The National Register. — London, England, 1816-03-03 00:00:00

'Or 41 No. V6.—VoL. VIII. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. ON THE PROPOSED PFACE I:STAIILISHMENT. WE have hitherto examined the various bearings of the Property Tax, an impost contemplated by the coun try with more terror than would be the revival of Impe rial despoti.on in France, but which perhaps only requires to be properly modified, to become at •once a productive and cqud mode of taxation. We shall now consider that Peace Establishment, as it is wrongly called, which is represented as the basis of the Tax, and is viewed on that account with lea; calmness and impartiality than generally attend national investigationi. What should we think of a painter, who to sketch a beautiful landscape, should take his stand in the depth of a ravine, with nothing but threatening rocks around him, or stunted woods that impeded, without gratifying his sight? Should we not say that the man was mad, or that he chose the very worst feature of the land, in or der to contradict and destroy the renown of its beauties ? Should we not tell him to ascend the heights, and then take an expanded view of the scenes around him, smiling or sublime, though they might contain spots of ragged ness and sterility?—What we should say to the painter, we may, with, equal justice, address to the Opposition. In the midst "of a country abounding with greatness, power and glory, they fix their stand in the sink of tem porary distress, then look around and conceive, or at least prodaim, that all is ruin and desolation. They will not mount the steep, for then the prospect would b 3 too brilliant, and their picture, however disfigured and flarketed, would betray sonic reflection of its glorie s , We shall not follaw their example: we shall not disdain to contemplate our country in all its magnificence and grandeur, and if the view of its real state, with which that, which some pretentied patriots of the day have drawn. What have been the objects of our exertions during twenty-five years of war and of perils ?—The support of our independence, and the restoration of order in Europe. The latter, not merely because it was connected with our safety, hut because, free and happy ourselves, we could not behold the fitiresrportion of the world devoted to servitude and misery, without holding forth a hand to :mist and to rave. How have those objects been pur sued ?—Through difficulties and dangers ; through gloom and tempest ; through good fortune and ill fortune, with the spirit of freemen and the constancy of patriots—now embattled under the eyes of our wives and our children to guard our shores from invasion, and now educing upon all the seas the flying navies of our foes—now alone . 14,eainst a world in aims, and now raising nations from the dust, lighting the flame of independence, and in volving the whole Continent in its blaze.—How have those objects been attained?—Let Europe through ell her states proclaim it. Ask her where i:; that Gigantic Despotism that weighed upon all her realms, that chained all her monarchs on their thrones, compressed all nations into one, and attempted to impose uptai mankind one law, one will, one language ?—She will tell you, that it is vanished; that its very ruins have disappeared. She will point to England, as the POwer that opened the aiiyss where the monstrous fabric was engulphed, the Power that alone can close it for ever.—Ask her how kingdoms have recovered their limits, the Continent its balance, and Peace its empire ?—She will reply, because England was mighty to conquer, and disinterested in tri mnph : because the effusion of a benevolent spirit went forth with her counsels and her armies, and the field of her battles he‘..ame the scat of her charities.—Assure her that she is mistaken : that England could do, and has alone nothing: that her victories were tantamount to de feats ; that her ends acre selfish, her means insignificant, her exertions destructive to herself, and that the result of the improvident and unjust contest she has waged, is the ruin of her prosperity, he: credit, and her strength— Europe will look upon you with pity or with contempt. She will tell you that your country oect:pies the loftiest an 1 the sorest eminence on earth, one founded on the gratitude, the veneration, and the terror of nations. The gratitude, Cur her assistawe; the venczatim, her vir- tu 2A . t itittr4 Our %Ong, Constitution anb tab 36. SUNDAY, MARCH 9, MI6. toes ; and the terror, fiz her power. Is there a man who can wish his country to descend than such an elevation ? —To abdicate the rank to which her unequalled exer tions, the magnanimity of her spirit, and the consent of mankind have raised her ?—lf there be such a man, let him join the phalanx of the Opposition, and set up his voice against that establishment, which we trust ran main tain the country in her strength and her dignity. Let him cry that her constitution is in danger, if her great ness, her glory, and her power are not sacrificed. Let him regret " the ! , Isxd old time when 4 or 5000 men formed her national army," and when the banners of every invader floated on the towers of her capital. Let him reproach her with her acquisitions, because, though they add to the general wealth of the nation, they must be protected and governed at an expense, trifling when compared with thcir importance. Let him call for the surrender of all that we have gained, that we may fol low Mr. Brougham's advice, " and in case of war, trust to our navy, and our army to do what they have already done." But if, instead of such declaimers, we meet with a real patriot, what will ha his sentiments? He will say : that he rejoices in the exaltation of his country with the more sincerity and fervour, as it was not in a course of ambitious enterprises, but in a continual and deadly contest with oppression, that she grew rich and powerful, and became, through her victories and her wisdom, the arbiter of European nations. He will say: that although the rage of the conflict is over, yet its con sequences must for mine time be felt. Even the con queror is overtaken with fatigue after the toils of battle, but the lassitude is transitory and easily repaired. To call it a mortal disease in a man would be ridiculous: to say that a nation is ruined because it has not yet completely emerged from the difficulties which attend the dose of' a long and arduous war, is equally groundless and unrea sonable. He will own, that once the principle of a stand ing army under the controul of Parliament admitted, he secs no danger to the Constitution from the amount of that army, when it is only proportioned to the increase in rank, influence, and possessions of the empire. Ha will say, that to refuse to support the necessary forcieon a c o k ipt, of its.expansw, rfoulibe .40 !IstiagekittstgutlaltTL, to a much greater expenditure. The elements of strength once united by a series of events, circumstances and feel lop; which may never occur again, cannot be dissolved and thrown away impunely. The moment may, and must conie, for peace cannot be eternal, when their re union must be attempted ; but would the enterprize ceed ? If it did not, would not, more than the integrity, the very existence of the Constitution and the nation, he threatened, if not destroyed ? And were we to follow the advice of those who recommend the reduction of our army to a state of weakness, which would deprive us at once of all the consideration and influence which we enjoy in Europe: were we to resign all our acquisitions, however valuable, us mere burthens to the State, and replace them in the hands of our enemy, " trusang to our navy and army to do, in case of war, what they have already done,"—is it really fancied that economy would be better consalted ? }low has the enormous debt with which the country is loaded been accumulated, but by the adoption of that very plan at the conclusion of every war but the last. No sooner did we go to war with France, than expeditions were fitted out at great expense avainst her colonies. Their capture cost us our noblest blood; peace came, and those colonies were immea day re stored in a more flourishing state to our inveterate enemy, to whom they brought encrease of power to renew the contest at a more favourable opportunity. Then fresh expeditions must be sent, more treasure expended, and fresh blood shed to regain objects that we had foolishly thrown away. Even at the peace of Amiens, Buono parte was presented by us with the French colonies, and had he condescended to sign the treaty of Chwillon, in 1814, they would be now in his power. Because that impolitic and ruinous system has now been in part aban doned, and the wiser course has been adopted, of perma nently encreasing our power at the expense of a restless mad cniquered enemy, thus diminishing his ability to dis turb our rest, and avoiding a fbture waste of money and of blood, the opposition cry shame upon Government, and charge it with extravagance. An army establishment which in a year will not amount to six millions, and which, as peace consolidates itqdf, may be still fitrther reduced, appears to these patriots enormous and unjusti fiable. But lot their economy be adopted, and should a new war occur, we may hope to see the national debt doubled thrJugh their passion for retrenchment, and have to provide 81' instead of 4•2 millions a year to liquidate its interest, lifore a single shilling can be applied to the purpose - 4'4410 a war or a peace cstabliolumeat, \~- PRICE 9 td. tounDa7► amuiemento. " Divide SUNDAY from the Week.' WATERLOO SERMONS. THE transcendant victory that terminated the hat war, slid not add more to the glory of our arms, than the • collections and contributions for the relief of thos e wh o suffered in the battle that led to it, atlsied to the fame of our charity. The sympathy of the country was simulta neous with its exultation ; the charitable donation was offered with the laurel of triumph ; and our purses were opened to promote the recover•, to reward the services, or to assist the families of our gallant soldiers ; while our tongues resounded their praises, and our hearts rejoiced at the success. For sonic time, the sentiments• of duals, unprompted by any appeels to their sympathy, or Christian principles, swelled thecfferings of benevolence; and the humane spirit of our religion produced the grand est effect ; like the silent influence of nature, while ito name was not cpmly employed; nor its aid invoked. It soon allied itself; however, in a mere ostensible manner with this labour of love ; and, as it has been the origin of those numerous institutions, unknown to ancient times, for alleviating the distresses, and improving the condition of men in civil life, so it now stepped forward, to heal the wounds received in the field of battle, or to supply, in some manner, the losses incurred by victory. By the au thority of the Royal Letter, and the active zeal of the clergy, the inhabitants of this country were unite sally invited to bring the offering of patriotiSia and charity to the altar of religion; to gratify the genesis feelings of their nature, under the impression, that they were per forming an act of piety; and to anticipate the mild' of distress, not more as the efleetof praise -worthy liberality-, than of consecrated beneficence. The nation thus exhi bited the sublime spectacle of a great people, where mili tary renown could receive no addition, meeting, with one accord, in the temples of their God for the purposes of patriotic charity, forgetting all differences of religious creed, in a unanimity of benevolence; suppressing all the — siteeess - itigTflaVe and, anxious only to add to a fund, for the relief of those, through whose sacrifices and exertions we had our present points of elevati o n. The ministers of religion, in this interesting scene, bc- I ante the advocates of suffering humanity, and, without forgetting their character of peace-makers, called upon th? people for the means of repairing the ravages of war. Their app .al was not heard in vain. That charity which in late events has given us more than victory, which, like a go al angel, has followed the track of the destroyer, building. up the cutages, and' alleviating the distresses of the Portuguese peasants, between the Douro and the Tagus ; and conveying comfort, even into the ruined v l ieges and cities of Russia, was not reluctant to display it s(lf in the cause of our own countrymen, who added to the plea of suffering, the claims which great merit and important services impose upon our gratitude. Several of the addresses made to the people on that occasion are published, and thrown, us it were, into the fund for which they were composed ; spa that we haVe not only Waterloo sabscriptions, poems, pictures, sad statements, but Waterloo sermons. In so fur as these compositions aided the cause which they recommended, orfwere calculated more extensively to forward the interests of charity, we concur in their ob jects, and applaud their execution. Our religion is truly the religion of benevolence ; land while it proscribes the causes of human suCering, when they originate in vicious propensities, and irregular passions, it calls upon its ad.- herents by the example of its great Author, and by their own hopes of future happiness, to succour and relieve the wretched and the destitute. It came to procure the ces sation of war, but it commands us to bind. up the wounds which war has inflicted. But we are afraid, from the specimens that we have seen of these Waterloo sermons, that many of them displayed as much secular politics as. Christian charity ; and that they contained opinions and, reasonings on the designs of Pnwidence, in the late events, fully more than persuasions to liberality, or ex planations of moral duty. We are even afraid that many ()F our late successes were transferred from the Gazette to the pulpit ; that " the pomp and circumstance of war," were detailed snore than the wounds of our soldiers, or - Y - - 3 C , /. p , the distresses of their destitute families; and that the mi. 7 . .-- - ..-" S nisters of the religion of peace may have given a .sanction . ' 0 .14' i to that military spirit ; which is not lass at variance with ( . •:,..,. 4 • the civil tranquillity of the world, than inconsistent with • the tenor of the gospel. The present generation of men 6 ! 4 in this country has be= so much accustomed to hear of _, ..'. • :. ,• N - ,iteb ° ' ... I to s• -' . A I 4 ‘ 11 ~ t o 1( 1. IS /1 . i i , 1 s, t ' 4 i f.' :1 ° i , i.. • i 1 ' ' 4 .'; ~. . . .. ~.... , .t.,. ' 11 1 i: \ . ii ... I . r I ' 1 ' L' ) ( . 44 1 ; .i % ' . 4' ..,• L, .... i \ , t h ' ;r. 1