The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-14 00:00:00

CHESTER, Aram 12.
—.81.—.

iLavari O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
Early this morning, reports reached this town
that serious disturbances had broke out in Man-
chester, and that a whole street had been burnt
down by the Radicals. Also, at Northwich a
similar circumstance had taken place: and to give
rather a sanction to the above reports, four com-
panies of the 75th Regiment, quartered here, were
ordered to set off for Manchester with all possible
speed; but on the arrival of the mail from Men-
choler, at seven o'clock, these alarming reports
were proved to be totally unfounded.
The theatre is bat baely attended, although
%Ws Byrne is playing all her principal characters

The trial of the Minister of Bethnal-green,
London, fur poisoning cattle, is expected to come
on to-uiorrow : it excites much interest.
Parson Harrison. of Stockport, has two more in-
ctments against him for sedition, which are ex-
pected to come on on Saturday next.
M'lnnis, through the religious attention and
kind,iess of Mr. heeling), formerly a Page belong-
ing to his late Majesty, has become a most sincere
penitent. His conviction operated upon him like a
flash of lightuing, and he has ever since beets occu-
pied in pnnyers, end acknowledging ttle errors of
his past life : and is perfectly resigned to his fate.
Bruce is quite firm, without any degree of levity ;
and states, that iris innocence has given him a for-
taude he did not expect. A petition from the in-
habitants of Chester, it is said, was presented to
the Judge in his favour this evening. He however
expects to die on Saturday next.
The Court was occupied nearly the whole of
this day on the trials of Thomas Oakes, aged 62 ;
Thomas Davenport, 45 ; and George Dean, 22, all
labouring men, of Wilmington, for burglariously
entering the house of Mr. Philip Ward, of Black-
den, in the county of Chester, in the night of the
3'ith of September last, and stealing eighty-one
pounds in Bank of England notes, three guineas in
gold, twenty shillings, a crown-pieee, one dollar, a
silver watch, and a purse containing three shillings
and sixpence. The prosecution was conducted by
the ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Mr. JOHN HILL ;
and for the prioners, Mr. JONES and Mr. LAW.
It appeared Philip Ward, the prosecutor, was !
an old man, of the age of 71 years, who swore that
the above men broke into his house, and beat him
Kith large sticks, and also tied his brother, 'limo-
thy
Ward, with cords to his bed-side, while they
committed the robbery. On searching the box of
Dean, some cords wero found, and also a purse,
containing three shillings.
This trial excited an unusual degree of interest ;
and the Counsel on both sides displayed great
ea:nestness and zeal in favour of their clients. It
•
was insinuated on the outset of the trial, that the
township of Wilmington had entered into a sort of
agreement to support the prisoners towards obtain-
ing an acquittal, in order to prevent their families
, • heimailt dateable to Me raid townehip.4.
For drst four hours, the case assumed a very
dark dye against the prisoners, and almost every
one in Court was led to a conviction of their guilt ;
bat at length the proceedings took so decidedly a
tura in favour of the prisoners, that their innocence
was manifest 'u all present. In the drat place, it
was proved ;'iat they had no families to become
chargeable to the parish ; secondly, the numerous
respectable re: sons '-'ho came forward to support
their charrctc s, from a knowledge of 30 years'
needing ; and, Lsay, an alibi, so clear and con-
vincing, war rovet:. and.which could not be shaken
in the sligh'int degree, notwithstanding the scru-
tinizing i, qu'ieo of the Attorney-General to
sift it to t•m, that she Chief Justice,
secondeo by Judge Marshall, informed the Jury,
that his cia'y compeaed him to inform them
that the c:ia:•.:,at had been so completely removed
from the prisoners by the last dye witnesses, that,
if they felt as he did, it would be unnecessary to
proceed. lle must confess, that for a considerable
part of the trial be was against the prisoners, from
the suspicious circumstances that had come out
during the examination ; but the clear statements
of the two lads who had slept in the room with
Dean, and one of them with him on the night the
robbery took place, that the case, in his mind,
was at an end. However, if the Jury thought
proper, he would recapitulate the whole of the evi-
dence, and they would act as they thought pro-
per. The Jury declared themselves perfectly sa-
tisfied with the innocence of the prisoners, and
coincided with the Learned Judge, that the old
man must have been mistaken. The Attorney-
General said, he was happy to acquiesce in the
opitoon given by his Lordship, but it had been
originally thought by the Sabator for the prose-
cution that the prisoners formed part of a notorious
althg. 'Phis impression was now completely re-
aso%ed, and the Chief Justice complimented Mr.
Junes and Mr. Law, for the professional zeal and
Went they had displayed in making out so clear a
case in favour of the prisoners ; who were now dis-
charged, much to the satisfaction of all the Court.

UN 7111 RECE.VT Riors IN SCOTLAND.

Although living in the land of Canaan themselves,
•e believe there are few persons in this quarter bet
What hare beard, and that prettylAi, of the igis gasp
in lilasgow—risings which, we happy le Say, atte
had a much more peaceable termination than ifould have
been anticipated, from the formidable numbers and dia-
bolical intentions of the persons engaged in thew.
Cowardice, however, and a total want of organisation,
are the known characteristics of every mob, and these
((talkies, we presume, combined with the admirable at,
'Augments of the civil and military power, have given
ilmast • farsical conelnsion to scenes which, in their

omasencemeat, bore all the marks of the deepest tra•
tedy. At present every thing appears to be tranquil in
the west of Scotland, and the constituted authorities,
after having succeeded in restoring order, are now
busily employed to apprehending the persons who
took an active part in the late distarbastes. 118 the