American Annual Register

several wounded, and order was ceeded from house to house, warning the inhabitants to retire ; and the houses, after being pillaged, were set on fire with a regularity and coolness which rather resembled the execution of a judicial sentence, than the lawless acts of a riotous mob.

restored for the night. The next day, the troops were withdrawn and the mob soon re-assembled and completed the plunder of the inansion house. Like a ferocious animal which has once tasted blood, the mob became now excited beyond the power of control. They had the hardihood to attack the military, and no magistrate being present to direct their proceedings, the troops were withdrawn by their officers, after firing in self defence, by which many of the rioters were killed and wounded. They, however, continued to press upon the soldiers until they had retired to their quarters, and the populace were assured by Colonel Bereton, their commander, that the 14th regiment should be withdrawn from the city.

This reign of anarchy lasted. the whole of Sunday and Sunday night, during which 42 dwellings and stores were pillaged and burnt. Carts laden with plunder were passing to and fro during the whole of the night, and it was not until Monday morning, when the rioters were wearied with rioting, and the thieves satisfied with plunder, that the citizens and the magistrates recovered from their panic and came forward to restore the city to order.

The troops were then called upon to clear the streets; and, exThe mob now considered that asperated as they were by the they had achieved a triumph over appearance of the city, they exthe constituted authorities, and ecuted their orders with unwonted they set about realising the fruits severity. Upwards of one hunof their victory. The Bridewell dred were killed and wounded by and gaol were first broken open, the military, besides many who the prisoners released and the perished in the flames from the buildings burnt. The Gloucester buildings being ignited before the county prison shared the same work of pillage was wholly comfate. The mansion house, cus- pleted. After order was restortom house, excise office, toll houses, and the bishop's palace, were next doomed to the flames; and finding that the deliberate destruction of the public buildings met with no resistance from the municipal authorities, or the substantial inhabitants of the place, (who all seemed paralysed by fear;) the rioters began to plunder and destroy indiscriminately the dwelling houses of the citizens. A small band, chiefly of boys, pro

ed, measures were taken to search out the plunderers and the plunder, most of which was found restored to the owners. Many of the rioters were also arrested and committed for trial. This specimen of the character of the English populace was not well calculated to create a high impression of their fitness to exercise the elective franchise; the riot was felt to be a most unfortunate occurrence, as well for

the cause of reform, as for the exasperate the demand for recharacter of the city of Bristol. form into a call for revolution. Both parties endeavored to turn The privileged orders stood on the event to their own purposes. the very brink of destruction. The Tory press sought to make The cordial agreement between the government responsible for the course of the ministry and the the whole affair, which it imputed wishes of the people, alone preto the encouragement given by vented a collision between the the ministers to the political un- contending parties that must have ions; while the whig papers, with proved fatal to the government better reason, charged it upon the itself; and the resistance of the contemptuous disregard of the aristocracy was only tolerated, national wishes by the anti-re- because it was regarded as an formers; the defiance of the obstacle, that in the nature of popular feeling by Sir Charles things must be speedily withWetherell in openly entering Bris- drawn. tol without taking proper precautions to preserve order, and the culpable indifference and pusillanimity of the official authorities of the city.

The government, upon the first information of the disorders, took the necessary measures to restore tranquillity to the city, and to preserve order in the adjoining districts, where a similar spirit of insubordination manifested itself upon hearing of the Bristol riots. With some exertions, the supremacy of the laws was maintained.

An indication not to be misunderstood, however, had now been given of the temper of the mob and of the danger of its ascendancy. It was too obvious, that the lower classes, both in town and country, were ripe for revolution; because revolution would bring confusion, and with it, the opportunity of plunder. The middling classes were resolved on reform, and further resistance to the national will might

The reform in the House of Commons must accordingly be looked upon as a settled event; and whenever it shall be consummated, a change will have been effected in the British constitution at least equivalent to a revolution in the character of the government.

The government must, henceforth, be representative in reality as well as in name. Its policy, both domestic and foreign, must faithfully reflect the opinions of the people of England; and its ministry, naval, colonial, and ecclesiastical establishments must be squared to their ideas of expediency. How this will operate upon the policy and interests of other nations, are questions which can be solved by time alone; but it requires but little of the spirit of prophecy to foretell, that a revolution is commencing in England, whose consequences will be momentous to more than the inhabitants of the fast-anchored isle.