The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-10-06 00:00:00

THE BRM S 1-1 PRESS.

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY. Ocrossa 6, Isl 9.

The angry spirit excited in the minds of the
people by the rash and violent conduct of the Ma-
gistrates sod yeomanry of Manchester, on the 16th
of August, has never subsided since that fatal day,
and the facts which are occasionally disclosed in the
evidence taken at Oldham before the Coroner's
Jury, tend to give it consistency and strength. In
the progress of this inquiry, several witnesses have
deposed that a tailor pealed EDWARD MAGNER,
the trumpeter of the Manchester yeomanry, had par-
ticularly distiuguished himself in the ~(fair of the
Wilt of August, by the energy with which he wield-
ed his sword, and the dexterity with which he cut
off the noses and eard of the unfortunate men and
women who chanced to encounter him " in the
whirlwind of his passion." This circumstance, as
might be expected. rendered MEAGHER peculiatly
au object of hatred to the populace. and being re-
cognised in the streets of Manchester on Saturday
night by sonic of the people, lie was relived by a
crowd to hiw own house, amidst shouts of extent.
lion. At this point the several account! that ha*
been received of this event differ. By some
affirmed that MEAGHER, on entering his own house,
provided himself with loaded pistols, and having,
from an upper window, commanded the crowd to
disperse, or a. his friends probably would call it, hay-
ing reed the Riot Act, lie immediately commenced
firing on the people, and wounded two men, named
JON Es sod lioainson, one in the thigh, and the
other in the leg. The people, maddened by this
outrage, endeavoured to break ern the house, but
failing in this object, they flung .tones at doe win-
. dotes and broke several panes of glee& Such is
one version of the story.
The other narrator, !kg
...LACHRI hay-
ingfling stones
his
neesat house, h
his
window,,te populace 'ula
andl ce
that proceed
the
ed
man,to
iu
apprehension of further violence, fired the shots
amon the crowd, with the effects already men-
tioned. The wounded men were rotiVeyed to the
hospital, and Meeotteit was escorted by a military
guard to the barrackii. as the only place of per-
venal safety. The wounded men, one of whom was
a sailor, were determined to lodge their complaints
mans' Maumee before the Magistrates at the
New Bayley on Monday last, when ouch evidence
was probably adduced aa will establish the facto vac
the case that are now in dispute, and enable the
impartial public to firm • correct ritionite of the
tabasietionr in that giro lime ow ming mite ow

.

• . te

k...
►eaders in the accounts alrealiT t vv.. • ve4, which
are published in •anther Iran of tiii. 1,:,p,p, „h.
out. howeve4 pledging ourselves fur ilfrir 'albeit.
ticity. .

Such as occurrence its the strr•pt,t agitated mate
of the public naiad is mu' Is to I'. lamented, fur
there are many. whatever may he the rrgolt of the
inquiry, who will see in Mttlolen•. ready recourse
to the use of fire-arms, au torheation of the eime
spirit which actuated the Magi.ir:a.s shit yeomanry
on the occasion of the meeting its P. tee... Mare, Rod
it must contribute stilt further to tolisme the am.
lent animosities that already too striiii,ly preyed is
the town and neighbourhood of Witichellet. in
which port), these feelings prevail molt touteortlysi,
it is difficult to determine. hut were we to estimate
their extent mutt character on the side of file Maw,.
trates and yeomanry by the bitter effusions that,
under the head of Private Correspondence from
Manchester, occasionally appear in the columns of
the London Treasury Prints, we should conclude
that they must bid defiance to all competition. In
the dull and senseless productions of that ratline,
there seems to be • monopoly of every bad and de-
grading passion, the writers appear to labour in an
extreme degree under the influence of terror, and
in this habit of the mind every circumstance is
seen through a false and deceitful medium. This
alone can account for the remarkable want of can.
dour which in all their statemeuts is chiefly st:.
parent.

►
o ualtilda;n: tt °lsefaso
deserverla lls
eat
That the populace should evince some asperity
thu
effhyee r ewad
any to
and
n d
politicalo indignation,.ohtiegy:
hes:ln:den ost
he
name of Britons did they not feel a deep resentment
at such an injury. None but the veriest shires
would kiss the hand that struck them. The maps-
terial faction in Manchester, however, express their
astonishment and horror at this tore of the *thy
mind, and deplore it with as much ingenuous tom-
plicity as if they were not themselves the cause
of it. One of these gentlemen, as if writing to*
friend. thus speuks of the state of the public uni.d
and of Manchester :—" It is tolerably's:adore, from
the bitter and malignant expressions of the Radicals,
what their disappointment must have been. Man-
chester is certainly quiet in a manner, but sot the
quiet of contentment." What an unaccountable set
of fellows these Manchester folks must he! not to
enjoy themselves comfortably after being rained
and trampled ! "Our Sundays," continues the
moralist, " too plainly evince the disturbed, disfri-
fected minds of our lower, and nert to lower, orders
of people ;—little regard is paid to the Sabbath,
even by children, from the disturbing noises pur-
posely made during divine service. Surely some-
thing is doing to enable those, in public office to
keep the people in some subjection ; if not, it will
soon be too late. It is hard the peaceable and
loyal are to be kept in constant irritation."...
Aye! no doubt " something is doing to enable
those in public office to keep the people in suhjec.
tion." The Tories are all anxious for the meetiog
of Parliament, for then we shall have Seditious
Meetings Bills, and Gagging Bills, and it shall be
declared sedition, if not treason, to say a wont
against "those in public office," meaning of course
the present Ministers of th? Crown, who are low,
constitution, sod country, to a very large claw of
persons who yet call themselves his Majesty's sub-
jects. Some laws must also be enacted for fashion-
ing the countenances and regulating the tones
of the people of Manchester. To look dissatisfied
or discontented, to speak of killing as murder, or
to call MEAGHER soy thing but • gallant soldier,
shall be reputed overt acts of sedition ; and pro-
babli: by these means " the people will he kept in
subjection," and " the peaceable and loyal" may
cut down his Majesty's subjects, and disperse law-
ful and quiet meetings, and having so done. may
retire to their taverns or their homes. to exult in
their achievements without the apprehension of
being subsequently kept " in constant irritation."

We have received Paris Papers or Saturday Imo.

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By an article from Madrid we are glad to learn.
that the King of SPAIN has resolved to establish
ecittails throughout his kingdom, for the education
of the lower orders of the people, upon the system
or
poinJtetieteaPa LcomaLciateesTr. enewistfilis
ing Majestyalhas e
eeveral
of
ther-
priucipai N,4;41it7 in Spain, to superintellrl ..the
execution of thti pr.ect, anti he has with unmoor
wisdom " prohibited 0 the tribunliks Cs-ope-
rations, and persons to whoin the hes hare IN-
therto given the tire of pnl'lic education. fro"'
interfering in the new Istria." By this wine Ped.
sure he Tres, in • great degree, ',rota ire raj"'
from bring polluted by the touch of avroghnou
and ignorance. end an opportunity is at letastli
happily offered for the admission into that Weight-
ed country of the light of science and philosophy.
The French Five per Ceuta. are 69 f. 95 c.
.-----..,----
to Wtleielistlethrecel
Aovesigus?,uebbuT thisilld M
dateo
n
ist
r
e
a
l
rut so
late by several days as the accounts which an-
nounced the death of the Duke of RICIIIIONP.
The following iv an extract:—

nunn •UGUST St 7.
I Sir Charles Saxton and Major ec,
have vac to Lake Wwmpig, clothed with sperm,
powers to investigate the causes of the unhappy dis-
sentious winch are said to have been lately renewed
in that quarter between the Nortb-West .ad Hellion
gay Companies.

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