that part of Great Britain called Scotland, | such paper, and within fourteen days after or any meeting called by two or more the day on which such meeting shall be justices of the peace of the county or place had, produce such notice and authority, where such meeting shall be holden, or and cause a true copy thereof (if required) any meeting of any county having different to be delivered to any Justice of the peace ridings or divisions, called by any two for the County, City, Town or Place where justices of any one or more of such ridings such person shall reside, or where such or divisions, or any meeting called by the newspaper shall be printed, and who shall major part of the Grand Jury of the require the same; and in case any person county, or of the division of the county shall insert any such notice in any newswhere such meeting shall be holden, at paper without such authority as aforesaid, their General Assizes cr General Quarter or in case any person to whom any such Sessions of the Peace, or any meeting of notice and authority shall have been deliany city or borough or town corporate, vered for the purpose of inserting such called by the Mayor or other head officer notice in any such newspaper as aforesaid of such city or borough or town corporate, shall refuse to produce such notice and or any meeting of any ward or division of authority, or to deliver a true copy thereof any city, called by the Aldermen or other being thereunto required as aforesaid, head officer of such ward or division, or within three days after such production any meeting of any corporate body,) shall and Copy or either of them shall have be holden for the purpose or on the pre- been so required, every such Person, for text of considering of or preparing any every such offence, shall forfeit the sum petition, complaint, remonstrance, or de- of fifty pounds to any person who shall claration, or other address to the King, or sue for the same. to both Houses or either House of Parliament, for alteration of matters established in church or state, or for the purpose or on the pretext of deliberating upon any grievance in Church or State, unless notice of the intention to hold such meeting, and of the time and place when and where the same shall be proposed to be holden, and of the purpose for which the same shall be proposed to be holden, shall be given, in the names of seven persons at the least, being householders resident within the County, City or Place where such Meeting shall be proposed to be holden, whose places of abode and descriptions shall be inserted in such notice, and which notice shall be given by public advertisement in some public newspaper usually circulated in the County and Division where such meeting shall be holden; five days at the least before such meeting shall be holden, or shall be delivered in manner hereinafter mentioned; and that such notice shall not be inserted in any such newspaper unless the authority to insert such notice shall be signed by seven persous at the least, being householders resident within the County, City or Place where such Meeting shall be proposed to be holden, and named in such Notice, and unless such authority so signed shall be And be it further enacted, that all meetwritten at the foot of a true copy of suchings of any description of persofis, exceednotice, and shall be delivered to the person required to insert the same in any such pewspaper as aforesaid, which person shall cause such notice and authority to be carefully preserved, and shall also at any time after such notice shall have been inserted in | Provided always nevertheless, and be it further enacted, that it shall be lawful to deliver any such notice as aforesaid, signed by the seven persous in whose names such notice shall be given, with their places of abode and description, five days at the least before the day on which such meeting shall be holden, to the clerk of the peace of the County, Riding, or Division, within which such meeting shall be proposed to be holden; and such clerk of the peace shall forthwith and without delay, send a true copy of such notice, with such signatures and additions as aforesaid, to three justices of the peace at the least, of such County, Riding, or Division, or in case the justices of the peace of the city, borough, or town, where such meeting shall be proposed to be holden, shall have exclusive jurisdiction, then to three of such justices, if so many shall then be resident within such jurisdiction, and if not, then to so many of such justices as shall be resident within such exclusive jurisdiction; and in such case, such notice so given by such means as aforesaid, shall be as effectual to all intents and purposes, as if the same had been given by public advertisemen inserted in any such newspaper as aforesaid. ing the number of fifty persons (other than and except as aforesaid, which shall be holden without such previous notice, as aforesaid, for the purpose or on the pretext of considering of or preparing any petition, complaint, remonstrances, declaration, or other address to the King, or both Houses this act to make the said proclamation, or either House of Parliament, for altera-shall, among the said persons assembled, tion of matters established in church or or as near to them as he can safely come, state, or for the purpose or on the pretext with a loud voice command, or cause to of deliberating on any grievance in church be commanded silence to be while proclaor state), shall be deemed and taken to be mation is making; and after that, shall unlawful assemblies. openly and with loud voice make or cause to be made, proclamation in these words or Nke in effect: And be it further enacted, that it shall not be lawful to adjourn any meeting that shall be holden under and by virtue of such previous notice, to any future time after the day specified in such notice for holding such meeting, or to any other place than that at which such meeting shall be first holden in pursuance of such previous notice; and that any meeting of any description of persons exceeding the number of fifty persons (except as aforesaid) which shall be holden by way of or under pretence of being an adjourned meeting, for the purpose of, or on the pretext of considering of, or preparing any petition, complaint, remonstrance, declaration, or other address to the King, or both Houses, or either House of Parliament, for alteration of matters established in church or state, or for the purpose or on the pretext of deliberating on any grievazce in church or state, shall be deemed aul taken to be an unlawful assembly. "GOD SAVE THE KING." And be it further enacted, that in case any meeting shall be holden in pursuance of any such notice as aforesaid, and the purpose for which the same shall in such notice have been declared to be holden, or any matter which shall be in such notice proposed to be propounded or deliberated upon at such meeting, shall purport And be it further enacted, that if any that any matter or thing by law espersons, exceeding the number of fifty, tablished may be altered, otherwise than being assembled contrary to the provi- by the authority of the King, lords, and sions herein before contained, and being | commons, in parliament assembled, or shall required or commanded by any one or tend to incite or stir up the people to hamore justice or justices of the peace, or tred or contempt of the person of his maby the sheriff of the county or his under- jesty, his heirs or successors, or of the Gosheriff, or by the mayor or other head offi verument and Constitution of this Realm cer or justice of the peace of any city or as by law established, it shall be lawful town corporate where such assembly for one or more justice or justices, or the shall be, by proclamation to be made in sheriff of the county where such meeting the King's name, in the form hereinafter shall be, or for the mayor or other head directed, to disperse themselves, and peace-officer or any justice of the peace of any ably to depart to their habitations, or to city or town corporate where any such their lawful business, shall, to the number meeting shall be, by proclamation, to reof twelve or more, notwithstanding such quire or command the persons there asproclamation made remain or continue to-sembled to disperse themselves; and if gether by the space of one hour after such any persons, to the number of twelve command or request made by proclama- or more, being so required or comtion, that then such continuing together to manded by proclamation to be made the number of twelve or more, after such in the King's name, in the form herecommand or request made by proclama-inbefore directed, to disperse themselves, tion, shall be adjudged felony without and peaceably to depart to their habibenefit of clergy, and the offenders there- tations or to their lawful business, in shall be adjudged felous, and shall suf- shall, to the number of twelve or more, fer death as in cases of felony, without be- notwithstanding such proclamation made, uefit of clergy. remain or continue together by the space of one hour after such command or request made by proclamation, that then such continuing together, to the number of twelve or more, after such command or request made by proclamation, shall be And be it further enacted, that the order and form of the proclamation to be made as aforesaid, shall be as hereafter followeth; (that is to say), the justice of the peace or other person authorized by adjudged felony without benefit of clergy, I and the offenders herein shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death as in cases of felony, without benefit of clergy. shall be, or shall be intended to be holden, or to any part thereof, and there to do or order, or cause to be done, all such acts matters and things as the case may require, which they are hereby enabled to do or order to be done, or which they are otherwise by law enabled to do or order to be done; and it shall be lawful for all and every justices of the peace, sheriff, under sheriff, mayor and other head offi cer as aforesaid, to take and require the assistance of any number of constables or other officers of the peace within their respective districts, or within the district or place wherein every such meeting as hereinbefore mentioned shall be holden, which constables and other officers of the peace are hereby required to attend accordingly such justices, sheriff, under sheriff, mayor or other head officer respectively, and to give such assistance as shall be necessary for the due execution of this act. And be it further enacted, That if any one or more justice or justices of the peace present at any meeting requiring such notice as aforesaid, shall think fit to order any person or persons who shall at such meeting proceed to propound or maintain any proposition for altering any thing by law established, otherwise than by the Authority of the King, Lords, and Commons, in parliament assembled, or shall wilfully and advisedly make any proposition, or hold any discourse for the purpose of inciting and stirring up the people to hatred or contempt of the person of his Majesty, his heirs or successors, or the government and constitution of this realm as by law established, to be taken into custody to be dealt with according to law; and in case the said justice or justices or any of them, or any peace officer acting under their or any of their orders, shall be obstructed in taking into custody any person or persons so ordered to be taken into custody, then and in such case it shall be lawful for any such justice or justices thereupon to make or cause to be made such proclamation as aforesaid in manner aforesaid; and if any persons to the num-the-county where such assembly shall be,· ber of twelve or more, being required or commanded by such proclamation to disperse themselves, and peaceably depart as aforesaid, shall to the number of twelve or more, notwithstanding such proclamation made, remain or continue together by the space of one hour after such command or request made by proclamation, that then such continuing together to the number of twelve or more after such command or request made by proclamation, shall be adjudged felony without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy. And be it further enacted, That every justice and justices of the peace, sheriff, under sheriff, mayor and other head officer aforesaid, is and are hereby authorized and empowered, on notice or knowledge of any such meeting or assembly as is hereinbefore-mentioned, to resort to the place where such meeting or assembly And be it further enacted, That if such persons so assembled as aforesaid, or twelve or more of them, after any proclamation made in manner aforesaid, shall continue together and not disperse themselves within one hour, and then it shall and may be lawful to and for every justice of the peace, sheriff or under sheriff, of and also to and for every high or petty constable and other peace officer within such county, and also to and for every mayor, justice of the peace, sheriff, and other head officer, high or petty constable, and other peace officer, of any city or town corporate where such assembly shall be, and to and for such other person and persons as shall be commanded to be assisting unto any such justice of the peace, sheriff, or under sheriff, mayor or other head officer aforesaid, who are hereby authorized and empowered to command all his majesty's subjects, of age and ability, to be assisting to them therein, to seize and apprehend, and they are hereby required to seize and apprehend such persons so assembled and continuing together after proclamation made as aforesaid, and forthwith to carry the person or persons so apprehended before one or more of his majesty's justices of the peace of the county or place where To be continued. Entered at Stationers' Hall. Printed by HAY and TURNER, No. 11, Newcastle Street, Strand; Published by WM. COBBETT, Jun. No. 8, Catherine Street, Strand; and Retailed at No. 19%, Strand; where all Communications (post paid) addressed to the Editor, are requested to be forwarded, COBBETT'S WEEKLY POLITICAL PAMPHLET. 353 LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1817. [354 A LETTER ADVERTISEMENT. The whole of Volume Thirty-one is now reprinted. The reader will please to recollect, that the latter part of that Volume consists of Twelve Numbers of Cheap Registers, be ginning with Number Fifteen and ending with Number Twenty-six. The former part of that Volunte is paged in such a way as to fit with the paging of Number Fifteen; so that this former part,together with the twelve numbers before mentioned, makes the Volume complete. They may now be bound up into a book; and a pretty little Book it will be, and will be read, I hope, by all the young men and boys in England. It will do them a great deal more good than Mrs. Hannahı Moore's" Village Politics." The price of the former part which is just now re-printed will be Two Shillings, so that the whole Book will be Four Shillings. It may be bound for about Sixpence, and will serve a family for twenty years. 1 verily believe that four and sixpence laid out in this way would do a family a thousand times as much good as putting the same sum in one of George Rose's Saving Banks. Paper against Gold will be completed next week. This is another nice little Book. Let a young man or a boy once read that, and pay good attention to what he reads; and I will pledge my life, that no paper money juggler ever deceives him as long as he lives. There will be fifteen numbers of this work that is thirty pence. This work is intended for the use of Schools, and of young persons in general. We shall be ready to receive proposals for supplying the Lancaster' and Bell's Schools,upon the most accommodat ing terms. As to the Universities, and the Schools at Eton and Winchester, the Youths in those Seminaries are busily employed in making "nonsense verses" and other pursuits of the same sublime description. The First number of Cobbett's Parliamentary Register is now ready for sale; and though I cannot say as much for this work as for the two former, I will nevertheless venture to say that it is a very fair and honest compending, and being accompanied by the two others, is, at any rate, not calculated to do any mis hief-Price Two pence each number. London, March 20th, 1817. "POOR DELUDED PEOPLE," In writing the last Number I was pressed for time. The Hampshire Parsons and Lockhart the Brave had taken up those hours, which ought to have been devoted to a better purpose. However, as that was the last public meeting, under the old laws of the land, and, as the conduct of our adversaries was somewhat singular and discovered their temper, it was not altogether useless to put an account of it upon record. We now live, those of us who may be said to live at all, under a new set of laws. FIRST, every man and woman is now liable to be seized, at any moment, and to be put into a prison, and kept there, for any length of time, cut off from all communication with friends, wife, children, or any body else whatever; and also from pen, ink, paper, books; in short, any man, or woman, may now be taken up, sent to any prison in the kingdom however distant, without any charge being made known to them, without their knowing what is alledged against them, without having any idea of who M Hay and Turner, Printers, No. 11, Newcastle Street, Strand. is their accuser; without having even | daughter, would be liable to be hanged. a hearing from any body, and without their very children knowing how they are treated, or what prison they are in. And, after all, if a man out-live these sufferings; if he do not die in prison, his time of remaining there is quite uncertain. It may be for a short, or for a long, time; and, if the law be continued in force, it may be for many, many years. The absolute power of imprisoning men in this way is lodged in any one of the Secretaries of State, or, in any six Privy Councillors. This, therefore, is the state, in which we are all now placed, except the Members of the two Houses of Parliament themselves, who cannot be thus imprisoned, without the House being first informed of the cause, and without the consent of the House, who would, of course, hear the accused party in his defence. But, all the rest of us are liable to be taken out of our shops, fields, or beds, and imprisoned and kept in prison, in the manner, that I have above described. my 66 The Next Act makes it DEATH to attempt to seduce SOLDIERS or sailors from their duty. Now, therefore, poor deluded" friends, you ought to bear in mind, that, if any one of you were to ask a soldier to quit his post, or to refrain from doing any thing that he had been ordered to do, or to do any thing that he had been ordered not to do, you would be liable to be hanged upon the oath of that soldier. If, for instance, any man, sitting in a public house with a soldier, were to hold a conversation with the soldier, however carelessly, which might be construed to have for its object to induce the soldier not to obey any command of his officers, such man would be liable to be hanged. If a mother, wife, or sweet-heart, were to endeavour to induce a son, a husband, or lover, to desert, she would be liable to be hanged. If a wife, or daughter, were to endeavour to induce a soldier to wink at the escape of a husband, or a father, in pursuit of whom that soldier had been sent, such wife, or If a son, seeing a soldier about to plunge a bayonet into the body of his father by command of his superior (as in case of riot, &c. ;) if such son were to endeavour to persuade the soldier not to obey the command, such son would be liable to be hanged. Supposing a son to be the soldier, in such a case, and his mother were to fling herself before him and scream out to him to spare his father's life, such mother would for such offence, be liable to be hanged. And, observe, this law is now made perpetual; that is to say, it is intended not to last for any limited time, but to be always the laws in future. Therefore, take care. These are cases which may never exist; but such is the letter of the Law. The Third Act relates to public Meetings, to Clubs or Societies, and Reading Rooms and other Places for Reading. As to public Meetings, there can be no more, except such as the Sheriffs, Mayors, and Magistrates approve of; and, deluded as you are, you know very well what sort of Meetings they will allow of. Seven house-holders may call a meeting by public NOTICE; but, they must sign their Notice and lodge it with the Clerk of the Peace; and, when the meeting takes place, any single Magis trate may come, and, if he chooses, disperse it; and, if any speaker utter any thing which the Magistrate may think calculated to stir up the people to hatred or contempt of the govern ment, the Magistrate may take such speaker into custody. And, if any number of people exceeding twelve remain together after the meeting is ordered to disperse; or, if any one resist the authority of the Magistrate in any way upon these occasions; all such persons are to suffer death. So that, as you see, no meeting can now be held without the consent of Sheriff, Mayor, Magistrate, or some person in authority; for, to suppose, that, under such a law, any other sort of meeting will take place is nonsense. Suppose, |