Q. As the friends of liberty, you met in London to celebrate the French revolution?

A. I believe I might.

Q. Do you remember a meeting of the fame fort in 1791? A. I remember a fecond meeting.

Q. Was you prefent?

A. I think I was not prefent-I was not prefent from any alteration of my opinion.

Q. Then you don't know what paffed at that meeting of the 14th of July, 1791?

A. I know what paffed.

Q. Mr. Tooke's propofition, to qualify what you propofed, you fay was received by fome violent people with great disapprobation?

A. I imagine it must have been by fome violent people.
Q. What was the nature of this difapprobation?

A. A great deal of hiffing and interruption, which is common in public meetings of that fort.

Q. Was that difapprobation of the amendment caused by any thing faid by Mr. Tooke?

A. Certainly the disapprobation arose from perfons differing from Mr. Tooke, who feemed to condemn the moderation of. his principles.

Q. You fpoke of a meeting of perfons, in the year 1'780, whom you defcribed as delegates?

A. That was in the year 1780.

Q. Do you recollect what time of the year?

A. I cannot fay;—I think it must have been in the year 1780.

Q. Was there more than one meeting?

A. There was firft of all the Weftminster Affociation, and a committee appointed by the meeting called the Quintuple Alliance general meeting-the more immediate object of the meeting was to plan an economical reform, which evidently meant a parliamentary reform, and that meeting fet for a confiderable time in Guildhall, in the city of London, by permiffion of the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, and was attended by

their officers.

Q. You fay at this meeting there were perfons who propofed to act for perfons who deputed them-did they propose to act for perfons that did not depute them, or in their name?

A. Ifhould have thought it an extraordinary propofition; having no recollection in my mind of it, yet I fhould supposenobody was abfurd enough to do it.

Q. Then you take it they acted only for thofe, or in the name of thofe that deputed them? VOL. II.

L

A. Certainly.

A. Certainly.

Q. Were there not people in thofe meetings that were not in the character of delegates?

A. I remember at the meeting at the King's Arms, Westminfter, a number of perfons attending, I fhould conceive not delegates-I remember we examined the Duke of Portland upon Lord Hilfborough's speech in the House of Lords, ftating it was illegal to hold fuch meetings, and that we had been the occafion of difturbances; upon that being spoke in the House of Lords, I fhould fuppofe the Duke of Portland was deputed to us for the purpose of giving this evidence; but he was not a delegate...

Q. Were you in Parliament in 1780 ?

A. I certainly was not; but my being in Parliament has not altered my mind that a reform is neceflary.

Q Was you prefent, in 1782, at that meeting?

A. If there was any I must have been there, I never avoided the object, I always meant to efpoufe it.

Q. You don't recollect being at any meeting, in 1782, in par

ticular?

Mr. Horne Tooke. It is neceffary for me to fet right what appears to be mifunderftood by the Solicitor General, by fome queftions he afked---Was that anniverfary meeting of the French revolution before or after the Weftminster election in the year 1790?

A. I think it must have been after the election.

Q. You fay a great number of the Whig Club attended by agreement together?

A. Yes.

Q. Were there a number of them attending the meeting?
A. Certainly a great number,

Q. Does not he think that oppofition to me might not arise from that part of the Whig Club that had been in oppofition to me at the election of Mr. Fox-I mention it to the Solicitor General to fhew that, although there was a violent oppofition to the amendment of the motion, when they came to hear the moderate language I ufed it was adopted, the violence proved perfonal, and they adopted the meafure?

Lord Prefident. I don't know whether I quite understand this meeting of delegates-When does Mr. Sheridan understand the first meeting of delegates was, and where?

A. There was a meeting of delegates held, I think, in an Auction Room fomewhere in King-ftreet; as to the time I cannot recollect it-I am not pofitive of the fact, but I rather think I did not belong to it-I might be unwell-I remember Mr. Thomas Grenville was a delegate.

24

Lord

Lord Prefident. Do you know what number met, and how many delegates were there?

A. I cannot refresh my memory as to that.

Q. Does Mr. Sheridan recollect where the next meeting was?

A. I really do not-I think it was in Guildhall.

Q. Then do you think it was a meeting of the fame delegates, from the fame places, or was it a meeting of other perfons? A. I am pretty fure it was a meeting of other perfons.

Q. Was it a meeting of perfons called by the name of the Quintuple Alliance ?

A. No; I am pretty pofitive of it--I am fure of it.
Q. You think it was a meeting of others?

A. I think Mr. Wyvill was there.

Q. What other meetings do you recollect?

A. I don't know whether the meetings were formerly feparated or broke off without any formal breaking up.

Q. Do you recollect no meetings of any other delegates? A. I recollect a meeting at the Thatched Houfe, but I rather think it was not there-I don't think that was a meeting of delegates; there were perfons there not members of Parliament; and at the meeting at the Duke of Richmond's houfe, I remember it was propofed Mr. Pitt fhould be requested to propose a reform in Parliament.

Mr. Pitt. I understand he was only asked to the meeting at the Thatched House.

A. I certainly did not recollect being prefent at the meeting. at the house of the Duke of Richmond, in Privy Gardens; I have only anfwered the other queftion-I have nothing to correct the evidence with, but to add, that previous to my making a motion for a parliamentary reform, the meeting was not held at the Thatched Houfe, but at the Duke at Richmond's, in Privy Gardens, at which, I believe, a great number of members of Parliament attended, and a great number that were not, who, I conceived had been delegated from different county meetings, and different towns.

EARL STANHOPE fworn-Examined by Mr. ERSKINE. Q. Your Lordiliip was in the chair at the meeting to celebrate the anniverfary of the revolution in France ?

A. I perfectly recollect having been in the chair at a public meeting, held on the 14th day of July, in the year 1790, a year after the Baftile had been pulled down, and we met to celebrate that glorious event.

Q. What number of perfons, and what fort of description were they of, that attended it ?

L 2

A. A

A. A very refpectable defcription of perfons, and feveral hundreds.

Q. Do you remember the prifoner at the bar being there?
A. Moft certainly, and Mr. Sheridan was there.

Q. Does your Lordship remember the motion made by Mr. Sheridan, or the refolution that was propofed by him?

A. To the best of my recollection the health of Mr. Sheridan was drank, or fomething of that fort, and he made his motion, which was, as far as I could hear, that which was read in this Court to-day.

Q. Does your Lordship remember what Mr. Tooke faid, previous to his moving that refolution which was alfo real?

A. Mr. Sheridan had, if I recollect, thanked them, and expreffed his pleafure when they drank his health-Mr. Tooke having fpoken refpecting the approbation of Mr. Sheridan, and the pleasure he had on the approbation of the gentlemen prefent-he faid fomething to this effect, that he had been in the habit of flattering women, but he did not like to flatter men; and he was hiffed for this, and I believe he was the more hiffed because it was a little after the Weftminster electionbut after that Mr. Tooke went on, and did not fpeak fo refpectfully of the refolution, moved by Mr. Sheridan, as I confefs I wifhed-he fpoke to the danger of its being mifconceived by the public, and advifed fomething to be added;-I think he propofed, as an amendment, that fomething fhould be added about our own conftitution, and he fpoke fomething about fhips and timbers; and I think I recollect an expreffion he used, which was, that "all our timbers were found; " and he was very much hiffed and hooted indeed for it-as far as I recollect they conceived he was talking about venal boroughs; I that knew he was a friend to a reform in Parliament, did not underfland him in that fenfe--I understood him to mean the main timbers of the conftitution; at the fame time I did not much like the expreffion, becaufe it was liable to be fo much mifunderstood. It was with Tome difficulty I could procure Mr. Tooke a hearing, for they feemed very angry at it, and I don't know whether I could have got him a hearing if I had not done fomething difrefpectful; I faid fomething to this effect, that they might hear him firft and hifs him afterwards, and then they did hear him. I think there was fome little debate about this motion of Mr. Horne Tooke's, and at laft, not' wifhing to mix fober acceptations of that event in France, which we expected would produce peace between the two countries, with any thing relative to old politics, Mr. Horne Tooke's was made as a feparate motion, and that feparate motion was, to the best of my memory and recollection, as it was ftated and read in this

Court

court this day, and the substance of it was, that we did not want a revolution in this country, but an amendment in some respect, and the refolution was, as far as I can recollect, as ftated this day.

Q. All the company knew that the conftitution in France was established ?

A. I knew that the conftitution of 1789 and 1790, in France, was established-I cannot speak to what paffed in France; but, to my knowledge, there were two conftitutions, according to my memory, one in 1789, finifhed fome time in 1789; that fame one was perfected, and it was not finifhed till 1791; it was called the French Conftitution of 1789, 1790, and 1791, and it was fo technically called.

Q. Has your Lordship any reafon to believe this difapprobation was expreffed of Mr. Horne Tooke before they knew what he was going to introduce, or that he was going to introduce any thing like diforder or anarchy in this country?

A. There was a fet of gentlemen, what they technically called Foxites, I mean no difparagement, and Mr. Tooke ftood against Mr. Fox, and he not being very civil to Mr. Sheridan, they hiffed him.

Q. Was there any perfon in the room, as far as you could difcover, that wished to deftroy and fubvert the conftitution of this country?

A. I am perfectly perfuaded by the demeanour and conduct of the gentlemen there, and as far as I knew of them, they had no fuch intention.

Q. Your Lordship knew your own intention?

A. Oh moft certainly, I was then in the House of Lords at the time of this meeting.

Q. In 1782, you was Lord Mahon?

A. Yes; and I was in 1784.

Q. Was your Lordship in the House of Commons during the life of your father?

A. During part of his life, the latter end. I think I came in at the general election, I fancy the latter end of 1780.

Q. Did your Lordship attend any meetings for a parliamentary reform ?

A. I attended a great many of them.

Q. What were the nature and quality of thofe meetings where you faw

Lord Prefident. First of all-Did you fee Mr. Horne Tooke there?

A. Yes, my Lord, I am perfectly certain I did; I was at the meeting held at the Duke of Richmond's House; I believe it was, I cannot be certain,

Mr.