40 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



[May. 



of the true faith and of divine 

 worship is propagated more and 

 more. 



The interests of the state and of 

 the church are now the same, and 

 require the apphcation of the same 

 principles. The bishops assert, 

 that in the present state of morals 

 religion is now more necessary 

 than ever. These great principles 

 having appeared to them to be 

 violated by the regulations of the 

 ^5th of November, they have laid 

 before his Majesty the observa- 

 tions contained in this memorial, 

 which may contain a doctrine too 

 exclusive, and manifest fears ex- 

 aggerated by zeal ; but which has 

 the merit of being written with a 

 moderation not always found in 

 writings of this nature. 



Birmingham. — On the 15th a 

 most destructive fire broke out in 

 this town, at the extensive mills, 

 called Water-street Mills, which 

 are situate by the side of the Bir- 

 mingham canal. In a few hours, 

 so violent were the flames, and so 

 extremely rapid in their extension, 

 that this vast pile of buildings, 

 which occupy a space of ground 

 as large as the Haymarket in 

 London, were entirely consumed. 

 The value of the property is sup- 

 posed not to be less than 200,000/. 



19. At an adjourned London 

 Session, the Academical Society 

 again applied for a licence autho- 

 rising them to discuss philoso- 

 phical, literary, historical, and 

 political subjects, in their rooms 

 in Chancery- Lane, which, after 

 some discussion, was unanhnously 

 granted. 



20. The investigation of the 

 murder committed at Pendleton 

 terminated on Wednesday last, at 

 the Hare and Hounds, Pendleton. 

 More than 40 witnesses were ex- 



amined : after which the jury 

 unanimously pronounced a verdict 

 of wilful murder against all the 

 four men, viz. James Ashcroft the 

 elder, James Ashcroft the younger, 

 David Ashcroft, and William Hol- 

 den. They were then severidly 

 brought up before the Court, and 

 being asked by the coroner if they 

 had any thing to say, and admo- 

 nished by him to be cautious in 

 what they advanced, they merely 

 asserted their innocence in gene- 

 ral terms, and were then com- 

 mitted to Lancaster Castle, to take 

 their trials at the next assizes. 



At the Norwich sessions held 

 last month, Mr. Steward Al- 

 derson addressed the grand jury, 

 and directed them *' to make a 

 full, diligent, and impartial in- 

 quiry into the matter, and to pre- 

 sent houses of seditious resort, if 

 they found any existed;" observ- 

 ing, that none had come to his 

 knowledge as a resident magis- 

 trate. The Grand jury instituted 

 the inquiry, and made this pre- 

 sentment thereon : — We copy it 

 verbatim from the Norwich paper. 



' ' We, theGrand J ury, summoned 

 to inquire for our Sovereign Lord 

 the King, have, in consequence of 

 the direction of the Steward, mi- 

 nutely examined the constables of 

 the various wards, who have ap- 

 peared before us, whether they 

 knew of any public or private 

 house in which meetings had been 

 held of a secret nature, in which 

 sedition was encouraged, or blas- 

 phemy or irreligion tolerated ; and 

 they have all reported that none 

 such had been held to the best of 

 their knowledge. We are also our- 

 selves of opinion that no such so- 

 cieties exist in this city." 



(Signed by the Grand Jury.) 



Upon 



I 



