"Election by Ballot," "No Corn Laws." It was, unfortunately, not as peaceable a meeting as usual, for a constable was severely maltreated; in fact, nearly killed by some persons in the crowd.

The chair was taken by Sir Charles Wolseley, the "Legislatorial Attorney for Birmingham," who made a speech. He said " He was a most determined friend of the people, and should remain so while there was a drop of blood in his heart. He was proud to say that he had been at the taking of the Bastile in France, and would be happy to be at the taking of a Bastile in England. Were all hearts but as firm in the cause as his own, they would soon put an end to the present tyranny and corruption. They should be firm and united, for in a few weeks the struggle would be made and ended." 1

Harrison, whose arrest has just been recorded, but who had since been released, also spoke, and was reported to have said: "The House of Commons was the people's servants. It was as absurd to petition them as it would be for a master to petition his groom for his horse. . . . There was a barrier between the throne and the people which must be removed either by force from heaven or hell, in order that they might see whether a man or a pig was upon the throne. The united will of the people was sure to prevail. It was an axiom that could not be confuted." Several resolutions were passed, one of which was that Lord Sidmouth had been guilty of high treason. Both Sir C. Wolseley and Harrison were subsequently prosecuted for these speeches, and the prosecution is specially notable as affording a very early if not quite the first instance of the use of the word "platform" as applied to the place from which speeches were made. The Annual Register (1820, p. 909) reports the Crown prosecutor as saying, "At a particular house a platform had been erected upon which the leaders mounted." From this use of the word, the transition to calling the speeches Platform speeches was quite obvious and natural.

Meetings followed meetings quickly enough now, and the Government thought it desirable to make a move. Accord

1 These sentences are quoted because they were those selected afterwards as the grounds of a prosecution against both the speakers.

ingly, on the 30th of July 1819, the Regent issued a proclamation.1

"Whereas in divers parts of Great Britain meetings of large numbers of his Majesty's subjects have been held upon the requisition of persons who have, by seditious and treasonable speeches addressed to the persons assembled, endeavoured to bring into hatred and contempt the Government and Constitution established in this realm, and particularly the Commons House of Parliament, and to excite disobedience to the laws, and insurrection against his Majesty's authority; and whereas at one of such meetings (Birmingham) the persons there assembled, in gross violation of the law, did, as much as in them lay, nominate a person, to sit in their name and on their behalf in the Commons House of Parliament,” the people were solemnly warned against every attempt to overthrow the law, and all magistrates, etc., were charged to use their best endeavour to bring to justice all persons "who had been or may be guilty of uttering seditious speeches and harangues."

Proclamations do not make a law; this one had little effect, and there was no cessation of meetings. On the 31st of July there was a meeting at Huddersfield. It was addressed by a shoemaker and a weaver-into such hands had the political guidance of the people come, owing to the neglect of the higher or better educated classes, and their refusal to give the people their assistance, protection, or advice. Resolutions were passed recommending that the example of Birmingham should be followed. On the 3d of August a meeting was held at Birmingham in favour of reform, and it was resolved by some of the reformers that they should form themselves into a society to be called the Birmingham Union." At a meeting at Leigh, near Manchester, a few days later there was “a great concourse of the lower order of people"; and the authorities again apparently deliberately attempted to provoke a riot by arresting a man who was on the Platform, whilst the meeting was in full swing. The people, however, were irritatingly quiet and peaceable; "the officers took their man without opposition," as reported an eye-witness. Indeed, all the meetings 1 Annual Register, 1819, pp. 123, 124. 2 Parliamentary Debates, vol. xli. p. 251.

except that at Stockport passed over without any disturbance or violence, and afforded the Government no justification on that ground for again suppressing the right of meeting.

At last, however, the authorities succeeded in their oftrepeated attempts at provoking a disturbance, and so well contrived and carried out was their action that disturbance was inevitable. This was at the historic meeting at Manchester, celebrated ever after under the name of Peterloo.

Early in August the Manchester reformers determined to follow the example of Birmingham in electing a representative, and they issued a notice of a meeting to be holden for that purpose; but as the meeting was for an illegal purpose, it was prohibited by the local authorities—the magistrates— and the design was relinquished.

Shortly after, however, the reformers advertised a meeting for the 16th of August for an object the legality of which was fully acknowlegded-namely, "To consider the propriety of adopting the most legal and effectual means of obtaining a reform in the Commons House of Parliament," and they invited Hunt to come down and speak at it.

The meeting was attended by large numbers of persons from Rochdale, Stockport, Oldham, and other neighbouring places, as well as by the Manchester people, and among those present were many women and children. No arms were carried, and the demeanour of all was peaceable and orderly. From eleven to one o'clock various columns, some of them several thousands strong, arrived, marching in regular files of three or four deep, with conductors, bands, and flags; a blue flag. in silk, with inscriptions in golden letters-“Unity and Strength," "Liberty and Fraternity"; a green one, also in silk, with golden letters-"Parliaments Annual," "Suffrage Universal." Others with various other mottoes-"No Corn Laws, ""Let us die like men and not be sold like slaves.” There appeared also, borne on a staff, "a Cap of Liberty,-a handsome cap of crimson velvet, with a tuft of laurel, tastefully braided with the word "Liberty" in front; also among the number of flags an ensign with a bloody pike on it; and another, a black one, with the words "Equal representation or death." About 60,000 to 80,000 persons had assembled when Hunt, who was to preside, arrived. As soon as he could secure silence he began making a speech.

He referred to their previous meeting having been prevented, and said, "That those who had attempted to put it down by the most malignant exertions had occasioned them to meet that day in more than twofold numbers." He spoke a few sentences more. Then, as described by an eye-witness,1 "At this stage of the business the Yeomanry cavalry were seen advancing in a rapid trot to the area; their ranks were in disorder, and on arriving within it, they halted to breathe their horses and to recover their ranks. . . . After a moment's pause the cavalry drew their swords, and brandished them fiercely in the air; upon which Hunt and Johnson desired the multitude to give three cheers, to show the military that they were not to be daunted in the discharge of their duty by their unwelcome presence. This they did, upon which Mr. Hunt again proceeded (with his speech): "This was a mere trick,' he said, 'to interrupt the proceedings of the meeting, but he trusted that they would all stand firm.' He had scarcely said these words, before the Manchester Yeomanry cavalry rode into the mob, which gave way before them, and directed their course to the cart from which Hunt was speaking. Not a brickbat was thrown at them, not a pistol was fired during this period. All was quiet and orderly, as if the cavalry had been the friends of the multitude, and had marched as such into the midst of them. . . . Hunt and Johnson were forthwith arrested under warrants issued by the magistrates who were sitting in a house close by. As soon as Hunt and Johnson had jumped from the waggon, a cry was made by the cavalry, 'Have at their flags!' In consequence, they immediately dashed not only at the flags which were in the waggon, but those which were posted among the crowd, cutting most indiscriminately to the right and to the left, in order to get at them. This set the people running in all directions, and it was not until this act had been committed that any brickbats were hurled at the military. From that moment the Manchester Yeomanry cavalry lost all command of temper."

1 I have taken this account from The Times of the 19th August, which is the fairest and most graphic account available. The writer of it was present on the Platform or hustings, and he was arrested with "the reformers" by the police. For some further and most interesting details which show how completely the authorities were in the wrong, and how brazenly false was the account given by their friends, see The Times of 26th August, p. 2.

6

for

Bamford,1 who was also present, but in a different part of the meeting, has thus described the occurrence: "On the cavalry drawing up they were received with a shout of goodwill, as I understood it. They shouted again, waving their sabres over their heads; and then, slackening rein, and striking spur into their steeds, they dashed forward and began cutting the people. 'Stand fast,' I said; they are riding upon us; stand fast;' and there was a general cry in our quarter of Stand fast.' The cavalry were in confusion; they evidently could not, with all the weight of man and horse, penetrate that compact mass of human beings; and their sabres were plied to hew a way through naked held-up hands and defenceless heads; and then chopped limbs and wound-gaping skulls were seen, and groans and cries were mingled with the din of that horrid confusion. Ah, ah! For shame!' shame!' was shouted. Then 'Break, break; they are killing them in front, and they cannot get away;' and there was a general cry of Break, break!' For a moment the crowd held back, as in a pause, then was a rush, heavy and resistless as a headlong sea, and a sound like low thunder, with screams, prayers, and imprecations from the crowd-moiled, and sabredoomed who could not escape. . . . On the breaking of the crowd, the Yeomanry wheeled; and dashing wherever there was an opening, they followed, pressing and wounding. In ten minutes from the commencement of the havoc, the field was an open and almost deserted space. The sun looked down through a sultry and motionless air. The curtains and blinds of the windows within view were all closed. A gentleman or two might occasionally be seen looking out from one of the new houses before mentioned, near the door of which a group of persons (special constables) were collected, apparently in conversation; others were assisting the wounded or carrying off the dead. The hustings remained with a few broken and hewed flagstaves erect, and a torn and gashed banner or two drooping; whilst over the whole field were strewed caps, bonnets, hats, shawls, and other parts of male and female dress, trampled, torn, and bloody. The Yeomanry had dismounted; some were easing their horses' girths; others adjusting their accoutrements; and some were wiping

1 Bamford, vol. i. p. 206.