XLIII. 1848. CHAP. glittering helmets and drawn swords, the mob gave way, and the squadron arrived at the spot where the conflict had taken place. The sheriff then addressed them in a few words, saying, if the soldiers had been to blame, they would be punished, and if the people had been to blame, they would be punished in their room; but, in the mean time, they must leave it to the law, and return home. The mob saw they were mastered, gave three cheers, and dispersed. cess. 129. * The speedy suppression of this insurrection gave the Good effects greatest satisfaction to the Government and the country, of this suc- as it was the first occasion on which the fidelity of the military and spirit of the people had been put to the test after the shock of the French Revolution had supervened in a time of such general and hazardous distress. It soon appeared of how much consequence it was that the rioters had been prevented from gaining success in the outset. It turned out that the Radicals in all the manufacturing towns of the west of Scotland-Paisley, Greenock, PortGlasgow, Dumbarton, Airdrie, Kilmarnock, Hamilton, and Ayr-only awaited the signal of success in Glasgow * The collision which terminated in this tragic result would have been prevented, had it not been for the same circumstance which occasioned the conflict of the military with the Cato Street conspirators in 1820, already recounted, chap. x., § 46, note. This was the different meaning which military men and civilians attach to the words, "ready to turn out at a moment's warning." The magistrates and sheriff had requested the commanding officer at the cavalry barracks "to have a squadron all day ready to turn out at a moment's warning ;" and at ten o'clock, hearing of the meeting on the Green, they sent to say they were immediately required, and that the chief magistrate and sheriff would meet them in front of the court-house on the Green as soon as they could come. Thither they went accordingly; but the military did not come up till eleven, and when they did so, the party immediately set off at the gallop across the Green, but, in the interim, the collision took place, and the discharge was heard just as they were entering the streets of Calton. The delay was owing to the military understanding by the words, "ready to turn out at a moment's warning," to have the horses saddled, and the men armed and told off, but nothing more, which, of course, left the necessary operations of bringing out the horses, mounting, telling off by threes, and the like, to be done after the orders to move were received, which took half an hour. Nothing could exceed the promptitude, spirit, and humanity displayed by the whole military, both horse and foot, when they did arrive; and the Author, who witnessed it all, has great pleasure in bearing public testimony to the service they rendered to their country on this distressing occasion. XLIII. 1848. to have risen in insurrection, and commenced pillage; and CHAP. as the whole military in the south of Scotland had been concentrated in Glasgow, it was not easy to say how the disturbances could have been suppressed. The conduct of the military at Glasgow, however, showed that they could be relied on; and the spirit evinced by the better classes in that city, during the crisis, when eleven thousand special constables tendered their services in twentyfour hours, demonstrated how sound the real strength of the nation was at heart. Numerous arrests by the police took place during the day immediately following the outbreak, and above a hundred were soon in custody, embracing all the ringleaders, of whom twenty-four were selected for trial, and afterwards sentenced, at the Spring Circuit, to various periods of transportation and imprisonment, from twenty-one years of the former to twelve months of the latter. It did not appear, from the evidence adduced at the trials, that there was any project of altering the frame of government in the minds of the leaders of the outbreak, but only a desire to turn the general suffering and strong excitement produced by the French Revolution to the best account in carrying out 1 Personal the projects entertained by a comparatively small body knowledge. of desperadoes intent on general plunder. 1 ment of the surrection. Disturbances, but of a much less formidable descrip- 130. tion, occurred in London, Manchester, and Edinburgh, Commencesoon after receipt of the intelligence of the French Revo- Chartist inlution, but they were suppressed, without the interposition of the military, by the activity and efforts of the police. The truth was, that the Chartists and Radicals were not at the moment prepared to make the most of that great change; the convulsion fell on them, as it had done on all the world, wholly unexpectedly, and when in a state of entire want of preparation. But by degrees, they became sensible of the immense advantage which that astounding event gave them, when coinciding with the poignant and general suffering which existed both in Great Britain and the neighbouring island; and a general 1848. CHAP. revolutionary movement was organised in all the three XLIII. kingdoms. With this view, and in order to furnish a pretext for the great assemblage in the metropolis, by whom it was to be effected, a Chartist petition was got up in all the manufacturing districts of England, which the journals of that party boasted had 5,000,000 of signatures affixed to it; although, as afterwards appeared, there were not half the number. It was sufficiently bulky to evince, however, the great pains which had been taken in getting it up, as well as the numbers who, in this period of general suffering, thought they would escape from their distresses by adopting Chartist principles; and great anxiety was felt in the country, and no small terror in the metropolis, when the period for presenting the 1 Ann. Reg. petition arrived. The 10th April was the day fixed on by the Chartist leaders; and few more memorable are recorded in British history.1 1848, 50; Chron. The Chartist petition prayed the House of Commons only to adopt the six points of the Charter, which, as already mentioned, were annual parliaments, universal suffrage, vote by ballot, equal electoral districts, paid members of Parliament, and no property qualification. But the designs of the leaders went a great deal further, and aimed at nothing less than achieving all their objects at once and by force. For this purpose, it was proposed to assemble in great numbers on Kennington Common, on the south side of the Thames, and return from thence over Westminster and Blackfriars' Bridges; and, after uniting, to move in a dense mass up Parliament Street to the House of Commons, where the petition was to be presented by as many as could force their way in. In the terror of the moment, it was expected Government would not venture to make any resistance; and, if they did, it was confidently hoped that the troops would not second them in the attempt. Once in possession of the hall, a republic was to have been proclaimed, as in Paris, when the mob broke into the legislative body, and a Provisional Govern XLIII. 1848. ment appointed. Deputies from all the Chartist associa- CHAP. tions in the kingdom were to be on the spot, besides all those from the metropolis and its vicinity in person; and 1 Ann. Reg. it was confidently expected in all the manufacturing towns 1848, 51; of the kingdom that the evening telegraph would bring April 11. intelligence of the overthrow of the Government.1 Times, prepara ions in the Govern ment. In this eventful crisis, the conduct of Ministers was 132. at once prudent and resolute, and they were admirably Vigorous seconded by the spirit and courage of all the better classes in the metropolis. Some days before, a proclamation was issued setting forth the act 13 Charles II., which forbids "more than ten persons to repair to his Majesty, or either House of Parliament, upon pretence of presenting a petition, at any one time," and warning all persons" not to attend, or take part in, or be present at, any such assemblage or procession." At the same time it was announced that no opposition would be made to the constitutional right of meeting, nor to the proper presentation of the petition; but that any attempt to pass in return in an organised procession would be stopped by force of arms. As this was the point upon which it was expected the Chartists would insist, great preparations were made to resist it; and, under the personal direction and superintendence of the Duke of Wellington, they were at once of the most extensive and judicious description. Strong bodies of police were stationed at both ends of the bridges over the Thames, especially Blackfriars', Waterloo, and Westminster, by which it was expected a passage would be attempted from Kennington Common to the House of Commons; and in the immediate vicinity of the northern end of each, large military forces, with cannon, were stationed, concealed in the mean time in yards and houses, but ready to appear at a moment's warning, and entirely commanding, from the windows and roofs, the whole length of the bridges. Two regiments of the line were in reserve at Milbank Penitentiary; twelve hundred infantry at Deptford Dockyards; and thirty pieces of heavy field-artillery were ready at the VOL. VII. 2 A XLIII. 1848. CHAP. Tower, to be shipped instantly on board armed steamers lying at the quay, and conveyed to any part of the metropolis where they might be required. The Guards, horse and foot, were all under arms from three in the morning, stationed out of sight in Scotland Yard, the great area of the untenanted Rose Inn Yard, in Bridewell, at the HorseGuards, Buckingham Palace, and other points of importance at the west end. The public offices in Parliament Street, Somerset House, and in the City, were filled with musketeers; and the Bank of England, besides being strongly occupied by infantry, had all its windows closed by loopholed barricades and sandbags, and some pieces of light artillery placed on the roof. In addition to this, no less than 170,000 special constables were organised in different parts of the metropolis, under the guidance of the first in rank, and the highest in station, by whom they had been previously exercised. In one detachment, commanded by the Earl of Eglinton, appeared as a private a man bearing a name destined to future immortality, PRINCE LOUIS NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. Many officers of rank hastened to the Horse-Guards to tender their services to their old chief on this crisis, among whom was the Marquess of Londonderry, who, though in infirm health and advanced years, was there at daybreak, to bring the aid of a chivalrous heart and experienced eye to the service of his country. The Duke was never absent from his post during either the preceding night 1 Ann. Reg. Or the whole day. The Queen, with the characteristic 52; Times, courage of her nature and race, was most anxious to April 11, have remained and faced the danger in person; but the Ministers justly thought the chance was too hazardous, 1848; Per- and she was prevailed on, much against her will, to ledge. remove, with Prince Albert and family, two days before the 10th, to Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight.1 1848, 51, 1848; Morn ing Post, April 11, sonal know When the eventful day arrived, nothing remarkable was observed in the metropolis except an unusual stillness and vacancy in the streets. Not a soldier was to be seen; few |