The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-29 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY SEIZURE OF ARMS

AT MANCHESTER.

The sensitive state of the Government and police
of this country to the importation or exportation of
arms to Ireland, will singularly appear in the narra-
tive of the following recent extraordinary seizure of
"arms in Manchester, by the police of that town :
Two respectable Irish hawkers (whose general
residence has been for several years in Birmingham),
engaged in the wholesale trade of hawking—i. e. not
vending from door to door on a licence, but selling
goods at their place of sojourn,—lately joined in a
little hardware speculation of the purchase of some
of the Birmingham manufactures. Michael Sloane
(a Catholic), one of the two partners, has lived in
Birmingham the last five years, exchanging Irish
linen for hardware goods, vending them in War-
wickshire and Staffordshire, and occasionally north-
wards as far as Lancashire. He is a married man,
and has only been in Ireland once the last six years.
Charles M'Anulty, his occasional partner (also a
Catholic), has resided in Birmingham about the
same time, and followed the same business. Both
are well known in that town, bear excellent cha-
racters, and could, if necessary, find bail to the
amount of 1,0001.

Some time at the latter end of September they
joined certain funds together, exchanged Irish linens
(bought in Birmingham with their cash) for various
hardwares, including guns. Of one Birmingham
manufacturer they purchased 59 guns, for 991. 14s.
They bought 24 more guns at 10s. a piece, and 11
at 1 1/. : all of them were fowling-pieces, many with
percussion locks; and sore double-barrelled guns.
They had frequently before been in the habit of re-
selling guns thus bought or exchanged to Birming-
ham factors, particularly for the American export
trade. The guns in question, were originally in-
tended to have been thus sold or swapped in Bir-
-mingham, and some few were so disposed of. But
not being able to find the usual market for all their
purchase in that town, the two men agreed to travel
northwards. They determined on Manchester as
their first place of traffic, meaning from thence to
go on to Leeds and other towns.; and accordingly,
early in October, sent the greater part of the guns
by a boat of Pickford's to Manchester, taking some
few guns with them by a day coach, and also tak-
ing with them a quantity of fire brasses—tire-irons
made of brass.

On their arrival in Manchester, they put up at
the Flying Horse, Old Churchyard, and the next
morning (Tuesday) they went round with a sample
of one double-barrelled gun and one set of fire-irons
to the hardware-dealers and-gun-manufacturers, seek-
ing custom, showing the samples and asking for or-
ders previous to the arrival of the bulk of the goods
by Pickford's boat. One auctioneer agreed to take
all the fire-irons at their sample price. They sold
no guns, however, all the week. On the following
Saturday, the bulk of the guns arrived by canal, and
were delivered by -Pickford's waggon, at their inn,
about three o'clock in the afternoon ; they were car-
ried up stairs openly across the causeway, several
persons in the street, as usual, standing and gaping
at the arrival. Some by-standers, it is supposed,
officiously gave information to the police of this im-
portant arrival, since, about eight or nine at night,
some of the police came in, and inquired of the land-
lady if there were any guns in her tavern. She re-
plied in the affirmatiVe, in the presence of Michael
Sloane, who was in the bar. The latter also told the
officer he had arms in the house ; the officers asked if
they were locked up ? the landlady said not. The offi-