House of Commons a Mr. GREN- ment for making a great counFELL observed, that this was try a little country; and, if the one of the evils of the paper-experiment do not succeed, the system; which was, happily, fault will not, at any rate, be in drawing towards its close. the operators. THE KING'S BIRTH-DAY. Amen! But how? How" draw"ing to its close?" In the same way as the Irish Bank Paper, of course; for, as to its being put This is a curious affair! The an end to by the promised King, on Thursday, the 15th. payments in cash, there is no instant, held a Drawing Room one in his senses who believes at the Queen's House, or Buckthat. Therefore, as this Mr. ingham House, in celebration of GRENFELL is a Member of Par- his Birth-Day. This is, we beliament, whence we must con-lieve, the first time that a King clude that he is in his senses, ever held a Drawing Room. we ought to conclude that he Soldiers filled the Park and expects the paper system to be guarded all the avenues to it; put an end to in the Irish way. and great numbers of the great A very effectual way it is. It and the rich attended the Drawbeats all other ways. There is ing Room; but mark it well! no ceremony in it. Away the There was at night, no illuthing goes in a crack? Those mination! There was, during who have neither gold, nor the day, no ringing of bells! silver, nor brass, must fast for a We heard no firing of cannon ! while that is all. Truck is a And all these used to take place very good substitute for money, at the celebration of the late Half a dozen loaves for a pair King's birth day. What can of shoes; a leg of mutton for a all this mean? Would not the pair of stockings; a pound of people have illuminated as forbeef for a pot of beer; a peck merly? Or would there have of peas for a day's work, and been danger in attempting an then a loaf for the peck of peas illumination? Was it supposed, again in a second truck! This is that the people would assemble the thing for Castlereagh's in the streets and cry out " God mighty empire"! We appear" save the Queen?" Certain it to be under a practical experi-is that, trifling as these things are in themselves, they point to" out of the large boilers. On conclusions of very great. im-" Monday last a body of 500 or 600, armed with large sticks portance. It was curious, too," and pick-hafts, violently asthat the King did not go from "saulted three gentlemen in his own Palace to the Drawing" the 'neighbourhood, who were "on the canal, assailing them Room publickly and in state; but with stones, and letting down went to Buckingham House be- the draw-bridges while they forehand, as the newspapers tell were under, in order to sink. us, to dress for the Drawing «ness was transacted at Welthem. Yesterday, little busiBoom. This is a circumstance" lington, although it was marworthy of notice on the "ket-day, as a visit was ap"prehended from the rioters. It appears, however, they have taken another direction, con "fining their exertions to stop 86 well RIOTS IN SOMERSETSHIRE. The following is taken from the Times Newspaper of the 19th instant. It is very interesting, and very important. ping the forges and furnaces. "All the colliers in the neigh"bourhood have discontinued "their operations. The yeo 66 manry have since been called "out, and are gone to disperse a body of 4000 to 5000, who TUMULTS NEAR WELLING- The ground here stated is the TON.-" "On account of the re-reduction of wages. It is not "duction of the wages of the pretended, that the Radicals "colliers, great numbers in the have been at work here. It is "neighbourhood of Wellington not the Radicals, who have re"have, during the last and the duced the wages. It is not the present week, refused to en- Radicals who have produced the gage in their employment, state of things, which has dis"and a very serious riot has abled the Masters to pay the "manifested itself among them, former wages.-This, then, is no "They have gone about in large work of the Radicals. That is "bodies, cutting the ropes of all that I wish the public to "the pits, and letting the water bear in mind. 66 VOL. 36.---No. 16.] LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1920. [Price, 6d A LETTER TO MR. WILBERFORCE, measure levelled against the press; in every measure for suspending the laws which give On the deputation from the protection to our persons aHouse of Commons to her gainst arbitrary arrests; in every most Gracious Majesty, the measure for protecting the Bank, Queen. as well at the stoppage in 1797 as afterwards; in every measure SIR, London, June 30, 1820. It is now seventeen years of this description, you had been since I first began to address a conspicuous actor; and in myself to you. At that time you every measure, since that period, had done what I deemed to be of the same description, you greater mischief to this country have been an actor not less conthan what had ever been done spicuous. by any other one man, Pitt him- You have, in short, been a self not excepted. You had constant supporter of the system taken a prominent part in the of Pitt and his followers. The support of every measure, for effects of that system are now many years previous to that, before us, and may be described calculated to bring this once free in a very few words: the ruin of and flourishing country into a the middle ranks of society and state, and under a species of the misery and almost starvasway, which, as I even then tion of the labouring classes; a foresaw and foretold,would lead paper currency that would rento that ruin and beggary, in der a political convulsion the which we now live, and the most terrific event that the world final consequences of which, ever witnessed, that would though they probably are at no make the rich call upon the hills great distance, it is impossible to cover them; that would send for any man to foresee. In every forth pennyless millions to measure for curtailing the liber-prowl about in search of food; ties of the people; in every that would level all law to the Printed and Published by W. Benbow, 209, Strand. earth, and would give predomi- much more wisdom, and a spirit nance to physical force; that much more conciliatory than I would produce scenes of desola- have ever yet seen to prevail tion and devastation of misery amongst those who had, and who and of anguish such as have yet have, the management of the never been anticipated except nation's affairs. To that irritaby him who has described the tion, arising out of circumstances, scenes which will happen on the where reason had to act it's day of judgment. And while part, and as to which there was such would inevitably be the a difference of opinion amongst consequences of a political con- certain classes of the people; to vulsion, it is now acknowledg- that irritation is now added, irried, even in parliament itself, tation of a kind which swallows that the system tends immedi-up all reasoning, and causes alt ately to produce such a convul- differences of opinion as to other sion. It is my most earnest desire to contribute my mite towards producing public tranquillity; towards putting an end, if possible, to that fearful agitation, which at present prevails, the prevalence of which every one clearly perceives; and which, if not put a stop to, will, in all human probability, lead to consequences such as no man with the feelings of common humanity about him, can view without apprehensions not easily to be described. matters to be totally forgotten. Those who were before contented with the present state of things; or, at least, were afraid of the consequences of openly joining with the discontented, have now, as to this matter, most cordially joined with those who before expressed their discontent.. Thus, with the exception of a few courtiers, the whole nation are united in most ardent wishes in favour of Her Majesty the Queen. Observe, too, that this is a matter in which the women take, if possible, a still more lively interest than the men; and, it never has been known that their feelings urge them on There were subjects enough of irritation before the arrival of her Majesty the Queen. It would have required, to quiet the public mind, even before to active interference without this event, much more temper, there being sufficient cause, and without that cause being finally It is, however, notorious, that, crowned with success. Their from one end to the other of decision, on great public ques- this populous kingdom, there is tions, is always the right deci- but one opinion as to this quession. They are less liable to be tion, and that is, that her Maled astray by the vanity of ar-jesty is innocent and injured: gumentation; by party prejudi- and one wish; and that is, that ces; by pledged opinions. The her Majesty' should never more impressions which they receive depart from this kingdom; are general. They are placed and that she should here enjoy on their minds by something all and every one of her rights which prevades all ranks; they and privileges as Queen. arise from an unprejudiced view If there had existed anydoubt of all the great points of a sub- in the public mind as to the inject taken together as a whole.nocence of her Majesty, and as Their minds set sophistry, chi-to the falsehood of the charges canery, and misrepresentation at against her, that doubt would defiance. Their opinions are have been removed at once, by imbibed in this way, which is the bare circumstance of those like the way in which we ac- charges having been conveyed quire the knowledge of the ex- to the parliament in Green istence of light and of dark- Bags. The people had not so' ness. What they believe in such a case must be true; and that which they say ought to be done, must be done. soon forgotten the Green Bags of 1817. They had not so soon forgotten, that those Bags and their contents, formed the pretext for sending into dungeons a great number of men, who' there lay for a long while enduring all the sufferings of imprisonment, separation from wives and children, loss of precious time while those wives and children were starving, loss of health, loss of reason in instance producing suicide; and who were at last set at liberty, not only without ever being brought to trial; but, also without ever having had any charge exhibited against them in due This is a feature in the present great question, that ought by no means to be overlooked. If a case were to arise in which the whole of a man's circle of friends were of a particular opinion, as to any act which he had to perform, he would find it very difficult I believe to brace himself up to the resolution to set their combined opinions at nought; but what are the combined opinions of a man's circle of friends compared with the morning noon and night: the up-rising and down-lying, the form, and without knowing from every moment in the day influence of wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters; and that in a case, too, where a woman, an injured woman, and an injured Queen is a party in the dispute? first to last who had been their accuser! The people had not forgotten these things; they had not forgotten these consequences of the Green Bags of 1817; and, therefore, when they |