Vol. 82.-No. 1.] LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 1833. TO THE EDITOR OF THE [Price 1s. 2d. reptile like you, who affects to feel abhorrence at the very plunder in which you are participating; or, rather, in which you live, and without which you I can have no life. For forty years I have had to endure the assaults of this race of pen and press plunderers; but, in the course of the whole of the forty years, I have never witnessed, all the circumstances considered, anything, in these assaults, half so base as that which is exhibited in yours of the 21. of September, which MORNING CHRONICLE. I shall presently insert previously to my remarks upon it. I do not name you ; I Pennenden Heath, 2. Oct. 1833. cannot legally name you, because, acBASE EDITOR,-It is now about forty cording to the practice of all depredating years (for it began in Philadelphia) that reptiles, you keep out of sight; you I have been an object of attack with hide your base carcass, while you poke the race that plunder the people, and es-out your poisoned stabber. I will not pecially with that part of the race who name your master, for the same reason use the press and the pen as the means that I lately withdrew an action against of committing their plundering deeds him; namely, because he once not only under the pretence of enlightening the acted a just, but a generous part topeople, and of receiving pay for their wards me, and that, too, at a time when work. This is a race of plunderers much wretches like you thought I was down, more wicked and more loathsome than never to rise again. I must, for the the open plunderer, who tells us, flatly, present, at least, content myself with that we shall keep him as long as he you, creeping and venomous and namecan make us do it; who tells us, that less reptile as you are. we may petition and cry out as long as Before I insert the infamous article, we like; but that he will have his pen- to which I have alluded, it is necessary sion, his sinecure, his commissionership, for me to state the grounds of it, real or his two or three livings in the church; pretended. In my Registers of the 14. that he will still have these; or, that, in and 21. of September, I had complained, the end, he will cause us to be hanged that Woon (emphatically called JOHN), much more detestable than this plun- who had flung me back at Preston; derer is the base creature, who, pretend- that RUSHTON, who had roared for him ing to political knowledge and literary on that occasion; and that PARKES, talent, uses the pen or the press, or both whom I had detected in the act of (as in your case), for the purpose of whispering for the Whigs in order to plunder, affecting, all the while, to la- get a 20 instead of a 10 pound suffrage: ment that the plundering work should I had complained that these men were exist. The Rev. DOCTOR THOMAS PEN- now eating taxes; or, in other words, ROSE, who has had, during twenty-one coming, swing-tail and with jaws wide years, a pension of 2137. a year for hav- open, at my victuals and drink. Knowing been (or under pretence of having ing something of their appetites, and not been) chargé d'affaires at Florence for knowing when they were to stop, I nafive months, and who has had two livings turally became alarmed, and began to in the church, in Essex, all the while; cry out. In an endeavour to defend my even this man is less offensive than a bacon and my beer-barrel, it was ne [Printed by W. Cobbett, Johnson's-court.] B : eessary for me to inflict heavy blows on not persuaded that such notice is useful the assailants. You cannot effect a for public purposes. The vehicle of defence of this sort by merely pushing the scorpion words is, owing to your the assailant back; soldiers do not de- quaint stupidity, seen by very few perfend a breach by merely taking the as-sons; those persons are chiefly consaulters by the hand, and gently hand-fined to London; they are either aling them down into the fossé. But, I was, ready my enemies, or they at once see they may say, unjustly severe; that my the cause of the malice, and despise and attack on them was personal and out- detest the source from which it comes, rageously violent. I deny this: I say or they are too stupid or insignificant that it was just and that is all that I for their opinions to be of any weight; care about. However, grant, for argu- and I am aware that, while the thing, ment's sake, that it was unjust. What if let alone, would be forgotten in a was that TO YOU? I had not attacked week, and is, indeed, already forgotten, YOU. Yes, but I had a press; and I am about to send it to the four quarthese tax-eaters had not; and, there-ters of the globe, and hand it down to fore, it was just that you should open two or three generations, at any rate. your columns to them. Yes, to them, But, while I see all this, I also see that if you will; quite just; but, not just this villanous article gives me fair and that you, keeping them and all other legitimate and reasonable ground for such like base vermin out of sight, speaking to my readers on several should take the pen of revenge into your topics, to speak on which it is very hands; and this you did, and this you useful just at this time, and to speak on would not have done, if you had not re- which I should have wanted sufficient ceived, or expected, payment for it. ground, had it not been for this effusion This conduct in you, brought YOU into of deadly malice. For this reason it is the Register of the 21. of September; that I here first lay the article before and, that it justly brought you in all the my readers, and beg them next to go world will say. It was right, that the patiently through my answer to it. tax-eaters should have the use of your "The important subject of the corcolumns; but, not to make personal at-"poration commission has naturally tacks without their names at the bottom." attracted the attention of the public, By your publishing the matter as your "and led to the ample commentary of own, you make it your own; as you own our contemporaries. It is not marI treated your infamous article of the" vellous that the Tories and the 'Con14. of September; and now, in the fol-"servative Press' should be alarmed at lowing piece of pre-eminent infamy," the progress of an inquiry which will, you, with the aid, most likely, of" doubtless, be followed by a reformawretches as base as yourself, endeavour" tion of our municipal institutions. to, at once, take your revenge, and" They, accordingly, display their usual (which is what I will make you repent" industry in misrepresentation and of) by your dark menaces, to deter me "abuse. The extracts in the Standard from inflicting justice upon you and" of last night, from the Leicester upon the tax-eating monsters who have" Herald, and the local communication urged you on. appended to it, exhibit an unusual However, at present, it is with you," degree of vulgarity and personal and with you only, that I have to deal." party calumny. Of the particulars If the other tax-eating, lazy, cowardly, "of the Leicester investigation we drunken devils, who, I dare say, never "know nothing; but we may safely did anything in their whole lives but " conjecture, from the spleen of its consume the fruit of the labour of " Tory provincial press, that its notoothers, should come forth in their "rious corporation has been convicted proper persons, I shall be prepared for" of some extraordinary malversations. them. I should not now notice, even "We recollect that this is the same notice, this effusion of malice, were i" corporation which so recently showed 66 66 66 "such contempt of Parliament and "the reign of Queen Elizabeth for public opinion, by contumaciously "1,1004.-each member subscribing "refusing for a time to make a return to the sum out of his own private "to an order of the House of Commons." purse.' This assertion has very "We also bear in mind the shameful" much the appearance of a lame apo"disclosures which transpired in the "logy for the private misappropriation "published correspondence between its" of the trust funds of the town. But we "town clerk and Mr. Otway Cave, in" forbear any further allusion to the 66 1827, recorded in the Chronicle of " particulars of this local inquiry, the "that year; and we may therefore result and merits of which must early "fairly presume that a further dis- come to light; nor should we have agreeable reputation has been effected" commented upon them if they had by the commissioners and local gen- "not formed the subject of public ob"tlemen thus naturally reviled. Time" servation by the Tory Press. We fully "will be the tribunal to which this" concur with the Globe that no honest "subject will be fairly placed before" objection can exist to full inquiry, "the country. In the meanwhile we" whatever may be the difficulty of le"do not doubt that the corporation" gislation in particular cases; and the "commissioners and the liberal inha-" greater the latter difficulties, the more "bitants of the various corporate towns" obvious the propriety of preceding "will temperately, but firmly, pursue legislation by inquiry. We will not "their course of full and public inves-" I split straws with the Standard in distigation, in despite of the malignity" cussing the peculiar constitution and "and remonstrances of the local Tory "tenure of property of the various city "journals. The whole account of the " companies. No tyro, however slightly "Leicester Herald savours too strong "versed in the history of the city of "of local and political party spirit to London, and in the origin and pre"be believed, and we shall doubtless" sent municipal and exclusive privi46 see another version. leges of the chartered franchises, can "ration of Leicester be really such" doubt that the trades or mysteries,' an ultra pure and immaculate body now termed companies, are essential "as its eulogists represent, why" parts of the city corporation, and that "such a palpable enmity to the pub-" the reputation of their governing "licity of the municipal inquiry, and "members is interested in submission "such soreness and personality against" to and encouragement of inquiry. We "the Commissioners? The Standard" can discern no attack made upon pub"6 says, That it is stated in the "lic or private property by the institu66 6 case of Leicester, that the property "tion of the corporation commission. "of the corporation has not been" The Standard roundly asserts that "acquired by gift or bequest, but by "the object of the whole scheme is to "actual purchase from a common "substitute Whigs for Tories as the 66 6 purse, subscribed among the mem- "members of the several corporations "bers of the corporate body.' This throughout the kingdom.' The obstatement, emanating whence it may, "ject of the Conservatives is doubtless "is a palpable improbability as apply-" to preserve a monopoly of municipal ing to the general corporate funds of and political power, which the people "this borough; and if true, those funds" think they have far too long exclu"would now be in the nature of chari- " sively enjoyed. It is extremely con"table endowments founded by indi-"venient for the party opponents of "viduals. The concluding observa-" Ministers, and for Mr. Cobbett, to "tion also in the Leicester Herald" make this the subject of perverted "greatly qualifies this statement, viz.," commentary and disingenuous re"That that part of the South Fields," mark. But the purpose of both will "formerly called the Grange Farm," fail. Corporations will be reformed, " was purchased by the corporation in" and the country will be grateful to B 2 If the corpo 66 "Ministers for the consequent popular" that his exit from public life is nigh "gain. In his Register of to-day, Mr." at hand. He will not succeed in dis"Cobbett issues another budget of vul- paraging the corporation commission, gar and coarse abuse. Election op- or in propagating his bugaboo impu"position to his at Preston or Coventry" tation against Ministers, of a Bour"seems to be an inexpiable personal" bon-police.' Munchausen was said to "offence. And what has he done in " have believed his own lies. Cobbett "Parliament to satisfy any one but him-" is too cunning so to impose upon "self? His Register has deteriorated," himself, though apparently and falla"and lacks even that raciness and "ciously he thinks that he deceives his "shrewdness which used sometimes to" readers. But he is as cowardly as he "redeem his malignity and abuse o!" is cunning. In the House of Com"all public men in their turn. The "mons, his tameness under castigation "recent stamp returns betrayed his "was conspicuous; and though there is "limited circulation, and he will soon not a public man, whom he has not "become superannuated as a political" repeatedly vilified in the grossest "writer. When the moral influence is " manner, when brought into contact "wholly wanting, no man can act on "with them in the House of Commons, the public mind. His egotism, vanity," he was all abjectness. Under the lash "jealousy, and malignity, are without" of Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Spring "their equal; and he may safely calcu-" Rice his hide would yet seem to tingle; "late on monopolizing the right of" for he is endeavouring, in the Register "slander and personal vituperation," of this day, to beslobber them with "when no one will demean himself by "his praise, in the hope that they will "competing with him for his scandalous" deal mercifully with him next session. "distinction. Mr. Cobbett, who has" We have no doubt, however, that both "levied numerous subscriptions, written" these gentlemen, and Mr. Edward "on all sides of a popular and temporary "Ellice, to whom he deems it also ne"question, and maintained himself by cessary to be a little civil, are suffi"much bad book-making,' is the last" ciently aware, that the sure way to "man to deal in sweeping insinuations" provoke his abuse is to treat him with "of sinister interests against others." leniency; and that he is quite inca"What he might have been, by con-"pable of good behaviour, except under "sistency and public and private con- "the fear of the lash." "duct, must often, despite of self-igno- In order to have the matter plainly rance and vanity, painfully occur to before my readers, let me put the "him. We are loath to make these substance of this villanous thing into "strong remarks on an eminent public the form of distinct propositions, ex"writer, who has done the cause of re-pressing that which this reptile has "form much service; but his recent asserted of me, and which is as fol"diatribes oblige us to stoop to his cor-lows :— 66 "rection: and he well knows that the "Chronicle, in bad times, fearlessly sup-1. That I wish to prevent a reform in "ported him when in a right direction, under persecution, and dissemi"nated his better writings without ever 2. "appearing blind to his utter want of principle, or fearing to castigate him "when he was endeavouring to mislead "the public by stating falsehoods, in "order to serve a purpose or to gratify 3. "malice. Unless he restrains his per"sonal and political ferocity, disconti nues his universal calumnies, and 4. "abides a little with truth, we warn him the corporations, and am labouring to that effect. That my attack on roaring Rushton and Co. arises purely out of the Preston election, and that I never forgive any one that opposed me either at Preston or Coventry. That I have levied numerous subscriptions upon the people. That I have maintained myself by much bad book-making. 66 6. That, unless I restrain my personal 5. That I might have been something | unless it produced an effectual reform in very desirable for a man to be, and our little Parliament, and in the whole that it must give me pain to re-corporation, to which I added these reflect upon having missed that markable words, or words to this effect something. (not being near my books now): "This "corporation, extremely good in its institution, like the Parliament itself, "has gone on growing in corruption as "the Parliament has grown it is an a" appendage to that mass of corruption; "and if the reform now contemplated " put an end to the corruption of the << great Parliament, this branch of the corruption must die: cut off that source, and it cannot live; and, I verily believe that the real borough9. That my hide yet tingles with the mongers themselves are not so much smart of the lash laid on by Sir" afraid of a real, practical and effectual. Robert Peel and Mr. Spring Rice," reform as the myriads of jobbers and whom I now "beslobber" in the" vermin that live out of us in this city hope that they will deal mercifully "of London. The whole of his Mawith me in the next session, and "jesty's subjects stand in need of a rethat I am doing the same with "form of the Parliament from the regard to Mr. Edward Ellice, and greatest of the independent landwith the same view; but that they "owners, down to the labourer and are all sufficiently aware that I am "the artisan; but there is no part of the quite incapable of good behaviour," King's subjects who are so oppressed except under fear of the lash. "by municipal abuses as the people of the 10. Finally, that after all the fuss about my getting into Parliament, I have done nothing to satisfy any one, except my own vain self. 66 66 66 city of London are; therefore we, be"sides the general motive which pre"vails amongst other men, have this particular motive, that we hope it "will deliver us from the base tyranny I. Now beginning with the first of" of a set of tame cheaters, armed these propositions, every reader of mine" against us by law surreptitiously obwill know what a monstrous falsehood"tained from the great Parliament, it is; will know that I have, for seven-" and who take from us our property in and-twenty years at the least, been" virtue of those powers intended to be unging the necessity of a reform in the" the protection of our persons as well corporations that, being a citizen and" as of our property." liveryman of London myself, I have My readers will all remember this. detailed the abuses in that corporation, I am sure I received applause enough and have endeavoured to urge my fel-for it at the time, from crowds of low-citizens to appeal to the Parliament my fellow-citizens of London. This itself for a correction of those abuses; vagabond remembers it, too; for he, as. that I, when the editor of the Chronicle far as he dared, took part with the basely skulked from his duty, stood for- spoilers; and yet, the tax-hunting ward in the cause of Mr. SCALES, against wretch has now the audacity to reprethe tyranny of the court of aldermen ; sent me as an enemy to corporation and my readers will all do me the jus-reform. "Ah!" the hungry vagabond tice to recollect, that, in the fall of 1831, will say, "what do I care for this?while the Reform Bill was under dis-" what I mean by corporation reform is, cussion, I said that the reform of the" a lazy life and a good parcel of public Parliament, of the great Parliament," money for ROARING RUSHTON and would be of no use to us in London, “ PIS-ALLER PARKES, and plenty of |