76 STATE OF PARTIES. [1813. 



out, and in some places did considerable execution 

 among the rioters, many of whom were killed. But 

 such proceedings, far from putting a stop to the out- 

 rages, had rather a tendency to make the rioters pause 

 in their system of machine-breaking, and resort to acts 

 of personal violence. Thus, a Mr Trentham was shot 

 by two ruffians in passing from his manufactory to 

 his house ; Mr Horsfall, a large manufacturer, was 

 shot dead from behind a wall as he was returning 

 home from Manchester with many outrages of a like 

 nature. 



Late in the autumn, the Government began to take 

 some notice of these violent proceedings, and before 

 the end of December a special commission was sent to 

 York, to try such of the Luddites as had been taken 

 up and committed by the magistrates. It was my 

 fate to be retained on the part of some of the accused 

 parties, and accordingly I proceeded to York at 

 Christmas. After the trials were over I wrote as 

 follows to Lord Grey : 



TO EARL GREY. 



"YORK, January 12, 1813. 



"DEAR LORD GREY, I am just setting off, as the 

 business here is finishing. They are now passing 

 sentence on the convicts. 



" There have been several acquittals since I last 

 wrote, and several convictions ; but as the facts were 

 clearly proved of outrages, &c., the results of the trials 

 were only interesting to the individuals, and could 

 prove nothing more than whether they had or not a 

 share in acts clearly proved to have been committed 

 by somebody ; therefore I need not trouble you further 



