PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, AT. NO. 11, BOLT-COURT,

FLEET STREET.

1831.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

VOLUME 71.

GIFT OF

Bancro

VOL. 71.-No. 1.]

1315013

Bancroft Librar

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1ST, 1831.

HANGING OF ENGLISH LABOURERS.
I SHALL, under this head, put upon re-
cord the hangings that are now going on.
I shall not, except in the way of explana-
tion, make any remark, or state any fact,
from myself, and shall not venture on the
insertion of any private, or written com-
munication; but shall put on record
merely what I find in the public papers.
The trials are taking place by SPECIAL
COMMISSIONS; and a Proclamation
was issued before the trials began, offer-
ing a reward of a hundred pounds to any one
who should cause any one to be convicted
of some of the acts of violence; and FIVE
HUNDRED POUNDS in the case of
SETTING FIRE. But the best way is
to insert the Proclamation itself.

[Price Is.

fires), in case the person making such discovery shall be
liable to be prosecuted for the same.

And the Lords Commissioners of our Treasury are
hereby required to make payment accordingly of the said
re wards.

Given at our Court at St. James's, this twenty-third
day of November, one thousand eight hundred and thirty,
in the first year of our reign. God save the King..

Here, in the case of the setting fire, is
a freehold estate worth twenty-five pounds a
year; or, an annuity for life of about forty-
five pounds a-year, though the informer be
be from forty to fifty years of age, here is
only twenty-one years of age; and, if he
the worth of an annuity of a hundred pounds
Chelmsford, in Essex.
a year for life. The hanging began at

ESSEX.

AT CHELMSFORD, FRIDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE.
JAMES EWEN, a young man, having a wife and two
small children.

On Friday James Ewen, convicted of arson, and Thos.
Bateman, for highway robbery, accompanied with cir-
cumstances of savage barbarity, underwent the extreme
penalty of the law in front of Springfield Gaol. Ewen, it
will be recollected, had been found guilty of setting tire
to the barn and stack of Mr. Sach, farmer, at Rayleigh.
The circumstantial evidence to connect him with the fact
was very slight, but the principal witness, a man named
Richardson, who had been imprisoned as an accessary to
the crime, swore that the prisoner had, unsolicited, told
him at the same time to join him in firing another stack
him, after the fire, that he was the perpetrator, and urged
belonging to Mr. Blewett, the next evening. Richardson
WILLIAM R-Whereas great multitudes of lawless and stances subsequently transpiring to cast suspicion upon
was known to be a notoriously bad character, and circum-
disorderly persons have, for some time past, assembled his evidence, the most strenuous exertions were made, by
themselves together in a riotous and tumultuous manner, a number of the most respectable_inhabitants, to save
in the Counties of Wilts, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants, Ewen's life, but without success. Ewen protested his in-
and Berks; and for the purposes of compelling their em-nocence, in the most earnest manner, up to the last mo-
ployers to comply with certain regulations prescribed by ment, though he freely confessed that in his life he had
themselves, with respect to wages, have had recourse to been guilty of many offences. His wife and two children
measures of force and violence, and have actually com- took their farewell of the unfortunate man a few days
mitted various acts of outrage in different parts of the previous, and his brother was admitted to him on the
counties above-mentioned, whereby the property of many morning of his execution. No commiseration was excited
of our good subjects has, in several instances, been wholly for Bateman, who had robbed and cruelly ill-used an
destroyed, and their lives and properties are still greatly old man, upwards of 70, by stamping his head into a ditch,
endangered:
inches in the mud. About nine o'clock, after leaving the
and crushing his ear off which was found buried six
chapel, the culprits ascended the platform, Ewen with
great firmness, and Bateman discovering much agitation.
Upon placing the rope round Ewen's neck, it was found
to be too short, upon which he observed, "It's rather a
tight fit." The halter was obliged to be spliced, and
while this was accomplishing, Ewen remarked to a per-
son who stood near, "It's rather cold standing up here."
The ropes being adjusted, the bolts were withdrawn, and
the prisoners were launched into eternity. They strug-
gled very much.-The general impression amongst the
Magistrates was, that Ewen was innocent.-London
Morning Advertiser of 27th Dec.

We, therefore, being duly sensible of the mischievous
consequences which must inevitably ensue, as well to the
peace of the kingdom as to the lives and properties of our
subjects from such wicked and illegal practices, if they go
nished; and being firmly resolved to cause the laws to
be put into execution for the punishment of such offend-
ers, have thought it by the advice of our Privy Council,
to issue this Proclamation, bereby strictly commanding all
Justices of the Peace, Sheriffs, Under-Sheriffs, and all
other Civil Officers whatsoever, within the said counties
of Wilts, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants, and Berks, that
they do use their utmost endeavours to discover, appre
head, and bring to justice, the persons concerned in the
riotous proceedings above-mentioned.

And as a farther inducement to discover the said offend-
ers, we do hereby promise and declare that any person or
pessous who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be
discovered and apprehended, the authors, abettors, or per-
petrators of any of the outrages above-mentioned, so
that they, or any of them, may be duly convicted thereof,
shall be entitled to the sum of Fifty Pounds for each and
every person who shall be convicted, and shall also receive
our most gracious pardon for the said offence, in case the
person making such discovery as aforesaid shall be liable
to be prosecated for the same.

KENT.

EXECUTION OF THREE INCENDIARIES AT MAIDSTONE.—

John Dyke, otherwise Field, and William and Henry
Packman, brothers, were executed on Penenden Heath,
on Friday. The first had protested his innocence of being
concerned in the fires; but the two latter, who are quite
boys, eonfessed their guilt. A troop of Scotch Greys at-
tended, for fear that any disturbance should take place.
Henry Packman addressed the crowd, and accused Bishop,
who gave evidence against him, of having instigated him to
burn the ricks, &c. No disturbance took place.-London
Morning Chronicle of 28th Dec.

And whereas certain wicked incendiaries have secretly
by fire, in many parts of the said counties, destroyed the
corn, bay, buildings, and other property of our subjects, we
do bereby promise and declare, that any person or persons
who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be dis-
covered and apprehended, the authors of the said fires, so
that they or any one of them may be duly convicted
I shall, by and by, collect all these trials
thereof, shall be entitled to the sum of Five Hun- together, with as full an account as I can
dred Pounds for each and every person who shall be get of all the circumstances relating to
so convicted, and shall also receive our most gracious
pardon (except the actual perpetrator of any of the said each.

B

WM. COBBETT,