The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-13 00:00:00

STRIKE OP THE BAILORS.

The almost univereal discontent which some of
the enactments in the new Mercantile Marine Act have oc-
casioned has at last manifested itself among the mariners of
Yarmouth. On Tuesday morning several hundreds of them
threw up their tickets and formed what is popularly called
" • strike." They assembled on the Hall Quay, and
having procured some flags and a few musical instruments,
speedily formed into a procession eight abreast, and thus
they marched round the town, and, gaining accessions as
they went down the quay, at one time they mustered at
least 1,0110 strong. Every day they hme met and paraded
the town for several hour., and in the evening they have
held meetings at the Royal Exchange, Quay. On St ednes-
day evening, at a meeting of several hundreds of them, a
union was established, and upwards of .500 members imme-
diately enrolled.
A public meeting of the shipowners of the port was
held on Monday at the Town-ball, in pursuance of a requi-
sition to the mayor and magistrates by "a committee for
superintending the affairs of the seamen as regards those
grievances so bitterly complained of in the new Mercantile
Marine Act." About seventy shipowners were present;
the mayor (Charles Pearson, Esq., R.N.), in the chair. The
committee of seamen attended as a deputation, and were
distinguished by white rosettes and the medal of the Ship-
wrecked Mariners' Society. The men presented s memorial
respectfully calling upon the owners to assist them in getting
rid of those enactments and imposts which are causing
such wide-spread dissatisfaction throughout the country.
The meeting was addressed by several influential ship-
owners, who were unanimous in expressing their most un-
qualified disapproval of the new act, u being the most
vexatious species of legislation to which either the owners,
masters, or men had ever been subjected to. Ultimately,
Mr. 0. Denby Pallper,the largest owner in the port, moved
that a committee, consisting of six owners and six men,
should be appointed to draw up &petition to the House of
Common, praying for a total repeal of the act passed last
session. The motion was seconded by Mr. G. Blake, and
agreed to with only one dissentient. The men then brought
forward the question of wages, but as the subject had not
been entered in the requisition, it was agreed to request the
Mayor to convene another meeting on that matter.
Them has been a good deal of " mobbing " both st
Shields and Sunderland. The mate of the Rockliffe has
been very ill-used by • mob in going home from his vessel
at the North Docks; 201. reward is offered by the Sunder-
land Shipowners' Society for the capture of the ringleaders.
Two seamen who had attempted to sign articles at Sunder-
land were set upon by • number of seamen, hustled, and
pelted with mud. On Tuesday a seaman was brought out
of the Isabella, of London, lying in the Tyne, by a boat
belonging to the watch committee, and, haying been
landed at the low part of Shields, was attacked by a mob
of women, amounting to allow 200, and very much mal-
treated ; in fact he would have been in danger of his
life if some tradesmen and pilots. had not come to his
moisture and got him into a public house, where he was
sheltered until the police came to his redeye. A crimp
named Hammond, who had procured some " half marrows"
for • vessel, had to fly for his life before an infuriated mob
of women at North Shields on Friday night The crew of
the Peruvian have been sent to gaol for thirty days by the
Tynemonth magistrates, on a charge of having deserted
their vessel after signing artistes ; and the crew of the Don
were taken on board their vessel on Tuesday, having ex-
premed their willingness to go to sea rather than to gaol.
The boats of the Hecate continue on the river to protect'
some vessels going to sm. The Trident has gone round to
fiemderland to protect the Tenth in the Wear.