The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-06-05 00:00:00

SCOTCH CHURCH

A great number of petitions in favour of a parliamentary
grant to the church of Scotland were presented to the house,
and some in opposition to that measure. •

MR. CHILDS.

Mr. Wit xs presented petitions from the deputies representing
the three denominations of dissenters in and near London, pray-
ing the house,would adopt measures for abrogating the jur►sdic-
tion of the ecclesiastical courts in all such matters as the case of
Mr. Childs, and that church-rates might be abolished.

THE APPROPRIATION CLAUSE:

THR ATTORNEI-GENERAL;esentedo:PeiTtion from Edin-
burgh, signed in a few hours by upwards of 13,000 persons, 546
of whom were females, in favour of the Irish church appropria-
tion clause. The postage of the petition (which was a very
large roll) cost £43 15s. 4d.

DISTURBANCES AT WOLVERHAMPTON.

Mr. THORNELY brought this subject under the notice of the
house. After expressing an opinion that the interference of the
military was uncalled for, he suggested the propriety of sending
confidential agents of government to examine into the matter,
and concluded by asking the noble Secretary of State (Lord
John Russell) whether it was his intention to do so?
Lord Joists RUSSELL said that a statement of the facts of this
case had been forwarded to him by Mr. Roaf, whereupon he
immediately directed that the magistrate who called in the as-
sistance of the military should give a full account of the trans-
action. He had likewise communicated with the commander in
chief in order that he might procure the fullest information as
to what had taken place on the occasion. He disapproved of
sending any government agent to make an inquiry, as that per-
son could only receive the voluntary depositions of such parties
as might choose to come before him, and the evidence he would
receive wbuid therefore be not of such a character as would
warrant government in founding further proceedings. All that
he (Lord Jobu) would say was, that every account of the me-
lancholy transaction which reached his office should be laid be-
fore the house. •
A lengthened conversation ensued, in the course of which
"Mr. FOSTER, the member for Walsall, read a copy of the follow-
ing document, addressed
"TO THE RIGHT HON. THE SECRETARY OP STATE FOR THE
HOME DEPARTMENT.

"My Lord,—ln compliance with—ti; request contained in
your lordship's letter of yesterday's date, that the fullest infor-
mation may be supplied relative to the proceedings subsequent
to the close of the poll in this town, we beg to state, that during
the whole of the last day of the poll the conduct of the multitudes
of people assembled in the streets was very violent; many re;-
spectable persons were rolled in the mud, and assailed with mud
and stones, and some seriously injured, and we received repeat-
ed applications to send for a military force, as of about forty or
fifty special constables who had been sworn in, and were all
that could be procured at the time, some did not act, and the
rest were completely overpowered. The undersigned therefore
sent for n troop of tfic Ist Dragoon Guards from Dudley, six
miles off, requesting them to come within a mile or the town,
and to halt there till, they heard froaeus again. At the close of the
poll the number of people increased so rapidly that the soldiers
were desired to advance immediately. Their appearance, at
about five p.m., seemed to check the mob, and, at six, the un-
alersig,ned Mr. Hill informed Captain Manning, the officer in
commend, that he thought they might be sent to their quarters,
which was done, thouh the mob did not disperse; yet, as they
did net proceed to act{ of violence, it was thought they would be
tranquillized, and Mr{{ weut home, about three miles off.
At about seven o'clock.p rn., the mob began to assail the Swan
Inn, where some of the successful candidate's friends stilt were.
Several windows were 'Draken, and some persons attacked, and
the undersigned Mr. Clare went, among them with some
-special constables, and entreated them to desist; he was Spit
'upon, arid compelled, with the high and special constables, to
retreat to the inn, and whets he appeared at the window he
was assailed with stones, and struck while reading the riot act.
The soldiers were then called out, and the mob commenced a
furious attack upon them; a street near the market place was
barricadoed with two carts and an iron chain;
,many of the
soldiers were struck with stones, and one horse was stabbed in
the side and fell down dead, while standing still, which is neces-
aary to be stated; because ithas been asserted that the horse fell
while charging; the undersigned Mr. Clare saw him fall. The
fact of the violence of the mob during the election and subse-
ainent to its close can be substantiated by affidavits, if neces-
sary.; and a declaration of approbration of the conduct of the
magistrates and soldiers is, we believe, being signed. It was
sot until after the death of the horse that the soldiers wire di-
rected to fire, and the mob still persisted in their attacks, at
times retreating to a church-yard close to the maikeireplace, to
which the soldier; could not for some.time get access, and ad-
vancing again. Mr. Hill, who was sent fur, and 'arrived at
about eleven, states, that nun'y discharges of fire arms were
heard by himself and others in different parts of the town, when
all the soldiors were assembled in the market-plice, but whe-
ther hall was fired by the mob he does nut know; neither is he
aware of any of the soldiers having been fired at that night. At
midnight another troop of horse arrived from Stourbrithre, ten
miles off, and Mr. Hill took six or seven special constables and
these mounted soldiers, and visited all the outskirts of the town,
clearing such public-houses and beer-shops as were open ; but
the soldiers took no part in this proceeding, only remaining in
the street to protect the magistrates and constables, in case of
any sudden attack.
" At about two o'clock on Thursday morning the town was
quiet, and rill the troops were sent to their quarters, except 16,
who remained on duty all night.
" Four persons have been ascertained to have received gun-
shot wounds, one of them in the knee, which rendered amputa-
tion necessary ; and we believe one man is also wounded, not
severely, by a sword : none are yet dead,

"We should be doing injustice to the officers and soldiers
employed, if we did not express our admiration of their steadi-
ness and forbearance under circumstances of no ordinary
.pro-
vocation : only one example occurred to the contrary, in a
soldier who was found to be drunk, and placed in confinement
early in the evening. Several swords were broken, from the
soldiers striking with the flat side of them.
" We bare not been able to ascertain how many shots were
fired, but as the soldiers have a regular number of cartridges
given out to them, the report of the officers to the Commander-
in-chief will doubtless furnish that particular.
" A statement has appeared in the London papers, purport-
ing to be a declaration of certain persons before Mr. Roaf, a
dissenting minister here, which is very much at variance with
the truth. Two of the parties—one a special •constable—have
been heard to say before the mob, that they (the mob) must be
taught to fire and mark their men. It is, we believe, ascertained
that a bullet, stated to have been fired into a house in Queen-
street, has been found on examination to be too large for the
soldiers' fire-aims. This requires no comment.
" A report of the conduct of the mob, which rendered it ne-
cessary for Mr. Briscoe, another magistrate, to read the riot
act on Thursday and Friday nights, happily without the soldiers
being afterwards called upon to act, has doubtless been sub-
mitted to your lordship, and we are happy to add that this night
has passed off without disturbance. (11 p. m.)
" We have the honour to rethain
• " Your Lordship's obedient servants,
" J. CLARE,
" Wolverhampton, May 30." " HENRY Hui,
. . _ _

•
Mr. Fosigit- proceeded to say that he knew the gentlemen
who had signed the foregoing statement to be persons of high
and unimpeachable honour, and incapable of deviating from ve-
racity even in a case affecting their own character. (Hear,
hear.) They had both been Magistrates for a long period, (Mr.
Clare had been in the commission of the peace for more than
forty years), and they had performed their magisterial duties
with so much credit to themselves, and made themselves so po-
pular, that it had been matter of surprise that a charge like that
which had been mentioned in the house should be made against
them. (Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Foster) had that very day
seen persons from Wolverhampton, who declared that the pre-
cautions of the magistrates and the forbearance of the military
were beyond all praise. (Hear, hear.) He was not aware of
the circumstances which ttended the last election, but he was
acquainted with that particular part of the country. It con-
tained an immense population, which might easily be collected
together, and in consequence of the peculiar character of the
population, when once it was roused to acts of insubordination,
scenes which would make the stoutest nerves shudder would en-
sue, unless that insubordination was met by promptitude and vi-
gour on the part of the magistrates. ( Hear, hear.) The hon.
member, who spoke in a very rapid and indistinct manner, was
here understood to refer to scenes which occurred at a former
election. He described the ferocity of the population as being
so great, that it became impossible for one of the candidates
(who was a reformer) to proceed to the • place of nomination ;
for if he had gone, his life would have been in danger. He
mentioned this circumstance to.show that it was possible for
even the liberal and reforming candidates to be the objects of
popular hostility. (Hear.) It was the same description of per-
sons that set fire to the city of Bristol; anti had not the military
been called into Wolverhampton, the scenes of Bristol would
have been re-acted there. (Loud cries of " Hear.") In his
opinion, the government ought not, on light grounds, to allow
persons who devoted their care to the preservation of the peace
of the country to be held up to censure, especially if by their
vigour and promptitude they have prevented the repetition of
scenes of bloodshed, which a more supine conduct might have
produced. (Hear, hear.)