The National Register. — London, England, 1816-06-23 00:00:00

1 SS VIOLATION OF THE DEAD. THE EDITOR OF TIIE NkTIONAL REGISTER. Sta.—PROM the tone of the letter signed 3. W iu your Pieper of the ell natant, professing to be a reply to the one I l e ad pr e viously addressed to yen. on the sideteet of the lion of the Heal.l juilge the write' is attic Estoilapiati Tribe : and from the flippant .tiel dill timid kind id' style, ill is deignshtcle ht to nut .re my argemicuts. would seem to dicers; ittlin . itely more of seal than judgenent. o speak the a kith, there is su little of any thine like an apology for, much less a justification o f. the pr a eliee of digging op the dead in his wild eristie. that I might well (loafer it du paes unnoticed; midi only that tite-e js aw evident view on his part to ousri T reseut the purport ..f in) letter, eumweted with ;deny of the grosse.4 absurdities I ever read, which indispensably call for merited espootere. I should tome tell J. W. and his geattematily defence to that fate the p u b l ic, in its impartial judettient, may • otteien them to. It seeme I have gisen areal orbiter by itsiiig certain warm ex pressione applied to the pi esent practice of thasection. 1 grant I have use.l atroile languale ; het dates hot J. W. know, that . there is such a feeling as virtnens indignation , and which, it allowed, I Kuehl ask him, shifty Mid anne lid as he is, to 'te ther any thing in nature Is more. bkely ae call holt such ex , presUmes than the violation of our consecrated herial places I do, however, address myself to those who have pious feel. ins; : to hypocrites, and the tribe, I disdain snaking :in appeal. Thronehout his letter there is an evident personal trit ill Ay Mind wholly turacententable, mikes I may imagine that the appears liee of my initials ...inlet:slice the painful reeds:intim' of dine known to him. and who has on a former occasion dealt rent defeat : if such a reeollectiou hannts him. l ails truly sorry; for it will prove impossible for ore' to prutit by a discuesion etmtioned on lii• part in a such a veugs•ful mood. J. W. will, I hope, esettee me when I -ay that hi% episode of the history ofanatomy is mite not of piara. Neither son nor I, Sir, or his headers, required melt a tedious espusition ; nor have I snit' a ward in idupeaelmient of the pripriety tit jedbeiosis anatomical ;tractive: the qttection between J. W. awl me, as toe has chosen to take it up, is this: I deny the nem ssity of dis tnrbing the dead; and further, reprehend the practice as wan ton and brutal, as ininneal to moral feeling, and at deadly b !fi fthly with the &Oates of true religion. and so set b set vise Of pious delicacy and refinement, consequently brutalizing, that no plea of necessity set up for it can compensate fen the serious injury sustained by is ligion and morality thriltigh its eolltillll - His letter would insinuate, to meet hien on his owe' ground, that there is an imperious necessity for it ; but. ale where are the proofs? Are there no subjects for dieeeetinn sirs e those who are savagely drae gest horn their last earthly habita tions? And does he mean ',rebore!, to say that the practice is confined to one in ten thousand? If lie does, the world will tench at hint in the one ease for his ignorant credulity, and despise him in the oilier for his disregat d of truth. I du not wish to he harsh oil such a feeble effort in defence of that which is indefensible ; but, I must say, that he has used Ilia 'ten with the Paine unfeeling its std. ty, as he would his stergica I knife, when hacking the flesh from the bones of a slarieel fear dissection ; for surely tbd re never nas a poor lettri so rot amt mangled as that of your humble servaii - s. 1 :tin found fault with for running to antiquity for trete V.M; ; and yet J. W. fie fore the breath of his repreheasion was eshausted, must drag op a lone list of venerated names from the earliest lie tiods, to sanction the violation of the I omb : this is w retell, .1 inconsistency. As to his remark, that he " never enters a cathedral, or house appropriated to the dead, without taking off his hat, with the most profound and reverential awe, %%WI note veneration, Sc. for the inhabitants of the aileut tomb," it is the veriest methodistical jargon ever uttered ; true cant ; yore Chestertieldian Itypncrisy ; fur not one of these faille Ve nerated dead amild he spare from the gross contamination of the dissectine board, if his resurrection agents could safely con- Vey them to the sporting room for his juvenile surgical opera tors to revel over. Away with such miserable whiiiing ; such rank duplicity. If J. W. is a man and a Christien, as he pro fes‘e% to be, let him adduce better proofs in support of his pretensions than th:.se he has furnished us with. But I wish to know whether any thing ran justify the practice of theft ? kt ill he meet this? Why, Sir, what we arc speaking of, is designated sterling of dead bodies; and the offenders arc liable to the vengeance of the arm of the law. Then to he sure we have •• sickbed sensibility, and narrowed views of humanity," ap plied to such as myself. I thank my God, that even this is the ease ; as a sensibility, though not quite healthy, must certainly be better than total deprivation of feeling; and a narrowed view ahumanity will doubtless be esteemed preferable to the ab sence of ai human sympathy. We have also astrology very unceremoniously introduced, for is hat suitable purpose I can not divine. 35 there never was a question of eomparisoll started by me ; but even in this the thing is so clumsily done, that the very men he• quotes as the parents of anatomy, were those who ...titivated a mast consummate knowledge of, and belief in, the truths of astrology. 'flue first on his long list of aueient names, Hippocrates, has wrote on the importance of the Miser wetien of critical days to patients, as got ernes' by planetary motion and influx. In the name of common since let tie have no more of this hat lequinade, this saying a great deal and yet saying nothing. If we pursue science, Sir, let tot pursue it legitimately, and by All prop. r means,- Means compatible with the eultivation of moral feeling ; for, as to the necessity of the case, it may as well be nista() 10. expedient to enter into a compact with devils, in order to compass a knowledge of the world of spit its, as to as sert that it is essential to anatomical practice to profane the sanctity of the grave. J. W.'s letter, displaying as it does a to tal absence on his part, of all that can express religious vene ration and feeling, is me sad * but notable proof of slle lamenta ble ennsegilencesolthis Unchristian and inhuman practice. As to the scurrility with which I am charges!, I disclaim any thing like a wish to speak contempttionely of any profession; but I repeat again, that I know of no language strong enough in the way of repieliension, to express the abhorrence with which I view the violation of the dead. Doubtless, there are men in this profe -Ulm whom I respect ; there are others also whom I do not hesitate to (my I feel every thing but esteem for ; and as to nosing in their society, I am free to say I have, hid must add, from all that I leave seem and heard, notwithstanding their ea- , .tersor polish, and apparent equanimity, I have known too many entirely heartless, absorbed in the contemplation of the most Sordid pursuit of gain, and besides infected with atheistical tontine ; 5110.'141J. W. prove angry at this declaration, let it be remembered, he has extorted it from me. I had no wish, nor did I speak of the profeeeion, either us au object of perces - tie or censure; flinch levl , (lid I insiuuate any thing against the pursuit of anatom ical knowledge. I find also, that my quotation from the Taunton Courier has displeased this testy opponent of mine ; but, laying aside fur the moment the antiquity of the t a l e , surely J.W. has failed is proving it a joke does he mean to say the story is au imp°. swum even thong!' It should be twenty years since it Was first raimmazistesst t it so, let us Lave the proofs of the imposture; 'ME NATIONAL REGISTER. 41;ICrO %sill 6111111 6 r ACW, that practices adopted by surgeons, sufficiently dreadful to chill the current of our blood, have betas suffered bat too lone. Yosir correspondent can have read very little, and that little to small purpose, if he has not yet learned, that the Clwyd rites of the ancients were symholieal of NWt belonged to the soul, and that t ey considered it impious to disturb the dead busty, because it prevented its reinaiment parts from sp idi'y and pro• perfy rettirtalig to their nati%e eieturints. It it is 4 inaracr of indifference a- to what becomes of the 1.0.1 y or its lamented lineaments may be disturbed and shiseeteti with im punity, why has re.i.,tioL, of whatsorser kind, always made it her particular pros ince to hallow, with her must solemn rites, the burial of the dead ? Let J. W. answer this. I refer him to hoclos as an authority, ,thin, in the Fragments of his Comineo tarics on the It/nil/lie sat Plato, will t'iini..h him with the infor mation he has been pleased to designate as " too ridiessluus to notice." As, haws.% er, he seems to be fond of poetry, perhaps he has read the lliad ; is which ease, he may pmt . 's: tee recut• sect the following lines—lib. 23 " All night Aeltille.s hails Patroclus' soul With large libations from the gulden bowl." The conelmling couplet also, in that di% ism poem, says,— • Sueb honours Ilion to het hero pail 'Chas slept in p .u.e the tuighty II :etur's shade." The application of these cannel, I think, c' ets by J. W. be nsisusole.stood. Nut wislaiag to trespass further 011 %our atten tion, tiir, I sla dl take toy lease, for the present, of J. W., with the hope, that lie will, ir di-vowit to say snore eis this sush i... 4. nee, t d;redly, and rebut, WM. 4 . 411, point point. bat 1 Naive advanced. As I have no doubt lie thinks himself com petent to such a task, l hats elide:trotr to preserve his good trowel fur the sake of his lest he should discover, that the laugh hiia for hip rain Knit:lst Eriantry, without either the courtesy, tele reli gions or the armour of rummies . . 1 mu, bit omit's, Jour UM, 1016. J. li . BATTLE OF WATERLOO. Last Tuesday was the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo ; an event that stands unrivalled in our mili tary annuls. If it ha ye not produced the political results whieh'were expected, no blame is to be attached to the great man, by whose genius, or to the warriors, by whose invincible bravery, this immortal victory was achieved. They surpassed the sanguine expectations oftheir country — they did infinitely mere than the rest of Europe, long a witness of their unrivalled exploits, expected. In one day they destroyed that military system, which, for more than twenty years, had been the terror of Europe; and tram pled upon the fortunes of a man, whose destinies were supposed to be superior to the attacks of tbrtune. Let us recollect, that never did France send forth such an army, so complete in equipment, so confident in its strength, so confiding in the genius and fortune of its Leader. It marched to certaia victory ; and this per suasion did not arise from vain glory, or inexperience. The troops sealed their confidence with glorious death; and they deserved the crown f.r which they so nobly struggled. They raised on that immortal day the glory of the French arms ; and the Chief, who led these men into battle, had only to complain of fortune, and of the invincible constancy of his opponents. Any other army he would have defeated—from any other host he would have torn the bloody wreath of victory. On the me morable days of the 15th and 16th he obtained an almost bloodless triumph over the brave Prussians ; elated with the events of those days, he made his preparations to fight the British army ; and, had he succeeded, to decide the chances of the war. Our troops had only arrived the (lay before on the field ; they were unprepared tir being attacked; they expected to attack; and the most intrepid of men are affected by a circumstance of this kind. Even the elements too conspired against them ; for it was after a night of drenching rain that they were brought up in the morning of the 18th to maintain the glory of the na tional arms, and to decide the greatest interests that were ever settled by the chances of war. The general results of that immortal victory are too fresh in recollection to be forgotten ; but to describe adequately the genius that se cured, and the bravery that achieved, these results is a task that far exceeds our humble powers. It is enough, for the present purpose, to say, that Wellington foresaw every combination of the enemy—anticipated every movement ; his eye overlooked the dreadful field ; his moral presence was every where ; add he alone, to use the language of the best judges, could snatch the victory from such valorous and determined opponents. Never was a battle so hardly fought—never was such resolution displayed on all sides to conquer or perish ; and never, also, was a triumph purchased with so much blood. It is in proportion to the courage manifested by the conquer ed, that victory is valued ; and it was the daring valour of the French troops, their constancy, their generous zeal, and noble fortitude, that enhanced the triumph of our countrymen ; and when the political passions and prepossessions of our time shall be extinct, the glories of Waterloo will shine with brighter effulgence than those of any other military achievement in our own or the an nals of any other country. Its anniversary should, there fore, be observed by us as a day of national exultation. That ever-memorable battle decided, in one day, a war, which the most sanguine calculated would last many months ; it has thus saved us from an additional burthcn of debt and taxes—it has moreover placed our national security beyond the reach of external danger,—it will have the effect of preventing, for many years, an attack from foreign Pow*, who will tremble at the idea of encountering in battle the warriors who achieved it ; and in a word, it has raised the glory of the British arms to an unparalleled elevation. A 110 AX. —anws— An erroneous report of an intend. 41 Grand Review at Who bledou on Inestlrv, a report not countenanced by any older from the Conumstider in Clod; but which sp. rad far anti created a Sti•Ol!A %ens:di:pie in every pair or We MutrOVOlife ! :111 , 1 the 1,11401131.1.)villZ11111 . tit 11111, , 'lllllO Laiit. heel] 0.11 111,0.1 asU,w ore sitter that memorable s ear of spectacle, 1411, 51ell• on the alert at an earls hone. 'Chi. timid variety of vellitlev were put in reimisition on this occasion ; the Portsmouth road, all the morning, presented an eittlie.-s train of carts, coaches, and I•al'4VJo4 %I a suitable prof' of pedestrian.. No re view tookwithm place; and on mei% ing at Wimbledon Continuo, mothers of the MI% viler , were overalselsited with chagrin, and quite unable to ronreal their disappointment. In espertation of the Itevit w, the itinerant dl :den also tonally frroptent fairs acre drawu up in r, I order on the Common ; and the hucksters, whose trumpery booths were christt 114. d :Met the principal ta t erns in the Vetropolis. had also 'miliard to colonic nee hes. ;tidies iu the usual way while the skatn-fi;:lit was g on.' The a hole Cournou wore the appearance of one Vast fair, and r.IVe the UNII:11 iiss,ol (silt of 5%0110 and shoos, bll.ek an d white cocks, tioder .ecru over when, hot spice!' nuts, itutl pilot tit r beer. 0.1 gaining the Common, the mul'itinies spread themselves over its am i de surfave ; bus ants little disposition to join in the spurns, or to regale thenisel es with the cheer prep.*, eat for then' by the ace ttttt modating grotty we have just letcrred to. SOM.' sulkily . shrew themsr Ives on tire grins, end others co r a ,. lessly strolled os er the Olio. o.i a sodden a prodigious smoke appeared at a .listance : au.l the sammine Corkines began to hope that the shani-liAt had ctomneueed, through solnc unitreotteitable siren 05t.....re, they mold tool heat the thumb r: of the e.sut from a Idyll these clotolv a tie to its Yu onitrd. A very resointe ittivaster took Mare is. consequence of 'hi-. dove ; alien it apnea' ed, that that a inch hail liven obsei 'red Mose flout the cuu.lii4i tit's& of the Common. The tinge had been lighted in many ',arts by boys and salmis of the crowd, and was pr• scanty seem burn that in all dirt-rimier. 't he Military .amateurs. it is hardly necessary to saute, 11.141 soon the inorlitiention of tio.huz that wimt tot. y bad guessed to fie moat musk-tiglit was snits eau (11.111 tottit ct% smoke ! An tentini4hed mill on the Common had been fitted up with Wail for the reception Of etitstpailly to ace the Review. A few persons took possession of tins elevated sitnatou, where they exhibited thcmaelve• for some hums. It wit , : Kit rag times re. ported that tilt , building had been tired, and that the etrlgies of .nine public characters had be en exhibited and then tttrieos into the tlattica. There was no truth in this ; the mill remained unhurt, and the day ended with the saute tritlitsc sport. and harmles► vagaries with which it commenced; nod a perfect farce celebratzd the glorious tragedy ptrfuruied int that day last year. DRAMATIC 111 GI COVENT-GARDEN. Saturday night ()may's Tragedy of renice Preserced was performed at this Theatre; when Mr. Kemble ap peared, for the last time this season, in the character of Pierre, and displayed all his accustomed energy. He was lousily and generally applauded throughout. The Tragedy of Pi,:arro was produced here on Mon. day night with appropriate splendour.—The character of Ehira was sustained by Miss O'Neill.—The killing softness that prevails in this fascinating actress may nut harmonise with the general class of heroines; but there arc feeling and pathos in Eleira ; and Miss O'Neill gavo to her distress a forceful energy that rendered the cha racter deeply interesting and strongly attra.‘tive. Tl:e part of Cora was well played by Mrs. Faucit, and Mr. Conway was a very effective Pizarro.—Mr. C. Kemble, the original Alonzo, displayed feeling and spirit, and the Rolla of Mr. Young was chaste and impressive. The House displayed a hill and fiishionable audience. Mr. Kemble left town on Sunday morning for Liver pool, where he is engaged to perform a few nights in a theatrical career ; after which, and a few nights more in London next season, he finally retires from public life. ENGLISH OPERA. The Bee Mee was the second piece at this pretty little Theatre on Tuesday night. Miss Kelly's Cicely was infinitely amusing, and the three altogether went off with great spirit and effect. In consequence of the horses and of Madame Saqui's re-appearance at Covent-garden Theatre that night (thr Farley's benefit), the following appropriate lines were introduced in the opening Address spoken by Miss Kelly : " For we've no substitutes to feed you hopes—. No dancing here of tureigners on rope,— No prancing paiircys we, floor Astley3 stray'd ; We hope to draw-160°14 the horses aid r These lines were received with acclamation. ADDRESS, SPOILEN BY KIM JELLY, ON °PEKING TM NEW -nrinzep - - - - OrtitA-110USE, BATURDAY, JUNE 13. WELL ! here I am at last!—and what's as true, Nor less surprising- here—id last, are you. Though we do meet, to() soon, I fro'', to part, Yet welcome ! kindly u vie ome !—from wy heart! Our Humble Edifice triumphant rose In spite of threatening dames and Patent Foes! The Foes who'd stint your pleasures—but in rain, To Covent Garden and to Drury-Lane. Who kindly wish to prove, as it :appears, Monopolizers of your smiles anti tears! Who love you all so dearly, that they swear You shall go no where—if you don't go them. Pray how d'ye like our House ! Is't snug and easy? Upon my life, we've done onr best to plrusr ye! You all ran fuer and see, I hope—Yo—all! Those are rare virtues of a House that's smolt ! For such, are Actors ever hound to pray, Where you can see the Stage, and hear the Play. Where you with ease eau mark our real faces, Without the aid ofglasses or grimaces And each inflection (lithe voice is heard, Your ears prescrv'd ; and our poor lungs are spar'd! To that small stage which here oar steps would prep, Full marsy au Actor owes 114 tir3t success; JUNE 23.