The Sun.
London, England, 1831-11-21 00:00:00

BRISTOL, Nov. 20.

The military investigations are stiff proceeding, under the
management of General Sir C. Dalbiac and a board of four offs.
cers. They are strictly professional, and as such not patent to
civilians.
Major Mackvrorth's statement, published in the Bristol papers
of yesterday, is said to contain a number of inaccuracies, and,
among them, a great over-estimate of the numerical force of the
rioters. It confirms the indisposition of the citizens to be in
any respect the agents of the municipal authorities.
The Council of the Political Union have issued a declara.
tion, calling on the inhabitants to enrol themselves in their
andbody
,
as the only sure means of securing efficient protection to life
property should a season of confusion again occur.

(From the Bristol 31irror.)
An unpublished pamphlet, printed in London, on the subject
of the late riots in Bristol, and written by a gentleman who took
an active part in suppressing them, has been privately distri-
buted for the last two or three days amongst the friends of the
author in this city. As we consider that the dissemination of
authentic information respecting these disgraceful occurrences
is of considerable importance, we have taken the liberty to tran.
scribe the whole narrative ; and which we have no doubt the
author, as well as our readers, will deem far more satisfactory
than giving our own representation of the nature of the contents.

-
PERSONAL NARRATIVE, &c. &c.
Having heard that something of a riot was expected in Bris-
tol, on the entry of Sir C. Wetherell into that city, I resolved
on staying there a day or two longer than I had intended, in
conformity with what I knew would be Lord Hill's wishes, that
1 might act as circumstances pointed out, and render any little
cervices in my power to the civil authorities.
Two days previous to Saturday, October 21, I recommended
the Mayor of Bristol to call out the pensioners residing in it,
and to enrol them for its defence; he replied, there was not
then time for it, that he would consider the matter against a
future occasion. It was not till Saturday evening that I heard
of the serious assault on the Mansion.house, which caused the
Recorder to escape from it with precipitation. At about seven
p. m., I entered the square in which it stands (Queen-square),
In company with Mr. Kington, when a civil officer came up to
me and said the Mayor wished to speak with me. I want di.
rectly to the Mansion-house, passing through the crowd with_
out difficulty. The iron railings in front were broken up, many
with the curb-stones still fastened to them ; the windows were
broken, and the furniture below stairs in great disorder ; the
rooms and staircase were filled with special constables. I learnt
from the Mayor that the house had been attacked, that the mob
had gained possession of the lower part, and were proceeding to
fire it, when the arrival of the Dragoons in the square checked
their progress; and the civil authorities had regained possession.
I remained in the Mansion-house about two hours, watching
theproceedings, and observed a total want of organization among
the civil force ; and that, instead of keeping the premises clear,
they became themselves a serious obstruction by crowding into
the Mansion-house. I proposed to the Mayor, that with his
sanction, I would organize them, and try to render them more
efficient ; to this he gladly assented, and the whole were col.
lected in the great banquetting.room, under their several ward
leaders. I formed them into four divisions, had chiefs appointed,
and gave them a few short instructions as to the posts they
were to occupy, &c. This being done, I begged Colonel Brere-
ton to clear the way for the first body in some degree with the
dragoons, whom I followed, and so placed the constables at their
post in rear of the Mansion-house. The second body I posted
in a similar way on the side of it ; and then with the third,
cleared the pavement in front. The fourth body being the
smallest, remained to guard the house, and take charge of pri-
soners. Thus, in less than five minutes, by a trifling but com-
bined operation, the whole vicinity of the Mansion-house was
cleared ; and thus it remained till the following morning, ex-
cept that now and then the constables and dragoons were an-
noyed by stones thrown from the by streets, barges, and a few
from the tops of houses. Notwithstanding this, nine pri.
soners, captured by the civil forces, were safely conveyed to
the gaol. Three privates of the 14th were wounded by stones,
one severely so, and a subaltern much hurt by his horse fall_
'g under him.
I remained till two in the morning with the Mayor, occa-
sionally visiting the troops and constables outside, and ascer-
taining that all was quiet. During this period the Mayor and
Magistrates appeared to me to be using every means in their
power to call out the citizens, and enrol them as special con-
stables. When I quitted the Mansion-house the crowds had
nearly all dispersed, and I really thought the worst of the riot
was over. The dragoons had hitherto only used the flat of
their sabres. _ . .

Sunday morning, at seven o'clock, I returned to the Mansion-
house, and found a small crowd re-assembled, and some of the
dragoons quietly parading up and down before it. It imme-
diately struck me that their presence only served to attract a
mob, and that it would be very desirable to send them away on
that account, as well as because men and horses absolutely re-
quired rest. This, however, I soon found to be impracticable,
for the constables, who were last night about 250, were dwindled
to about a dozen, and instead of augmenting, were even then
diminishing in number; the Mayor, who was at the time the
only Magistrate present, assured me that he had been sending
every where to induce the inhabitants to come forward, and
hoped they would soon begin to assemble.
The house was now closed up, the windows had been bar-
riceded with boards during the slight, and the entrance doors
secured. An occasional volley of stones at the windows alone
indicated the continued violence of the mob -;
but in about two
hours and a half, a thundering attack on all the windows and
*loon showed that more active measures were recommencing,
and convinced me that the picquet of dragoons must have been,
withdrawn from before the Mansion-house. (This was the
ease.) The mob were not long in forcing an entrance into the
lower rooms ; and then, as we had no one within the house
but the Mayor, myself, and seven constables (the Mayor has
since informed me one of the Under-Sheriffs was also there to
the last), and as we were without fire-arms, or means of de.
fence, I advised the Mayor to make his escape. He said, "I)o
you really think I ought ?" I replied, that even as a soldier
I thought it right, and that it was become clearly his duty.
We made our way to the top of the house, got out of a
window, crouched along between the double roofs of eight
M nine houses, hiding ourselves from the view of the mob in
tee square, kicked out a pane of glass in the Custom-house
to raise the sash, and then quietly descended that building
and escaped into a back street. I gave the Mayor my arm,
and we passed among several people, who offered no insult
whatever, until we reached College-green, where the Mayor
was joined by some of his friends, and I quitted him. I must
pass lightly over the events of the day on Sunday, having had
little to do with them. Of the employment of the 3d Dragoon
Guards, and the sending the 14th Dragoons to Keynsham, I
knew swilling. I can only say, in answer to many things
which I have since heard on the subject, that the troops were
in absolute ne,scl of some rest. They might have executed a
few charges, and Z'leared the streets again and again ; but
unless supported by sec other description of force, they could
have done no permanent good, and would soon have been
so exhausted as to have left the city wholly defenceless. On
Sunday evening I attended at the Council-house, where about
Val inhabitants were assembled, and Alderman Savage em-
ployed in keeping their stormy debates in some kind of order.
All were crying out, " We are willing to act, but have no one
to direct us ;" and all seemed ready to take the direction ; but
every one differed from his neighbour, and nothing was re-
solved on, as is usually the case in large deliberating bodies,
erhere all are speakers and no hearers. A man of the name of
Herapath, who seemed to be the leader of a Political Union,
was asked whether he would get his union together, and try to
estre the town. He said he could not answer for it, if the
aoidiers were employed. Some said, let us go home, and each
defend his own house ; and others more wisely agreed to cause
the posse con:tic:his to assemble under the new act ; but very
few seemed willing to serve. At last I told them that if the
pawe would meet in College-green at six in the morning, I
would come down and organize them as well as I could : this
was assented to at the time, and I went away much disgusted
and disheartened, after having told them it was plain to me
there would be no union or energy among them until danger
compelled it ; and that the burning and plundering a few private
houses, which would inevitably follow the unchecked destruc.
tion of public property, would alone, and that soon, rouse the
inhabitants of Bristol to a sense of their common danger. I
here cannot but acknowledge with shame, that disgust at the
party-spirit I had witnessed among the inhabitants of Bristol, so
overcame a sense of duty, that I retired to rest, resolved to do
sinthing till the following morning; ere which I was convinced
such scenes must occur as would really rouse the public feeling,
And render our small military force tolerably effective. I little
anticipated, however, the fearful extent of the mischief.
On Monday morning, a little before six, I reached College_
green, where the posse was to meet me, of whom not one had
yet arrived ! The sight of the burning city, abandoned to the
merciless rabble, not a defender appearing, and the extreme
paucity of our military foice, certainly filled toss with de-
spondency. But trusting that God would protect us in so
plain a path of duty, I thought soinci:?ing must be attempted,
however inadequate our means might be. I went in search
of the small troop of the 3d Dragoon Guarde. They had left
their quarters near College-green, and were goon into the
city ; I found them quietly patrolling in Queen-square, with
Colonel Brereton at their head. One officer of their own,
Cornet Belson, commanded them ; I never counted their
numbers, and forgot to ask them, but I do not think above
25 were present mounted. When I arrived, two sides of
Queen_square where wholly in flames, and the mob, not above
1,000 in number, (for there were few or no mere spectators,)
were forcing an entry into the corner house on the side of the
square nearest to the shipping. It immediately struck me
that if this house were fired, the shipping, which is close y
and thickly moored in the heart of the city, would soon be in a
blaze, and nearly the whole city must inevitably beburnt. It
was 110 longer time to consider numbers or await Magistrates'
orders. I called out " Colonel Brereton, we must instantly
charge ;" and without waiting for his answer (he could not but
approve) I called out, " Charge men ; and charge home!" The
troops obeyed with the utmost alacrity, Colonel Brereton
charging with great spirit at their head ; and I trust in God
every man then injured was actually engaged in plunder or in
burning; and that not a single innocent person there fell beneath
our sabres. Numbers were cut down and ridden over, some
were driven into the burning houses, out of which they were
never seen to return ; and our Dragoons, after sabring all
they could come at in the square, collected and formed, and
then charged down Princes'-street, and again returned to
the square, riding at the miserable mob in all directions ;
about 120 or 130 of the incendiaries were killed and wounded
here.
This business proceeded for some time, when seeing we were
very few, and, though we could repeatedly disperse the mob,
could never prevent their re-assembling, as they got into little
marts, &e., whirls are in front of every house, I considered it

1 14i..
k'V t ..-.....-..
A i.
ii.\%,.,..... .1 :0::::-;"'" . . .
f71\4.,....., . . "c:PIP-i
--.$

,

ARRIVALS OF GRAIN IN LONDON DURING LAST WEEK.
From Whence. w ',.1, 7-: F &' % ,
: n • : - i
r ':•4
----
Qrs. Qrr, Qrs. Qrs. Qrs. Qrs. Scks.
Aldborough 222 1064 11 92 814
Bridlington 2BO 80 300
Bridport
Boston
Chichester — 370
Cowes
Colchester — 66 255 60 10 509
;', Harwich
Leigh 5Ol 159 15 75 84
-`, Maldon 164 10 48 250
Exeter
Grangemouth.— --
Hull 736 50 240 25 50
Ipswich — 655 961 65 100
Kest 632 189 250 122 193 441 120
Louth
Lynn l6O 466 5t 436
Newhaven
Newport — 40 268
Poole
Hyde
Scarborough
S;slcombe
Spalding
Stockton — 13 1500
Southampton
Southwold 165 120 10 17
Truro 5O 50
Wells l)9 1630 _ _
Whitby — 120
Whiteliaven 20
Wisboach 742
Woodbridge 33 1721 30 10 195
Yarmouth 65 7531 1865 30 2006
Aberdeen — 1200
Arbroath — 565
Banff' 5- 98 905 6 1
nerwick
Pundee 9 1650 2 29
Leith
Montrose
6508 18126 4371 6361 608 767 10408
I arm.
Belfast
Cork — 1271 190
Dublin
Galway — 810
Newry — 600
Sligo — —177 U
Waterford 368 115 1571 653
Youghall ll2 1213
FORRIGN.
Archangel
Kiel — 510 121
Total 4 7738 118751 4371 114107 608 888 11631
AGGREGATE QUANTITY OF OTHER RINDS OF 1.111.3 E.

AGGREGATE
Rye, o—Tares,

7738
QUA N'
30--I
Must

18751
CITY
inseed,
ird. 11'

4371
F OTHI

R ILI
Rapes I
ads, 13

889
1'111.31
•Brank

;, 0--