Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-06-01
The Great Reform Demonstration In
HYDE Park, LOnden.

contains the following in regard to the
great reform meeting on the 9th
This great meeting, the threat of
holding which in defiance of the gov
eminent. and still more the government
to prevent its being held,
have kept the metropolis in a state of
chronic alarm aud agitation for the last
month. was held yesterday evening, and
passed off with the quietness and good
order of a temperance meeting. OF
course, in the face of such a happy
result, it will he very easy to assert,
now that all has gone off smoothly and
well. that no other course was ever IN
tended, and that the authorities never
meant either to forbid the meeting or
prevent it. 1t is somewhat too late in
the day, however, now, when the mill
tary and police preparations adopted or
intended to be adopted to suppress the
meeting are known, to announce that 1T
was never contemplated to prevent ut.
The exact order of events is not likely
to be- soon known, though when 1T Is,
the main features of the case will be
nearly as follows Up to last Thursday
the government were firm in their in
tentIon to prevent the meeting. Adj
ditiOnal troops were brought into Lon
don. and were in London last night. -
The mounted constabniary we're drawn
from the suburbs to the number of
nearly 300, and arrangements made for
massing together in the Park nearly
I. 900 of the Metropolitan Police. The
very programme OF the method of pre-
yention to be adopted yesterday was
laid down, and 1T was to the effect that
if speaking were attempted, the speak
ers should be arrested, and that ii this
led to any disturbance the police should
repel force by force, and in the event
of failing, the troops should be called
to give whatever assistance might be
thought necessary. After the Cabinet
on Friday il was intimated that no ultl-
mate decision as to the course of action
should be considered as resolved nPOn.
Even after the Cabinet of Saturday
nothing was definitely made known fOI
some time, though at that council il
was resolved that the meeting should
not be opposed.
At the same time--We suppose. rs a
measure of precaution-much of what
may be- called the defensive arrange
ments was adhered to yesterday. IL
was decided that the police were not to
appear In greater number than is usual
in the Park, the only alteration being
that the constables, instead of walking
singly. patrOlled at long intervals here
and there in pairs. In fact, at the first
glance yesterday the police seemed to
be fewer than usual in the Park. The
mounted police, in troops of fifties,
were stationed round the enclosure at
various points which it rs needless to
particularize, but all so posted as to en-
able the whole force OF mounted men to
converge upon any part of the Park
within five minutes after an alarm was
given. Very strong attachments of
foot constables were also similarly dis
posed, so that in fifteen minutes at the
most about three thousand five hundred
men could have been brought to any
part of the enclosure. Ia the little dell
where the police station and barrack IN
the Park itself are situated, on the road
to the magazine, "A thousand cOnstables
under the orders of the chief superin-
tendents were held in reserve. The
barrack was made the headquarters of
the police force. aud here were Sir
Richard Mayne and Sir Thomas Hen
ry, with the Deputy Commissioners,
Captains Harris and LabalmOndlcre,
aud the chiefs of the A division, Messrs.
Walker and Kill.
This force, however, though strong
enough in itself, was still stronger ia
the supports it could command aud de
pend upon. a part of regiment of
hussars having been brought IN from
Hounslow, was stationed in the park
and In the royal news. A strong de
tachment of Life Guards was at
Knightsbridge, while another was un-
der cover near the end of Park lane. ~
The Horse Guards (blue) were Ia readl-
ness to move at "A moments notice
from Regents Park, and the Guards
were kept TO their barracks IN anticipa-
ton of any emergency. Behind the
police barrack In the park itself is a
very pretty enclosure, known as the
wood yard. 1t is a kind of orchard
garden, with rambling old fashioned
sort of farm house building. Here a
a regiment of the Guards were placed,
under command of the Hon. Colonel
Keppei. Anything more picturesque
than the rough picnic sort of biYouac
which the soldiers made among the
trees can scarcely be imagined. Here,
too, were mounted orderlies, superin-
tendents of police on Horseback, eff
GERS passing continually to and fro. ~
This spot was, as we have said, the
headquarters, and though from the out
side scarcely more than dozen SEN
tries and police were to be seen, yet
all within this quiet looking enclosure
was warlfke in its every aspect. Alto
gether, more than TO- 600 men, police
and military, were kept ready to move
and close in upon the Park yesterday
within hafl an hours notice; yet, as it
turned cut, the whole meeting passed
over quietly without the slightest dis
turbance worth mentioning, or without
more than dozen policemen being at
any one time seen upon the ground.
THE PEOPLE.
\ BY five O'clock there were some
10000 or 10000 spectators scattered
over the enclosure, the great mass be-
ing collected near the Marble Arch. A
far proportion of these belonged to
the class popularity known as ''roughs. ="
These lay about in great groups all
over the grass, either fast asleep, play
ing pitch and toss, or laughing and
singing.
Shortly before half past six the pro-
ceedings of the evening commenced
The arrangements to be made We're
very simple-merely to choose ten plat
forms, or rather sites, from which to
speak, an1 ranging in "A circle from the
belt of trees round eastward towards