Chapter VII

Genesis of "The Charter" - L. & N. W. Railway opened to Birmingham--Overland route to India--A bold smuggler--Bull baiting--Visitors to the Queen--"The Boy Jones."

Probably nearly all my readers have heard of the "Chartists," but it is equally probable that few know when the agitation commenced, and the reason for its existence. The "Charter," as it was called, was the Radical outcome of the Reform Bill of 1832. For a time, after the passing of that Bill, the land had peace, for all reasonable reforms had been granted, but the demagogues were not going to be quietly annihilated, and an agitation for more trenchant reform was got up, and a mass meeting in its favour was held at Birmingham, on the 6th of August, and at it were inaugurated the principles of "The People's Charter," as it was called. It is currently reported that this "Charter" was drawn up by William Lovett, a carpenter and cabinet maker, who took an active part in getting rid of the stamp tax upon newspapers; and it is very likely that it was so, for he drew up most of the petitions and addresses for the movement, and, in connection with it, he, the following year, suffered 12 months' imprisonment. He died Aug. 1877. The demands of this "Charter" were six, and they were familiarly known as the six points. They were:

Universal Suffrage.
Vote by Ballot.
Annual Parliaments.
Payment of the Members.
Abolition of the Property Qualification.
Equal Electoral Districts.

The meeting was got up by T. Atwood, Esq., M.P., and the site chosen for it was a large vacant piece of ground, at Birmingham, on the north-west side of the town, and there drinking booths galore were erected. The morning began very wet, and the different divisions from the neighbouring country marched bemired and bedraggled to the rendezous. There they soon filled the drinking booths, in which they abode; hence, probably, the very diverse statements as to the numbers present at the meeting, which vary from 10,000 to 200,000. The ground chosen was a natural amphitheatre, and, if the weather had been finer, it would have been a pretty sight, enlivened by the bright banners of the different Trades' Societies. However, Mr. Atwood read the Petition, which embodied the above six points, and moved its adoption. Feargus O'Connor, a well-known firebrand, seconded it in a violent speech, in which occurred the following balderdash.

"On with your green standard rearing,
Go, flesh every sword to the hilt;
On our side is Virtue and Erin,
On yours is the _parson_ and guilt."

Of course the Motion was enthusiastically carried, and then a very heavy shower of rain terminated the proceedings. The petition was afterwards presented to Parliament by Mr. Atwood on the 14th of June, 1839.

On 17th Sept the London and North Western Railway (then called the London and Birmingham Rly.) was opened throughout to Birmingham; the first train, containing Directors and their friends, leaving Euston at 7.15 a.m. The times of this train are useful for comparing with the present time. "The train left Euston at 15 minutes past 7, but did not take on locomotive until 20 minutes past. It arrived at Tring station at 25 minutes past 8, where there was five minutes' delay. Arrived at Wolverton at 6 minutes past 9, where the directors alighted and changed engines. The train arrived at Rugby at 11 o'clock, where the Duke of Sussex and his suite alighted, and proceeded by carriage to the place of his destination. The directors remained at Rugby 10 minutes, and arrived at Birmingham 3 minutes past 12, having performed the whole journey, including stoppages, in 4 hours 48 minutes, and, exclusive of stoppages, in 4 hours 14 minutes. This is, unquestionably, the shortest time in which the journey from London to Birmingham has ever been performed, being upwards of two hours less than the time occupied by Marshal Soult and attendants a few weeks ago."

"The fare for one person from London to Birmingham, or back, by the 'four inside' carriages, by day, or the first class, 'six inside' by night, will be 1 pound 12s. 6d; by the second-class carriages, open by day, which is the cheapest, it will be 1 pound. The intermediate fares will be 1 pound 10s. and 1 pound 5s."

It is not generally known that the two lodges at the entrance of Euston Station, were the original ticket office and waiting room.

People were beginning to wake from the torpor in which they had hitherto slumbered, with regard to locomotion, and on 12th October an influential meeting of merchants and others was held at the Jerusalem Coffee House to hear a Captain Barber unfold his scheme for a quicker communication with India. This was that passengers and goods should be taken by steam to Cairo, and thence, by omnibuses and vans to Suez--as was afterwards done by Waghorn, who was already forming an Overland Mail (see _Times_, 29 Nov., 1838).

With the very heavy duties on foreign goods, of course smuggling was very rife, and the Inland Revenue was defrauded on every possible occasion by the sharp wits opposed to it; and the difficulty of conviction, unless the smuggler was caught red-handed, was very considerable. The following is a case in point, and for sheer impudence, it bears the palm. 17 Oct.:

MANSION HOUSE.--A Scotchwoman, named Frances Bodmore, the wife of a
Frenchman, who has been engaged in smuggling, appeared to answer for
her husband, on a charge of having two two-gallon bottles of French
brandy in his possession, without having paid the duty thereon.

Child, the constable, said he went into the house of the Frenchman,
in Sugarloaf Court; and, while searching for other things, found the
bottles under the pillows of the bed.

The Lord Mayor: Why don't your husband attend?

Woman: Why, because he knows nothing at all about the business. I
think he'd be a great fool to come here without knowing for what.

The Lord Mayor: How do you get your living?

Woman: Why, as well as I can. I don't get it without running some
risk for it, you may depend.

The Lord Mayor: We know you to be a consummate smuggler.

Woman: Whatever my business may be, I generally get through it like a
trump. There's no nonsense about me.

The Lord Mayor (to the Revenue officer): She is constantly backward
and forward between this and France, I daresay.

Woman: Yes, my Lord, I travel a good deal for the benefit of my
health, and I always come back stouter than I go. (Laughter.)

Officer: She's perfectly well known, my Lord, as one of a number that
are commissioned by parties in London. They are all very clever, and
elude us in every possible way, and the steamers afford them great
facilities.

The Lord Mayor: I can't send this woman to prison, and she knows it
well, but I shall punish every experienced smuggler I catch as
severely as I can. They cheat the fair trader, they endanger the
vessel in which they come over, and they cheat the Government.

Woman: Ay, my Lord, that's the cleverest thing of all. Only think of
cheating the Government! Well, well, I wonder where the villainy of
man will end! (Laughter.)

The Lord Mayor: Take care of yourself. You think you are secure.
You may go now.

Woman: Good morning, my Lord. Although you are so kind, I hope I
shall never have the pleasure of seeing your face again.

The Lord Mayor was informed that great quantities of lace were
brought over by women. Some had been found stitched up in the skins
of wildfowl, and there was scarcely an article, dead or alive, that
was not suspected of being a depository of contraband goods. It was
but a short time ago, that a wretched-looking object was discovered
to be the carrier of a large stock of lace. He had an old bedstead,
which, in his trips to Boulogne, he used to take with him. At last,
somebody on board expressed his surprise, why a ricketty piece of
furniture, which looked as if it was the tenement of living animals,
should be so frequent a passenger. Upon close examination, it was
found that the several pieces of the bedstead had been hollowed and
stuffed with lace.

The cruel old English sport of bull baiting was still continued at Stamford, in Lincolnshire, where it is said to have existed since the year 1209, in the reign of King John. The story goes that, in that year, William, Earl Warren, lord of the town, standing on the walls of his castle, saw two bulls fighting for a cow, in the castle meadow, till all the butchers dogs pursued one of the bulls (maddened by the noise and multitude) clean through the town. This sight so pleased the Earl, that he gave the castle meadow, where the bulls' duel began, for a common, to the butchers of the town, after the first grass was mown, on condition that they should find a mad bull the day six weeks before Christmas Day--for the continuation of that sport, for ever.

But the time had come for putting an end to this barbarous practice, and it was this year put down by direct interference of the Secretary of State. At Stamford, and elsewhere, it was believed that this bull baiting was legal, being established by custom; but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with a view of setting the question at rest by the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench, caused an indictment to be preferred against several of the ringleaders. The indictment was tried at Lincoln, before Mr. Justice Park and a special jury, when several of them were found guilty; and, upon their being brought up for judgment in the Court of Queen's Bench, the Court unanimously declared the practice to be illegal; the Chief Justice, in particular, said: "It was supposed there was some matter of law--at first, there was a supposed old Charter--for the future, it must be considered as an illegal practice."

In consequence of this decision, a troop of the 14th Dragoons, together with 12 Metropolitan policemen, were sent into the town of Stamford. Placards, apprising the public of the illegality of the bull baiting, were posted in the town and neighbourhood, and the threatened and attempted repetition of this barbarous scene was prevented without any loss of life or serious injury. The _bullards_ (as they were called) mustered in strong numbers. They had provided two fierce bulls to be hunted and tormented; but the bulls were seized and pounded by the police; and, although the ruffian mob remained in considerable numbers, no serious breach of the peace took place. But they were determined not to be altogether baulked of their _sport_; for a bull calf, enclosed in a cart, and followed by its lowing mother, entered the town, and was immediately seized on as a substitute for a bull. It was taken out, and hunted through the town for some time, until rescued by the police.

Every lunatic seems to have wanted to say something to the young Queen, and visitors to Buckingham Palace were very frequent, although the object of their wishes was never attained. To show the nuisance involved by these fools let me give one paragraph out of the _Times_, 19 Dec.:

VISITORS TO HER MAJESTY.--On Saturday night, about 9 o'clock, a very
respectably dressed young man rang the bell at the tradesmen's
entrance of the new Palace, and, upon being asked the nature of his
business, he said he had come for the direction of his house, as he
was tired, and wished to go home. Upon being asked to explain
himself, he said he had just come from Sydney, and had been desired
to call at the Palace by the Queen, who told him he should have a
house to live in, and 150 pounds a year, for some very important
spiritual communication he had made to her. The young man, whose
every action showed he was a lunatic, was then told the Queen was not
in town, when he turned away, observing that he would go immediately
to Lord Hill, and lay his case before him. Visits of the preceding
kind are very frequent at the Palace, and the tales told by the
visitants are of the very strangest nature. It is only a few weeks
since, an elderly man, having the appearance of a farmer, called at
the Palace, and handing to the porter the certificate of his birth,
requested him to let Her Majesty sign it. From inquiries made
concerning this man, it was discovered that he was a respectable
farmer in the neighbourhood of Exeter, from which distant place he
had wandered on so strange an errand.

But of all visitors to the Royal Palace, THE BOY JONES was the most frequent and successful. Who, in this generation, knows anything about THE BOY JONES? Yet his escapades were very daring and his story is very true--but so strange is it that, in order to be believed, I must, at least, in part, give the chapter and verse for it:

_The Times_, 15 Dec.:

QUEEN SQUARE.--Yesterday, a lad about 15 years of age, who gave his
name as Edward Cotton, whose dress was that of a sweep, but who was
stated to be the son of a respectable tradesman in Hertfordshire, was
charged with being found in the Marble hall of Buckingham Palace,
under circumstances of an extraordinary nature. It should be stated
that Buckingham Palace, even during the absence of the Queen, is
guarded by the gentlemen porters of the establishment, two inspectors
of the A division of police, and sentries from the Foot Guards. In
spite of this, a number of cases have lately occurred at this office,
where persons have been found in the interior of the Palace under
unaccountable circumstances.

George Cox, one of the porters, having been sworn, said, that at five
o'clock yesterday morning he saw the prisoner in the Marble hall.
The latter endeavoured to make his escape into the lobby, but he
pursued him, and he then took a contrary direction, across the lawn
at the back of the Palace. Witness called for the sentry at the
gate, and a policeman of the B Division who was on duty in James
Street, caught the lad, after a long chase over the lawn. Mr. Cox
added, that he found, in the lobby, a regimental sword, a quantity of
linen, and other articles, all of which had been purloined from the
Palace. The sword was the property of the Hon. Augustus Murray, a
gentleman attached to the Queen's establishment. Witness went into
that gentleman's bedroom, and the bedding was covered with soot. The
prisoner had, evidently, endeavoured to get up the chimney, in order
to effect his escape; there was a valuable likeness of Her Majesty,
in the Marble hall, which was broken, and covered with soot; and it
was supposed that the lad, in the first instance, had descended from
the top of the building, and had endeavoured to make his way back
again in the same manner.

James Stone, 31 B, deposed that he was called upon by the last
witness to secure the prisoner. There were marks of soot in several
of the bedchambers, as well as in one of the corridors of the Palace,
and the Grand (or Marble) hall. He found upon him two letters, one
addressed to Her Majesty, and the other to the Hon. Mr. Murray.
These letters had been placed underneath Her Majesty's portrait, and
had, no doubt, been taken by the prisoner at the time the picture was
destroyed. Part of the scabbard of the sword was discovered in one
of the beds, and a quantity of bear's grease, part of which he had
placed upon his flesh, was taken from him--it belonged to one of the
servants of the Palace. Upon being taken to the station house, he
said he came from Hertfordshire, and that his father was a
respectable man.

Mr. White, the sitting magistrate, observed that it was a most
extraordinary thing that persons could get into the Palace under such
circumstances.

Several persons belonging to the Palace said that every inquiry had
been made, but it could not be accounted for.

Mr. White (to the prisoner): Where do you come from?

Prisoner: I came from Hertfordshire 12 months ago, and I met with a
man in a fustian jacket, who asked me to go with him to Buckingham
House. I went, and have been there ever since. I got my victuals in
the kitchen, and I thought myself very well off, because I came to
London to better myself.

Mr. White: Well, you could not go to a higher place.

Prisoner: I declare it to be the case, and I lived very well. To be
sure, I was obliged to wash my shirt now and then.

Mr. White: You fared, then, altogether, pretty well?

Prisoner: Very well indeed, Sir, and I was always placed, when the
Queen had a meeting with the Ministers, behind a piece of furniture
in the room; but I, certainly, did live well.

Mr. White: Indeed! And which was your favourite apartment?

Prisoner: The room in front of the gardens; but I was always in the
secret when the Ministers came.

Mr. White: Do you mean to tell me that you have lived in the Palace
upwards of 11 months, and been concealed when Her Majesty held a
Council?

Prisoner: I do.

Mr. White: Were you hid behind a chair?

Prisoner: No. But the tables and other furniture concealed me.

Mr. White: Then you could hear all Her Majesty said?

Prisoner: Oh, yes! and her Ministers too.

The prisoner's answers to the questions of the magistrate were given
in the most shrewd manner possible, and he evidently appeared to be a
lad of some education, but nothing further could be elicited from
him.

Mr. White said it was a most singular affair, and that it should be
strictly inquired into. For the present, he should remand the
prisoner until Wednesday next. The magistrate also told Cox that, as
he should be sitting there every day, he should be glad to receive
any information upon the subject.

The letters found upon the prisoner were directed to be sent to the
Palace, under seal of the Office, the prisoner having broken them
open.

The case excited great interest, and, in the first instance, was sent to Bow Street; but Sir Frederick Roe being out of town, it was ordered to be heard at this office.

_The Times_, 20 Dec.--Yesterday, the lad found in Buckingham Palace,
who had given his name as Edward Cotton, and described himself as the
son of a respectable tradesman living in the town of Hertford, was
brought before Messrs. White and Gregorie for final examination. It
will be recollected that he had purloined, amongst other articles,
two letters, which were immediately sealed up, and sent back to the
Palace. The prisoner turns out to be the son of an industrious
tailor, named Jones, residing in York Street, Westminster; and, it
appears, had frequently expressed his intention to enter the Palace,
under any circumstances. He had often stated that he wished to see
the grand staircase, in order to take a sketch of it, and had often
expressed his determination to see the Queen, and to hear her
sentiments when Her Majesty and her Ministers were assembled in
Council.

Frederick Blume now deposed that he was valet to the Hon. Mr. Murray,
and that a sword, a quantity of linen and other articles, had been
stolen from that gentleman's apartments in the Palace.

Mr. White: When were they stolen?

Witness: I can't recollect.

Mr. White: Was it a week, a month, or three or four months ago?

Witness: I cannot say.

Mr. White: Where was your master's sword at the time you saw it last?

Witness: When I went to Windsor.

Mr. White: When was that?

Witness: I cannot exactly recollect, and then he added, that about a
week since, he had sent from Windsor to the Palace, a portmanteau
containing his linen, and three pairs of trousers, four of stockings,
and three cravats were missing. The padlock of the portmanteau had
been forced by the sword having been applied to it. The sword had
broken in the attempt. He had also lost five 10 sous pieces, which
had been found upon the prisoner.

Mr. White: What is the value of the articles you have lost?

Witness: I don't know; but I should like to give three guineas to get
them back.

Mr. White: Can you swear to the French coin found upon the prisoner
as being yours?

The witness was then shown the coin, and he said that he certainly
could. They had been taken from his bedroom.

* * * * *

Mr. White: Can any information be given as to the manner in which the
prisoner gained access to the Palace? Cox, one of the porters to the
Palace, said that the principal entrance door was always locked, and
the key in his possession. At 5 o'clock on Saturday morning, just as
he was about to get out of bed, the prisoner opened the door of his
room, as witness considered, to obtain the key; his face and hands
were disguised with soot and bear's grease, and he was asked whether
he came to sweep a chimney: he did not make any answer, but
endeavoured to escape.

Inspector Steed, A division, said that upon examining the gates of
the principal entrance of the Palace, he found that, at the Marble
Arch, there was a vacuum sufficient to admit a boy into the Palace,
without any inconvenience.

Mr. White: And is there no sentry at this gate?

Witness: There are two.

The inspector said that he had examined the boy's boots, and the
gravel upon them corresponded with that lately laid down close to the
Marble Arch. The boots had been taken off by the prisoner, and left
in one of the apartments appropriated to the use of the porters of
the Palace.

Mr. Griffiths, builder, Coventry Street, said that the lad had been
in his employment for a few months; he had always expressed his
intention to get into the interior of the Palace by some means or
other; he was a clever lad, and had made a sketch of the exterior,
and a view of the enclosure fronting the Palace. He had left his
service two days since, and witness was very much distressed, as were
his parents, to know what had become of him. Upon reading the
accounts in the newspapers, he immediately went to Tothill Fields,
and identified him, much to the gratification of his father, who
supposed that he had drowned himself, the latter having, on account
of his son's bad conduct, turned him out of doors.

The Magistrate, after telling the boy that he would, most likely, be
committed for trial, asked him what he could say in his defence.

Prisoner: I wished to see the Palace, and I went in with a man in a
fustian jacket. I had the whole range of the Palace for a day or
two, but the money found upon me I picked up in one of the rooms.

Mr. White: Tell me the truth, for I am about to send you for trial.

Prisoner: Oh, very well; with all my heart.

He was fully committed to the Westminster Sessions, and all parties
bound over to prosecute.

He was tried on 28 Dec., and was most ably defended by his Counsel, Mr. Prendergast, who turned everything to ridicule, and the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty, regarding the escapade in the light of a youthful folly, and being, also, mindful of the fact that the boy did not enter the Palace for the purpose of theft.

But we shall hear of THE BOY JONES again.