The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-16 00:00:00

WAKEFIELD.

MONDAY, 'HALF-PAST TWELYE.—This town is in
a state of considerable alarm, in consequence of a large
body of from four to five thousand coal-miners, who
have entered the town during this morning.
It appears that the pitmen in this neighbourhood
have had their wages reduced from time to time, until
they have determined either to have an advance or
turn out.

A meeting, called by the following notice is now
going on :--
"To CoALMINURS.—This is to give notice, .that a
meeting of coalrniners, stewards, and masters, of
Wakefield and its vicinity, will take place on Monday
next, the 15th day of August, at ten o'clock in the
morning, at the Music Saloon, Wood-street, Wake-
field, to take into consideration the best way of
amending the distressed state of the coalminers gene-
rally ; and it is hoped that every friend to his coun-
try, to himself and his rising generation, will now
step forward and extricate himself and his fellow-suf-
ferers from the appalling distress which has long been
gradually reducing the whole class of miners to a
state of extreme poverty and indigence. Observe
come, one and all, to the meeting, let nothing hinder."
This meeting is in progress, in a room which will
hold about one thousand persons. The multitude out-
side is four times that number, many of them armed
with large sticks. No masters, it is believed, are pre-
sent at the meeting, and an adjournment to the Heath
—a large piece of waste ground, distant about a mile
—is talked of. The Wakefield division of the York-
shire Husszrs are parading the streets, and appear-
ances forbode no very quiet end of this gathering. A
band of music and a green banner, bearing the follow-
ing inscription, "Britons, flock to the standard of
liberty," is parading the town.

DUNFERMLINE.
LATEST PARTICULARS.

DUNFERMLINE, FRIDAY MORNING, AUG. 12.--
Yesterday
.afternoon things remained quiet as far
as property was concerned ; but the imprisonment of
several of the rioters seemed to cause loud murmurings
and general discontent amongst the equally guilty at
liberty, and some fears are entertained that unless
they are liberated fresh disturbances may arise.
The troop of Enniskillen Dragoons which arrived
here (Dunfermline), on the application of Mr.
Sheriff Monteith, from Edinburgh, on Wednesday
morning, still remain, for the purpose of acting on a
moment's notice, should, unfortunately, the misguided
men be so infatuated as to make an attempt at a re-
newal of the past serious outrages.
In addition to the military force temporarily sta-
tioned among us to protect property and the public
peace, a large number of special constables have been
sworn in for the same purpose ; but it is not seriously
believed that any further wanton and malicious de-
struction of property will take place ; if it does, it will
have for its origin the continued imprisonment of the
captured rioters, several of whom have families.
The rioters in gaol have undergone an examination
before the Sheriff and other official authorities, and
their respective declarations, as well as the depositions
of the several witnesses, have been transmitted to the
Crown agent in Edinburgh ; but as it is understood
that that functionary has transmitted them to the
Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir
James Graham), the result of the precagnitions will
not be known before the lapse of several days in this
quarter. It is, however, believed that the rioters will
be fully committed for trial before the High Court of
Justiciary at Edinburgh ; but that in the meantime
bail of an unquestionable nature will be accepted for
their appearance to answer any indictment which the
Lord-Advocate for Scotland niay be instructed to pre-
fer against them.
Every kind of business continues at a stand still,
and numerous parties of weavers are perambulating
the town peaceably; but apparently in deep medita-
tion. Many of them are receiving charity in the
shape of food from several well-known benevolent in-
dividuals, as well as from others, it is believed, through
fear of damage to their properties.
As may be expected, the distress which existed be-
fore the riots took place among our manufacturing
population has been aggravated in no inconsiderable
degree, and many families of the weavers are posi-
tively more than borJering on a state of absolute
starvation.

At six o'clock this morning (Friday) everything
continued to remain quiet.

COURT •MARTIAL.—The General-Commanding-in-
Chid having had the honour to lay before the Queen the
prof:eedings of a General Court-martial, held in Chatham
I3arraelis on the 27th of June last, and continued by ad-
journment to the 2d of July, for the trial, of Ensign
Samuel Walter Kirk, of the 18th Regiment, arraigned
upon the undermentioned charges.— [The charaes (ten
in number) are too voluminous for insertion. They all
refer to gross irregularities in the prisoner's accounts.J—
Upon these charges the Court found the prisoner guilty
on the whole of the ten charges, with the exception of
so much of it as charges him with conduct unbecoming
the character of a gentleman, of which part of the
charge the Court therefore acquits him. The Court
having found the accused guilty of the whole of the
charges exhibited against him, with the exception of so
much of the additional charge as before, stated, which,
being in breach of the articles of war, does in virtue
thereof sentence him, the said Ensign Samuel Walter
Kirk, of the 18th Regiment of Foot, and acting quarter-
master of the provisional battalion, to be cashiered, and
her Majesty was pleased to approve and confirm the
finding and sentence of the Court.—Joim 111`lloNALD,
A dj u tent- General.
WATERsrOUT.—The Mersey, Captain Steel, be-
longing to Liverpool, arrived at Oporto from the former
port, reports having seen a waterspout on the 3d inst.,
which rapidly approached the Mersey, but passed about
three ships' length off her. It then made a direct course
towards a small schooner about a mile and a half a-head
of the Mersey, which Captain Steel supposes was en-
gulphed in the vortex, as the. weather was thick at the
time, with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, and on
its clearing up in about fifteen minutes after, the schooner
was not to be seen, either on deck or aloft. The
schooner was apparently steering the same course as the
Mersey when the waterspout was first seen. The
schooner at the time was under a heavy press of sail,
and the weather being hazy,-did not probably-perceive
it until it was close upon her. The Rayonne Islands
bore by compass S.E. by S., distant thirty•six miles, the
wind tioni the north westward.