On Monday, the 28th of February, the Privy-Council again met, and on this day a proclamation was placarded in different parts of London, offering a reward of 200l. for the apprehension of John Palin, alias Peeling, who had been charged with high treason. He was described as being a child’s chair-maker, and as having been formerly a corporal in the East London Militia, and about forty years of age.
Private information was the same evening given to Lavender and Bishop, that Palin, for whose apprehension the reward of 200l. had been offered, was concealed in a house in the neighbourhood of Battle-bridge. They proceeded immediately with their informer to the spot described, but found that there was no ground for the suspicion which had arisen. Though the officers did not find Palin, they found three men and a woman of somewhat suspicious appearance. One man was in bed, and said he was unwell. The patrol suspecting him to be one of the Cato-street gang of assassins, and that he was in bed in consequence of the bruises he had received, made him get up, when he was found to have all his clothes on except his shoes. They stripped him, but he had no bruises. The other two men were melting lead in a frying-pan. One of the men lived at that place, the others in Monmouth-street and Brownlow-street. They were all three brought to the office, and underwent an examination before Mr. Birnie, when there being no charge against them, and they not being known, they were discharged. It is supposed that Palin might have taken the alarm, and escaped at the back of the house while the officers were knocking at the door.
The notorious Preston, the cobbling politician, of Spa-fields’ memory, was also this day arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the plot, under a warrant issued by R. Birnie, Esq. It appears that the lodgings of this man were searched a few days before, but nothing of a suspicious nature was found. On those occasions he facetiously said—“his armory could not boast of a swan-shot, nor his port-folio of a scrap of paper of the slightest political interest.” Circumstances afterwards transpired which led to his arrest upon a charge of high treason. He was found industriously engaged in mending a shoe, with his family about him. He was surprised at this new visit, but submitted to his fate with cheerfulness, not unaccompanied by an apparent sense of his own importance. His daughters were highly indignant at this intrusion on their domestic privacy. The officers conducted their prisoner to Bow-street office, from whence he was sent to the Marquis of Anglesea public-house opposite. He was placed under the care of Lack, one of the patrol. He called for “a pipe and pot,” and, seating himself before the fire, seemed perfectly happy. He laughingly said to a gentleman who went to see him, that he thought “the farce would not be complete till he was taken.” He had previously denied all knowledge of the late conspiracy. After being shortly examined before Mr. Birnie, he was sent to Covent-garden watch-house, where he remained in confinement during that night. On the following morning he was removed from that place of confinement to the secretary of state’s office for the home department, where, at twelve o’clock, the Lords of the Council assembled, consisting of the Cabinet Ministers, the Marquis of Camden, Mr. Peel, Sir William Scott, Sir John Nicholls, Mr. Sturges Bourne, together with the Attorney and Solicitor-Generals, and other law officers.
Mr. Buller, one of the principal clerks of the council, attended to take the minutes of the proceedings. When Preston was taken in before the Lords of the Council he behaved with his usual boldness and low insolence to most of their lordships personally. He called upon them with the most ludicrously impudent arrogance, and asked what they meant by sending for him to disturb his peace of mind, and to disturb the economy of his family, alluding to his three daughters binding shoes, and himself making them.
The examination of this impudent fellow lasted about half an hour, after which he was committed to Tothillfields-bridewell in the custody of two of the Bow-street officers. When he returned from the Council Chamber he was almost breathless, and gasped out to those about him—“Bless me, how I perspire! but I always do when I have any thing like a subject to speak upon.” Whilst his commitment was making out, he requested to be assisted with a little porter. Some porter was given to him, and whilst he was drinking it Lord Castlereagh passed through the hall, when Preston observed, “Aye, there he goes! His lordship will remember what I have said to him as long as he lives. I have talked more treason, as they call it, to-day, than ever I did in my whole life before.” The porter seemed to inspire him, and he was proceeding with more remarks, when the officers received his commitment, and he was led to the coach which was to convey him to prison. A number of gentlemen were assembled in the hall; and, as he passed through the midst of them, he bowed and smiled on all sides, repeatedly saying, “God bless you all.”
In the course of the day an application was made at the police-office, Bow-street, by one of Preston’s daughters, to be allowed to see her father, and to deliver him some clean linen; she was referred by the magistrate to Lord Sidmouth, and accordingly wrote the following letter to his Lordship, which she carried to the office of the Home Department, and delivered it to one of the messengers, while she waited in the hall for an answer:—
“My Lord,—I entreat your Lordship to allow an agonized daughter to have an interview with her father, who was dragged from home, and his family, consisting of three daughters besides myself, totally unprotected, on a charge of which he is completely innocent, and of which he has no knowledge whatever. My father’s house was searched four times successively on four different days, and nothing was found that could at all criminate him in the late dreadful proceedings.
“I have called at Bow-street for the purpose of giving my father some linen, and also to know if he could be held to bail, and have been referred to your Lordship. I am now waiting in the lobby of the Home Department Office with the linen to give to my father; and I hope your Lordship will grant me an interview with him.
“I am, my Lord,
Your Lordship’s obedient humble servant,
Ann Preston.”