The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-25 00:00:00

THE AMNES7'Y DEMONSTRATION IN
HYDE PARK.

The promised amnesty demonstration in Hyde Park took
place on Sunday, without any material deviation from the
programme decided upon by the committee early in last week.
Like all previous out-door gatherings of a kindred nature,un-
hindered by the police, it passed off without any public dis-
turbance or breach of the peace. Trafalgar-square, as here-
tofore, was the head-centre of the assembly. Its paving
stones were covered by a motley crowd, its pleasant foun-
tains environed by noisy youths, and its noble liens
bestridden by as many small ragamuffins as the huge figures
could conveniently accommodate for the space of two
hours. The scene so familiar during the past four years
was repeated again, only under an exceptionally fine
October sky, and with the additional ornaments of bloom-
ing shrubs and active fountains. The street 'hawkers and
ballad singers, compared with their old manifestations, were
few and humble in demeanour, confining their chief mer-
cantile transactions to the sale of immature grapes and
shrivelled walnuts. The crowd cn the whole was a well-
dresed cue, and even the rougher elements, the existence
of which cannot ho elenied, appeared to bo upon their
Sunday behaviour. At the base cf the Nelson column
some rough and ready oratory was volunteered, to what
end was not very apparent, but as the unappreciative
auditors laughed and jeered where the theme was religion,
and looked on with depressing silence while a buffoon
made persevering bids for applause, infinitesimal, indeed,
must have been either the harm or the good that was pro-
duced. Just as the congregation flocked down the steps
of St. Martin's Church, a brass band from the northern
thoroughfares made the air ring with the Marseillaise Hymn,
while the stream of fashionably dressed ladies and gen-
tlemen, with their dainty prayer-books, was broken
into minor channels by the bearers of banners and the
wearers of sashes and rosettes. Owing to the special
arrangements, there was no absolute block in Trafalgar-
square, as there used to be. In various parts of London
and the suburbs there were seventeen district meeting
places during the morning, and the processions were
ordered to proceed successively by given routes to
Charing-cross, move across Trafalger-square into Regent-
street, and thence by any of Oxford-street through
the Marble Arch. Thus there was a series of pro-
cessions lasting over an hour and a half, which
arrangeMent considerably marred the effect of the
demonstration as a marching array, although it relieved
the streets of a danger and nuisance. It is therefore hard,
if not impossible, to estimate the number of persons in the
processions, especially as upon their arrival at the park
they soon, in spite of themselves, became absorbed in a
general crush. The Daily News estimates there would
have been eight or ten thousand could they have been
collected in one mass. The spectators who lined the
streets were naturally on such a day, and at
such an hour, very numerous. The processions
moved along quietly, were stared at by the
people at the windows and on the pavements as a
passing curiosity, and disappeared without token of ap-
proval or otherwise from anybody. Their bands played the
airs that were supposed to be appropriate to the occasion,
the French revolutionary tune being the favourite.
Green sashes, green rosettes with orange centres, green
sprigs of shamrock, other green branches of un-
known name, and medals suspended from green ribbons,
were worn by all the processionists, and by several
who did not fall in at all. Many mon had
green bands round their caps with the word
"amnesty" inscribed upon them. The bodies marched
four deep, under the direction of various committees. In-
tense interest was manifested in what the bills termed "a
grand procession of ladies, under the control of the ladies'
committee and the district directresses." This novel con-
tribution assembled under the National Gallery. It con-
sisted of between one and two hundred young women,
some well dressed, and all decorated with green favours.
The chief speaking place in Hyde-park was the
cluster of trees in the centre, facing the Marble
Arch, and celebrated in Reform League annals.
One tree has been for some time christened
the "Reformers' Tree." but it was not under the
shadow of that branching elm the speakers assumed posi-
tion on Sunday. It was, indeed, stated that the tree had
been levelled by the woodman's axe, and a prostrate
trunk, which served the purpose of the amnesty platform,
was pointed out as the fallen relic of a turbulent past.
There were thousands of persons scattered over the sward
between this spot and the Oxford-street entrance, and by
three o'clock, when most of the processions had arrived,
there were little short of 100,000 sightseers in the
nark, the immense majority being apparently
luriosity- mongers, who had no kind of sympathy with the
proceedings, and little interest in them beyond the chances
they offered of fun and excitement. Hence, when it
became evident there were to be no heads broken or police
assaulted, a gradual dispersal commenced. The crowds
were so thick around the meeting place that several of the
•

tiundred yards of earshot, and one or two other meetings
were improvised Tho lino of persons thus kept out was
marked by the banners and "caps of liberty" that
had been berne aloft through the streets, and
this accident enabled the urious to read the incrip-
Lions on the special banners, amongst which old
Reform League flags were interspersed. The most emphatic
inscriptions were, " Disobedience to Tyrants is a duty is
Cod;" "Set the Captives free ;" and " Cod save Ireland."
These sentiments appeared in modified forms, and in the
midst of harps and shamrocks on a considerable number of
green flags. Immediately over the head •of the chairman
'Mr. Josiah J. Merriman) the star-spangled hanner drooped
in melancholy limpness until it was hoisted twenty yards
up into the tree, where it was grasped by a hardy climber
oerched thero,who for the rest of the time kept it properly
infurlod.

The proceedings commenced by a speech from Mr.
Nlerriman. Anxious as his friends were to hear him, all
;ut about a hundred were sorely disappointed; for,
although there was no opposition and no specific interrup-
qon, the noise and confusion from the packed thousands
were absolutely bewildering. He congratulated the com-
nittee upon the success of the demonstration, and on the
noral triumph they had achieved, and denied Mr.
'iladstene's allegation as to the existence of a Fenian
organisation in the United Kingdom, averring that the
..ight honourable gentleman had been misled by Scotland-
yard, where Fenianism was a question of political economy
—a matter of supply and demand. A resolution was then
moved by Mr. Clapham, a Leeds Town Councillor, viz. :
That this meeting considers the political condition of
rreland renders it expedient that the whole of the political
aisoners should be li')erated, and that their further deten-
tion Is liable to engender prejudice and ill-feeling against
the Goverlinient and people of England."
The motion Ivas carried after being seconded by Mr.
Ryan, and then a memorial, read by Mr, Macdonald,
the secretary of the Amnesty Committee, was adopted, in
accordance with the terms of the above resolution. Some
formal votes of thanks, including one to Mr. Merriman,
were passed, and the processions at once left the Park. It
was some time before the ground was cleared, small groups
lingering as long as there was a mock-litany scoundrel
it vagabond ballad-singer to surround. A reserve
->f police was at hand in the Magazine, but only
the regular Park force appeared. The leading proem
iion left the Park, preceded by the banner which first
entered it ; it was the flag inscribed, " God Save Ireland!"

The first occasion on which ladies have met in
Liverpool in public to exercise their political rights was on
Friday evening, in the Literal Association Rooms, Toxteth-
park, when a large number of ladies who had obtained the
franchise under the new Municipal Act were present, and
ook a lively interest in the topics under discussion.
PRINCE ALBERT A DISSENTER.—The papers
record the death of Mr. Woodward, her Majesty's librarian
At Windsor Castle, We once heard an anecdote connected
with his appointment which we believe has never been
published. When Mr. Woodward was introduced to the
'queen and the late Prince Albert, the Prince asked him
,everal questions to test his fitness for office, and to all of
hem satisfactory replies having been given, Mr. Woodward
~-as about to retire, but before doing so he said to the
'?ueen, "I think it is only right I should inform your
Majesty that I am a Dissenting minister, as perhaps that
fact might unfit me for the appointment." Prince Albert
replied, "Why, am not I a Dissenter? lam not a mem-
ber of the Church of England !" And Mr. Woodward
obtained and honourably filled the office. Oswestry
.4(lvertiser.

MORE LETTEPS ON THE BYRON CONTROVERSY.
—A collection of letters in relation to the Byron contro-
versy, which has during the past week been offered to
I:ondon publishers, is, we expect, not very likely to see the
light. Happily, a law of libel exists in this country which
would make it dangerous to circulate documents con-
t:dning scandals of a certain kind against persons, some
of whom aro probably still living. Tho public will
therefore, we hope, be spared the infliction of an
alleged corrcspondenco from the pen of the "child
of sin," to whom Mrs. Beecher Stowe's narrative
darkly alludes. Any way, if there be any enterprising
•,üblislier now hesitating on the question of whether he
shall or shall not bring up these documents, we trust that
lie will take our hint. We may thus, among other inci-
dental advantages, escape a wearisome controversy on the
gitestion of whether these original documents must not be
classed with the twenty thousand literary curiosities for
which poor M. Chasles was foolish enough to give six
thousand pounds. Most parties to the Byron controversy
are now, we think, agreed that it is time this matter
drouned.=" In the Recess."—Dail. News.