TRANSCRIPTION OF :

'NOTES & OBSERVATIONS, Critical & Explanatory, on the Papers Relative to
the Internal State of the Country, Recently Presented to Parliament;
to which is appended,
a REPLY to Mr. Francis Philips's
'Exposure of the Calumnies circulated by the Enemies of Social Order ..."
PAGE LIST (below) with LINKS

OFFICIAL
CORRESPONDENCE,
&c. &c.
Pages 66 to 70

Grand Jury Room, Chester Castle,
Sept. 3, 1819

My Lord,
I HAVE been directed by the Grand Jury of the County of Chester, as their Foreman, to forward the enclosed to your Lordship, as a private communication; and I have taken the liberty of enclosing, at the same time, a Copy of Resolutions entered into by the Grand Jury, expressive of their determination to support the Government, and enforce the laws, for the preservation of the peace of the county.

I have the honour to be,
Your lordship's most obedient servant,
JOHN THOMAS STANLEY.

The Lord Viscount Sidmouth,
&c. &c. &c.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Private.)

Chester, September 3, 1819.

WE, the Grand Jury of the County Palatine of Chester, assembled at the assizes, holden for the said county, on the first day of September, 1819, feel it our bounden duty to represent to - your Lordship, that from the information we have just received, We have strong reason to consider, that in the Stockport division of the hundred of Macclesfield in this county, and in certain parts of the Prestbury division of the said hundred, the lives and property of his Majesty's loyal subjects are in great peril; and that in an adjoining County, by the active measures of terror and intimidation employed, the danger has, within the last fourteen days, assumed a more formidable character; and we beg leave to add, that we understand his Majesty's Justices of the Peace labour under great difficulty, from want of power to disperse meetings for drilling and for acquiring military discipline. (Y)

JOHN THOMAS STANLEY, Foreman.

The Lord Viscount Sidmouth, -
&c. &c. &c.

Footnotes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Y) This letter proves, that the dispersion of the Manchester meeting had produced no other effect, than an increased irritation among the people. "The danger has within the last 14 days (i.e. since the 16th of August) assumed a more formidable character." For this the Cheshire Grand Jury had to thank the Manchester magistrates; and if the former were instructed by the Justices to complain of their "want of power to disperse meetings for drilling, and for acquiring military discipline," it surely follows, a fortiori, that the latter were not legally possessed of power to disperse a meeting, where even those pretexts were withheld.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

County Palatine of Chester,

WE, the Grand Jury of the County Palatine of Chester, at the assizes holden at Chester, on the first (day of September, 1819, feel it incumbent at this time to declare our indignation at the machinations of artful and itinerant demagogues, who disseminate papers of the most dangerous and seditious tendency; and at public meetings, with freedom in their mouths, and fraud and plunder in their hearts, employ the most inflammatory language; insidiously inculcate, under the specious veil of reform, hatred and contempt of our constitution, and instigate the ignorant and unwary even to exert physical force (that is, violence and open arms) for the enforcement of their visionary claims; at once useless to themselves, destructive of the rights and property of their fellow-subjects, and involving the country in one general ruin. Nor can we refrain from declaring our disgust and horror, at the odious and blasphemous publications poured forth throughout the country, in which the Holy Scriptures are held up to derision, reviled and scoffed at, and audaciously denounced to the people as false, with the malignant intention of eradicating from their minds all moral checks, and all the hopes and comforts to be derived from religion. But with the most serious and peculiar anxiety and detestation, are contemplate the unremitting exertions to poison the minds of the rising genetion, with the some horrid and detestable doctrines. (Z)

We, therefore, strongly impressed with the excellence of our constitution, protecting all ranks and degrees of society, are firmly resolved, by every means in our power, to enforce the due execution of the laws, against the seditious and disaffected; and against all, who either by acts or otherwise, endanger the public peace and safety of the realm.
JOHN THOMAS STANLEY, Foreman.
BELGRAVE ........... CLEM. SWETENHAM
H. M. MAINWARING ........... H. C. COTTON
D. DAVENPORT ........... E. STRACEY
WILBR. EGERTON ........... THOS. MARSHALL
C. CHOLMONDELEY ........... T. CHOLMONDELEY
THOS. C. CLUTTON ........... ROBT. HIBBERT
R. LEYCESTER, JUN. ........... JOHN ISHERWOOD
D. ASHLEY ........... ROBT. TAYLOR.
GEO. WILBRAHAM ........... H.W. WORTHINGTON
E. D. DAVENPORT ........... THOS. BARKER

Footnotes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Z) The only "blasphemous publications," of the circulation of which in this neighbourhood I have any knowledge, are those which have issued from the shop of Carlile. I am enabled positively and distinctly to state, that immediately after the dispersion of the meeting of the 16th of August, the circulation of "The Republican,' in this district, increased threefold. It seems, therefore, that military execution is but an ineffective recipe for the cure of "blasphemy." That there have been many other vile periodical publications issued, I have no doubt; but if the feelings and passions of the people had not been strongly excited, by the ill treatment they have received, they would have rejected the garbage with disgust. The length of time that they have been permitted to go on, without being checked, renders it probable, that his majesty's ministers felt they were doing good service to them. Indeed, the proposed restrictions upon the press, in justification of which they are brought forward, proves this fact beyond all question.

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'Notes & Observations ... ' Title Page		Transcribed PAGES from 'Notes & Observations ...'					'Exposure of the Calumnies...' Title Page
		Transcriber's introduction
		Title Page	V-VIII Dedication	IX-XV Preface	1-6	7-11
		11-15	15-21	21-25	25-32	33-38
		38--44	44-46	47-54	55-61	61-66
		66-70	70-72(6) (inc. footnotes)	73-79	79-83	84-89
		90-96	97-104	105-111	112-118	118-124
		124-130	130-135	136-138	REPLY	141-146
		147-153	154-160	161-166	167-171	172-176
		177-183	184-188	189-195	196-200	200-206

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'NOTES & OBSERVATIONS, Critical & Explanatory, on the Papers Relative to the Internal State of the Country, Recently Presented to Parliament; to which is appended, a REPLY to Mr. Francis Philips's 'Exposure of the Calumnies circulated by the Enemies of Social Order ...'
by a 'Member of the Manchester Committee for Relieving the Sufferers of the 16th August 1819 (Ascribed to John Edward Taylor)
Pub. Dec1919

Transcribed by Sheila Goodyear 2019

LINK to full .pdf document of 'Notes & Observations ...' on the Internet Archive website to read or download.
LINK to .pdf file of 'Exposure of the Calumnies...' on the Internet Archive website to read or download

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