Star.
London, England, 1820-03-18 00:00:00

THE RIBBONMEig.

CASTLEBAK, MA itch( 2.—Monday morning, Cap-
tain JAMES BLAKZ, of Belmont, county of Galway,
at whose house a Serjeant and ten men Of the North
Mayo Staff ate stationed, received information that
a man, named Pat. O'Neill, had extorted ammunition
from a Gentleman in that County. In consequence,
Captain BLAKE, about twelve o'clock, took out his
gun and pointers, and two of the Staff, disguised in
coloured clothes, (one of them a bugler) and pre.
tended to be shooting, until he came near the man's
house, when he saw, as he supposed, the person he-
wanted. lie asked the man, who lived in the house?
" Pat. O'Neill," was the reply. He then asked him
his name ? " Pat. O'Neillrhe ag:.;:n replied, ".and it
is who live in that house." Captain &AK& in-
stantly collared him, gave a signal:for the two men
to come up, and caused
,the bugle to be sounded,
'von which the other nine of' his party advanced.—
He now searched the man's clothes, those of his wife,
and also his cabin, for his comthission as Captain sof
itibbonmen, which he had exhibited openly last week,
but did not find it. •

While the search was going forward, great crowds
were observed collecting from the neighbouring vil-
lages, armed with pikes, pitchforks, muskets, &c.
shouting and threatening the party with destruction.
Whereupon Captain BLAKE ju4ged it prudent to re-
tire (in doing which he was followed closely by the
Rebels) upon another small party of the North Mayo
Staff, which was seen advancing to his aid. When
they had formed a jtinction, Captain BLAKE, and Mr.
E. BLAKE, went towards the Rebels, implored them
to desist, and told them, if they persisted, it would
be necessary, in (heir own defence, to fire upon them.
These anxious expostulations were replied to by a
threat of stabbing them with their pitchforks—the
Ribbonmen quickly advancing at the same time, wav-
ing their hats, with load yells and huzzas. There
was no more time allowed 00 parley, and Capt. BLAKa
was obliged to have recourse to that alternative It
so earnestly wished to avoid. One man was killed on
the spot, and it is believed several were wounded ;
but the number of sufferers in this way can never be
ascertained, as they always conceal their wounds.—
The crowd speedily dispersed, and the prisoner, Pa-
trick O'Neill, knd the body of the man who was
shot, were brought into Clare, escorted by a party of
the 39th Regiment, accompanied by all the Magis-
traces . and Gentry assembled in that town, who, on
hearing cf the attack, had proceeded to the relief of
Captain BLAKE and his party.

The party of the 39th Regiment, which marched
hence to Clare last week, returned in two days after ;
but, on Tuesday night last, a detachment of equal
strength was applied for bz the Right Hon. D.
BitowNs, in consequence of information which the
Magistrates had received, that it was the intention of
the R►bbonmen to attack the out-post near Clare.

Monday, an Inquest was held at Clare, in the
County of Mayo, by PAUL MANION, Esq. Coroner
for this County, on view of the body of the unfortu-
nate man, named Owen Connor, who was killed on
Monday. The Jury found this verdict:—" We find
that the deceased, Owen Connor, came by his death
in consequence of a gun-shot wound, fired by a
party of the Staff of the North Mayo Militia, who
were escorting a prisoner whom the deceased, as-
sisted by a large mob, endeavoured to rescue from
the custody of the said party."
In the Galway Weekly Advertiser we find an ad-
vertisement offering a high reward for the discovery
of the persons who wete concerned in an arocious
attempt io murder JAMES HarintmAts BURKE, Esq.
•on Sunday night, the sth instant. This Gentleman,
who is the Deputy Mayor of Galway, has actively
exeited himself to suppress ,!..abbonism.—The
ea t s and Gentlemen of the County are to meet
tlistrj
[ilk day at Loughrea, " to tAlce into consideration
the melancholy state of the County, and particulaily
to ad-pt sticii measures as may be . deemed mint
edicacious to check the spit it of assassination, which,
we fear, "has been -infused into the minds Ofsonib
!of our crnuitrymen."—This is a very aarming state
a things 1 . .

, . ..,:....,!-:........ . . •
The appointment of this !lay for the trial of Mr:
, if Unt, And. nine other individuals seized along with
i him at Manchestei, caused a great crowd to collect
at an early hour before the Castle gates. They, ho..s--
! ever, wit.. tot thrown open till eight o'clock; when
a tremendous rush Was made by the mukitude
thrtnigh the narrow gateitay, and across the Castle-
yard up to the doors of the E:Ourt-houset On arriving
there, they 11:..d to experience: no inconsiderable cru,h
in obtaining airnittance ; and, when that was gained,
had the misfortune to find that the best seats were
already occupied by a numLur of Ladies ;A::d Gentle-
men previously admitted by a private door. The
scrambling for seats was therefore imtne.ise, and
numbers of individuals climbed from the body of the
Court into the galleries qn each side of it. At ten
minutes after eight o'clock every nook and cranny.
of it, except the seats reserved for the Gentlemen of
the Bar, were completely tilled by anxious spectators.
A little fiefere nine, Mr: Hunt male his appearance,
accompanied by Mr. PeaasoN, his Attorney ; and
also by Johnson, Wilde. Healey, and .Stc,t. Sa.ston
and the remaining defendants came into Court shortly
aftertvards: they seated themselves at the semicircu-
lar table placed in-the centre of it, and occupied !note
than half the space usually occupied by the leading
Barristers. At nine o'clock exactly Mr. Justice BAr-
LCY entered, and the C:ier immediately called on .
the cause of the King v. Henry Fiunt and nine others:
The names of the persons summoned to act as tipe-
eial Jurors ih that cause were then called over, when •
the following Gentlemen answered to their names:
Wm. Hall, Esq. Foreman Thomas Robson' Esq. ,•
Wm. Clayton, Esq. of Layton Tim. Hutton, Esq. of Cifton
Thomas Barker, Esq. George Atkinson, jun. Esq. •
John Hutton, Esq. Marske-hall George Beswick, Esq.
William Selby, Esq. Job Chadwick, Eiq. . -
The Jury having been sworn, Mr. Lirmrtosre
proceeded to open the indictment, which charged
the defendants, Henry Hunt, John Knight, Joseph
Johnson, John T. Saxton, Samuel Bamfbrd, Joseph
Healey, James Meothouse,. Robert Jones, George '
Swift, and Robert Wilde, with having, on the Ist of
"July, 1819, and at diverse other times, conspired to-
gether to call great Public Meetings of the people,
'and thereby to excite terror in the minds of his -MA- ,
jesty's peaceable subjects; and that, in furtherance of
..
their designs, they had, on the 16th of August last;
at Mandiester, illegally, riotously, and tumultuously, '
assembled a large body of people, to the number of •
60,000 and upwArds, with fhtgs, banners, kc. There -
were other counts, charging the defendants with a .
riot.—The defendants pleaded Not Guilty, and '
issue was joined upon it. •
' Mr. SCABLETT, Mr. Serjeant HULLOCI4 Mr. See- '
jeant Caoss, and Mr. LITTLEDAL2) conduct the prow .
secution.. Mr. HOLT is employed for John Thacker
Saxton,. and Mr. T. BARROW for James Moorhouse.
The other defendants plead their own cause.
_ •,

As Mr. SOARLICTT wls rising to open the case)
some conversation took place between him, Mr.
PEARSON, and Mr. Hunt, regarding the great nern-i -
ber of individuals seated at the Barristers' table.
Mr. Justice BAYLEV, however, decided, that every •
individual conducting his own defence ought to be •
allowed to sit there ; the rest must be accommodated
•
with seats behind their Counse!.
Mr. Hunt said, that he was willing to agree te.
any arr angement which his Lordship might think it -
proper.to make ;he was not, however, aware, that •
any arrangement had been previously made for
the accommodation of himself and the other defen-
dants, and had therefore placed them in the situa- •
tions which they then occupied.. Room would, how-
ever, easily be found for thera behind the Bar, as he
intended to move, before the opening of the case,
that all the witnesses on both sides, and he knew that .•
a great many were in Court, should be ordered
out of it.

Mr. Justice BAYLEY then ordered the several wit.;
ncsses, both those on the part of the prosecution and
those on the part of the defence, to withdraw from
the Court.
. Mr. T. BARROW—" And out cf hearing too."
, This order was immediately complied with; and
among the other witt.esses who withdrew.were the
Rev. Mr. Hay, the Rev. Mr. Ethelston, Mr. Ilulton,
Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Fletclr;,-, Mr. R. Wright, and se-
veral other Magistrates, who had been actively ern.;
ployed on the 16th of August.
The JuDoe then ordered proclamation to he made,
that the evidence of those witnesses who should re-
main in Court after this notice should not be received
on either side. From this rule, however, were es-
cepted those who acted as 3olicitors on either side, .
and who were to be examined.

Silence having been obtained,
• Mr. SCARLET? proceeded to address the Jury.
They had heard, he sail, from his Learned Friend,
who opened the pleadings, the nature of the charge ,
preferred against the defendants which they were
now about to try. It was impossible not to perceive .
that this prosecution are from certain recent trans-
actinns, which had very much agitated the public.
mind—transactions that were combined with cir-
cumstances of great political importance, and which •
were. Calculated to create a most extensive and. pow-
erful interest in the country. It was„ therefoe, to
be supposed, that hat dly any one of the Gentlemen
of the Jury could be a total stranger to t ho,se mate .
tens which this prosecution LOW brought antic'. their
consideration. At the ,same. time, !he felt a perfect
centidence° in addressing himself .te Gentlemen isf
their descriptino, and lie was sure thiy would 4riee
hiinr..Whea he said that they owed it as A olt
.to the, cocintiy, 'And to the proper adininistrarioa.o(
public justicq, to dismiss, flow their minds all ittq
pressionsTayournble or tinfavourible,on ;his sub esl,
and, as far as lay in their power, to•tOrget every con- •
ception they had previously for pled* is question o
such vital iirliortance. It was forthera. to wait tilt..
'•the) hwJ 1)-a:d all the evidence coatlcted with the; .
case, arid then 'to decide by, it, and by a alone. ti..r