguished by the title of Spencean,' whose tenets were principally drawn from the works of a visionary writer, published above twenty years ago. That at meetings of some of these societies it was urged, that parliamentary reform must be held out as the ostensible object of their efforts, and with a view to mislead their ene. mies but that it was in fact only a half measure; and that the people ought to look to the possession of the land, and nothing short of that; and that as to the constitution, of which so much had been said, this country had no constitution, for it was not to be found in any book, nor could any man tell what it was. In other societies founded on the Spencean principles, it had been maintained, that the only remedy for the grievances of the people was, to hunt down the land-owners, and to deprive those still greater wretches the fundholders, of their pretended rights. "It appeared also that these, and other societies of a similar character, had been guilty of the most blasphemous and impious proceedings; and that as they assumed to be of a convivial nature, their political discussions were followed by songs of the most inflammatory and seditious description, and by the recitation of profane parodies of the liturgy, and of various parts of the holy scriptures.

"That in order to extend the principles of these societies over the whole kingdom, the most active efforts were made by their various members; and in consequence those

principles were disseminated in speeches at public meetings to the discharged soldiers and sailors, and to the distressed labourers and manufacturers of the country; and that in aid of this object, incredible activity had been used to disperse cheap, and in many instances gratuitous, publications unfolding the doctrines of the societies.

"That it had been proved to the entire satisfaction of your committee, that a number of the members of these various societies, acting in a body as delegates, conceived and declared, that in their opinion the objects which they had in view, might be and ought to be insured by an effort of the physical strength of the people to overpower the constitutional authorities. That they considered the first step which should be taken by them for this purpose, was by their individual exertions to discover and foment the discontents of the metropolis and its vicinity; and that returns of their proceedings were made by the individual delegates to the general body.

"That it appears to your committee, that a plan was formed, by a sudden rising in the dead of night, to surprise the soldiers; and in the terror which would be thereby occasioned, to set fire to the town in various places, and to take possession of tke barracks, the Tower, and the Bank. That to assist in the execution of this project, a formidable machine was invented with which the streets could be cleared of all opposing force. This plan was, however, relinquished as premature; and it was resolved that it would be more proper to ascertain the strength of the popular party, by convening meetings under the pretext of taking into consideration

the

the legal mode of redressing grievances; and a map of London having been examined, Spafields was selected as the place whence an attack on the Bank and the Tower could with the greatest facility be made. That the first meeting at Spafields was accordingly advertised for the 15th of November, and that printed and written placards were exhibited in all parts of the town, of one of which the following is a copy :

"Britons, to arms! The whole country only waits the signal from London. Break open the gunsmiths'. Arm yourselves with all sorts of instruments. No rise in price of bread. No regent. No Castlereagh. Off with their heads! No taxes. No bishops: they are only useless lumber.'

That the intended insurrection assumed all the symbols of the French revolution. That a committee of public safety was formed, consisting of twenty-four members. That flags and cockades were prepared for the occasion. But that on the 15th of November, when the first meeting took place, there was no violence (although there was some plunder in the evening of the day); and that the meeting adjourned to the 2d of December, by which time it was hoped means might be found to accelerate the accomplishment of the projected undertaking.

"That your committee find that not a moment was lost in the interval between the first and second meeting, to take advantage of every circumstance which could further the attainment of the objects in view. Additional publications of an inflammatory nature were circulated every where. Endeavours were made to raise a general subscription

for the support of those who had relinquished their ordinary occupations, to enable them to devote themselves to these purposes, which persons had hitherto chiefly been paid by a principal member of one of the societies. A plan was formed for the seduction of the soldiers, by raising hopes of promotion in the event of their joining in the approaching attempt; and exciting discontent among them by a story of the landing of a large foreign force in the country. It was again recommended, that the barracks should be the object of particular observation. Those quarters of the town where distress was most prevalent, were visited by individuals appointed to inflame the people. Those warehouses along the river, and those shops in various parts of the town where arms were deposited, were carefully noted. A plan was also formed for the seduction of the sailors, by offering them additional pay under the new government which was about to be established.

"That immediately before the meeting of the 2d December, many persons connected with these proceedings procured arms of various descriptions. It was thought that sufficient means had thus been obtained to carry on the intended operations for at least two hours, by which time it was supposed enough would be got from the gunsmiths' and other depôts to arm a considerable number of individuals. manufacture of tri-color ribbon was encouraged,with a view of rendering it familiar to the eyes of the public.

The

dresses were introduced into some of those prisons, and recommended to be communicated to others, in which the persons confined were invited, in the name of the tricoloured committee, to rally round the tri-coloured standard, which would be erected on Monday, December the 24, and to wear tricoloured cockades themselves. It was promised that the prisoners should be liberated by force, and arms were stated to be provided for them, and they were directed to be ready to assist in overpowering the turnkeys. A waggon was hired for the business of the day, in which the flags and banner or standard, which had been previously prepared, together with some ammunition, were secretly conveyed to the place of meeting. From this waggon, before the ostensible business of the day commenced in the other part of the field, the most inflammatory speeches were delivered, tending directly to excite insurrection, concluded by an appeal to the multitude assembled, whether they were prepared to redress their own grievances. A tri-coloured cockade was then exhibited, and the tri-coloured flag was displayed, and a number of persons followed it out of the field.

"The direction which they took was towards that part of the town previously designed: gunsmiths' shops were broken open, addresses and offers were made to the soldiers at the Tower to induce them to open the gates; but from the failure of the numbers expected to join the insurgents, no attempt was made to force the gates. An attack was,

however, made upon the city magistrates assembled in the Royal Exchange, a shot fired, and a tri-coloured flag and cockade openly displayed, and seized on the offender.

"In reviewing the whole of the transactions of the 2d of December, your committee are firmly persuaded, that, however improbable the success of such a plan may appear, it yet was deliberately premeditated by desperate men, who calculated without reasonable ground upon defection in their opposers,and upon active support from those multitudes whose distress they had witnessed, and whom they had vainly instigated to revolt. That consequently it was not merely the sudden ebullition of the moment, or the unauthorized attempt of any unconnected individual.

"Your committee are further convinced, that notwithstanding the failure on the 2d of December, the same designs still continue to be prosecuted with sanguine hopes of

success.

"Your committee having thus stated the general result of the evidence which has been laid before them, respecting the state of the metropolis, have now the no less painful duty of calling the attention of the house to what has been passing during the same pericd in different parts of the country, a subject of equally momentous consideration. The first thing which has here forced itself upon their observation, is the widely diffused ramification of a system of clubs, associated professedly for the purpose of parliamentary reform, upon the most extended principle of universal suffrage and annual parliaments. These clubs in general designate themselves by the same name of Hampden clubs. On the professed object of their institution, they ap

pear