DOI issue:
January to June, 1852
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16609#0091
PUNCFT. OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
83
POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
A CONSTABLE A LA FRANC AISE.
A WELSH. ECHO.
A Correspondent of the Morning Post, who signs himself Taffy,
after complaining that Brecon is not included among the boroughs of
which the boundaries are to be enlarged, demands
Beak Street. — Yesterday, a
man named peter hopkins! " Why is the rising Town of Crickbowell not added to Brecon?'
was brought before the Magis-
trate, charged with having used
abusive language towards a
policeman, and having assaulted
and beaten him in the execu-
tion of his duty
THE LITTLE POLITICIAN.
" Now, tell me, Papa, why you say I must be
Such a very rich man to become an M. P. ? "
"Oh ! first, you have so much ro pay for your votes—
It may be, some two or three thousand pound notes.
But you mustn't say that; because no Member knows- -
At least, is supposed to know—how the cash goes.
Then, when you 're return'd, you 're obliged, at most places.
A cup to be run for, to give at the races.
Coals and blankets at Christmas are also expected
By the poor of the borough with which you 're connected.
To new schools and churches, too, you must subscribe ;
Get places for voters—in short, you must bribe :
Though, no matter how conscience your bosom may sting.
You 're calPd on to swear that you've done no such thiii°.':
" Dear me, Papa! what you say seems very funny;
If to get into Parliament costs so much money,
I suppose that the Member is somehow repaid ;
If not, I would rather choose some other trade."
To which question, writes Taffy—
" Echo answers—hecause it is eminently Conservative."
Echo, in England, generally contents herself with repeating what is
said to her. We were not aware of her pursuing a different course in
any other country except Ireland; but now it appears that the Irish
Sneer" aUpo- '' Echo is matched by the Welsh. Probably Taffy's Echo, if asked what
lice constable of | ^ would like for supper, would reply, "Toasted Cheese."
the Z division, j -
whose nose was i
much swollen,
and bo'oh eyes
blackened,
stated that he
was on duty
& " " last night near
the House of Commons. The prisoner had stationed himself at the
entrance of the House, and was watching the Members go in. He
stepped up to him and asked bim what he thought of Lord John
Russell, to which question he (the prisoner) returned an evasive
answer. He then inquired the prisoner's opinion about the new Reform
Bill, to which the prisoner replied that it was better than nothing, but
he considered it ought to have gone farther. WitnesPthen expressed a
wish to know what view the prisoner took of the ballot and the other
five points of the Charter, whereupon he (the prisoner), without any
provocation, asked, with an oath, what that was to him ? and told him
that he believed he (witness) was a (using a strong expression) spy, and
otherwise miscalled and vilified him in very violent language. On
informing him that such conversation would not do, the prisoner, instead
of desisting, only became more abusive, till at last he (witness) was
obliged to take him into custody, when the prisoner instantly struck
him a severe blow on the root of the nose, which nearly felled him.
With the assistance of six other policemen, the prisoner was secured,
and conveyed to the station-house, kicking and struggling all the way.
Having been locked up in the cell, he harangued the inmates in the
most incendiary terms, calculated to bring the police into odium, and
excite disaffection against the Government.
The Magistrate asked what was the policeman's object in accosting
the prisoner ?
The policeman said he suspected him of being a Chartist, and had
acted according to instructions which had been addressed to the police.
He then handed to the Bench a portion of a newspaper, from which the
Magistrate read the following passage, which had been marked by the
complainant as prescribing to the police, among other duties,
" To sound the feelings of the masses on the political or economical
innovations brought forward for discussion or study; to watch overall
that concerns the public health, and the moral and material welfare of
the population."
His Worship asked the policeman how it was he did not know
better than to take his instructions from a newspaper ? The passage,
as he would have seen if he had attended to the heading at the top of
the column, referred to the French police, not the English, and was
part of a circular of directions addressed by the Minister of Police in
France, under Prince Louis Napoleon, to the Inspectors General.
The prisoner said it was a rascally shame of Mr. Bonaparte to
establish such a detestable system of espionage.
The worthy Magistrate told him he must not use such language as
that. It was highly dangerous, and calculated to cause a breach of the
peace between the two countries. Whatever the prisoner might
think of the President of France, or any of the acts of that ruler, he
should keep his opinions to himself, unless he could utter them without
giving offence. He hoped he would in future see the wisdom and
propriety of this course, which had been recommended by Her
Majesty's Ministers and the Houses of Parliament.
The prisoner said he should not have hit the policeman if the latter , OTJR ENTHUSIASTIC ARTIST IS QUITE PREPARED
had not taken him by the collar. FfVR _ „ TOVARTOK
The Magistrate said, that as the policeman had mistaken his duty, j tUK ltLtj ^iLJNUi IWVAhlUJN.
he had no warrant for apprehending the prisoner, and the charge of-- - —
assault could not be sustained. He should dismiss the case, trusting
that the constable would in future exercise more discretion, and that the Plea for the Queen's English.
^^n!^!StfSliSj35% ^°rliPRINCtE h?mS NaP0LE0N> It seems to be the desire of our leading statesmen that the Press
confine himself to more ministerial and parliamentary language. shf)uld on all occasioDS use parliamentary language. For the conl inued
=============== ; reputation of English literature, we hope journalists will do no
fatal chimes.
such thins
How precarious is political existence! The St. Alban's voters, re- What Lord Naas took by his Motion.—The response of the.
joicing in the music of Bell metal, little thought it would turn out to House of Commons to the naas-ty attempt to damage the Earl of
be a knell. Clarendon was—Pooh-pooh !
83
POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
A CONSTABLE A LA FRANC AISE.
A WELSH. ECHO.
A Correspondent of the Morning Post, who signs himself Taffy,
after complaining that Brecon is not included among the boroughs of
which the boundaries are to be enlarged, demands
Beak Street. — Yesterday, a
man named peter hopkins! " Why is the rising Town of Crickbowell not added to Brecon?'
was brought before the Magis-
trate, charged with having used
abusive language towards a
policeman, and having assaulted
and beaten him in the execu-
tion of his duty
THE LITTLE POLITICIAN.
" Now, tell me, Papa, why you say I must be
Such a very rich man to become an M. P. ? "
"Oh ! first, you have so much ro pay for your votes—
It may be, some two or three thousand pound notes.
But you mustn't say that; because no Member knows- -
At least, is supposed to know—how the cash goes.
Then, when you 're return'd, you 're obliged, at most places.
A cup to be run for, to give at the races.
Coals and blankets at Christmas are also expected
By the poor of the borough with which you 're connected.
To new schools and churches, too, you must subscribe ;
Get places for voters—in short, you must bribe :
Though, no matter how conscience your bosom may sting.
You 're calPd on to swear that you've done no such thiii°.':
" Dear me, Papa! what you say seems very funny;
If to get into Parliament costs so much money,
I suppose that the Member is somehow repaid ;
If not, I would rather choose some other trade."
To which question, writes Taffy—
" Echo answers—hecause it is eminently Conservative."
Echo, in England, generally contents herself with repeating what is
said to her. We were not aware of her pursuing a different course in
any other country except Ireland; but now it appears that the Irish
Sneer" aUpo- '' Echo is matched by the Welsh. Probably Taffy's Echo, if asked what
lice constable of | ^ would like for supper, would reply, "Toasted Cheese."
the Z division, j -
whose nose was i
much swollen,
and bo'oh eyes
blackened,
stated that he
was on duty
& " " last night near
the House of Commons. The prisoner had stationed himself at the
entrance of the House, and was watching the Members go in. He
stepped up to him and asked bim what he thought of Lord John
Russell, to which question he (the prisoner) returned an evasive
answer. He then inquired the prisoner's opinion about the new Reform
Bill, to which the prisoner replied that it was better than nothing, but
he considered it ought to have gone farther. WitnesPthen expressed a
wish to know what view the prisoner took of the ballot and the other
five points of the Charter, whereupon he (the prisoner), without any
provocation, asked, with an oath, what that was to him ? and told him
that he believed he (witness) was a (using a strong expression) spy, and
otherwise miscalled and vilified him in very violent language. On
informing him that such conversation would not do, the prisoner, instead
of desisting, only became more abusive, till at last he (witness) was
obliged to take him into custody, when the prisoner instantly struck
him a severe blow on the root of the nose, which nearly felled him.
With the assistance of six other policemen, the prisoner was secured,
and conveyed to the station-house, kicking and struggling all the way.
Having been locked up in the cell, he harangued the inmates in the
most incendiary terms, calculated to bring the police into odium, and
excite disaffection against the Government.
The Magistrate asked what was the policeman's object in accosting
the prisoner ?
The policeman said he suspected him of being a Chartist, and had
acted according to instructions which had been addressed to the police.
He then handed to the Bench a portion of a newspaper, from which the
Magistrate read the following passage, which had been marked by the
complainant as prescribing to the police, among other duties,
" To sound the feelings of the masses on the political or economical
innovations brought forward for discussion or study; to watch overall
that concerns the public health, and the moral and material welfare of
the population."
His Worship asked the policeman how it was he did not know
better than to take his instructions from a newspaper ? The passage,
as he would have seen if he had attended to the heading at the top of
the column, referred to the French police, not the English, and was
part of a circular of directions addressed by the Minister of Police in
France, under Prince Louis Napoleon, to the Inspectors General.
The prisoner said it was a rascally shame of Mr. Bonaparte to
establish such a detestable system of espionage.
The worthy Magistrate told him he must not use such language as
that. It was highly dangerous, and calculated to cause a breach of the
peace between the two countries. Whatever the prisoner might
think of the President of France, or any of the acts of that ruler, he
should keep his opinions to himself, unless he could utter them without
giving offence. He hoped he would in future see the wisdom and
propriety of this course, which had been recommended by Her
Majesty's Ministers and the Houses of Parliament.
The prisoner said he should not have hit the policeman if the latter , OTJR ENTHUSIASTIC ARTIST IS QUITE PREPARED
had not taken him by the collar. FfVR _ „ TOVARTOK
The Magistrate said, that as the policeman had mistaken his duty, j tUK ltLtj ^iLJNUi IWVAhlUJN.
he had no warrant for apprehending the prisoner, and the charge of-- - —
assault could not be sustained. He should dismiss the case, trusting
that the constable would in future exercise more discretion, and that the Plea for the Queen's English.
^^n!^!StfSliSj35% ^°rliPRINCtE h?mS NaP0LE0N> It seems to be the desire of our leading statesmen that the Press
confine himself to more ministerial and parliamentary language. shf)uld on all occasioDS use parliamentary language. For the conl inued
=============== ; reputation of English literature, we hope journalists will do no
fatal chimes.
such thins
How precarious is political existence! The St. Alban's voters, re- What Lord Naas took by his Motion.—The response of the.
joicing in the music of Bell metal, little thought it would turn out to House of Commons to the naas-ty attempt to damage the Earl of
be a knell. Clarendon was—Pooh-pooh !