Arrivederci Roma

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

The Times, 18th October 1898—

"With few exceptions the Governments of Europe have either accepted or have announced their intention of accepting the Italian invitation to the Anti-Anarchist Congress. One of the outstanding replies is that of England. In official circles here this delay is attributed to a desire on the part of the British Government to frame an answer which, while accepting the invitation, shall safeguard the liberal traditions of England."

As discussions were underway to decide who would be in Britain’s delegation, Home Secretary Matthew White Ridley wrote to Lord Salisbury, then Prime Minister: "I should not particularly like under any circs to send" Anderson as a delegate. Ridley to Salisbury, 10 November 1898. Hatfield House, Salisbury Papers, cited by Richard Kamm in ‘The Home Office, Public Order and Civil Liberties, 1880-1914', an unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Cambridge, 1986, p. 277.

The British delegtion at the Rome conference, 24th November to 21st December 1898, comprised the Right Hon. Sir Philip Currie, GCB, Sir Godfrey Lushington, KCB, and Colonel Sir C. Howard Vincent, CB, MP.

Regards,

Simon

[Phil Carter]

Anderson and Co.

Hello Simon,

According to Wikipedia, Philip Henry Wodehouse Currie, 1st Baron Currie (13 October 1834 – 12 May 1906) was a British diplomat.

"He served as her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople from 1893, having been connected with the Foreign Office since 1854; he had also been attaché at St Petersburg, and was secretary to Lord Salisbury. He was Ambassador to Italy in 1898 and from 1900 to 1902, the latter period after having been created Baron Currie, of Hawley in the County of Southampton." (my emphasis)

Colonel Sir Charles Edward Howard Vincent KCMG CB DL (31 May 1849 – 7 April 1908), known as Howard Vincent or C. E. Howard Vincent, was a British soldier, barrister, police official and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1908 and was the first ever Head of the C.I.D. In 1878 he was appointed to the new post of Director of Criminal Investigation to head the new Criminal Investigation Department, by the then Home Secretary, R.A.Cross, to whom he was answerable, not the Commissioner, Sir Edmund Henderson. His deputy "Dolly" Williamson, and the other men under him, WERE answerable to Henderson. Vincent resigned in 1884, and in 1885 was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his services to the police force. Interestingly, for his service as British delegate to a conference on anarchists in Rome, Vincent was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1898. (London Gazette, June 29th, 1899, herewith, below) (my emphasis)

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27091/pages/3865

Looks like dear old Robert Anderson missed out on that little ticket as well doesn't it? He certainly wasn't the first name on Prime Minister Salisbury's Christmas card list.

best wishes

Phil

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

In retirement Anderson was a vocal critic of the government's attitude towards alien criminals and singularly unimpressed with Britain's delegation to the Rome conference.

The Lighter Side of My Official Life, pages 176 to 177—

"Bourdin was an alien anarchist who was living here only by the courtesy of our law, or, I should be rather disposed to say, by the criminal apathy with which our law is administered. For the anarchist conspiracy is treasonable, and every one who even takes part in a Soho meeting in furtherance of its projects might be criminally charged—a fact that was ignored by the British delegates to the anti-anarchist convention held in Rome in 1898."

Of course, it is also possible that some of Anderson's displeasure was directed against delegation member Sir Godfrey Lushington, who had objected to his appointment as Assistant Commissioner [Troup memorandum, 8th April 1910: HO 144/926/A49962, sub. 7].

Regards,

Simon