Star.
London, England, 1819-08-18 00:00:00

PRIVATE LETTERS.

" MANCHESTER, MONDAY, ONE O'CLOCK.
" The town is in great consternation and alarm,
numbeekpouring in from all parts of the surround-
ing country, principally Spinners and Weavers, both
men and women. It is a new and alarming feature
in these mobs that they do not assemble as old Eng-
lish mobs used to do, from motives of individual cu-
riosity, or caprice or fun, or idleness—they do not
come in straggling singly or in little knots of two Or
three from every different direction, ; but literally
advance in marching order, with all the form and
regularity of military bodies. About half an hour
ago I met, in Oldham-street, an immense mass of
men, marching in c..mnion time, five abreast, with
two white flags, and a very respectable band of music
cor.7.isting of not less than 30 performers. I counted
these Ue until about 2000 ;pen had passed, when
the crowd became so great that I could no longer,
pursue my reckoning, but I conceive that the whole
party thus drawn up, and marching in order, could
not be less than font or five thousand.
d, Very fportly afterwards a party of perhaps $OOO

passed the Exchange. These also were in militar
array, mceded by flags, red and black, with the Cap
of-isaism. The former ofthe,two parties came,
I believe, from Bury, ,the latter. from Itoyton. ..Si-
miler parties came in from Stockport and the other
towns in the neighbourhood. , .
" I
,have just been at the spot appointed for the
Meeting. About 152000 persons are already there,
men and women, The Chair was not then taken,
but the different parties had already arranges them-
selves very regularly round two carts, which they
had brought with them, at about six yards distaste.
A sort of stage was formed on the carts, and around
it were planted five banuers; two red, two white,
and one black. Upon one side of the latter was a
hand holding the scales of Justice, with the inscrip-
tion, Taxation without Representation is unjust and
tyrannical.' On the other site was at the top Love,'
-and beneath, Unite and be free. Equal Represen-
tation or DEATI On some of the other flags were,
Corn Lew; —' Let's dic like Men, and not be said
like Slaves,' with other such violent iiiscriptions.--
Whilst the mob were collecting round these stan-
dards, and waiting with some impatience for their
promised leaders, they were addressed by a shabby-
looking fellow, whose name nobody seeped to know.
He exhorted them to be peaceable and quiet, and
shew their enemies that they were not mad, as they
wished to represent them. If we arc mad,' said be,
it is the most pleasant loss of senses I ever experi-
enced, and hope it will never be extinct but with'
death. At this important crisis it behoves every free-
born Englishman to abitain from violence. We only
desire our fair and just rights : let us demand them
with steadiness and perseverance, and victory will
Le the certain result.'

" In the Market-place and Market-street the shop-
windows are closed. In the principal streets are im-
mense numbers of country-people strolling about.—
(You are aware, that for many miles round Man-
chester the manufacturing population is more nume-
rous than in any other part of Great Britain: it is
like walking among ; so crowded and so
busy ore the inhabitants). The more retired parts of
the town are as silent as death. Altogether the int,
pression which the scene creates on the mind of an
observer is melancholy and awful. The Yeomanry
Cavalry musters amazingly well. The Chesbite
Yeomanry are near the town, as well as the First
Dragoon Guards. The 15th Hussars are in the bar-
racks, as well as two companies, of Horse Artillery;.
'and besides these, the 88th and 31st Foot are also in
town. In short, here is military force enough to
crush ten such mobs."

,4 TWO O'CLOCK.

" The Magistrates have dissolved the Meeting, and
taken Mr. B&W? and a dozen other Ringleaders into
cznod y The circumstances have been terrific I
will give you as connected an account of them as I
possibly can, but you must nuke allowances for the
general state of confusion and alarm in which we
have been the whole of the day. I will begin where
I left off before, with the sort of desultory harangue
which a casual Orator was making, apparently to
while away the time till the principal Orator should
arrive. After he had been talking some time in a
loose disjointed manner, he was interrupted by a vio-
lent shout, which announced the approach of Htn4r.
It was within a few minutes of one o'clock when
HUNT reached the Hustings. He was said to be ac-
companied by Wooten, but I could not see the
Black Dwarf, nor do I believe he was there ; but
JOHNSON, MOOMHOUSF, SAXTON, and SWIFT, were
in the barouche, on the box of which was seated a
profligate Amazon, named MART WATERWORTH,
bearing the standard of the Stockport Female Re-
formers. Several others of the Stockport gang sur-
rounded the vehicle.

" After the formality of proposing and seconding
HUNT as Chairman, he rose and spoke to the fol-
lowing effect Gentlemen, I crave your indul-
gence while I proceed to state the nature and object
of this Meeting, and I particularly request that no
Gentleman will call silence, as it produces more dis-
order than any other circumstance, and perhaps will
give our enemies the opportunity they are seeking
for to cause a further encroachment on our rights
and liberties. Gentlemen, for the honour you have
done me in electing me Chairman on this important
occasion, I return you my sincere and heartfelt
thanks, I am happy to see such an immense con-
course of people assembled, and fearfully regret that
I shall not be able to make myself heard by all of
you, but those who are able to hear me will I hope
do so peac-ably and quietly. It is useless to attempt
to relate the proceedings that have occurred in your
town for the last ten Jaya, or to state to you the
cause of the Meeting on Monday being postponed,
you are all acquainted with it. Those wise Magis-
trates, who were the cause of preventing the Meeting
on Monday last, fancied they had achieved a glorious
victory, btt their pusillanimous conduct since, and
the presence of such an immense and respectable as-
sembly as now stands before me, prove quite the
contrary. A placard which nobody could under-
stand had been posted up all over the town, signed
by Tom Lon: and Jach Short, and some such con-
temptible beings. He was about to proceed, but the
I appearance of the cavalry in the distance stopped him
, for a moment.

The Yeomanry Cavalry arrived on the ground
at full speed. They took up a positibn under the
wall of The Cottage,' (a weU•known building so'

ailed) where they remained in a line about fire mi-
nutes,
,during which time I believe the Riot Act seas
read, immediately after which they made a dash into
the crowd, and surrounded the Hustings. Mr. NADIN
then ascended and seized hold of JouNtiON first, then
of IIuNT, 'and afterwar.ls of several others, whom he
-banded to his. assistants, and the latter carried them
mmediately to. the New Railey. The banners were
'the next objects to which the Police Officers dii ected
their attention, and with very little resistance they
got posssession of the whole of them. The scene that
now ensued 'Was truly awful ! The shrieks of women
and the groans of men were to be heard at some dis-
tance. Every person who attended out of curiosity,
finding his personal safety at risk, immediately fled.
" The crush was so great in one part of the field,
that it knocked down some outbuildings, at the end
of a row of houses, on which there were at least 20
or 30 persons, with an immense crash. As I was
carried along by the crowd, 1 saw several almost bu-
ried in the ruins—others igtheir anxiety to escape
had fallen down, and were trampled on by the popu-
lace. A feeling of sauve qui peat appeared now to
fill the Mind of every body ; and the dreadfult result
is not yet known.

- " The Yeomanry: Were supported by the lab
Hussars. Among the spotia opines they say are to be
reckoned sixteen banners with seditious inscriptions,
and six Caps of Jacobinism. At the moment when

AUNT was seized, there could not have been fewer
than 50,000. persons on the ground."

" Half past Two o'clock.
"I have just ascertained that a dragoon and a
woman have fallen victims. A man of the name.of
Asitwonrii, a special constable, is also dead.
" The accompanying is a list of the persons already
in custody. Warrants have been issued against se-
veral others, but they ate not yet taken:—
" Henry Hunt, Joseph Johnson, Jahn Tyas, George Swift,
Jan Thacker Saxton, Robert Wild, Thomas Taylor, Mary
Waterwerth, Sarah Hargreaves, Elizabeth Gaunt, Valentine
Faullstter, James Johnson, William 13illinge."

Half--pact Three o'clock.
" The military are parading the streets, and the
populace have retired.
" Nearly the whole of the persons who were on the
building above-mentioned that fell in, have been
killed, eleven at the least are named."

" Four o'clock.
44 KNIGHT has just been apprehended, and is car-
ried to the Police Office."

" Half-past Four o'clock.

Mooanouss has also this moment been appre-
hended and carried to the Police Office. The mob
have again assembled at St. Peter's Church, and the
military have again repaired thither."