The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-20 00:00:00

CCM SPIRACY:
THE CATO. S 7 R.,7•Err

ttempted to be put in execut:ont for murdering the
On irshinary 22, 1820, a projeCt, long before set on foot,
was a
whole Cabinet Ministers, and immedi. Ntely overturning the
Government, Evnd proclaming a republic-, An old s. Idier,
named Arthur Thistlewood, was the chief of the conspi-
racy, the leaders of which were twenty-fom -in number,o
their chiefs being Lugs, a butcher, DavidsoA,
ca creole,
Brunt and Tidd, shonnakers, and Edwards, who x terwarde
revealed the plot. They met twice a day during-
.the first
three weeks in February ire a hired room near Grate'-met,
and generally assembled. including their most trustcd fol-
lowers, to the number of 30 or 40. Their first project was
to murder the Prince Regent ; but this was soon laid as,'de
as of little service, and in lieu of it the more practical de-
sign adopted of despatching the whole Ministers in their
separate houses. Forty despea.adoes were told off for these
detached murders, and whoever I:ailed in the part assigned
him was to atone for it with his Two pieces of artil-
lery were at the same time to be eeizeel, stationed at Gray's,
Inn, and six in the Artillery Ground ; withthese the Man
sion House and Bank were to be assaulted, and as soon as
they were carried a Provisional Government was to be pro-
claimed, the King dethroned, and London set on fice to
several places This design was so far matured that t
he
day for its execution was fixed, being the 19th Februar;r.
But it was afterwards resolved to postpone it fur a few days,
as intelligence had been received that the whole Cabinet
were to dine at Lord Harrowby's, in Grosvenor-square, on
22d February. Thistlewood immediately proposed that they
should commence operations on that day, and by an attack
on the assembled Cabinet when at dinner ; " for," said hel
"as there has not been a dinner for so long, there will no'
doubt be 14 or 16 there, and it will be a rare hauf to murder
them all together." This was unanimously aseentei to;
and it was fixed that on that day 24 of the conspirators,
fully armed, should meet in a loft above a stable in Cato-
street, off the Edgeware-road, at six in the evening,
ready, under Thistlewood's orders, to proceed on the
murderous enterprise. On the day fixed the whole 2+
armed to the teeth, assembled at the appointed hour ira
the loft above the stable at six o'clock. Two of them were:
stationed in ro sv eno r- s guar eto see that the road was clear-
and one was to call during dinner at Lord Harrowby's with
a note, and when the door was opened the whole body, who
twos and threes in the vicinity',
were to have assetabla'd by
were to rush in and mit.. -der the entire Cabinet Ministers.
The heads of Lord Castia, eagh and Sidmouth were to be
instantly cut off and brought off as trophies, to be paraded
through the streets, for which I,urpose bags were prepared.
Meanwhile the cavalry barracio iltr King-street, Portman-
square, were to be attacked ty thi-05ving fire into the forage
depot, and the Bank and Mansion.Nizse assaulted by the
conspirators. Ministers, however, hat. secret information
of the design from Edwards, one of their 4111mber, and in-
stead of dining as proposed at Lord Harrowby's in Gros•
venor-square, they did so privately in Downing.-street; but
the preparations for the entertainment at Lord g'-street;
were allowed to go on without interruption. Meanwhile,
Mr. Birnie (afterwards Sir hichard), the police magietrate,
proceeded to the barracks of the Coldstream Guards, who had
been ordered to have a detachment in readiness to support the
civil power. Finding them not under arms, however, that
intrepid officer, thinking that not a moment was to be lost,
proceeded alone with his 14 policemen to Cato-street, leav-
ing directions to the military to follow as quickly as possi-
ble, which they acccordingly did, but not in time to take,
part in the commencement of the affray which followed.
Birnie meanwhile arrived at the stable in Cato-street, and
the first of the police who moanted the trap stair wAs an
active end brave man, Smithers, who, as scion as he got to
the top, called aloud to the party t&. surrender, whereupon
Thistlew, od ran him through the body, and he fell. The
lights were instantly extinguished, and a frightful conflict
commenced in the dark between the police and the eienspi-
raters, who, being fully armed, and 10 superior in num lore,
made a desperate resistance. Some dashed headlong down
the trap stair, and broke awl)* before the Guards arrived ;
*others, including Thistlewood, got off by the skylight to the
back. In the midst of the tumult the detachment of the
Guards arrived, and instantly entered, headed by Captain
Fitzclarence, at whom a p stol was discharged, and a bloW
with a cutlass was aimed by a mulatto, which his covering
sergeant warded off with his bayonet. Resistance then
ceased, and nine in all were made prisoners. The rest
escaped at the time, but most of them were taken the next
day, including Thistlewood, their leader, for whom a reward
of £l,OOO had been offered. Thistlewood, Ings, Tidd, Brunt,
and Davidson received sentence of death; five were sen-
tenced to transportation for life; and one, after being eel"
tenced to death, received a free pardon. The other five were
executed on Ist May, in presence of an immense crowd of
spectators, many of whom evinced the warmest sympathy'
with their fate. So far from denying what was charged
against them, they openly admitted it before receiving sell'
teller, and lamented only that their projects had not been
carried into effect.—Alison'e Lives of Lord Castlereagh and
Sir Charles Stewart.

COUNTRY JIARAL:Ab.

‘,

CAMBRIDGE-JAN. 18.

There was a moderate show of wheat to-day, and 601
trade ruled rather inactive—the prices being fully up to
last week's rates—white, from 60s to 64s ; red, 66s to 60t
Barley in steady demand—malting, 35s to 40s, grinding, 3,
to 31s. Oats were steady, at 22s to 28s. Beans were sold
at 38a to 42s per qr.