Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

bility of your Majesty's throne, compel us to: complain, that another branch of the Legislature has dashed from our lips the cup of re novation, of peace, of prosperity and happin:35 tendered to us by the paternal and gracious hand of your Majesty.

Having, for many long years, seen our undoubted right of choosing our representatives daringly usurped; having been bereft of all that protection for our property which

[ocr errors]

volving so deeply the character of this county, with which he has been connected all his life, and in which he has been a greater friend of the farmers and the labourers than any man, be he who he may, that ever set his foot in the county. As soon therefore as the High Sheriff had opened the business by hav ing the requisition read by his Under Sheriff, and by exhorting the meeting to preserve a peaceable, orderly and candid conduct, Mr. Budd, who stood close at the back of the High Sheriff, stepped been provided for by the laws of our fathers; forward, made his bow to the meeting, having seen the usurpers of our rights take to began to speak, and, to the apparent themselves, or squander on their kindred or great consternation of the Holy Alliance, creatures, the incomes from our estates and was, as was just and proper, permitted to proceed, though Mr. Jervoise, who the fruit of our toil; having seen them mortstood a little behind Mr. Budd, had got gage to loan-mongers and Jews, every inch his paper out and was evidently disap-of our country, every house, every tree, the, pointed at not being suffered to be the sweat of our brow and even that of the child beginner. The High Sheriff, too, who in the cradle; having endured from their had, doubtless, received a previous intimation of Mr. Jervoise's intention, seemed to look round for him; but it was too late. It was not the first county meeting by many a score that Mr. Budd had been at. Our leader was the fittest man in the world for the occasion. On he went, made a short and very pithy speech, and concluded with reading his address, which he did in a very audible voice and to the great apparent satisfaction of the meeting.

THE ADDRESS

TO THE

merciless hands, burden heaped on burden, stripe following stripe, the last always still heavier than the former; having seen them, by their cruel exactions, take from the farmer the means of paying the labourer wages sufficient to supply him with food fit for man; having seen them, at last, reduce our once free and happy country to a state of poverty, misery, and crime, in which the world could recognize of England nothing but the name, and that name, instead of being our glory, having become our shame; thus brought, by, this band of usurpers, to choose between the basest bondage and deadly civil strife; and, seeing your Majesty nobly step forward to rescue us from this sad alternative, to restore us to our rights, to redress our wrongs, to raise us from our degradation; what has been our We, the people of Hampshire, being indignation at seeing a hundred and ninetythoroughly convinced that your Majesty's nine persons, enriched and made great only royal office and powers exist for our good, by taxes extorted from ourselves, scornfully and that your Majesty has constantly exerted reject all our claims and supplications, and those powers with the most anxious solicitude treat as nothing worth even the royal, the for our welfare, deeply lament, that, instead of gracious and earnest recommendation of your confining ourselves upon this occasion to an Majesty! But, if language would fail us in expression of our gratitude towards your Ma- endeavouring to give vent to our thoughts rejesty, a due regard for the welfare of our coun-lative to this whole band, where shall we find ty and our children, as well as for the sta- words to express our feelings with regard to

KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
The Address of the people of the County of
Hants, in County-meeting assembled, this
26th day of October, 1831.
May it please your Majesty,

the conduct of those mitred enemies of oured, merely observing, that he was a mán rights and our happiness, who, rolling in known to the county, and rather hinting wealth, and lodged in princely palaces by that he was not as this "publican is." After him came Mr. Marsh, not proposmeans drawn from our property and labour, and thus exalted as the immaculate guardians could learn; but saying a great deal ing or supporting any-thing, as far as I of piety and virtue, have, by this their vote, about the bishops, and particularly stamped the seal of their approval on scenes about " Mr. Cobbett," to whom he of drunkenness, fraud, corruption, suborna- would persist in ascribing the address tion and perjury, more flagrant, more shame that had been moved, and saying not a less, more teeming with abominations than word about Mr. Budd, any more than if were those, on the actors in which God, by world; though he well knew, that the there had not been such a man in the the mouth of Job, pronounced that the " conjet of the address; that is to say, the gregation of hypocrites should be desolate, suggestion at the close of it, which was a and that fire should consume the tabernacles matter of so much importance, was alof bribery;" more flagrant, more full of abomi- together the work of Mr. Budd, who nations than the acts of the apostate sons of was, as far as any recommendation to Samuel, equal in turpitude and cruelty to the his Majesty went, the real author of the despoilers and destroyers of Naboth, and yield-peared to be less jocund than formerly, address. After Mr. Marsh, who had aping in point of wickedness to the deed of none but Judas Iscariot himself!

.

[ocr errors]

came a Mr. SPENCE, from Portsmouth, who appeared to speak as the supporter of Mr. Jervoise's resolutions, and who, as Mr. Marsh had done before him, urged the necessity of expressing confidence in Ministers. This was, in truth, has long been the WIT, ex-officio, but a dismal day for Mr. MARSH, who

Thus, finding the most bitter enemies in those whose calling and whose professed hatred of vice taught us to look for the warmest of friends, we have now no reliance but in the wisdom and the justice of your Majesty; and most firmly relying on these, of the county, for whose well-conand on that love for your faithful people cocted jests the audience always, herewhich has been conspicuous in every act of tofore, had their laugh ready on your Majesty's reign, we humbly implore the nail; but who, to-day, had the your Majesty to exert your royal powers, by issuing, in accordance with ancient usage, your Writs for a new House of Commons, agreeably with the provisions of the bill, which has now been rejected by the Peers, and thereby insure the only means of restoring safety, peace, and harmony, to this now suffering and troubled kingdom, and which blessing we shall the more highly prize as being the work of a sovereign endeared to us by every tie that can bind to a gracious King, a loyal, dutiful, and grateful people.

I seconded this address, in a speech, in which of course I urged the adoption of it; and some account of which will, I suppose, be given in the newspapers. Then came Mr. Jervoise, with his resolutions, which he very modestly propos

marks of listlessness, next, a smart mortification to call forth, first, sprinkling of "NO, NOES!" and of "OH, ons!" and, at last, that ominous sound, which, to the ears of an orator, is what that of the death-watch is to those of the fond mother whose darling is breathing its last; that heart-sinking sound,

[ocr errors]

his ears; and, breaking out here and question! question!" began to salute there, seemed to be the harbinger of a dreadful peal that was brewing to windward. It was a sober affair that we had in hand now; jesting was not in request; and it was impossible for people to see the reason, or even the common sense, of a long speech filled with attempts to divert them on the subject of the conduct of the Bishops, while the speech-maker protested against saying a word about them in the address, which the speech was intended to cause to be

[ocr errors]

adopted. Besides, there were many per- to sigh out to himself, "God bless me! is sons present, who (in his after-dinner that our Member?" while the county speech at the last county meeting) had, as girls, a very pretty group of whom was I had, heard him, who was the chairman at the dinner, most solemnly, and with uplifted hands, declare, that "if THE BILL were rejected, he would never again pay any Assessed Taxes if he "could get any one to join him in the <resistance!" There were many persons present, who recollected that VOW, and who now saw in Mr. MARSH a second Jephthah all but in fidelity to his vow; for our Hampshire JEPHTHAH seemed evidently enough to have adopted the opinion of the poet :

2

66

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

standing under the window out of which I was looking, looked as innocently inquisitive in the face of each other, or those of the young fellows that had them by the arm, as if they had been all saying at once, "What, in the name of wonder, can this man be talking "about!" While I, who am a great admirer of patience, was saying to a gentleman that stood by me, that those who accused Englishmen of a want of patience were the vilest slanderers upon earth. A gentleman from the body of To make the vow was rash, to keep it sin." the meeting called out to Sir James : "Will you abandon the Ministers if People recollected this vow, and their" they do not bring in again the same sincerity could not fail to be somewhat" bill?" This disconcerted him: he shocked, at seeing this bold Jephthah, jostled; he wriggled; he twisted; and NOW, when the bill has been rejected, soon came to the end of a speech, in the foremost and the loudest in con- which he, too, had not forgotten that demning every sentiment pointing, same Mr. COBBETT ; and in which, though in the most indirect manner, if he were not actually pleading for a towards sturdy behaviour on the part place, all that I can say is, that if he had of the people. Next came a Mr. had a fee for pleading for a place, he TWYNHAM, an attorney, who seemed could not have pleaded better. wholly to have overlooked that he had Now, however, we drew to a close. any thing to oppose but the speech of Mr. Budd was, according to all the Mr. COBBETT," whose name was con- rules upon such occasions, entitled to a tinually on his lips from one end of his reply to the arguments (if there had speech to the other, and to whom he been any) which had been urged against imputed the strange wish for the Re- his address; and 1, upon every principle form Bill not to pass, lest, I suppose, the recognized amongst men, was entitled, said "Mr. COBBETT "should be Mem- and so the High Sheriff determined, to ber for Manchester. This gentleman a reply to the personalities incessantly was received with very great impati- poured forth against me. His deterence, and with marks of those other mination, however just as it was, and feelings which on such occasions ge- fairly as it was made, was now of no nerally accompany a want of the great avail. The groups of attorneys, stewards, quality of Job. But it was when Sir bailiffs, servants, and others, judiciously JAMES MACDONALD came, that the meet- distributed for the purpose, and with ing stood in need of all the forbearance whom the Grand Jury Chamber, from of the patient patriarch. His speech, as which we spoke, was most effectually Lord Thurlow said of sessions-lawyers, packed, kept up a noise so loud and so was "hot and heavy;" long and loud; incessant that to obtain a hearing amidst all effort and no effect, other than that of it was as useless as it is to attempt to realizing the paradox of rousing people still the roarings of the wind in the to inattention. The people, who recol- midst of a hurricane. The baseness, lected that they had so lately elected him the incomparable baseness of spending their Member, averted their eyes, as-hours in uttering personalities against sumed a melancholy countenance; drew a man, with a previous determination down their eye-lids, or turned up the that that man shall not be allowed to whites of their eyes: every one seeming reply to the personalities; such base

[ocr errors]

ness can exist in no breast in which
there does not exist at the same time a
consciousness that the personalities are
false; and from this charge I exempt
not a man of those who uttered person-
alities against me;
for they were, every
one of them, most boisterous in pre-
venting any reply from me being heard.
However, this is of no consequence at
all when compared with the division
which now took place.

WM. COBBETT.

Winchester, 27th October, 1831.

If'

to such scenes, from knowing what was going on. At any rate, I hope Sir James will have the honesty to tell my Lord. Grey, that ONE-HALF of the county of Hants tacitly expressed their want of confidence in him; a decision greatly to the honour of the county, and for which the county is indebted, next after the virtue of its people, to the manly determination of Mr. Budd to be heard first; for if the Holy Alliance had begun, the In such confusion were the minds of agents of noise would not have suffered the Holy Alliance; in such a complete one word to be heard from Mr. Budd or state of botheration had our proceedings from me: the tame, the unmeaning, and their own anxious vanity put then the talentless, the servile, the toadinto, that they really knew not what eating address would have passed as the they were about. The Under Sheriff unanimous voice of the county, which came forward, not with any-thing would have sunk it to a level with the called an amendment; not with any-basest rotten borough in the kingdom. thing in the shape of an amendment; but with an address, which that Gentleman told me he got from Mr. Marsh; an address that had never been seconded JEPHTHAH, in his speech at the meetor even moved. However, the thing ing, said that I, in disapproving of an was done; the scheme for making this expression of confidence in the Ministers, great county the mouth-piece of confi- was opposing my opinion to that of dence in Ministers; of passive obedience every other man in the country. and non-resistance: this scheme was JEPHTHAH and his allies would have let defeated. I knew that there would be me be heard in the reply to their pera great division at any rate, and a great sonalities, I should have read to them division there was: for, it was so near the following extract from the CHROa thing that the High Sheriff made the NICLE of Tuesday:-"At the Reform meeting divide twice before he would "Meeting at Hull, on Monday week, determine which had the majority. The an amended address was carried by a second time, addressing himself to me large majority, in which it is stated, he said, "I think there are rather most "That we have heard, with the deephats on that side:" to which I answer- "est indignation which it is possible ed, and really for the purpose of not "for a betrayed people to feel, that' giving him any plague with the Alli-"your Majesty's Prime Minister has ance, "Yes, Sir, I think there are," and "declared his determination not to so he decided. "reform the Upper House of Parlia And now let Sir JAMES MACDONALD," ment, nor to attempt the restoration as picked orator of the alliance, go to "of the representative system in the the sincere Whigs and put forward his "House of Commons, until January plea for a good thumping place, upon next.' Here, then, is what was the ground that he was mainly instru- said on the subject by the very finest mental in preventing this great and fine town in the King's dominions, and incounty from passing a sulky and silent habited by as orderly, as sensible, as censure on the Ministers: it was, as the intelligent, as frank, as public-spirited gamesters say, "all but:" it was the people as ever breathed. I applaud turn of a feather; and even that turn their quick-sightedness, and their honest was obtained in consequence of the decision. The Chronicle talks of "a noise and confusion that prevailed, and mob." Never was there a town with so that prevented a thousand or more of few persons in it to whom that name the country people, unused as they are can, with justice, be applied. Hull is a

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

town of people above want, and below when no longer wasted by a band of luxury. It is little infested with those boroughmongers. If you think of these vermin who riot on the vitals of the things, your anger against the American country; and hence this just decision. politicians will be mitigated. I showed JEPHTHAH MARSH this para- As often as I have talked with those graph in the morning, before he went American politicians, I have always to the meeting; and, therefore, in addi-frankly told them, that one cause of tion to the foul play, we must place the my rage against the boroughmongers merit of this wilful falsehood, on the was, that they crippled my country, and part of this vow-maker, who uttered the enabled theirs to make a saucy navy, falsehood with the foreknowledge that that dared already to talk of taking it would not be exposed to those who from England the dominion of the seas. had heard it. Nothing will he, how-These politicians used to ask me what I ever, gain by that in the end; and, it is the end to which men always ought to look.

NORTH AMERICANS

AND

would do to prevent the increase of their
navy and the humbling of England;
and when I told them, they used to ex-
claim, "And would you do that, now!"
I answered, "Yes it is my duty to
"wish that my country should still be
"the mistress of the seas; and if I had ·
"But,

ENGLISH BOROUGHMONGERS." the power, it would be my duty to

To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle

"give effect to that wish."
would you do us so much mischief?"
I used to answer, I would do you no

66

(Continued from col. 190, No. 3.) It is monstrous, to be sure; but, Sir," mischief; you are happier without modify your resentment; look at the" this navy than you are with one : I pages that I have pointed out in the" like you exceedingly: I wish you alRegister of the 19th of June last; and " ways to be happy; but, my duty to pray recollect, that self-preservation is" my own country would forbid me to the first law of nature. Look at Eng"suffer you to indulge in ambitious land, Sir; consider what she is, if re- "views injurious to her greatness. lieved from the night-mare that presses "Whatever you can do against the bober to the earth Then look at the" roughmongers I applaud: I wish you United States; survey them well; look" always to beat them and disgrace at their geographical position; see "them; but whenever the people of more than one-half the country curs- England shall obtain their rights, ed for ever with the dangers arising" your race of ambition is at an end." from Negro slavery; look at the It was not with a few scores nor with a country cut asunder cross-ways, from few hundreds that I had conversations the sea to the Alleghany mountains, of this sort in America. These gentleeach inhabited by a people whose very men used to exclaim, "What, you talk interests make them more than half the " thus, who have been stripped to begenemy of the other; look at the divi-" gary, and driven to seek refuge here, sion length-ways of the Western from by this country of yours! No," the Atlantic states, and see the former, used I to say, "not by my country, but much more the enemy of the latter, by its oppressors, whose treatment of than Spain can ever be of France; and " me demands greater exertions on my that, too, from insuperable natural" part for the restoration of my councauses; look at the rich Western states, reduced again to a savage state, or to unconditional submission, by any power that can block up the mouths of the Mississippi. Look, then, at this little tight and truss country, teeming with means of all sorts; and think of those means,

"

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"try." On this ground it was that, during the ten years and a half, first and last, that I was in that country, I never became what is called a citizen," and never would inscribe my name with a view to that end, though many inconve niences attended my not doing it. I

« ZurückWeiter »