Sir,
We have received the favour of your Letter of the 10th Feby. and are happy to find that what we said to the Lord Lieutenant respecting the expenses of temporary accommodation of military parties in the Villages where no quarters could be had, has met with Mr. Ryder’s approbation; and if his Grace does us the honour to confer with us upon the subject of any further expences, we will use our best discretion on the Subject and in any doubt we will take occasion to refer ourselves to you. Nothing is known here of any framebreaking this week in any part of the County, nor of any other disturbance, respecting which both ourselves and officers have been particularly vigilant today — as Shrove tuesday has by long custom been a day in which the common people have collected themselves together in great numbers and indulged in violent and boisterous sports, especially about the Forest. But nothing unruly of that sort has occurred today.
We have heard frequently of Col. Eyre’s bill - of which a Country Magistrate gave us a sight for a short time this morning ~ and so well as we could judge in a cursory view of it — we cannot help remarking,
That five Justices to be got together to judge that the measure is desirable; The subsequent convening of the whole body by the Clerk of the Peace; The summons of persons to attend on a future day; and afterwards hearing Appeals, would be attended with a delay which in most instances will be very detrimental to the Object, and in some would render it useless.
Perhaps these objections (if founded) would in some degree be avoided, if it were enacted that the Justices of the Division upon any Appearance of disturbance should forthwith assemble and if they judged it expedient, put the provisions of the Act into immediate execution — And if it were judged that this is too great a power to be vested in the hands of a partial Sessions — these proceedings might be subject to a revision of a General Session to be convened within fourteen days by the Clerk of the Peace.
We take the liberty of saying this as it respects the Arrangements of the proposed bill. Whether this mode of Watch and Ward is the best calculated to answer the end in view, in a Country and town circumstanced as this is we should have been very doubtful, had it not received the concurrence of a body of Gentlemen much better able to judge of the subject than we are.
We are [etc.]
N. Conant
Rob Baker
P.S. Wedny. 8 o’clock. This being market day if anything had occurred in the Country last night it would have been known here. We have the satisfaction to say still that all parts are quiet.
As you desired for our statement a distinct acct. of the silk frames – we must still correct ourselves in that respect. The frames actually in use for silk stockings have been never an object of the framebreakers malice and those broken may be supposed to have been by mistake.
What were called Silk frames in our statement were constructed as such but actually in use for fine cotton at the time.
This letter can be found in HO 42/120.
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