The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-12-03 00:00:00

THE TRAFALGAR-SQUARE MS-

TUEBANCES.

SUNDAY IN LONDON.

For the first time during the last two or three
month, up till three o'clock on Sunday afternoon
Trafalgar-square may be said to have retained the
quiet and orderly appearance heretofore characterising
it on Sundays. At that hour, or shortly before it,
there were not over a score of policemen in and
around the square, of whom only half a dozen were
mounted constables, and the spectators seemed not
more numerous than the officers. Sir Charles Warren
had an adequate force of police and special constables
on duty throughout the aay, but they were stationed
at various places in the vicinity, and were kept out of
eight. Just on the stroke of three o'clock, however,
probably owing to the fact that the passers-by and
the hobbledehoys realised there was no large body
of police on the scene, the square quickly became
fairly crowded with people. For five or ten minutes
it looked as if there might be a resumption of mob
oratory, but a hundred policemen marched across
from Scotland-yard, and taking up a position in the
square, small detachments were told off to keep the
crowd moving. At this there was some little hooting
on the part of a few roughs, and the noise attracted
a slight increase of spectators. By a quarter to four
o'clock the crowd had grown considerably larger, and
there was clearly an accession of the more turbulent
portion, so '3OO aiditional constables were sent to
the scene from Scotland-yard, together with two
more troops of mounted police. This force
at once commenced to clear the square, which was
speedily done, there being evidently very little dis-
position, even on the part of the roughs, to resist
the police, so that there was very little hustling. The
mounted men rode about preventing the crowas from
loitering ia the roadways, and solid phalanxes of
policemen on foot swept the pavements from St.
Martin's Church entirely around the square back to
the National Gallery. Lines of constables were alto
posted on each side, from the parapet at the north to
the front of the square at the south face. By five
o'clock the *hole affair was over, and the crowds had
turned off to their homes, there being comparatively
little hooting or disorder of any kind from first to
last. A large number of specials were held in re-
serve both at Wellington Barracks and St. George's
Barracks, but their services were not required.
There was an absence of excitement in the
thoroughfarbs leading from the South of London to
Hyde-park, nnd the police had a quiet day. Very few
constables were visible. The passage of Parliament-
street was riot impeded, and at no time was there
a crowd. From Trafalgar-square, during the after-
noon, a great many people walked towards Hyde-
park.

On Sunday afternoon a mass meeting was held
near the Reformers' Tree in Hyde-park, under the
anspices of the English Land Restoration League. to
protest "against unjust legislation, which causes
poverty, and against the suppression by the police of
the meeting called by the League in Trafalgar-square
on the 11th inst." Mr. William Saunders presided,
and probably between 9000 and 10,000 people sur-
rounded the platform, The proceedings throughout
were of an orderly character.