The National Register. — London, England, 1811-07-07 00:00:00

1. ASSASSINATION OP BOONAPARTE! TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER. _ It—Having been accidentally among the foremost of public writers, p►erliaps the first of our writers, who ventured to mi. madvert on the proposal for establishing an Anti-Corsican In stitution in this country, under the auspices of Mr. Goldsmith, once in the pay of France s I cannot refrain front offering, through medium of your Journal, some observations on what has recently passed on this important subject. The thing seems worth some thought. lam therefore inclined to admit, with the Courier of the 29th ult, although for reasons very different to those maintained by the Editor of that paper, that" to the com ments on the Newspaper publication instigating the Assassina of Buonaparte, the public attention cannot be too often led, or too deeply fixed." That publication, observes the .ourier, " we have not seen ; but, taking it for granted that it is tch as described, what then ?" I, however, Sir, have seen" that gication," ostentatiously called the Antigallican Monitor, and ye also attended to its lucubrations, week after week ; so that iall not be under the necessity of " taking" them " for grant " but proceed, in due time, to answer the " what then" so ingeniously put by the Courier of the 29th of June last. The question first at issue, if a question it be, is—bath the Antigallican Monitor, under the known direction of Mr. Gold ith, aimeclat instituting and rendering effectual an association . the express purpose of Destroying Buonaparte ? Observe what the Courier itself asserts on this topic. Speaking of the itigallican Monitor, " to the comments on the newspaper !blication," meaning the said journal, g‘ instigating the Ataassi nation of Buoncparte, the public attention," continues the 7ourier, ' 4 cannot be too often called, or too, deeply fixed." Hence this very Courier admits the main fact! . • Was assassination what Lewis Goldsmith in fact projected ? The following passage from Vatel, adopted unblushingly by the Itigallican Monitor, and as continually enforced by it, will put meaning of the author of that paper beyond question.- . -" As those Monsters, who, under the tale of Sovereigns, render themselves the scourge add horror of the human race, they are Ivage beasts, whom every brave man may justly exterminate from the face of the cc:::1, . 1 " Now Buonaparte being constantly stigmatised, by our Anti-Gallica:t-Anti•Corsican, as one of these monster-sovereigns, it seems nut unwarrantable to conclude that " importar object" of the Anti-Corsican Lstitution is, con :ming with its own phraseology, to" exterminate" Buonaparte from the face of the tnrtit !" Is it " a band of Writers and Printers" that can do all this ? If why does Mr. G , ,lismith, acknowledging several letters on subject of the Anti-Corsican Institution, observe, in the A.ntigallican Monitor of April 21st, titat " what is most parti cularly gratifying is to find that several of the ti are from those to were formerly Members of our Reform Societies; for," he " if these gentlemen mean to preserve their cor.istency of character, they are, more than any ocher class of men, llcd upon to join a standard raised against the most odious of tyrants I Indeed," concludes Mr. Goldsmith, " we think it the ,unden duty of all, from Sir Franci.s ,rturdett down to the :anest Member of the Corresponding Society, to join the glo )aus phalanx." So it may be. I shall not, therefore, stop to ascertain how far the doctrine of political assassinatio i. is con genial to the feelings of some of those distempered demagogues who were formerly Members of our Reform Societies ;" or how these are called upon to adopt it, " if they mean to preserve eir consistency of p al character." One cannot but smile, 'though serious, when gravely assured that it is merely by teans of " a band of writers and printers," unaided by Chevaliers Poignard, and " other means of ensuring success," that we iy, " in a very short time, accomplish the tyrant's destruc ton !" What are " writers and printers" to him! No, Sir; something more substantial is sought. The projec- AL REGISTER. 417 tor of the Anti-Corsican Institution seems to have found it : he describes himself, some weeks since, as " happy to announce to its friends the attainment of a very important object towards ultimate success,"—of, perchance, a subscription of 10,0001. and of .500 i. towards carrying his designs into effect; whilst oe boasts of the countenance of some of the Most illostrious c!taracti rs in this kingdom, though not, we are convinced, in any official situation, since Marquis Wellesley; as the Parliror env dry Re ports tell us, expressed, on the 24th of June, " in the name of himself and of all his Majesty's Miniso.rs, their mat k,d indignation of the sentiments conveyed in this oul , lication," speaking of the Anti-Gallican Monitor. Nor ou t ,iit we to doubt this. •' It is evident that Mr. Gottis:uith," sa-'s The Scourge, " who certainly possesses talents fer superior to those of a common newspaper Editor, would write en :Lily side, and in any cause, that appears the most likely to reward his services." Without, however, calling the author of tite Crimes of Cabinets, as The Statesman terms it, " an assassin in principle, and a spy and traitor in practice;" without asserting, as The Scourge has done, that he " will write on any side and in any cause ;" I yet 'certainly commend Earl Grey for repro bating any plan by which it was proposed to get rid of Buona parte by assassination, " the atrocity of which," in the language reported of Marquis Wellesley, " Is only to be equalled by its absurdity." Evident as is the g 4 atrocity," and probable as would prove the " absurdity," of any Anti-Corsican scheme for effecting the assassination of Buonaparte, these mingled charges of atro city and absurdity will, upon the most deliberate examirstion of his paper, be found palpably chargeable on the Editor of the Anti-Gallican Monitor and Projector of the Anti-Corsican So ciety, who declars that he " will not share the glory" which awaits him who shall " accomplish the Tyrant's Downfall with any one but such as are incorporated in the Anti-Corsican In stitntion !" Contending, first, that 66 in certain cases assapina.: !ion is justifiable," and, next, that " such is the situation of Duo nap2rte,"—what can the Prjector of the Anti Cvrsican Institu tion mean, unless he means nothing, but that the assussinatioit of Buonaparte is both justifiable and desirable ? litif; evil spreads. Goldsmith is not alone in . his project. " The &wilt of Puma:- parte would be the greatest blessing," (teeth.: es our Couricr, " which, by any human event, could betel mankind ;" and that he " would not cross the gutter to save Buonaparte from death', by whatever means it. was coming upon him," though, it should seem, the said Courier " would not advise the assassination of any man." Excellent moralist !—Abet he might, but he 4• would not advise," the base act hi question. Well, therefore, does the Editor of The Scourge affirm, that 44 if the doctrine of risr.ass?"- nation has not been openly defended, in certain contemporary journals, it has been covertly recommended." If, moreover, the Projector of the Anti-Corsican Society would signify by the 46 dory of the deed" of " promoting the Tyrant's downfall," and " the glorious act of accomplishiog the T'runt's destruction," applying all this to Buonaparte, " this desirable end being the principal object of this Society,"—if all this is to be attained by " a band of writers and printers," leaving to Minis ters " other means of ensuring success," how happened it that not the slightest intimation was given of this band of writers and printers till, subsequently to the organization of his hlstitution, Mr. Goldsmith was first publicly attacked, by him who now holds the pen, for " instigating the assassimoion of Buonaparte ?" how happened it, also, that, instead of then disavowing this 44 principal object of his Society," he attempted to reconcile it to what he was pleased to style " the amiable prejudices" of Eng ! . lishmen ; sticking still to Vatel ; avoiding the least " disavowal of such intention ;" and most assuredly not condescending to state (what now he does state) that he " deprecates and abhors" assassination " as much as the noble Earl (Grey) himself ?" Whereas we find him at length constrained to admitthat " it is congenial with that enlightened and liberal spirit which eves , distinguishes the inhabitants .of this fr.e ecornitry to slew attest" nation with horror;" why did he before endeavour to reconcile I ASS TO writers, madvert Ssitution once in tl the ntedi recently worth so Courier those Ma ments or tion of 1 called, o Courier, such as d publicati have alsc I shall nc ed," but ingeniou The qi Antigalli smith, ai for the what the Antigalli publicati nation q, Courier, Hence tl Was a The folly Antigalli the meat to those themseb savage It from the stigmati9 monster- one " irr forming " from t Is it " so, why the subj AntigaU clearly who wei adds, " i political called u j tyrants bounder meanest thus ph ascertait genial to " who vi far tiles( their con althougl means o de Pap may " tion !" I No, S