The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-29 00:00:00

DISTURBANCRC AT BLACKBURN.

[From the Second Edition of the Blackburn MalLl
Maiholfice, Wednesday, 1 o'Clock,
We omitted to notice, in our first edition, the arrival. at one
o'clock thin morning, of soother troop of the Ist Dragoon
Guards, from laced'', having only been about twelve hours on
the road.

IWe aho find that we were misinformed respecting the prisoner,'
taken at Mr. Turner's works. at Ilelmahore. We are now told
Chet they were thirteen in number, and were taken to the house of
111,. Niel, the New Inn. at Haslingden, when they underwent an
examination before a Magistrate. While. however, the mining.
nation was proceeding, the mob assembled in front of the house,
and sent a volley of stone., by which all the windows were hrokm,
and the frames forced out ; the pri,onera then jumped out of the
windows, and were taken away in triumph by the mob
This morning, about 9 A.m., the mob proceeded to Rawitenstall,
shout three miles from Haslingden, when they attacked the works
of Messrs. Whitehead and Cn., and obtaining an entrance. they
destroyed 170 looms, and then went away in the direction of Eden-
field, on the road to Bury.
The dragoons are now tinder arms, exnectlng to receive orders
to proceed to :lie scene of the last-mentioned riot, and to follow the
rioters.

The party who were at Darwen yesterday. also destroyed a quan.
tity of power.lonms at Orldleston, near that place ; both thole
that were at the factory, and also some that had been put up in •
dwelling-house. Three o'clock.
A gentleman from Clithern informs us, that the mob there dis-
persed quietly last night, about sit o'clock, and that this morning
the streets ot that town were become pretty elenr.
The rifle corps went off to Clithern this morning at eight o'clock.
Capt. Bray (whose conduct throughout the whole of this aflisir re.
flsets the highest credit upon hint, and hats secured him the esteem
of the inhabitants) has just returned with the party who accom-
panied him on font last night. We trust the poor fellows may now
rest trout their fatigues. _

About one o'clock our active deputy constable apprehended three
men nn suspicion of being concerned in the riots of yesterday :
they have since been taken to the Sessions Room, and are now un•
dergoing an examination there.

(EXTRACT OF A PRIVATE LETTER.)
Blackburn, Apr!! 2G.
We lire quiet hue to.dav, except from the bustle of taking up
pri.onert, and a great number of idle people in the streets; they
have. however, commenced at Bury and Htslingden : the power.
looms of two factories near Sunnyside were broken into by ten
o'clock :his morning. The whole eountry iv in an uproar. The
Craven Legion, Bolton Yeomanry, Militia, &c. are called out. I
am confident we shall have no peace soon._

. -
" Colne, April 25, 1028.
" I am sorry to inform you that we are much alarmed in this
neighbourhood, inasmuch as vast bodies of people are assembling in
diffilent parts of the county, and committing great outrages. Yes.
terdav there was a general muster at ['enrich?, about six miles this
side Blackburn, and two miles from Accrington, where they de.
molialted 75 pair of steam-looms. They then marched to White
Ash. where they destroyed a greater quantity. They hail hitherto
met with no opposition, and therefore they proceeded to Blackburn,:
where they commenced an attack upon a factors containing 3115
pair of looms. Here the soldiers interfered, notwithstanding which
they accomplished their desire, but not without loss of lives. They
then marched to Low :Moor, near Clithero, and about 11 miles
north-west of Caine, where there is a large weaving establishment,
employing a sufficient number of power looms to turn off a piece of
calico per minute. Here the general body encamped last night.
amounting to about 10,000, 2,000 of which are said to he properly
armed, and to have undergone mature discipline. We have as
yet heard very little of what already is, or what may be, the result
of this day's transactions, but both sides seem very obstinate. We
have already beard of some being killed, and others wounded.
Hundreds are continually coming to view the operations of the men
from Pendle-hill." " Haslingden, April 25, 1826
" I have great difficulty in getting on the road during the last
few days, in consequence of the rioting in this part of the country.
I passed at least 30,000 men, all armed with pikes, yesterday, on
'my road here • they had completely destroyed ie two mills at
Accrington, anti after arriving at Blackburn, destroyed all the
power-loom mills in that town. Report Kays that only two lives
were lost, but I should think more. The attack is intended to
commence here this morning, upon Turner's mill. A troop of
soldiery had just arrived from 31anchester. It is expected the men
will attack Garnett and Co.'s mill, of Clitheroe, this afternoon, to
which lam unfortunately going. The Craven Legion and a troop
of dragoons are nn duty in consequence. It is impossible for me to
describe the situation of things, in consequence of these dis.
turbances. People will neither part with money, nor their bu-
siness."

The following is an extract of a letter from our Liverpool Cor.
respondent, dated Thursday:—
" Reports here state, that the rioters have continued the work of
destruction to the power-looms in and nesr Bl.ickburn,
den, &c. and that some lives had been lost. A gentleman who
arrived last night passed through Blackburn yesterday afternoon.
saw sixteen persons taken into custody ; that the rioters were in a
very serious number, and very probably they would tcscue the
prisoners."

The following is a copy of a letter from Blackburn,
dated April2s :
In my letter of yesterday I described to you the destruction of
the whole of the power-looms in this town and neighbourhood. I
omitted, however, to mention many circumstances vninecied
with this melancholy affair,; but I will now give you more parti-
culars:—

The factory belonging to Mr. John Haughton, of Park-place, is
situated within 100 yards of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal ; and
over the Canal at this place is a stone bridge. The people placed
themselves in great numbers upon the bridge, and began to hums.
The soldiers received orders to drive the people from the bridge.
Then began the contest. The officer gave orders to drive them
from the bridge; but in this they failed, the people repulsed the
military with heroic courage; for three times the bridge was taken
and re-taken ; but ultimately the people triumphed, and succeeded
in taking the place as it were by storm. While the rioters were In
the factory, carrying on the work of destruction, a soldier or two
fired through the window, and wounded one man in the head ; the
ball entered at the back of his neck and came out of his mouth,
taking along with it two teeth and the roof of his mouth.
Though the wounded man fell in the factory, in the midst of
the assailants, yet it in no way intimidated them ; fur they kept
hewing away until the whole looms were destroyed.
Then were seen the rioters carrying away the bleeding man from
the premises, unmolested, and all well.plcased with their apparent
victory.
About five o'clock this morning, the trumpet sounded to
arms—
an express has arrived that the whole county was marching towards
Lowe-Moore Factory, with an intention of demolishing the power.
looms of Messrs. Garnett and Horsfall. Lowe-Moore is about half
a mile from Clithero, and about ten miles and a half from Black.
burn—at this place, from 12 to 15,000 are employed in spinning and
weaving cotton. The number of looms employed are said to be
five hundred ; so you may reasonably suppose that that place
would be marked out for destruction. A rumour prevailed, very
generally, about nine o'clock this morning, that the Lowe-Moore
loots had been attacked at three o'clock, A.M., and the whole had
been destroyed with the !As of some lives ; but up to this hour,
five o'clock, P.m., nothing authentic has transpired. However, it
is true that thousands have surrounded Clithero, with a determina-
tion to complete the work of destruction.
Wherever we turn our eyes, our ears are smiled with fresh ac-
counts of large bodies of men preparing to attack, and with others
having done the work of deatruction. At Darwen, amid' village
four miles south of Blackburn, the rioters broke the whole looms
belonging to a Mr. Curt; From there they marched a few miles
further, and likewise demolished the whole of Mr. Thompson's, at
Heap.Aapter. completing the above in what the mob called their
‘• best style ;" they bent their course seven or eight miles further,
to two places, called Hell.shore and Ramabottom, but up to this
hour we have no intelligence.
Half-past Five o'clock-100 of the rifle corps have marched into
the town ; they are much fatigued, having marched from Man-
chester since this morning. They have not been in the town more
than half an hour, when they have received orders to march for-
wards to Preston, an express having arrived from that place that
another party had attacked what is called Swainson's large factory.
Whether there is any truth in the rumoured express, and to what
extent damage is done, it is impossible to say at present; but I
probably may before post ime.
Seven o'Clock—The town is all in a ferment ; the soldiers are In
the street under arms. and the streets filled with people; four or
five expresses from different towns for assistance, but the military
are undecided which place to go to. Generally speaking, the peo-
ple both in town and country are well pleased with what has been
done to the power-looms; yet the well.informed are very actiee in
attributing all our misery to excessivetaxation and to the Corn Bill.
Indeed, the moat illiterate reason so ; but they say, " let us do
away with one great evil, and within our power, and then we'll talk
about the other." You can form no idea of the sentiments of the
middle, and what is called the working classes of society ; because
they have undergone a complete change during the last few months.
Almost all classes are on the brink of ruin ; anti how can it be other-
wise,when,literally speaking,three•fourths of the population are out
of employ ? In this town the unemployed are relieved a little by the
subscriptions raised for them within the town, but the poor creatures
for miles round are almost hungered to death. And well they may,
for they have nothing to live upon, except what is doled out to
them In the shape of parish relief, and that is very little ; for
the Overseers declare that it is impossible to collect rates at pre.
sent. Business is almost at a stand; nothing in prospect, conse-
quently nothing but the horrors of starvation stare us in the face.
The Riot Act has just been read again, but the people dispersed
quietly to their homes. The horses are so fatigued with their day's
labour, that the riders have returned to Lowe-Moore, IN such con.
veyrinces as they could procure in the town. Five have this moo
meet passed my window tilled with soldiers, and the rain pouring
clown pretty freely. We are all waiting with great anxiety, ex-
pecting every moment something important from individuals who
have been near the spot; the two hostile parties wait with breathless
suspense for the first attack, but the probability is, that the rain
will cause the poor creatures to disperse, and thus end the day.
Nine o'Clack.—l have just heard that the woollen power.
looms at Hell-shore, near Haslingden, have all been destroyed, but
cannot say what number, but suppose them to be considerable,
Twenty ptisoners are said to be the result of this affair ; whether
true or not, I cannot speak positively. The last accounts from
Lowe-Moore state that the people are determined to finish their
job before they break up.
• P.S. The estimated damage done to three of the factories is sup.
posed to be ten thousand pounds ; of the others no idea can be
formed at present.