CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION. [From the Sunday Times, June 4.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 339, 1 November 1848, Page 3

CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION. [From the Sunday Times, June 4.]

For some time past meetings have been held in various parts of the metropolis, of Irishmen who are advocates for the repeal of the union, and also of the Chartists, and the resolutions arrived at have been to the effect that in the event of any punishment being inflicted on Mr. John Mitchell, who has now been sentenced to fourteen years' transportation, they would then rise en masse to request ' from the Queen of England his release. As soon as 'the news arrived in town, on Saturday, of Mr. Mitchells conviction, the various clubs assembled at their respective places of meeting, and at many of them it was agreed that the members should arm themselves'for a demonstration on Mouday evening. It was publicly proclaimed that a public meeting should be convened on the Clerkenwell Green, and that a procession should be -formed, but whither it was to march was a profound secret: Seven o'clock was the hour appointed for the meeting. About that time the leaders of the party appeared and took their stations in a van, there being from 3000 to 4000 persons present. Mr. Williams was called on to preside, speeches of a very violent and inflammatory character were delivered by several of the leaders, and after them the chairman called on the meeting to " fall to in marching order," an injunction that was instantly complied with, and with almost military exactness. Williams and the other leaders then descended from the van, and having taken their place at the head of the procession, moved •long St. Jobn-strtet, Goswell-street, down

Old-street-road, and along the City-road. On their way every street poured forth its inhabitants to join the moving mass. In the City road on its way to Finsbury-square, the procession received a large accession of strength, and on reaching that point where the City road and Finsbury square unite, the procession consisted of at least 7000 persons. In Finsbury-square they were joined by a large body from Stepney- green, where a meeting had also been held. The united body then proceeded through Chiswell-street, Smithfield, Holborn, King- street, and Long-acre, into Leicester-square, where they again halted. It will be readily imagined that so great a concourse of persons marching through the streets, most of them being armed either with bludgeons, pitchforks, or other dangerous implements, created very great excitement. Every street they passed added its quota to the stream, so that by this time (ten o'clock) it was quite impossible to estimate the numbers with any degree of exactness. After leaving Leicester-square the confederates proceeded up Princes-street, Compton-stieet, into Dean-street, Soho, to the Chartists' Assembly Rooms, where they were addressed from the windows by seveial persons ; but in consequence of the cheering and waving of hats, it was impossible to hear what passed, with the exception of a few words,' such as "Be firm !" " The time has arrived," &c. After the parties had addressed them they left the room and joined the procession, which then proceeded towards. Oxford-street. From this point they proceeded down Crown-street, Whitcoa.b-street, into-Trafalgar- square, where it was expected that some addresses would be delivered, and a general impression prevailed that it was their intention to go down to Buckingham Palace, but a strong body of police, which had been sent out under the command of Mr. Pearce, of Bow-street, refused to allow them to remain in the neighbourhood, so that the procession wended its way along the Strand, through Temple-bar, and down Fleet-street, and in as direct aline as possible to Finsbury-square, where they were addressed by the leaders, who intimated to them, that having been disappointed in their expectations that night, by circumstances which it would not iben be prudent to explain, they had resolved on dispersing the assembly, requesting at the same time that they would meet again on Wednesday evening.

ANOTHER AFFRAY WITH THE POLICE. On Tuesday night a considerable number of the Chartists met, according to previous arrangement, upon Cleikenwell-green, and, after the delivery of several violent speeches, the orators left the mob, to walk in procession, as they did the previous night. The intention of the authorities having been made known to the several parties, that the procession would be broken up at all hazards, had the effect of deterring the rabble from patrolling the public thoroughfares as they did on Monday night. Instead, however, of quietly dispersing, they continued to congregate on the Green, and for three or four hours the utmost noise and confusion prevailed. Some of the more mischievous amused themselves by throwing stones and groaning at the police. The landlord of the Dubl>n Stout Stores on the Green had a large sheet of plate glass, valued at <£4, demolished ; and several persons narrowly escaped from the repeated volleys of stones thrown amongst them. The police having received information of what was going on, a great number of mounted constables, with several sections of the foot, were ordered off to clear the Green. They had no sooner made their appearance than they were assailed with gtoans and hisses, and cries of "Down with the police !" &c. The mob was ordered to clear, but instead of so doing they set up a most hideous howl. The men were then ordered to clear the ground, and having drawn their truncheons they marched in amongst the crowd. Here the conduct of the rabble was most violent, and to get the crowd back the police were obliged to resort to violent measures. Several persons were knocked down by the police, and it is to be regretted that not a few through their own imprudence were severely injured, Notwithstanding that the police were understood to do all they could to clear the ground of the rabble, the parties resolutely refused to move beyond the end of the various thoroughfares, when all of a sudden the light caused by the fire at Whitechapel was seen in the air when the parties scampered off in hundreds, and in the course of a few minutes the place was completely cleared, and the police returned to their several quarters.

- DISTURBANCES ON WEDNESDAY. The threatened disturbances on Clerkenwell green and various parts of the metropolis on Wednesday night created the most intense excitement in the minds of the inhabitants of the various localities, A threat having been made at several of the Chartist and Confederate clubs, that thejr could, if any interruption were offered to their meetings, burn London in a few hours, the

commissioners of police sent notices to all persons in the districts of the several meet-, ings, requesting them to keep the gas turned off at the mains. From an early hour in the day the government officials at the War-office, Scotlandyard, &c, were engaged in adopting every precautionary measure for suppressing any outbreak that might occur. The parish church of Clerkeuwell (that place having been fixed upon for a demonstration) was filled with foot soldiers and policemen. The Session-house also contained nearly 1,000 policemen, and 800 Chelsea pensioners (all under arms). A large number of private houses on the Green were filled with special constables, who in the course of the day had been called on. During the whole of the afternoon small groups of Chartists, Confederates, and persons whose only object in being present was idle curiosity, continued to take up their quarters on the green. At about seven o'clock no fewer than 5,000 persons were present, but none of the leaders had arrived. At half-past seven o'clock two troops of Horse Guards made their appearance on the Green, over which they proceeded to St. John's-slreet, where they took up their quarters. One or two persons then addressed tha meeting, but their orations chiefly consisted of recommendations to cheer for Mr. Mitchell — for the repeal of the Union, and also exhorting them to join in shouting " Down with the police," " Three cheers for the soldiers," 11 Three cheers for a republic," " Down with the monarchy," and " No Queen." At a quarter past eleven the police had so far succeeded in clearing the Green, as to enable the military to be drawn off. This having been accomplished, and there appearing little chance of any further disturbances, the majority of the police were ordered back to their several stations. About 500 ordinary and 40 mounted were ordered to remain during the night. Cabs and special messengers were also kept iv readiness to convey any intelligence, if it were necessary to summon the authorities. It was generally reported on the Green, that in the event of an outbreak there, the signal was to be conveyed to the several clubs, and a geneial outbreak would then take place. ,

CHARTIST OUTBREAK AT BRADFORD. Bradford, Tuesday. — For some time past it has been known to the authorities of Bradford, Halifax, Bingley, and other towns in the West Riding, that the Chartists were arming and enrolling themselves in clubs, which they call " Life and Property Protective Societies," or "National Guards;" and that these clubs assembled both in and out of the towns for the purpose of being drilled in military evolutions by their commanders or " generals." Bradford has been the stronghold of these insane and seditious proceedings, and the Chartists of that town and neighbourhood have all along avowed their determination to shirk no conflict with the civil or military authorities, when the time came. On Sunday last an immense gathering of Chartists took place at Wilsden, a country village midway between Bradford, Bingley, Halifax, and Keighley, &c, where training and drilling were openly practised. From 2,000 to 3,000 men, armed principally with bludgeons, and preceded mostly by black banners with pike heads, marched in military array upon the ground, and went through various evolutions, preparatory to the commencement of the meeting. The determination was there expressed of resisting by arms any attempt on the part of the authorities to capture the leaders ; and the chairman told his followers that the infantry brought into the town would be a good job for the Chartists, as they could now arm themselves cheaply by disarming the military; "and as for us generals," he remarked, " the- dragoons' horses will just suit us, because, when we come to the struggle, then we generals must ride." There was no outbreak, but a great deal of seditious and treasonable language was employed by the various speakers. At the conclusion the assemblage, which had withstood the pelting of a terrific storm of thunder, lightning, and rain, maiched back to the respective towns in the same military order in which they came. Meanwhile, the authorities of Bradford had not been idle. Nearly 2,000 special constables, including men of all ranks, were sworn in ; the police were armed with cutlasses, and two companies of the 39th regiment of foot, two troops of the sth dragoon guards, and about thirty horse artillery, with two fieldpieces, were despatched on Saturday from Leeds,- and two companies of the 81st were ordered from Hull. The West Yorkshire Yeomanry were called out, and the Yorkshire hussars were also marched to the most advantageous points.

The first actual outbreak occurred atßingley, on Friday last, when two Chartist leaders where captured by the police, charged with drilling some " National Guards," and taken before Busfeild Ferrand, Esq., by whom they were committed to York Castle. As soon as this capture became known, the alarm was given, and upon the police attempting to convey their prisoners to the railway station, they were surrounded by two or three thousand persons, who dreadfully beat them, and rescued their prisoners, and they got clear off. Indeed, so emboldened were these parties, that one of the rescued men was a speaker at the Wilsden meeting on Sunday, and was vociferously cheered when be recounted the success of this fi;st little entente.

DISTURBANCES IN THE WEST RIDING. Leeds, Wednesday. — This* morning, shortly after seven o'clock, about sixty of the 52nd Regiment of Infantry, and about the same number of pensioners, arrived at Bingley, having travelled by a special train from Bradford. Nearly at the same moment two troops of the Yorkshire Hussars marched into the town from Otley. The immediate cause of the soldiers being marched into Bingley was in order to assist the civil authorities in the apprehension of a number of men who, on Friday last, rescued two prisoners named Thomas Kilvington and William Smith, who Mr. Busfeild Ferrand, late M.P. for Knaresborough, had committed to York Castle for training individuals in military movements. The military and the pensioners, with fixed bayonets, accompanied Mr.- Ferrand and some of the police to several mills and workshops, where sixteen men were apprehended, who are known either to have taken part in the rescue on Friday last, or to have been engaged in drilling. All the prisoners were conveyed to York Castle, where they were examined before the magistrate's on Thursday. The soldiers remain in the town, but no outbreak was apprehended. In Leeds all is quiet. The caution issued by the magistrates against drilling seems to have produced a good effect.

DEMONSTRATION IN MANCHESTER. Manchester, Wednesday. — The threatened demonstration by the Chartists and Repealers of this town has gone off just as every thinking person expected it would. The whole proceedings were prohibited by the authorities, who had, taken every precaution to prevent any outbreak or breach of the peace. For the last two days the police were on the alert, and this morning everything was in readiness. The mayor had issued prohibitory notices, and also a caution to all welldisposed citizens to keep within their houses. Up to the time of writing the town is perfectly tranquil, and there is not the least appearance of such a meeting having been in contemplation.