of the county to the other, to rake to-out of his office, and hereft of all power, gether a crew to carry can address, because, and only because, he had exapplauding the horrible bills which plicitly declared that he would make doomed the reformers to dungeons; no reform of the Parliament. - It was and will you now hang back! Your the people that had driven him out; pretence then was, that the reformers mind that, Parsons: it was not the were disaffected, and that it was neces-Parliament. The Parliament liked him sary for you to come forward in sup- well; but it could not keep him and port of the King and his Ministers. carry on the thing quietly. The new Well, Parsons, and are not the borough- Ministry, therefore, were compelled, mongers now disaffected; are not the whatever might have been their inBARINGS, the PEELS, the CROKERS, the clination, to promise a Parliamentary HORACE TWISSES, now disaffected? reform. And to satisfy the people it Are they not now raising their violent required nothing short of a total devoices against the Ministers and the struction of the rotten boroughs; and a King; and is it not now your duty, great extension of the suffrage. It was then, to come forward in support of this not sufficient that the new Ministry Ministry and this King? if I find you absent the day after to-morrow, I shall certainly think you the most inconsistent of men, and what I shall say of you 'God only knows.

promised a reform: it was necessary that the reform should be extensive and satisfactory. A trifling reform could not have saved the Ministry for a day. They would have been in a worse situation than Louis-Philippe with his sham revolution. The people insisted upon a large and efficient reform.

But, Parsons, you hardly imagine that "this reform is to be productive of no consequences! You hardly suppose, I take it, that it is intended to produce The Ministers have now tendered "no effects. If this be your notion, them such reform. In this reform they never were men more deceived in this see the thing that they wanted. It is whole world. It has been made be- not precisely what many of us wished, cause the Government could no longer but it is quite enough to satisfy all reago on without it. A reformed Parlia-sonable men; and the people will have ment must, therefore, act differently it. Now, then, Parsons, though I do from this borough Parliament. If the not like to plunge you into despair, I ask reform produce merely a change of you whether it is reasonable to suppose men, it would be of no use whatever; that this measure of reform is to be debut it will produce a very great change feated in spite of King, Ministers, and >of another sort, and will thereby enable people, all combined, and with nobody the Government to go on. In what but the base boroughmongers to oppose manner and what degree that change them.

will reach you, I leave you to settle It is a question which has, I am sure, *amongst yourselves when you meet at been a thousand times put to me: your benches, whence you send poach-"Can you possibly believe, Cobbett, ers to dance on the tread-mill. "that the Parliament will ever reform

"While there is life there is hope;"" itself? Did you ever know power and accordingly you, I dare say, enter-" pronounce its own death? Can you tain strong hopes that this fatal measure" believe that those who sit for the will not pass into a law. From the boroughs, will vote the destruction very first, it was evident to all men of" of their own seats? And can you sense, that this hope was groundless." expect a reform from any cause but The case was this. Before the Reform" that of physical force?" My answer Bill was proposed, it was evident that always has been YES: and I have rethe Ministry must propose a measure peatedly said in the Register, that I that would satisfy the people, or be hoped and believed, that, at last, when driven from their posts. The Duke of the people were united and resolved, WELLINGTON had actually been driven the borough-holders would give way

that some Minister or other would at † : «✅“ recommends to the two Houses - last be found wise and honest enough to make the proposition that the borough holders would stand out stiffly; - that they would die hard ; but that when it came to the pinch they would give way, and that thus the reform might be effected by a moral and not a physical force.

“to pass à lawrto enable the -" people at large freely to choose "the members of the Commons "House, excluding from the right "of voting no man who has at*tained the age of twenty-one, "who is of sanes mind, and who "has not been legally convicted of Nay, what is that which we now be-- an infamous crime."B% hold but the almost literal fulfilment Clap W. R at the bottom of that, of an opinion expressed and published" and then we should see whether they by me in a very few days after the "would pass the law Pass it! Aye present King came to the throne, in the" would they, and with double dilliRegister of the 17th of July, in a pas-"gence ! They would, without a dissage which I will now quote. "Your" senting voice, thank you for your "Majesty must clearly see that this gracious message, express their grati"feebleness of the country arises from "tude to you for the wise suggestions "the wants of a due representation of “contained in it, and promise to set "the people in Parliament. What have" about the work with all zeal · and "you to do, therefore, but to cause that “industry; and they would keep the "due representations to be restored?" promise too." "But,' some one will say, "fill the seats now would not pass a "law to do this. Would not they! "Oh that your Majesty would but try "them. I beseech, I pray, I implore "you to try the worthies. Let them "finish their elections, as they call "them; then instantly call them together; make no speech to them, but merely send them a message in some"what the following words:

66

those who

At the time when this was written, though little more than six months ago, not a man in England expected to see what we now behold. The thing will be done well now: but it would have been done better by a message from the King; because then, there would have been no doubts and no intrigues and no rumours upon the subject. There would have been none of this cavilling on the "The King informs the House of part of the borough-holders; all the "Commons [the same to the ill blood would have been spared, and Lords], that he has called them it would have been better for all parties. together for one important pur-To hope that the bill will not be pose, and for that purpose only. carried, argues almost insanity. I al "Upon coming to the throne, he ways thought, that the Ministers would “finds, from a careful examination propose a great measure of reform or "into the state of his kingdom, go out without proposing any. If they "whether in its foreign relation-proposed such reform I knew that they "ships or in its domestic concerns, must carry it; and when I heard the "that there has been for many nature of the reform described, which years great mismanagement;I heard before Lord Jons RUSSELL "that the country has sunk in the had finished his speech, I gave it as my eyes of the world; and that his opinion that the bill would not only "people are in a state of ruin and be brought in without a division; but "beggary, such as was never known that there never would be any division "to their fathers. The King has at all upon the principle of the bill; "traced these sad and disgraceful because, though I thought that there was "effects to the want of a full, free, a very great majority of the members "and fair representation of the opposed to the bill, I knew that, in the 66 people in the Commons House present circumstances of the country, "of Parliament; and, therefore, he and of Europe, few men would like to

for its purpose, because men will acs of Bills the thing that we have been quiesce in its justice i lite and T181 labouring for, for so many years, 1 How monstrous is it, then, that any here insert it. It has the merit of men, having the smallest pretensions to having no tautology in it, and is there virtue should not hail this measure fore short, compared to what a dunder with delight!lf monstrous in other headed fellow would have made its bons men, what must it be in men of your The speeches that you will find to profession This measure, if carried come after the bill, I insert entire, asi into full effect, must nearly put an end specimens of the talk on this memorable entirely to all that bribery, corruption, bill. They will amuse you, and, as s perjury base lying, false, and foul deal- have mentioned them elsewhere, I insert ing, drunkenness, debauchery of the them at full length, to obviate thes vilest kind, acts of violence, disturbance charge of garbling ban legal sdt neds of the public peace, quarrelling, ha- There, now, God bless you! This tred, and malice amongst neighbours, is a day of real joy for Old England amongst friends, brethren, parents, and We shall once more see the labouring children; all these, which spread them- man with meat and bread, with a bed selves over the country at every elec-to lie on, and a linen shirt and a Sunday tion, leaving wounds half-healed to be coat to wear. This, my friends, is what torn open again at the succeeding con- I have in view more than any other test; all these, which, at every step and consequence of this great measures ad at every breath, openly violate every viam most faithfully yours, 9437 principle of Christianity; and these are, now to be banished from the land of which they have so long been the foul disgrace and the incessant curse; and yet do you, the teachers of that Chris-A tianity, mourn at the prospect of the change slib illator od drwy

basarolar WM. COBBETT 207.

wombong maling diw tud voomed has noitesh BILL TO AMEND THE REPRESEN TATION OF THE PEOPLE IN ENGAR LAND AND WALES. ssan sdt i bas

[NOTE. The words printed in Italics are pro

posed to be inserted in the Committee.11 no Whereas it is expedient to take effectual measures for correcting divers abuses that have long prevailed in the choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parlia ment, to diminish the expense of elections, to deprive many inconsiderable places of the right of returning Members, to grant such privilege to large, populous, and wealthy towns; to increase the number of Knights of the Shire, and to extend the elective franchise to many of his Majesty's subjects who have not heretofore enjoyed the same. Be it enacted, the

by aud with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the boroughs aib lliwalall a enumerated in schedule (A.) to this Act anKensington, 16th March, 1831. 31 nexed, shall cease, after the end of this pre-5 ne porbo on MY FRIENDS, 10 of wel zoomab sent Parliament, to return Members to serve of in Parliament, and that no writ or preceptd I had written a long letter to you on shall be issued or sent to any of the said bothe prospect now before us; but some roughs to return Members to serve in any thing has just (Wednesday morning, future Parliament.qs of gaidton 972d 50 6 o'clock) come to hand, which is a And be it enacted, that the boroughs enus great deal more valuable than any-shall, after the end of this present Parliament, merated in (B.) to this Act thing that I am capable of writing; return one Member and no more, to serve in namely, the REFORM BILL; the Bill Parliament for each of the said boroughs.

of the county to the other, to rake to- out of his office, and bereft of all power, gether a crew to carry can address, because, and only because, he had exapplauding the horrible bills which plicitly declared that he would make doomed the reformers to dungeons; no reform of the Parliament. It was and will you now hang back! Your the people that had driven him out; pretence then was, that the reformers mind that, Parsons: it was not the were disaffected, and that it was neces-Parliament. The Parliament liked him sary for you to come forward in sup- well; but it could not keep him and port of the King and his Ministers. carry on the thing quietly. The new Well, Parsons, and are not the borough- Ministry, therefore, were compelled, mongers now disaffected; are not the whatever might have been their inBARINGS, the PEELS, the CROKERS, the clination, to promise a Parliamentary HORACK TWISSES, now disaffected? reform. And to satisfy the people it - Are they not now raising their violent required nothing short of a total devoices against the Ministers and the struction of the rotten boroughs, and a King; and is it not now your duty, great extension of the suffrage. It was then, to come forward in support of this not sufficient that the new Ministry Ministry and this King? If I find you promised a reform: it was necessary absent the day after to-morrow, I shall that the reform should be extensive and certainly think you the most inconsist-satisfactory. A trilling reform could ent of men, and what I shall say of you not have saved the Ministry for a day. 'God only knows. They would have been in a worse situation than Louis-Philippe with his sham revolution. The people insisted upon a large and efficient reform.

But, Parsons, you hardly imagine that this reform is to be productive of no consequences! You hardly suppose, I take it, that it is intended to produce The Ministers have now tendered no effects. If this be your notion, them such reform. In this reform they never were men more deceived in this see the thing that they wanted. It is whole world. It has been made be-not precisely what many of us wished, cause the Government could no longer but it is quite enough to satisfy all reago on without it. A reformed Parlia- sonable men; and the people will have ment must, therefore, act differently it. Now, then, Parsons, though I do from this borough Parliament. If the not like to plunge you into despair, I usk reform produce merely a change of you whether it is reasonable to suppose men, it would be of no use whatever; that this measure of reform is to be debut it will produce a very great change feated in spite of King, Ministers, and of another sort, and will thereby enable people, all combined, and with nobody the Government to go on. In what but the base boroughmongers to opposemanner and what degree that change them.

will reach you, I leave you to settle It is a question which has, I am sure, amongst yourselves when you meet at been a thousand times put to me: your benches, whence you send poach-"Can you possibly believe, Cobbett, ers to dance on the tread-mill. "that the Parliament will ever reform

"While there is life there is hope;"" itself? Did you ever know power and accordingly you, I dare say, enter-" pronounce its own death? Can you tain strong hopes that this fatal measure" believe that those who sit for the will not pass into a law. From the boroughs, will vote the destruction very first, it was evident to all men of" of their own seats? And can you sense, that this hope was groundless." expect a reform from any cause but The case was this. Before the Reform" that of physical force?" My answer Bill was proposed, it was evident that always has been YES: and I have rethe Ministry must propose a measure peatedly said in the Register, that I that would satisfy the people, or be hoped and believed, that, at last, when driven from their posts. The Duke of the people were united and resolved, WELLINGTON had actually been driven the borough-holders would give ways