The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-03-09 00:00:00

11182*CRBANCES IN NORFOLK.
(rause ?us mosvrirrt as,mcirtir, accaina Tall

NoiNlxa.)

We can but regret that oar County is become the
ease of many disgraceful and tumultuous assemblies,
►rising from as opinion prevalent among the lower
classes of labourers that the threshing machines, or is
bet, that all machinery is injurious to their welfare.
'lt wefts that the only object of these meetings is the
destnletion of agricultural machinery, not dine it ap-
peer, &apt is one instance, that any personal out-
age has lien contained. The parties who are thus
panelist thin county, consist generally Of from 3 to
• palms, heeded by a leader, wino takes no pool
in destayieg the machines but merely iustigates his
followers, ametisses accompanied by a trumpeter.—
They )rasa does ions their week and even thrown
avert punishment in case of refusal. It appears
else that there Is a regular system of organintioa
.amemunication between the various villages, in-
somuch es it but seldom occurs that these rioters
►reak theledthines in their own parish but go to one
at a ffistaasei.rkas toping to escape reeogniiion. It
is a curious fait connected with these disturbances,
that the people'ditpersed with greet rapidity at the
appestance of the ant►orities, and in an inconceivable
shirt period ►lletnbled by the sound of a horn at a
groat Alamo front their former place of meeting.
Thursday Woolen, in the forenoon, a strong party
of insurgents, amounting to several bemired., col-
lected from alt the neighbouring parishes, attacked and
destroyed* threshing machine twitched to the free-
hold, es the prelates of Mr. Richard Doggett, of Win-
farthing. Notwithstanding the resistance of a large
party of Meads, constables, and others, they proceeded
to demolish the obnoxious engine. A desperate attack
teenneneed with bludgeons and all kinds of weapons.
Ose gentles.. was felled from his horse, and
MOM AM were well mounted, were compelled to re-
treat lean directions, amidst a heavy discharge of
stows sad other missiles. The barn was forced, in
Writer to come at the interior of the machine, which,
together with a dressing machine, were destroyed.
On the following morning large parties assembled at
Dias, bent,: market day, and the leader of the inane-
gouts of Thursday, by name Wm. Baker, of Dressing.
ham, laboarer, was apprehended, and immediately
brought before Sir Wm. Robert Kemp, Bart., and
Deo. Lee, Esq., and was by them committed to the
coast, Gaol. Next day large parties of the insurgents
paraded shout different parts of the neighbourhood,
keeping watch In the night to pre►ent any of their
party from being apprehended: and on Moeda, man-
ly they &gals ►ssembled atWinfarthiog, sod broke and
destroyed a threshing machine, the property of Mr.
Samuel George, of that parish. On Tuesday the w-
riest of the troop of Suffolk Mounters ca►alry, wi-
der the summand of Col. Ray, we hope have so far
seeessestil as to "seem their again assemblibg fur
farther mischief ii this neighbourhood.
Os Weeilay forenooa a mob, whose number was
fetish ittersased by women, in the direction from Wy-
Booeroll. Cm-Woo, sod their vicinities, pa-
ssaged through Attlebergh, still adding to their num-
bers by pressing those whom they happened to meet with,
destrepieg every thrashing machine they could obtain
intelligence of ; from thence they proceeded to Sheep-
hash &Murton, he., demolishing eleven in the course
tithe day, and at night, about ten o'clock, returned.
Itheingh Attleburgh, having had intelligeoce that a
ttlsrhiN MN concealed on the premises of Mr. W. Par-
son, ua., this they took by breaking open the barn
deals their scab ; they also broke open the fowl-
house and stole thereont 40 hens, and then drawing
the threshing machine a mile to the Market Bill, de-
molished it. The following day they re-
sewed their route, in a direction for Becken-
ham; but just as they got over the Green, were
ovitetaken by a party of gentlemen farmers,
and others who had joined them, *amyl:s-
alad by the Bye Yeomanry Ca►alry, (who had been
*swooned on the occasion) headed by several magis-
trates. The insurgents scrambled over hedges, and
some into ditches ; the pursuit was most actively
carried on, and they succeeded in securing about 30,
whew they conducted to the White Horse, Becken-
ham; and after examination, the Magistrates found
satisfactory evidence against six of the delinquents;
the remainder were liberated. We understand that
a similar discomfiture took place at Ifiugham, and the
following morning some enure were committed.
In consequence of this iucreasing spirit of tumult,
the Magistrates, at the adjourned Quarter Sessions of
the county, on the first day of their meeting, debated
on the means for quelling these tomahawks meetings.
At this debate it was unanimously determined to pub-
lish a remonstrance to the people, which we are given
to understand was proposed by Lord Suffield. In its
assuage it is temperate, but firm, and shows the de-
termination on the part of the Magistracy to p ve
t►e peace of the county, but at the same time their
desire to use persuasion rather than force. It has
bees published is the form of a large bill, and circu-
lated through the county by means of the constables
of the several parishes.
" The Magistrates assemble-a at the adjourned
Sessions on Wednesday, March 6, I:+y3, have with con-
siderable pain, received evidence of a eiotons disposi-
tion enbibited in same instances by actual outrage in
various parts of the county. The cirrumstaue.s,
made known to many of them previous to this day,
have induced measures of precaution, which will as-
suredly be found effectual for the suppression of tu-
mult. But, anxious as the magistrate. feel in the dis-
charge of their daty to avoid the necessity of re-
sorting to the force with which they are armed fur the
preservation of the peace against a misguided popu-
late, they desire to offer, in the form of timely remon-
strance, a few remarks deservingof attention. If griev-
ances exist, do the persons concerned in the riotuns
proceedings, before alluded to, appose that they can
bearemedied by violence ? To what possible bench.
vial result can their proceedings tend ? o what have
they tended in other parts of the country; But to the
loss of many valuable lives, and a curtailment of Bri-
tish liberty.—Let the people beware of bad advisers—
those who may pretend to sympathise in their &Hedged
grievances, fur the purpose of exciting them to sae of
mischief, in the punishment for which the instigators
g Ily take care to • have no participatiou. Let
them be assured that it is equally wicked 41111 unwise
to resist the law; wicked in principle, and unwise in