evil, which I have lamented more
than
any
other misfortune of my
life; or, rather, than all other
misfortunes put together. The
loss of the election was a mere
nothing, when compared with the
loss of my voice, which was near-
ly as complete as if I had been
dumb from my birth.

in London, proved, in the end, an to show itself on the very night of wy arrival. Our friends, satis fied with the victory of the day, had retired to their homes, when the savages, who had been hired by the Band of Rich Ruffians, sallied forth, dashed in the windows of the house of MR. SERGEANT, at which I was, and made many brutal attacks upon individuals, whom they took unawares in the streets, or at public houses. Even at this early period, they cut several persons with knives; and, there is no doubt in my mind, that they were furnished with knives by their employers, for the express purpose of being used in cutting and stabbing. This sup position may, by some, be thought monstrous: but, the facts, which have since come out, fully warrant it. I am, my dear James, ashamed to relate these things of Englishmen, who have heretofore been famed for fair play; but, I must relate them, or not do jus tice to my own friends at Coventry, who, though full of honest

I was thus drawn through all the principal streets, which did not occupy a space of much less than two hours, in a frosty evening, part after sun-set. The acclamations were so general and so hasty; the enthusiasm so great; the words as well as actions of the mass of the people so clearly expressive of ardent attachment to the cause of which I was the representative, that it was not being at all credulous to suppose, that corruption, however foul and persevering, would be unable to produce, finally, a successful resist ance against me. However, I resolved to proceed with caution; but, as my cold and my most unfortunate hoarseness, wholly dis-zeal, never thought of carrying an qualified me for a canvass in per-election at the point of the knife. son, I was compelled to rely on the reports of others, which were, however, all favourable, and all fully warranted by every indication, whereon a judgment might reasonably be formed.

The knives appear to have been all of one sort, or nearly so. Slout pen-knives, with sharp points. I saw two drunken savages, carter fellows, brandishing each a knife of this sort in the face of the hustings, and threatening to rip my

The savage violence of our enemies was no bad sign of the fair-voters up. ness of our prospect. This began

From the Tuesday night to the

evening of the next Monday things, directions to get together stout rascals, remained pretty quiet. On Mon- fitted for the intended acts of violence. day, the sixth of March, MOORE On Wednesday morning the election and ELLICE arrived in Coventry; began,; and, to the utter astouishbut, not as I had arrived, drawnment and indescribable. terror of ELin by the people, and having no LICE, the poll closed in the afternoon, protection but the general good leaving me at the head of it! wishes. From a very early hour in the morning, great numbers of men, selected for the purpose, had been fed and drenched for the job. But, this was not deemed sufficient.

H

It is, before I go any further, necessary that I bring you better acquainted with my opponents, their conneetions and their supporters. MOORE has been a member for Coventry eighteen years. He had, a little be The Rich Ruffians themselves fore that, come home from India with turned out on horse-back, arned a great parcel of money, got, of course, with staves, the small end of in the usual way, in which money is which they held in their hands, got in those regions. He had gone having the big end ready to knock out an understrapping clerk, and down with. Guarded by this had made good use of his time. Covenspecies of Yeomanry Cavalry, the try elections (the first of which he two stupid heroes entered the lost) took most of the bullion from town; and, as a signal of their his garb, and left him little but tinsel. arrival, their hired Savages again Nevertheless, the expenditure of his dashed in the windows of Mr. money got him a footing; linked him SERGEANT, which had been men-personally with certain Master Silkded after the former attack. Weavers, whose friendly offices he Upon this occasion the hired paid with vulgar familiarities. There Savages made an attempt to enter that endeared them to each other. The was a congeniality between the parties the house; but, they, after getting old India Clerk was still a clerk, in into the passage, were beaten back into the street, and they discovered as much cowardice as ever was discovered in the world, except by ELLICE, at a subsequent period of the contest, which I shall for some of them, or their sons, under notice in a particular manner by-the East India Company (of which he and-by. has always continued a something); From Monday evening to the Wed his getting others out of scrapes with nesday morning all was bustle and pre-the Excise office; and, he boasts, I paration on the part of the enemy, who am told, of the vast number of Covenwas flying about the country in all try-men, for whom he has procured a

mind, though a Member of Parliament in name and rank. He boasts of his great attention to the interests of City, and of the Freemen in particular. That is to say, his getting little places

:-1

mitigation of punishment, when cor- something ludicrous attached to the very character of the party. You will, perhaps, wonder, why the Rich Men at Coventry should prefer a man like this to a man like me. But, you have not yet seen enough of mankind to be able, at once, to discover the reason. These men, though rich in money, are very poor in mind. The money has not been able to remove the vulgarity of their way of thinking. Such men, conscious that their only possession is money, hate talent wherever they find it. MOORE is just the sort of man for them. He talks, drinks, does every thing in their way: writes to them "My dear Charles, and My dear Abraham"; though these are

demned to death or to some other ignominious or heavy punishment. This, though a very pretty occupation for a member of parliament, was no silly way of going to work to keep his ground. It was a thing that I would have scorned to do; but, perhaps, it was one of the most efficacious means of securing a seat for life. However, all these little means would have failed without large sums of money and these MOORE (for the best of all possible reasons) has not, of late years attempted to expend on elections. Still, large sums being absolutely ne cessary, it has, of late, been contrived, that a man with money shall come in with MOORE against every other oppo-men, who, unable to break themselves nent. And, in the present case and of their early habits, regularly spend the preceding one, ELLICE has beer, every evening of their lives in alethe man with the money. MOORE is houses, where they smoke and drink a singularly mean-looking man, with not till midnight. Such men are full the smallest portion of talent, but with of low cunning; and, they had a great deal of impudence, and an appa- only to hear me talk for five minutes rently utter insensibility to the feelings to be well convinced, that they would of shame. But, you will need nothing never get any "dear Charleses" and more than to be told, that, for many "dear Abrahams" from me. They years last past (until very lately) he could easily foresce, that, if I once bewas a sort of managing clerk to Drury-came a Member for their city, their Lane Play-house! I remember this political consequence was gone for man's name occurring frequently, in ever; and, in proportion to the unfitpolitieal circles, during the last twenty years; but, always with a sort of ridicule attached to it. He has always been called "Peter Moore;" and, as is well known, the bare fact of the Christian hame being constantly used (when speaking of persons in this rank of life), instead of the word Mister: this bare fact proves that there is that I should get a seat somewhere

ness of a man to meddle with such matters, you always find him reluctant to give up his power of meddling.These men, as far as I visited them, were, on my first visit to Coventry, very civil to me. They expressed their anxious wish to see me in parliament; but, wished, not less anxiously,

and he was saw the poll ELLICE is of

else! I could perceive the real ground |nical, than the power held and of their objection: I could perceive, enforced by these low and base that they trembled for their own future usurpers of the Freemen's rights. consequence: and, could I have In ELLICE they had a man with brought myself to play the hypocrite, some money; but, they had a very after the same manner of CARDINAL difficult game to play with him. MONTALTO: Could I have conde-The last election had cost him maxy scended to make professions of fu- thousands more than he expected. ture subserviency to their will, and They had themselves subscribed some could I have succeeded in the at-thousands. They were unwilling tempt, they would have been as to subscribe again. They had given clamourous for me as they were him the most solomn assurances, against me. But they saw, that, that this contest would cost him my success would, at once, put an scarcely any thing. They had asend to their political power, and sured him, that I should not get would for ever set at real liberty fifty votes. When he arrived, the the great body of Freemen, who coldness of his reception by the had so long been their slaves.-people alarmed him That this was the true ground of ready to be off, if he the opposition I had to experience going against him. you will not doubt, for a moment, City origin. when I tell you, that several of these his theatre. hirers of the Savages with knives mercantile house; and, by marriage, were Reformers, and even Radicals, is related to Lord Grey, whose sisand that they had actually sub-ter or relation of some sort (the scribed towards the expences of a widow of some naval or military Radical Meeting, held in the neigh- officer) is ELLICE's wife. There is bourhood of the City, last fall!one of the numerous instances, in These facts present a striking and which the pride of Aristocracy has horrid picture of the selfishness of been bent down to an alliance with this description of persons, and of the 'CHANGE. These alliances, the nothingness of principle and arising out of a desire to get wealth of public duty, when these come on the one side and out of vanity on athwart their enjoyment or pursuit the other, have been one of the of power. Yet they rail against the great causes of that perseverance in Boroughmongers, whom they call upholding the system of banking upon to part with their power; and funding, which system has though the Borough power is full spread such ruin and misery all as lawful, and less odious and tyran-over this kingdom, and which will,

The 'Change has been
He is a partner in a

2finally, make this once great country lessons to acquire the Bond-Street the most contemptible upon the face croak. In short, imagine a great

of the earth.

ELUCE is a very tall man. More than six feet high. As big as Mr.

school-boy of forty, and you have my man fully before your eyes.

Such were my opponents; and, I leave you to guess at the fright of

HULMR about the shoulders and breast, but with a frame tapering ELLICE, when, on the first evening downwards. This great, bulky body of the election, he saw me at the is surmounted by a head as dis-head of the poll! It was now, to advantageous in appearance as any the utter confusion of my enemies, that I ever saw in my life. A fore-quite clear, that unless some violent head falling back on the sides; and means were resorted to, I should be the angle formed by the line drawn elected. A fourth candidate (Capt. from the bottom of the ear to the CLOSE) had been put forward by point of the nose, and by that pas-the Corporation, with the hope of sing from the point of the nose to getting MOORE out and keeping the crown of the head, is uncomme out, by causing votes to be monly acute; so that, if the doc-split between CLOSE and ELLICE; trine of GALL be not wholly false, but, those who voted for the Capthe animal prevails here in an un-tain, generally voted for me also; so usual degree. The eye, set in a that their scheme was soon found to shallow socket, is large, round, dull, have failed. The rage of our oppoand of downward cast. Very much like that of the chubby, good-tem-was, therefore, extreme. LLICE pered, honest Jew, who sells cakes skulked out of the Booth before the and oranges on board the Steam-close of the poll; and his band of boat, which crosses from NEW Rich Ruffians had the utmost diffiYORK to BROOKLYN. The voice of culty to prevail on him to remain in ELLICE is what we may call soft the city another day; and were aband fat. Ile has nothing of the solutly forced to set on foot a subkenness of 'Change Alley about scription to induce him to stay. him. He would seem to have taken At this stage of the affair, it was in

nents, on the Wednesday night,