350 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



any one, and I hope you will not 

 make it necessary now.'' The 

 messenger bowed and retired. 



Between twelve and one o'clock 

 a troop of life-guards arrived, and 

 were drawn up before the house of 

 sir Francis, and their horses were 

 made to prance about on the foot- 

 pavement as well as the street, for 

 the purpose of dispersing the peo- 

 ple. There was much hissing. In 

 about a quarter of an hour, Mr. 

 Read, the magistrate arrived. He 

 mounted a dragoon horse, and 

 read the riot act, and warned all 

 people peaceably to depart. The 

 guards were then planted across 

 Piccadilly from Dover-street, on 

 the one side, to Bolton-row on 

 the other, so as to block up the 

 thoroughfare, Mr. Jones Burdett 

 was not suffered to pass through 

 the line to his dinner until he pro- 

 cured a constable. During all this 

 time sir Francis was at home with 

 his family. His colleague, lord 

 Cochrane, Mr. O'Connor, and Mr. 

 Jones Burdett, dined with him. 



In consequence of this demon- 

 stration of military force, he wrote 

 the following requisition to the 

 sheriffs of MidiJJesex, which was 

 delivered into the hands of ]Mr. 

 sheriff Wood, in the street: — 



" Gentlemen ; — In furtherance 

 of an attempt to deprive me of 

 my liberty, under the authority 

 of an instrument which I know to 

 be illegal, viz. a warrant by the 

 Speaker of the House of Com- 

 mons, my house is at this moment 

 beset by a military force. 



'* As I am determined never to 

 yield a voluntary obedience to an 

 act contrary to the laws, I am 

 resolved to resist the execution 

 of such a warrait by all the legal 

 means in my power; and as you 



are the constitutional officers ap- 

 pointed to protect the inhabitants 

 of your bailiwick from violence and 

 oppression, from whatever quarter 

 they may come, I make this requi- 

 sition to you, gentlemen, to fur- 

 nish me with your aid, with which 

 the laws have provided you, either 

 by calling out the posse comitatus 

 or such other as the case and 

 circumstances may require. 



" It is for you to consider, how 

 far you are liable should I, by any 

 unlawful force, acting under an 

 unlawful authority, be taken from 

 my house. I have the honour to 

 be, gentlemen, your very obedient 

 servant, (Signed) 



" Francis Burdett. 

 " Piccadilly ^AprilT, 1810. 

 " Matthew Wood, esq. and 

 John Atkins, esq. she- 

 riffs of Middlesex." 

 On Monday morning he break- 

 fasted in his drawing-room on the 

 first floor, with lady Burdett, the 

 countess of Guilford, and lady 

 Maria, lady Jane, lady Georgiana 

 North, Mrs, Coutts, his son, Ro- 

 bert Burdett, his brother, and Mr. 

 O'Connor. Mr. Coutts had just 

 retired. Breakfast was finished, 

 and sir Francis was employed in 

 hearing his son (who had just 

 come from Eton school) read and 

 translate Magna Charta, when Mr. 

 O'Connor observed a man's face 

 at one of the windows : he had 

 mounted by a ladder, had already 

 thrown up the sash, and was in the 

 act of entering ; in the attempt to 

 do which he broke some panes of 

 glass. Mr. O'Connor ran up to 

 him. Sir Francis called out not 

 to hurt the man, as it would have 

 been easy at that moment for Mr. 

 O'Connor, by the mere shifting 

 of the ladder, to have precipj- 



