of his predecessors; and be you assured," the strait, or narow gate; for wide that the name of Sir CHARLES WETHER" is the gate and broad is the way that ELL and of Sir JOHN COPLEY will be "leadeth to destruction; but strait is pronounced with honour whenever their" the gate and narrow is the way which conduct as Attorney-General is put in "leadeth unto life." March on, then, contrast with his. But the truth is, you my Lord, in the narrow way; get not had not the courage necessary to a into a way in which you can turn to the change of the system; and, there- right or to the left; if my forebodings fore, you were compelled to resort to of the 26th of March be now verified, the means to which your predecessors you have no other course to pursue, had resorted for carrying on that except that which is there recommendsystem. The mere name of reform ed; namely, to resign your post at was nothing; people wanted to see once, and to tell the nation, in the most proofs of sincerity in other acts. They distinct manner, in a paper signed by saw no such proofs: they saw you yourself and published by your authogoing on in just the same way that your rity, that you have resigned it because predecessors had gone on in. They the King will not give you the means saw, in the case of Mr. and Mrs. Deacle, quite enough to convince them that it had, in fact, been a mere change of men. They saw no change of intention as to measures; the underlings in office were retained because they were necessary to the carrying on of the system. They have bred in the system, as mice breed in a barley-mow. There are the grandfather, the son, and the grandson, all bred in the system. You had a choice, between retaining the mice or tumbling down the mow; and the rich mow you wished to uphold.

necessary to carry the Reform Bill. It will not be sufficient that you make this statement in a speech in Parliament. You did that in 1807; you got turned out of the county of Northumberland for your pains; and if you had been sent back to some populous town, you would, like Mr. Roscoe, have got. nearly knocked on the head in addition. To retire from office; to resign quietly; to go away home, and not to tell the real cause without any reserve, would be disgrace such as never yet befell any man upon the face of this earth.

But there was one capital blunder; When, on Monday the 10th of Octothat was your taking of BROUGHAM for ber, your Lordship went to Windsor, a colleague. He was your rival for and had, as I thought, prevailed upon what is called popularity. He was the King to make a short prorogation, sure to beat you with the dirty thing and to make such an addition to the called "the public press; for he would peers as would have seemed a carrying descend to what you would not. I saw of the bill, I expressed with regard to how he forced himself upon you, and I your conduct the highest admiration foresaw and foretold the consequences; that the words which I had at my and there he is, now, ready to reconsider command would enable me to express. that bill by which you have pledged I always thought, from the very outset, yourself to stand or fall. Great, how- that the King was opposed to the bill, ever, as are the difficulties in which you and always recognised his right to be are involved, he is involved in still opposed to it, and by no means call that greater. How he is to retain place, and right in question now; but then I get the bill not to pass, is, I think, a wanted the nation to know this, as I something that will puzzle even him; want it to know all truth which is inteand yet, retain place he will, or the resting to it. I thought that he was world is at an end with him, at any rate. opposed to the bill; every-thing that I Such, my Lord, hastily sketched, are saw convinced me that he was opposed the causes which have led to your pre- to it; and if I could have doubted sent difficulties, the way out of which before, could I possibly doubt after is better described by the Bible than it seeing all the bishops but two vote can be by my pen. "Enter ye in at against it? Every man with two grains

of sense in his head must, the moment | most amply. I say that you acted he saw that vote, have been quite sure weakly too with regard to the good of that the King was opposed to the bill; the country, and particularly with reor, at the very least, that his Majesty gard to the ultimate success of the meahad expressed his determination not to sure. If you had resigned at that time, make the necessary addition to the or told the real cause, as you must do at House of Peers. There was quite last, the King would have seen the great enough in the circumstance of the King's instant impression produced upon the visiting and receiving some of the most whole kingdom; and I have not the conspicuous opponents of the bill; but, smallest doubt that a successor to you to have doubted, after this vote of the would never have been appointed; and bishops, would have been to give proofs that at this day the Reform Bill would of downright idiotcy. When, there- have been passed; that we never should fore, your Lordship came back from have heard of combinations to refuse to Windsor on the Monday, the 10th of pay taxes, nor of any of those combinaOctober, after the vote of Saturday, the tions for taking up arms, for arming the 8th of October, and when we were rich against the working people, which assured on the Wednesday following seen likely to end in the most sanguinary that you meant to retain your place, conflicts. However, you are now fairly and that the King was, to make use of tied to the stake; you have but one the expression of the Duke of Sussex to way out of the difficulty and disgrace; the deputation of which Mr. FEARON you are just going to exhibit to the was one, as "firm as a rock," I thought world a memorable instance of the sucthat you had gone to Windsor, and had, cess which is the reward of resolution instead of resigning, and thereby throw-in a righteous cause; or of the failure ing the responsibility upon the King, had and, indeed, the disgrace which seldom the real loyalty, the true patriotism, the fail to attend a want of resolution in astonishing self-command and magna- trying circumstances. That it may be nimity, to patiently argue the matter the former, I, for the sake of my country, with the King, and had prevailed upon most sincerely wish. him to make the addition to the House of Peers, or, in other words, to give you the only means that existed of carrying the bill. Therefore it was that I so lauded your conduct; but it now appears, if these opinions of Dr. BLACK be correct, that you did not so prevail. I do not say that you acted wickedly or dishonourably in not resigning your place at once. So far from it, I think you would have been perfectly justified in resigning; and I go further, for I say, that it is what I myself would have done, and that, too, without any expostulation at all; for I should have looked upon myself as abandoned by the "We have authority for contradicting King, and should have at once acted" in the most positive terms the rumour upon that feeling. Nor do I say that" of Lord Grey's resignation. We are you acted wickedly or dishonourably in "assured that the rumour is wholly retaining your post after you found that" false; that such a resignation has you could not prevail; but I am fully never been contemplated; that the convinced that you acted weakly; that" cabinet are firmly united, and most you exposed yourself to all the suspicions" friendly in all their intercourse with that have been afloat from that day to 66 one another. this, and in which I have participated

I am, my Lord,
Your most obedient

humble servant,
WM. COBBETT.

POSTSCRIPT. Thursday Morning. Since writing the above, I perceive the following article in the Morning Chronicle of this morning. I also am sure that the people can place reliance safely only on themselves. Here is a total change of tone since yesterday: the Ministry appear to be tossed to and fro with every blast but before I go further, let me insert the article.

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qualified contradiction, we must own "be disposed to do. But of one thing "that we are not surprised that the ex- we are sure, that the people ean safely "traordinary silence of Ministers on the place reliance only on themselves. Let subjects respecting which the people" them prepare, that if danger comes, "have so much reason for feeling an" they may not be taken by surprise." "anxiety, should have given rise to ru- There is no doubt that Dr. BLACK mours of changes and resignations has good authority; or, at any rate, "Ministers, we know, express the most that he has been assured by some one “confident assurance of their ability to in office that Lord GREY has never incarry the bill; their language is, if tended to resign. He may intend to be any-thing, more confident than ever; put out, or turned out; and that would "but they cannot expect that the people, be as good as resigning, provided that "who do not possess the means of he published an explicit declaration of knowing on what their confidence is the cause of his being turned out, and "founded, should share it with them. called by his name the person who was "The people hear the same anti-re- the cause of it. It is enough for Dr. "formers who rejected the former bill BLACK to tell us that the Ministers are "threaten as loudly as ever the rejection confident of carrying the bill; and, in"of the next. They hear of intrigues deed, he does not appear himself to be "-they know that the powers of Go- satisfied with their expressing such convernment have, for half a century and fidence; the people have no confidence, more, been in the hands of the Tories at present; and hence the troubles that "that their creatures are in all offices, exist all over the country. The people "and wield all the power of the nation; want, as the Doctor says, some indica"they see Ministers more anxious to tions of the mode in which the bill is to "have the good opinion of these Tories be carried. They see no such indica"than of the reformers and, under such tions; and I, for my part, do not rely "circumstances, is it wonderful that on the authority on which Dr. BLACK "they should feel alarm? Do they ask founds his contradiction of the report. "too much when they wish to see some As very closely connected with this sub"indications of the mode in which the ject, I insert an account of the proceed“bill is to be carried? We have heard, ings at a meeting of the council of the "on good authority, of one great bo- Metropolitan Political Union. I beg "roughmonger of the North having my readers to pay attention to the whole "declared, not that he has changed his of the report of these proceedings, par " opinion respecting the bill, but that it ticularly to what is contained in the can no longer be resisted. Lord speech of Mr. PLACE. He there tells "Wharncliffe, on the other hand, has us that he hears from good authority "been travelling into the country in (and I believe his authority to be good), "stage-coaches, to obtain evidence of that Parliament will not assemble very e-action, and he proclaims that he speedily, and that he was sorry to say "has every-where found the strongest that the Ministers were uncommonly "evidence of it. There is really no anxious for its meeting at a distant day. 66 convincing some men.. It would not Now, I believe Mr. PLACE to speak the surprise us if Lord Tankerville, who truth here; and, if he do speak the “had such a narrow escape at Don- truth, this wish of the Ministers indicaster, and who was obliged to travel cates one of two things; insincerity, or "all night with the ladies of his family want of power. Insincerity in being "in a coach greatly shattered and open determined to propose a bill not so good "to the rain, were not, after a few days' for the people as the last; or want of "intermission, also to proclaim that the power to carry the bill that they intend “re-action had commenced. But these to propose fear to face the people, or are the animals who have to decide fear to face the boroughmongers. I "the fate of England. It would be ab- defy any man living, who is at once "surd to calculate on what they may sensible and sincere, to come to any

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other conclusion. The Ministers well | few of them have votes and yet this know the horrible state into which the is too much, it seems! I verily believe, country has been plunged: they well however, that this is the point upon. know that every body is anxiously look- which every-thing will turn. If this ing for relief from this state; they know be the case; if a compromise be made equally well that all but the borough-by sacrificing the working people still mongers and the cormorants of various farther, then how will those look who descriptions are looking to the passing have been voting unlimited confidence.. of the Reform Bill as the means of re in the Ministry for my part, I do not lief. They well know that their silence confide in them for any-thing that is as to the intended bill has excited the good. Their conduct in the affair of strongest suspicions with regard to their Mr. and Mrs. DEACLE would have conintentions; they see themselves daily firmed me in my suspicions of them, if sinking in public estimation, in conse-I had not entertained those suspicions quence of the rumours arising out of before. My opinion is, as I delivered it this state of uncertainty. They must at Epsom, that the Parliament will be be the most unfeeling creatures that further prorogued, from time to time, ever breathed, not to wish for relief from until January, if not until February, and this degraded situation; and therefore, if not until March; nor should I at all if they do not wish for a speedy meet- wonder if the Whigs never brought in ing of the Parliament, it is impossible to the Reform Bill again. I have made believe that they mean to propose the many predictions, but never one with same bill again, or any-thing like it, or more confidence than I do this relative that they think that they shall be able to the prorogation of the Parliament. to carry the bill, or any-thing that they One reason for putting off the meeting intend to propose. To this conclusion of the Parliament is, that the Ministry every man must come, who concurs in know not what to do: they know not belief with Mr. PLACE: I concur in that which to be most afraid of, the people belief; and, therefore, to this conclu- or the boroughmongers; but of the sion I come; namely, that they do not two, I dare say they fear the former intend to propose the same bill again; most. and that they do not expect to be able In the meanwhile, however, the great to carry such a bill if they were to pro-source of discontent goes working on. pose it. My readers will see that the second My belief is, indeed, that they intend, resolution of the metropolitan council by some means or other, to diminish the says that the increasing stagnation of number of voters in the great towns. I" trade, occasioned by the rejection of believe that this is their main object: I" the Reform Bill, renders it more than believe that they have correspondences, ever necessary to support the Ministers with Manchester particularly, upon the" in carrying the bill by which they are subject and I believe that the working" pledged to stand or fall." They have people will be attempted to be sacrificed lost the bill; and they have, broken as a compromise with the borough- their pledge; and it appears to me a mongers. In the bill, as it now stands, most monstrous absurdity in the people they have done every-thing that could to pledge themselves to support them possibly be done, to give a right of any longer, unless they will tell the voting nominally to ten-pound house- people what they are about to do. It is holders, and to withhold it in reality. a prodigious mistake to think that the By the tortuous provisions of the bill, cause of reform derives any benefit five-sixths of the real bona-fide ten- from Lord GREY'S remaining in power. pound householders will not have a right On the contrary, his remaining in power, to give a vote. The conditions or qua- and drawling the thing along in this lifications are so many, and so craftily manner, is the very thing that the bocontrived, that the working-people, pay-roughmongers ought to wish, and which, ing ten-pound rent, will comparatively I dare say, they do wish. He is a very

good collector of taxes for them; and will shake the whole fabric to atoms;✨ why should they wish to turn him out. unless some man with energy and hoHe shows no disposition to abolish tithes nesty necessary to the task, should step or abolish taxes; and it is these to forward and rescue the throne and all which the boroughmongers are attached. the real institutions of the country from If they could be assured that a reformed total destruction. Our statesmen are Parliament would leave the pension- so engaged in high matters, that nolist, the sinecures, the grants, the re-thing short of a castle, a Bishop's tired allowances, the dead-weight, the Palace, a Custom-house, or an Excisemilitary and naval academies, the stand-office in flames, seems to be worthy of ing army, the taxes and the tithes, their attention. When I have inserted untouched; if they could be assured of the report of the proceedings abovethis, they would not hesitate a moment in agreeing to the Reform Bill; and, therefore, as long as Lord GREY shows not the smallest disposition to touch any of these; as long as he looks upon these 86 institutions of the country as sacred and inviolable, so long will the boroughmongers gladly suffer him to remain in power.

But, the "increasing stagnation of trade" of which the Metropolitan Council speak in their second resolution, will steadily go on, in spite of every thing that can be done, whether by Whig or by Tory. Doubtless the rejection of the Reform Bill may have added something to the stagnation; but the great cause was PEEL'S BILL, with which, by the by, these amiable Whigs have never reproached him, recollecting, probably, that they themselves, with Solomon GRENVILLE and enlightend HORNER at their head, were the very first movers in the series of projects which finally ended in that destructive bill. It is that bill, however, not accompanied by other measures, which is producing the stagnation of trade; and this stagnation will go on providing fuel for the flame which WELLINGTON kindled in 1830, and which has been nursed and kept alive by the shilly-shally Whigs and their paltering with parliamentary reform. For my part, I give it as my decided opinion, that, after another year of paltering, there will be real confidence in no man in power; that ruin will become so widely spread as to make nineteentwentieths of the people of property pretty nearly without property; that the tax and the tithe-receivers will have grasped nearly every-thing, and that the nation, by one convulsive movement,

mentioned in the Metropolitan Council, I will insert, from the newspapers, intelligence relative to other sort of fires, which intelligence I shall introduce by a letter to my prosecutor, Sir THOMAS DENMAN, and which letter I give him free leave to take to Nottingham, as a testimonial, when he shall next offer himself as a member for that fine and high-spirited town.

A meeting of the Council took place at the Crown-and-Anchor Tavern yesterday evening, Mr. Churchill having been voted to the chair. Previous to our entering, it had been moved and seconded, that "The laws relating to Po. litical Unions (inserted in the Chronicle of yesterday) should be adopted and printed," and on our entering, Mr. Rogers was debating sides being prepared by the Sub-committee, their propriety. Mr. Wakefield said, that behe had the sanction of Mr. Austin and Mr. Kelly as to their legality and validity-gentlemen whose professional abilities no one would attempt (without the expense of risking his not sought, he said, to know what laws had own character) to deny or depreciate. It was not been contravened by the regulations or re solutions of the Political Unions, but that they had acted in contradiction or opposition to

none.

Mr. WAKEFIELD again begged leave to present himself to the meeting, and trusted he should have their attention, while he hoped they would not consider him too intrusive, considering he had been appointed the reporter or spokesman of the Sub-committee, or Committtee of Management. He held in his hand four resolutions, which had been prepared by the Business Committee, and entrusted to him to propose. These resolutions I shall now, he said, beg leave to read :

"Resolved, 1. That all true reformers ought to rally round the throne, at the present crisis, and support the King in his attempt to wrest the liberties of the people from the boroughmongers' grasp. 2. That the increasing stagnation of trade, and the nearly-exhausted patience of