1-150-654 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Another Empty Weapon', 1872. The notorious Republican, Sir Charles Dilke, is apprehended by a tall and manly Policeman Gladstone. Recently, Sir Charles had moved that an enquiry should be held into the present state of the Civil List. The motion was rejected by 276 votes to 2. The reference to the empty weapon relates to the royal carriage in the background. At the end of February 1872, a thanksgiving service had been held at St Paul's to celebrate the recovery from illness of the Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria was touched by the loyalty of the cheering crowds. However, later in the day, when Her Majesty was taking a drive in the park, a young man called Arthur O'Connor had come to the side of the carriage and had brandished a pistol. He was been protesting against the long custody of the Irish Fenian activists. Fortunately, the pistol was unloaded, just as the weapon of Sir Charles Dilke turned out to be. From Punch, or the London Charivari, March 30, 1872,