The National Register. — London, England, 1816-04-15 00:00:00

t 67. ri)m),J/0 4. No. 431.—V0L. IX. ON EASTER. THE principle of the association of ideas is strong in the human mind. By it, when one thought in a series that has formerly commanded our attention is recalled, the whole train is again brought under our review, at tended with corresponding affections, feelings, or emo tions. If, after a long absence, we return to visit the spot where we irst drew our breath, or passed the days of our infancy and childhood, or if we find our imagina tions led to such a scene by accidental circumstances, our memory runs over the whole transactions of our youthful days, peoples the place with our youthful com panions, and nets over again our youthful sports and amusements. From this principle it results, that the book presented us as a memorandum by a friend, though at a great distance in time or place, recalls his features, his actions, or his merits ; that the sight of a house where an acquaintance or a relation resides, excites in our minds thejimn;e of the family group by which it is inhabited; and that the spot where a celebthed event occurred recalls the 'arennestances with' whielt it was accompanied, and renews the feelings which it is calculated to inspire. Hence it happens, that Rome is more interesting to the scholar than Paris, and that Jerusalem is more interest ing to the Christian than either;—hence is flapper's that the rubbish of Athens excites grander fleas then the architectural symmetry of other cities;—and heree it happens that the Tiber, though an insigni3cant stream in comparison with the Don or the Wolga. oceu ,;ies a larger space in the imagination of all those asquainted with the revolutions of empire. That scholar must have a narrow capacity or unsusceptible feelings, whose ima gination could remain unexcited on the site olCicero's , or beside the tomb of Virgil; and that Entiliahman would have no reason to boast of his sympathy m his country's feelings, who did not experience a glow or pride mini patriotism on the field of Cressy or 'Waterloo. Without pursuing these illustrations any further, it may be re.. marked, that individuals, states, and religions, have grafted upon this associating principle of our nature, many of those customs and institutions that diversify the pe riods of our existence, and render the recurrence of days, months, and years, something more than the revolution of mere divisions of time, or a bare calendar of the changes of the heavenly bodies. Hence we view particular sea sons, not as distinguished by bad or good weather, not us being bleed for a longer or a shorter period with the light of the sun, but as being the remembrancers of im portant events—the chronicle of our fortunes or our hap piness. Hence, among individuals, the obscreance of the anniversary of their births or their marriages —hence, in states, the attention paid to the periodical returns of sea sons distinguished for revolutions or remarkable events in their own history, cr the history of their sovereigns ; and hence, in religion, the origin of fasts and festivals. The Muhometan system, taking advantage of this pro pensity and habit of the human mind, has connected the origin of the Mnssulman era with the flight of the Pro phet, has ordered all the faithful to pray with their faces , turned to the city in which he was born, and ordained a pil i erimage once in their lives to Mecca, to invigorate their piety in the temple consecrated by his presence and devotions. The most renuirknble events in the history of the Jews were likewise recalled to them by their ca lendar and by rites to be peritxlically performed. Hence the feast of the Passover commemorated their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and a few simple ceremo miss and institutions excited annually through suc cessive generations, all the piety and gratitude whi4ll the original objects of such a providential interfiet ence mast have experienced. Christianity, as it has availed itself of many of the innocent propensities of our nature to promote our spiritual improvement, has not disdained the powerful principle of association among its ways and means of warming our feeling', and influencing our cand act. The most interesting event in the history of its Launder—those events chiefly calculated to furnish the '4; thject of oar most improving moral ketleetions, such as his birth, his death, his resurrection, are all written on the wheels of revolving time, and with the recurrence of particular days or seasons, are presented to the mind along with the feeling:4 they arc calculated to excite. The return of the Sabbath recalls weekly the remem brance of his resurrection from the dead, and renews the hones o"oar own. The appearance of Christmas reminds us of the circumstance; in which he ensue into the world, and the purpose which his mission was intended to stall:. g l a , ei, atio nail Airlisittr+ Our ten4titution ant X a 1334. MONDAY, APRIL 15, ISI6. It leads the pious mind to the contemplation of its Sa- , :iour, like the star that guided the wise men to the place where he lay, and makes it a partaker of the joy which the shepherd felt from the songs of the angels that an nounced his birth. The festival of EASTER is accompanied with recollections as interesting, as it places before us the consummation, that train of labours, sufferings, and instruction, which he undertook to regenerate the world. The word Easter (or what in German is called Ortern), is of Saxon original, and the seaS4n is so culled front the divinity to whom April was delkated ; but both in the learned, and all the southern langeages of Europe, the term for expressing the festival is derived front the Pas chal feast of the Jewt, during the period of which our Saviour was crucified. The observation of it began early in the Christian church. The disciples of our Lord, and their immeTaite converts, would remember with peculiar interest, and with ardent piety, the anniversary of so as tonishin, an eitnt that happened so near their own time, or within the veigeof their own experience. The prin ciple of association behtg natural, would gain strength by its religious consecration, and extended the *ante pious regard to other 'lays than those connected with the his tory of our Saviour. 'During the progress of ecclesiasti cal comiginas, the number of f2eivals was accordingly greatly muliplied, a powerful host, of saints userped the calendar. and a graft liortion of ii"..ue was enjoined to be &scree.: :o their paseover. This evil had grown to such alie;ht before the ref Tmation, and is now so inveterate in 'be Ileaum Catholic system. that out of the 365 days of the year, theze is not one which is nut appropriated to some saint or other, and some days are even encumbered with several. The different refoemers that arose about the time. of Luther, had:different ideas with regard to the number of feastrtai be retained, though they all agreed in Imaging the calendar from ficticious or obtrusive saints. The English church perhaps, retains too nr,my, the Cal vinistic churches too few: " Jack;(to are the of the Tale of the Tub), tore all the lace off his clat," and perhaps with the-ailnlaace of the action, rent a little of the coat itself. Though there be too great a tendency in the popular mind when ceremonietaand festivals are mul tiplied, to depend an ceremonies aild festivals alone, they ought not to be - entirely disregarded us aids to devotion. There is surely a medium, and *as nn good Christian would pass the Budd - of Bethlehem without thinking of his Saviour's birth, or the holy sepukhre, without recalling his death and resurrection, so we ought not to fbrget that Christmas and Feeder may be rendered subservient to nurposes as pious, and reeollactimis as vivid and inter esting. DfPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUAE OF AloNwtv, Avail. 8. The Weights and Alinsures WitS brought up from the Cammors:, and on the motion of Earl Stanhope, seas ordered to be read a second time on the 7th May. BUONAPAIITE'S Di:TENTION. Earl BATHURST moved the second reading pf Bnonaparte's Detention 11:11. _ . . Lord HOLLAS no said, on quell a Illation he had eKpeeted the Noble Sacrelary of Situ would h3vt` given .Tat .le eXillanhition all to the parried.: of the Bill; and PS to the .01 and police of the mea4ire; fur his part he saw neither wisdom, policy, er magnanimity in it. Still he admitted that the greates t part of ;he people of this country agreed with 7•linit.ers. is the pro priety of detaining Bunnaparte in custody; hut he could by no ~:cynic agree ,n is; and it was his intention to record his dissent from this Bill on the Journals of that House. This Itilrriaid said that it was incemary to consider Bawl:wane SF a prisoaer of war. Now he wished to know front the Judges, whether an alien enemy could be detained as a priaoaer of war rifler th e signatnre et a Treaty of Peace, and fur that purpose h e move d . that its accord reading be postponed till after the holiillys, in or•ter t i gi:e the Judges an opportaaity of uncoiling, they be ing now *Orient on the Assizes. Earl BATHURST hail conceived the object of tills Bill to be so clear, and so evident, as to require no explanation. 'flue moment Royalism:lle surrendered bini. , ell* lie was as much prisoner of war as If he had been taken at Waterloo, la-cause ate act of his had put an end to hostilit.e4 lretween Its and France. The cliarach•r of a pri-oner of war was well kao All to mir statute took; and this :till was only meant to declare parte a prisoner of war. 'file Noble Lod had forgot that our obtaioing posaestdon of the person of Boonaparte tvas the re mit of a common (Cot with our elks, aeot tact- had n right I o he coasulted in seendir, Elul. To do which etlectually, it be came neeeslary that one of tile Alhed Powers ‘ltotild have tikt! custody of his person ; he believed lie was securest with aid would have less chanee of again thsturbiog the repose of Europe, flout he would have ha-I it he bad bccuplaced under the power of itossM, tistria. or Esassia. The Earl of Lac i/Elt MALE tlitetglif that Bunnimarte mil ht have remained in this country perfectly sale, under the care of peaceottseers. The 11:11 was read a second time, the. atnend,nNit of Lord Holland being negatived without a dip i :him—Adjourned. TCF•DAV, APRIL 9. A Ittett.atte rrnrn the Outiftions bentglit up the Prineems Char otte6 Eslablihhtettit, the nutter luta Clime Duty latpurta- PRICE 9 ,Id. tion, and the P4ll/Clll5UrCil Bats, which here read a first time. The House went into a Committee on the Bill for detaining Napoleon Buonaparte. lite Earl of LAUDERDALE moved an Amendment, to leave out all the words applying the term of `• prisoner of war" to Buonaparte. Tire Amendment was negatived without a division. The Earl of LAUDERDALE said, that although persons were punishable for as.sisting Buonaparte our of the beands of the island of St. Helena, yet it was ambiguous; and he sricrni4 therefore, move the insertion of the words " or further" the es cape of Buonaparte. This Amendment was agreed to. Lord linti.ssin moved a proviso, that no defendant, against whom Buono ante might bring an action, should be allowed to plead that he was A M alien enemy. On this Amendinant the House divided—For the Amend. meld, it 10. The preamble thi n received some verbal amendments. and the Bill went through the Committee, and was ordered to be reported to-morrow--Adjourned. WenNrsnAv, APRIL 10. Earl Bathurst presented an account of the sums already paid " by France, as part of the war contribution to this country.• !fad a Noble Marquis been prr:eut. lie could have shewn hint that thic, and ever% sum which France had to pay yearly, would he more than stiteitirt to defray the espence our army In France. —The account was laid on the table, UU4I ordered to be priuted.—Adjourned. TIICRSIDAY, APRIL 11. The Royal Assent - ,vas ti.ven. by Commission, to— The' truces, Charlotte's Annuity Bill, Bannanarte's -Detcf lion Bill, the St. Helena Intercourse Bill, the Reis: Duties Bid, the Lead Bill, the Promissery Notes Bill, the American- Trade Convention Bill. the Irish Parise Ditties Bill, the Bank Advance Bid, the Manchester Watr•rworks Bill, the Exeter Gas Lights Bill. the Southwark Bridge Bill, and several others of a private nature. The Transportation 818 was lea I a second time. The Bat ter and (Ifieese Bids went through the Committees. The Coroner's, and the IfigHland Society's Bills were read a Ilcst time.—Adjourned till Friday, the 26th instant. HOUSE. OF COMMONS, Movntv, APRIL 8. Petitions were presented front the Tanners sad Leather-sellers • of Cumberland, Ludlow, Mack-tiehl,Sa lop, Durham, and other places, against the Tax on Leather; from the licensed Vic tuallers of Catater'oury and Knareslywongh, against the Li cense Dirty ; one front the Freeholders of Suint.rsetshire rgairst the Leather-taa, the Poor's-rate, and the oppressive weight of 'Faxes generally; and p rity biz /Ix every pm,si We retrenchment in the expenditure; Itl6o iron Worcester :aid Beverley, airainst the Insolvent Act ; and one from Dutnfiics, praying relief for the Agricultural laterest. Mr. HARVEY presented a petition from the porter sun! ate. brewers of Norwich, praying that so :e allowance should lie made to them, equal to the war duties, &you the stock is hand. The lion. Member contended, that uhless soma smell meastwo were adopted, the repeal of the war duty would prove as in- - jury to them. Air. CALVERT was convinced, unless the suggestion was at tended to, the brewMg trade would be sus7enderl. An Hon. Bert. (Sir.M. IV. Lid:vy) had said on a former nizlit, that if this duty were Liken off, porter might to be lower :5 pennv i:s the not. 'fhat I inn. Bart. should have recollected, th a t which this duty was laid oil, the brewers iiieren :ed their price aid: one halfpenne, and it would now, when the !hay was taken ot, be lowered a 'halfpenny, and that he thought mightsatisfy tlfe Hon. Gentlenum Mir d. W. [WILEY desired only tint the reduction in the price, now the duty was about to be t4ktut oti; should he equal to the athauce o inch took place at the time the catty was bed on, and that the quality of the article hold shoe's' be the 571 , 11 C. he COO` idereti that the great root of evil ease 1,44 the monopoly cf public Looses which existed among,' toe r !reat brewers. _ _ 'Sr. C. BARCLAY coot:gide(' that the advance of one Kir thiug prr pot .i0re17,12. was by no mass equlu to ii.e advance which had taken place during the ea:ue period ou every other urtiele of life. Mr. tI'ESTERN wished for the immediate repeal of the duties in every respect, as tlnt -only step winch could afford relic( to , the barley growers. The CII.IAt•ELLOR of the rsentiourtt world advi s e- tst i o brewers, as a measure of economy, to brew immediately and largely, and to buy up , all the malt they before the ;nice of barley, and consequently of limit, should inerr_a•fx, a eirensa stance which certainly must occur, and that at uo very tLatant period.--i tl Sir r. It uansfer presented a petition from Ilre county'. of • Wilts, complaining of the -weight of ta Imtist. under which the country laboured ; it also complained of the large military es tablisloacnt propowl to be up ; awl of the suite of the Representation of the kingdom, wad- pr4you Parr.a• menhirs - liCll4lll. Mr. Mr•rit uEN stated, that he had understood Meer* wean not Olole t h an 111 persons p reSea fat the inecemg at which this petilie.:l was 31Zerti to. Asunder reunion, which. be trusted, would convey We sense Ofthe Counv, was iii preparation, and would, in a few slays, be presents d to the Wiese. Mr. Dount.kti laid, previous to the House going, Into a Com mittee, he wished to ask the tmlile Lord whether he bad any ob jection to prodneinn certain Papers Laing to the receipt and apylicasion of 3:49,00:11. from France, and which, without any application •to parliament, had beta appropriated to Co- pay ment of the army. lit ut present knew of impart of - bur Con stitution "chid: gave so itillgeroll9 a power us this to the Minis ter of the Crown.—lf a power so dam,erotu , to the Cotraitution did exist, the House>lt trld lose uo sitar in interfering end put ting au end to it. He s:muld cow, if the Nellie •Lord hail nu ob jection. move for Papersealati%e tl t•mi subject. Lord CASTLUISAGH bad tat objection to the motion, though- . 62 Iry