pension of £50 per annum came to relieve him of his cares only the year before his death, which occurred in 1850. [178] Magneto-electricity was discovered by Oersted in 1820. POLITICIANS. THOMAS HARDY, OF "THE STATE TRIALS." The "_gentle_ craft." has been as prolific of fiery politicians as of peaceful poets. We have to speak now of two men who were connected respectively with the political agitations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the year 1794, when the events of the French Revolution had convulsed the whole of Europe, society in England was stirred to its depths, and grave fears were entertained by the King and his Parliament lest the spirit of revolution should break loose in this country. Such fears were not altogether unfounded. Societies sprang up whose object was reform, by legitimate means if possible, but if not, by violence and bloodshed. One of the strongest of these societies existed in London, and had carried its proceedings to such a pitch that four of its leading members were brought to trial on a charge of treason and sedition. It is a remarkable fact that of these four men--Hardy, Horne-Tooke, Thelwall, and Holcroft--the first and last belonged to the class of shoemakers.[179] [179] A story is told of Sir Robert Peel which is worth repeating here. A deputation of working-men once waited on Sir Robert to lay the wants of the trades' societies before him. The two speakers selected by the deputation were shoemakers. On learning this interesting fact, the statesman turned to the sons of Crispin and said, half in earnest and half in jest, "How is it that you shoemakers are foremost in every movement? If there is a plot or conspiracy or insurrection or political movement, I always find that there is a shoemaker in the fray!" It is a singular fact that the shorthand notes of Hardy's trial were taken down by another illustrious shoemaker--Manoah Sibly (see above). There is a printed copy of these notes in the British Museum, published 1795.