monstrous abuses; they have heard it | treme that poverty may be ; but, as the grumble so long, and still submit so other might, and I believe it would, docilely, that one can conceive it pos- satisfy the nation, that might be enough sible for them to believe that they can for the ministers to propose along with now, in opposition to both ministry and the ballot. If they propose any-thing people; a ministry full of talent, and short of these, to dissolve the parlia an intelligent people, perfectly unani- ment would be of no use; of no use at mous; that they can, in spite of both all; the people would say that one set these, carry on the same system that was as good as another set, and that no has at last plunged the country into reform would be better than a sham utter confusion, and made it an object reform. But if they distinctly propose of contempt throughout the world. to do these, the whole country would be in commotion on their side; and the new parliament would enable them to make the reform, without any opposi tion at all.

:

I do not, therefore, look upon it as at all incredible that such an opposition is to be attempted. Nay, I think it likely that it will be attempted. If it be, and if there be any-thing like a If his Majesty were, unfortunately, to formidable opposition, one of two things listen to advisers of another description, will take place; the parliament will be and to resolve not to dissolve the pardissolved, or the King will refuse to liament, the present ministers would, of do that, and then the ministers will go course, quit their places, and be suc out, and have the people at their back. ceeded by their predecessors with the The King will hardly want to get back Duke at their head; but how long into the hands of those who had to could this last? Back would come all advise him not to fulfil his promise of the scenes and all the angry passio ng dining at the Guild-Hall with the of the month of November; but these Queen. We can hardly contemplate latter with tenfold force and as to the the possibility of the King's listening former, they would appear with great to the advice of those who would improvements and additions. The rage throw him back into these hands; and, against the ministers would then be therefore, we are to proceed upon the extended to other quarters; and the supposition, that, if the ministers meet man must be blind who does not foresee with a formidable opposition, they will terrible convulsion as the result. The dissolve the parliament. The conse- bare circumstance of the Duke of Welquence of that would be that not a man lington coming back again into power who had voted against them would dare would throw the whole kingdom into a to show his face in any part of the coun-paroxysm of rage: despair of any good try. A hundred of them would be from gentle means would seize upon chased out of counties and of boroughs the public, and all men would make up that are half rotten; and then the mi- their minds to a resort to the last despenisters might do the thing that the rate means.' people want done. But, for the minis- For, with regard to the Prince of ters to dissolve the parliament, with Waterloo, how stands the case? He such prospect before them, they must made a declaration against parliamentfirst propose, and distinctly propose, to ary reform: he made it one week and make such a reform as will satisfy the the next week the King had to submit people; and, nothing short of an ex- to the humiliation of withdrawing his extension of the suffrage to all house-promise to dine with his people in Guildholders paying scot and lot, and of Hall; because he could not fulfil the voting by ballot, will satisfy the people. promise without being accompanied by I shall always contend, that every man his prime-minister, or without openly liable to be called on to serve in the pronouncing disgrace on his primer militia has a right to vote, and that a minister, and because he could not be man's poverty ought to be no bar to the accompanied by that prime minister, exercise of this right, however ex- without endangering the peace of the City

not mention here; when they saw him sitting in the judgment-seat, with life and death on his lips; when they saw these things, what were they to think other than that his successors had retained his principles though they had supplanted him in point of form?

and the lives of his people. After this ter, inserted in the BLACK Book, page it is notorious that that minister could 360; when they saw him, and recolneither ride nor walk the streets with-lected numerous things which I shall out insult, not to say personal danger. The question is not, whether these popular violences were right or wrong in themselves if that were the question, we should decide for the latter; but the question is, whether it must not be dangerous to the whole community for a government to have at its head a This has been the great cause, and, man standing in such a light in the indeed, the only cause, of the suspicions eyes of the people? The PRINCE OF with regard to the views of the present WATERLOO was, in fact, turned out of Ministers. They have lost character office by the people; and that too be- solely by their complaisance towards cause he had so audaciously declared him. They have suffered in precisely against a reform in Parliament. His the same way, and from precisely a successors came into power on the ex-similar cause, with the renowned fundpress condition of making that reform holder, Louis-Philippe. The accusaagainst which the Prince had issued his tions against him are, that he has disdeclaration; and the great fault which covered no sincere hostility to Charles they immediately committed was, to dix and his crew; that he has endeasuffer it to appear as if they were not voured to screen the prime agents of in their hearts hostile to him and his his predecessor; that he has done as politics! They were so friendly with little as possible in the way of making him; they expressed so little disappro- changes in the men in power; that he bation of what he had done and said; and his ministers have kept in force all they so carefully avoided all censure on the laws of Charles against the liberty him and his measures; they appeared of the press and of speech; that he has, to intend to do so little in the way of in fact, taken off no taxes; that he is change; they removed from their talking about an enlargement of the places so few of his underlings; his ap-right of voting at elections, but that peared to be so much like an abdication he proposes to do very little in this à la Charles dix; Theirs seemed to be so much like an accession à la LouisPhilippe; the Houses, in one case, seemed, in their anxiety to prevent any ́material change, so much like that of the Chambers in the other case, that the new ministry became shaken in the public opinion. In short, men still looked upon the Prince as being one of the principal advisers, and they became hesitating and suspicious accordingly. They thought that they saw his counsel The English nation have thought that in the augmentation of the army; they they discovered a wonderful similarity thought they traced him in the special between the conduct of the new miniscommissions; and, when they saw try and that of Louis-Philippe. The him, whom LoRD RADNOR had so dis- French sum up the charges against him tinctly accused, in his place in parlia-in saying that he prevents the Revolument, only a few days before; when tion from marching; and the charge they saw him appointed to be one of against our new ministry is summed the Special Commissioners, actually up in this, that they do not seem to be sitting upon the bench in Hampshire; resolved on giving us a real reform: when they saw him, who wrote the let and this has been inferred, not from any

way; and that what he does comes from him like drops of blood from the heart; that, in short, the abdication of Charles, the accession of Philippe, his calling himself a citizen-king; that the whole has been contrived to cajole and cheat the people by a mere change of names and symbols, but that it is really intended to tax them and oppress them just as much as they were taxed and oppressed before.

declaration of theirs, nor from any of I would, if I were in a situation to do. their acts, except from those which it, move, before I slept, for a resumphave led the people to suspect that they were acting in conjunction privately with the Prince of Waterloo.

tion of every one of the grants. Seven hundred millions of money were given him for what were called the victory of Now, if they be sincerely disposed to Waterloo and the conquest of France. give us a real reform, the open hostility It was he that severed Belgium; it of Waterloo would be the greatest ad- was he, great and glorious HE, who vantage they could possibly possess.wrenched from France that treble chain The public will immediately say, that, of impregnable fortresses; it is he who now, all is clear and consistent; and as says, in his Peerage, printed in London to any chance that he will have of suc- and circulated throughout the world, ceeding against them, the absurdity is that his were services such as the nation too gross to be entertained by any sen- could not repay; but that it did its sible man for a moment; the public best! And, while this monstrous innow know him; the pension list itself stance of presumption is staring us in would have settled him in the minds of the face, we see that very Belgium just the people for ever, had there been upon the eve of being united to France, nothing else. The one single item while another column of the same stated in the motto of this Register newspaper tells us that he is assemwould have been quite sufficient. The bling, in the very house and on the present generation; the young men very land given him by the people and from twenty to thirty, are not the poor paid for by the taxes, a knot of adnoodled creatures that shouted and herents intended to contrive the means bragged in the days of Waterloo; they of preventing this very people from obhave looked into facts; they know that taining a parliamentary reform. The very a hundred and fifty millions of the debt same newspaper that gives an account were brought upon us by what were of the holding of this caucus, gives us called his victories; they know that the speech of M. MANGUIN, in the while this debt has been creating, while French Chamber of Deputies, who says: this industrious people have been be-" We do not fear war, and if Belgium coming miserable, while this great na-" should offer herself, I would say, even tion has been sinking into insignificance" at the risk of war- Accept her.' It in the eyes of foreign states, the pen- "would be a deadly war, I know; but sioner Lady MORNINGTON'S four sons" it would be to the honour and glory have been puffed up into peers, loaded" of France. And, besides, who would with pensions, sinecures, and grants. "dare to attack us? Would it be in They know that this man himself has" Russia? She has Poland and Turkey received far more than a million of the" to contend with. Would it be Austria?

public money; and they know, too, "She knows that with 50,000 men we that the pretended victories for which" should give her occupation in Italy. he received it, have only tended to excite Would it be England? With steamimplacable enmity against us in foreign "boats we could carry arms and batbreasts, at the same time that the debts" talions into Ireland [strong sensaarising from the purchase of those vic- tion]. I here speak upon the suppotories have bereft us of the means of "sition of war; but I speak only to protection against that hostility. "induce Ministers to collect all their

It is impossible to look at the Con-" forces for the moment of danger. tinent of Europe without feeling shame "Nations have their treacherous sleep; that we have heaped millions upon this" this sleep is death; and death is man and his family. I do not feel "foreign invasion and partition." shame for myself, indeed; for, none of The sun at noon-day is not clearer the presumptuous tribe ever had the than that Belgium will be reunited grant of a penny which I did not op- to France in a very short space of pose to the utmost of my power; and time. We have been intriguing to pre

vent it; we have been endeavouring, France will march on, consolidating her by all the means that conscious impo-power with one hand, while with the tence resorts to, to obviate this dreadful other she points at us the finger of scorn; humiliation; the stock-jobbers of Paris the army cannot be reduced; the debt have been co-operating for the purpose cannot be diminished; the distress of with the stock-jobbers of London; the middle class must go on increasing; every effort has been tried to cajole the misery of the lower class must enthe French people on the one side and gender strife and violence; the fabric the Belgians on the other side; but of paper-money will, in its totterings all in vain; the citizen-king and the backward and forward, continue to citizen-Lafitte, and the citizen-bishop-swell the magnitude of the troubles of prince Talleyrand, all have failed to pre- the country; and, in verification of my vent the consummation of this great old prophecy, published upon leaving event: the two nations will rush toge-England in 1817, "in all human prother over the violets and the primroses, "bability, the whole of the interest and leave the despots, the borough- "of the debt, and all the sinecures mongers and the loan-mongers, to gnaw "and pensions and salaries, and also their flesh with rage. "the expenses of a thundering standing Yet, when this event shall take place," army, will continue to be made up by will not every English eye be turned" taxes, by loans from the Bank, by with indignation towards the great" Exchequer Bills, by every species of brazen Achilles and Strathfieldsay?"contrivance, to the latest possible But, in the meanwhile, what brass must" moment, and until the whole of the the man have, if, in this state of things 66 paper system, amidst the war of even, when the disgrace brought on us" opinions, of projects, of interests, and by his pretended victories stares us in" of passions, shall go to pieces like a the face; what brass must he have, if," ship upon the rocks." even at such a time, he entertain the This fatal result, this tragical end of idea that he is able to turn out a minis-the system, may be prevented, if Lord try and to take their places, too, be- GREY choose to prevent it; but he has cause they propose to restore the people but one way of preventing it, and that to the enjoyment of their rights! I is by proposing at once, and explicitly, think, after all, that he is not foot enough an effectual reform of the Parliament; to imagine that he can do this. I think and if he find a formidable opposition that the opposition which is intended to his measure, by dissolving that Paris not to go beyond this: We will let liament, which he will do, in such case, you remain in power, provided you do amidst the universal acclamations of but very little in the way of reform. the people. If the King were to be adWe will support you against the people, vised not to follow the counsels of his if they demand much. Thus to prevent ministers, and were to follow that ada real reform, to keep all the bands of vice, a few weeks would produce underlings still in office, and to prevent anarchy, or a recall of Lord GREY. So a dissolution at the same time. If the that, if he stand firm, he is sure to sucministers fall into this trap, they will ceed in the end. One county, or only soon become as odious as any set of one considerable town or city, refusing ministers ever were; they will be at to pay the assessed taxes, for instance; once hated and despised; the country offering no resistance, but suffering the will be kept in a state of constant law to take its course against the commotion; all men will soon feel parties; this, which implies no viothat no good has been done; their lence, no, disobedience of the law, party foes may combine and turn would bring the thing up to its bearings them out at any time; the two par-at once. And this was just upon the ties will be confounded in the eyes of eve of taking place in London, when the public; Ireland will continue agi- the last change of ministry took place tated to a height approaching rebellion; and prevented it. Men then said, Let

us see; let us wait: but if Waterloo's millions at the most of which such Prince had continued in power, he would soon have received this convincing species of admonition.

efforts can effect the reduction. We want a reduction of more than one-half a great deal; and such reduction is After all, I am inclined to think that not to be accomplished without a ministhis threatened opposition will vanish ter that has the millions at his back. into air. No doubt that their hearts This is what I have been contending for are good; no doubt that they would during the last twenty-five years of my prevent reform if they could, but the life. My propositions have been these: danger of opposition is too great, and That the nation must finally become the chance of escaping that danger too despicable abroad and miserable at home, small for them to venture on the enter- and must at last be plunged into a conprise. Many of them will see, in a re-vulsive revolution, unless there be a very form of the parliament, their everlasting great reduction of the interest of the exclusion from power and emolument: Debt, accompanied by other measures they will see the bread going away from that shall render such reduction equittheir mouths and those of their families; able: That this reduction never can be they will see whole tribes of tax-fed effected without a ministry having all gentlemen and ladies condemned to la- the industrious classes of the country bour for their food and raiment; they cordially at its back: That no ministrywill feel their hearts sinking in their can have these classes cordially at its bodies; they will fancy themselves back without a real reform of the partransmuted into another state of being. liament. In support of these three proAll this they will foresee and they will positions. I addressed a letter to this feel, but they will be afraid to resist. very LORD GREY, which was published Between their teeth they will curse the in the Register of the 12th of January, ministers and the people; but they will 1822. I said, some weeks back, that I give way, Like all unjust and insolent would now republish this letter, which and overbearing men, they will be as is as apt to the present circumstances mean as they have been haughty; and as if it were written at this very hour. as they have disdainfully cast their orts I now insert it; and I beseech him to to others, of others they will gladly de-pay attention to it. Every line of it is your the orts. worthy of his strict attention at this moOne thing should be clearly under-ment. As the reader proceeds, he will stood by the present ministers; and stop at times and express his astonishthat is, that they cannot prevent reform ment at the clearness with which I if they would. God forbid that I should foresaw that which was to come. LORD impute to them the desire to do it! but GREY was at that time out of office, it is satisfactory to me to know that but most people thought that he was they cannot prevent it if they would. the fit man to have our affairs in his They might cause it to be postponed; hands, as well on account of his talents and that is the utmost that they could as his honesty: I thought so too, and, do, and the postponement could not therefore, I addressed to him this letter, last long. They have, therefore, no which I here again respectfully submit motive, consistent with common sense, to his attention and to that of my to make them halt or boggle. The readers in general. country never can know peace again; there can never again be safety to property till this monstrous heap of taxes be greatly reduced; and this, as I have On the Remedy for the Evils that now said a thousand times over, will never be accomplished without a new sort of parliament. All the efforts of MR. HUME are of no avail without this new sort of parliament. It is only a few

MY LORD,

WM. COBBETT

TO EARL GREY,

afflict the Kingdom.

Kensington, 8th January, 1822.

LET me, before I, for the last time, urge your Lordship to come forward for