the Vrabintes.
The Physical-force Chartists of Lancashire, the West Riding of York- shire, Nottingham, and Warwickshire, have signalized the punishment of Mr. Mitchel in Dublin by riotous disturbances. Drilling and arming have been going on in Leeds, Bradford, and Keighley, for some time past; and meetings at which banners with inciting inscriptions were displayed, and a great plenty of actual arms were worn, have been held in the open districts adjacent. Yesterday week, Thomas Kilvington and William Smith, two district leaders, were arrested by the police at Bingley, for drilling some "National Guards" there; and were taken before Mr. Blisfeild Ferrand, the former Member for Knaresborough. They were committed for trial at the next Assizes, and sent off to York Castle in the custody of two consta- bles. On the way to the station, a mob surrounded and nialetreated the constables, and carried off the prisoners to a blacksmith's workshop; where their manacles were filed off, and they were set at liberty. The same mob afterwards caught the Magistrate's clerk who had filled up the commitment, and used him with great indignity and violence; bolding him for some mi. nutes over the battlements of a bridge, and being not easily induced to let him escape without immersion in the canal. Other excesses followed on subsequent days. On Wednesday last, a concentration of police and mili- tary was effected at Bingley; and about twenty persons concerned in the rescue and the subsequent excesses were arrested and conducted under es- cort to York Castle.
At Bradford, the attitude of the Chartists became so serious on Saturday last, that four companies of infantry, two troops of dragoons, and two pieces of horse artillery, with equipments, were despatched thither from Leeds; and the local Yeomanry and Hussars were called out. Ou Monday morning, the Borough Magistrates issued a proclamation against tumultu- ous processions, and against drilling. They also organized a scheme for arresting David Lightowler and Isaac Jefferson, two influential leaders, who set the law and the authorities at defiance, from their strongholds in the small streets of Bradford near the Manchester Road. Lightowler was lately a member of the Chartist Convention in London; Jefferson, who is also called " Wat Tyler"—a man of vast strength and ferocious temper— is a blacksmith, and maker of pikes. Forty special constables set out on the mission of capturing these men early in the morning of Monday; but on coming to the houses of the offenders, they were set on by the whole population of the neighbourhood, with pikes, staves, and bludgeons. The constables fought stoutly for some time, but were overwhelmed; and every one of them was severely handled before they succeeded in breaking through the mob and escaping. They were driven a con- siderable distance in retreat, and the Chartists paraded the streets in triumph. Carrier-pigeons were flown from their quarter, in numerous flights. The authorities immediately set about asserting their real power. At four in the afternoon, the whole of the police force, followed by 1,000 special constables, headed by the Mayor and Magistrates, together with 200 infantry soldiers and two companies of dragoons, set forth to capture every person known to have been engaged in the morning's affray. The Chartists were not dismayed; but marshalled their forces, armed, at the entrances of their quarter, and crammed the streets with their men. The police, who were armed with cutlasses, and the special constables, made an onslaught; but were received coolly, and were repelled in disorder and confusion. In following their advantage, the Chartists somewhat opened their ranks, and the cavalry seized the opportunity to ride into the midst of them. The horses' legs were struck at, to unhorse the dragoons; and for some time the contest was confused and doubtful, the dragoons titling their naked swords with unwillingness. At last the Chartists were effec- tually broken and driven to flight; and the mounted special constables pressing on their retreat, a great number of them were detached and taken prisoners. The streets having been cleared, the houses were searched for arms, and many were found. Neither of the two leaders originally sought was secured. The constables were kept on guard, and some of the sol- (tiers under arms, the whole of Tuesday night; but no further disturbances occurred. William Sager, one of the rioters captured, has since been com- mitted for trial at York Assizes, on a charge of drilling. At Manchester, a great meeting of Chartists and Repeelers, in Stevenson square, was placarded for Wednesday. On Tuesday, news arrived there that tumultuous meetings had been held at Oldham, Stockport, Ashton, sua Mosley; and that bodies of armed men were to assemble at those owes and march to the meeting on Wednesday in Manchester. The au- thorities drew out the whole of their special constables on Wednesday morning, and a considerable body of military. They seized all the avenues to Manchester from the places mentioned, sod posted strong picquets of police at advanced points. A large force of constables drew up in Steven- ;cm Square; and the streets leading thither were cut by columns of men thrown across them, who kept them clear. In the afternoon, some bodies of men from Oldham, and other quarters, arrived at the outposts on the roads into Manchester, and in one instance skirmishing arose. But in the end the invading strangers turned their backs on Manchester, and went off to Newton Heath. Some rioting took place there; but it was put down by body of soldiers who hastened thither under Sir Thomas Arbuthnot. The populace of Manchester itself was not disorderly till the evening, when the worhpeople from the mills left their labour. Some tendency to insist on meeting in Stevenson Square was at first shown, and the police were hooted and pelted; but nothing more serious occurred, and by midnight there was perfect quiet.
In Birmingham, some attempt was made on Monday to get up a re- monstrant meeting; but the Mitchelites were few and unenergetic, and a shower of rain sufficed to cut short their proceedings.
The Bradford Chartist League have published an address condemning the outbreak of Monday; seven of the rioters in which have been sent to York Castle for trial at the Assizes. Seventeen of those arrested at Bing- ley have also been committed for trial.
The nomination of candidates for the representation of North Cheshire took place on Wednesday, at Knutsford. Mr. George Cornwall Legh and Mr. F. D. P..Astley having 'been, duly proposed and seconded, the show of bands was taken, and was declared to be in favour of Mr. Astley. A poll was demanded on behalf of Mr. Legh.
A very numerpus and enthusiastic meeting of the inhabitants of Bir- mingham, favourable to the creed of the Reform League lately founded there, was held in the Town-hall on Wednesday; Mr. Muntz, M.P., in the chair. A resolution was agreed to, that Lord John Russell had either greatly mistaken or greviously misrepresented the opinions of the people: another, that the Legislature be petitioned to amend the Reform Act, by giving a vote for any house or part of a house occupied six months, and for the others of the four Reform points.
An influential meeting in favour of financial reform was held at Liver- pool on Wednesday; the Mayor presiding. Resolutions were passed con- demning the present Government extravagance, and in favour of retrench- ment and a more direct system of taxation. The speakers were unanimous in uttering such remarks and sentiments as the following.
Mr. C. Holland made some practical criticisms on the present state of our affairs, with references to France. He denounced the practice of seeking new advances from the Bank of England to supply annual deficiencies; the annual levy of 18,000,0001. for war establishments ; the waste for Coburg mar- riages; the secrecy of the Miscellaneous Estimates; the numberless aristocratic State dependents; and the derisive insult of the people by the Premier. Par- tisanship he deprecated. It mattered not whether it were Sir Robert Peel, (as was not nulikely,) or whether it were the dogmatic Minister who now ruled. Mr. C. Robertson denounced the vile system of unmerited place, uncalled-for pensions, prurient commissions, and other glaring abuses of the State—the hangers- on of the Court, of whom he thought the Queen would be happy to be rid. The backhounds would be better attended to by some respectable groom than hy an aristocratic lord: it was a menial contemptible office. The war establishment absorbed the life-blood of commerce. It was frightful to see so many millions of mmey dancing mysteriously before a man's eyes. The number of Admirals ought to be sufficient for the two hemispheres and a few odd planets; the Generals were more general than special; and the Non-effectives were very decided tines. Then, there were attaches, who feasted and danced for the advantage of Great Britain at foreign courts. Mr. A. H. Wylie could not see the analogy between the Buckhounds and the Board of Trade which fitted one man for both; and he referred to the spectacle of Lord John Russell's brother sitting at the door of the House in which Lord John was the Premier. He compared our expenses per head with those of government ander the United States.
The Newcastle Journal reports that several ship-builders of Sunderland have given notice to their workmen of a reduction of wages from 24a. to 208. a week: some time since the rate was 27s. or 30s.
The iron-trade of South Staffordshire is much depressed: the make has been greatly reduced, and a fall in the price of 20s. a ton is expected at the 'text quarterly meeting.
The magnificent timber bridge, four hundred yards long, just completed over the river Usk on the fine of the South Wales Railway, was destroyed by fire on Wednesday. The timber was covered with pitch, and catching fire from an iron pw applied too near to a red-heat, it was burnt to the water's edge in a few hours, despite immense efforts of the railway labourers. The bridge had been insured by the contractors for 20,0001.: its retraction will take two years.
Two prisoners who were awaiting trial in Cardigan Gaol have effected their es- cape. With the leg of a bench they broke through a wall, climbed on to the roof, descended by a rope made of their blankets, got into a field, and thence clear off—though the prison is in the town and their flight was made during the day.
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