The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-22 00:00:00

(No. 3.)

"Beckeit, Sunday, August 7, 1842.
" Dear Sir,—While I hold the office of Mayor of
underland, I am anxious that every transaction of a
public nature .1 may have with the inhabitants of that
town should be known and :understood by the corpo-
ration, even should it not concern them exclusively.

I send you the copy of a letter (No. 1) -which I re-
ceived yesterday, and of my answer to it (No. 2)
written to-day.
" As you are the chief officer of the corporation, I
have no doubt that you will hear much that is said
respecting the proceedings of the Mayor. I, there-
fore, now. tell you the reason why I think it right to
forego the honour of presiding at the public dinner,
intended to be given to his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge, on his visit to the town, which you may
impart to any gentleman of the corporation or Ma-
gistrate, who may converse with you on the subject.
" I understand that his RoYal Highness is to be the
guest of the Marquis of Londonderry, Lord Lieute-
nant of our county, and in all probability, will accom-
pany him to the dinner.
" I feel how very desirable it is that the most per-
fect cordiality and unanimity should prevail. You, as
well as the whole town of Sunderland, recollect the
charge made by our Lord Lieutenant in the House of
Lords early this session against a considerable number
of the Sunderland Magistrates, including myself,
which charge, though denied and explained by them,
his Lordship has neither retracted nor endeavoured to
prove, with a view to have them exposed and punished,
as they would well deserve, if guilty of such conduct
as he intimated. .

" The health of our Lord Lieutenant of the county
will certainly be given, very probably accompanied
with expressions of respect and approbation,
in which, under present circumstances, I cannot, and
do not wish it to be supposed that I do participate ; I
therefore think that I had better decline presiding at
the dinner, which otherwise I should have been glad
to have done.—Yours, very faithfully,
" lIEDWORTH, WILLIAMSON.

" To Thomas Brunton, Esq., Town Clerk,
Sunderland.'

BURSLEM.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sta,—lt is deeply to be regretted that persons un-
dertaking the responsibility of furnishing your Jour-
nal with intelligence from this district should not only
decline the trouble of ascertaining facts, but should
make representations which are wilful falsehoods.
The Sun of the 18th instant contains statements
which the writer must have known to be untrue, and
which appear to have been penned with a view to
identify parties with the outrages here, who have the
esteem of all classes, and sections of political parties.
Heaven knows, we have enough of political animosi-
ties without the paltry spleen of men like your cor-
respondent, and sufficient cause for alarm without his
offensive exaggerations. Allow me to correct his mis-
statements in the order in which they occur.
The rioters from Leek, " confiding in their num-
bers, made a dead stand."

[They made no such " stand," but on seeing the
military, tried to avoid them by turning down the
area to their left. The best comment on what your
correspondent terms " their tour of violence,' is
found in their proceedings at Leek, where they con-
tented themselves with " turning out" the hands.]
" It is said these men were armed with pistols,
guns, and other deadly weapons."
[Not a gun was seen! Not a pistol was found in
the possession of those taken. When men intend to
spice a statement with extravagant falsehood, they usu-
ally employ the words "it is said." Pity that your
correspondent did not give you more of what has
been " said," and with much greater truth.]
Again. "The soldiers fired three times at first over
the heads of the insurgents."
[Nothing of the kind. The Dragoons fired but
once, and that with deadly effect. This fact is given
in Captain Powis's evidence on the inquest—the Ma-
gistrate who issued the command to fire.]
" The rioters decamped"—" carrying with them a
great number of the dead and wounded."
[A gross falsehood. The only man killed is one
from Leek, who lay on the spot where his brains
were blown out. The affrighted mob were each too
anxious to get out of the way to employ themselves in
carrying the dead. A number of others received
severe shots and sword cuts.]
" Fifteen are supposed to be mortally wounded, and
at the present time either dead or dying."
[Where are these ? Two or three were removed
to the infirmary, and the man most injured among
them is a respectable working man who was look-
ing on.]

16 Those wounded are without the means of surgical
aid, without food, and without attendance."
[Those wounded had immediate surgical aid, and
Captain Powis himself requested the attendance of
several medical gentlemen. The ladies in the family
of one of these gentlemen were humanely employed
for an hour in bandaging the wounds of the injured.]
But hear your correspondent again. " Maity of the
r insurgents are members of religious societies, and
have been hitherto regarded with respect and confi-
dence by their employers. This observation is the
more applicable to the new connection of Methodists,
the Ranters, or Clewsites, and certain members of the
Baptist—(Hear him)—and Independent persuasioni."
—(Hear him.)
[The whole of the ruffians who have hitherto been
identified have been either entirely unknown in the
district, or recognised as the very refuse of society.]
Methodists ! Baptists and Independents !—The mean-
spirited libeller !—When he next writes about " mis-
creants " let him recollect that there are other kinds
of miscreants besides those who incite mobs; mis-
creants affecting to uphold what they term " the
Church and the Throne," by an attempted assassina-
tion of character, and who harmlessly enough spit their
filthy venom on reputations which they cannot sully !
The Independents, Baptists, and New Methodists
are auful characters in this Borough ! for they re-
turned RICARDO at the last election I—And they will
return him again, with a colleague worthy of him.
I have taken leave to correct the above as much
with regard to the character of your papa-, to which
I am a daily subscriber, as to rebut the infamous
statements put forth Some gentlemen haveactually
declined to read the intelligence in The Sun in rela-
tion to other districts, from a conviction that no such
statements were to be depended upon, after the bare-
faced falsehoods recorded of this district.

I have just received a copy of the North Stafford-
shire Mercury, whose report will confirm my tes-
timony. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant.
August 20, 1842. VERITAS.

THE POTTERIES.
STAFFORD, AUG. 21.—From about 30 to 40 pri-
soners have, for several evenings together, been
brought, per train, from Whatford to Stafford, as
persons concerned in the riots of the late week: and 60
more are still in custody, not yet heard before the Ma-
gistrates. The numbers in the County Gaol are already
between 600 and 700, including other cases. Some of
the Chartists have not inappropriately been stowed in
the County Asylum—a palpable case of monomania.
Last night 39 were brought ; 30 males and 9 females ;
several of the former not more than 12 years of age, all
young, and all assuming a sort of dare-devil manner.
The women were mostly youthful, several of delicate
and decent appearance; they are chiefly committed
for pilfering plate and other things at the
burnt houses, one ,of them asserting that she
only took them with a view to restore them to
the plundered parties. Each night these captives
are met at the station-house by a detachment pf the
Wolverhampton Yeomanry Cavalry, doing duty here,
and a posse of special constables; they are thus es-
corted to the county prison. The Wolverhampton
troop are now the only military here; the specials and
a small band of pensioners are doing daily duty, mus-
tering and drilling within the newly-extended area of
the county gaol, which is beginning to assume the
shape and capacity of a fortress, having projecting
towers at the angles to command the, flanks; while
the lodge at the entrance is mounted with ordnance
under the direction of Captain St. George, of the
Artillery.
The Himley troop are on duty at Dudley, the
Wolverhampton troop at Staftbrd, the Walsall be-
tween that town and Westbromwich, the Uttoxeter
(the Bagot troop) at Leek, the Stafford at Stoke, and
the Newcastle at Burslem. •
Though yesterday and to-day have been a sort of
lull in the insurrectionary storm, we have many in-
dications of a menacing under current of action,
which cannot be mistaken as to its intents,
however short it may prove of further ex-
tensive mischief. Straggling parties have been
passing through this town and its suburbs for the last
two or three nights, and others early in the evenings ;
their 'general direction being for the south, where
the colliers are nearly all out. Lord Talbot's men at
the Preston mines have been sworn in as special con-
stables ; but how far this will secure them from the in-
fluence of the mob movement, if continued, it is difficult
to say. The price of coal at Wolverhampton has risen
10s. to 12s. per ton, now selling at 1/. 10s. per ton ;
a severe and oppressive tax on the middle Glasses, inns,
&c., even at this period of the year, especially as
coming in :aggravation a the present ruinous increase
of the poor-rate.

Some instances have occurred of patrolling parties
of the mob in country places seeking and demanding
flre,rerfra, This must be especially provided against,
as lists of houses are reputed to be made out where
such arms can he found7 the game-lists having been
•
used as a guide.
Lord Sandon has for the last few days been in con-
stant consultation with our Magistrates ; and with the
aid of his judgment and decision we may expect every
4emsary measure for the public defence of this lo-
Wity,
The present diStilanscei from its extent and ge-
neral pretensions, is, beyond all doubt, aft PlPmPritary
movement of incipient rebellion ; but the mob of trades
and trading politicians having no common intelligible
grievance to act upon, one party is seen skulking
behind another, till they may deem themselves justi-
fia4 in a revolt; and thence the only combatants in
the van are the poor deluded colliers and weavers, cum
multis cliffs, whom distress and destitution may by !le-
grees force into direct conflict with the military.

The country round Wolverhampton, extending to
Dudley, &c., is looked forward to with some sus-
picion, as the theatre of violence for the beginning of
the week. The Chartists in this town express great
confidence in the pending results • and there can be
no doubt that a wide system of communication is
kept up between the different places where the politi-
cal select chiefly reside.