"tional debt!" They did not that it is impossible, completely understand what I meant. I, in impossible, fully to relate the one a loud and eager manner, re-without relating the other. peated: "I say, have they paid The harpoon had caused dreadoff the national debt!" They, ful work; and yet we were still smiling, shook their heads in sign nine long, months from real gold of "no, faith." "Oh! then," payments and a cessation of small said I, turning to the steward, paper-money. If the harpoon had "bring me my clothes." And stuck in the system, without renow, when the harpoon had got laxation, till May 1823, wheat fairly into the flesh of the system, would have been at THREE here was 1, who had been hunted shillings a bushel; and, in three almost off the face of the earth, years from that day (the debt and who had been threatened with other things continuing to be paid military" interference" if I en- in full), every farm in England tered Manchester, and for an- and Wales would have been taken nouncing whose arrival in good possession of by the overseers, in health, a man had been gaoled at order to raise food for the people. Bolton: here was I, when the Something, therefore, must be harpoon had "worked well," rid-done; the harpoon must be drawn ing about the country, explaining back; or, there was such a revoto the half-ruined farmers and landlords the true cause of their sufferings, and inducing them to send up, from county meetings in four counties, one of which the county in which I was born,

lution as the world had never beheld, notwithstanding Mr. CANNING had said, that "the Wisdom" had "SETTLED THE QUESTION FOR EVER": Oh! wise man, great eulogist of the House

petitions for REFORM of that "works so well.” "Parr-r-rr-li-a-ment," and for a And something was done: the just reduction of the interest of harpoon was drawn back: the the debt! small paper-money, was, in July

1822, nine months before the har

resorted to again; PEEL's Bill

What a change! "Aye," says Doctor Black, "and what ego-poon was to have its full effect, tism!" Egotism! Oh, no! These are historical facts. My history was in great part repealed; and is so closely interwoven with the my prediction was fulfilled.history of this tremendous system," Again!" you say; aye, and

again and again; for, if there juttered with the design of smotherhad been no one to foretell the ing "for EVER and A DAY," consequences, there would have as the great Protestant psalmbeen no one with a clear right to translator has it; of smothering cast blame on the authors of the and extinguishing the very hope mischief. Now the blame can of REFORM; for, after all, that be cast on you and your col- is the great object of your dread. leagues with clear justice; not, You would, both sides, fain perhowever, by "the gentlemen op- suade the people, that the House, posite"; for they have been fel-as now constituted, is as good for low-workers with you all the way through.

them as any House could be! You

course, will not dislike it, and will not want a change. Hence all the repeated assertions about the House" working so well"; about the good working of OLD SARUM, GATTON, and the rest; and hence

are aware, that the mode of getThe harpoon was drawn back ting it together is not easily refrom touching the vitals of the concileable with the laws or with monster-system; wheat rose in reason; but, if the people think, price; "money became plenty"; that it does as well for them as a "surplus capital" came with any House could do, they, of "sic yun cheep currency"; and Peter MACCULLOCH lectured, and you bragged of" the wisdom of Parr-r-rr-li-a-ment." The King was advised to tell "the wisdom of Parr-r-rr-li -a - ment," that there never was a time when all your vaunting and bombastical "the great interests of the coun-66 try were in so thriving a state"; and you, modestly ascribed the blessing solely to "the Wisdom." This is as important a point as any in the whole history of" the Wisdom's" paper - money works; and, therefore, I must note it well. This speech of yours, of February 1824, which I will endeavour to cause never to be forgotten as long as you remain one of this unhappy people's rulers, was manifestly

speech of February, 1824, which I have not room to insert here, but the substance of which I will state.

After describing the country as having been recently relieved from great difficulty and distress; after having asserted that it was now in prosperity and happiness beyond the powers of description: after this came what was to be the "MORAL" of the fable, namely, that the House was a good House,

and worked well, and that no "cate the kingdom from that conchange in its constituent parts was "dition of distress and depreswanted. But I must give this "sion in which it was recently "moral" in your own words, to " placed. They contended, inthe sense, and especially to the "deed, how truly the result has modesty of which no abridgment" shown, that in Parliament there can do justice. Your modesty, "was nothing good that its upon this occasion, is so much" councils were venal, its Memlike that of MALVOLIO, when he "bers corrupt, and, in short, that ascribes OLIVIA's love to " Provi-" unless every thing were at once dence," that, when I read the "turned topsy-turvey, and a new words, I almost think I see system of representation estayou in "yellow stockings and "blished, the nation could never cross-gartered," and smiling and" be relieved from its difficulties, smirking, and looking round at " and rescued from its dangers. the calves of your legs. How-" (Continued cheers.) I say, and ever, here are the words; here" I say it boldly, that the present is the "MORAL" of your" state of the country affords the tale of "PROSPERITY;" and best, because the practical reI trust that it will be remembered "futation of what I maintain to to the last hour of the existence" be a calumny upon the Constiof the system: "His Majesty's "tution."

"

"Government does not claim the So, then, the "prosperity" of "merit of having brought the 1824, was to be considered as a country to this state of content" refutation" of all our arguments "and prosperity; many others, in favour of reform. Well, then, "they are satisfied, have at least ought not the present adversity, "an equal right to the applause the present ruin, and almost con"and gratitude of the nation: I vulsion and the manifest tremen"claim them not for individuals: dous danger, which have all di"I claim them for Parliament-rectly, and visibly to all eyes, pro"for that calumniated, that vili-ceeded from the workings of" the "fied Parliament, which we have Wisdom"; ought not these, the existence of which no human being "been told by some is so essencan deny; ought not these to be "tially vicious in its nature and in regarded as the best possible proof "its construction, that it was ut- of the soundness of our arguments terly impossible for it to extri- in favour of reform?

46

Yes, we did think, or, at least, scarcely had you asserted those I did, that, “unless a new system (me) to be fools, who said that "of representation were esta- prosperity would not be permanent; "blished" (and it was I that you scarcely had your ignorant and alluded to); I did say, not that impudent Scotch eulogists fairly it was necessary to "turn things set to work in crying up the surtopsy-turvy"; but, I did say, that, plus copatal, mon," and the "UNLESS THERE WERE " chcep coroncy, mon,” and “hoot "A NEW SYSTEM OF RE-awa, mon," to those who wanted "PRESENTATION, THE NA-real gold payments; scarcely "TION NEVER COULD BE these, when the quag, the "solid "RELIEVED FROM ITS prosperity" quag, began to trem“DIFFICULTIES AND RES- ble. Your last boastings were in "CUED FROM ITS DAN- March; then you called those "GERS;" I did say this; and fools who thought the prosperity the Counties of Kent, Norfolk, not solid; and "the Wisdom” Hereford, Surrey, Huntingdon and CHEERED you. This was in Cambridge, in petitions agreed to March, and in May the TRADE at county meetings, and now MINISTER discovered, that a BAD standing in the House's Journals, HARVEST might make a DISsaid the same thing; this we did" TURBANCE IN OUR say, and this we SAY STILL," CURRENCY!" And still and that, too, with if possible more" the Wisdom," on neither side, confidence than ever; because took, or proposed, any measure of we have now an additional instance prevention, though it was, every. of the monstrous evils proceeding week of its life; warned by me of from the workings of " the present the dangers impending. system of representation," the In June, a more formal warnhistory of which evils and work-ing, a practical illustration of the ings I must bring down to the end danger was laid before" the Wisof the year. dom," in the petition of Mr. John

And, what have you NOW to Jones of Bristol. But, even now, say in answer to us? Scarcely when it was acknowledged that had the King, in February, 1825, Bankers, if called upon to pay told "the Wisdom," that at no off their notes in gold, agreeably former time were all the great in- to the law, could not make, were terests in so prosperous a state; not able to make, such payment;

even now, though "the Wisdom unless, repeating what I have a of Parr-r-rr-li-a-ment" had all thousand times said, there be this plainly before its eyes, it "EQUITABLE ADJUSTchose to shut those eyes; it did," MENT," preceded by RE at any rate, take no steps to miti-" FORM!

gate the mischiefs that were at Thus have I traced the feats of hand. "The Wisdom" was now "the Wisdom of Parr-r-rr-li-awarned again by me in a most ment," as to the paper-money solemn manner. It was cautioned affair, from the beginning of the against the consequences of break-career of PITT to the present ing banks. It was told of the day. And, NOW, how does it ruin and misery that such an event stand? And, NOW, what will would spread around. It was the Wisdom do? Is there, NOW, told, that the very existence of the one single man in the whole kingGovernment itself would be dom, who believes, that this sysbrought into danger. It was tem can be again patched up, to plainly taught how to estimate all last for any length of time? Is the consequences. And yet "this there one sane person in the counWisdom" separated without tak-try who does not anticipate some ing any one, even the most trifling, terrible result? And is there, measure of precaution! It sepa- NOW, one rational being, who rated, it departed, it jigged mer- can look, for deliverance, to rily away, to your tune of "pros- THOSE, under the influence perity," to Scotch PETER MAC- and guidance and power of whom CULLOCH'S Highland drone of this long series of shakes, more “sic yun a cheep coroncy, mon," and more violent, and this long and to DOCTOR BLACK'S Swag-series of calamities, going on congering song of "surplus copatal, stantly increasing in severity, mon." But, alas! the "house was have taken place? According to built on sand: the winds blew, your own mode of reasoning, inthe rains fell," the walls shook, dependent of my foregoing statethe roof began to tumble in, and ment, there ought now to be a thousands upon thousands were change in "the system of reprecrushed, their fate being, however, sentation"; for you rest your asno more than a mere slight sertion of the contrary on the fact "FORETASTE OF THAT (true or false) of the " country "WHICH IS TO COME," ing in a state of prosperity";

be