## Chapter 148: Mr. Hastings’ Insightful Analysis
The Prime Minister’s office was filled with the scent of aged leather and the faint aroma of pipe tobacco. Arthur, standing tall and composed, glanced at the portrait hanging above the Duke of Wellington’s desk. The man in the painting, dressed in a black collar and deep red military uniform with a neatly trimmed mustache, bore a striking resemblance to the Duke, but appeared considerably younger.
“You have an eye for art, young man?” the Duke chuckled, noticing Arthur’s gaze. “That’s a Thomas Lawrence, you should know him. The President of the Royal Academy. Though if you’re thinking of commissioning him for a portrait, I regret to inform you that he passed away in January this year. His work is now a rare treasure.”
Arthur, removing his hat and placing his right hand over his chest, bowed slightly. “My knowledge of art is merely superficial, Your Grace. I was hoping to recruit a few apprentices from the Royal Academy to assist with police work. But those matters can be discussed later. My primary concern is to report on the demonstration that occurred in Hyde Park this morning.”
“Another demonstration? They seem to be quite energetic when it comes to demonstrations. During the Napoleonic Wars, I didn’t see them so eager to enlist in the army. This lot is truly a headache!” The Duke of Wellington ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Alright, who is it this time? The Foxites? The Huskissonians? The Canningites? Or maybe the new group that Earl Grey has gathered?”
Sir Robert Peel, standing beside the Duke, couldn’t help but interject with a playful tone, “Your Grace, all those factions are sitting in Parliament, they wouldn’t be out on the streets demonstrating.”
The Duke leaned back against his desk, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Ah, yes, they’re all in Parliament. They can afford to wag their tongues while we soldiers are sent to the front lines to risk our lives. If we do well, they’ll praise us, but if we fail, they’ll send us to a court-martial. They can say whatever they want, it’s always their way.”
Sir Peel, sensing Arthur’s discomfort, leaned towards him and whispered, “Arthur, everyone has their grievances and frustrations. Just listen to him, don’t repeat this to the press.”
Arthur, feeling a bit awkward, pursed his lips, but his subtle gesture didn’t escape the Duke’s keen eye.
“Wait,” the Duke furrowed his brow, “Is there something about me in the papers again?”
Before Arthur could respond, the Duke, already on his feet, walked towards the bookshelf and pulled out a newspaper.
Sir Peel, witnessing the Duke’s reaction, smiled at Arthur and said, “Nevermind, just report to me directly. The ones who would demonstrate on the streets are always the same: the Luddite workers, the Diggers, or those Church of England clergymen who are constantly fussing over the Emancipation Act.”
Arthur shook his head gently, “Sir Peel, I regret to inform you that it’s not any of those groups. They are supporters of Robert Owen. Mr. Owen gave a speech in Hyde Park today, and the crowd was clearly agitated. The speech hadn’t even finished before they turned their anger towards the Duke of Wellington and started a spontaneous demonstration.”
“Robert Owen?” Sir Peel furrowed his brow at the name. Even for him, as a Liberal Tory leader, Robert Owen’s ideas were considered too radical.
Coincidentally, the Whigs shared a similar view.
“I know the Whigs have been uniting with various labor groups to gain power, but Owen…? Are you sure?” Sir Peel pondered.
Arthur, sensing Sir Peel’s reservations, said, “There is no evidence to suggest that the workers in Hyde Park are connected to the Whigs. I am inclined to believe this might be an isolated incident. After all, you know, the air in London feels tense with all this talk about parliamentary reform.”
“Have you identified the associations involved in the demonstration?” Sir Peel asked.
Arthur immediately pulled out a document from his bag and handed it over. Sir Peel glanced at it and stood up, saying, “Oh, it’s them. Alright, I understand. The Home Office has a few informants in those areas. I’ll have someone retrieve their reports from the Home Office.”
Arthur, rising to his feet, said, “Sir, regarding the Home Office informants, may I ask you a question?”
Sir Peel was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered. He chuckled, “I almost forgot, your temporary organization has been dealing with this kind of thing lately, hasn’t it? But Arthur, don’t worry, the Home Office having other informants doesn’t mean I doubt your capabilities. The Home Office informants existed long before you took the lead in establishing the LPS.”
“LPS?” Arthur paused for a moment, before realizing that Sir Peel was referring to the London Police Service.
He smiled and replied, “Actually, I’ve been wanting to submit the LPS’s first report to you, which includes some of my observations and reform suggestions on police intelligence work. However, due to time constraints, it might be better if I present it to you verbally here. What do you think?”
Sir Peel, seeing Arthur’s calm and composed demeanor, naturally lowered his expectations regarding the severity of the demonstration.
He set down the document and nodded, “Arthur, you never cease to surprise me. I thought you wouldn’t be able to achieve anything in such a short time.”
Arthur shook his head with a smile, “It’s not really an achievement, more like some experience. As you know, France was the first country to propose the concept of police. So, I’ve been diligently studying the available records of French police intelligence operations, combining them with the accumulated data from Scotland Yard. And I’ve discovered a few problems.”
“Oh?” Sir Peel asked with interest, “What kind of problems?”
“Firstly, don’t trust temporary informants too much. They are far less reliable than true undercover agents. They need to submit reports every day to earn their pay and recognition. If they have nothing to write about, they’ll fabricate something. If they find something, they’ll exaggerate it, all to prove their importance.
Secondly, danger fabricated by the government is beneficial to the government. Having an unthreatening conspiracy around can actually give the government more power and authority.”
Sir Peel, intrigued by this novel conclusion, asked, “Where did you get this information from?”
Arthur replied, “After the Napoleonic Wars, Louis XVIII successfully restored the monarchy in France. He made excellent use of the things I just mentioned.
At that time, the humiliated French army wanted revenge, the Bonapartists hoped to welcome Napoleon back, the Republicans of 1789 wanted to limit the king’s power, the Jacobins longed for extreme measures, ordinary citizens ravaged by war yearned for the restoration of the Republic of 1792, and those exiles who had returned home, deprived of their property and wealth, tried to restore the old regime.
In this context, the Paris Police under Louis XVIII fabricated conspiracies, instigated unrest, and caused public opinion to be divided. The extreme royalists used it as evidence of lax policing, arguing that the government was encouraging revolutionary activities to overthrow the monarchy. The liberals, on the other hand, accused the extreme royalists of using provocateurs to create a crisis to legitimize their authoritarian rule.
And Louis XVIII, caught between these two factions, lived a peaceful life until his death. His successor, Charles X, clearly didn’t grasp the essence of this balance.
He failed to leverage the intelligence advantage of the Paris Police. The Paris Police’s greatest achievement under his rule was probably helping him, based on the informants’ intelligence, successfully apprehend his wife’s lover during a raid on rebel factions.”
Sir Peel almost burst into laughter, covering his mouth with his hand and apologizing, “Sorry, Arthur, go on.”
Seeing Sir Peel’s smile, Arthur understood that things were going well.
He had secured Sir Peel’s support, which meant the Duke of Wellington’s side was stabilized. Now, all that remained was to convince those hot-headed workers to return home.
He smiled and continued, “I was talking about France, but Britain is different. We have a strong tradition of parliamentary government, and the people are willing to pursue their rights within the existing framework.
Therefore, I believe that General John Byrne’s assessment of similar incidents in the previous century is very apt: Most British radicals view revolution as a mass movement that may involve some bloodshed, but its main purpose is to force the government to concede, not to overthrow the political system.
We already have the most outstanding political system in the world, and the public has no strong desire to overthrow it. Take this demonstration in Hyde Park, for example. Those workers may be shouting ‘Down with Wellington, overthrow the Tories,’ but ultimately, all they want is the right to vote.
I’ve always believed that the large-scale worker riots and bloody crackdowns between 1812 and 1821 were largely due to the incompetence of Viscount Sidmouth Henry Addington, the then Home Secretary, and the immature Home Office informant system.
I don’t know whether it was due to intelligence errors or subjective motives, but he exaggerated many normal demonstrations into violent riots with seditious intent, acts of terror that would undermine the government’s foundation.
This led to a series of bloody incidents, which caused the public to distrust and alienate the Tory cabinet.
For example, the Taylor Rebellion in 1816 is a typical example. Initially, the miners in the Taylor area of Manchester City protested peacefully, demanding higher wages and improved working conditions.
But the Manchester authorities did not handle this sudden situation in a timely manner. They neither coordinated negotiations between the mine owners and the workers, nor appeased the workers. Instead, they waited until the situation escalated, with workers burning down factories and smashing machinery, before hastily reporting to the Home Office and the cabinet, requesting the deployment of troops to suppress the uprising.
The Peterloo Massacre in 1819 was another manifestation of the Manchester city government’s incompetence and inefficiency. The Peterloo Massacre directly led to the Cato Street Conspiracy in 1820. If it hadn’t been discovered in time, the then cabinet members might have all perished at the hands of Spence’s Association for the Equitable Distribution of Property.
Therefore, I believe that the LPS’s main task should be set as ‘early detection, early management.’ We need to cultivate professional undercover agents, and the early system of hiring informants must be reformed and gradually abolished.
The ultimate goal is to establish a one-way intelligence channel between social instability factors and the Home Office. Of course, even with this ‘communication channel,’ the unions might not be willing to cooperate.”
As Arthur spoke, he suddenly felt a presence behind him, as if someone was watching him.
He felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to see the Duke of Wellington, eyebrows raised.
The Duke chuckled, “Young man, are you really not considering running for Parliament to serve the Tories? Perhaps I could consider reserving an extra seat for you in my constituency.”
Arthur, taken aback, chuckled and replied, “Your Grace, I don’t have the talent for that. Besides, I’m a policeman. According to Scotland Yard’s internal rules, I don’t hold a political stance. Just as you and Sir Peel expect, I, like all the other Scotland Yard officers, am merely a humble instrument of society.”
(End of Chapter)