348 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



quainting him that he had received 

 a warrant signed by the right 

 honourable the Speaker of the 

 House of Commons, to arrest and 

 convey him to the Tower, and he 

 begged to know when he might 

 wait on him; that it was his wish 

 to show him the utmost respect, 

 and therefore, if he preferred to 

 take his horse and ride to the 

 Tower, he would meet him there. 

 To this letter sir Francis Burdett 

 wrote an answer to the following 

 effect : 



'• Sir, On my return from Wim- 

 bledon I found your polite letter, 

 and shall be happy to receive you 

 here at twelve o'clock to-morrow. 

 — I remain, Sir, your obedient 

 servant, 



" Francis Burdett." 



" F. J. Colman, Esq. 

 *' PiccadiUi/, Jpril 6, 1810." 



Before this letter could be 

 delivered, Mr. Colman came 

 himself to sir Francis's house, 

 and told him he had a warrant 

 to arrest him. Sir Francis said 

 he had received his letter ; and 

 had written an answer, in which 

 he told him, that he would be 

 ready to receive him the next 

 day at twelve o'clock; upon 

 which Mr. Colman politely bow- 

 ed and withdrew. About seven 

 o'clock in the evening his friend, 

 Mr. O'Connor, went to the Tower 

 to see that preparation should be 

 made to receive him, as sir Fran- 

 cis entertained no doubt but that 

 the next daj' the serjeant-at-arms 

 would come with a force to 

 compel him to surrender. Mr. 

 O'Connor, saw colonel Smith.who 

 told him that every preparation 

 had been made for his recep- 

 tion; that the house next to his 

 own had been well aired: and 

 that, from 9, sense of duty as 



well as from respect, he might 

 depend every attention should 

 be paid to sir Francis. About 

 eight o'clock the same evening, 

 Mr. Colman and a messenger 

 came back to sir Francis's house, 

 and the serjeant told him he 

 had received a severe reprimand 

 from the Speaker for not exe- 

 cuting the warrant in the morn- 

 ing, and remaining with sir 

 Francis ; and he hoped that he 

 would now submit to be his 

 prisoner. 



Sir Francis answered, that he 

 was sure the Speaker would not, 

 upon consideration, think him to 

 blame ; for that it would not have 

 been in his power to remain with 

 him ; as, without any personal 

 offence to him, he (sir Francis) 

 would not have permitted him to 

 remain. The serjeant-at-arms said 

 " I shall be obliged, sir, to resort 

 to force, as it is my duty to exe- 

 cute the warrant." 



Sir Francis answered, "If you 

 bring an overwhelming force, I 

 must submit; but I dare not, 

 from my allegiance to the king, 

 and my respect for his laws, yield 

 a voluntary submission to such a 

 warrant — it is illegal." 



The Serjeant again urged him 

 to permit him to remain with him. 

 Sir Francis said, " You must 

 leave my house ; but I have 

 written a letter to the Speaker, 

 which, if you please, you may 

 take with you, and deliver it — it 

 contains my resolution as to your 

 warrant." 



The Serjeant begged leave to 

 decline taking charge of any such 

 letter ; he said he had already in- 

 curred blame by not executing the 

 warrant, and he should be consi- 

 dered as more criminal if he car- 

 ried any letter in contradiction to 

 it ; and he withdrew. 



