A serious disturbance has occurred at Bradford, in consequence of
an attempt to introduce the Poor-law into that town and neiehbourhood. A correspondent of the Times has furnished that paper with a detailed account of the affair, evidently written with is strong bias against the law and Mr. Power the Commissioner. The Morning Chronicle gives what we suppose may be taken as the Commissioner's version of the proceedings. The facts as stated by the latter journal are as follow ; and in the main they are the same as those given in the Tin es.
" The Board of Guardians of Bradford assembled (on Saturday last,) in the performance of their duty, to meet Mr. Power, the Assistant el mmissioner; when a mob was dimmed against them by the agitators, and a riot got up, in which the Assistant Commissioner was assaulted. There heiny no adequate constabulary Arse in the toren a small body of the MetropoPran Police was sent down to protect the Guardians from further outrage. The agitators or the offenders, whose conduct was to be watched, naturally denounce d the Police as spies, and appear to have made preparations for a greater n ob. These proceedings rendered it necessary to call in the military to protect the Guardians at their meeting. On Monday, they assembled itn, er the pro- tection of a detachment of cavalry, and proceeded to the clew tion of the officers of the Union. They completed their business in a very firm and most praiseworthy manner, in the face of a mob who pelted the soldiers with stones. The soldiers, we are informed, conflacted them- selves with great fabearance. The Board, having concluded is business, broke up, and the Guardians retired under protection. The Clerk of the Union remained in the Courthouse to finial, has business. After the business was believed to have been over, and the military had retired, a ruu it base and cowardly attack was made raisin this officer by the mob, who had been incited agaiust him by a placard written by one of the agitators. The Court. house, where he was transacting his business, was surrounded ; and it w s with great difficulty the mob was prevented from forcing their way in. The military returned to rescue him front his jeopardy, and were escorting him ow; y, when the mob, emboldened by previous forbearance, threw stones, and closed in upon the party. The latter new }bond it necessary to act ; and about :c elve of the rioters were wounded, two of them seriously. Three were app., headed and committed for trial. Great praise is due to the Guardians and in the Magic.. trates for the firmness with which they acted."
According to the statement in the Times, the soldieN v ere intoxi- cated whoa they were ordered to clear the streets. "The Ilassits were ordered to clear the streets ; and 11 ivin:1 keen primed with meta stall', even to intoxication, away wmt her Maj,-dy's ounted ser- vants, sward in hand, or carbine oil the cock, through crowd: .d inoffensive men, women, and children, tiring lure, cutting there, :tad over every- whare• Cuts were received by many ; several have boon sbfe. and probably some mortally ; sad all this has Inset done to a COMIlltinity WI., or tea years have never rioted, never insulted their Magistrates, but lioncurA decisious and respected their waudates! " The wattle are, of course, very sulky and angry; and declare they will he "sold up," rather than pay poor-cess.
[The season of the year does not seem well chosen for the introduc- tion of a system which must cause no slight degree of hardship to mul- titudes, vehemently prejudiced against it. A law which can only be enrol red with the 04,i:stance of dragoons is not suited to the present condition of the people, for whose benefit it is intended. Perhaps it would be best to abstnire for some time from all attempts to introduce the law into districts where such strenuous and succeseftd efforts have been made to misrepresent its object. In reading the account of the disturbance. two other observations occur. First, that when the military are culled in, it appears very doubtful whether they ought not to net on the first appearance of riot, snub as would justify their in- terferetwe at all. The usual course is to encourage and invite the mob, by forbearattee, to alm-e and assail the military; who, when their turn Collies, act with more violence than is necessary, by way of taking re- venge for the insults and pelting.; they have endured. The second remark is, that an efficient rural police is much needed. Bradford and the vicinity have a population of photo forty thousand souls, and yet it was found necessary to send to London for constables. With a re- speetal.le constabulary force, there would have been no occasion to send
for the military at all, and the nlshcd might have been prevented.]
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