"There never was a period in "the history of this country, when "all the great interests of the na"tion were, at the same time, in 86 so thriving a condition. KING'S SPEECH, 3d Feb. 1825.

"

"must come, unless you repeal or four times; and then, listen to We have now before us all "the paper-money law (Small me. "note Bill), which law will soon your bragging assertions about "inundate the country with pa- PROSPERITY. We have here "per, and, at no distant day, will the braggings, put into the mouth "send the gold out of the coun- of the King, up to so late a period "try."-Mr. COBBETT, (Reg.) as 1825. We have here, your 6th March, 1824. braggings about permanent and I will solid prosperity; and now, give you a picture of this horrible prosperity; I will show you the face of this "joyous country, smiling in plenty." I will now show you, in an account of the bankrupts and the insolvents, for the "Any panic or any thing that first six months of the pre"would make a run upon the sent year, such proofs of pros"Country Banks, would blow perity, as would make you and "their (the Ministers') prospe- your colleagues, if you had any "rity' into the air and themselves feeling, call upon the hills to God knows whither. cover you. I am about to show "Nay, without any panic at all, you, that the first six months of "the system naturally tends to its this year has produced more bankBS own destruction. It takes some ruptcies than the whole of any "time for commercial transactions other year, for seven years past, "to operate upon the system, so even including the year of 1819; "far as to produce an absolute I am about to give you a state"shock; but it will come, even ment of insolvents, enough to sink "without war, and without any the heart of any honest Minister "thing suddenly alarming. The within him; I am about to show "present high prices of food can- you, that, in short, you and your "not long co-exist with gold pay- colleagues have broken up the "ments, even at the Bank of Eng-country; that you have entirely land. These prices must, at no broken up, that you have abso"distant day, send the gold out lutely ruined, the whole people. of the Country," Mr. COB

❝ to

......

BETT, (Reg.) 12th Feb. 1825,

The following table will speak "There ARE PERSONS, for itself. It is perfectly horrible "who imagine that our PROS-to contemplate: it exhibits six "PERITY IS NOT PERMA- months of such terrible ruin that "NENT; but the House will, I one wonders how it could be paam sure, concur with me in tiently endured. What! five thou"opinion, that it rests on the sand and thirty-three bankrupts "MOST SOLID FOUNDA- and insolvents in one six months! "TION. Mr. ROBINSON, Five thousand and thirty-three faMarch, 1825.

ແ

""

There! Read that, and let the nation read it. Read it over three

milies broken up, and torn to pieces! But, let us now come to the horrid scale of ruin and degradation.

ful prosperity-with an increasing revenue, decreasing taxation, and

a

debt in a course of gradual and "certain reduction. (Hear, hear.) "We behold our country daily growing in wealth, augmenting in

power, and increasing in influence: "-in wealth, the result of sound policy and considerate legislation;

sensible part of the people? If" you have not yet had reason to repent, here's at you again! Here I am with PROOFS of the PROSPERITY that was to issue, or be served out, or dispensed, from the "ancient portals." But, first of all, let us have your speech" again, your insolent speech, when" in power, not to be abused for the purposes of tyranny or aggrandizeyou thought that the THING had "ment; in influence, not to be emgot safe landed, and that it could set the people at defiance for "ployed in blustering dictation and "empty boasting, but to produce a ever! That is what you thought,« firm conviction among surrounding when you made this insolent" nations of the sincerity of our prospeech of 23d Feb. 1824, which," fessions, and of the honesty of our for your benefit, I here insert" conduct. (Much cheering.) That again, as a suitable preface to "sincerity and honesty must have "the inevitable effect of producing the PROOFS of PROSPE"in their minds a lasting persuasion RITY, the undeniable proofs "that the wealth,power and influence that I am going to put upon im"of which we are justly proud, are perishable record. But I must the tests of steadfast friendship, and put other things upon record« not the menacing instruments of again. Men forget, and young" hostility or rivalry. (Hear, hear.) men are constantly growing up to" I have not, of course, the arrogance begin to read. I will, therefore, "to attribute these happy results to first insert the saucy, insolent, any exertions of my own, nor does "His Majesty's Government claim lying speech of 23d February, "the merit of having brought the 1824; and then I will insert some "country to this state of content and other things equally necessary to prosperity; many others, they are be remembered; for it is impos- satisfied, have at least an equal sible to believe that all this mis- right to the applause and gratitude chief is to be done; that all these" of the nation: I claim them not terrible sufferings are to be inflicted upon the people, and that there is to be NO RESPONSIBILITY WHATEVER TO tially vicious in its nature and in FALL UPON YOUR HEADS. "its construction, that it was utterly I will not believe this: if I did impossible for it to extricate the believe it, I should think that the kingdom from that condition of country deserved to perish. I" distress and depression in which it am going to exhibit a picture of" was recently placed. (Hear, hear.) ruin, such as ought to make you" They contended, indeed, how truly hide your head and get from the sight of the people of England for ever. But let us first have the insolent speech once more.

"It must be highly satisfactory to "know, that the country is at this "moment in such a state of cheer

" for individuals: I claim them for "Parliament--for that calumniated, "that vilified Parliament, which we "have been told by some is so essen

"the result has shown, that in Par"liament there was nothing good"that its councils were venal, its "Members corrupt, and, in short, "that unless every thing were at "once turned topsy-turvy, and a new " system of representation established, the nation could never be re

"lieved from its difficulties, and res- have scarcely given it time to hug "cued from its dangers. (Continued itself, in the thought of security, "cheers.) I say, and I say it boldly, when I have risen, as it were, "that the present state of the country from the dead, laid on upon the "affords the best, because the prac-base THING, with more vigour "tical refutation of what I maintain "to be a calumny upon the Constithan ever, and now and then "tution. (Hear). Parliament, the chopped off a joint from it, and "true source of such general happiness, beat it about with the bloody end "may enjoy the proud, the delight of part of its own body. I have "ful satisfaction of looking round had my own injuries to resent, as "upon the face of a joyous country, well as those of the Reformers. "smiling in plenty, and animated My principal business, however, "with what I hope to see-unre- has been, to avenge the injuries "stricted industry, content, comfort, and insults, heaped on the friends "prosperity and order, haud in hand, "dispense, from the ancient portals of Reform; and that I have of a Constitutional monarchy, their avenged them thus far, the people "inestimable blessings among a are ready to proclaim, and do "happy, united, and let it never be proclaim, in every part of the "forgotten, a grateful people. (Loud kingdom. Let me now, before "cheers from all sides of the I go any further, insert the series "House.)" of extracts, of which I have just spoken.

"Agriculture is recovering from the depression under which it laboured; and, this, by the causes."-KING'S SPEECH, Feb. steady operation of natural

1824.

"sion.

66

Now, before I proceed to my PROOFS of prosperity, let me give certain other extracts, in order to show your folly and my wisdom; and this for the purpose" of showing, that the good people of Preston were right in their choice; and that the base conspirators against me deserve their "I claim for Parliament the general execration. Now for "merit of having rescued the kingthese extracts, for which you will "dom from distress and depreswish me at the devil, I dare say," state of the country is the best I say boldly, that the and the insertion of which, you might have escaped, perhaps, had it not been for the abominable insolence of your speech in 1823, against the Reformers. Thus has "You (Mr. Robinson) play a the THING gone on with me, desperate game. You think you ever since the year 1809! For" can keep up prices, and pay in seventeen years there has been " gold too. This delusion must deadly fight between me and the" lead to your ruin; it must proTHING. The monstrous THING" duce a great shock, of some sort: has given me many a heavy blow; it must produce another stopbut I have always recovered, and" page of the Bank; or, a total have given the cruel and cowardly "breaking up of the country THING two blows for one. The THING has done for me, two or

refutation of the calumnies on "the Parliament."-Mr. ROBINSON, Feb. 1824.

bankers. Another stoppage of the Bank, is the END of your three times, as it thought; but 1" affair. And mind, this stoppage

"must come, unless you repeal or four times; and then, listen to We have now before us all "the paper-money law (Small me. "note Bill), which law will soon your bragging assertions about "inundate the country with pa- PROSPERITY. We have here 'per, and, at no distant day, will the braggings, put into the mouth "send the gold out of the coun-of the King, up to so late a period "try."-Mr. COBBETT, (Reg.) as 1825. We have here, your 6th March, 1824. braggings about permanent and solid prosperity; and now, I will give you a picture of this horrible prosperity; I will show you the face of this "joyous country, smilI will now show ing in plenty. you, in an account of the bankrupts and the insolvents, for the Any panic or any thing that first six months of the "would make a run upon the sent year, such proofs of pros"Country Banks, would blow perity, as would make you and "their (the Ministers') prospe- your colleagues, if you had any "rity' into the air and themselves feeling, call upon the hills to I am about to show

"There never was a period in "the history of this country, when "all the great interests of the na"tion were, at the same time, in "so thriving a condition. KING'S SPEECH, 3d Feb. 1825.

66

❝ to ......

God knows whither.

cover you.

"

pre

"Nay, without any panic at all, you, that the first six months of "the system naturally tends to its this year has produced more bank"own destruction. It takes some ruptcies than the whole of any "time for commercial transactions other year, for seven years past, "to operate upon the system, so even including the year of 1819; far as to produce an absolute I am about to give you a state"shock; but it will come, even ment of insolvents, enough to sink "without war, and without any the heart of any honest Minister "thing suddenly alarming. The within him; I am about to show present high prices of food can-you, that, in short, you and your "not long co-exist with gold payments, even at the Bank of England. These prices must, at no "distant day, send the gold out "of the Country."-Mr. COBBETT, (Reg.) 12th Feb. 1825,

86

colleagues have broken up the country; that you have entirely broken up, that you have absolutely ruined, the whole people.

The following table will speak "There ARE PERSONS, for itself. It is perfectly horrible "who imagine that our PROS- to contemplate: it exhibits six "PERITY IS NOT PERMA"NENT; but the House will, I "am sure, concur with me in "opinion, that it rests on the "MOST SOLID FOUNDA"TION." Mr. ROBINSON, March, 1825.

There! Read that, and let the nation read it. Read it over three

months of such terrible ruin that one wonders how it could be patiently endured. What! five thousand and thirty-three bankrupts and insolvents in one six months! Five thousand and thirty-three families broken up, and torn to pieces! But, let us now come to the horrid scale of ruin and degradation.