The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-30 00:00:00

THE RIOTS AND THE M

ANCHESTER BOROUGH
MAGISTRATES. - •

The following correspondence appears in the Manchester
papers of Saturday
Manchester, 24th August, 1842.
Dear Mr. Mayor,—ln compliance with your request that
I would furnish you with some account Of what matters came
under, my, observation on the morning of Tuesday, the 9th
instant, and of the reasons which influenced me, I beg to give
the following statement.
About a quarter past nine o'clock on that morning I re-
ceived a letter from Sir Charles Shaw, of which the follow-
ingis a eau

Dear Maude,—lt is necessary on receipt of this you put
yourself in communication with Colonel Wemyss, who you
will find at the Town Hall. If Colonel Wemyss is gone you
had better follow him and the troops, and you will find him
on the Ashton Road, at the bridge over the canal. Take the
riot act with you.--Yours-truly,
" CHARLES SHAW.
" Town Hall 9 o'clock."

This was the first intimation I had that there was the
slightest cause for apprehending any interruption to the tran-
quillity in which we had long been.
I immediately repaired to the Town Hall with all speed,
where I found Colonel Wemyss ; and, understanding that
you were in London, we lost no time in proceeding towards
one of the Ashton roads, to which point troops had beep or-
dered forwards, and these we overtook and carried with us.
On arriving at the junction of Pollard-street and Great An-
coats-street, we found the head of the procession just
reaching the latter street. It was led by a large party of
young women, very neatly dresaed ; both they and the men
who followed were arranged in regular fire, and nothing
could be apparently more respectful and peaceable than their
demeanour.

It will be seen that I had not the opportunity of prevent-
ing their entering into the town. I might have attempted to
drive them back or disperse them, but I was convinced that
the inevitable consequence of such a step would have been,
that large numbers would have detached themselves from the
main body, and penetrated by the side streets into the other
parts of the town. I believed that feelings of irritation would
he excited, which might lead to great destruction of property
at a time when the authorities of the town were not prepared
foriany unusual outbreak ; and I could not lose sight of the
great risk of personal injury to those who appeared to be
peaceable and quite unarmed. I had little time for deliber-
ation, and had to form the best judgment I could at the mo-
ment from the experience I had previously had, particularly
in the attempts made three years ago to turn out the hands
which almost entirely failed.
Judging from the past, and from my recent observation of
the general quiet state of our population, I did not believe
that anything like a general outbreak was contemplated, still
less that it was likely to ensue on the present occasion.
Viewing the difficulties on both sides, I came to the conclu-
sion that it was the safer and better course to allow the pro-
cession to pass forward, having previously assigned the
streets through which it should pass. To this arrangement
the leading parties composing it seemed to give willing con-
sent, and the route marked out was Great Ancoats.street,
Lever-street, Piccadilly, to the other Ashton-road, and so
back to Ashton ; I had been informed that another body was
expected by the latter road, and I was in hopes of effecting
a junction between the two, and the police and military
might not have to be divided. As the procession was mov-
ing forward I rode through several of the side streets, to as-
certain if any parties had detached themselves. I found that
this was the case, or else that others had come into the
town; and that the object of these various small bodies was
to turn out the bands from the mills. On again rejoining
the procession, I found, to my great mortification, that it
had divided from the assigned course; and had very nearly
reached the vacant ground near Granby Row. The same
motive for
,keeping this large body together prevented me
from taking steps to disperse it ; and, after waiting for some
time, it proceeded quietly homewards. In the mean time,
however, numbers of mills were turned out with such expe-
dition, and by such insignificant bodies, as showed that the
hands in (I believe) the majority of instances were ready to
go out at the first invitation, and rendered it generally im-
possible for any force to be brought to the required point in
in time to prevent such a result.
Subsequent consideration and events have satisfied me
that any other course which I could have adopted would have
failed to prevent the effects which followed, and might have
added to them other very serious consequences.—l am, dear
Mr. Mayor, yours very faithfully,
-d) D. M

(Signed)
To the Mayor of Manchester.

AUDE.

(coPy.)
Town Hall, Manchester, Aug. 25th, 1842.
Sir,—ln order that no misapprehension may exist as to the
commencement of the disturbances in this town, and the
power of the magistrates to have prevented the same, I deem
it to be my duty to explain to you the position in which the
magistrates were placed. It has been stated that it was well
known in Manchester early on Monday, the Bth instant, that
resolutions had been passed at a large meeting held on Mot-
tram Moor on the perceding day (Sunday,) to the effect
that there should be a general and compulsory cessation of
labour in Ashton-under-Lyne on the following day (Mon-
day ;) and that, on the following day (Tuesday,) the opera-
tives should march to Manchester for the purpose of there,
also, compelling the cessation of labour ;—that on the Mon-
day, in pursuance of those resolutions, the mills and works
in Ashton-under-Lyne, and the neighbourhood, were actually
stopped ; and that, notwithstanding the borough magistrates
were in possession of this information, they neglected to take
any precautionary measures for preventing the entrance of
the operatives into Manchester on Tuesday. This statement,
so far as concerns the magistrates, is utterly and entirely
without foundation. The first intimation, by any one of the
borough justices, of the intention of the Ashton operatives
to visit Manchester, was given verbally by Sir Charles Shaw
(when on his way to the Town Hall) to one of the magis-
trates, whom he accidentally met in the street, on the Tues-
day morning, at too late an hour for him to adopt any mea-
sures for preventing the entrance of the procession into the
borough. On his arrival at the Town Hall, Sir Charles
Shaw, in my absence from town, addressed a note to
Mr. Maude, requesting :him to proceed: forthwith to
the Town Hall, and to put himself in communication
with Colonel Wemyss, which note was received by Mr.
Maude about a quarter past nine o'clock on Tuesday
morning. With this request Mr. Maude instantly com-
plied, and in the course of as short a time as possible
was with Colonel Wernyss and the military, and they,
together, immediately proceeded to Pollard-street, where

•
they -fitst rnd the processiob from kshibn.under-Lyne.
at which time another portion of the operatites from
Ashton bad already entered the town by another street, and
succeeded in stopping one or more of the mills.
In the prudence and propriety of the course adopted by
Mr. Maude in the difficult position in which he was so un-
expectedly placed, as detailed in his letter to me of the 24th
instant, (a copy of which I enclose)'—the borough justices,
upon a careful review of all the circumstances, concur.
Whatever information may have been possessed by other
parties in the borough, relative to what had taken place at
Ashton or the neighbourhood on the Sunday or Monday,
none was communicated, officially or otherwise, either to
myself as mayor, or any other magistrate ; and, therefore, it
is evident that no responsibility for not having taken steps to
prevent the entrance of the operatives, from Ashton, into
the Town on Tuesday, can possibly rest with the magistrates.
I may further add, that not only had the magistrates not
received any information as to the particular occurrences
above refgrred to, but that they were entirely without infor-
mation of any kind, which might have led them to anticipate
the possibility, much less the probability, of any outbreak.—
I have the honour to be, sir, yours very respectfully,
(Signed) Wm. NEILD, Mayor.
To the Right Hon. Sir James
Graham, Bart., M.P., &c.,
&c., Home Office, London.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO SCOTLAND.

(From the Perth Constitutional of Wednesday.)
The promised visit of her Majesty absorbs all other topics
here, and every succeeding day the bustle, as well as the in-
terest, thickens. The magistrates and council met ouThurs-
day, and unanimously resolved to make every arrangement
for the reception of the royal visitors, on a scale of liberality
befitting the high occasion ; while at the mansions of our
nobility, the preparatious, are in a style of splendour which
will do honour to our country and her Majesty's ancient '
kingdom of Scotland. The proceedings at Taymouth are
to be peculiarly grand ; and while we are sure the other
noble families will not be behind in their hospitality, orin f4l
the elegance of their arrangements, the princely castle of
the Marquis of Breadalbane will afford ample scope for
the •gaieties of the court, and the magnificence and extent ,
of the grounds, will present a grandeur of sccnery, and a
facility for the enjoymeut of Highland sports, of which,
perhaps, few other demesnes in Scotland can boast. The
preparations are in active progreSs at all the noble mansions
in the intended circuit. Both at Taymouth and-Drummond
Castle, several hundred of the respective clansmen are being
newly equipped in the " Garb of Old Gaul." The retainers.
and tenantry of the Earls of Kinnoul and Mansfield, being
Lowlanders, it has been considered best that they, should
iittet the Queen in their proper colours and costume. Her
Majesty will, as is most fitting, first visit her own local vice-
gerent, the lord lieutenant of the county ; and next, as we
stated' last week, honour the Palace of Scone and its noble
occupant, by dining and resting under its roof.
Let us next advert to the preparations afoot in the city,
and the arrangements for the occasion. Already about 30
workmen are busily engaged in the erection of a triumphal
arch at the entrance to the town at the east end of Marshall
Place, facing the South Inch ;—and we may here mention, as
. .

another reason for adopting that line of aPproach on which

the public are so decidedly solicitous ; it was by the south gate
of the city that the last lawful sovereign who visited it,

Charles the First, made his entree in-state. From the
plan we have seen, this will be a magnificent structure.
Here the keys of the city will be presented to her Majesty
by the Lord Provost. The magistrates will then conduct
the royal visitors through the town, by Prince's Street, St.
John Street, east end of High Street (where the unique
hydraulic machine, the invention of Professor Anderson,

will be placed, newly and appropriately ornamented for the
occasion) and thence along George-street to the Bridge,
where the civic escort will take leave of the Queen, on her
departure for Scone Palace. This course is the nearest,
scarcely deviating in any material degree from a direct line.
[Since the above was in type, we have learnt that at a meet-
ing of noblemen and gentlemen, it was decided that, if con-
sistent with her Majesty's pleasure, the entree to Perth
should take place on her way to, and before visiting Dupplin
Castle, which will of course, if agreed to, alter the route we
have pointed out.] After this there is to be a grand banquet
in the County-hall, to which all the official gentlemen, many
of the respectable citizens, and the neighbouring gentry, are,
to be invited. Nor are the humbler classes to be without
the means of enjoyment provided for them. White staves
are in preparation for one thousand operatives, who are to
line the streets and assist in preserving perfect order, and
they also, as well as the middle and higher classes, are to
have an allowance by which to make themselves comfortable
on the occasion. Besides, the poor and the needy have also
been taken into account. Every pauper on the ordinary roll
is to receive one shilling for the same purpose. The Incor-
porated Trades, too, propose giving those individuals on
their relief funds—young and old, and of either sex—each a
moderate allowance of cash, that even their hearts may, if
possible, be made to sing with joy. In the evening there is
to be a magnificent display of fireworks on the North Inch ;

and the high grounds on the Burgb Muir will literally "flare
up" with a succession of large variegated lights, which will
shed their lustre to a great distance, and will be seen with

fine effect from the Palace at Scone, where the-royal visiters
and their distinguished attendants will then be enjoying the
hospitalities of a Highland welcome.'
WooLwicx, Sunday Evening, August 28.—The arrange-. ..
ments for her Majesty's embarkation at Woolwich, at an
early hour to-morrow morning, continue to be carried on
without one moment's cessation from labour, as those em-
ployed are relieved by others at stated periods. A quarter
past 6 o'clock a.m. is now named as the hour when her
Majesty will embark. That early hour has been resolved
upon, in order that the Royal George yacht may get far
enough to sea with daylight, so as to be over the swing of
the river and part of the coast, and the sailors term it. The
time occupied in towing the Royal George yacht to sea will
be nearly, if not fully, twice as long as the same distance
would be performed by moderate sailing steam-vessels not •
towing others; and, consequently, vessels later of proceed-
ing down the riVer than the time of her Majesty's departure
would be easily able to overtake the royal squadron before
it reaches tbe Nore, and be gratified by witnessing its pro-
gress. The royal artillery have been ordered to hold them-
selves in readiness by half-past 5 o'clock, and a field battery
of four guns will be stationed in the dockyard to fire -a
royal salute. Six 9-pounder guns have already been sta-
tioned at the royal arsenal to tire a salute as the royal yarty
pass that great naval and military• depot. It has now been
decided upon, whether her Majesty is enabled to arrive at
the early hour named or not, that the Royal George yacht
will not be brought alongside the wharf of the docyard. Ad-
mlral Sir G. Cockburn, G.C.8., arrived last night, and re-
mained a considerable time on board, giving the necessary
orders for the voyage. A flight of steps has been attached
to-day to the side of the vessel, and they have been covered
with carpeting, and every facility is afforded to enable her
Majesty and the royal party to get on board with the greatest
ease. The Black Eagle has now been ordered to form one
of the royal squadron to accompany her Majesty. The men
employed at the dockyard have received orders to enter at
the west gate, and the foreman of each department is to be
held responsible that they will keep at a proper distance
during the time of embarkation. Notwithstanding the early
hour of her Majesty's departure for Scotland it will require
every exertion to get to Granton Pier, near Edinburgh, on
Wednesday, and should the wind prove contrary it is not
improbable it may- be Thursday before the royal party can
reach their destination.