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French. We are, the news-papers say, daily shipping off men to Sir Arthur Wellesley; but, when shall we send men equal in number to one of Napoleon's Corps-d-armée? It is quite in vain to send off men, unless we were first assured of the cordial co-operation of the Spaniards themselves; and, have we any such assurance? Is there any man who really believes, that we shall meet with such cooperation? I do not, and, from what has passed, the evidence of which we have in Sir John Moore's letters, I am fully warranted in my disbelief. To what purpose, then, put the English people to such immense expence? The taxes, caused by this war in Spain, will be severely felt; and, ought they to be imposed, until it be clearly ascertained, that since the retreat of Sir John Moore, the disposition of the people in Spain has changed?—I believe, that, without first making a complete revolution in Spain; without shaking society to pieces from the top to the bottom, there are not, in Spain, the materials to compose a force to resist the French. We have not power to send an army sufficient for the purpose; and, what must be the consequence, then, of our efforts.MR. CANNING told the Contractors at the London Tavern, that, whether we succeeded or not; whatever the event of the struggle might be, our generosity would never be effaced from the minds of the people of Spain. The people of Spain! What part of our "generosity" do they taste of? If we were to send them food and clothing, they might be grateful; but, alas! what we expend does not reach even the ears of the people of Spain, much less their backs and bellies. How grateful they felt in Leon and Gallicia the remnant of our poor harrassed troops can tell. Sir John Moore's letters will tell. They have told; and yet, we are still to have dinned in our insulted ears, the gratitude and zeal of the "universal Spanish nation.”

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Braganza is attached to England, unless he could shew us, that that attachment was likely to be of some benefit to us? The attachment of the House of Braganza is of no more consequence than that of the House of Chicasaw, on the banks of the Ohio, unless the House of Braganza can assist in resisting Buonaparté." Trade to the Brazils!" Why, it has ruined thousands already, and will ruin thousands more. The mad or deluded speculators, crammed five or six into a stinking room, and half-devoured with flies, are, at this moment, selling their goods under the prime cost. I speak from a knowledge of the facts; and I venture to say, that the trade to the Brazils has already produced a greater loss to England than the Brazils would sell for, if put up to auction. The fruit of the labour and the soil of England is now wasting in the shops, or stores, as they are called, of RIO JANEIRO, and that too, in quantities and to an amount almost incredible. This loss will be felt, though not seen, in every part of the nation; we shall have to bear our proportion of it; and, the mortification is, that we are told to look upon this loss as a benefit, for which we ought to give our money and risk our lives.When the mighty advantages of a connection with the Brazils was first trumpeted forth, I did my best to stay the coming plague. One person, in particular, I did all in my power to dissuade from any adventure thither. A letter from him to a mutual friend has conveyed to me the proof of the correctness of all my predictions, down even to the minutest particulars. The picture he gives is truly distressing; but, it is not more so than it was painted by me before his departure. The public will recollect what pains I took, at the time, to stem the torrent of delusion. Those pains were taken in vain; and, I must say, that I do not feel much sorrow for the losses, or the sufferings, of those, whose thirst for gain closed their minds against the voice of reason. The Brazils! The Brazils were to build ships; to send butter and pork and hoops and staves and timber to the West Indies; and, what was still better, they were to send us sugar and coffee, as if the West Indians had not an ounce of either to spare! Was there ever any thing so mad as this? And yet, upon grounds like these; for benefits like these, is this nation put to the expence of maintaining an expensive embassy in the Brazils, and also a fleet and an army. The whole of the immense expence, attending this connection, is, in my view of things,

As to PORTUGAL, it is manifest to every one, that any ground gained there, can be of no avail, unless the French be driven from Spain, of which Portugal is, by nature, a part. Therefore, it is quite useless to spend money and to shed blood in Portugal, unless there be a tolerably fair chance of finally succeeding in Spain; and, then, we come round again to the old point; to the old question, whether there be, or be not, in Spain itself, the means of raising a force sufficient to resist Napoleon? Of what use is it for Mr. Canning to tell his crew that the House of

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so much of dead loss to the nation. We, in England, work to raise taxes to pay tothe people of the Brazils for the food, which they supply to our sailors and soldiers, who are sent and stationed there for the protection of the government of the Prince Regent. This is the short view of the matter; but, this is a view of it which the herd of contractors and jobbers and placemen and pensioners did not want to take. They gain by the connection with the Brazils; but we lose. They gain by whatever augments the public expenditure; by whatever extends the sphere of office and of borough influence; and, therefore, it was quite natural in them to applaud the sentiments, which have been published as those of the ministry, delivered by the Secretary of State, at a meeting by far the least reputable, in almost any point of view, of any that has taken place in the kingdom, within the last three months, with the sole exception of that at Ipswich, the head quarters of the German Baron.

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ANOTHER DECISION

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ing a resolution, stating the words of the "Act of the 40th of his Majesty, the confes«sion of Mr. Hill that he had acted contrary "to it, and his subsequent promotion."

Well, what was now done? What did the House do? Why, the motion was opposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Perceval) and by Mr. Croker and by the Son of Lord Melville. But, what did the House; what did the House of Commons do? Why they voted (77 against 50) that the motion should not be adopted.

Now, reader, remember, that, in the year 1802, one PHILIP HAMLIN, a Tinman of Plymouth, having written a letter to Mr. Addington, offering the said Addington 2,000l. to give him a place in the Custom House, he was, by this very Mr. Perceval, who was then Attorney General, prosecuted criminally for the said offence; that, upon the man's making affidavit of the innocence of his intention, and of the ruin that punishment would bring upon his family, the said Mr. Perceval demanded judgment upon him in the name of PUBLIC JUSTICE; that the Judge, in passing sentence, dwelt much upon the moral as well as political evils, to which such practices must tend; and finally, that the said Philip Hamlin was sentenced to pay a fine of a hundred pounds to the king, and to be imprisoned for three Kalendar months.

OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. On Tuesday last, the 30th of May, SIR JOHN NEWPORT made a statement as follows:" He rose to call the attention of "the House to an appointment which had "been made in defiance of the express "words of the Act of the 46th year of the Mr. Barham (in the debate upon the King, and of every principle upon which above motion) said "there was one argu"promotions and rewards should be con- "ment which ought to make the House "ferred. By the Act to which he had "cautious in what way they dealt with "alluded, any officer of the customs of "this motion. It had been publicly and "Excise, who should, after the passing of "generally asserted, that many persons "that Act, take or accept of any fee, gra"sat in that House by improper means. "tuity or presents, from the distillers whom "The public had taken the alarm; and they visited in the course of their duty," it had been found in support of that "should be thereby incapacitated from holding any office, civil or military. Notwithstanding the express words of "this Act, a MR. BEAUCHAMP HILL, who "had confessed before Commissioners of "Enquiry, that he had regularly received "201. per week from two distillers who "were in his district, was not only not dis"missed, but was promoted from the situation "of Surveyor to be an Inspector General, "which was a promotion in that very de"partment in which the frauds had been "committed. It was in September 1806, "that he had confessed himself guilty "of the fraud, and on the 8th of March "1808 he received his promotion. thought it would be useless to endea"vour to guess at what sort of defence

He

"alarm, and those assertions, that a Ca"binet Minister had actually been con"cerned in bartering for a seat in that "House, and was defended for such an "act. It was by the motion that moment "under consideration, and the arguments

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urged in support of it, further asserted "that corruptions prevailed in a most exten"sive degree over the whole revenue of Ire"land. If something were not done to

66

rectify these corruptions and abuses-if "no step were taken towards removing "them, he dreaded to think, what the pub"lic opinion of that House must very soon

" be."

AMERICAN STATES.

Did I not, the moment there arose a "could be set up, and concluded by mov-dispute with America; nay, long before,

suggest the propriety of committing our affairs, in that country, to other hands? I was regarded as spiteful and malicious; but, I think, that it will now be allowed, that it would have been prudent to follow my advice; for the Secretary of State has openly and explicitly declared, in the House of Commons, that " the proceedings "of our minister in America have been "in direct contradiction to his instructions." -The interesting point for the people of this country now is, whether that minister, when he comes home, will have a great pension settled upon him for life? This is the question. The connection with America, it has now been proved, we do not want. It is of no consequence to us, while (as an article in another part of this sheet will show) they are beggars without it; but, it is of great consequence to us to know, whether this same minister is to be fastened upon us and our children to the tune of two or three thousand pounds a year.

THE COURT MARTIAL.

The Government (for, it is hard to conceive that any body can have done it without its consent) appears to have sanctioned the publication of certain documents, relative to a Court-Martial, at which in 1792, I endeavoured to bring certain persons to punishment.- -Had the whole of the Papers been published, without any misrepresentation, I never should have noticed the thing at all; but, have left the documents to speak for themselves.—— In my next double number, however, I shall, as the thing now stands, give a full account of the matter; and I venture to say, that, when I have so done, there is not a single man, who shall read that account, who will think, that' (the circumstances of my situation considered) what I then attempted to do was more meritorious than any of the many important things, which a change of circumstances has enabled me to accomplish.The friends of corruption are aware of my weight in the great question of Parliamentary Reform; and, next to the destroying of my credit with the public, there is nothing they so much desire as to engage me in a personal warfare, which I am resolved they shall not do. I will waste upon them not one moment of that time, which is due to the public. I deny most positively every one of their insinuations, and I defy them to make good against me any charge of having acted, at any time of my life, dishonestly or dishonourably. The vile insinuations of the anonymous wretches,

whom the patrons of corruption suborn to calumniate me, I not only despise, but I despise all those, who affect to lend an ear to them; and, in this feeling, I have, in the increasing circulation of my writings, the best possible proof, that I have the public with me.This attempt, on the part of the friends of corruption, is a desperate one. They must feel themselves hard driven, when they have recourse to such means. They are stung to madness at my success, which, they plainly see, must contribute largely towards their overthrow. They will, in the end, lose by their efforts; but, theirs is a life of expe dients; the evil hour is what they wish to get rid of; and of that hour they will not get rid.

Botley, 1st June, 1809.

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quested to cause them to be rung from, minated-while the chiming of the bells twelve to one o'clock in the same day- and sounds of joy in the streets which swellAnd it is ordered that a Committee waited on the breath of eve, filled every viron the Commandant of Artillery, and request that he will cause a Federal Salute to be fired at sun-rise, noon, and sun-set, on the same glorious occasion. Committee-Room, Saturday Evening, April 22. GENERAL MEETING.

Triumph of Federal Policy-No Embargo.

tuous bosom with sensations of delight.What are the reflections which present themselves to the mind from a survey and recapitulation of this scene?—A natural association of ideas pourtray a people, who, after having long groaned under despotic restrictions, severe bondage, and oppressive laws, are suddenly emanci

No French party—A return of Peace, Pros-pated by the firmness and virtue of inflexiperity and Con merce.

All true friends of their country-all who are disciples of Washington, and disposed to support the Federal Ticket at the ensuing election, are requested to meet this day, at twelve o'clock, at the Circus, to consider the present state of our national affairs, and to support that system of Federal Politics which has at last compelled the administration to ahandon a fruitless and self-destructive Embargo, and take the first step towards a settlement of our affairs with Great Britain, by accepting terms offered sixteen months ago; thus putting our differences with that nation in a train of being fairly and honourably adjusted, instead of French threats and confiscations abroad, and French influence at home.

April 24.

ble patriots. To them do we owe these testimonies of gratitude and joy. And who are they? The Federalists of the Eastern States, who made a noble stand against unconstitutional and unjust oppression, and drove its authors from the iniquitous ground they had taken.

PROCEEDINGS

In COUNTIES, CITIES, BORoughs, &c. relative to the recent INQUIRY in the House of Commons, respecting the Conduct of the DUKE OF YORK. (Continued from p. 825.)

TOWN OF BLACKBURN.

An ADDRESS of Thanks from the Inhabitants of the Town and Neighbourhood of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, to G. L Wardle, Esq. M. P. for his late Proceedings in the hon. House of Com

mons.

Sir;

Yesterday, agreeably to notice, our citizens evinced public testimonies of their joy on the prospect of a restoration of THE wisdom of ages has been employed commercial intercourse with England. in forming and arranging the principles of The day was ushered in by a grand Federal the British Constitution. By the proviSalute, which was repeated at noon, and at sion of formidable checks to the progress sun-set. The shipping in harbour were of corruption, those principles are indecorated with their flags at mast-head during tended to operate in preserving at once the day. The American EAGLE, roused the liberty of the subject and the stabifrom despondency, once more soared among lity of the throne. But individual inthe stars, floating with fond complacency terests and designs are too often in oppoover resuscitated commerce, and expand-sition to their legitimate influence; and it ing his pinions in triumph at her restoration. The ringing of bells and the thunder of cannon spoke the feelings of freedom, and proclaimed to the skies, the virtuous enthusiasm of political friendship. Mutual felicitations were exchanged among our patriotic citizens, and the joys of the heart lighted up a smile on every countenance. At twelve o'clock a very numerous and respectable assembly of Federal Republicans met at the Circus. So large and so animated an assemblage of Electors was never before witnessed in this country. Though the place will contain upwards of four thousand, it could not admit the whole who attended. The city, in the evening, was splendidly and fancifully illu

requires a rare combination of talents and virtues to give to that influence, energy and direction. In you, sir, we contemplate such a combination; and are desirous of uniting our testimony with the voice of the kingdom in the public and cordial expression of our thanks and congratulations. While we regret and reprobate those abuses of power and patronage which have for a series of years so notoriously existed in the appointments to military offices, we sincerely rejoice in the disclosure of those improper transactions, during a recent Inquiry at the Bar of the House of Commons. For that Inquiry, and all its important consequences, we are, sir, indebted to you; and we gratefully

acknowledge and highly applaud the inde-
pendence and patriotism with which your
investigations were commenced and con-
cluded. We trust that the success which
has rewarded your exertions, and the spirit
of constitutional inquiry which now per-
vades the nation, will be felt by you as
powerful motives to an uniform and cou-
rageous resistance of corruption, with
whatever authority and splendour it may
be invested. Deeply convinced of the
necessity of an immediate and general
Reform of all the Abuses of the Executive
Government, we behold with lively in-
terest the results of other inquiries, and
the proceedings of those best friends to
the permanent welfare of the empire, with
whom you are associated, and under
whose auspices we look forward to a
purer administration of affairs.-We can-
not, sir, close our congratulations, without
the further expression of our Thanks to
those noble and honourable members, by
whom you were supported in your late
proceedings. And we would particularly
express our approbation of the conduct of
the representatives of the neighbouring
borough of Preston (lord Stanley and Mr.
Horrocks), because they appear to have
been the only members in the county of
Lancaster whose votes accorded with the
evidence of facts and the opinions of the
nation. With the sincerest wishes that
you may enjoy a long protracted life of
usefulness and honour, we subscribe our-
selves,
Sir,
Your's, &c.

COUNTY OF WILTS. At a Meeting of the Freeholders, Landholders, and other Inhabitants of the County of Wilts, convened by the High Sheriff, and holden at the Council Chamber, in the City of New Sarum, on Wednesday, May 17, 1809-Sir CHARLES WARRE MALET, in the Chair,-It was Resolved,

That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Sir F. Burdett, bart., who seconded Mr. Wardle's motion, and also to Lord visc. Folkestone, for the active and able assistance he afforded to Mr. Wardle during the whole of the Inquiry..

That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Lords visc. Milton and Althorpe, Lord Stanley, the hon. T. Brand, the hon. W. H. Lyttleton, Sir S. Romilly, knt., Major-General Fergusson, S. Whitbread, T. Curwen, T. W. Coke, H. Martin, T. Calcraft, and C. W. Wynne, esqrs., who, during such inquiry, stood forward the advocates of impartial justice, and also to the whole of the Minority of 125, who divided in favour of Mr. Wardle's motion, amongst whom we, as Wiltshire Men, observe with pleasure the name of that venerable and truly independent senator, William Hussey, esq., who, for nine successive parliaments, has represented the city of New Sarum with ability and perseverance, and with undeviating integrity and independence; of Thomas Goddard, esq., member for Cricklade, and of Benjamin Walsh, esq., member for WoottonBasset, in this county; while we observe, with indignation and regret, that the name of neither of the Members for this county does appear in that honourable list. And we also lament, that with the exception of Lord Folkestone, William Hussey, Thomas Goddard, and Benjamin Walsh, esqrs., we do not recognize in that list the name of any of the 34 Members who are sent to Parliament by the various Boroughs in this county.

That in adverting to the causes of the disgraceful acts revealed and demonstrated during this Inquiry, this Meeting cannot help observing, that in the act of parliament, commonly called the Act of Settlement, in virtue of which Act only his Majesty's family were raised to the throne of this kingdom, it is declared, "That no person who has an Office or "Place of Profit under the King, or re"ceives a Pension from the Crown, shall "be capable of serving as a Member of But that, notwithstanding the wise precautions of this Act, which is one of our great constitutional laws, and which, as its preamble expresses, was made for the further limitation of the Crown, and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, it appears from a Report laid before the House of Commons, in the month of June last, in consequence of a Motion made by lord Cochrane, that there are in that House

That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to G. L. Wardle, esq., for having instituted the recent Inquiry in the House of Commons, relative to the conduct of h. r. h. the Duke of York, as Commander-" the House of Commons." in Chief; for having, unconnected with, and unsupported by, any party or faction, prosecuted that laudable undertaking with unexampled magnanimity, talent, zeal, temper, and perseverance, and especially for having had the resolution to discharge his duty, in defiance of the threats and prejudices excited against him by the king's ministers, and by many of the leaders of the opposite party.

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