The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1839.

STATE OF BIRMINGHAM.

(From no Birmingham Advertiser.)
GROSS MISREPRESENTATIONS of the PRESS.
THURSDAY, MAY :30.—We have, during the las'

fortnight, had occasion, more than once, to con plain of
the gross and exaggerated reports given by some of the
metropolitan and provincial newspapers, as to the state
of Birmingham. With whom these reports originated, and
how they were concocted, we had a slight guess, but cer-
tain proceedings which occurred at the Public Office, du-
ring Monday last, disclose the entire secret. On
entering the private room, we were informed that
the Magistrates present, Dr. Booth, and J. T. Law-
rence, P. H. Muntz, and Robert Webb, Esqrs., had
requested the attendance of Mr. Mansell, the respect-
able news-agent, of Union-street, in order to explain
the authorship of a paragraph which appeared in the
ll'orcestez.shire Chronicle of yesterday week. In obe-
dience to the request of the Magistrates, Mr. Mansell,
accompanied by his son, was in attendance, and, other
business being disposed of, the following conversation

took place :
Mr. Lawrence—Mr. Mansell, the Magistrates have
requested your attendance here, in consequence of
having read, in the Worcester paper of Wednesday
last, an outrageous paragraph, which we have traced
to you. It is headed " The Chartists," and is as
follows :

In consequence of the lawless conduct of this body,
who seem resolved to disturb and outrage society, it is
but right that the public should be aware of
their dangerous proceedings. We, therefore, give the
occurrences at Birmingham, since Friday, front our own
correspondent, up to last night :—" Saturday night.
a deputation arrived from Oldbury ; they said that
they had been sent by the men of Oldbury, Smeth-
wick, and the surrounding districts, to ascertain if the
Delegates were ready to lead them to action ; that they
were prepared either to raze Warwick gaol and libe-
rate Brown, or to burn down Birmingham , that the
men of those districts were supplied with arms, pikes,
guns, small and heavy, and rockets, to the use of which
they had been drilled by some of the very pensioners
then on duty in the Town Hall. Another deputation ar-
rived from Dudley, offering the assistance of the men of
that district, for the same purpose. Sunday, a politico-
religio sermon was preached at Holloway Head,in which
the orator dwelt upon the sufferings of the working
classes, and the tyr inny of the upper and middle mem-
bers of society. The Tee-totallers, who muster a body
of 2,000 men have resolved to expel from their body
Chapman, the Excise-officer, who informed against.
Brown and Fussell. Since Friday night, or Saturday
morning, a warrant was placed in the officer's hands
for the arrest of Bronterre O'Brien ; a warrant is
also issued against Julian Harney, another Delegate.
A private of the Rifle Brigade has undergone an ex-
amination in the Magistrate's private room at the
Public Office ; some say that the charge against
him was his having said that he would not fire on the
people ;' one thing is certain, that the townsmen, who
were formerly admitted to the Barracks, are not now
allowed within its gates. A requisition to Mr. Au-
wood is in course of signature, calling upon that
gentleman to attend the meeting on Friday. A
messenger from the Potteries states that the people
of Stafford are in a state of awful excitement,
from the apprehension of a conflict taking place
on Monday, between the military and the people.
A report has been circulated that Earl Talbot,
the Lord Lieutenant of the County, has ordered the
military, yeomanry, and police to be in readiness to put
down the simultaneous meeting intended to be held
there at three o'clock. The Chartists have selected
Henley as the place for holding their meeting. Where
the hustings for the speakers are erected is an open
space, well supplied with brick ends, to which, accord-
ing to report, the people (in case of any interference by
the autho►ities), will treat the military, while a portion of
them will set off home for their arms, viz., pikes, guns,
&c., of which they have abundance, two forges having been
for some time engaged in their manufacture. A military
officer, who has just arrived from Liverpool, says that
the Chartists who attempted to hold their simultaneous
meeting in Liverpool, on Monday, were dispersed, and
their leaders arrested 'by the police, 400 of whom made
a simultaneous attack on the assemblage. He further
stated that the 10th regiment of infantry were in readi-
ness, with forty rounds of ball cartridge to each man, to
pour in on the Chartists, if they resisted the civil power."
Now I think I may say, with perfect truth, that there
is not a single fact here stated which is not a complete
falsehood. In consequence of the injurious effect which
such a paragraph was likely to produce, I thought it my
duty to write to the editor of the Worcestershire Chro-
nicle, and request the name of the person by whom the
statement was sent. He says it was supplied by you.
The following is a copy of the letter :
SIR —I have to acknowledge yours of yesterday. Being
desirous of obtaining accurate information as to the state of
Birmingham, I wrote to Mr. Mansell, the news-agent, who
sent the statement you complain of, as prepared by a Lon-
don reporter, and was given by us as unexceptionable and
true information. I observe that the same statement ap-
peared in the Wiltshire Independent of Thursday, sup-
plied, there is little doubt, from the same source.
I trust you will give me the credit for wishing, on all
occasions, to communicate nothing but the truth ; and,
certainly, in the case in question, the best means, but
which it now appears was unworthy of credit, was had
recourse to. I shall communicate with Mr. Mansell on
the subject, and I am,
Your most obedient servant,
ALEX. GREGSON.
Chronicle Office, Worcester, May 25, 1839.
Now, Sir, you see it is here stated that the report was
furnished by you. Is that true?
Mr. Mansell—lt is not ray Report.
Mr. Lawrence—Then it is not the fact that you
sent the report ?
Mr. Mansell—lf you will allow me to retire for a
few moments, it is probable that I shall be able to
furnish you with correct information upon the subject.
Although I know nothing of the report, it is not im-
probable that some portion of my family may know
something about it.
The Magistrates said the paragraph was a tissue of
falshoods ; and it purported to come from Mr. Mansell's
house.

Mr. Mansell admitted that the report was extremely
erroneous ; but he was in no way responsible for it.
Mr. Lawrence—Then you ought to be obliged to
us for affording you the opportunity of contradicting the
statement imputed to you, and of putting the paper in
which it was inserted before the public in its proper light.
Dr. Booth said, Mr. Mansell did not appear to him
to contradict the Report in toto. He could certainly
say who the London Reporter was by whom the state-
ment was furnished.
Mr. Mansell, jun., (to his Father—You know nothing
about it ; you was in London at the time the Report was
sent. (To the Magistrates.)—The fact is, we were ap-
plied to by the Editor of the Worcester Chronicle—as
we frequently are by other country newspapers—to
supply some information respecting the state of Bir-
mingham ; and I requested a London gentleman, who
represented himself to be a reporter for the Morning
Post, Chronicle, and Advertiser. London newspapers,
to send an account. He also wrote for the Weekly
Dispatch.
Mr. Lawrence—But the Editor says it came from
you.
Mr. Mansell, jun.—l did not send it, although I di-
rected the parcel. It was sent by the gentleman to
whom I refer.
Mr. Lawrence—Did you see him send it ?
Mr. Mansell, jun.—No I did not.
Mr. Lawrence—Then how do you know he sent it ?
Mr. Mansell, jun.—l wrote the direction for him, to
the IVorcestershire Chronicle, and I have no doubt he
sent it—(producing a piece of paper in the Reporter's
hand-writing.) T:)is is his writing and address. "J.
M. Dempsy, 24, Newcastle-street, Strand."
Mr. G. Redfern—Why that is the man I found in bed
in the coffee-house, in Freeman-street.