When the necessity of calling in the troops became evident, two Magistrates made the best of their way to the head-quarters of Colonel Brereton. They did not find him there, and proceeded immediately to Fisher's stables. But the troop of the 3rd dragoons would not move without the Colonel's orders. Shortly after, Colonel Brereton came in, when the extreme danger of the Recorder was urged, and the order was given to proceed to Queen-square, at a trot. On their arrival, "some of the rabble addressed the Colonel, but what they said was not heard; the Colonel then took off his hat and cheered, as also, from a sense of military etiquette, did the officer in command of the 3rd, and some of the men; but which condescending example (says the military narrative in the United Service Journal) was not followed by the 14th."

The houses in Queen-square having courts before them, the mob took possession of these as secure places, from whence they pelted the soldiers. It was thought proper to clear them. One of the officers of the 14th had marked a respectably dressed person very active in giving orders to the mob, and pursued him into a court, riding in after him. The man was very abusive, and the occupier of the house came down and took part with the rioter, and joined in ordering the officer out of the court. In less than four-and-twenty hours that house was burned to the ground. Such is the reward of a relinquishment of manly duty, and the gratitude of ruffians!! And such is the safety to his property that a bad citizen will ensure by his base concession to the demands of a revolutionary rabble.

G

At every stage of the riotous proceedings, instances occurred which completely refute the assertion, that the mob acted wholly from momentary impulse. The fact we are about to quote, shews that the mob were on the look-out for the means of revolutionary resistance, against any attempt to counteract their operations, and that they had well considered the efficacy of those means. Captain Morley, of the trow Weekly Packet, of Stroud, states, that on Saturday, the 29th October, he took on board, with various other goods, a quantity of oil of vitriol: that about eleven o'clock at night, a number of men, most of them Irishmen, came from Queen-square to his vessel, then lying on the Back, and demanded that he should deliver to them a carboy of vitriol. He addressed himself to one of the men whom he recognized as having been employed during the day in loading the vessel, and asked him what they wanted the vitriol for. He said, to throw over the horses in Queen-square (the 14th). The captain told him the vitriol was under the fore-deck, and that they could not come at it without discharging the trow. They said, as there was plenty of room right and left (meaning overboard) they would not be long unloading her, and were about to commence, when they heard the approach of the 14th, who were on their way to the Back to light the gas lamps which had been put out. They left the trow, and ran under the Market-house, and commenced throwing stones at the 14th. In the mean time, the captain of the trow found assistance, and hauled off his vessel to the middle of the Float; and on the return of the scoundrels they could not board her.

It may be proper here to give some details of the escape of Sir Charles Wetherell. It will be recollected that the populace were prevented from firing the Mansion-house by the timely arrival of the soldiers; they had obtained a short possession of the lower part of the house, and had thrown a quantity of straw into the dining-room and parlour, and were calling for lights; they were in such force that they had driven the constables to the staircase, which was raked with missiles from the front door and the side windows.

It was now evidently the intention to make sure of their victim, by burning him alive within the Mansionhouse. Nor were the ruffians deterred from the attempt by any consideration of destruction, in the same ruin, of the Magistrates and constables. The sacrifice was ordered. At this alarming crisis there was great confusion, every one being aware of the imminent danger, and dreading a devouring enemy from whom no exercise of courage could save them. The Recorder succeeded in getting upon the flat roof of a portion of the diningroom, which had been added to it for the purpose of increasing its size. Two other individuals had also

taken refuge there. This was a position of great danger, for there was apparently no means of exit, and had the mob then rushed in, they would all probably have been murdered. The Recorder challenged the two persons, "All friends?" "We hope all are friends here," was the reply; "are you the Sword bearer?" Sir Charles Swordbearer readily made himself known to them. Looking upwards, they observed a light, and one of the party with great difficulty climbed up, and seeing through a window in the next house a female in a state of great alarm,

he called to her, and enquired if she had a ladder in the house; she replied in the affirmative, went away, and shortly returned with the ladder; but here was another difficulty, the ladder could only be placed in a slanting direction, by no means easy to be ascended. But in this they succeeded, and were now on the roof, that which there was a considerable drop to the stables which were at the back. They, however, descended in safety; and endeavouring to get into the hay-loft by breaking the window, the coachman was alarmed, and ran out from the stable, thinking the rioters were breaking in. On opening the stable door the mob rushed towards it; but the man prudently stepped in and closed the door. After some time, finding all quiet, he went into the hay-loft, and was told his master was there. The window-frame was soon taken out, and the party got into the stable. The mob at this time had been driven from the front, and were in great number in Little King-street, at the back of the Mansionhouse. After a while the coachman looked out and reported the mob were diminishing. Upon this Sir Charles effected an exchange of dress with one of the persons he had met on the leads, and instantly made arrangements of terms, suitable to his apparent condition, to be used towards him in the presence of the mob; and thus, with a low familiar name, he left the stables with one of the persons abovementioned; the other followed shortly after. At the end of Kingstreet, they met a large party, which, by means of the dialogue before agreed upon, they passed without exciting suspicion. They proceeded along the Quay, over the Drawbridge, and arrived in safety at a house on Kingsdown.

After remaining there a short time, Sir Charles expressed great anxiety on the Mayor's account, and in consequence left the house and returned to the city; he passed along the Quay, and remained in that quarter nearly two hours; when, finding the mob were not dispersed, and that the military were inactive, he remarked, that it would be useless for him to wait any longer, and he returned to Kingsdown; which he afterwards left in a chaise for Newport. He arrived at Newport between two and three in the morning. It has been reported in the Papers that the innkeeper spoke disrespectfully of Sir Charles; but it would be injustice to Mr. Giles to suffer this account to pass uncontradicted. It has not the slightest truth. The post-boys had informed the servants that it was the Recorder of Bristol who had arrived. These acquainted Mr. Giles, who was in bed; he arose immediately. Sir Charles sent for him, and conversed with him half an hour, nor was there the slightest disrespect shewn. Sir Charles expressed his fears that the disturbance in Bristol was more than a common riot, for, added he, "I am not aware that I ever injured any individual in the city."

It certainly is not a little extraordinary that the Press, both in and out of London, as if they were in the pay or under the influence of those who contrived the riots, should have taken so much pains to direct the public odium against Sir Charles Wetherell. It cannot be asserted, with any pretence of reason, that it was because he had said there was a "re-action" in the public opinion on the Reform Bill, for he was neither the first or last that had made that assertion. Will that circumstance then satisfactorily account for the hue and cry set