The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-25 00:00:00

INQUIRY INTO THE ALLEGED MISCONDUCT
OF THE POLICE.-(THIS DAY.)
The Commissioners took their ONO this morning
shoTrhtley acfhteierfllCeom'clmocieks
inquired of Sir
Richard Mayne whether, in consequence of the war or
loner Wortley in
other circumstances, a considerable change had not
taken place in the constitution of the police by the in-
troduction of a number of fresh and young men into the
force ?
Sir Richard Mayne said there was no foundation for
such a supposition. He said the force at present
1829, 13 ; 1830, 33 ;
1831, 19 ; 1832, 25 ; 1833,
amounted to 5,707 men, and the dates of their joining
the force was as follows :-in
35 ; 1834, 48 ; 1835, 65 ;
1836, 55 ; 1837, 94 ; 1838, 107 ; 1839, 118 ; 1840, 281 ;
1841, 155 ; 1842, 171 ; 1843, 204 ; 1844,163; 1845, 193 ;
1846, 281; 1847, 270 ; 1848, 397; 1849, 261; 1850, 274;
1851, 374; 1852, 408; 1853, 675; and 1854, 967.
Mr. Chief Commissioner Wortley-I see, then, more
than one-sixth of the force joined in 1854.
Sir Richard Mayne said a great many changes took
place the first 12 or 18 months of the men joining the
force, from their not liking the severity of the duty and
other causes. The resignations had been in 1840, 754 ;
1841, 629 ; 1842, 517 ; 1843, 470 ; 1844, 525 ' • 1845,
605 ; 1846, 832 . 1847, 707 ; 1848, 548 ; 1849, 553 ;
1850, 608 ; 1851, 1,360 ; including the extra number
temporarily engaged the exhibition year ; 1852, 636 ;
1853, 896 ; 1854, 822 ; which included those who had
left the force to join the Land Transport Corps, &c.
The dismissals since 1849, since which time a registry
had been kept, were, 1849, 235 • 1850, 195 ; 1851, 309 ;
being the exhibition year ; 1852, 231 ; 1853, 251; 1854,
189. 300 men were specially employed in the park on
the Ist of July, taken from the reserve of the divisions.
These were bodies of 50 men attached to the 6 divisions,
and their ordinary employment was the filling up of va-
cancies arising from sickness or leave of absence, or for
strengthening the force on any particular emergency.
The reserve were selected nice, and had belonged to
the force 12 months. Of the whole force 4,416 were
English, 370 Irish, and 145 Scotch.
Mr. Commissioner Armstrong said he was very glad
to hear of it, because an anonymous letter had been sent
to the commission stating the force to a large extent
was composed of Irish.
Mr. Chief Commissioner Wortley said the letter was
signed "an English gentleman," but it was not couched
in terms one would expect from an English gentleman.
He begged to say once for all that the commission could
take no notice of such communications. This was an
open court, and any person having a grievance to com-
plain of if he came there would be heard.
Mr. Samuel Fry, solicitor, Strand, was in the Park
on the Ist of July. Ue noticed that the crowd appeared
bent on giving expression to teir feelings on the Sun-
day bill ; but that, being frustrhated in it, their exaspera-
tion was turned against the police. He saw a young
man, respectably dressed, pocket a number of small
pebbles, which he threw into the air for the purpose of
annoyance. The police on two occasions went under
the rails to clear the people, and they did it in -their
usual manner. Some persons appeared determined to
come into collision with the police, and did so. He
divided the crowd into two classes-one shouting, the
other conversing peaceably. Many were no doubt at-
tracted by curiosity to the park. There was great ex-
asperation on the part of the populace. There might have
been some unlucky blows struck that day by the police
near the Serpentine, when the police endeavoured to stop
the people from rushing across the road, and a female who
ought to have gone the right way go the wrong way,
she would scream and then the mob cried "Shame," and
it became necessary from the conduct of the people that
the police should use their truncheons. There might
have been individual cases of mistake by the police, and
ihad they not acted with vigilance and firmness serious
disasters might have resulted.
Cross-examined by Mr. Mitchell-The crowd was not
a good humoured one. He thought it would have been
dangerous for Lord Robert Grosvenor to have been there.
He saw a stone thrown at a four-wheel conveyance.
People in vehicles did not appear likely to be alarmed at
the people-as they drove along they appeared to Ira-
. terniee with the people. Re wan attracted to the park

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