Newport Chartists Vol.23a, p.16

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may amount to the crime of High Treason. Again, Bills
of Indictment may be preferred against some who participated
in the unlawful meeting, but to a less degree, charging them
only with the offence of riotously and seditiously assembling
themselves together - But, with respect to such charges, to
gentlemen conversant as you are, in the Laws relating to
offences of that nature, I hold it to be unnecessary to offer
a single observation - Gentlemen, I fear I have already
trespassed too long upon your attention: but the importance
of the subject, which I have felt it incumbent on me to
discuss, with reference to the just performance of the duties
on which you are about to enter, and the rare recurrence
(for which we cannot be too thankful) of any occasion which
calls for such discussion, must plead my excuse.
I cannot, however, conclude my observations without
expressing the sincere regret, and pity which I feel, not alone,
I am sure, but in common with yourselves, and with all
other men of sound principles, on the occasion of the recent
disastrous occurrences: I would add, also, my most earnest
hope, that it may be found in the result, that the great
majority of those, who may have been involved in the Guilt
of these transactions, have been misled by the arts of wicked
and designing men, and have thus sinned through ignorance
and blindness rather than from premeditated guilt - and
I can suggest no remedy, which can be applied successfully
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