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    ANTI-CATHOLIC PROCLAMATION RIOTS AT STOC...

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    THE ANTI-CATHOLIC "PROCLAMATION." The fo...

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    Election Matters. London. City.—The Radi...

    entry into the city on Tuesday night . His committee of 500 electors , and about 8000 people , received him at the railway station , and , with a large number of new silk banners , conducted him through the city . The windows were generally crowded , and his reception was certainly very enthusiastic and flattering . He addressed an immense mass of people from his committee-room in St . Sampson ' s-square . He strongly urged the Liberal party to unite to return two Reformers .

    SCOTLAND . Edinburgh . —The canvass on behalf of Mr . Macaulay is nearly finished , and the result is said to foretel his election . The secretary of the Scottish Reformation Society has addressed a letter to Mr . _Macaulay , inquiring whether he is prepared to support a bill for the repeal of the Maynooth Grant . The following is the reply : — " Sir , — -I must beg to be excused from answering the questions which you have put tome . I have a great respect for the gentlemen in whose name you write , but I have nothing to ask of them ; I am not a candidate for their suffrages ; I have no desire to sit again in Parliament ; and I certainly shall never again sit there , except

    in an event which I did not , till very lately , contemplate as possible , and which even now seems to me highly improbable . If , indeed , the electors of such a city as Edinburgh should , without requiring from me any explanation , or any guarantee , think fit to confide their interests to my care , I should not feel myself justified in refusing to accept a public trust offered to me in a manner so honourable and so peculiar . I have not , I am sensible , the smallest right to expect that I shall , on such terms , be chosen to represent a great constituent body . But I bave a right to say that on no other terms can I be induced to leave that quiet and happy retirement in which I have passed the last four years . —I have the honour to be , & c . " ( Signed ) T . B . Macaui ,-VY . "

    The Honourable J . C . Bruce , a brother of the Earl of Elgin , has come forward as a Tory Free-trader , and fifth candidate for this city . It is said that the Tories do not constitute above a fifth part of the electors of Edinburgh , and that they are divided upon the question of Protection .

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    Anti-Catholic Proclamation Riots At Stoc...

    ANTI-CATHOLIC PROCLAMATION RIOTS AT STOCKPORT . The archives of the Home Office must , by this time , contain sanguinary records of the first fruits of the Derbyite Anti-Catholic Proclamation . A riot , or , rather , several riots , have arisen out of it . The scene is the streets of Stockport ; the combatants are English and Irish workmen , —the former inflamed by the Processions Proclamation , and the latter exasperated by it . But , from all we can gather , we believe that the animosity of the two parties has long gone on in secret , and that the proclamation has only acted as the breath which fans a smouldering fire into a conflagration . Stockport bus long been celebrated for its Sunday schools , and for a number of years both the Protestants and Roman Catholics have been in tbe habit at

    Whitsuntide , or shortly after , of parading their children through the streets on one Sunday—the Protestants generally on Whitsunday , and tbe Roman Catholics us soon after as convenient . Tbis has been permitted to tbe Roman Catholics without molestation for thirty years ; but within two years a " Protestant Operative Society" has sprung up within its boundaries , and tbe spirit which has been evoked by their labours seized at once upon the occasion for display afforded by the recent proclamation . The _Poniun Catholic schools announced their intent ion of walking last Sunday , and the Protestants directly reminded them of the

    proclamation , and in such terms as to indicate the worst of feelings . The procession took place , however , and was peaceably conducted , _u body of Irishmen , four abreast , marching in front as an advance , and others accompanying it as a side guard . If is said that many of those who formed the guard were strangers . There were in the procession a few crosses , but little display of any other kind ; no canonicals , no guild dresses , no banners . Sunday night passed off with quietness , but on Monday tbe breach of the proclamation formed the subject of conversation in the town , and af night a party of Irishmen unil Englishmen meeting ut a publichouse , the Bishop Blur / . e in tbe Hillgute , out of which

    what may be termed the Irish district brunches , and getting from words to blows , the Irish ran into _Johnstreet and Edward-street , and got a reinforcement from their countrymen . Tho English also sought support , and in the end the Irish \ vcre thrashed , and many very ill-treated . The discomfiture of tbe previous night soured the temper of the Irish , and , smarting under it , ho far as can be at present ascertained , they assembled about twenty minutes past six in Chostcrguto , in close proximity fo another of their quarters , and soon a number of lads proceeding forward made an utlack with stones upon a party of ten or twelve young men , who repelled them , and drove them back into _Lordstreot . At a turn in that afreet , the lads gave u _sig-

    Anti-Catholic Proclamation Riots At Stoc...

    nal , which resulted in the rapid appearance of a body of men , armed with the most indiscriminate weapons , —pokers , pieces of chairs , sticks , and even sickles arid scythe-blades . The young men and those who had joined them , on seeing the first skirmish , ran back closely pursued ; but having escaped their pursuers , sent two stones through Alderman Graham ' s windows , in St . Peter ' s-square ( a surgeon distinguished for the strong support he gives to Protestant principles , as that phrase is understood by the " Evangelicals , " ) and then turning off to St . Peter ' s Church school-room , they broke all the windows in it , and damaged the building .

    Returning to Alderman Graham ' s house , they finished the work they had begun . The Protestants had in the meantime assembled , and coming down in force upon them , at once commenced an attack , which was of the most fearful description , the two parties fighting with the utmost fury . The result was , that the Irish were beaten back to their residences , but still continuing the fray , even at their own doors , and ( it is said ) ascending to the roofs of their houses , to pitch missiles from thence upon their assailants , their houses were broken into , and the men searched after with an eagerness which could be only equalled by a victorious soldiery

    sacking a town . In some places the assailants ascended to the tops of houses , unroofed them , and gained an entrance by that means ; and in numerous houses not a single vestige of furniture remains beyond small pieces of earthenware and fragments of shelves . In Rock-row yesterday ( Wednesday ) morning the street was covered some inches thick with a mixture of flock and chaff , which had formed the beds of the unfortunate residents , and in several houses there are evident indications that attempts had been made to set fire to them .

    The doors were battered in and broken—the windows denuded of frames , lead , or glass , and in one instance the greater part of a wall has been razed to supply the missiles for the fearful onslaught . There was , however , a clear discrimination , and amid the devastation several houses remained untouched , upon the doors of one or two of which , on Wednesday morning , there was chalked the expressive word " England , " in large letters , as if the inhabitants were fearful of another attack , and had adopted that mode of securing themselves .

    The fury of the mob was not confined to Rock-row , however ; parties were detached while the m _& lee was proceeding there , and went up to the Roman Catholic chapel of St . Michael , a place not far off ' , and here their proceedings were of the thorough iconoclastic order . The first attack there was upon the windows , which were broken in a very short space of time , and then getting into King-street , the mob broke in the front door , another section doing the same by a side door in Princes-street . Uniting tbeir efforts inside , they went at on fie to the altar , and destroyed the tabernacle with all its furniture , including candlesticks , figures of Christ ,

    the Virgin , St . Peter , St . Patrick , and St . Joseph . The whole of the altar , with the exception of the base , was destroyed . Next the pews were pulled down and thrown into the streets ; the seats in a large gallery shared the same fate , and an organ , worth about 50 / ., also fell a sacrifice . When the lawless mob evacuated the place , little more remained standing than the four walls . A valuable chalice , understood to be of the value of some hundreds of pounds , presented recently to the chapel by a French nobleman , was an object for which much search was made , as the mob had some

    idea that it was kept in the chapel , but . fortunatel y it was safe in tho house of the Rev . Robert Foster , M . A ., the priest , who resides not fur off . About the time the first attack was made on the chapel , a body of boys proceeded into Mersey-street , and were heard consulting whether tbey should not break into Mr . Poster ' s house , which is situate in the street , but they were diverted from their purpose by two men , who assured them they were mistaken in the house ; and after appearing irresolute for a short time they departed , the rapidity of their movements being accelerated by the approach ol a party of the 4 th Infantry .

    The same scenes were enacted at Edgloy , with the addition that there they entered the house of the priest , the Rev . Randolph Firth , who escaped mid-treatment by getting upon the roof of the house . They turned the furniture into the streets , and set if , on fire in front , of the chapel , where it continued to burn for some time . The police of Stockport un ; only a limited number , about eleven regular , under the superintendence of Mr . Saddler . Hut , on Tuesday nig ht ; two were ' off , one at Derby and one confined at bona ; . Mr . Saddler at first seems to have calculated that the disturbance was

    of _u character such as had taken place on the Monday night , and that it would settle as the other had done ; but , finding that it did not , he collected his force , and went to quell it . Of course , his small force was quite _iuHuiliciout , and he culled out tho fire brigade to aswist ,

    Anti-Catholic Proclamation Riots At Stoc...

    and at the same time he sent for the magistrates to take steps for quelling the riot . They soon assembled , and having ascertained its alarming character , the Mayor , Mr . John Boothroyd , Mr . P . E . Marsland , Sir R . Pendlebury , Dr . Turner , and Mr . T . _Eskrigge , proceeded at once , and read the Riot Act , the Mayor performing that duty , the police arming themselves wifcli cutlasses . They also obtained the assistance of sixty men of the 4 th Regiment of Infantry , and by their aid all was quieted by about eleven o ' clock . The police , in the meantime , proceeded to make arrests , calling to

    their assistance a number of the young men of the town , and , in addition to those who had been taken by them , they had apprehended 109 , of whom 66 were wounded , some fearfully on the head and face . One of these , an unfortunate Irishman , whose name is not precisely ascertained , but who is called Darby Scahan by some people , died of his wounds in the cells of the police-office , having received a fracture of the skull and a cut on the head about four inches long , and into the cause of this man ' s death the coroner is to open- an inquiry . He appears to have been killed by a blow from a pitchfork .

    The prisoners were kept in the Court-house , where they were attended to , requiring the services of not fewer than six surgeons to ' dress the wounds they had received . On Wednesday morning the magistrates , with the mayor at their head , sat at the Court-house , and had the prisoners brought before them . A more ghastly sight it is scarcely possible to conceive . Several of them had their arms in slings , and had been beaten until their flesh could scarcely be touched , and tbeir features witnessed to the silent endurance of physical pain . The heads of others were bound up in handkerchiefs , and the majority of the rest were plastered on the forehead and the nose , and several had their shirts saturated with gore . Against a large number witnesses were produced , who swore that they saw

    them throwing stones , or fighting with hammers , scythes , spades , sickles , or other deadly weapons ; and they were remanded to Friday . Against a great number , however , no evidence was forthcoming ; the persons who had given them in charge not having come up . That they had been in the rows was unquestionable , from the marks that were upon them , but thenaccusers not presenting themselves , they were discharged on their own recognisances to keep the peace , and to appear when called on . Three of them were among the party wdio sacked one of the chapels . Several declared that they had only come into the town that day , and were dragged out of their beds , and some who had severe cuts were among those who had thus unluckily made a first entrance into the arena of strife at Stockport .

    _T he greatest excitement prevailed in the town during tbe day ; but the magistrates took precautions to keep the peace . Anticipating an invasion of Irish from tbe neighbouring towns , the magistrates called in still further reinforcements of military , on Wednesday , and infantry and dragoons were accordingly posted at various points . A notice was issued , requesting beer-shops to close , and the public to leave tbe streets after eight o ' clock . The beer-shops closed , but the people swarmed in the streets . During the night , there were some smart personal encounters between English and Irish . T 3 esidos which , attacks were made on the houses of unoffending Irishmen , their doors and windows were smashed , they themselves beaten , and their pr _^ _icrty destroyed . Tho town was quiet on Thursday .

    The Anti-Catholic "Proclamation." The Fo...

    THE ANTI-CATHOLIC "PROCLAMATION . " The following letters relative to this matter have been recently published : — _Edfdmston , TJiriiiin _^ liinn , June IH , 1 H 52 . Sitt , —As a Royal proclamation has appeared in tho _Jjondon Gazette , in which all whom it may concern are solemnl y warned against a violation of the act of IO George I . V ., by which Roman Catholic , ecclesiastics and members of any of the religious orders , communities , or societies of the Church of . koine , bound by monastic or religious vows are forbidden to exercise any of tho rites or ceremonies of the Roman Catholic religion , or wear tho habits of their order , save within the usual placets of worship of tho kouiiui Catholic religion , or in private houses , 1 take tho liberty of requesting information on a question arising out of it , in which 1 am much int . nroNl . ed .

    It is now four years since , under legal advice that tbey were not , breaking any law , and without any apparent _, scandal ami annoyance to tho population , corluin _Itouuin Catholics , ecclesiastical and lay , have ordinarily appeared in flat streets of Mirmingham and in the neighbourhood in cassocks and cloaks . I beg to be allowed to inquire whether the recent proclamation is directed against this practice as well as against tho processions of which it distinctly liiukcs mention , no that if Ihey continue it thoy are in danger of being proceeded against , as disturbers of the public peace ? 1 am , sir , your obedient servant , ( Signed ) John If . NicwmaN . To tho Ili | i ; lit Hon . H . Wulpole , one of her _Miijoaty ' _t . JL _' riuuii . it ! _tivvKVtmfou *> f tiUxUs ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), July 3, 1852, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03071852/page/6/