The Sun.
London, England, 1815-10-24 00:00:00

DISTURLANTES

has hitherto beene-Oriittitlicated to the PubliC..
-NEWCASTLE, 18:—Abont seven r: eels
tigo, 30 or 40 selkiceCit met together for an advaii6::
of: wages, and their number %vas Soon augmented
to 3 or 400. when they formed into all kOsocia-
tiiin, appointing presidentS, coMmittees, secre-
taries, messengert,; and spies, and compelled tl-,e
crews of ships cowing into Sunderland,: Shields;
'Nefvcastle, Hartley, and Blythe; to join them,
or be. tarred and feathered, have their jaehets
turned inside out, and marched through the towns
accompanied by a rabble of 40 or 511 sailors. 1
saw twO of their processions attended by thou-
sands of women, idle men and boys, venting their
indignation at the punished person. No attempt
was made to stop these scenes by the Peace Of-
ficers. About the 3d instant, the combination
amounted to near 7000 men, and a system wits
adopted to obtain pecuniary assistance. I under-
stand that some respectable persons, clergy and
gentry, made donations to them, whether from
affection to the cause, or from fear, I know not.
One of the ringleaders entered a shop in Sunder-
land, to ask bounty for the seamen, ou Saturday
night, and taking 1051. out of his pocket, boasted
that he had collected it that day. Many people
In and about Sunderland, who ought to know.
better, actually think that the seamen have not
acted contrary to law. Newcastle and the two
Shields arc the source and centre of operations of
these refractory seamen. There, a number of
Scotch, Iriilr, and other sailors, with daring tel
forn:crly la oilmen, sent on board ship for their
oftenCes, plot the whole. business. Early ill Octo-
ber,..the sailors in the Wear made a slight modifi-
cation in their demands, going lower don those
in the Tyne. This, is supposed to be a scheme,
owing to the approaching diarinution, of their
funds ; so that they might appropriate a pat-t of
their wages to the Tyne fund. This Plan has not
succeeded. Were it to prosper, it is to be .feared
that the seamen, both nortit aild south of us,
would soon'be organized in a most.extearsivc con-
federation, and the greatest dangers might en-
sue.. .The keeltaen of the Tyne, about 6000 in
in:tuber, have been out of employment for a
month. The carpenters, block and mast-makers,
who arc partially nnemployed, probably amount to
2000 ; and should the pit men „who are variously esti-
mitted at from i 5 t 020,000., be obliged to stop wot k-
ing, from the inability of the coal-Owners to pay
them, we shall be in a sad state._ Among all these
classes, there appears a perverse attachment to the
seamra's claims. The head Committee has re- -
Ceive(r various sums of money from the mecha-
nics' benefit societies, from the wages of servant
girls, and even from their mistresses. Tile num-
ber of .Combined 3eatnen is now estimated at
10,000, which Ibelieve to be short of the aMount.
l‘lore are daily expected from other ports. Some
of them, it is repOrted, hi:ye-been bo";:l enottg.li to
say, that in casb, of an attempt to coerce them,
they would seize the batteries and at%tgalitles 011
the river, or that they would cut adrift the upper
tier of ships on the ehb-tide, which, would force
all the ships in the Tyne t s set (estimated at 3011
sail) and that they would then get on board of
them and escape to America, or various parts of
the Continent. An.)ther report is, tintt in case of
being attaCked, they will set fire. to the shipping
and the ship7owners' houses, plunder them:, run!
disperse. Mr. Fairles.s, a magistrate of South
Shields, has acted with becoming spirit. Alcw
gnu-boats well-manned, -tint! some regular infan-
try, will. soon. set tie the business, with the means
we have already. They have bcea, on some oc-
casions, rernarliably insolent. IVllen the Mayor
of Newcastle went to the Llead Conmiiitee of
Seamen, and had passed the sentinels, he was
deired to Wait in an anti-room till theyconld
speak to hipi, and when• he was admitted) he was
ordered to take off his hat. Spirited measures
Would put an end to all tljis ; but if it is suifered
to continue, great evils utast arise. .