conscious weakness. Your des- | instead of advice from private patches, during the Congress of friends, and that nothing is to be Verona, and before the march of done in the mediating way, the the French into Spain, exhibit, to English Ministers begin to talk discerning minds, nothing but a big, not to the French but at series of attempts to disguise your them. Lord LIVERPOOL, in his inability to go to war. How Speech in Parliament, calls the strange! So soon after having march into Spain an unprovoked boasted of being the conquerors aggression: Mr. HUSKISSON does of France; so soon after naming a bridge across the Thames the Bridge of Waterloo; so soon after having voted even millions of pounds sterling to erect monuments to commemorate your victories over France! the same at Liverpool. A great deal of question and answer is carried on in the Parliament, in order to hint to the French, that if they persevere, we may go to war. The French do not take the hint! They march: Lord LIVERPOOL then says, that there is a civil war raging in Spain; and you, Sir, pray for the success of the It is always curious to observe the expedients resorted to by the feeble in order to avoid an open acknowledgment. of their weak-Spaniards; that is to say, if Lord Liverpool spoke truth, for the success of civil war! ness. But never were there, perhaps, expedients of this sort more amusing than those employed by Did the world ever before bethe English Ministers in this hold such a tissue of inconemergency. First, they attempt-sistencies and of miserable expeed to persuade the French that dients, to disguise the weakness of it was not their interest to meddle the parties! Asserting all the with the Spaniards at all. Find-while, that we were well able to ing the French not to be persuaded go to war, if the occasion should to this, they offered their media- arise; asserting too, in fact, that tion at Paris. Finding their me- the occasion had arisen; and yet, diation rejected by the French, telling their ambassador from Vetheir Ambassador at Paris sends rona from the very outset, that, off a private friend to Madrid, to" let what would happen, peace endeavour to persuade the Cortes" for herself, England was deterto give way. Finding that the "mined to have!" Cortes wanted fleets and armies Alas! Sir, this, unless you re 66 solve first to change the Govern-is, as I have more than once be-> ment at home, is the only rational fore observed, you have made determination. You have been acquisitions of glory and of terri great conquerors." You" con- tory by purchase. I beg you not "quered" France. The roofs of to be angry. This is what I have St. Stephen's rang with this word always said, and I maintain it. conquer. You have gained an You won the battle of Waterloo. immensity of territory during the You marched to Paris. But did late wars. You have covered you do this alone? Look back, yourselves, and your country; Sir, to the Debates in Parliaaccording to your own repeated, ment: you will there find that and ten thousand times repeated you yourselves boasted that you boast; according to proclamations had subsidized nearly a million of of the King, to resolutions of the Parliament, and even to Acts of that Parliament, you have covered yourselves and your country with glory, and have most prodigiously side. It is notorious that you had added to your dominions; and, a German army in your pay even which is very curious, you were gaining to this prodigious extent, while every other nation in Europe was losing in some way or other. The French lost their finest colonies; Spain lost some of hers; the Dutch lost almost all theirs; the Emperor lost; the Genoese were lost themselves: in short, paid. You borrowed the money every body lost but you. men of different nations, to assist you in the enterprise; and that, besides these, one half of the people of France were on your in England itself. It is notorious that the half-pay and pensions of that German army, now form an item of your enormous Debt. Therefore, Sir,' your acquisitions of dominion and of glory have been by purchase; and the purchase money has not been wherewith to acquire the glory and the dominion; and, not being able to pay the money that you borrowed, you must, as other purchasers do when they cannot pay for what they purchased, give up Now, Sir, it was being very short-sighted, and I told you this at the time it was being very short-sighted to suppose that a turn would not take place! That turn has begun to take place; the things purchased; that is to and now, you will lose while the say, give up the glory and the other nations will gain. The fac: dominion. This is a thing that takes place amongst nations in a will be. One would think that the way somewhat different from that bare thought of waging war for the in which it takes place amongst sovereignty of the people would individuals. It takes place by a make you start back with affright ; sort of simultaneous movement of and, if you can think of the maniall the nations except the purchas-fold miseries of the country, proing nation. God has implanted ceeding from a debt, which debt in nations as well as in individuals was contracted for the purpose of a strong desire to get back that putting down for ever the doctrine which they formerly possessed. of the sovereignty of the people; France and Spain, with the hearty if you can think of these miseries, good-will of all the other nations and at the same time propose to of Europe, are now engaged in expend the blood and treasure of this pursuit. To check them, re- the country in defence of the sovequires fresh purchases to be made reignty of the people; if you can by you. And you are in debt in do this, what is there that you canconsequence of the last purchases. not do, in the way of inconsistency You cannot stir; and the nations or that of audacity? must and will, keep on attacking you in some way or other, till they have got back all that you ac-you boasted, when at Plymouth, quired, and, perhaps, a great deal are to remain in a state of repose, more; for though I could tell you or are to ruffle their swelling the means, of keeping all that you plumes; but, if, whether reposing have, those means you will never or ruffling, they do not bring shame employ. on the orator, the disappointment of no man ever was more great than will be that of, How wonderful, then, that, at a moment when you ought to be thinking of nothing but the means of preserving what you have got, you should be thinking of grasping at another entire quarter of the world. Some eight or ten months, Sir, may be required to exhibit in their true colours your follies to the world; but, if you persevere, A few months will tell us, whether the "mighty masses," of which Your most obedient and Most humble Servant, WM. COBBETT. P.S. Since writing the above, I have seen the following in this same newspaper of yours, the Courier. Honiton, Nov. 13.—Arrived here exhibited to the world those follies this day, at three P. M. on his way to London, the Right Hon. George King Ferdinand; Long live the Canning, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, accompanied by Inquisition." But, Sir, not a word Lord George Bentinck. On the ar- is said by these London newsrival of the Right Hon. Gentleman and his friend, they were greeted papers about these corrupt and with enthusiastic acclamations by filthy wretches of Honiton; who, the officers of this ancient and 46 ling for ever." When I went as a candidate to Honiton, in the year 1806, I began by posting up loyal borough; the principal gen- in fact, exclaimed, "Corruption tlemen, and an immense concourse for ever; bribery for ever; rotof the inhabitants. Immediately opposite the Golden Lion Inn, "ten boroughs for ever; seat-selwhere the carriage stopped, were placed two hogsheads of cider and a quantity of biscuits to regale the poor. Flags, &c. were flying in different directions, with appropriate mottos, viz.—“ Canning for a bill, having at the top of it this ever; King and Constitution; "Church and King;""Old England, passage of Scripture: "Fire shall consume the tabernacles of briWalls of Old England;' "God save the King;""May the King live for "bery." After this I addressed ever;"&c. The bells rang merrily, myself to the people of the place, and continued so to do to a late telling them how wicked and de " 66 its laws and liberties;" "The Wooden hour. As soon as the horses were 66 taken off, for the purpose of chang-testable it was to take bribes. ing, the inhabitants (as many as the Most of the corrupt villains laughed room would permit) took their places, and set off pell-mell through in my face; but some of the wothe town, loud and continued cheer-men actually cried out against me ing; and, supposing the new road would be preferred, the leaders took as I went along the streets, as a the carriage some distance beyond man that had come to rob them of the turnpike gate on that road be fore the mistake was discovered: their BLESSING! The sum of money which, on being announced, they which they take for their vote, they tacked about in a fine style, and re turned to the intended route, to the call their blessing. Verily Sir, no small amusement and gratifica- you are quite welcome to the tion of the Right Hon. Gentleman and his friend, who appeared much pleased cheerings of these people. This with the attention paid them. The affair of ours is said to be the envy horses then supplied the places of their predecessors, when enthu- of surrounding nations and the siastic cheering was repeated." admiration of the world; but, I Much has been said in the Lon- really do think that there is not a don newspapers about the base- man upon earth, not a single human being, however wretched, ness of the people of Spain in car-who will envy you the pleasure rying the Inquisitors in triumph, which, as is here asserted, you and in crying out" Long live discovered at Honiton.
The foregoing letter has taken up so much of my room, that I am SUBSCRIPTIONS compelled once more to put off FOR JOSEPH SWANN. my advertisement of AMERICAN TREES. The leaves are not off yet, and, therefore, no time will be lost. I shall give a full account of the whole next week. My correspondents who wrote to me about the COUNTRY RAGS Will, I am afraid, be out of patience; but they may depend upon my inserting their letters when I have room to do it with suitable effect. -The information about the Rev. I HAVE great pleasure in informing my readers, that there had been this morning, (Thursday), five pounds seventeen shillings subscribed at the Office of the Register. A letter from some excellent men at Lymington, in Hampshire, has brought five pounds more; and another letter has brought an authority to draw, if necessary, for the whole of the seven pounds that were wanted. Thus, I have more than was wanted. Any gentleman that may have intended to subscribe, and that has not actually done it, fully received, and shall be properly attended to in my next. This COLTON appears to be a precious will be happy to learn that his jewel, indeed. He is, be it ob-money may be reserved for some other occasion. I will publish all served, a man with no less than the particulars in my next. It is two livings, as some say, and with singular satisfaction that I some say three. This church of have to give this account to my ours, as by law established, shines readers.-I have received a letter exceedingly, now-a-days. What from Mrs. SWANN since the date. it will come to, at last, God only of my last Register, in which letter she tells me, that her husband has had pretty good health during the last summer. She will doubtless, when she has received the money which I have in my hand for her, make her public acknowledgments to the subscribers. knows. The letter about the BREWERY AT READING, is of great importance; but I have not room to treat of the matter this week. |