Star. — London, England, 1819-08-18 00:00:00

i Yr ' ~ THE E' I r ‘TENING STAR. LONDON. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST IS, 1819. THE FUND 6. !HICK OF STOOKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLCCK : S per Cent. Reduced 72111 3 per Cent. Consols 71a; Si per Cent. 81F-1. per Cent. 91 1 4 , 1 2 -1 5 per Cent. Navy 104 wink Long Annuities 19 9-16 Imperial 3 per Cent. Arms. 71.701 India Bonds 14 15 pre.—South-Sea Stock 79 Exchequer Bills (2d.) 2 pre,par Commercial 15 discount Omnium 4t 5 4t pre.—Cons. for Acct. 71R t. a . • P. I - 11 ' i l f I • , f # 1 I i ti 1 1 ~ . , 1 ki : ; 0 MANCHESTER MEETING. Oui,caluivas of this day will be read with unmin. sled feelings of sorrow, at the scene transacted at Manchester on Monday. We expected, horn the preparations known to have been made by the Ma gistrates of Manchester, previous to the Meeting an nounced for that day, tor the plain4enalace of the pub lic pace, as we had aright to believe, to have heard of the Meeting passing off quietly ; especially as it was well understood that the civil ;ind.military force prdvided was more than amply sufficient to awe and arrest any individuals that might attempt acts of riot or destruction. But we were not prepared toex pect such accounts as have been transmitted by va rious Correspondents at Manchester, (to whom we beg to return our thanks, and a continuance of whose communications is requested). We shall be brief in our outline of what passed, referring our Readers to the subjoined letters and extracts from the Manchester Papers ler the details. The people kept assembling all the morning : at twelve the Magistrates went to the scene of meeting, or its neighbourhood, where, several respectable in habitants having deponed that they were appreArnsive that the meeting might be followed by acts of riot and tumult, the Riot Act was read. At one o'clock 1-losr, attended by JOHNSON, SAXTON, and others, reached the ground in a barouche, was called to the Chair, and began to address the surrounding multi tude—at least 50,000 in number, and to explain the object of the Meeting. In a few minutes after, a large body of Yeomanry Cavalry rushed in among the crowd, at full charge, sword in hand, hacking their way up to the hustings and riding over all in their road. The confusion and dismay that followed c ,anot be described; about 100 persons at least having been killed and wounded. HUNT and his associates were carried to prison ; and the rest of the people, in the best way they were able, hurried from tl.c field of blood. _ _ We will not take upon us to give any decided opi-. Ilion from the facts that have yet reached us ; but we cannot help thinking that the Magistrates, or the Yeomanry, or both, certainly displayed more zeal than prudence on the present occasion. With such a force as was provided, what could they fear from an unarmed rabble, gabbling about fancied rights and fancied wrongs? With such a force could they not have waited peaceably the result of the Meeting, following the wise example lately set them by the Magistrates of the Metropolis? Was it a matter of indifference whether the lives of their fellow-citizens should be endangered by any precipitate shew of alacrity and zeal? Is the issue of their conduct such as should be hailed with gratulations? In the eye of real prudence, judging tram all that is yet known, the fact is far otherwise. Was the avowed object of the Meeting illegal ? Was the mode of assemblage illegal?—Had those assembled committed any illegal act when the Yeo manry spread blood and carnage among them ? All these questions will necessarily be publicly investi gated hereafter. A Morning Paper (The New Times) states, that " Had it not been for the interference of Mr. NADIN, the Deputy Constable, whom these men the liefor mersj have particularly calumniated, it is certain that HUNT would not now have been alive, for the military were determined to cut him to pieces."-.._ What a character to give, deliberately, to these Yeomanry! We hope the Editor has spoken without authority ; but we leave him and them to settle that question. PRIVATE LETTERS. " MANCHESTER, MONDAY, ONE O'CLOCK. " The town is in great consternation and alarm, numbeekpouring in from all parts of the surround ing country, principally Spinners and Weavers, both men and women. It is a new and alarming feature in these mobs that they do not assemble as old Eng lish mobs used to do, from motives of individual cu riosity, or caprice or fun, or idleness—they do not come in straggling singly or in little knots of two Or three from every different direction, ; but literally advance in marching order, with all the form and regularity of military bodies. About half an hour ago I met, in Oldham-street, an immense mass of men, marching in c..mnion time, five abreast, with two white flags, and a very respectable band of music cor.7.isting of not less than 30 performers. I counted these Ue until about 2000 ;pen had passed, when the crowd became so great that I could no longer, pursue my reckoning, but I conceive that the whole party thus drawn up, and marching in order, could not be less than font or five thousand. d , Very fportly afterwards a party of perhaps $OOO passed the Exchange. These also were in militar array, mceded by flags, red and black, with the Cap of-isaism. The former ofthe,two parties came, I believe, from Bury, ,the latter. from Itoyton. ..Si miler parties came in from Stockport and the other towns in the neighbourhood. , . " I ,have just been at the spot appointed for the Meeting. About 15 2 000 persons are already there, men and women, The Chair was not then taken, but the different parties had already arranges them selves very regularly round two carts, which they had brought with them, at about six yards distaste. A sort of stage was formed on the carts, and around it were planted five banuers; two red, two white, and one black. Upon one side of the latter was a hand holding the scales of Justice, with the inscrip tion, Taxation without Representation is unjust and tyrannical.' On the other site was at the top Love,' -and beneath, Unite and be free. Equal Represen tation or DEATI On some of the other flags were, Corn Lew; —' Let's dic like Men, and not be said like Slaves,' with other such violent iiiscriptions.-- Whilst the mob were collecting round these stan dards, and waiting with some impatience for their promised leaders, they were addressed by a shabby looking fellow, whose name nobody seeped to know. He exhorted them to be peaceable and quiet, and shew their enemies that they were not mad, as they wished to represent them. If we arc mad,' said be, it is the most pleasant loss of senses I ever experi enced, and hope it will never be extinct but with' death. At this important crisis it behoves every free born Englishman to abitain from violence. We only desire our fair and just rights : let us demand them with steadiness and perseverance, and victory will Le the certain result.' " In the Market-place and Market-street the shop windows are closed. In the principal streets are im mense numbers of country-people strolling about. — (You are aware, that for many miles round Man chester the manufacturing population is more nume rous than in any other part of Great Britain: it is like walking among ; so crowded and so busy ore the inhabitants). The more retired parts of the town are as silent as death. Altogether the int, pression which the scene creates on the mind of an observer is melancholy and awful. The Yeomanry Cavalry musters amazingly well. The Chesbite Yeomanry are near the town, as well as the First Dragoon Guards. The 15th Hussars are in the bar racks, as well as two companies, of Horse Artillery ;. 'and besides these, the 88th and 31st Foot are also in town. In short, here is military force enough to crush ten such mobs." ,4 TWO O'CLOCK. " The Magistrates have dissolved the Meeting, and taken Mr. B&W? and a dozen other Ringleaders into cznod y The circumstances have been terrific I will give you as connected an account of them as I possibly can, but you must nuke allowances for the general state of confusion and alarm in which we have been the whole of the day. I will begin where I left off before, with the sort of desultory harangue which a casual Orator was making, apparently to while away the time till the principal Orator should arrive. After he had been talking some time in a loose disjointed manner, he was interrupted by a vio lent shout, which announced the approach of Htn4r. It was within a few minutes of one o'clock when HUNT reached the Hustings. He was said to be ac companied by Wooten, but I could not see the Black Dwarf, nor do I believe he was there ; but JOHNSON, MOOMHOUSF, SAXTON, and SWIFT, were in the barouche, on the box of which was seated a profligate Amazon, named MART WATERWORTH, bearing the standard of the Stockport Female Re formers. Several others of the Stockport gang sur rounded the vehicle. " After the formality of proposing and seconding HUNT as Chairman, he rose and spoke to the fol lowing effect Gentlemen, I crave your indul gence while I proceed to state the nature and object of this Meeting, and I particularly request that no Gentleman will call silence, as it produces more dis order than any other circumstance, and perhaps will give our enemies the opportunity they are seeking for to cause a further encroachment on our rights and liberties. Gentlemen, for the honour you have done me in electing me Chairman on this important occasion, I return you my sincere and heartfelt thanks, I am happy to see such an immense con course of people assembled, and fearfully regret that I shall not be able to make myself heard by all of you, but those who are able to hear me will I hope do so peac-ably and quietly. It is useless to attempt to relate the proceedings that have occurred in your town for the last ten Jaya, or to state to you the cause of the Meeting on Monday being postponed, you are all acquainted with it. Those wise Magis trates, who were the cause of preventing the Meeting on Monday last, fancied they had achieved a glorious victory, btt their pusillanimous conduct since, and the presence of such an immense and respectable as sembly as now stands before me, prove quite the contrary. A placard which nobody could under stand had been posted up all over the town, signed by Tom Lon: and Jach Short, and some such con temptible beings. He was about to proceed, but the I appearance of the cavalry in the distance stopped him , for a moment. The Yeomanry Cavalry arrived on the ground at full speed. They took up a positibn under the wall of The Cottage,' (a weU•known building so' ailed) where they remained in a line about fire mi nutes, ,during which time I believe the Riot Act seas read, immediately after which they made a dash into the crowd, and surrounded the Hustings. Mr. NADIN then ascended and seized hold of JouNtiON first, then of IIuNT, 'and afterwar.ls of several others, whom he -banded to his. assistants, and the latter carried them mmediately to. the New Railey. The banners were 'the next objects to which the Police Officers dii ected their attention, and with very little resistance they got posssession of the whole of them. The scene that now ensued 'Was truly awful ! The shrieks of women and the groans of men were to be heard at some dis tance. Every person who attended out of curiosity, finding his personal safety at risk, immediately fled. " The crush was so great in one part of the field, that it knocked down some outbuildings, at the end of a row of houses, on which there were at least 20 or 30 persons, with an immense crash. As I was carried along by the crowd, 1 saw several almost bu ried in the ruins—others igtheir anxiety to escape had fallen down, and were trampled on by the popu lace. A feeling of sauve qui peat appeared now to fill the Mind of every body ; and the dreadfult result is not yet known. - " The Yeomanry: Were supported by the lab Hussars. Among the spotia opines they say are to be reckoned sixteen banners with seditious inscriptions, and six Caps of Jacobinism. At the moment when AUNT was seized, there could not have been fewer than 50,000. persons on the ground." " Half past Two o'clock. "I have just ascertained that a dragoon and a woman have fallen victims. A man of the name.of Asitwonrii, a special constable, is also dead. " The accompanying is a list of the persons already in custody. Warrants have been issued against se veral others, but they ate not yet taken:— " Henry Hunt, Joseph Johnson, Jahn Tyas, George Swift, Jan Thacker Saxton, Robert Wild, Thomas Taylor, Mary Waterwerth, Sarah Hargreaves, Elizabeth Gaunt, Valentine Faullstter, James Johnson, William 13illinge." Half--pact Three o'clock. " The military are parading the streets, and the populace have retired. " Nearly the whole of the persons who were on the building above-mentioned that fell in, have been killed, eleven at the least are named." " Four o'clock. 44 KNIGHT has just been apprehended, and is car ried to the Police Office." " Half-past Four o'clock. Mooanouss has also this moment been appre hended and carried to the Police Office. The mob have again assembled at St. Peter's Church, and the military have again repaired thither." ANOTHER LCTTER, " MALF-PAST SET. g , You are probably aware, that the Meeting of Reformers which was to have taken place last Mon day was postponed until this day. Accordingly, at half-past eleven o'clock this forenoon, a large body of people, attended by some music, and carrying flags bearing the usual inscriptions, which have been exh.i , bited at former Meetings, began to pass the Exchange on their way from Itoyton, Bury, &c. and proceeded to the place of meeting. These were succeeded by other bodies of people from different parts of the neighbourhood, amongst whom I was sorry to see many females. The Cap of Liberty, placed at the top of a standard pole, formed a conspicuous object in the insignia of each body. There were five or six of them. The assembly continued increasing until about ten minutes past one o'clock, when Mr. HUNT made his appearance in a barouche, which contained a fe male on the dickey, and in the inside, in addition to ,Mr. HUNT, JOHNSTPN, SAXTON, KNIGHT, and two or three other persons. The carriage moved slowly up to the hustings, and its arrival there was marked by long and laud cheering. At this period it is pro bably an understatement to say that 50,000 persons were present. In the body of the town many of the shops were closed, and business was wholly sus pended from an early hour of the forenoon ; not, I believe, from any apprehensions of the proceedings of the Reformers, but from a sort of undefined dread that violence would be used. Indeed, it was confi dently asserted that Mist would be arrested upon the hustings ; but moderate men universally con cluded that the meeting would he allowed to go off peaceably, provided no breach of the peace was com mitted by the people. Up to the period of the arri ♦al of the carriage, none of the Military had been seen in the streets, though it was known that the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry were concealed in Messrs. PICKFORWS (the carriers) yard. On his mounting the hustings, Mr. Hour was imme diately called to the Chair, and commenced his in troductory Address to . the Meeting. He exhorted the people to be firm but peaceable. And,' said he, 4 if any man makes the slightest gtempt to break the peace, put him dawn and keep him down.' Jost as he had uttered those words, the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry came galloping down Morley street and Peter-street, and ranged themselves in front of a row of houses car the South side of the area where the meeting was, in one of which the Magis trates were assembled. “ The greater part of the persons who were at the outskirts of the assembly on that side instantly ran away; but the main body remained compact arid firm, and finding the soldicri halt under the hour,es, faced rour.d to and cheered them. Bxt J Ments had elapsed, wl,er. sornc ordcis the troops, and they instantly dashed at 1.1 amongst the people, actually Vacki:ig to the hustings! A cordon of Special Cons%! drawn fium the house occupied by the A AglAstrates towards the stage, and these fared as ❑;4. 4. tacks of the soldicts as the people at Lige. A cart.. paratively undisciplined body, led on by Off.•«*!l%‘;', had never had any experience in military affair % azi probably all under the influence both of pe r , o ,„, lfri, and considerable political feeling of hostility, not be expected to act either with coolness ur naination; and accordingly, men, women, and 6 dren, Constables and Refnrmers, were all exposed to their attacks. Numbers %sere tra.: pi ( down, and-numbers were cut down. " When they arrived at the hustings, the 5t ,,,c, 7 , 1 were torn or cut from the hands of those ssiio them, and INNT, JOHNSON, SAXTON, and sm. : 4 other persons, including three or four women, we re taken into custody. Ilusz was taken alon: lir th e Constables to the house where the Alagistra:e s •, tc . e sitting, crying out Murder ras he was every instact struck by the bludgeons of numbers of constabk who surrounded him. An attempt was made t o knock his hat off, but unsuccessfully ; and, just iisie 'spas going up the steps, a person who shall be fo r the present nameless, with a club of large size, stn; r k him with the force of both hands a blow on a t e head, which completely indented his hat, and almost levelled him with the ground : of this I can produce evidence on oath. " The proceedings of the Manchester Cavalry were seconded by the Cheshire Yeomanry, and a de. tachment of the Dragoons stationed here. The neo. ple were pursued at full gallop through all the nues leading from the place of meeting, and to 'II,. taut parts of the town. What is the extent 4 t h e carnage that has taken place it is at present imps. sible to say, but five or six are known to be dead. There are 26 in the Infirmary, several of whom can not live, and at least as many out-patients se•:ert;y wounded. There are men, worsen, and children, constables, and also soldiers among them ; and, in all probability, there are many wounded -alio hale not been heard of at tlie Infirmary. " Whether the Riot Act had been read, I am rot enabled positively to say ; but I af f irm, from actual observation, that not the slightest breach of the peace had been committed, or appeared, as far as I co.:id judge, likely to take place; and, most certainly. stead of an hour being allowed after proclam•ttier, for the people to disperse, nut twenty minutes had elapsed, after Mr. HUNT came upon the ground, be fore, the carnage began. What are the charges upon which Ift;Nr and the rest are arrested 1 know not. Rumour says /M. Treason, of which carrying -the Cap of Liberty is stated as an overt act ! !"4 FBI V ATE LETTER. 44 MANCHESTER, MONDAY EVENING, 6 O'CLOCK. " The public Meeting, so long talked of, tcck place this day, and it has not terminated, I regret to say, without bloodshed, So early as ten o'clock in. mense numbers of people, many of them marching in regular order, with colours displayed, entered the town through its different avenues : but it is b::t cc:- rect to say, they carried no weapons—few of then even a stick. HUNT, attended by JOHNSON ar.l others, in an open carriage, with a female supperti n. , a flag, preceded and surrounded by a great mu... tude, came to the place of meeting a little after che o'clock. The assemblage was indeed immense— much more numerous than at any former meetiri. The Reformers from the contiguous country—fr.:rt . : Middleton, lloyton, Oldham, Stockport, &c. each seem to have conic in a body, with their peculiar flags. I counted to 16, and there were five or sir Liberty Caps. Some ten minutes had elapsed, and had addressed the multitude for a very sl'.;:t time—all was certainly perfectly peaceable, when a body of cavalry rode up through the crowd, brandis!:- ing their drawn swords, surrounded the Ilustinp, and seized HUNT and his associates. It seems th.u. by some mistake, several of the Special Constables were rode over, wounded, and hurt. One of them, Mr. ASHWORTH, landlord of the Bull's Bead Inn, t certainly dead ! About 60 of the unfortunate ;nye titude, many of them severely wounded, have ben taken to the Infirmary. It is said that six of then are since dead. " I pretend not to judge of the necessity of this set i ous measure ; many zepectable persons ccztaiiy view it with disgust and dismay. I was mytel: spectator, and the conduct of the crowd was qute peaceable. It is not believed that the Magistrate; read the Riot Act—if they did, at least nobody wa' aware of it. There can hardly be a doubt if the Meeting had been permitted to take its course, it would have concluded as peaceably as they have al: ways hitherto done ; as it is, blood has beta shed there is no knowing what we have to exi•ec: is to neighbourhood r MANCTIRSTER, AUGI'ST :6, iS:e. " Alond;l., Ilar-pas: ~T:reci• 44 Manchester has this day witnessed such a scat as few could have expected. At least from ;0 to 10C,000 persons were assembled on the ground ,itei upon by HUNT and Co. About a quarter after one o'clock he mounted the stage, surrounJei by t!': 1 immcnic tiumbcr of favot:rcrs of his cause and 'Fe' e le s• 1. al :e id e- A 1. is 0 1 ie ir :1 a es i• 2 is :y a :e a , re it t. re to !••