his people, while it gives him brow of a sovereign. A most honourable and advantageous peace soon put an end to the war, and' enabled him, though his dominions" had been greatly extended, to se cure the peace and safety of his

Ministers, who are, in their own persons, responsible for every act done in his name. To praise the King on account of some acts, implies a perfect right to censure him on account of other acts.-dominions, uphold the splendour Therefore we must speak of the acts, merely as the acts of his reign, leaving him wholly out of the question.

Keeping this doctrine steadily in our minds, let us take a short review of the acts and events of the reign of his late Majesty, which, as it has been of uncommon duration, has witnessed an uncommon portion of events; and, as we shall find, has seen a change in the affairs of this kingdom, which it is impossible for any man sincerely attached to his country not deeply to deplore.

of his throne and maintain his high station amongst the Potentates of Europe, with a military establishment so trifling as hardly to be worthy of the name of an army. Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and other territories had been added to the possessions of his crown; and yet the whole of the taxes raised in the kingdom during the year, amounted to not double the sum which is now annually paid in the shape of wages to tax-gatherers only!

At the end of a few years of peace, evil councillors, in evil hour urged their sovereign into violent contentions with his sub

Those subjects had, as is usually the case with regard to colonists, been even more strongly attached to their sovereign than those who were placed nearer the throne. They had, in the late war, expended most liberally their blood," as well as their treasure, volunta

His late Majesty ascended the Throne under circumstances the most auspicious that ever accom-jects in the American colonies. panied the elevation of man. It was towards the close of a war the most completely victorious that the nation had ever known. The pride of France had been humbled by his grand-father's fleets and plain-dressed soldiers. The King himself was the first of his family a Briton born; and it might truly rily in his service and for his hobe said that he put on the bright-nour; and without their aid, that est diadem that ever adorned the war might probably have ended

in disgrace instead of glory. For independent nation, the rival of these generous sacrifices; these Britain in commerce and in naval marks of fidelity and attachment, power: and, perhaps, the day is they were requited with attempts far less distant than some men to compel them to bear taxation must imagine when the armies of without representation. Attached that nation may invade this kingto freedom from their infancy: not dom in return. less enlightened than they were generous and brave: not less resolute in maintaining their own rights than they had been generous and devoted in maintaining those of their King, they, after having exhausted, to its very sands, the scurce of petition and remonstrance, took up arms in de-a half. They now amount to fiftyfence of those rights.

When his late Majesty ascended the throne, the annual interest of the National Debt was little more than four millions and a half; it is now more than thirty-two millions. At that time the whole of the taxes collected in the year, amounted to little more than eight millions and

three millions (exclusive of more than four millions paid in wages to the tax-gatherers); and even these fifty-three millions leave a defici ency of more than eight millions.

But, some one will say, if the taxes have been increased in amount, the means of paying them have also been increased. The positive means have, but the rela

To subdue them, or, as was the phrase of the day, to compel them to submit to be bound in all cases whatsoever, by a legislature in which they were permitted to have not a single representative, fleets and armies were sent forth from England, joined by German armies paid out of the taxes of England: fire, sword, famine tive means have not. Rich and and false money were spread poor are relative terms. The over their land. After a long man whose estate renders him one and bloody struggle, the colo-hundred a year, and whose outnists triumphed. Liberty bore goings are confined within that away the palm; English fleets sum, is richer than the man whose and armies, so lately crowned estates are worth a hundred thouwith laurels on that same conti-sand a year, and whose outgoings nent, now retired from the contest covered with disgrace.

are extended beyond his income. Rich and poor, are not terms to be

Out of this event has arisen an made use of in considering the af

fairs of a nation. Happiness and "Prince; exult not too much in misery are the terms; and as the the thought of ruling over this criterion of the sum of happiness" industrious, laborious, ingeniand misery which existed at the "ous, frank, brave and happy time of his Majesty's ascending" people; for, before your days be the Throne, and those existing at numbered, they shall be a mass the time of his demise; is to be" of human beings the most looked for in the relative amount" wretched on which the sun ever of the poor-rates of England and "shone. Their boasted independWales, let the following facts be "ence of spirit, and the solidity remembered: when the King as-" of their dealings shall flee like cended the Throne, the poor-rates" the sands of the desert before the amounted to one million a year;" chicanery and craft of taxation and they now amount to more," and paper money. Their boastperhaps, than fifteen millions a "ed freedom shall go staggering year; while, besides this enormous "along under blow after blow; demand, every creature with a "'till at last, ere the tardy mes◄ 'pound in his pocket, is called upon for voluntary contributions to stifle the incessant cries of starving mil-"dare to meet to discuss matters lions.

Ah! my countrymen! must we keep silence; must we choak with

tr

"

46

senger of death shall summon you away, Englishmen shall not

appertaining to their rights with

out being superintended by per "soas having authority to make

the words that we could utter!" them disperse upon pain of

No; let us, at any rate, if there

transportation; and, as to the

expression of their opinions up

be

on paper, if, per chance, they should utter that which may thought to have a tendency to "bring either House of Parli "ament into contempt, they shall

be, as we are told, no cure for our sufferings, indulge in the last sad privileges of degraded nature in crying out, and uttering our sighs" and groans. If, when his Majesty ascended the Throne, some one had told him to check the honest" be liable to be banished for life. exultations into which he could" Bridle, therefore, your exulta

not, in the ardour of his youth, refrain from bursting out; if some one, in that happy hour, had said to him, "be not too vain, young

66

tion, young Prince; for, from this now happy England, shall its natives petition to be transported to seek refuge from their

misery amongst savages in the | though, in the conduct of the Lon

don daily press, for some timepast, during which time that press has been the vehicle of garbled statements, relative to a man's most private affairs, and has been in co-operation with perfidious men who have been abandoned enough to make a boast of being guilty of breaches of private confidence; though, in the conduct of

*snows of Canada, or in the Afri❝can sands." If any one had said this to his late Majesty, during his walks at Kew, in the bloom of his life, would he not have answered: "Away, lying prophet; that "which thou foretellest is as im"6 possible as that the sun should "shed darkness instead of light!" However, let us never despair of any thing that we ought to che-this press, it has been very diffi. rish; and, above all things, let us never despair of our country; let us say with our mouths, and ac company the words with the wishes of our hearts: "GOD SAVE "KING GEORGE THE "FOURTH !" And, that we may not be hypocrites, let us, when we dare, and as far as we dare, tell him honestly what we think of the conduct of his serity or indecency: though this press

cult to discover any very good proofs of its being the guardian of public morals; and though a like proof has not been very easy to be discovered in the very liberal use of the words apostate, miscreant, blasphemer, villain, and the like, against a man upon whom they were unable to prove any one single instance of irreligion, inimoral.

has not, for some years past, merited the high title above mentioned; and though I do not flatter

vants, and aid him, as far as we are able and are permitted to aid him, in endeavouring to restore our country to freedom and to happi-myself ever to see it merit much ness, and thereby using the only sure means of giving tranquillity to his reign and dignity and safety to his Throne.

WM. COBBETT.

COBBETT's EVENING POST.

12 February, 1820.

The Press has been called the guardian of public morals. And,

commendation; I have to congratulate the public in general and our friends the Reformers, in particular, that this press has, within the space of the last nine days, discovered some favourable symptoms of amendment. It has ceased its outrageous and indecent abuse. It has refrained from again dipping into private account

will be of the greatest service to the country. The prevention of falsehoods is one effect of it, and the conveying of truth is another. I recommend to the Reformers to join, in half-dozens, dozens, twenties, or thirties, as it

books; from publishing lists of mortgages and book-debts; from being the vehicle of accounts of arrests and of forgeries pretending to be old private letters, which, if authentic, must necessarily have been stolen, and must as necessarily have been communi-happen; to apply to some one (if cated by a thief. It has ceased it be in the country) who is known this part of its almost daily prac-in town, to order it of a news-man; tice; and for this salutary change and, they may take my word for in its conduct the scandalized pub-it, that they will then be far betlic has to thank this paper; which ter informed than those who do has operated with regard to this not do the same.

most

respectable" part of the

WM. COBBETT.

SEAT IN PARLIAMENT. My readers will see what I have said on this subject. I have.

press in exactly the same way that a good heavy stone taken up by a man pursued by a barking cur, operates upon the conduct of that cur. The cur becomes, under such circumstances, silent and good-stated fairly to the people my reamannered: at least, he ceases from his pursuit; and thus has it happened with this part of the

press.

Generally speaking, a daily newspaper is worse than a weekly newspaper, so far as falsehoods told every day are more mischievous than falsehoods told once a week. But, a newspaper containing true intelligence, and re

marks just as well as prompt upon all that passes, is certainly a most useful thing. And, my paper, I hope, will be of this sort; I think, that at this crisis it

sons for wishing to be placed in Parliament, and I think they may by this time have a pretty tolerable opinion of what I could do there. But, the acting when there, and the getting there, are two different things. The services I could render cannot be rendered unless I be put there; and this depends I know, the upon the people.

peoples' minds are made up upon it, and it now only wants a little individual exertion. Only think, if every one were to do something! And in return for this (which