The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-03-14 00:00:00

"BOROUGH OF LIVERPOOL

, "Notice of the intention of holding a public meeting thisday
having been posted on the walls, I, Thomas Berry Horsfall,
hereby caution all persons not to attend it. The meeting is
called anonymously, and it is believed by strangers; and the
Mayor confides in the Loyal population to aid him in his de-
terminationto preserve the peace of the town.
"THOMAS BERRY HORSFALL, Mayor.
" Town Hall, March 12."

A strong body of police were stationed in the Sessions'
House, and in the central office in High-street a large
:force was also kept in reserve. At the hour announced
two or three hundred individuals, "to see the fun," had
gathered upon the flags ; spectators cohered, and the
crowd received instant accession from the crowd of well-
dressed people flowing every fine Sunday towards the pier
heads. Birkenhead for the nonce was deprived of its
parading visitors. The crowd, an aimless meeting, was
gathered, but no "goodcitizen" appeared to address them.
There was no excitement, no rallying point, till Mr. Dow-
ling, who was unknown to the mass of people there,
mingled with the crowd, and proclaimed, like a " good
citizen." to those who rushed round him, that no meeting
was to be held. The crowds at last perceived the hoax
'which had been practised, and gradually dispersed.

. Yesterday, a rather more alarming, yet equally silly,
• demonstration, without apparent definite aim, took place
in the Exchange area. Crowds of idlers, men and boys,
but chiefly the latter, began to assemble on the flags and
the adjoining thoroughfares, and these greatly increased
towards three o'clock. Numbers of well-dressed persons
were attracted to the spot, and so swelled the assemblage
that shortly after three o'clock the flags were nearly filled,
especially on the east side of the square, opposite the
north door of the Exchange News-room, where a man,
apparently drunk, and a number of youths and boys
caused, by silly broken expressions, followed by shouts.
jeers. laughter, and occasional hustling to get up
a disturbance. They succeeded only, however, in
causing rushes of the people to and fro, and there
can be no question but that pickpockets, and vaga-
bonds of elder growth or practice, bad urged on the boys
in hopes of a row, by which they could make their
harvest. The business usually transacted on 'Change
was of course for a time suspended, and at length
matters having begun to assume a serious aspect, it was
deemed prudent to call in,. shortly before four o'clock, a
strong body of police who were before quartered near the
spot. These, marching in an orderly and determined
manner, urged those present to disperse. It was but ne-
cessary to make such a demonstration to induce the
greater portion of the assemblage to move off. Consider-
able numbers, however, of those bent on mischief declined
to move from the square, and the police, naturally be-
coming impatient at this and the insulting language used
towards them, used their sticks with considerable, but it
is generally thought necessary, severity. The result was
a few broken heads and bruises, but nothing serious. The
effect was almost electric, and the flight general in all di-
rections, the feeling being "sauve qui peut." A tremen-
dous rush took place in the direction of and along
High-street, the north end of which was so blocked up
that young and old were thrown down over one another
until they lay in heaps on the ground, out of
which they were very soon hurried by pokes and knocks
from the police. In a very few minutes the Exchange
flags were cleared of the greater portion of those who had
filled them, and Dale-street, Castle-street, &c., were
crowded by many hundreds moving. We should think
that not fewer than 3000 to 4000 had at one time congre-
gated at the Exchange and the surrounding streets. After
the dispersion, which from its rapidity was somewhat lu-
dicrous, the police bodies occupied the ends of the several
avenues leading to the Exchange, and effectually kept out
.known or suspected persons, permitting respectable parties
who had business there to pass and repass. It was, we
think, indiscreet in strangers and others in respect-
able society to swell the crowd that had collected
:by mingling amongst them. Had they absented them-
selves the thing would have died away without any inter-
ference of the police. Of equally questionable taste was
the appearance of gentlemen at open windows in the un-.
derwriters' rooms, and Merchants offices facing the crowd,
:and immediately above the densest portion of them. At
lour o'clock many of the shop windows in Castle-street
,and Dale-street were closed, in case of breakage of glass :
-but this was unnecessary. -

The fire brigade-were at hand, and prepared to drench
the multitude had they lingered after the first charge, in
which case the merely curious as well as the mischievous.
would have got % cooling by no means agreeable. We
are glad to learn that the working porters so far as could
be observed. took no part in the intended disturbance ;
and that the loyalty of the people at large remained quite
unshaken on both days. The greatest praise is duo to the
Mayor for his watchfulness and caution, and his forbearance
combined with firmness, in conserving the peace of the
town ; and his efforts have been anxiously seconded by
his brother magistrates, and by all the civic officers and
'others from. the highest to the humblest. These pre-
cautions

of the aaihorities taken and in preparation

against any further disturbance, (should such unhappily
arise—which we do not apprehend) have inspired the
public mind with the greatest confidence.
A body of regular troops have arrived from Chester.
A large number of special constables were also yesterday
sworn in, in addition to many before. About 500 of the
men employed at the yard and works of the Corporation,
have also been taken up as constables ; and the police are
so divided and instructed, that large bodies of them may
at once be brought to bear upon disturbances that may
show themselves in any part of the town.
About five o'clock, some id.l4 fellows, who had been
driven from the Exchange, took it into their heads to roll
about some of the casks intended to be used in Exchange-
street East, for the consolidation of the new pavement
there laid down. They were soon put to flight by the
police.
Soon after the dispersion of the crowd from the Ex-
change, some of the fire brigade, fluting a crowd at the
corner of Hargrave-buildings, played upon them from the
water mains, and got them away, the mass of them seem-
ing to take it as a mere amusement.
There was a rumour of a disturbance in Richmond-row
yesterday evening, but it turns out that it was merely a,
resistance made to the apprehension of an offender by
some of his co-mates; that the case bad nothing what-
ever to do with any of the proceedings at the Exchange
and that such attempts at rescue are more or less of daily
occurrence in the rough districts of the town.
At the present time, ten o'clock, all is quiet through-
out the town, and there is no indication of any clisturb,
once of the

EXAMINATION OF MASTERS AND MATES.—At a meet.
ing held on the 7th instant, Capt. Edward Joseph Allen,
master of the William Botsford, of Liverpool, and Capt.
Thomas 'Finley, master of the Nith, of Liverpool, were
examined and found duly qualifi.ed for kret *so 'motor!
,ctztificatv),