2Q 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



this letter, I liear with extreme re« 

 gret, that general Hawker, is gone 

 off to Bulvvel!, a manufacturing 

 village, about six miles distant, 

 with a strong party of the Berk- 

 shire Militia, and two officers, to 

 quell a most serious disturbance in 

 that quarter. I henr that two other 

 regiments (of infantry') have re- 

 ceived orders to march forthwith 

 to Nottingham; the proportion of 

 niilitarj'^ now' in this town being 

 insufficient for the purpose of pro- 

 curing the public security through- 

 out the country. That a farther 

 military force is necessary in the 

 county, tliere can be but one opi- 

 nion. Se\u?ral Bow-street officers 

 have arrived from London, and 

 more are daily expected. 



29. It is impossible to convey a 

 proper idea of the state of the pub- 

 lic mind in this town during the 

 last four or five days : the constant 

 paraxling of the military in the 

 night, and their movements in va- 

 rious directions during both night 

 and day, give us the appearance of 

 a state of warfare. May we not 

 liave it more in reality ! 



The destruction of more tlian 20 

 frames, at Lenton, on Tiiursday 

 evening last, within a few hundred 

 yards of our barracks, and two be- 

 ing cleanly carried away in a neigh- 

 bouring hamlet the same night, 

 lieighiened the state of alarm ; and 

 tlie operations of several subsequent 

 nights have given it an additional 

 increase. 



On Saturday night the frame- 

 breakers crossed theriverTrent,and 

 broke fourteen frames at Rudding- 

 ton, and twenty at Clifton, leaving 

 but two whole in the latter town. 

 An express was sent off to Notting- 

 ham for a troop of the Hussars, who 



went with all possible speed ; and 

 as many of the Bunney troop of 

 yeomanry as could be collected 

 (they being in tiie neigiibourhood 

 of the scene of action ), were imme- 

 diately mounted — one party pur- 

 sued the depredators, while others 

 seized all the passes over the Trent, 

 for the space of four miles, under 

 a full persuasion that the Luddites 

 could not escape ; but, such is tlie 

 generalship of the latter, that they 

 seized a boat which nobody else 

 had thought of, and repassed the 

 river in two divisions, in perfect 

 safety, and escaped. 



The same night a fiame was 

 broken at Bulvvell, while a sergeant 

 and six men, belonging to the 

 Berkshire militia, were employed 

 to watch it — the parties exchanged 

 shots several times, but it is not 

 known that any one was wounded, 

 though one of the Luddites lost a 

 shoe and his hammer. 



On Sunday night 4>5 frames were 

 broken at Selson, Bagthorp, and 

 the neighbouring; hamlets, about 

 nine miles from this town ; and the 

 same evening, about seven o'clock, 

 a circumstance took place at Bas- 

 ford of the most daring description; 

 for, while three soldiers were in 

 the house of one Wm. Barns, to 

 protect three frames, a party of 

 Luddites entered the house, and 

 immediately confined the soldiers ; 

 and while two of the party stood 

 sentry at the door with the soldiers' 

 muskets, ethers demolished the 

 frames; and, when the mischief 

 was done, the muskets were dis- 

 charged, and the soldiers liberated, 

 the depredators wishing them a 

 good night. 



On Monday evening tZiree more 

 frames were broken in the same 



village, 



