Important business came thick and fast upon all the magistrates
of the western counties of England; for, though parties were very
nearly balanced, and the prompt, vigorous, and judicious measures
of the Whigs--somewhat unconstitutional as, perhaps, they were at
times--overawed the Tories or Jacobites, and kept down any open
outbreak, yet positive information was received, if not of a
thoroughly organised and widely extended plot, at least, of an immense
number of smaller and detached conspiracies, which only wanted time
and opportunity to unite and co-operate. Exeter itself was but little
tainted; but in nearly all other parts of Devonshire, in Dorsetshire,
Somersetshire, and Gloucestershire, nightly meetings were held, at
which some of the most influential persons in the county were present,
and the very small body of troops quartered at Exeter were
insufficient to perform the duties cast upon them in the neighbouring
portions of the country.
The arrival of Captain Smallpiece, and the account which he gave--not
a very accurate one--of the surprise of his party and the rescue of
his prisoners, called forth a burst of anger and disappointment from
the more bustling and vehement magistrates, and somewhat alarmed even
the more prudent. Nothing was talked of but sending a larger force to
scour the country and re-capture the young Earl of Eskdale and his
companion, and proclamations were proposed, offering a great reward
for his apprehension. In time, however, the counsels of the more
prudent prevailed. They represented to their brethren that there was
quite sufficient for the troops to do in several other directions;
that, if they sent a large force down into the comparatively wild and
scantily-populated district round Ale and Keanton, more important
parts of the county must be left open for the movements of the
disaffected, and many gentlemen whom it was desirable to secure would
have ample time to escape; while, if but a small force was sent, it
would only provoke a collision with the adverse peasantry, who would
probably gather in great numbers on the first signs of determined
hostility towards them. Captain Smallpiece had stated positively that
the inn had been invaded by between forty and fifty men; and, though
eager to go and take vengeance, he was desirous of having an effective
force with him, and, therefore, laid great stress upon the probability
of the number of opponents being increased.
General C---- made some allowance for exaggeration; but still he
represented to the very zealous justices that it would be much better
to let the effervescence in that quarter subside; and, by securing
every suspected person of influence who could be easily and rapidly
laid hold of, crush rebellion in the bud without any bloodshed.
"Take my word for it," he said, "when these poor misguided fellows
find there is no one to lead or to support them, they will resume
their ordinary occupations; and then, if it be judged necessary, the
leaders can be apprehended and punished. In the meanwhile, this young
Earl will either come in and make submission, or will fly beyond seas
again, and the latter would be no bad thing. You must remember,
gentlemen, you have proceeded somewhat sharply against him, upon
authority the value of which you know best; and, although government
considered it necessary to make sure of all suspected persons, and
render them impotent for evil, yet there is no desire on the part of
his Majesty or his minister, either to cram the jails with prisoners,
or to treat as traitors those not actually apprehended in arms."
These last words, which were taken as a rebuke, created a good deal of
ill-feeling, and roused a pettish spirit of resistance. None of the
magistrates judged fit to interfere with the actual movements of the
troops; but they insisted upon issuing a proclamation, offering a
reward for the apprehension of the Earl of Eskdale; and some
information which reached Exeter during that evening made them plume
themselves mightily upon their sagacity. Four men were sent out, two
in one direction, and two in another, to paste up the proclamations on
the doors of dwelling-houses and farms; and, in their tour round the
country, they obtained intelligence of a strange messenger having
passed across towards Exmouth, and of his having called at the farm of
Blacklands, where he asked particularly if the Earl of Eskdale was at
Keanton, and then inquired the way to Ale Manor, but without going
along the road pointed out. These tidings had scarcely been received
in Exeter, when intelligence came from Exmouth of the appearance of
this strange messenger in the town, of his having held communication
with several disaffected persons, of his selling his horse, which was
completely foundered by hard riding, and of his purchasing another,
with which he rode away over the downs towards Dorsetshire.
On hearing this, General C---- took a pinch of snuff, coolly
remarking--
"Then we shall, probably, soon hear more. He won't get to Colyford
uncaught."
Though he treated the matter lightly, to all appearance, the old
general did not regard the journey of this messenger as at all
unimportant. The persons and the places he visited, proved
sufficiently the object of his coming; and, by his arrest, it was
reasonably supposed that much information as to the feelings and
intentions of many persons might be obtained. The old officer was as
quiet as ever, but very active. He knew and understood well that the
apprehension of a single stranger, a mere bearer of letters and
messages, was a very different and much more simple affair than the
arrest of a nobleman in the midst of a tenantry who bore a feudal, I
might almost say, a clannish, affection to his house. A number of
couriers, armed, but in a civil garb, went forth from Exeter that
evening. They were not unsuccessful. The stranger was met with, just
crossing the border into Dorsetshire, by one of those sent to seek
him. He was a stout fellow, and armed; and the courier bespoke him
quietly. The stranger, however, was very uncommunicative, and showed
himself desirous of getting rid of all company; but the other pursued
him closely, and never left him till he could obtain assistance for
his apprehension. He was then immediately seized and conveyed to
Exeter, where, upon being searched, a great number of letters were
found upon his person, many of them in hands well known in the county,
and all of them bearing one peculiar address; namely--"To the General
commanding-in-chief for his Majesty." They were all broken open and
read without ceremony; and the man himself was then subjected to a
long examination, which revealed a great deal more, and gave point to
all the ambiguous expressions contained in the letters.
A change now took place in all the proceedings of the authorities at
Exeter. Persons, whose apprehension had been before a great object,
were now left to escape, or to act as they pleased, and immediate
measures were adopted against individuals who had been hitherto
neglected or unsuspected. Troops were called in from different
quarters, and marched in the most opposite directions; and many of the
good quidnuncs of the capital, when they heard of these movements
without understanding their causes, blamed severely the vacillating
conduct of the people at Exeter, and prognosticated a general rising
in the west.
For a dull chapter, this is long enough. The consequences of all these
proceedings will be seen; and, in the mean time, we will go to matters
of more individual interest.