Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/119

Rh so great crouding at the door and stairs, that six of the common people were trampled to death, and many others bruised.

The assizes at Lancaster ended, when many capital offenders were tried. On the first day of the assize an account was received of prodigious riots and tumults in and about Manchester; that near 10,000 manufacturers had left off working, and entered into a combination to raise the price of wages by force; that large sums of money were collected, and paid into the hands of some of the leaders, for the maintenance of the poorer sort while they refused to work; that they insulted and abused such as would not join in the combination; that incendiary letters were disperfed, and threats of vengeance denounced against all who should oppose them; that business was at a stand, the magistrates were afraid to act, and every thing seemed in great confusion. Lord Mansfield adapted part of his charge to the importance of the occasion, and the grand jury, upon strong evidence, singled out 17 or 18 of the ring-leaders, against whom they found bills of indictment; after which they unanimously joined in a request to his lordship to give them in writing that charge, the effects of which they had so powerfully felt upon themselves, and which, if made public, they had reason to hope would be equally felt by others in this critical period; but whether this request was complied with, or not, is not said.

A captain of a privateer was taken into the custody of the marshal of the admiralty, near the Royal Exchange, on an information for committing several outrages on neutral vessels in the British channel.

Came on at the high court of admiralty before Sir George Lee, Knight, several trials with regard to Dutch and Danish ships taken by our privateers; and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court, that their cargoes were French property, four were condemned as lawful prizes; and the court gave orders that the freights of three of them should be paid, and the ships set at liberty; but a Dutch vessel taken by the Hawk privateer, and carried into Gibralter, had both ship and cargo condemned; she is a very valuable prize.

Richard Houseman of Knaresborough, was committed to York castle on suspicion of murdering Daniel Clark, of the same place, shoemaker, about 14 years ago: the discovery was remarkable. Some workmen digging about St. Robert's Cave near Knaresborough, found the remains of a body, which they supposed to have been murdered; and as Daniel Clark had suddenly disappeared, and was generally thought to have been murdered, they imagined it might be his body, and therefore apprehended Houseman, and carried him before a justice, as it was recollected that he was one of the last persons seen in Clark's company. On his examination he said that the body found was not Clark's body, for Clark was buried in another place, which he mentioned, and accordingly the remains of another body were there found, on which he was committed as above. And one Eugene Aram was also committed on suspicion of being an accomplice.