CHAPTER XLII.

FROM THE PEACE OF PARIS TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE III.

(1814-1820.)

1. The American War and the Return of Napoleon. The army which had served Wellington so well, and which as he said 'could go anywhere and do anything,' was not allowed to rest. It was sent to America. Unhappily England was at war with the United States. Fortunately the war came to an end after it had lasted two years. In 1815, the year after the end of the great war, the Peninsular army was really wanted in Europe when it was not to be had. Napoleon escaped from Elba and landed in France. The restored king had governed so unwisely that Napoleon was welcomed by the soldiers and by a great part of the people. He entered Paris in triumph, and was once more Emperor of the French.

2. The Battle of Waterloo. The other nations of Europe were not likely to be so well pleased. They knew that Napoleon had always picked quarrels with them before, and that if he had time to get together a large army he would probably pick a quarrel with them once more. They did not want to run the chance of being conquered again, and they knew that if they were conquered by him he would show them no mercy. They therefore declared that they would have no peace with him. England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia joined in this declara

tion. Of the four, England and Prussia were first ready. An English army under Wellington, and a Prussian army under Blucher, appeared in the Netherlands. Napoleon dashed across the French frontier to attack them whilst they were still separated. He beat the Prussians and drove them back, fancying that they would retreat towards their own home, and that the English, who were not nearly as many as his own troops, would be left alone to resist him. He attacked Wellington at Waterloo. For some hours the English army had to resist the charges of the French. They held out bravely, though most of them had never been in battle before. Yet unless they were succoured they would hardly hold out to the end. In the afternoon help came. The Prussians were seen marching to their aid. Napoleon found that he had two armies to meet instead of one. The whole French army fled in utter rout. Napoleon was once more deposed, and gave himself up to the captain of an English ship. He was carried to St. Helena, and there he was kept in safety till he died, that he might no more trouble the nations which he had afflicted so long. Lewis XVIII. was again set upon the throne of France.

3. General Distress.-England was now at peace. She had done her duty to Europe. Those who do their duty must not expect that it will bring no hardships with it. For a man to do his duty means that he is ready to give up many things that are pleasant, and to suffer much which is unpleasant. It is so with nations as well as men. There was

Millions of pounds

terrible suffering after the war. had been spent and lost to the country in supporting the war. This and other causes brought about the

ruin of manufacturers and farmers. The ruin of manufacturers and farmers brought sharp distress to the labourers and the artisans. Poor men were more jignorant then than they are now, and they broke cut into riots, as if rioting would give them work, or earn them money.

4. Romilly as a Criminal-Law Reformer.-The Government was frightened. Mr. Perceval, the Prime Minister, had been murdered some years before, and had been succeeded by Lord Liverpool. Lord Liverpool was a man of kind disposition, who left the business of governing very much to the other ministers, and the other ministers were still frightened lest what had happened in France at the Revolution should happen in England. They did not like changes to be made, and thought it best to keep everything as it was. One man in the House of Commons, Sir Samuel Romilly, thought that the cruel laws which had come down from the old England of the Plantagenets and Tudors ought to be altered. It was law that any one who picked a pocket of more than five shillings, or carried off goods to the same amount from a shop, should be hanged. Some years before Romilly had induced Parliament to agree to abolish the hanging of pickpockets, but the House of Lords refused to abolish hanging for those who robbed a shop. Romilly again tried to persuade the House of Lords to be merciful, but they were stubborn, and the hangings still went on.

5. Agitation in the Country.—Amongst the artisans of the north of England a demand arose for Parliamentary Reform. They saw how much was amiss, and they thought that if every man had a vote, and there was a fresh Parliament every year, things would mend. They forgot that the greater number of men in England could neither read nor write, and that it might be dangerous to subject the Government to the control of those who were so very ignorant. In London a crowd marched into the City, but it was easily driven back and its leaders secured by the Lord Mayor and a few citizens. All this frightened the Government. They obtained from Parliament new laws to enable them to put down rebellion. There was no rebellion to be feared, though the working-men knew that they were miserable, and wanted to be better off. A large number of men collected at Manchester, and set off towards London to ask for relief. Some of them had blankets rolled up on their backs, perhaps to keep them warm by night, so that their procession is known as the March of the Blanketeers. They never got further than Macclesfield. Some were driven home again, some grew tired, and went home of their own accord. In Derbyshire a man named Brandreth, who was half mad, headed about twenty men with pikes and guns, broke into several houses to search for arms, and shot one unfortunate man. His numbers increased to a hundred. They were met by a party of soldiers. Most of them ran away, but some were taken. Three of these were hanged, and others sentenced to various punishments. The Government

and Parliament did all that they could do to put down these disturbances, but as yet they had no thought of setting their minds to find out their cause, or to relieve the people from their miseries.

6. The Manchester Massacre. For some time the conflict between the Government and the workingmen of the north went on. It was announced that a great meeting would be held in St. Peter's Field at Manchester to petition for Parliamentary Reform. The Government was afraid that large numbers of men, when they came together, would not be content with merely preparing a petition. It was known that many of them had been drilled by old soldiers. According to their own account of the matter, they only wanted healthy exercise, and to be able to march to and from the meetings in good order. It is no wonder that the Government thought that they intended to fight. The meeting was to be addressed by a man named Hunt, a vain emptyheaded speaker with a fluent tongue, who was very popular at that time. The magistrates determined to arrest Hunt, and instead of waiting till the meeting was over they sent soldiers to seize him in the midst of the multitude. The soldiers, who were not from the regular army, but yeomanry, chiefly composed of master-manufacturers, could not get through the thick crowd. They drew their swords and cut right and left. The regular soldiers, the Hussars, were then ordered to charge. The mass fled in confusion, leaving the wounded behind them. Six persons were killed and many more were wounded. The Manchester Massacre, as it was called, took place