The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-08-06 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

LEEDS.—The unfavourable news regarding the state of
the American market brought by the recent arrivals, has by
no means improved the foreign branch of the demand for
goods in our market. There is, however, a fair business
doing for domestic consumption, though the state of the
money market tends to check anything like a speculative
demand. Prices continue much the same, though the mer-
chants seem more anxious to buy lower.
BRADFORD.—There was a fair demand for goods at our
market on Thursday, and those sold changed hands at for-
mer rates, though from the lowness of the stocks on hand
the manufacturers held out for an advance. The sales of
yarn were rather limited, and there was no improvement in
price. Owing to the slackness of the demand, some of the
spinners have begun to run short time. The wool market
was very flat, and comparatively little business was done.
We note no material alteration in price.
HUDDERSFIELD.—We have nothing new to report in the
aspect of this market. The same lifelessness prevailed on
Tuesday, as for several weeks past. Notwithstanding, a fair
trade is done to order, and few goods are brought to market.
Prices also remain firm. The warehouses continue doing a
steady, and we have reason to believe not an unprofitable,
business.

WAKEFIELD WOOL MARKET, AUG. 2.—We cannot re-
port any amendment in the trade during the past week, with
the exception of wether skins, which have been more freely
taken out of thb market at an advance of ss. per sack.
YORK WOOL MARKET, AUG. I.—A fair supply of wool ;
a slow trade at prices agreeable to the annexed quotations.—
Super hog, 15d to 16d ; half hog and ewe, 14id ; ewe, 13d
to 134 d ; locks and cots, 8d to 10d • moor wool, 6d to 7d.
DONCASTER WOOL MARKET, iIILY 27.—0n1y about 60
sheets of wool were pitched in this day's market, owing to
the wetness of the weather. The sales were dull at our last
quotations.

BARNSLEY.—The linen trade continues dull ; but yet there
are not many weavers out of employ.
HALIFAX.—We have a continued dulness in every de-
partment of our trade ; and this, without any immediate
prospect of amendment, makes all parties seriously think of
reducing their productions. It was not possible to quit, to
any extent, at previous rates. Wool is easier to buy.
MIDDLETON, FAILSWORTf, AND LEIGH.—At these places
the silk trade is much slacker at some warehouses, especially
the weaving of low numbers of plain sarsnets and some sorts
of figured work, while queen's plains, tine satins, and very
fine plain goods are moderately brisk. The trade in the
cotton-mills at Middleton is much better, and power-loom
weavers have now full employment ; other hands have five
days' work per week, and in a few days they expect to be all
working full time. Calico block-printers at Rhodes, near
Manchester, have moderate employment ; indeed, the trade
here is as good as it is in any part of Lancashire.
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE. NEWTON MOOR, AND HYDE.—
The trade in the cotton-mills has a rather better appearance
at Ashton than it had about three weeks since, but it is in
an unsettled state, on account of the high prices of cotton.
The machinery in most of the mills is working short time,
while power-loom weaving is considerably better, especially
those who are employed in calicoes, yet they are not in full
employ. At Newton Moor and Hyde, many operatives, who
work in cotton factories, are in distressed circumstances ; at
most of the mills hands have only three or four days' work
per week, but power-loom weavers have more work than
spinners ; all, however, are expecting an improvement in the
trade very shortly.
BURY AND ROSSENDALE.—At Bury there are better
prospects in the trade in cotton-mills, especially in power-
loom cloths. The blanket trade is moderately brisk. Me-
chanics and foundry men at some shops are rather slack,
while at others they have full employment. Block printers,
at one very large shop, have full employment, and hands are
extremely busy, while at some few places they have about
four days' work per week. The coarse woollen or hocking
trade at Rossendale is in a moderately healthy state, but
operatives complain very much of the low prices of wages,
and manufacturers of the high prices of wool.
SADDLEWORTH.—The woollen cloth trade continues in a
more healthy state : the operative dyers and weavers appear
in as good circumstances as they have done for the last 15
years past : there are no complaints except that manufac-
turers say the wool is very high, and profits on goods very
low.

WlGAN.—There are this week some favourable symptoms
of improvement, as some of the mills have commenced run-
ning partially, whilst others are making preparations for
starting : but still there is that want of a general beginning
which is so anxiously looked for by the labouring classes.

We hear that the Duke of Beaufort, who was to have been
king of the approaching tournament at Eglington Castle,
will be unable to attend that meeting from having been or-
dered by his medical attendants to visit the German Baths
this Autumn.—Bath Chronicle.

The first English newspaper,- called the English Mercury,
was published under the direction of Lord Burleigh, who was
the first to observe the great moral efiect it would produce.
There were in circulation to a very great extent the most ex-
traordinary descriptions of the Spanish armament ; a panic
was beginning to spread among the inhabitants : Lord Bur-
liegh, with v►ews showing his statesmanlike intelligence,
adopted a mode of counteracting this by the strong moral in-
fluence of the press ; and he established a newspaper, in order
to correct the mis-statements which had been made, and to
teach the country to confide in its own exertions and its own
resources.

APPREHENSION AT MIDNIGHT OF TWELVE

CHARTIST LEADERS.

(Prom the Stockport Advertiser.)

From a variety of information received by the borough
magistrates during the past week, they have had reason to
believe that several of the leaders of the chartist agitation
were preparing themselves with weapons :for a general out-
break, and they were determined to take prompt and deci-
sive measures for the protection of life and property. The
force of special 'constables vas augmented by swearing in a
great number of householders, and out of these sectional par-
ties were organised for the purpose of a facility of action, if
the services of the civil power should be deemed necessary.
Fire-arms and cutlasses were received from government-500
of the former, with a sufficient quantity of ball cartridge—
and 800 of the latter. On Tuesday night, about eleven o'clock,
after certain preliminaries had been completed, the borough .
magistrates assembled at the Court House, while the'super-
intendant of Police, and Policemen Hough, Bowers, Long-
son, Winn, Potter, Bramall, Walters, and Walker, proceeded
to the houses of several parties occupying a prominent front
in the present agitation. .The night being boisterous and
wet, no interruption in the street was apprehended, and the
first house which they proceeded to was that of James
Mitchell, a beer-seller, in Park-street. He was seen and
told that they were in search of arms, and wished to know
whether he had any in his possession. He replied in the af-
firmative, but would not consent that a search should take
place. Having effectually secured him, the officers com-
menced making an active search, and upstairs a large chest
was found, containing five fowling pieces, three muskets with
bayonets, two daggers, several pike heads, twenty pike han-
dles about eight feet long, a brace of pistols, and bullet mould.
A newly-painted sign, yellow upon black, was also seized,
lettered, "James Mitchell, appointed agent to sell g ins, pis-
tols, &c." Subsequently Mitchell was taken to the lock-up. -
Before proceeding to the apprehension of other of the leaders,
it was deemed advisable to have further assistance, and ac-
cordingly a simultaneous apprehension of the remainder took
place under the protection of piquets of the 20th Foot.—
About twelve o'clock, several of the policemen proceeded to
the house of James Burton, the chartist bellman, in Brewery-
street, Portwood, where, meeting with no resistance, Bowers
found guns, bayonets, and pistols, which the superintendant
seized with a number of papers and correspondence ; and in
the smithy, he being a whitesmith, a quantity of unfinished
pike hafts were found. Burton and his three sons were in
consequence taken to the lock-ups. After some seizures at
George Rushworth's, in Avenue-street, who was also appre-
hended, they entered the house of Isaac Armitage, a shoe-
maker, in Great Portwood-street. Here a box full of bullets,
powder flask, and corresponding and other papers were found ;
and in the rain tub in the back yard a cavalry sword and
sheath, with a bag of bullets, were discovered. He and a
son, about sixteen years of age, and a man named Rushworth,
were then secured ; but not before the father had made an
ineffectual attempt to possess himself of a shoemaker's knife,
for the purpose of resisting Bowers the policeman, and it is
also probable that he intended to injure him. The house of
Isaac Armitage, jun., in Queen-street, Portwood, was next
visited and searched, the hack door having been forcibly bro-
ken open. Guns and daggers, together with a cavalry sword,
&c. and bullets, were also found concealed, and conveyed
away under the ptotection of a file of soldiers. While these
apprehensions were prosecuting Bowers, Winn, Potter, Wal-
ters, and Walker, the remaining policemen, with Serjeant
Hough, Longson, and Bramhall. went at one o'clock, to the
house of George Warnham, of London-place. Having dis-
turbed him from his bed, a variety of long and short daggers
(very sharp), and materials to make others of, were found.
He was likewise apprehended. Charles Davies, of Hope-hill,
allowed the policemen to search the house, when a pistol,
bullets, and caps were found, together with a large quantity
of chartist papers and correspondence. No arms were found
on the premises of John Wright, the late chairman, residing
in Heaton-lane, but a number of papers were brought away.
He and Davies were also taken to the lock-ups. Some other
parties were apprehended but liberated almost immediately.
Wednesday morning was fixed for the hearing of the
charges against. the above parties ; and considerable excite-
ment in the town was the consequence. A large number of
additional special constables were sworn in, and half a troop
of the 6th Carbineers, from Manchester, marched in soon
after nine, a detachment of infantry occupying the Court
House. About eleven o'clock, information was brought to
the mayor that a meeting was then holding at the Stanley
Arms, Newbridge-lane, and that Roberts, the political se-
cretary of Manchester, Higgins, of Ashton-under-Lyne, and
others were addressing the people in the most violent style of
language. The justices, attended by the town-clerk, the
police, and a large number of special constables, immedi-
ately hastened to disperse the meeting, but the authorities
being bearded and insulted, near Millgate, by the populace.
the riot act was read, and the mob declining to disperse. but
preferring still to hoot the authorities, they turned upon
them, and the civil force put them completely to the route.
At the Stanly Arms, the meeting adjourned until evening to
Greek-street. The authorities then entered the house, and
having searched the more suspicious-looking characters, a
man named John Nicholls was found to possess a brace of
new pistols and a bullet mould. Roberts and Higgins were
next secured, and with Nicholls were taken to the lock-
ups : whilst the landlord of the house was told by the jus-
tices that his license was suspended, and the house to be
closed forthwith, further informing him, that if after that
time he sold any liquors whatever, he would be liable to a
severe penalty.
At this juncture the carbineers came up, and, under their
protection the authorities returned to the Court Room, fol-
lowed by a large mob. One lad was taken into custody on
the way thither for interruption, but was subsequently libe-
rated. A loaded pistol was seized by some of the special
constables in Mitchell's beer-house as they passed, but the
owner succeeded in escaping.
The prisoners were not brought up for examination on
Wednesday, a merely private hearing having taken place be-
fore the justices, in order the better to arrange the evidence ;
during which the reporters were excluded, as was Mr. J. P.
Cobbett, of Manchester, who wished to appear for the pri-
soners. Subsequently it turned out, as we understood, that
Nicholls, one of the men seized at the Stanley Arms, was
the man who stabbed a policeman at Newton, in Mont-
gomeryshire, a few weeks back, and for whose apprehension
a reward of £5O had been offered, and from documents upon
both Roberts and Higgins they are connected with Nicholl's
proceedings.
Rushworth was discharged.
Tt e infantry were ordered to be at the Court House at six ;
and the special constables to meet at nine o'clock, then to
receive further instructions, and, if necessary, to be supplied
with arms of defence. The policemen wore the cutlasses
In the course of afternoon the town was placarded
with—" The riot act has been read ;" and the following hand-
bill was also issued ;
" PUBLIC HOUSES AND RETAIL BEER HOUSES.—The
magistrates .of the borough of Stockport, acting in and for
the said borough, do hereby, in, consequence of the disturbed
state of this district, pursuant to the powers vested in them
on that behalf, order and direct that all innkeepers and retail
beer-sellers in the said borough do and shall, until further
notice, close their houses at the hour of eight of the clock in
the evening.
"R. Pendlebury, Mayor, Apelles Howard,
S. Davenport, P. E. Marsland.
Jon. Thornhill,
" Court-house, Stockport, July 31st, 1839."
The town was very tumultuous in the early part of the
evening, and the worst apprehensions were entertained, se-
veral skirmishes having taken place between the police and
the people.
_ _

About seven o'clock on the night of Wednesday last,' a
party of colliers from the neighbourhood entered the town ;
and at eight a large meeting was held in Greek-street, of the
chartists, in such numbers, that the magistrates became so
alarmed for the public safety that the street lamps were
lighted, and measures were forthwith taken for instantly
ordering the military and special constables to disperse it.
At nine o'clock nearly 1200 special constables, in 14 divi-
sions, attended the Court-house, and, having received the
necessary directions from their respective conductors, a pis-
tol and four rounds of ball cartridge, with cutlass and belt,
were distributed to the leading divisions. The military,
horse and foot, having mustered, the authorities, headed by
the Mayor, Jon. Thornhill, Esq., P. E. Marsland, Esq., and
Apelles Howard, Esq., proceeded towards Greek-street,
and, after sundry warning and admonitory observations to
the populace by the Mayor, but without effect, orders were
given to the military power to disperse them, which they did
in the most perfect manner; and the specials, after parading
the borough for some hours, returned to the Court-house,
whilst small bodies continued to perambulate their respec-
tive districts throughout the night, and searching all ques-
tionable characters whom they might meet with.
Nothing further transpired during the night, if we omit
some windows which were broken at the National School,
Messrs. Bradshaw's engine-house, and the Post-office.
Some person, about nine o'clock, threw a large stone at
some gentlemen standing at the door-way of the Warren-
Bulkeley Arms Inn, which fortunately missed them, and it
fell in the lobby of the house.

The authorities, to a man, are entitled to the greatest
praise for their promptness and determination in support of
the public peace ; and certainly it affords a striking contrast
with the supineness and cowardice of the magistrates of Bir-
mingham.

The police are also entitled to the approbation of the pub-
lic for their exertions in supporting the orders of the bench.

On Thursday last, about four o'clock, the prisoners were
brought into court for examination. Mr. Cobbett attended
with them, and at half-past seven o'clock the court adjourned
to Friday, the proceedings being likely to last the whole of
that day.

. THE CJIARTISTS AT WIGAN.
For some time past, the chartists of Wigan have been in
the habit of holding meetings in a room at the Bear's Paw,
and in the open air, Scholes. Little notice has been taken
of them by the respectable classes ; but, on Monday evening
last the operative conservatives of Scholes met in Scholefield-
lane, for the purpose of passing certain resolutions declaring
their loyalty and attachment to the institutions of the country.
The chartists assembled, and, on the proceedings having com-
menced, they took posseession of the stage, broke the articles
of furniture on it, and showed every disposition to create a
riot, it the conservatives persisted in continuing the meet-
ing. The latter, not wishing to disturb the public peace, ad-
journed to a room in Scholes, and passed the following
resolutions

I.—That we, the operative conservatives of Scholes, seeing
the many efforts that are being made to disturb the public
peace, and to spread destruction, anarchy, and bloodshed
throughout the land ; and being fully convinced that these
efforts spring from a designing selfish ambition of certain
persons, and not from a desire of reforminc, abuses, and pro-
moting the welfare of the commr,,nity at large ; and being
also persuaded that any reformation, however good in itself,
ought to be sought only by legal and Christian means—are,
therefore, determined to come forward, in the most decisive
manner, to lift up our voices against these peace-disturbers,
and to how that it is the duty of all true patriots to assist
the lawful authorities in suppressing all such illegal pro-
ceedings.

2.—tidt, in consequ4nce of the enormous abuse heaped
upon the established church, through the organs of a falsely-
named liberal party, we not only think ourselves warranted
in thus coming forward to rebut their false and groundless
charges, by showing a true statement of the case in question,
and exposing the erroneous statements of our enemies—but
we should also consider ourselves in some degree culpable,
if we suffered to pass unrefuted such base, calumnious, and
malicious accusations, as are often brought against the friends
and supporters of the established church, by those who are
indebted to that very establishment for the liberty which they
are now striving to turn into an engine of mischief against it.
3.--That, at the present crisis, when our enemies, who
have continually liberty in their mouths and oppression in
their hearts, are publicly resolving to have recourse to ex-
clusive dealing in order to get their ends accomplished, it is
the duty of every true conservative to come forward and ex-
press his abhorrence of that unchristian, or rather anti-
christian scheme—(Rev. xiii. 16, 17) and to endeavour, by
all upright and legal means agreeably with the word of God,
to prevent the simple and unwary from being led to join the
hellish ranks of those who are thus hurrying along the broad
way both to temporal and eternal destruction.
We understand that several threatening letters have been
sent to respectable tradesmen ; indeed, we have seen one,
with the name of the party to whom it was sent, and the
accompanying words of " Prepare for the 12th of August."
It is reported the chartists purpose taking possession of the
parish church on Sunday morning next ; and we believe the
magistrates are to hold a meeting, to make such arrange-
ment as they think necessary for the peace and order of the
town.— Wigan Gazette.

At this moment it is estimated that not less than
£150,000,000, are locked up in railway shares.