The National Register. — London, England, 1818-10-18 00:00:00

~~ 11-77 ; 14 "-Ze--(-% 2- // e idiot/11 al No. 558.—V0L. XI. • POLITICAL DISQUISITION. THE HOLY ALLIANCE. THE mysterious intentions of the Holy Alliance., as it has been called, are now avowed. The object of this Confederacy is acknowledged to be a leagete of Sove reigns in support of Monarchical authority. On this subject the Lllowing observations are so sensible, and the langnage so forcibly expressive, that we unhesi tatiugly insert them from a cotemporary Journal— feeling assured our Readers wiil be much gratified by their perusal. • At the commencement of the revolutionary war with France, when it was the common cant of cour ' tiers, that " this was the cause of crowned heads," a learned and distinguished divine shrewdly remarked, • " then I know what is the cause of uncrowned heads." • The feeling, thus truly expressed by our countryman, pervaded Europe at that period, weakened all the exertions of the Allies, and contributed as much as the enthusiasm of her armies to the astonishing success of the French Republic. The abuse of victory on the • part of France, her scandalous want of faith to those • who confided in her promises, and, above all, the ' degrading despotism to which she unreluctintly sub ` 'Mated, gradually obliterated this feeling; and the disasters of her Rus>ian campaign enabled the nations she had deceived and abused, to shake taller yoke.— ' Can it be the wish of the Sovereigns to revive among • their subjects the sentiments that prevailed at the commencement of the French Revolution? Do they suppose it was attachment to them, and not indigs nation at the infamous oppression of France, that roused the warid against Napoleon.? 150 they imagine ' that those who wished well to France at the beginning of her revolutionary career, are become indifferent to ' liberty? Do they think arbitrary power will be to ' lerated by their subjects, peovided it is exercised by legitimate Sovereigns? What means this hop' alliance —this armed coalition in support of monarchical au . thorito—this gnarante of recogni:ed dynasties against • democratic spirit qf their snljects? Must nations • submit in future with resignation to every sort of oppression it may please their sovereigns to inflict ? • If they attempt resistance to established authority, however weakly or wickedly administered, must they • expect to ba opposed and punished by the united • force of all the Sovereigns of Europe ? Is there to be no term or limit to tyranny, except the will of So ' vereigns awl their Ministers? Are nations henceforth • to be considered as so many gangs of slaves, without redress or protection against the cruelty, rapacity, or • caprice of their masters ? Is this the reward of their patriotic exertions against France ? Are these the • fruits of the deliverance of Europe ? 'What worse ' could have happened under Napoleon ? ' Before this unholy league is consummated at Aix ' la-Chupelle, we beseech the assembled Sovereigns to • pause, and to reflect a moment on the state of the • world and of themselves. They must be aware, that • the hostilities which have. c:esolated Europe for the • last twenty five years, have had more the character • of a civil or religious war, than of a contest of nation • against nati•m. Mankind have been and are still di ' vided into two parties, the advocates of ancient privi • leges anal existing abuses, and the friends of reform ' and good government ; and if Kings and Emperors • will condescend to inquire, they will find, whatever • the Mcttcrnichs, the Hardenberes, and the Castle ' reaghs, may tell them to the contrary, that the latter 4 are not the least numerous o: least powerful party.— ' Are the Sovereigns prepared to drive so considerable • a portion of their subjects to despair ? Have they so soon forgot their late situation under Napoleon ? ' Ten years ago it was in the power of the exile of St. 4 Helena to hays swept them and their dynasties from Our Lititz, OonOtttution aub U atps. SUNDAY, OCTOBER, 13, 181 S. • the face of the earth. To his mercy they owe, that • they are still in existence. He spared them, because he had the silly vanity to be one of themselves.— ' But let them take care, lest by their misconduct they raise up a second Napoleon. If such a revolutionary • conqueror should again appear, by what arguments ? will they appeal to his de ;AIR they boast •of their gratitude to his predecessor? By what in sinuations will they stir up their subjects to resist his arms ? What have they to remind the nations they govern, but of hopes deferred, of promises broken, of ' engagements violated? We have no desire to excite fresh disorders. Twenty-five years experience has eon ' vinced us, that imperfect liberty, with peace, is pre ' ferable to a more perfect system that. must be obtained by arms. Yr hat we request of Sovereigns is to form no confederacies against their people, that must excite an universal combination of Mankind against them ' selves. If they have enemies among their subjects, • let them disarm their resentment by satisfying their just desires. Let there be no further delay in the grant of Constitutions promised at divers time: to . ' certain nations. What the Kings promised in ,the hour of peril, let them fulfil in the moment of victory.' . - As far as the interest and the character of England are concerned, she was not a party to the Holy Alliance, we were told by Ministers last Session in Parliament, but the British Secretary of State is one of the junto at Aix-la-Chapelle, and it seems highly probable that, whatever are the machinations there, our Cabinet, though not parties, are privy to them, ank.though not bound by treaty, will be aiding and abetting in their execution. Otherwise fbr.what purpose is our Minis ter there ? That this is so is much to be regretted, not because our assistvier Nanny Waosjeffaatual ia aid of the Allied Sovereigns, but as the attempt degrades the character of our Government to a level with despo tic Monarchies. As to the success of this Alliance, whether we join or not, that will be much the satne, as the attempt of mere Governments to controul the spirit of an enlightened age is as puerile, and as likely to he effectual as the celebrated orders of Xerxes to bind the raging sea with chains. The Lancasterian schools, and the liberty of the press, even imperft-ct as it is, will produce a power which armies and alliances can neither subdue, nor resist ; which cannot be banked or dammed up, even by the builders of the Egyptian pyramids, but, like the Nile, will overflow the country, to leave it afterwards improved and fertilized. HABEAS CORPUS Act. —Bishop Burnet relates a circumstance respecting the Habeas Corpus Act, which is more curious than credible ; but thouzh we cannot be induced to suppose that this important statute was obtained by a jest and a fraud, vet the story proves that a very formidable opposition was made ti it at the time :—" It was carried," says, he, " by an cod arti fice in the House of Lords. Lord Grey and Lord Norris were named to be the tellers ; Lord Norris being a man subject to vapour., was not at all times attentive to what was doing; so, a very fat lord c0n1in, 4 , ,, in, Lord Grey counted him for ten, us a jest at first', but seeing Lord Norris had not observed it, he went on with this inisri:ckoning ,:f ten, so it was reoorte3 to the house, and dcelarel that they who were for the bill wcre the majoritt, thou r ,-h it indeed went on the otln side ; and by t'is means tiro passed."--1 Kist chap. ii. p. The Imperial Ukase ordering. 4 new levy throughout Russia nf two wen ia 'every .500 inhabitants, is given literally in the liaiaborg Mari. - This measure is de clared to have been occasioned by the necessity of filling up the army to the Peace Establishment, below which standard it hail Nien, through the sasi)ensica or all recruiting during the years 18 i G —l 7. • The King of .Wartemhurg, it is :tail, feels inclined to make common cause with, or at least to favour strongly, the Grand Duke of Baden, in his quarrel with the Court of Munich ; but the general Mier is;that these unhappy disputes will he referred to that tribunal which is per 'sans rant competent to . ocatla them, viz. the Allied Sovereigns. toitittr+ THE QUEEN. Pit ict The following Bulletins of the Queen's health have been issued since our last : " Kew Palace, Ort• IC. " The Queen has passed a better night than could have been ex tied, front the uneasincla under which her Majesty Wowed )tr ay." " Kew Pietism Or*. 13. "The Queen haF net bud a good night, and her MAjecty fedi want of that rtfre,hment which she liaslately derived from sl-cp." " Kew Palace, Oct. t L. " The Queen passed the whole of yesterday in comparative case and comfort, and slept well last night." " New Palace, Oct. is. " The Queen continues in the same state in which her Majesty was yesterday. " Kew Palace, Oct. 16, " The Queen passed the whole of yesterday in a state of greater case than she had experienced during a few of the preceding days. Her Majesty has had a good night, and feels herself refreshed by her sleep." I" Kew Palace, Oct. 17. " The Queen continued in a state of ease throughout yesterday, but her Majesty has wawa a less comfortable night. The symptoms of her Majesty's disorder remain the same as for some time past. F. MILLNIA N." From these bulletins, our readers will perceive that the symptoms of her Majesty's disorder continue una bated ; and that the debility of the Royal sufferer is excessive ; no motion of any kind is at all attempted, lest it should induce a rccurrence of spasm. It is raid, the King has latterly manifested some uneasiness at the continued absence of her Majesty ; who used to make it a regular rule of visiting him at least once every day. The Prince Regent is constant in his attentions to his Royal mother. The inquiries respecting her Majesty's health con tinue to be anxiously made. Wr e regret to state, that the Princess Sophia still continues in the same low nervous state. The 1)1 1 }„ e of York paid his usual visit yesterday to her Royal Highness. The Duk4 of York, is camel - an:lx of the inelfspo• sitien of the Queen, has relinquished his ennual visit to Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, to take the amusement of shoo: ing. me buke of Gloucester is expected to return from the Continent in the course of a few days. Sixteen horses belonging to her Majesty, and slveral of the Princess Augusta's, hare been sent from Kev to Windsor; the garden chairs, in which her M,..'esty used to take exercise, when she first went to Kew, na:e also been sent off to Windsor. These circarnstancs give rise to the idea that her Majest'ys removal to Windsor may be again in contemplation. On Monday her Royal Highness the Princess A.:- gusta gave a plentiful dinner, to the whole of the work men employed in the Royal gardens and plantations. at nw. Three ample tables, most bountifnlly famished with cold roast beef, puddings, &c. were set out in tho Holly-well, on the farther side of the ;awn, at a ::f1;- tance of nearly half a mile front the Palace, and up wards of 60 persons sat down to them. They were divided into three classes ; at the first table were l'ae gardeners of the botanic gardens ; at the second were those of the kitchen admen ; and the third was occu pied by the labourers employed in the improvements. which arc carrying on under the direction of the Prin cesses. During the repast their Royal Highnewtes, attended by Gen. Taylor, visited the scene, and waived several times round the whole of the tables, with the most graceful condescension. After their Royal High nesses bud retired, the health of the Queen and Princesses was drank in plentiful libations of porter. brought to . the scene of action in barrels, and after sitting about two hours, the numerous assemblage departed to their several bones, bearing with then: large pertitais of provisions for tie it The Duke and Duchess of Kcot, after spending seine days at Spa, return to Drussels. The Grand Duke Michael, in his late tour, is said to have disbursed in travelling expeaces in England, a n great a sum as 20,0001. Tha innkeepers where he put up charged enormously high. At an hotel in Edin burgh, the bill for two clays is 'mentioned to us to have ainounteci to 27A Alter this bill was wal e d an aftercharge was made of 503. f'ar aluncheort of bread arid beer far eight men. In Dublin the bills were more moderate. At an inn in South -street, the charge for four days was only 1501. at which the Grand Duke wee so satisfied, that he presented the landlord with an extra 501. \. ° ld • Nod I 118