The National Register. — London, England, 1817-07-14 00:00:00

4 ebt glationat Arai No. 49,..—V0r.. X. POLITICAL DISQUISmos. ON TIME PRESENT STATE OF TM MD The lose which the country has this week sns ensteinel in the death of Mr. Ponsonby, has net..lady led ue to a censidereti in of the state of that party with whom he has so long acted, and of which he has for some years he CO:hiderei the leader. N ever since systemuis opp n titian exietel in the House of Cemtnons was it so ill able to bear the lots of so upriiit a man; Tier do we renember the time whet the well-inten tioned part of the nation had so much reason to regret every abstraction of talent from the little stock that remains to what is usually denotniaatetl the Minority. The time has been when the talents of Mr. Ponsonby, respectable as they were, would have qualified him to shine, only as a satelite to those brightleminaries which, during; a long succession of years, shed a lustre on the British senate ; but as the sun declines, the stars augment their fires.-11e, who twenty-four years ago would have scarcely comneanded attention in the House, is listened to with interest, if not with admiration ; such has been the heavy declension. The Whigs, however, in obtaining Mr. Ponsonby as a successor to Fox, gained much of private virtue, and public inte grity, though they lost something of political conse quence. Not to Mr. Punsonby's want of virtue as a leader, therefore, is to Le attributed that dearth of talent which has been so evident for six 'e few years past, amongst the Opposition ; we must seek for it in other causes,and the principal will probably be found in the conduct of the Opposition themselves. That Spirit of prophesy with which they were cursed during the whole of the late war, and which only forsook them w h e n the power of Napoleon expired on the plains of Waterloo, was most Lital to their consequence with the nation. Day after day falsified their predictions, day after day, the most gloomy presages were followed by the most slpendid successes. Young men of talent entering upon their political career saw with disgust and scorn, a set of into, who, assuming a character for superior thresight, were evermore in error; and na turally enough attached themselves to that party with whom they apprehended the most talent was to be found. This practice, (lily increasing, kiddie effect of weakening that body in the state whom all men, whatever be their political bias, would wish to see strong ; and in proportion as that body became weak, the country withdrew its confidence from it, and in proportion, alio, the hands of the Minister were strengthened, But this preponderance was injurious to the safety of the State, not from the improper use made of it. but because the people, losing all con fidence in the men who were their nuturel defenders, at tributed to causes, foreign.to the truth, those calami ties %entre hisli they were visited, Upon the Minister of the dav they charged the evils they endured, and upon his Opponents, a want of zeal in resisting him. The destruction of this natural reliance of the people upon the opposition, was facilitated by a party which 51 rung up in the House styling themselves the friends ((6 ri krill. This junto, though weak both in numbers and talent, yet, as they directed their speeches wholly to the passions of the people, they acquired a rapid and powertid ascendancy over them ; and though we arc ready to acquit them of intending any thing nwre than their speeches avowed, yet those PPeeehes were so indiscreet, that the evil-minded, put ting the worst construction upon them, used them as instruments to goad the people on to acts of desperation. The hostility of these reformers to the Constitutional Opposition, or the Whigs, was not inferior to that which on all oteseiens they exhibited against the Ministry, and though they in general voted with the Whigs, yet they u Cry a body on whom no reliance could Le placed. Ey the birth of this party, therefore, was the power of the Constitutional Opposition, to eeertain extent, dimi nisha But a more powerful body had been, almost imperceptibly, foaming hetet' in the House. The Neu tral ptty, of whom Mr. Wilberforce: tansy be considered the father, had made its appearance during Mr. Pitt s long career, bt.t its their numbers were few, and their leaning gcnendly to the Minister, they excited little. notes:. When, however, a decided hostility became Our tun, Con tituttun an," itatml. MONDAY, JULY 14, 1817. evident between the Constitutional Opposition and the Reformers, this Neutral party began to acquire a con sequence to which their mistaken notions of economy, and confined political views, gave them no title. Over this motley group. was the late Mr. Pon sonby culled to preside. The great talents, and still greater came, of Mr. Fox, had in some measure kept their animosities subdued, and had directed their united effin-ts against the Ministry, whom he taught them to look upon as their common enemy ; but his success.::, with less experience, and an infevior name, found them like a mutinous army, each had the oldect of his can pursuit, end each attempted to Fain that object by the means whiCh he thought best. The rem nant of the Whigs were still Suihewing• to a steady constitutional opposition, the IL:fin-mists had made up their minds that the system was rotten to the core, anti that nothing less than laying the axe to the root would answer the purpose, and the Neutrals differed from them both; tbs.) , thought the Minister ought not to be opposed merely for opposition's sake, nor ought the present system to be overturned; but their notion of economy were $9 petty, their general plan of improve ment so paltry and confined, thut, but fin- their num bers, they woaM have been despised and neglected by all the other parties. In this state have they existed, under the nominal controul of Mr. Ponsonby. He is tow no more, and amongstthe few ConAitutional Whigs that remain, who shall they choose to succeed him ? If his virtues and talents were insufficient so unite them, what hope is there in a successor ? tint amongst them all there is not one man in whom are centered the necessary qualifica tions to constitute a respectable political leader. PRICE 941 This would have been all very well, if Dr. Granville halt been content with this. But the efihrts which he audio throughout these pages, to separate Guyton de Mora veau, the advocate, the chemist, and the man of letter!, from Gnyton 3e Morveau, the eulogist of Atheists, And tha murderer of his king, is another confirmation to ui of the lamentable fact that looseness of religions and political principles arc too often the characteristics of modern mon of science. In speaking of a short period before Guyton's death. Th-. Granville says:— " A few day , 11101 e. and perpetual bani,!lnent from his Ns ti yr eonatty wold 4 have dark( tied the anniversary of 80111 )car; for Guyton belArmed to other thy,' ' ( 1 , 1%1 of revolutionary aborts and to toreh the time of retitistitios had arrived at the epoclrof hi. di,solntion." A strong apology may be made for someof those men who were led by the ardour of youth to adopt all:the will theories which the weak and the whled had pro mulgated ; with little esperienee of the past, they ix.- held nothing - but happiness in the future, and once em barked in the project of obtaining that happiness, crime followed crime, till humanity itself sickened at the scene. When the tour of retribution Came to this class of revolutionists, we might indeed say that de:ii " belonged to other days, to days of revolutionary efforts," and they may claim in some degree pity, if not forgiveness. But what shall we say of Guyton, a man according to Dr. Granville, had " studied to main tain the interests of government," (he is speaking of the period of 1778) " who was the faithful servant of the. crown, the firm patriot, the good citizen, and the zealous philanthropist r—When he sat in judgment• on his Sovereign, and Kited fur his death, he was st; years of age, and yet we are told he belonged to re• volutionary,efforts. Ili% education had been perfected, his habits had been formed, his high reputation-in sci ence had been acquired under the ancient monarchy ; from the sovereign (and he the mildest that ever reigned in France) he received personal marks of 'fvour ; and yet, the moment that Atheism and Anarchy unfurled their banners, with that faxity of religious principle which distinguished him through life, he rushed into the field, and became a participator in the blackest crime of that ralamitous period. The afrected delicacy with which Dr. Granvill,, touches upon the part which Guyton took iu the murder of his king, is truly admirable. " The ever nwinurahle Rnh of January 1793 came, aril Gaylen lotion ing the example of many more, rtlto Itour the integrity and respectability of their character, might he sup posed to have exerted a eousideralhe influence on lii. deri sion, voted with the majority on that day, so fatal for the cause of royalty in France. In the same 3 ear I.e re..igued, in favour M . the Republic, his pension of two thousand francs, and the AVreari of that pension." Having. successively taken an active share in all the scenes of are by that ensued ; having thought for liberty, and written for liberty, and fought for liberty, and thus contributed to the destruction of all the an cient honours and distinctions of this country, he finally became a willing servant to the new tyrant, and accept ed at his hand, the decoration of the Legion of Honour, and the dignity of a Baron of the empire ! Such was the consistency of M. de 111nrveau, whose "probity of character, had become proverbial amongst all who knew him, and who had wit/Woof/ the Feductioxs of prGliae timer! and the temptation of high and lucrative places.' 47.) The preceding are but some of the passagesiu which Dr. Granville, in his enthusiasm ter science, appears to thrget that there are other virtues worth cultivating., and that to be a gond Christian ai.d a loyal subject are not wholly incompatible with the 1 ursuits of the advocate, the scholar, or the chemist. In conclusion, we will say a word to Mr. 13rar.de with whom it must hare rested to admit or reject this extraordinary ntemoir. Let him remember that A was by writings like this, that France was demoralized; let him remember, that through her Jourmuls of Se:ence, her Dictionaries of Art, her systems of Education, was desseminated that poison whiehinrperceptibly spre.al tit m man to man, until the whole mom of the became corrupt. Let him remember, teo, not the first attempt which his been u. country, to render works of sti, tur vd cerntuttottstton of tboce principles, in rel., litics, which their prAessors have impwlent, with the name of pitilosophy. And let Liw gnanl against the mischievous industry these men labour to give consequence to tn. opiriors, by the respectability of the el:Lowell which they convey thew to the public. ~,; . :c community x), that thi • if wattle in thikli yt I it.l,-1 ft.r the • I;giGn and p .ntly dignitiL "tP 4 I hn henecihrt ' with whit ' their prepti,.4A„ lucls thruubr." REVIEW OF LITERATURE. JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND THE ARTS. Account of the Life and Writing., of Baron 6nruton de Murrain, F.R.S. Member of the Institut of kunce, 4'c. 417.—8 y B. Granville, M.D. 4r 4-c. This Memoir appeared in the last Number of the Journal of Science and the Arts, which is published quarterly, under the auspices of the Royal Institution of Great Britain; and has also been printed in a sepa rate form. That such a paper should have found its way into a work emanating from An establishment which boasts for its Patrons almost all the exalted per sonages in the Kingdom, must excite no small degree of scrprize, when the.-apiri# in which it is written is carefitlly considered. It is a brief life of Guyton de Morvean, mai an elaborale euloginm npon his virtues. lie was born, according to his biographer, at Dijon, in January, 1737, admitted, at an early age, a law student in that univzrsity, and at the age of went\-- four, becante Advocate-Genend of the Parliament.— Chance soon after directed him to the study of chemis try, of which science be afterwards bccume a distill wished professor. After having taken an active part in the worst days of the Revolution, and risen to the highest honours, under Mumaparte, that a man of science ciottid hope Eir, he retired from public life, and died at Dijon, in December, 18 iS. At the close of the memoir, his biegrapher gives the following rapid sketch of his varied pursuits, which may suffice to inform nut readers of all that is neces sary, with respect to the man, for it is not with the succession of events Guyton's life that we have to do, or his valuable discoveries its that science of which he was so fond; it is to certain expressions of Dr. Granville which this t•-act contains, that our attention has been more particul rlly drawn:— " No one ever csertet with gyeaterassiduits, dot— ing a very long i•erics of years , in public and isotr life, than Mons. floyton de Mom titn.—:Procuccure6m 4 t al for the spare of two nod twenty years at Dijon—solieitor•general of one of the French departments—member of the legislative body— of the national convention—of the connutl of st,o—occusion ally upon the committees on financial, diplomatic, an d legis lative sohjecta—commissary t the armies and to the from tiers—and, finally, direetor.zentral of the Mint, he might fairly be supposed to have toad no time do any other occupa tion. Bat wlun we reflect, that he was toll better known for his services to science—that he was a pa bii,• nroli.ssur of chemistry at Dijno. awl Perk, for opts units cf ty)toes —that he fOitilled the thetie. of direenn..,llitersti.t* the technic •t hoof for n'emMilernide spare of time— and, ti t i a n,. Vast Amine scents sit seats, as member of the National t wo & Ir . hr f lir m a i gje tt en' Anporisin memoir,' and repasts to that ty, rnldished im it• trau•telimts, besides trusty other pai,eas f .. iote.l in the tic of which he was one of the ea ilie-t aid 101st indel Labir eintors—we cannot nithold that ;smote of praise mid admit:okb which his minor) now dentands.fiuti •Inels it will taill final iu all Tutu V ages." ttpr +