94] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



southern part of Staft'ordshire 

 was particularly uffectcd by this 

 melancholy I'liango ; and the most 

 lamentable accounts were trans- 

 mitted of the state to which the 

 working people of the populous 

 village of Bilston were reduced, 

 being rendered totally dependent 

 on parochial lelief, the funds of 

 which were inadequate to pre- 

 eerve them from absolute famine. 

 A body of men intinuitely con- 

 nected with the iron factories, 

 were the colliers, whose labours 

 were nearly susijcnded from the 

 same cause. Some of these re- 

 sorted to a mode of obtaining re- 

 lief from the public, occasionally 

 practised in hard times — that of 

 drawing loaded waggons of coals 

 to distant towns, for the purpose 

 of exciting commiseration. A di- 

 vision of these wandering i>eti- 

 tioners approached the mctrop(»- 

 lis ; but their advance was pro- 

 perly inteicepted by the police, 

 through the appiehension that 

 their ap})carance might be at- 

 tended with tunmlts, and they 

 were sent back with admonition, 

 and a gratuity. The same re- 

 ception was given them on their 

 march to otliei" capitals ; for al- 

 tiiough tliey jneservcd due deco- 

 rum of behavioui', their mendi- 

 city came within the notice of 

 the vagrant la, vs. 



For the most part, the sufferers 

 in t!ie iron manufactories bore 

 their hardships with due resigna- 

 tion, and weic grateful for the 

 charital.'le exertions made for theii' 

 relief. In the great works of 

 South Wales, however, especially 

 those in the vicinity of that new 

 creation of art and industiy, 

 Merthyr Tydvil, large bodies of 

 discarded workmen assembled in 



a tunuiltnous manner ; and were 

 not restored to order without mi- 

 litaiy interference, joined with 

 such conciliatoiy measures as pre- 

 vented any considerable mischief. 

 In the other districts of the king- 

 dom which partook, some of them 

 largely, of the declension of ma- 

 nufactures, the public tranquillity 

 was rarely disturbed. The hand 

 of charity was liberally extended 

 to the relief of distress ; and 

 plans were adoj)ted in many places, 

 for supplying the want of usual 

 employment by ru'^v undertakings 

 of public utility In the metro- 

 polis, large subscriptions .were 

 entered into for relieving the nu- 

 merous [)oor, who were reduced 

 (o the niost urgent necessity by 

 tlie faihue of demand for the silk 

 manufaclurcs in Spitalfields, as 

 well as by the loss of various other 

 sources of employment ; and in 

 almost CAcry parish contributions 

 were raised for enlarging dona- 

 tions without additional burthens 

 upon the poor-nites. 



In a state of society so preg- 

 nant v\ith calamity, it is not sur- 

 prising that the jiublic mind was 

 disposed to complaint and dis- 

 content ; aad that, in meditating 

 upon the source of the existing 

 evils, every defect in the system 

 of government, how remotely 

 soever connecteil with the mass 

 of present misfortune, was studi- 

 ously bi'ought to view. ^Ve have 

 seen, that in the great coimcil of 

 the state, the inmicnse load of 

 debt and expen.se entailed on the 

 nation loused an active spirit of 

 economy, whicli subjected to a 

 rigorous scrutiny every demand 

 upon the })ublic purse not justi- 

 fied by utility, however sanctioned 

 by the laxity of former times ; 



and 



