except the mere labouring classes, about afloat (paper and coin taken together)
whose fate I am bound to care one single than there was during the war; when
straw. I am very desirous, however, you hear them say, that the retail
that you should be preserved amidst the traders are in a flourishing state; when
turmoil which must come, unless the you hear them say, that the country is
measures suggested in the above peti-in a fitter state to go to war than at any
tion, be adopted in time. I have only former period: when you hear them say
to tell you here, that I have, in the these things, and when you open your
above petition, exaggerated nothing. eyes, see the number of shops shut up,
You know well that the facts that I and look at your numerous insolvent
have stated are true: you know that I neighbours, can you be weak enough
foresaw every thing that has happened, still to pay attention to what comes from
and that I duly warned the Parliament the lips of these persons; can you be
at every stage: you know that every weak enough to think, that all is safe
prediction has been fulfilled to the very because they discover no symptoms of
letter: and, in the predictions which I fear?
have now expressed, I have only to tell If any thing further were necessary
you that I am perfectly sincere; that I to convince you of the necessity of being
believe in the truth of every word that constantly upon your guard, and pre-
I have put into this petition; that I am paring yourselves for the worst, the pro-
convinced that the consequences must ceedings in the House of Commons
ensue; that every thing that I antici- ought to be quite sufficient for that pur-
pate must happen, unless prevented by pose. You can see that every man,
measures such as those which I have even in that House, anxiously wishes that
suggested. I believe as firmly as I be- something should be done; and yet you
lieve that the month of May will come, must be blind indeed if you do not
that all that desolation which I appre-perceive that nothing will be done; or,
hend will take place, unless prevented at least, nothing that will have the
by the measures which I have pointed smallest tendency to relieve the nation

out.

from its distress and danger. On the I declare this to you in this solemn first day of the meeting, it was manifest manner, in order that you may be pre- that there existed, in the breasts of a pared; in order that you may make all majority of the members, a design to the preparation in your power, against compel the Ministers to return to the the day when events so terrible shall small paper-money. There was, in fact, arrive. I beseech you not to be deluded a majority quite ready for that purpose. by the apparent tranquillity and care- What, then, prevented this majority lessness of those who ought to foresee from bringing forward this measure and the dangers here spoken of: I beseech carrying it? Why, the strange fear you not to be deceived by this: I be- that the Duke; that this soldier would seech you not to believe, that the danger quit the concern, and leave the triumdoes not exist, because they do not see phant voters to carry it on themselves. it. They have never foreseen the dan- This was the consideration that gave ger; never foreseen any one of the mis- the first check to the majority. But, chiefs which their measures have pro- when there had been time to reflect a duced; never had any apprehension little; when the consequences of bringuntil the moment when the evil stared ing in a bill to return to the small them in the face. If they were to look paper-money; when these consequences well at the state of the country at this began to be understood; when it was moment, they would be convinced that seen that, before a bill could be passed a great change must speedily take place; for the purpose, a run upon the banks but, when you hear them say that there must take place, a run upon all debtors are more five-pound notes afloat than at the same time, a general panic, and there were three years ago; when you a complete blowing-up of the system; hear them say, that there is more money when the partisans of small paper

money perceived this, they grew cool, drew themselves off one by one, and left poor Mr. Western and Westminster's Pride, with their teacher, LOCKE, in the lurch; and before the end of the session, not a man will be left bold enough to open his mouth as the partisan of the small paper-money. What reliance, then, ought you to put in the notions or the motions of men who are thus situated, and who appear not to know, for two hours together, what they shall say or do with regard to any one subject?

a bright sword, had nothing to propose even beyond a puling resolution, and that he even gave up that, and suffered the ministry to supplant it by a resolution which really meant that not one farthing should be deducted.

Three years ago this same Sir James Graham published a pamphlet, to which he put his name, recommending the taking of thirty per cent from the interest of the Debt. I gave him such a strapping upon that occasion; having caught him "out of doors"; having caught him straying beyond the fence The next step that was taken in the of the noblest assembly of free men in House of Commons, was a motion by the civilized world"; having caught Sir James Graham, intended to pledge him straggling out of the privileged the House to a revision of the salaries ground, and without his protection which had been augmented; a motion against contempt; I strapped him, I which, insignificant as it was, was set whipped him, I cuffed him and kicked aside for one still more insignificant him, I bundled him and trundled him made by the ministry, in the following about, till, if he did not look like a words: "Resolved, that in all the esta- hunted devil, he certainly would have "blishments of the country, whether made the world laugh if he had ex"civil or military, every saving ought claimed, "I am one of the noblest as"to be made which may be made sembly of free men in the civilized "without a violation of existing en-world." gagements, and without detriment to "the public service."

However, this drubbing appears to have done him good, for it has not only If one could possibly be in a laugh- kept him out of print, but has restrained ing mode, at a time like the present, him, apparently, from any suggestion here would be laughter for a month, relative to our old friend, the Debt; especially as Sir James Graham, at the our best, and, indeed, our only friend; conclusion of his speech, had called that friend that will finally give us all the House, "THE NOBLEST AS- that we want in spite of the workings SEMBLY OF FREE MEN IN THE of the flagitious ruffians who buy and CIVILIZED WORLD"!!! It is a no- sell the seats, and who thrive by the ble body, to be sure; but really, Sir traffic. In this debate, Lord Morpeth James Graham, being such a noble body is reported to have said, that " some of free men, they ought not to have a "honourable members advised an equilaw to banish people for uttering words" table adjustment with the public crehaving a tendency to bring them" ditor. In his opinion, any proposal into contempt. However, my friends," of measures of that kind, would noblest or noblest not, here they were come before them with a better grace debating for a whole night, and at last " after every just and honourable means coming to a resolution that all possible" of relief had been exhausted”! savings ought to be made that could say we, my friends; and we say, that be made, without any reduction of the this good and trusty old ally of ours, present expenditure; for that was the real meaning of the resolution. What will Mr. Beckett Denison, of Doncaster, think of this? He called for the pruning-knife or the sponge: how he must have been disappointed, when he found that even the descendant of John with

So

the Debt, shall not be attacked until pensions, sinecures, double salaries, double pay, have been demolished, and until a good pull has been taken from that immense mass of property commonly called church property. We join with Lord Morpeth here; we must have

return to the small paper-money would be; or as any other scheme, not excepting that imputed to Mr. Maberly,

a little patience, but two things will give us all that we want, and these two things are, first, gold payments at the Bank, according to the present stand-of issuing exchequer bills to be made a ard; and second, a payment of the interest on the Debt in full tale, and in that standard gold.

legal tender. In short, my friends, the system is driven up into a corner: a bill to return to the small paper-money; Now, mind, it is utterly impossible a sweep at the taxes, like that proposed for us not to have that which we want, by Joseph; a repeal of the malt tax if these two be rigidly adhered to. The alone; any measure, no matter what, next little amusing attempt in Parlia- that would indicate a serious intention ment was a motion made by Mr. Hume, to diminish the amount of the revenue, who, at the end of a speech which, if it would cause an instant run upon the had been put into a cannon, and fired off Bank. Who would be fool enough to hold by the Greeks at the Turks, would have stock in the funds, if he saw the army frightened the heathens a great deal taken away, or saw the taxes taken away; more than Joseph's large and liberal without which the army cannot exist? subscription to the Greek loan; at the The whole, taxes, places, pensions, sineend of this tremendous speech, he made a cures, grants, army, navy, church, law, motion as follows: "That this House | law-offices, debt: the whole is one and "will forthwith proceed to the repeal the same system: these are all so many " and modification of taxes to the largest parts of one whole and entire thing, and "possible extent that the civil, military, each part is necessary to the existence "and naval establishments of the country of the rest. The seat-system arose with I will admit, as the means of affording the paper-system: they are twins, or, general relief to the country." Jo- rather, they are body and soul: they seph's resolution might have been a little have grown up together; they have more grammatical, but, being Joseph's, flourished together; they are now in and being tendered to "the noblest as- jeopardy together; and they will die sembly of free men in the world," who together. Many years ago I said, and have a law to protect them against the I say still, that one of these systems contempt of the people, the want of a cannot exist without the other; and that little grammar is hardly worthy of both will exist as long as they possibly notice. The debate ended in a division, can no man will doubt. which presented sixty-nine for Joseph's motion, and a hundred and eighty-four against it, leaving the worthy Joseph in a minority of a hundred and fifteen.

"

will take place with the consent of those who have an interest in preventing it, is to believe a great deal more than any, the most credulous men upon earth, ever believed.

Believe not, therefore, my friends, in any thing that you hear about a design to lessen the amount of the taxes, unless you hear at the same time of a If I had been in the House, I should design to make a reform in the Parliacertainly have voted against Joseph.ment; and to believe that such reform First, on account of the absence of all distinct meaning in the words of the resolution; and next, because I look upon such a motion as leading to nothing but committees, and shufflings, and delays, and disappointments. If a Be not amused by any talk about the man were in earnest, why not propose reducing of expenses. Of what use is the abolition of a specific tax. Joseph, the reducing of expenses if the taxes all in the course of his very trying speech, remain; and remain they must, until said that there were wild schemes afloat the time when the whole system shall about the country; but his scheme was go to pieces. Sir Francis Burdett, just as wild as any that he had ever heard though he made a very strange speech of; for, to adopt the reductions of on Mr. Hume's motion, was perfectly which he spoke, would be just as right, when he said that even reductions effectual in blowing up the system as a to the extent proposed by Mr. Hume

would produce no sensible effect in re- they turn it into malt without any relieving the distresses of the country. peal of the malt tax! Pay them in Nothing short of those things which are kind once; and they will take in kind prayed for in the above petition can the second time: there being no law to yield any real relief to the country. I fix the quantity, they will be sure to beg you to look at the state of the mil- take enough, whether in corn or in meat. lions at this time, and particularly to What fold will hold a sheep, what stye look at the temper and conduct of the will hold a pig, what stall will hold an agricultural labourers. They are the ox, in such a state of things? Talkmillions, and the formidable millions too. ing a little further with my Sussex I have always said, that they would not friend, we both agreed that the overlie down and starve quietly. You saw, seers would screen themselves by saying my friends, in the last Register, that the that they could not collect the rates; labourers of a parish in Buckingham- that the next thing would be, that the shire had proceeded, armed with cudgels, labourers would make them give up to the house of an overseer; that they the names of the defaulters, and go had forcibly resisted the peace-officers; and collect the rates themselves. And that they had insisted upon a certain that then the country would be but amount of relief; that the strife had drawn together labourers from the neighbouring parishes; that the parties taken into custody were discharged by the magistrate, Lord Nugent, who ordered the relief to be given according to the men's demand, and who, by his very wise and laudable conduct, prevailed on the labourers quietly to disperse.

one remove, one small remove, from being abandoned to the law of nature; that is to say, the law of the strongest; and that all property, beginning with the victuals and drink, and proceeding. to objects of clothing and so forth, would cease to receive the protection of the law of the land.

To-day is Wednesday, the 17th of February; and the Morning Herald of In a large parish of Sussex, a week this morning brings me the following or two ago, the assistant overseer, hav-paragraph, taken from a paper pubing refused to comply with the demands lished at Rochester, I believe, called of the poor, they proceeded, armed the KENT AND ESSEX HERALD. It is a with cudgels, to his house; dragged paragraph which would make a sensible him from his house; carried him be- ministry lose not an hour in proposing fore a neighbouring magistrate, who not to the Parliament, not the discharging only ordered him to pay the money of a few custom-house clerks, but those demanded, but who further conciliated very measures which I have been so the assailants by treating them to bread long recommending in vain. and cheese and. beer. I had this ac

A few days since, we hear, a party count from a respectable farmer (living "of labourers, 70 in number, applied in the neighbourhood), on Monday "to the overseers of a parish near Maidmorning last; and in conversation with" stone for their usual weekly relief. him I observed, that the poor would" The men were informed that, in concollect the rates themselves. From 66 sequence of the great pressure of the the account in Buckinghamshire, we "rates, every shilling of money was find that the overséer laid the fault" expended, and, therefore, their soliupon the rate-payers, from whom he" citations could not be complied with. was unable to obtain the rates; and the" One and all declared that they were in Aylesbury paper stated that the magis- a starving state, and unless relief were trates had recommended that the far-" granted, their existence would be at mer should be permitted to pay the" an end, and demanded to know whose rates in kind! In kind, gracious God!" rates were due. The officers, to get And what are the poor to do with the quit of their importunities, informed produce? Pay them in barley, good" them of one gentleman, and accordfarmers, and I will pledge my life that" ingly the whole proceeded to his res

kept in

“idence, and required his presence, sembled in great masses, as in Lanca-
" and then stated their object, adding, shire and the West Riding of Yorkshire,
"that they had knives, and, if the money they are more easily managed. The
'were not forthcoming, they would pos- knowledge that there are a few soldiers
"sess themselves of what the house af- in the neighbourhood, keeps them quiet
forded, and divide it. The gentleman, under the most poignant of sufferings:
however, to prevent unpleasantness, it is, in fact, a numerous flock of sheep,
"offered a check, but this they refused,
awe by the most trifling of
"adding that money would suit them means. It is not thus with the country
"best. He then dispatched his servant people. The manufacturers, thousands
"to Maidstone, where the check was upon thousands, talk well, think well,
"cashed, and the money, when brought are sprightly and full of intelligence;
"back, was equally divided.
but they live in crowds, their hands and
Thus, then, we have specimens from their skins are soft; they live before.
three counties; well attested specimens good fires, and are contented in a state
of this progress, of something very of unwholesome warmth. The country
nearly approaching to a dissolution of people, less intelligent, and less talka-
society; and this, too, observe, before tive, are accustomed to all that hardens
the One-pound Note Bill has been in full man: their hands are hard as sticks;
operation above four or five months. they bear cold like cattle; they live de-
From going thus to collect the poor tached in lanes or amongst woods; they
rates in particular instances, the suffer-are accustomed to move about in the
ing parties will proceed to the general dark, and are not easily frightened at
collection; and, from this general col- the approach of danger; they have been
lection, how short is the step to a gene-used to eat meat, they are thoughtful,
ral taking of just what they please from and are rendered resolute by suffering.
anybody. And, while this is going on, Each man lives near about where his
Mr. Slaney is, as the newspapers tell grandfather lived; every one hears of
us, coming on with his Poor-law Bill, the change that has taken place; and,
the tendency of which was to narrow, above all things, every man and woman
in some way or other, the granting of and child old enough to understand any
relief. I wish to God (though it is beg- thing, looks upon his parish as being
ging very hard for custom) Mr. Slaney partly his; and a sufficiency of food and
would lay out a shilling upon my little raiment he looks upon as his inherit-
book called the POOR MAN'S FRIEND, in ance. Never, let what will happen, will
the three middle numbers of which he these people lie down and starve quietly.
will find all the principles and all the I assured my hearers that this would be
law, canon law, public law, common the case at every place where I delivered
law, and statute law, relating to the a lecture in the North; and I used to
rights of the poor; and if that book do tell the poor creatures at Preston, that
not convince him, that he ought to they would not get a Sussex labourer to
touch this subject with a very tender live in the manner that they lived, un-
hand, particularly at the present time, less they first broke every limb in his
conviction is not to be produced in his body.

mind.
It is curious enough, that, in the same
Now, my friends, readers of the Re-Morning Herald from which I take the
gister, observe, that the above petition above paragraph, I found the following,
was written before I had heard of this taken from the MANCHESTER COURIER,
case in Kent. I wanted no such instance giving an account of the state of the
to convince me, that the like must be poor in the neighbourhood of that town.
the case in a very short time; because "It appeared that Mr. Potter vi-
I know the country people well; and I" sited, at Irlam, 68 families, con-
know that they will not lie down and "sisting of 352 individuals, whose
starve quietly, and God Almighty forbid" united income (including parish relief)
that they should. When men are as-" amounted only to 331. Os. 6d. per