The National Register.
London, England, 1820-04-16 00:00:00

LAMENTABLE OCCURRENCF: AT GREENOCK,

Extract of a Letter, dated Greenock, April 2.—" 1
know not in what manner to lay before your readers
the lamentable scene which took place in the streets of
this town yesterday afternoon. It originated at first in
a report which was circulated early that morning, iliac
a number of Paisley Radicals were to be brought tootle
gaol under a military escort. As the inhabitants of this
place are not much acquainted with sights of this kind,
it was naturally to he expected that immense crowds
would assemble to witness their entry ; and about half
lent four o'clock our ears were regaled with the music
of a druin and fife, which announced the triumphant,
and to all appeararice pompous, entry of about fat) 4
the Port Glasgow inhabitants, beari rig arms, and called
an "Armed Association," guarding a cart with five
Radicals. Some persons amongst the crowd began a
hissing, which became pretty general, and, as far as I
observed, a few mischievous boys began to throw
stones; when, in order to strike terror amongst the
crowd, they discharged some of their pieces, and the
contents of one struck a little boy without doing ally
material injury. After the prisoners were received by the
magistrates, and lodged in places prepared for them, this
association began their maven homewards, amidst loud
hissing and now and then assailed by stones ; and I ant
convinced that the hissing principally arose on account
of their very awkward appearance: for the people of
Greenock are a very loyal people, and not at all in-
clined, at any time, to trample under foot the laws of
their country, or to rifler indignities against any body of
men doing their duty in the manner the law requires of
I them; and the stones which were thrown, I have no
doubt, would have been the same, had the same Asso-
ciation been acting in a different cause; and I think
the great error lay in not investing the same charge to
well disciplined military; but can I term these men
well disciplined who acted as if every one was com-
mander; one officer attempting to command, and ano-
ther contradicting it? It would have been well had
they continued so, and made the best of their way home
—hut they neither attempted to charge the crowd
before them with the point of their bayonets—they read
no Riot Act—they gave no proper warning of what
they intended to do ; and, without forming into a line,
they poured their shot amongst a crowd made up of the
guilty, the innocent, and the unsuspecting; and they
repeated this wanton outrage amongst the crowds which
assembled from various places of the town, until they
killed on the spot four persons, and wounded twenty,
(five of whom are since dead.) I should have been
happy to excuse their proceedings ; hut, in justice to
my own feelings, and those of the principal part of the
inhabitants, I cannot. It is true the crowd should not
have insulted them; but who would not bear the greatest
insult before they would attempt to kill any man?—
Their lives were not in danger at the time ; no doubt
' some of the stones injured them, and irritated others;
1 but their minds should have been prepared for all this,
amid the utmost extremity alone should have compelled
them to fire.
" I need not say the inhabitants were alarmed, in.
' deed they would not believe their eyes at first when
they saw their townsmen carried in all directions towards
' the medical gentlemen, whose prompt attention cannot
be too highly praised. After this bustle and alarm had
subsided, after the dead had been carried to their rela-
tions, and the wounded to the hospital and their friends;
a cheer in midst of the square by a few brought many
together, and it appeared they knew not what they
would have wished. The magistrate went into their
centre and insisted on their being peaceable; but it ap-
ppeared they had no very bad intention, and we must
make some excuse for their exasperated feelings, which
prompted them to the rash act of breaking open the
I prison, which they accomplished in a short time, anrl
liberated the five Radicals, whose names I could not
. _

learn. The crowd examined them narrowly believe
they permitted them to escape, lest they by mistake
should have liberated any other prisoners, which was
not their wish ; they then allowed them to shift for
themselves. Shortly after this, a considerable crowd
assembled, and a piper played at their head through the
town for about an hour and a half. It scents they had
at first an intention of attacking Port Glasgow ; but for
:he honour of my townsmen, I am happy to say it was
not carried into effect , and the magistrates not knowing
what might happen, used the wise precaution of sending
for forces, whose services were not required, for about
eleven o'clock all had dispersed, and there was as much
regularity iii the streets as if the week had closed with its
usual quietness and good order.
" 1 learn this melancholy detail of facts with feelings
more of sorrow than of anger, satisfied, in my own con-
science, that what I have stated is correct according to
my own feelings; and I trust that through the meditun
of your paper, the world may know that no treason or
conspiracy lay at the bottom of all this, but that the
imprudence of a few who wt re in the crowd, and Lhe
unjustifiable rashness of the armed, were the the only
means which disturbed for a few hours the peace of our
streets, which at the present moment exhibit all the
simplicity and good order which are characteristic of a
Scottish sabbath."

His Majesty, we understand, has appointed Mr.
Colman, the popular dramatic author, Lieutenant
of the Yeomen of the Guard, in the place of Mr.
Davis.

A private letter was received on Monday, from
the Earl of Lauderdale, dated Rome the 3d inst.
He is, we understand, pursuing a rapid route
towards Leghorn, which place the Queen contem-
plates reaching on the sth. His Lordship, from
popular sense of feeling. has tendered his important
services to accompany her Majesty to England,
which is thought more to ctl;:ct before the
meeting of Parliament.