♦4] AN NU AL REG I STER, 1816. 



the outrage receixed. The eiirl 

 gave a narrative of the occurrence 

 to the same efiect as that of the 

 other nohle lord, but somewhat 

 more at large. He said that the 

 soldier told lani, tliat \in!ess he 

 turned back, he would nut only 

 cut 'ais horse down, but cut him 

 down too ; and that some gentle- 

 rueu who happened to be near, 

 gave their iiames, and offered to 

 testify as to the insolent belia\ iour 

 of the man ; but he di-.l not think 

 proper to take any legal steps, 

 conceiving that it wovdd be more 

 for the public benelit to lay th.e 

 case before their lordships. 



The I'auI of Livtrpcnl acknow- 

 ledged the candid manner in which 

 the rioble earl h;id made his state- 

 ment, and said, that he by no 

 means intended to atlirm that a 

 military force ought to beidlowed 

 to act, excejjt in aid of the civil 

 power. I'jut with regard to the 

 present occasions, as far as he 

 could recollect, the military had 

 always been stationed ar. now de- 

 scribed, only with this difference, 

 that formerly, from the frequency 

 of drawing-rooms and levees, it 

 only became necessary to resort 

 to these precautions on the birth- 

 days ; whilst their rarity at this 

 time rendered the san:e precau- 

 tions necessary at each of them. 



Lord Grenville affirmed that the 

 noble earl was certainly mistaken, 

 for the whole piactice was of 

 comparatively modern date ; and 

 he fui'cibly dwelt upon the viola- 

 tion of. the law and constitution 

 in such an eiuployment of the 

 military as that complained of. 



The Marqu'tS of Buckiughain 

 wished to know of the secretaiy 

 of state for the home de])artment 

 (\'iscount ijidmouth) whom he 



saw in his place, whetlier he was 

 prei)ared to give any assurance to 

 the House that in future the 

 practice shouhl be discontinued of 

 employing the military power to 

 perform tlie duty of jjeace officers. 

 If he would give such assurances, 

 he should think it unnecessary to 

 go furthei- ; if not, he shoidtl 

 thiid^. it his duty to move an ad- 

 dress to the Prince llegent. 



Jisconnl Sidniotil.li said, that no 

 orders were issued from the Secre- 

 tary ef State's office on such oc- 

 casions, noi- had he any thing to 

 do v.ith it. In C(.>nsequence, how- 

 ever^ of what had been stated in 

 another place, lie had thought it 

 his duty to inteifere ; and he as- 

 sured the House that upon future 

 occasions of a like nature peace- 

 oflicers should be stationed, in 

 order that tlie militaiy might only 

 act in aid (d' the civil power. 



The Mtiiqu'u of Buckingham re- 

 garded this assurance as perfectly 

 satisfactory ; but observed, that 

 the case was aggravated by the 

 circumstance of the military being 

 cmidoyed without the concurrence 

 of the Secretary of State. 



The same subject v/as again 

 brought before the notice of the 

 Hoiise of Lords, on May 13th, 

 when the Earl of Essex made a 

 complaint of another improper 

 interference of the military, ex- 

 perienced on that day by himself. 

 As his lordship was attempting to 

 cntei- Tall Mall, he was stopped 

 by the soldiery, who insisted that 

 ise should not go along that 

 street ■ and on his calling for a 

 constable, he was answered by 

 ore of the military, "We have 

 nutliing to do with constables 

 here." He then inquired for the 

 officer of the guard, and was told 



that 



