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

MANCHESTER MEETING.

Oui,caluivas of this day will be read with unmin.
sled feelings of sorrow, at the scene transacted at
Manchester on Monday. We expected, horn the
preparations known to have been made by the Ma-
gistrates of Manchester, previous to the Meeting an-
nounced for that day, tor the plain4enalace of the pub-
lic pace, as we had aright to believe, to have heard
of the Meeting passing off quietly ; especially as it
was well understood that the civil ;ind.military force
prdvided was more than amply sufficient to awe and
arrest any individuals that might attempt acts of
riot or destruction. But we were not prepared toex-
pect such accounts as have been transmitted by va-
rious Correspondents at Manchester, (to whom we beg
to return our thanks, and a continuance of whose

communications is requested).
We shall be brief in our outline of what passed,
referring our Readers to the subjoined letters and
extracts from the Manchester Papers ler the details.
The people kept assembling all the morning : at
twelve the Magistrates went to the scene of meeting,
or its neighbourhood, where, several respectable in-
habitants having deponed that they were appreArnsive
that the meeting might be followed by acts of riot
and tumult, the Riot Act was read. At one o'clock
1-losr, attended by JOHNSON, SAXTON, and others,
reached the ground in a barouche, was called to the
Chair, and began to address the surrounding multi-
tude—at least 50,000 in number, and to explain the
object of the Meeting. In a few minutes after, a
large body of Yeomanry Cavalry rushed in among
the crowd, at full charge, sword in hand, hacking
their way up to the hustings and riding over all in
their road. The confusion and dismay that followed
c ,anot be described; about 100 persons at least having
been killed and wounded. HUNT and his associates
were carried to prison ; and the rest of the people, in
the best way they were able, hurried from tl.c field of
blood. _ _

We will not take upon us to give any decided opi-.
Ilion from the facts that have yet reached us ; but we
cannot help thinking that the Magistrates, or the
Yeomanry, or both, certainly displayed more zeal
than prudence on the present occasion. With such
a force as was provided, what could they fear from
an unarmed rabble, gabbling about fancied rights
and fancied wrongs? With such a force could they
not have waited peaceably the result of the Meeting,
following the wise example lately set them by the
Magistrates of the Metropolis? Was it a matter of
indifference whether the lives of their fellow-citizens
should be endangered by any precipitate shew of
alacrity and zeal? Is the issue of their conduct
such as should be hailed with gratulations? In the
eye of real prudence, judging tram all that is yet
known, the fact is far otherwise.
Was the avowed object of the Meeting illegal ?
Was the mode of assemblage illegal?—Had those
assembled committed any illegal act when the Yeo-
manry spread blood and carnage among them ? All
these questions will necessarily be publicly investi-
gated hereafter.
A Morning Paper (The New Times) states, that
" Had it not been for the interference of Mr. NADIN,
the Deputy Constable, whom these men the liefor-
mersj have particularly calumniated, it is certain
that HUNT would not now have been alive, for the
military were determined to cut him to pieces."-.._
What a character to give, deliberately, to these
Yeomanry! We hope the Editor has spoken without
authority ; but we leave him and them to settle that
question.