GENERAL HISTORY. 



[77 



the counties of Lancaster, Yoik, 

 Warwick, Leicester, Nottingham , 

 Cliester and Stafford ; and though 

 some of these, particularly the two 

 latter counties, may have been in- 

 cluded without any sufficient 

 ground, your committee see just 

 reason to apprehend, tliat a suc- 

 cessful insurrection at Manches- 

 ter would have been followed by 

 partial risings, to an alarming 

 amount, in each of the other 

 counties. Some preparations were 

 made for providing ammunition, 

 with a view to the arms, which it 

 was intended to seize. The exe- 

 cution of this plan was defeated 

 by the vigilance of the magistriitcs, 

 who being apprized of what was 

 in agitation, made a communica- 

 tion to the secretaiy of state, by 

 whom warrants weie immediately 

 issued, and the ringleaders, as- 

 sembled at Hardwick bridge, were 

 consequently seized on the ^2Sth. 

 The magistrates of iNlanchester 

 thereupon published an address to 

 the inhabitants, announcing the 

 danger, and calling u|)on the 

 householders to be sworn as special 

 constables, and to assist in pre- 

 serving the peace of the town. 

 This plan of the disaffected being 

 tlius discovered, and deranged, 

 they became more wary and 

 secret in their proceedings ; but 

 in the moment of disappointment, 

 declarations weie made, that it 

 would Ije impossible to prevent 

 the rising for a month longer. 

 The assassination of persons most 

 obnoxious to their resentment was 

 suggested by some of the most 

 des|)erate of the conspirators ; an 

 attack was made upon the house 

 of one of the magistrates ; the life 

 of another was threatened ; and 

 a pistol was fired into the liouse 



of a gentleman, who was acting 

 as a special constable. Shortly 

 after this period, it appears to ha^ e 

 been discussed, whether it woidd 

 not be more prudent to discon- 

 tinue the appointment of dele- 

 gates, and to rely only upon one 

 man in each tow n, who might call 

 the disaffected together a short 

 time before the intended insurrec- 

 tion, and seize on hoises, prepara- 

 tory to the attack on Manchester. 

 But notwithstanding this proposi- 

 tion, the same system of connected 

 operation by means of delegates 

 %vas indefatigably peisevered in. 



Delegates from jNIanchester, 

 Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby, 

 Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, llud- 

 derstield, and other jdaces in the 

 disturbed part of the country, 

 either constantly or occasionally 

 attended these meetings. Tlie 

 numbers assembled were not large, 

 but the activity was \mceasing ; 

 emissaries were continually pass- 

 ing from one of those places to 

 another, to compare their accounts 

 of tiie state of the pubhc mind ; to 

 foment the irritation among the 

 disaffected ; and to combine some 

 general plan of simidtaneoiis, or 

 connected insurrection ; the object 

 of which was, after ronsolidating 

 a suflicient force, to march upon 

 London, and there to overtuin 

 the existing go\einment, and to 

 establish a republic. Tlie same 

 designs were continued of attack- 

 ing the barracks, and depots, in 

 different parts of the country (one 

 of which was particularly iccon- 

 noitercd with that view) ; of plun- 

 dering the houses of noblemen 

 and gentleuicn, where arms were 

 supposed to be lodged ; of seizing 

 the magistrates, and keeping them 

 as hostages, and as authorities fur 



levying 



