grave, and in their name will the tomb be raised. We do not look upon ourselves as adopting all Paine's opinions upon all subjects. He was a great man, an Englishman, a friend of freedom, and the first and greatest enemy of the Borough and Paper System. This is enough for us. Oct. 4. and Death. I have examined all the manuscripts that he left behind him, and which are in the hands of an excellent person, to whom he bequeathed them. Several works remain to be published; but, these she does not choose to have published just yet. I am, however, in possession of every thing necessary to my undertaking. We will let the Americans see, that we I see that there is one writer, who Englishmen know how to do jus- calls himself a Reformer, who has tice to the memory of our famous openly declared for Republican countryman; this child of the Government. Mind, this he may "Lower Orders;" this man, who do; but, if we do it, we prove our gave the "Boroughmongers" selves hypocrites in the first place; their name; who gave them the and, that we should be fools, I first heavy blow; who first cried will show the moment I arrive in aloud, "resist taxation without re- England. Mr. BENBOW, who car presentation;" who first exposed ries this, will go off a week or two the mischiefs of the Funding Sys before me. He may not see tem; who first called the Sinking you; but if he should, he will exFund a humbug; who first told plain to you the grounds of my the people to go to the Bank, and resolution to have nothing to do that, if they did, they would show with any one, who shall propose the Bank to be insolvent; whore to effect, as to matters of governprinciples of political economy are, ment, any thing further than a raat this very moment, all proved to dical reform of the Commons' be true; and whose predictions, House of Parliament. I know, are, as to the Bank and its terri- that you never proposed any ble effects, now proved to be pro- thing further; and I trust, that phecies. We will honour his dreamers, like Jerry Bentham, name, his remains, and his me- will not have been able to change mory, in all sorts of ways. While your way of thinking. If we the dead Boroughmongers, and stick to our one, legal, reasonable the base slaves who have been object, we succeed: if we do not, their tools, moulder away under we fail. The man, who, under unnoticed masses of marble and the present circumstances, would brass, the tomb of this " Noble of propose republicanism as the ulti "Nature" will be an object of pil-mate object, must be nearly mad, grimage with the people. Our or must have a desire to prevent expedition set out from New York in the middle of the night; got to the place (22 miles off) at peep of day; took up the coffin entire; brought it off to New York; and, just as we found it, it *goes to England. Let this be considered the act of the reformers of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In their name we opened the any change at all. What I want to see is, a Commons' House, fairly chosen by the whole of the Commons. With such a House England a republican government, she would be a poor, base, contemptible thing: and the people the most distracted and miserable that the world ever saw. This is my fixed opinion. There is no need of new schemes. We would be the best country in the world with now have the law with us. Let us keep steadily on; and we shall see a long series of happy and glorious days. COBBETT's WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER. 385] LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1819. [386 The next Register will be stamped, I dare say; and, therefore, it will go by post. The mode of obtaining it will be by writing to the Publisher, 299, Strand, London.-N.B. There are a few of the third edition of Cobbett's English Grammar unsold.. ΤΟ MR. JAMES PAUL COBBETT, AT NEW YORK. On my Progress from Liverpool to London, and on the State of Public Affairs in England at this time. ""Tis all a libel; Paxton, Sir, will say. "Not yet, my friend: to-morrow, faith, it may; 186 And, for that very cause, I print to-day." POPE, Epilo. to Sat. 66 London, 2d December, 1819. MY DEAR JAMES, What all of us expected has really happened; the parliament has been called together; and it actually met, for dispatch of business, the very day after I landed! How that excellent man, JUDGE MITCHELL, will laugh! He, particularly, begged of me not, to give any notice of my intention to go home; "for," said he, "if you do, you will, surely, find them sitting "to receive you." I said, that I had no doubt of something being done to narrow the circulation of the Register; and, you will see, that it is now proposed to put a stamp upon all publications of less than two sheets, containing "Letters on matters of Church "or State." The Register was not pointed out by name; but you, my dear son, will upon reading the debates, want no naming to make you perceive the whole drift of this measure in particular. There are divers other measures, of which I shall have to speak hereafter; but, only think of a measure like this at this day! In December 1816, such a measure would have had some sense in it; but now, when there is scarcely a human being, amongst the working classes, whose mind is not perfectly enlightened as to all the matters, on which light was required; now, at this day, what must we think of such a measure! The Register will return to the stamp. It will go up again in price. I" stooped to conquer;" and now I will rise again in order to make the conquest more sure. The hundred Registers, sent from the groves of Hyde Park, the name of which will always awaken most interesting recollections; that hundred Registers have finished the work of enlightening as to main principles; as to great causes; as to effectual remedies. What remains to be done must be more of an occasional nature; must be called forth by events and acts as they arise before me; and, I am quite convinced, that every thing that I desire to see accomplished, will be accomplished, and that, too, without any effort of a violent nature, either in words or in actions; either on the part of the press, or on the part of the people. Be you, therefore, perfectly easy, my dear James, on the score of danger to me; for, I must become weary of my own personal safety, if I, in order most effectually to serve the cause of the people, write one single word which can offend against any law that it will, at present, be possible to pass. Before the close of this great drama, it may, perhaps, be unsafe to put pen to paper at all; but, as yet, there will be liberty of the press enough left to enable me, without any sort of danger, to write and publish everything that I have any wish to send forth from the press. The number of the stamped Registers cannot be a' fifth part of that of the "Two-penny Trash," but, then, the people well know how to manage the matter in such a way as to secure reading enough. Six men_can take one Register instead of six Registers; and thus will the purpose be equally" eminent in political knowledge, well obtained. public spirit, and real loyalty. "Suffer me, however, to observe, that I, who have quitted happy "America, and returned to my now miserable, though always beloved "country, from no other motive than that of a hope to be able to assist "in restoring her to her former state, Now, before I proceed to describe to you the state of the country, let" me indulge myself in the great pleasure of giving you an account of my own reception in England; and, even from that you will judge of the state of the public mind; while you will feel, I am sure, the highest degree of satis-"am extremely anxious, that a profaction and pride. After twenty-one days sailing over a sea almost as smooth as the beautiful Long-Island Lake, I arrived at Liverpool, on a Sunday evening. We were not permitted to land until the Monday about two o'clock. There had been a great multitude assembled on the wharfs the whole of the day; and when I landed, with the polite and kind Captain Cobb, I was received with cheers and with shakings by the hand, which made me feel that I was once again in England. It was my own opinion, that I ought instantly to go on to some large and open place, and return thanks. But as there were two gentlemen with me who thought it best that I should, for the present, retire, I told the people, that before my departure from Liverpool, I would meet them, and thank them publickly. I soon learned, that the whole county of Lancaster was in a stir to give me a hearty welcome; and, upon receiving that information, I published the following address and notification. TO THE REFORMERS 66 ceeding, designed to do honour to "me, should be attended with no one circumstance, however slight, tending to produce violence, or even discord. The situation of our "country is sufficiently awful; the passions already excited are suff"ciently violent, without making my "intended welcome the means of adding to the calamity. 68 66 The heart, which, under the con"templation of the present state of "the noble county of Lancaster, can "retain its wonted beat, must be 66 formed of materials very different " from those of mine. To behold "scenes of unparalleled industry, "talent, and enterprise, and sources "of individual happiness and national "wealth and power, turned into scenes "of strife and distraction, and sources "of misery, must deeply afflict any man, and especially one, who can appeal to all the acts of his life in proof of his ardent desire to pro"note the happiness and honour, and "to insure the freedom,the greatness, "and the renown of England. There "fore, upon the present occasion, "while my bosom is filled with sorrow on account of the recent me"lancholy events in this county, let me beseech you to refrain from every thing that might be likely to mix up in any degree, your recep "tion of me with those events. 66 66 66 IN AND NEAR MANCHESTER. Liverpool, Novi 23, 1819. "FRIENDS AND FELLOW COUNTRYMEN,-It appears, from the public papers, that you have the kind in"tention to give me a formal and "public welcome on my return to my In entering Manchester, I shall country, and to invite me into see, for my part, none but friends, "your neighbourhood. Nothing in "being well assured, that I merit the "this world could be more gratifying" eumity of no Englishman in the "to my feelings: there is nothing of" world. If I find enemies, let them " which I should be so proud as of "be such without provocation and "such a reception, on such an ocea- "without reason. To be received by 6: sion, by such men; you, in the manner I hear you ia men so pre- 66 66 tend, will be an honour far greater | chester, in the name of all the adthan any other that could be be-dressers, welcomed me home, and exstowed upon ma; and 1 most anxi-pressed to me the confidence of the "ously wish to receive it unalloyed people in the success of my future by any thing calculated to give pain endeavours to rescue them from their "to any real friend of peace, order, miseries and to preserve them from the "the King and the laws. machinations of Corruption; while he expressed to me the people's deep sense of the services I had rendered them during my absence in America. From the Square the people (put "I am, mykind and generous friends, "Your faithful and devoted servant, "WM. COBBETT." "TO THE PEOPLE OF LIVER-ting aside the horses) drew me to my POOL. lodgings, where I took my leave of them by expressing thanks, which came from the bottom of my heart. 66 Liverpool, Nov 24, 1919. "On the day of my landing here, I 66 promised my friends, who were aux- In the evening of the same day I ac"ious to see me, that I would give cepted of an invitation to a public "them an opportunity of doing it be-dinner, to which about sixty persons "fore my departure. In fulfilment of "this promise, I intend to be at a pub"lic meeting, in Clayton-square, on "Friday the 26th instant, at twelve "o'clock. WM. COBBETT.” (as our enemies say) sat down. The usual compliments passed on this occasion. A great deal of good speaking; sentiments warm from the heart; and, what pleased me exceedingly,WATER Agreeably to this notification, I pro- was almost the only drink. What passceeded, at the time appointed, to Clay-ed at this dinner clearly showed the ton-square. The assemblage was, as truth of what you have always heard I was informed, the largest ever seen me say, namely, that strong drink is in Liverpool. It consisted of some notcessary to inspire wit or good thousands more than those who humour. stood within the hearing of me; and those must have been several thousands. There were, when we entered the Square, some persons, who began to hiss; but these, of the discounting and accommodation race, were soon driven by the real people, to take shelter where they could. On Sunday, the 28th of Novemb er I, accompanied by your brothers WILLIAM and JOHN, left Liverpool, on my road to Manchester, which I was invited to visit, and where I was invited to partake of a dinner, on the Monday. But, before we lose sight of Liverpool, let me correct some To this Square, and after I had ad- nistatements, which you will see in dressed the people, came Deputies from the newspapers, relative to a part several parts of Lancashire, and par- of what passed there. In order to ticularly from Mauchester, Bolton, cast odium on me, these calumnious Blackburn, Preston and Warrington, news-papers have held me forth as with addresses to present to me; having been attended by one EGERsigned, all together, by about forty- TON SMITH, the proprietor of a newsfive thousand persons, according to the paper, called the LIVERPOOL MIRbest counting that we have been as yet CURY. I never even saw this person able to make. One of these addresses during my stay at Liverpool, and, my (the whole of which I shall publish dear little boy, I hope you will conand answer another time) was from vince our good friends at New-York, the Females of Bolton. Super-excel- that there is not one word of truth in lent in point of style and sentiment, this malicious story. Again, and and signed by nineteen hundred names, doubtless, from the same motives, the In delivering these addresses, one of vile news-papers have asserted, that the Deputies, Mr. Johnson, of Man. I the dinner was given me by a club, able clearly to understand the nature called the eccentric, or concentric, society, which has a busy, meddling Unitarian Priest at its head. This is wholly false; and it is a fact, that "Having reason to believe that some of the members of this little de-" your Introduction into the Town of spicable club, were intriguing, day" Manchester on Monday the 29th Inand night (from the moment my noti- "stant is intended to be public, and fication was issued) to prevent the "to be accompanied by an unusual › meeting in Clayton Square! Nay," Procession and Multitude of People, EGERTON SMITH, on the morning of "as well Strangers as Inhabitants, we, the day of the meeting, published a "the undersigned, being Boroughlong exhortation and almost a prayer reeves and Constables of the Towns to the people not to attend the meet- "of Manchester and Salford, beg to ing! In my last letter to Mr. "inform you that we consider such HULME, I told him, that, when I an assemblage of a great mass of arrived at Liverpool, I would put the population of this district, in the the importance of this little backbiting" present situation of the Country, is crew to the test. I did this, and I "necessarily attended with considerfound them even more despicable than" able danger to the public peace. I had supposed them to be; though, you know, I always supposed them to be despicable enough. 66 "We do therefore caution you against "making any public Entry into the "Town of Manchester, and if you I am almost ashamed to have be-"persist in so doing, or if you adopt stowed so much notice on objects so "any other proceedings, whereby the insignificant, especially while so many 66 public peace may be broken or engrand objects are before me; but, as dangered, we shall feel it our indisa great deal of talk has been made at "pensable duty immediately to interNew York about this Excentrick So"Tere. ciety, or Concentrick (I really do not know which it is) I thought I would give you the history of its puny efforts apon this occasion. "We are, Sir, "Your obedient Servants, "T. SHARP, Boroughreeve, “J, ORFORD, } Constables, "R. SMITH, "J. E. SCHOLES, Boroughreeve, "T. MARRIOTT, "S. MATHEWS, Constables. Manchester. Salford. "Manchester, 28th Nov. 1819." "TO THE BOROUGHREEVES AND "CONSTABLES OF MANCHESTER Of a widely different character were the transactions connected with the address and invitation from the people of this noble county of Lancaster. We proceeded on our way to an Inn at a little hamlet called IRLAM, which is within ten miles of Manchester. There we slept on the Sunday night, and were, the next morning preparing › to get into our coach and to go on to receive the welcome intended for us by our brave and honest hearted friends. A deputation had just arrived to accompany us on the way, when, not to my surprise at all, arrived" a messenger ou horse-back with a notification from the Boroughreeves" and Constables of Manchester and Salford, interdicting any further advance towards the Town! I will here insert first their interdict, and then my comment on it, from which you will be "AND SALFORD. 66 Irlam, Nov. 29, 1819. "GENTLEMEN,—If it had come from any other persons in this world, the "notification which I have just receiv"ed from you, would have surprised 66 me. Coming from you, it excites no surprise, nor any sort of feeling towards you, which was not before entertained by every júst man, in every part of the world where your deeds and character have been heard ❝of. 66 "But, Gentlemen, is it really come "to this, that a man, upon returning to his country, or upon moving from one part of England to another, is |