176 THE SQUIRE AMONG HIS NEIGHBOUES. 



cavalry were called out, and fierce battles were 

 fought in tlie iron districts, where tlie rioters some- 

 times took refuge on cinder heaps, which supplied 

 them with sharp cutting missiles. In 1795 the 

 colliers and iron- workers being in a state of com- 

 motion, were only prevented from rising by assur- 

 ances that gentlemen of property were disposed to 

 contribute Kberally to their relief, and thousands of 

 bushels of Indian corn were obtained by the Squire 

 and others from Liverpool to add to the grain pro- 

 curable in the neighbourhood to meet immediate 

 necessities. A meeting of gentlemen, farmers, mil- 

 lers, and tradesmen was held at the Tontine Hotel, 

 on the 9th of July in that year, to consider 

 the state of things arising out of the scarcity of 

 corn and the dearness of all other provisions, at 

 which a committee was formed for the immediate 

 collection of contributions and the purchase of 

 grain at a reduction of one-fourth, or 9s. for 

 12s. Mr. Forester at once gave notice to aU 

 his tenants to deliver wheat to the committee at 

 12s., whilst he himself gave £105, and agreed 

 to advance £700 more, to be repaid from the 

 produce of the corn sold at a reduced price. Such 

 were the wants of the district, the murmurs of 



