The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-12 00:00:00

STATE OF BRISTOL.

The following is an extract from a private letter
from Bristol, received yesterday :

" You can have no idea of the state of excite-
ment and commotion that exists in this place; at
least I imagine as much from the very cool and bold
manner in which the trials are given in the London
papers. Full reports, I admit, are given by your
journals ; but with the exception of what takes place
in Court, they appear to state nothing. The trials
and the verdicts are something certainly, but there
are other matters that might be, not uselessly, nar-
rated. The trials excite so much interest that they
are daily taken down, and with wonderful accuracy
and closeness, printed the next morning in little
pamphlets, so as to be capable of being bound in
volumes when the proceedings may close; and these
pamphlets are sold at three-halfpence each number,
every number containg about one day's proceedings.
The Judges, on Sunday, went to the Cathedral,
which is, as you may remember, beyond Callege
Green, or rather forming the further side of it, and
at some distance from Queen-square, the site of
the Mansion-house. The procession thither called
forth a good deal of attention and crowding, espe-
cially as the Cathedral is so contiguous to the
Bishop's Palace, the burning of which formed so re-
markable an incident in the Bristol outrages.'
However, I ought to tell you one or two circum-
stances attendant upon the trials, as elucidatory of
the state of commotion that exists, and of the reasons
for the many anxieties that are entertained.
" On Tuesday last, the van that conveys the
prisoners to and from the Court had the linch-
pins taken from the wheels during the day; and
it was by the merest accident that the fact was
discovered—but for the discovery, the probability
is, that while returning in the evening, the wheels
would have come off, and the machine have been
thrown into the street amidst the daring mobs that
nightly assemble.
" On Thursday night the van was attacked in
Prince's-street, which is in the rear of the second
side of Queen's-square that was burnt, and leads to
the dock-bridge, where the first toll-house was
burnt, and thence to the new prison. The attack
from the mob followed a noise made by the prisoners
in the van, which is supposed to have resulted from
preconcerted signal ; the mob had to follow the
guards that surrounded the van. The noise is in-
ferred to have been a signal, as immediately after-
wards the attack was made by throwing of stories,'
&c. The driver of the van immediately plied his
horses with additional whip, and thus distanced the
assailants by proceeding with all possible rapidity till
he reached the prison. Oa Friday night the pri-
soners were guarded with double supplies of special
constables, military, &c. To see the different pro-
cessions leaving the hall, after the trials is truly
awful.' The ceremonial is thus :—The Judges,
strongly guarded, go from the Court first ; then
proceed a party of officers, &c. belonging to the
Court, on horseback; next follows the van contain-
ing the prisoners, all of whom are heavily chained;
after which appear more horsemen, constables, &c.
The van is completely surrounded to a considerable
extent with various protective forces ; so that to a
spectator the van is hardly visible ; and yet an as-
tack was made on the forces guarding it. As if to
increase the appalling character of the scene, many
of these guards surrounding the van carry flambeaux
" The Under-Sheriff, I ought to have mentioned.
precedes the procession, guarding the van, in his
offi-
cial dress, with drawn sword, &c. With the excep-
tion of the attack that I have named, there has been
no decided outrage—mad threatenings, and much
murmuring, but no overt acts of violence. (treat
displeasure, however, is expressed at the conviction
of Clarke, the first of the prisoners put on trial ; not
because he is not deemed guilty, but that his state
of mind was not considered in the verdict. We
shall be thankful indeed when these affairs are over.
Many in trade suffer greatly—Broad-street, in
which the hall stands where the trials take place, is
cro+lded daiiy, and the interruptions and comme-
tions thence occasioned are indescribable."—M„,n_
lug Advertiser.

A considerable part of Lossiemouth harbour
has fallen. The immediate cause is said to be the floods
occasioned by the rapid melting of the late snow.--.Cale.
donian Mercury,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

Denis Cronin and John Sheehan were charged
with a riot, and, with others, assaulting several of
tl.e new police, in Calmell-buildings, on Sunday night.
From the evidence it appeared that the national
taste of the prisoners and their compatriots of the
Emerald, for " a bit of a skrimmage" on a Sunday
has entirely deserted the classic soil of St.
Gilles, owing, it is supposed, to the uncongenial in-
troduction of the station.bouse of the E division of
the new police to the confines of the rookery, and
has taken root in the more retired purlieus of Cal-
mell-buildings, with all the appearance of acquiring
renewed vigour from the change of air. This pug-
nacious spirit shakes off its week's slumber on Sa-
turday night, and never reposes until Monday morn-
ing, during which the police on duty there find their
office any thing but a sinecure, and the neighbour-
hood is kept in a continual state of uproar and alarm.
When Monday morning comes, it usually brings with
it to the office a numerous train of broken heads
and black eyes from the beaten party, seeking satis-
faction in a series of assault warrants. Between
eleven and twelve o'clock on Sunday night several
gentlemen gave notice at the station-house that the
" tocsin" had sounded in the buildings; the Munster
men and the Connaught men had resorted to strik-
ing proofs of the superiority of their respective pro-
vinces ; but no sooner had the police made their ap-
pearance than provincial differences were sunk, Con-
naught and Munster were forgotten, and, instead of
its being the North side of the Shannon versus the
South, it became Calmell-buildings versus the police.
Brick-hats, stones, and missiles of every description
flew about in every direction. One poor fellow of
the D division received a blow of a stone, which cut
through his hat, and inflicted a severe wound on his
head; Sergeant Hedgeman, of the same division,
was struck with a brick-bat on his right arm, which
rendered it useless, and placed him entirely hors du
combat, and several other constables were more or
less injured. Various were the takings, and rescues,
and recaptures; but the prisoners having made
themselves particularly conspicuous were secured in
the station-house. None of the witnesses could
swear distinctly that either of the prisoners struck
them, but a stick was produced which Mr. Denis
Cronin had repeatedly wheeled over the heads of the
constables.

" Well, Denis," demanded Mr. RAwuNsoN,
" what say you to flourishing that stick ?"
The stick certainly was mot a very big one, and
Denis, looking contemptuously at it, exclaimed,
" An' what harm could I do widh a kippeen ov
that kind ?"

" I suppose," said Mr. RAWLINSON, " it had not
time to grow to a full siz-d shillelah ?"
" Shillaly !" responded Mr. Denis Cronin, " Lord
love your honour, 'twouldn't grow to a shillaly if it
weer to grow to the age o' Methusulim
The worthy Magistrate was not disposed to enter
into a discussion of shillelology with Denis, and or-
dered him, as well as his brother prisoner, to find
bail to keep the peace for the next twelve months.