130 ANNUAL REGISTE R, 1816. 



four wards wherein they are con- 

 fined, expelling by force the offi- 

 cers and turnkeys of the pi'ison 

 from that quartei' of the iiuilding. 

 Here they endeavoured to main- 

 tain themselves, and considerable 

 alarm for some time prevailed 

 lest they should force the passages 

 of the prison, and make their 

 escape : but Mr. Newman, the 

 keeper, having assembled all his 

 officers, several shots were fired 

 over their heads, and into differ- 

 ent parts of the yard, rather with 

 a \iew to create alarm among 

 them than to inflict anj' real in- 

 jury, wliich the Keeper was hu- 

 manely anxious to avoid ; and at 

 length they were driven out of 

 the yard into the upj^er part of 

 their wards, of which they re- 

 mained in possession, having torn 

 down the iron railing of the stair- 

 case, with the fragments of which, 

 and all that they could lay their 

 hands upon, they barricaded the 

 entrance to their wards at the top 

 of the stahs. The keepers ha\ ing 

 regained possession of the yards, 

 several shots were again filed up 

 the stairs, to intimidate and re- 

 duce the rioteis to reason, but 

 with no effect ; and Mr. New- 

 man thought that it would be only 

 risking the lives of his own ser- 

 vants if he sent any of them up 

 stairs to attack the convicts in 

 their retreats, barricaded as they 

 were and provided with iron bars. 

 One convict who ventured to 

 coine dow n from the up})er wards, 

 in order to lay hold of an iron bar, 

 was seized by the legs, anddragged 

 into the yard by the tuinkeys. 

 Mr. Newman, soon after the riot 

 broke out, procured the assist- 

 ance of the city marshalmeii and 

 a number of constables, whom he 

 so placed as to prevent the rioters 



from breaking prison, or escaping 

 in any Avay by the roof. He also 

 sent to the Lord Mayor and 

 Sherifls for instructions how to 

 act; but these gentlemen happen- 

 ed to be out of town. The watch, 

 the robbery of which had created 

 all this disturbance, was not dis- 

 covered ; and the convicts en- 

 deavoured to capitulate, by pro- 

 posing that they should be at all 

 times allowed to see their friends : 

 but the keeper declared that they 

 must implicitly submit to the re- 

 gulations on this head appointed 

 by the Magistrates and Judges. 

 At one o'clock in the morning 

 mattei's remained precisely in this 

 situation. In two of the Avards 

 all was silent ; but in the other 

 two there were lights, and the 

 convicts were seen pacing about. 

 About an hour before, a noise 

 was heard, as if they were en- 

 deavouring to break through the 

 wall towards the College of Phy- 

 sicians in Warwick-lane, but in 

 a short time the noise ceased. 

 Constables and officers were post- 

 ed in all parts where escape ap- 

 peared possible ; and it seemed 

 likely that the refractory would 

 soon be compelled to surrender 

 at discretion, as they had nothing 

 but water wherewith to support 

 their obstinacy ; while, if they 

 attempted to set fire to the pri- 

 son, they must feel that they 

 themselves would be the first vic- 

 tims. 



'26". The convicts luider sen- 

 tence of transportation, to the 

 numi)er of 140, continued in the 

 state of insurrection in which 

 our account left them, until si,x 

 o'clock on Monday morning. 

 The Lord Mayor, who had been 

 sent for express, arrived at two 

 in the morning j and after ex- 

 pressing 



