Forest of Rossendale. 325 



which were running, and stopped the machinery by knocking out 

 the boiler plugs, thus allowing the water and steam to escape. The 

 object of the rioters was to provoke a general uprising of the 

 operatives, for the purpose of compelling the Government to yield 

 by force what they seemed unwilling to concede to milder 

 measures. It was "an attempt on the part of the Chartists to stop 

 all work until the Legislature should concede the doctrine of 

 universal suffrage in the election of the House of Commons." {e) 



This was a period of dire and appalling distress, and as usual 

 the cotton manufacturing districts suffered most severely. The 

 correspondent to the Liverpool Mercury, speaking of this neigh- 

 bourhood and places adjacent, writes : 



" This part of the country is in a deplorable state, for hundreds 

 and thousands have neither work nor meat. They are daily 

 begging in the streets of Haslingden, twenty or thirty together, 

 crying for bread. Meetings are held every Sunday on the neigh- 

 bouring hills, attended by thousands of poor, hungry, haggard 

 people, wishing for any change, even though it should be death. On 

 Sunday last a meeting was held on the hills near Accrington, and 

 tlie persons present, it is said, covered an area of 4420 square 

 yards of ground. They stood very near together in order to hear 

 the speakers, who were stationed in a waggon in the centre of the 

 ground, so that calculating six to the square yard, there must have 

 been 26,000 persons present. The speakers, ten in number, were 

 very violent, advising their hearers never to petition Parliament 

 again, but to be determined to have a redress of grievances 

 immediately. Resolutions to that effect were put to the meeting 

 and carried unanimously. The people say they are determined to 

 have their just rights, or die in the attempt, and say they will 

 neither support delegates nor conventions, for present relief they 

 want, and present relief they will have before another winter makes 

 its appearance. They say they might as well die by the sword as 

 by hunger." 



(e) " Lancashire and the Cotton Famine," by Dr. Watts, p. 32. 



