scene of the
military, soon induced the rioters to disperse. In January, 1817, John
Cashman, one of the Spafields rioters, was tried for burglariously
entering the shop of Mr. Beckworth, a gunsmith, and hanged opposite the
scene of his depredations.

1817. REGENT OPENS PARLIAMENT.

The Regent opened Parliament on the 28th of January, 1817. In his
address, he said that "the distress consequent upon the termination of a
war of such universal extent and duration, had been felt with greater or
less severity throughout all the nations of Europe, and had been
considerably aggravated by the unfavourable state of the season."
Alluding to the proceedings of the popular agitators, he added: "In
considering our internal situation, you will, I doubt not, feel a just
indignation at the attempts which have been made to take advantage of
the distresses of the country, for the purpose of exciting a spirit of
sedition and violence.... I am determined to omit no precautions for
preserving the public peace, and for counteracting the designs of the
disaffected." Whether this statement was the cause or not, the Regent
had a narrow escape on his return from the House; for, while passing at
the back of the gardens of Carlton House, the glass of his window was
broken, either by a stone or (as was supposed) by two balls from an
air-gun, which appeared to have been aimed at His Royal Highness.

On the 6th of February, Lord Cockrane presented to the House of Commons
the petition of the Spafields meeting, signed by 24,000 persons. It
prayed for annual parliaments, universal suffrage, and reduction in the
public expenditure. He presented at the same time a petition from
Manchester, signed by 30,000 persons, praying for reform in Parliament
and economy in the public expenditure. Sir Francis Burdett also
presented a Leeds petition for the same objects, containing 7,000
signatures. These were of course only legitimate modes of expressing the
wants of the people; but, unhappily, quite independent of the action of
the popular leaders, the country in some parts was so disturbed, so
closely on the brink of insurrection, that ministers found themselves
obliged twice during the course of the year to resort to the almost
unprecedented measure of suspending the Habeas Corpus Act, on the first
occasion at the end of February, and on the second in June.

At a meeting held at Manchester in March, for the purpose of petitioning
the Regent against the susp