CHHONIC LE. 



191 



who was casually present, when 

 he drew a pocket-pistol, and dis- 

 charged its contents into IMr. P's. 

 body. 



The leading lioters, seizing all 

 tiie lire-anns in the shop, uiarch- 

 ed on into the city, and as they 

 proceeded through Chea])sidc, 

 loaded and dischaiged their pieces. 

 They were not ^ery numerous, 

 but appeared desperate, and bent 

 upon mischief. On arriving at 

 the Royal Exchange, they entered 

 it in marching order, and were 

 there met by the Lord Mayor, 

 Alderman Sir James Shaw, and 

 a strong party of police. AVhen 

 the greatest part of the rioters 

 had passed thiough the opposite 

 gate of the Exchange, all the 

 gates were closed, by \shich 

 means three persons possessed of 

 plundered arms were seized and 

 taken into custody. Their com- 

 rades on the outside in a rage at- 

 tempted to burst open the gates, 

 and not able to effect this, they 

 fii'ed over the top of the gates at 

 the Lord IMayor and his part)-. 

 A fresh force arriving to his I^rd- 

 slup's assistance, they mwed ofl 

 towards the Minorics, with the 

 dangerous purpose of obtaining a 

 large supply of fire-arms at the 

 gyn-smiths' shops in tliat street. 

 Two of these they broke open 

 and pillaged of a number of arti- 

 cles, among which there were 

 two small brass field-pieces. It 

 appears that through some want 

 of intelligence or co-operation in 

 the regular authority, the rioters 

 were suffered to keep possession 

 of this jjart of the town for a 

 considerable time ; but the parties 

 of soldiers, and the civil jiower, 

 were coUectuig around, and were 

 placed for the defence of all thoit 



places where serious hazard might 

 be apprehended ; so that, in fact, 

 the tumult, daring and alarming 

 as it might seem, was wholly in- 

 adequate to endanger the safety 

 of the capital. The rioters, find- 

 ing themselves incapable of any 

 important operation, began to 

 disperse in detached bands, which 

 employed themselves in petty mis- 

 chief in different quarters ; bvit 

 the evening and the night were 

 rendered tranquil by numerous 

 patroles of horse, and all disorder 

 subsided with the day. 



It appears certain that tliis in- 

 surrection, as it may be teiined, 

 had no connection w 1th the politi- 

 cal meeting .at Spafields, though 

 it took advantage of the occasion 

 to collect its numbers. Whilst 

 the outrages were beginning, Mr. 

 Hunt and his as.sociates were 

 exercising their oiatorical powers 

 upon the assembly which staid to 

 hear them, and inveighing upon 

 tojiics calculated, indeed, to in- 

 flame the public discontents, but 

 not passing the usual limits of 

 populai' declamation. 



5. A few days ago a servant in 

 the occupation of Mr. Chambcr- 

 lin, of Kempston, Norfolk, ad- 

 ministered a large portion of hel- 

 lebore to three horses, iu\der an 

 idea of making their coats look 

 fuic. The animids soon evinced 

 the mostalarming symptoms, such 

 as violent foaming at their mouths, 

 ebullitious in the tlu'oats and sto- 

 machs, shaking and trembling, 

 &c. No antidote could be found 

 to such a destructive medicine, 

 and they died in great agony. On 

 Sunday last, the same circum- 

 stance occurred to three beautiful 

 horses belonging to Mr. Stanford, 

 of Litcham, in the liame county 



but 



