r06 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810, 



dilly was but small. But the re- 

 port of his seizure spread rapidly. 

 The streets, through which it was 

 supposed he would pass, were 

 crowded with people, who, being 

 informed that he had passed by a 

 different route, proceeded, their 

 numbers still increasing as they 

 advanced, to Tower- hill. The 

 moment sir Francis entered the 

 Tower, some pieces of cannon 

 were fired, according to the cus- 

 tom in similar cases. A report 

 was spread that the cannon of the 

 Tower had fired on the people, 

 which was credited by numbers of 

 thecredulousmultitude. Scarcely 

 had the military, on their return 

 from the Tower, entered East- 

 Cheap, when they were attacked 

 with showers of stones, brick- 

 bats, and other missiles. The 

 troops, for some time, bore the 

 assault with patience ; but finding 

 that the mob grew more and more 

 outrageous and daring, thev fired 

 several shots among them, by 

 which two or three lives were Inst, 

 and not a few wounded. This 

 kind of warfare was continued till 

 the guards crossed the Thame.-;, by 

 London Bridge, to return thrnugh 

 Saint George's Fields, and by 

 Westminster Bridge, to their quar- 

 ters. 

 ; The letter which sir Francis 

 Burdett had written, agreeably to 

 what he had said to the Serjeant, 

 on Friday evening, tothe Speaker, 

 was communicated by him to the 

 House, on Monday, the 9th of 

 April. In this piece, after stating 

 what he conceived to be his duty, 

 both to his Constituents and to the 

 king. Sir Francis Burdett proceeds 

 as follows : " your warrant, Sir, I 

 believe, you know to be illegal. 

 I Jinow it to be so. To superior 



force I must submit. But I will 

 not incur the danger of continuing 

 voluntarily to make one of any set 

 of men who shall assume illegally 

 the whole power of the realm ; and 

 who have no more right to take 

 myself, or any one of my constitu- 

 ents by force, than I or they pos- 

 sess, to take any one of those who 

 are now guilt}' of this usurpation. 

 7\ nd I would condescend to accept 

 the meanest office, being mdre 

 desirous of getting out of my pre- 

 sent association, than others may 

 be desirous of getting profitably 

 into it. — Sinceyouhavebegunthis 

 correspondence with me, I must 

 beg you to read this, my answer, 

 to those under whose orders you 

 have commenced it. I remain. 

 Sir, &c. &c.'' 



The Speaker having read the 

 letter, stated, that the next thing 

 the House had to dispose of was, 

 whether it should be ordered to 

 lie on the table ? The debate, on 

 that question, on the suggestion of 

 C. W. Wynne, was adjourned until 

 the next day, April the 10th : on 

 which day iVIr. Curwen, thinking 

 that the course most becoming the 

 dignity of the House would be, to 

 take no further notice of that let- 

 ter, moved, that the further con- 

 sideration of it be adjourned to 

 that day six months. This mo- 

 tion was seconded by Mr. Davie 

 Gidd)'. The Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer said, that the punish- 

 ment he had before proposed was 

 for a defiance of the authority of 

 that House. The present letter 

 was but a continuation of the 

 same defiance, and a proof of the 

 same offence. It was, however, a 

 great aggravation to repeat it. He 

 therefore pioposed the following 

 resolution: "That the letter which 



