382 
Francis had expressed his determination not 
to surrender himself except to actual force: 
and during the whole of, these two days and 
nights the people were constantly assembling 
round sir Francis’s house, and giving him 
tokens of their attachment, though the streets 
were paraded by dragoons. At length, on 
Monday morning, an Immense military force 
was drawn up before and near the house, and 
the warrant was Carried into execution by 
Bow-street officers with almest theatrical 
management and effect. . 
A little before eleven the serjeant at arms, 
accompanied by messengers, police officers, 
and a large military force, broke violently 
into the house. Sir Francis was sitting with 
his family, and on the appearance of the ser- 
jeant, asked by what authority he broke 
into his house? ‘The serjeant produced the 
speaker’s wartant, whicn sir Francis refused 
to obey, and demanded if it was intended to 
be executed by a military force? The an- 
swer was in the afirmative; whereupon sir 
Francis commanded them to desist in the 
king’s name, and called upon the sheriff for 
his aid. It was answered that the sheriff was 
not there ; and sir Francis then said, that 
they should not take him but by force, which 
they accordingly did, and hurried him through 
a double file of soldiers drawn up in his own 
_hhouse, to a glass coach, which they had ia 
waiting for the purpose, and conveyed him 
to the Tower, escorted bya large body of 
horse. 
In the return of the troops from the Tower, 
they fired repeatedly on the people, and some 
lives were lost. Concerning some of the 
cases, the coroner’s juries have very properly 
zeturned verdicts ef qw:/ful murder. 
In consequence of these abominable pro- 
ceedings, a very numerous meeting of the 
electors of Westminster was held in Palace- 
yard, on the 17th of April; at which it was 
resolved, to present to the House of Com- 
_ mons a ** petitionand remonstrance,” stating, 
among other things, that ** the committal 
of sit Francis Burdett to prison, enforced by 
military power, are circumstances which 
render evident the imperious necessity of an 
immediate reform in the representation of the 
people :” and concluding with most earnestly 
calling upon-the house *¢ to restore to us our 
representative, and according to the notice he 
has given, to take the state of the represen- 
tation of tle people into your serious consi- 
deration, a reform in which is, in our opi- 
nion, the only means of preserving the coun. 
try from military despotism.” It was deter- 
mined also to send a letter to sir Francis in 
the Tower, expressing their full approbatioa 
of his general conduct 5; and speaking of the 
particular instance in question, in the follaw- 
“ing terms:—<‘¢ We feel the indignity that 
has been offered you, but we are not sur- 
prised to find, that when every excuse ig 
Siate of Public Affairs in Aprtl. 
[May ly 
made for public delinquents, that the utmase 
rigour is ex rcised against him who pleads for 
the ancient and constitutional rights of the 
people. You nobly stept forward in defence 
‘of a fellow subject unjustly imprisoned, and 
you questioned with great ability and know- 
ledge of the laws, the warrant issued upon 
that occasion 5 the House of Commons have 
answered your argument by breaking. into 
your house with a military foree, seizing your 
person, and conveying you by a large bady of 
troops to the Tower. Your distinction be- 
tween privilege and power remains unaltered 5 
‘the privileges of the House of Commons are 
for the protection, not for the destruction, of 
the people. We have resolved to remon- 
strate with the House of Commons on. the 
outrages committed under their orders; and 
to cali upon them to restore you to your seat 
in parliament, which the present state of the 
country rehders more than ever necessary for 
the furtherance of your and our object-=a ree 
form of the representation in that house, 
While so many members are collected toge- 
ther by means ¢ which it is not nesessary for 
us to describe," we cannot but entertain the 
greatest apprehensions for the remainder of 
our liberties ; and the employment of a mili- 
tary force against one of their own body, is 
but a sad presage of what may be expected 
by those who like you have the courage to 
stand forward in defence of the rights of the 
people.” . 
Sir Francis, in his answer, speaking of the 
present state of the representation of the pev- 
ple, says: ‘* From this foul and traitorous 
traffic our borough-monger sovereigns derive 
an immense revenue, cruelly wrung from the 
hard hand of honest labour. I do, however, 
now entertain an ardent hope, that this de- 
graded. and degrading system, to which all 
our difficulties, grievances, and dangers, are 
owing, will at length give way to the mo- 
derate but determined perseverance of a whole 
united people. Magna Charta, and the old 
law of the land, will then resume their em- 
pire—freedom will revive—the caterpillars 
of the state, coiling themselves up in their 
own naturally narrow sphere, will fall off and 
perish—-property and political power, which 
the law never separates, will be re united— 
the king, replaced in the happy and dignified 
' station allotted him by the constitution—the 
people, relieved from the bitterest of all 
curses, the curse of Canaan, that of being 
the servants of servants, and restored to 
their just and indisputable rights. To effect 
these great, important, and necessary purpoe 
ses, no exertions of mine shall ever be wamte 
ing—without their attainment, no efforts of 
mine can avail. The people of England must 
spcak out-—they must do more—they must 
act: and if, following the example of the 
electors of Westminster, they do act in a firm 
and regular manner, upon a concerted plan, 
ever 
