Reform Meetings — Peterloo — Orator Hunt's entry into London — The King's last illness and death.

But I must return to my Chronicle. There were Reform Meetings everywhere. The evils in the Representation of the people were patent to every body who would see, but the Regent was not gifted with that perspicuity of vision that is suitable to a Ruler of Men, and his blindness led to deplorable results, which, after all, were probable benefits, inasmuch as they hastened the passing of the Reform Bill. Things were beginning to look ugly. In some districts the people were beginning to drill, and they were not of the best class. Vide the following—

"Manchester, Aug. 15.—The circumstances of parties going out to drill, having been much talked about here, viz., John Shawcross, of Blossom Street, Salford, and James Murray, of Withy Grove, Manchester, set out this morning, about one o'clock, for the purpose of ascertaining this fact. On their way towards Middleton, these two persons passed several squads who were in regular Marching Order, and they heard a great many more parties calling to each other, and, from the answers being more distant, every time they were repeated, supposed the fields for some extent, contained different parties.

"The place appointed for a general muster was Whitemoss, betwixt Middleton and Oldham. When Murray and Shawcross arrived at this spot, there were at least five hundred men at drill; the greater part were drilled in a body; there were also detached squads of fifteen or twenty each."

The two men were found, pounced upon as spies, and nearly kicked to death.

I give this passage, as it shows that armed men were preparing themselves for a conflict with the civil power, which they certainly thought imminent, yet like all cowardly English Mobs, they howled most valiantly, and complained of the butchery, when they came into conflict with even Citizen Soldiery. There are some people still who regard "Peterloo" as a massacre of the innocents: they must be either very wrong-headed, or very badly informed. Let me give the shortest, and most succinct, contemporaneous account of that memorable day.

"Aug. 16. A meeting of Reformers took place at Manchester, on a vacant piece of ground, on the north side of St. Peter's. The number of persons from Oldham, Saddleworth, Royton, and other places, were supposed to be at least 50,000, bearing banners inscribed 'Hunt and Liberty'—'Universal Suffrage'—'Annual Parliaments,' &c., and a Club of female Reformers also joined the group. Mr. Henry Hunt was called to the Chair, and commenced an harangue on the usual topics of public grievances, during which, the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, aided by the Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry, and the 15th Hussars, advanced to the crowd, and rode through them, sword in hand; and having arrived at the waggon, from which the orator was declaiming, Mr. Nadin, the police officer, arrested Hunt and Johnson, on a warrant. They submitted quietly and were taken to gaol. The Cavalry then rode through the mob, and seized their banners, in doing which, several persons were killed and wounded; bricks and other missiles were thrown at the Cavalry, who, however, succeeded in dispersing the mob: several other persons were taken into custody in the course of the day."

Such is an unvarnished tale of Peterloo, and the student of history must ever bear in mind, that at this period, there were no police, as we know them, and that in case of riot the Military were always called out, and that they had but to obey orders.

The Radical papers held it, of course, to be a brutal massacre, and I give one print which takes a highly poetical view of it. It is called "The Massacre at St. Peter's, or Britons, strike home!" The officer on extreme left calls out to his corps of butchers, "Down with 'em! Chop 'em down! my brave boys! give them no quarter. They want to take our Beef and Pudding from us! And, remember, the more you kill, the less poor's rates you'll have to pay; so, go it, lads, show your Courage, and your Loyalty! "This is about as truthful as nine-tenths of what has been written about "Peterloo."

This was the occasion, of which I have written, that Hunt got fined. When he was bailed, he made a "triumphal entry" into London. Of course, like all his class, he was nothing except he was en evidence. It was well organized: there was the young man from Manchester, who had got hurt at "Peterloo," there was a huge dog with a large white collar, bearing thereon, "No dog tax," and, at last came the procession itself.

• Horsemen.
• Footmen bearing a bundle of Sticks, the emblem of Unity.
• Horsemen.
• Six Irish footmen, bearing a green flag, with the inscription, "Universal, Civil and Religious Liberty."
• Horsemen.
• Footmen, bearing a flag of mourning—Inscription, "To the immortal Memory of the Reformers ... at Manchester."
• Horsemen.
• Footmen bearing a flag—Inscription, "The Palladium of Liberty—Liberty of the Press."
• Carriages for Gentlemen connected with the Press.
• Horsemen.
• Footmen, bearing a Red flag—Inscription, "Universal Suffrage."
• A Landau, containing Mr. HUNT, preceded by a flag, with this inscription, "Hunt, the heroic Champion of Liberty," and surrounded by six horsemen, and Members of the Committee.
• Carriages and Footmen.
• A Landau, with Watson, Thistlewood, and Preston, and their Friends.
• Flag—"Trial by Jury."
• Horsemen and Footmen.
• Flag—"Liberty or Death."
• Carriages, Horsemen, and Footmen.
• Flag—"Liberty or Death."
• Closed by Horses, Carriages, and Footmen.

There! does not that read like a modern Irish Procession to the Reformer's tree in Hyde Park? It had the same value and the same result—somebody got paid something. There were also riots in Scotland, both in Paisley and Glasgow.

I am approaching the end of my Chronicle of the Regency. In November, it could not be concealed that the poor old King was very bad; in fact, now and then it was rumoured that he was dead. And so he was to himself, and to the world. Nature was having its grand and final fight; and in a few weeks the mortal life of George III. would be closed. How well the following description of the old King tallies with the portrait, which is scarce: "His Majesty.—A gentleman who has been in his presence a short time ago, states, that the appearance of our aged Monarch, is the most venerable imaginable. His hair and beard are white as the drifted Snow, and the latter flows gracefully over a breast which now feels neither the pleasures nor the pains of life. When the gentleman saw him, he was dressed in a loose Satin robe, lined with fur, sitting in an apparently pensive mood, with his elbows on a table, and his head resting on his hands, and seemed perfectly regardless of all external objects" (Bath Journal).

Still they hoped when there was no hope, for, under date November 26th is the following: "The examination of his Majesty's Physicians by the Members of the Council, at Lambeth Palace, has made a strong sensation on the public mind, as they conceive that it could only be occasioned by the conviction in the breast of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, that the inquiry became necessary. The result of the examination has not transpired. Report says that his Majesty has shown symptoms of decay, by the wasting of his person, and general weakness, which, at the advanced age of eighty-two, are signs not to be overlooked: but we believe, that immediate danger is not apprehended."

On the 23rd of January death claimed the Duke of Kent, the father of our present Queen; and on the 29th God took to Himself the poor old King—which event necessarily brings to a close my Chronicles of the

Regency.