The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-07-10 00:00:00

ARGYLE'S BOAT'S CREW. •

(Proeis the Canton Register Peb. 25th.)
Mr. Hudson, the second officer of the Argyle, has favoureci
us with a report of his unfortunate adventure on the ywest coast,
where tie bad landed fon the purpose of procuring a pilot. We
do not consider that the Chinese
.government have been inat-
tentive or, neglectful on this occasion; but the conduct of the
natives deserves the severest reprehension, and we consider the
OwnerS of the Argyle have fair claim for compensatitin to the
amount of the value of their boat,

.• . -
. , . .
A statement of .the treatment received from the Chinese by the
boat's crew of the Argyle after landing.
On the 20th of January. 1835, left the ship Argyle, at 7 a.m.
in the first cutter, to try and procure a pilot, our crew, consisting
of myself, two seacunnies, and nine laicars,, landed on a
sandy beach, saw some small huts about a,inile from where we
landed, walked up to them, but could not make the people under,
stand us, returned to the boat, and found a number of China-
men, craned with bill-hooks and choppers, in the, act of ,robbing
her, several things already having been taken away; ran to the
boat, attempted to launch her, but did not succeed; she filling.
fast with water; found she was Stove. By this time an immense
number of Chinanien, having collected round us from the boat,
immediately immediately broke her to pieces, and carried her off, with every
thing belonging to her. We now walked tip to a point abreast
orate ship; a number of Chinamen still following as, and en-
deavoured to make a signal to her by waving a shirt; but, frotri
their not sending a boat, we supposed they could not see
We had not been long here before the Chinamen attempted to
strip us of ottr clothes, having tukenfrom me my best cloak, com-
forter from my neck, shoes and stockings, and a Silk handker-
chief from my pocket, likewise my shirt,,, besides cutting the ,
buttons of My clothes. After having knocked down the seacuy-
nin, who attempted to resist, and after taking from him his
knife, and cutting his pocket off to get a needle and palem, they
drove us to a village about three miles from, the beach, where
we were all put into a room and locked up for about two hours,
When they brought us some rice and some sweet Potatoes to eat:
They afterwards brought us some straw to sleep on, and locked
us up fOr the night. Next morning they let us out, wheat
I made signs to them that 1 wanted a boat to go to the
ship; which they would not 'give .us. The seacuynin, hav-
ing gut up a tree saw the shi getting under weigh; she
stood off and went omit of sight. Here we remained two days,
when the master Of the house we were in took me to a small
town, where I was put in a room and a certain number of China-
men at one time allowed to come and look at me; after remain-
ing here about three hours we were on our return, when an old
Chinaman called from among the eroVid, " Abler, Portuguese,
seuohr ?" • I immediately answered, and took hituwith us after
some triluble to get the old fellOw to go; on our returia, before
we arrived at the house, saw a ship Standing in. and from her
appearance supposed it to be the Argyle, which I find now was •
the ship ; through the interpreter I asked for a boat to, go off,
promising bias 5U dollars, and to remain myself, as security,
providing he would send the rest of the ;eople on board ; he
reould not comply, but promised to send us to %cat); we re-
mnined here sixteen days, sometimes tlieygiye tis-One-meal.per-•
day of rice and sweet potatoes, sometimes two; found several
, things belonging to a vessel that. bad been lost at this place ;
no the 16th day, at 8 p.m., left this place and proceeded to
Yung-Kong, was taken before the mandarin, who sent us on to
Canton', the person in charge of us riding in his chair, while we
were obliged to walk without either shoe's or Stockings till we -
were all very mall fatigued, when they gei,e us a boat, which
arrived with us at Canton on the 17th February, and on the
18th we were taken before the mandarins, exanuned, and re-
leased, C. A. HUDSON, second officer ship Argyle.
Whatnpoa, ship Argyle, February 20th, 1835.

`DiSTURBA+NCES AT GREAT BIRCH AM AND
BIRCHAM TUFTS.

Inconsequence of the general recommendation of the
:Poor. Law Commissioners, as well as from the particular
observatiOns made thereon by Sir Edward Parry to the
overseers of the above parishes, it was decided that at
least a part of the allowance made to the surpluS -poor
should be made in kind. Accordingly on Saturday, the
20th of.lnne, on application of one, and the first of such,
as had to, receive relief, an efferof Is. (id. for &Mr and Is.
shdp goods, by ticketS, was made, lie having earned and
been paid tis. for labour done during. the week; this he
instantly and determinedly refused to accept, urging that:
the system would be resisted by the whole of the poor,
which was done, and on the following Monday, the 211,
a gener'al strike froth all work took place, large parties of
men going to thelieldsand premises of the farMers of the
two parishes, and forcing those who had commenced their
labour to leave their employment and unite with them ;
and this was insisted upon even in the case of the hired
ye:aily.s.ervariti. The whole week was thus passed id
idteaess, Julien discontent, and coniprainings. At length
a friend from an adjoining parish offered to Mr. Kitton,
the largest farmer in Great Bircham, two men who were
willing to, Work' for hint and resist the threat of the Bir-
cham men to prevent them; and on Monday morning
last, the 21th, went with these two men to Pirchatn, and
on their leaving the farm-yard, each with a pair of horses,
they were in assailed in the most violent man-
ner and torn from their horses, while Mr. Hunter, their
master, was also dragged off the horse lie was'riding, and
severely ill:treated by bloWs, &c. Warrants were now
applied .for and granted, to apprehend the fpur men who
were most active in these proceeAlings,-andit was judged
proper to order the governor of the Walsingham Bride-
welt, with a party of constables, to accompany him in the
execution of the, warrants. By this time every male
inhabitant, except the very old, were armed with heavy
bludgeons; and on the arrival of the civil force in the
governor's caravans, one of the four men was seized and
secured therein, notwithstanding the determined attempt
at rescue, and the violent personal injuries sustained by
the acting civil officers; but on a second man being laid
hold of by Mr. Tilney, one of the governor's assistants,
he was instantly knocked down, and while on the ground
.received many brutal blows on the head, arms, and shoul-
d:ers, like thoSe from a sledge haMmer. Mr. Hunter, who
'had accompanied to identify one or two of the individuals,
-was dragged from his horse, his coat torn in pieces, and
such violence done to him that at length, in self-defence,
he produced a pistol and threatened to sitoot,the next
individual who approached: the melee, however, was
general: Mr. Hebgin and Mr. Howlett, both farmers in
the parishes, who had been charged as parish constables
to assist, and others, received many severe wounds, and
at lenn-th the governor, Mr. Curtis, and his party, were
obliged to retreat with their single,prisoner, leaving Mr.
Tilney behind,' who, by almost incredible efforts, was at
length rescued.and put to bed in a most dreadfully muti-
lated state about the head and face, having received on
the head alone seven contused woundi, tme of which was
upwards of three inches in length doWn'tO tire bone. in
driving off the caravan, the wife of one of the principal
ringleaders was pushed down and driven over, but sus-
tained no great injury. 'The windows of the different
farmhouses were now assailed with stones; and it became
necessary to close the shutters inside.

A messenger was privately despatchedabout seven in
the evening to a neighbouring magistrate, who had
signed the warrants, urging the necessity of some force
being called in to insure safety, as; from the spirit indi-
cated by the mob accumulated, most serious apprehensions
were entertained. Answer was returned that he had
already, or would immediately, despatch orders to the
commanders of the Rainham and Melton troops of veo-
rnanry cavalry, and that the preventive service men from
the coast would be at his house by eleven o'clock, to be
sent for there in case disturbance occurred. This too
surely followed, for between eleven and twelve o'clock,
from the numbers of ill-disposed pouring in from the ad-
jacent parishes, all armed with deadly clubs, it was com-
puted that at least SOO or 900 marched under order to
the attack ofAlr. Kitton's bailie; every window and door
was instantly demolished and broken in (by means of the
upper backs of gates, which were used as battering-rams,)
even to the sills and frames. The furniture of every
description in the two front rooms and kitchen were
broken into ten thousand pieces, piled up in the middle
of the floor of the carpet, and by means of books, &c., set
light to; eve:), inmate of the family had fled by the back
of the house into the fields, Mr. Tilney only being left,
he most fortunately having been put into a back room.
By a happy stratagem the hinise and the whole of that
side of the village were saved from conflagration. One
of two better disposed persons rushed up to these
incendiaries, begging them for their lives to disperse, as
the military were entering the parish ; he, with his com-
panion, then 'extinguished the fire. While this was going
on, Mr. Hebgin's -house was in like manner attacked;
himself, though in bed, wounded, but with Mrs. Hebgin
arid infant escaped over a back wall, and after beipg
exposed. in his own farm-yard for some time, was at
length privately conveyed to Dersingham Ling-house.
Mr. Nurse's house was also attacked, but partially. In
consequence of a cry being set up to proceed into Bircharn
Tofts, a well-disposed person hastened thither to apprise
Mr. Howlett of their intention in time to enable him and
his family to leave; Mrs. Howlett, together with five
children, taken from their beds, wete obliged to be con-
cealed in the fields at the back of the house, while in a
very short time this; as far as the exterior, was scion
reduced to the same state of ruin.. About noon on Tiles-.
day the preventive men and military men. arrived, but.
the mischief was effected; and after a short time part of
the former force was drawn off to Docking to he in future
readiness, while the remainder stayed on duty atßircham.
The military withdrew to Houghton for accommodation:
for themselves and horses, requiring refreshment :from-
the extraordinary fatigue which some must have under-'
'gone owing to the distance they had to come to the place.
of muster and scene of disturbance, and which reflects the'
highest pOssible credit and praise upon them for theirl
alacrity. Most of the discontented requesteii permission
of their employers yesterday afternoon to resume their
work, which was granted, and this. morning (Wednesday):
all is quiet, and the troops are marched from their bivouac'
for dismissal.

This morning a troop of the 6th Dragoons, under the
command of Captain W. Moore, marched from the cavalry
barracks in this 'City, on their route to Qreat Bircham,
for the purpose of aiding the civil power and yeothanry in
restoring and maintaining the public peace.—Nmfoik
Chronicle.