The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-13 00:00:00

DUNFERMLINE.

HNDURGH, THURSDAY, AUG. 11.—We deeply regret
to state, that on Monday and Tuesday night serious riots
took place amongst the weavers of Dunfermline.
It appears that a week or two ago the proprietors of
some of the large shops in that town, containing twenty
or thirty looms, had seen cause to reduce the wages of
their workmen. This the men were much dissatisfied
with ; but no serious outbreak took place till Monday
night, about ten o'clock, when a large party as-
sembled, paraded the principal streets of the town, ex-
tinguished the lamps, and broke the windows of those
who had proved obnoxious to them. From thence they
proceeded to the factories, and set fire to tke looms in
one or two factories, which were consumed, though the
flames were extinguished before the buildings were reached.
On Tuesday ,Ir. Sheriff Monteith went over to Dun-
fermline, and exerted himself strenuously to preserve the
peace of the town by swearing in special constable:', Sce.,
but on Tuesday night the riotous assemblage again ap-
peared, broke more windows, set on tire more looms, and
broke into the shop of a man named Scotland, who, be-
sides being a partner in one of the factories, keeps a
grocer and spirit-dealer's shop, gutted his shop of its
contents, and threw them into the street. We under-
stand, also, that when the Sheriff was conducting one of
the prisoners to prison, the mob set upon the constables,
wounded several, and rescued the prisoner. It may In
stated also, as a specimen of the wild justice obtaining
among them, that when they were breaking the windows
of one of the inhabitants, under the impression that he
was a partner in a factory, he looked out of the vvindo)i
and told them they were mistaken, on which the mob
immediately desisted.
The Sheriff (Monteith), we understand, made applica-
tion for a military force, and, in consequence, half a
troop of the Inniskillen Dragoons proceeded across the
Frith yesterday morning ' • and, as a report was spread
that the mob intended to force the gaol, to rescue seve-
re of the rioters who were confined there, they were
drawn up to protect it. A heavy shower falling in the
afternoon served to clear the streets,
There was also a meeting of the weavers in the Abbey
Pend, to draw up resolutions, in the afternoon, but we
have not heard the results.
Things have a remarkably gloomy appearance, and it
woad appear that the serious rioting in Dunfermline
had been premeditated. The rioters appear to have been
well organised, there not being the slightest misunder-
standing among them as to their unlawful proceedings.
The appearance of the military among them has cer-
tainly tended to suppress a little outward appearances of
additional disturbances, but there is evidently a deep-
rooted determination to commit mischief, and it is impos-
sible to predict ulterior proceedings.
We regret to state that it is confidently asserted that
many wives of the weavers wore to be seen encouraging,
if not aiding the infuriated mob.
Business is at a stand-still, which must necessarily
greatly increase the existing distress.

OLDHAM.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Twelve o'clock, Oldham, August 11, 1842.
SIR,—You have already seen the state of things in
these districts from the Manchester papers of yester-
day. Up to this time nothing fresh has taken place,
except that the cessation from labour is extending
itself to even the smaller trades. Yesterday morning
the operatives of Oldham who had hitherto taken no
voluntary part in the proceedings of the surrounding
districts, assembled about 2,000 strong at five o'cloek,
A. M. and proceeded to the vacant land behind the
Albion inn, where they were addressed by several
speakers, who spoke of their grievances, and the un-
feeling conduct of Government, and of the unprinci-
pled character of the masters, &c., in attempting to
reduce the wages of the people ; and although no fresh
reduction had been attempted in Oldham, the speakers
contended that if it was submitted to at Ashton and
Stalybridge, that it must certainly come to Oldham
in a few weeks, and as they were already deep sunk
in poverty and misery by low wages and dear bread,
that they could not be much worse off 'let come what
might, ind that they had better make a stand at once.
A resolution was agreed to not to work any more
until they had the wages of 1840, and that they would
neither work themselves, nor allow any others to work,
until this object was attained ; and this they have car-
ried out to the letter; so that neither cotton-
mills, hat-manufactories, or coal-works, or any
other business is going on. The speeches of the
various speakers were moderate at all their meetings.
In nearly all cases the masters have been on the alert,
and have immediately stopped their mills on the ap-
proach of the mob, so that no destruction, of property
in this town has taken place. lam sorry to say that
in Saddleworth one master did present a blunderbuss
and attempted to fire on the mob, but the fire missing,
the mob rushed in a body into the mill, took the blun-
derbuss, beat the master very severely, but did no fur-
ther damage. Large quantities of Specials are being
sworn in, but as there are no military nearer
than Manchester, seven miles off (and there none
can be spared), we fear if any irritation was given
to the mob, they would soon have the town in
their own, hands, but as our people are generally slow
to. violence, we trust we shall escape bloodshed and
destruction of property. I may just add that the ope-
ratives appear to have a deep system of organization,
and more regularly conduct their business than ever
appeared before in the manufacturing districts.
in conclusion, allow me to say something must
be done, as the middle classes (who have also suffered
deeply) appear rather to look on the whole as the
dawn of a change that may be for the better but
cannot be ler the worse.—l am your's, most respect-
PIIILO.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Oldham, Thursday evening, 9 o'clock.
SlR,—The operatives that left the town this morning,
have just returned, greatly increased in numbers. When

they set out they were about 3,000 strong, when
they came in they were about 6,000 ;- so that they
made a very irregular, but very formidable ap'pear-
:ince. Their route has been to Shaw, Royston,
Rochdale, and Heywood, in all which places they
have been successful in stopping the mills and
various works, which has greatly elated them.
At this moment they are assembled in the field be-
hind the Albion; and, at a fair estimate, amount to
6,000 and upwaris. The speakers recommend. peace,
law, and order, which I hope they will" act-ton. • 'All
the special constables are 13eacably on duty about (=-
beautiful Town-hall; and• most express a deep sym-
pathy for the people. No military have come as yet,
so that if they were disposed for mischief they might"
Rio it. But this does not appear to he their wish at
present.

A large placard, drawn up in very temperate lt.n•
gunge, calls on masters to give the prices of 1840. at
the foot of which is a list of those prices. 1 asked
a master his opinion of the list. lie told me
there was nothing unreasonable in it, and that the
Oldham masters were not much below it ; but that
Ashton and Stalybridge were very much under it.
But 1 find that there are many difficulties in the
way of a nominal uniform price, as there is a ?Teat
difference in the various kinds of machinery by which'-
it is performed, some being more modern and im-.
proved than others, the owners of the best machirv,rr
contending that, having laid out more capital thy4l the
owner of the old machinery, he ought not to ifav the
same nominal price to the workman, because he
(the workman) would get more on his machinery than
he could on the old machinery of the other master.
I may just add that they say they are losing moat!
every week at the price they do pay, and in prom` ,;f
this they point out much good machinery the.. has
been idle for months, so that they think the liuestion
will not soon be settled. An awful gloom 'gangs over
the looks of all you meet, and dreaclfu). 'fears for the
consequences are entertained by AA. This evening
the procession consisted of a grec.'‘ter mixture of trades
than in the morning, so that 'it becomes not a question
of the cotton trades but of every trade.
Yours most respectfully, PIIILO.
[We must take the opportunity of saving that. NVe
are very much obliged to another correspond.ent at
Oldham, but do not think it necessary to pu:olish his
letter also.—ED. Sun.]

__-
CORONER'S. INQUA'sT.
RocuEmu:, Arc. 1 inquest was held yester-
day at the Guildhall i this city, biAre Mr. Lewis, the
City Coroner, op the body of Robert Sparrow, the boat-
swain's mato belonging to her Majesty's steum sur-
veying rssel, the Shearwater, who was unfortunately
drow:ied, with five other persons, by the upsetting of
boat in the river Medway, on the 25th of July last.
The body was picked up on the mornine, of the 3d inst., and a Jury was immediately summoned, but owing n)
the want of evidence the Jury adjourned their inquiry
to Friday, the 12th inst., requesting the Coroner in tlyc meantime to write to Lieutenant Dunlop for his atter.d-
ance, he being the only surviving person.
The evidence showed that when they were shout a
place called Folly Point, the deceased (Thomas 'Sparrow)
had hold of the main-sheet, which, being hoisted round
his head, he could not ease off gradually ; at that mo-
ment a sudden squall struck the sail, and wrenched the
sheet out of his hand suddenly, throwing the boat's crew
to leeward, which, in addition to the heel the boat sdreadvi•
had, upset it ; all persons. on board were immediate ly
immersed in the water, the boat having sunk.
The Jury returuc:d a verdict of " Accidenciay
drOWned."

THE COLLIERS' STRIK 11.— DUDLEY.—Y eriterda
morning a "demonstration "of the turn-outs tr,ok place
at Dudley, when a crowd of them, variously computed
at from 4,000 to 19.,000, marched throug,ii the town to
attend a public meeting at Wednesbury. ,• 'this meeting
was attended by from 30.000 to 40,000, t nd, among other
resolutions, it was resolved not to resume work, even if
their masters agree to prices, untilthe rioters now in gaol
are released. This resolution is an illegal one, and sub-
jects the persons attending the meeting to heavy
penal consequences, but we hope these will fall only on
the ringleaders, who must be taught that in arranging
terms for their labour they will not be permitted to un-
settle the'very foundations of civil liberty. The Dudley
squadron of the County Yeomanry remains still on duty;
in the town, the peace of which is protected also by a.
troop of Dragoons, Since an extra force has beeu s aet
to the Stourbridge police division, the acts of Yap-, ,ney
or sturdy begging of the colliers are becoming, )ass
frequent, much to the satisfaction of the inhabit...l-As in
the surrounding villages.— Worcester Herald of t 43,,s day,
mount, AUG. 12.—(From a Corresiyindent.)
—Mr. Green has just made his aerial ascur- with his
Albion balloon, at fifty-two minutes after fr,ur o'clock,
p.m., amidst many thousand spectators. 'The ascent
took place from a large inclosure, which, had been made
near the gas works at the back of the town. Ile rose
above the houses, and crossed a part tef the bay-, taking a
North-East direction, in a line for Islandford.
A quarryman at Gentilly, near Paris, named
Brunet, hung himself two days ago, under the following
eircutastances :—He had become such an habitnel
drunkard that he spent all his earning in drink, leaving
his wile and family without food. Returning home on;
the fatal day in question, in a state of intoxication,
became so exasperated by the reproaches of his w'fe,
that he beat her till she lay senseless on the P nor.
Believing that he had killed her, he went out and mete 4
himself on a tree near the house, where he was, 'found
dead a few hours afterwards. By the humane cs siistance
of her neighbours, the poor woman was recovered_
NOVEL READING.—Doctor lkntley, once observing
his sou perusing a novel, said, " Why react t, book which
you cannot quote."
Lord Lovaine anti the Hon. Capin Percy have
arrived at their shoothig quarters in Sraherlandshire.
Lord Charles -!.Tanners V.P, has arrived at Wies-
baden. 'rue Noble and Gallant Lord purposes to be at
Belvoir Castle at the close of October, for the hunting
wawa.
Private letters have been at length received frogs
H.M.S. Minden, dated Cape of Good Hope, May 18t1e.
It appears she was a week getting clear of the Chas-
nel, and encountered very heavy weather ; indeed, it
was considered not only unsafe, but highly improper,.
to tow her to sea, and leave her in the situation
she:was in. During the eastern gales she then In-
countered, she leaked through all her lower deck ports,
and in consequence of some scupper holes fortyard riot:
having been plugged up, a large quantity of Water got on
the lower deck, and before it was discovered where it
came from, a large part of her valuable cargo stowed
there, consisting of medical stores, &c., vas under water,
which it is feared will be spoiled ; and they were obliged
to take down and destroy some of the hospital fittings in
the wash-house and bath-room, ere they could get at the
source of the mischief. That a ship worth nearly a mil-
lion of money should not have been made more secure-
before she was thrust out to sea in a foul wind, is passing:
strange. She did not touch at any port on her passage.
to the Cape, or meet with any homeward-bound ship
One man died on board, and another fell overbovd.
during the first gales and was drowned. She exchanged
colours with a French frigate, and signals with the ship
Ganges and the John M'Vicar of Liverpool; the latter
kept company several days. The Minden was not par-
ticularly uncomfortable, and sailed pretty well, con-•
sidering she was under frigate's topmasts and sails. She,
occasionally went 1 tk. 6f. in strong winds. Her Majesty's:
ship Southampton, bearing the flag of Sir E. King, the,
Wolverine, which arrived cal the 18th from Plymouth,
and a Dutch; frigate, were lying in Simon's Bay.—
Devonport Independent

FATAL ACCIDENT AT SIR JOHN YARDS BULLER'S.
—Last evening an inquest was held by Mr. Higgs, at
Charing-cross Hospital, on the body of Diana Sher-
burn, aged 5.8, the wife of a stablekeeper in the service
of Sir John Yarde Buller. Charles Sherburn,the
deceased's husband, said that he lived at No,
Scotland-yard, and now, whilst the family are From
town, resided with his wife over the stable,. On
Sunday evening last, a little before eleven o'clock, he
returned home with his daughter, and went into the inner
room for the purpose of going to bed. He ha'{ undressed
himself, and was going into it, when . the deceased
went out to throw some slops into the yard out of
a pail. He heard a noise as if the pail had fallen,
and at the same time his daughter called out, •' Father,
mother has fallen out of the window." He imme-
diately ran into the yard, and found his wife lying
upon the stones bleeding from a wound in the
head, and quite insensible. A police-constable came up,.
and she was removed to the hospital. In throwing the
water from the pail, she overbalanced herself and fell
out. It was usual to have A. bar across the door, but.
it was nut up when she fell out. Mr. J. 'C. Brown,
house-surgeon, said deceased was bleeding from a woutal
in the forehead, when admitted. On examininc, it, he
found the skull to be fractured. She died on Thursday,b
from the effects of the injury. Verdict—" Accidental
death from a fall."

ROMAN TIC ADVENTURE ON SNOWDON.—LEAR'•
BEMS, AUc. B.—Great excitement was produced to-ally
in Llanberis and its vicinity, in consequence of the
posed loss of a little girl on Snowdon. It appease that
on Sunday a lady and gentleman, with one of the chil-
dren, a girl about ten years old, proceeded from the. Victoria
Hotel, near Llanberis,to ascend Snowdon, and,iatter
° walk-
ingr with theirguide for about two miles, the pay:ents desired
their child to return alone to Llanberis, w+.lle they pro-
ceeded to the summit of the mountain.
,e On their return
notarrTeivrid.dai, aynctlii
the
fatelarrfmruini tg-
lteossLslaenabrcehri,s
notctohueldchi
ld
be had
found.
news spread in all directions. M. r. , Asheton Smith
(staying at the hotel) with promptite,tle and the kindest
solicitude, offered a handsome reward for her 'liscovery,
and ordered all the men from his extensive slate-quarries
to aid in the search ; but darkness came on the second
evening, when guides and,quarreymen returned without the
is
child, or tidings of her. early all hope had fled, when two
miners arrived with the poorg.rl. happcarsthatshehad
strayed from the track--remained 24 hours wandering
ollid the mountain,
last
tfound a
withoutdescenftooodit the e
or rest, during
sgihdeeavy rains,
tu
Bedgellart), reaching the mouth of a copper
min(et,owwhaenis
where
she begged for a piece of bread. The miners, observing
her miserable state—famished, bruised, and wet to the
skin—put her to bed, gave her coffee, and dried her
clothes, carrying her over the mountain
to Llanberis in
the evening. They were well rewarded by Mr. Asheton
Smith for their trouble. It was a fine sight to see the
gladdened faces of a mother and many more anxious ex
pectants, when the lost sheep was found. The girl ik
bruised and cut, apparently by a fall, but not seriously,
and at present is in no condition. to give more precise in-
formation than what is here related.
The 65th regiment, now in the garrison, is or-
dered to be removed to Portsmouth.—Plynouth Journal.