132] ANNUAL REGISTER, 181f. 



shire, had gradually spread over the 

 extenbive and populous tracts of 

 the Lancashire and Cheshire cot- 

 ton manufacture, and the clothing 

 parts of the West Riding of York- 

 shire. As very copious notices of 

 these outrases are given in our 

 Chronicle, in addition to those 

 which appear in the debates of 

 parliament on the bills introduced 

 for their suppression, and the mi- 

 nute report from the secret com- 

 mittee of the House of Lords on 

 the subject, we shall only briefly 

 advert to them as a part of the do- 

 mestic history of the year. The 

 numbers and daring spirit of these 

 rioters, the system of organization 

 and deliberate plan under which 

 they acted, and the weapons with 

 which many of them were pro- 

 vided, rendered them truly formid- 

 able to the master-manufacturers 

 and peaceable inhabitants of the 

 disturbed districts, and excited se- 

 rious apprehensions in the minds 

 of many for the general safety of 

 the kingdom. Indeed, if there 

 was no exaggeration in the infor- 

 mations which gave rise to the re- 

 ports made by the committees of 

 parliament, designs were entertain- 

 ed among the leaders, of deep and 

 dangerous import ; and their un- 

 doubted seizure of tire-arms, and 

 administrations of oaths of secrecy 

 and confederacy, confirm in part 

 the suspicions suggested. It was, 

 however, ascertained that all these 

 leaders were persons of the lowest 

 ranks in society, who, though 

 they had a considerable influence 

 over their immediite followers, 

 were utterly unable to frame or 

 conduct any thing like a widely- 

 extended insurrection against the 

 government. If, therefore, there 

 was any justness in the clwractcr 



given in parliamentof thesedisturb- 

 ances, asbeingo/'a/jo/i/ica/ nature, 

 rather than the result of temporary 

 distress and want of employment, 

 the term must be understood, not 

 as pointing to any particular me- 

 ditated change in the constitution, ^.^ 

 but to a vague spirit of misrule and V| 

 insubordination, possibly fostered 

 by inflammatory writings incul- 

 cating levelling notions. It is, 

 however, to be observed, that the 

 existence or dispersion of such 

 writings among the rioters is no 

 part of the information contained 

 in the reports to parliament. 



It was found necessary, as these 

 ©utrages increased, to station a 

 large military force in the disturb- 

 ed counties, which on various oc- 

 casions was called upon to act; but 

 such interference seems always to 

 have been kept within moderate 

 bounds, and not to have exceeded 

 the necessity of the occasion. The 

 terrors of the law were also, after a 

 due term of forbearance, called in 

 to assist in repressing and punish- 

 ing the violations of the public 

 peace ; and several of the most 

 guilty paid the forfeit of their lives 

 at the assizes of the counties which 

 were the scene of these disorders. 

 By these means, together with the 

 remedies adopted for the distresses 

 of the labouring poor, and the pros- 

 pect of increased employment, 

 tranquillity was in great measure 

 restored before the close of the 

 year, in most quarters ; yet occa- 

 sional outrages still occur, and 

 it has not yet been thought safe to 

 withdraw the strong hand of co- 

 ercion. 



The uncommonly high price of 

 provisions, occasioned by many 

 concurrent causes, and by no 

 means relieved by the product of 



the 



