The National Register. — London, England, 1818-01-25 00:00:00

6klv Vbr No. 520.—V0L. XI POLITICAL DISQUISITION. ON THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT. " All might go well in the Commonwealth, if every one iu the parliament would lay down his own interest, awl aim 44 at the gtneral good. If a man were sick, and the whole " College of Physicians should come to him and administer " severally, haply so long as they observed the rules of at t, he " he might recover ;—hut if one of them had a great deal of " SCIIMOny by him, ie must put off that, therefore he presc:'i bes " Scamony ; —another had a great deal at Rhubarb and lie must " put oft that, and therefore lie prescribes /rhubarb, &c. they " would certainly kill the man. We destroy the Common " wealth while we prCbtl ve our own private interests and ." neglect tite pubis." Si,. DEN. The meeting of the two great Assemblies of the na tion, which is fixed for Tue.Alay next, the 27th inst. i s a circumstance to which people in general look forward with a coosiderable degree of interest. Whether in a time of peace or of war, the vast andimportant concerns of the nation which are then discussed, are sure to ex cite a lively concern in the minds of a very large pro portion of the Community. We are now fortunately • placed beyond the necessity of raising supplies for war like operations, but such has been the paralysing na ture of the dreadful conflict in which wo have been en. gaged, that the severity of the shock has extended to the remotest parts of the kingdom, and has been felt through all the ramificatit ns of our widely extended commercial relations. We can, however, at length, alter having weathered the storm which has proved so disastrous to most of the Natione of Europe, congratu late ourselves on the recovery to health of the body politic, on the resuscitation of the trade, manufactures and commerce of our country, which has taken place in a very material degree since the last Session of Par liament, and which must be a matter of rejoicing to every well wisher to the prosperity and happiness of Old England. Still, however, much remains to be done, in regard to certain matters nearly connected with the welfare and improvement of society, and which, we trust, the Members of both Houses, during the recess, have not failed seriously to consider. On the Meeting of Parliament, the nation might fairly antici pate a remedy fur every pressing evil, an enactment of me4:nres tending to the general benefit of the Com mouwealth, would every Member, as Selden observes, " My down his own in!erest, and aim at Me general goud,"--but the circumstance which occurred during a late session, when the Minister was abandoned in his attempt to carry the Property Tux Bill, by those wealthy Members who had before voted with him upon all occasions, [Winds a sufficient illustration of the de pendance that is to he placed upon any description of men when their own immediate interest is concerned. The character of these persons is analogous to that of the Quack Doctors with their " &oniony° and their " Rhubarb," and we may attribute to them a consi derable part, if not the whole of the difficulties with which Ministers have had to contend, in regard to the financial operations of Government. Among the most prominent subjects likely to occupy the attention of Parliament in the ensuing Session, we may anticipate an early debate, (though probably it may go no further than a desnitory conversation) on the sub ject of the late long-to-be-lamented breach, made by death in the Royal House. This will probably be fol lowed by some observations on the subject of the succes sion, which, however, is already so settled as not to require the aid of parliamentary interference. The Habeas Corpus Suspension Act will be sull'ered to die a natural death. The tranquil state of the country, and the generally improved aspect of domestic affairs, are sufficient to warrant this supposition, were it not strengthened by the circumstance of the liberation from prison of all the persons who were confined under its ~~ ationat toitittr+ Our thug, Confititution anti SUNDAY, JANUARY AS, 1818. operation. Upon this subject, it may be observed that the greatest enemies of Government will hardly have to complain of rigorous severity, in carrying into effect an act, which vested in the hand of Ministers such extra ordinary, such unlimited powers. Wailer, Sherwin, and the publisher of Cobbctt, mighttong since have been incarcerated, had not the Government wisely suf fered them to put forth their publications, and thus give the people of England the opportunity of judging of them by their own works, and the doctrines which, from the passing of the Act, they have never been hindered from promulgating. The thing is, however, gone by, and we trust the country will never again have the misfortune to witness the operation of an act so foreign, so inimical, to the feelings, to the disposi tions of Englishmen. A Royal Marriage will, there is little doubt, form a subject Parliamentary deliberation. The Duke of Cambridge, who is reported to have fixed his matrimo nial choice on a Princess of I Jesse Cassel, is entitled to the respect and esteem of the nation at large for his amiable qualities, and the general goodness of his un sullied character. With regard to the public finances, there is reason to believe that less difficulty will be experienced than many are ready to anticipate. The Minister has, dur ing the recess, been using great exertions to reoder the old taxes operative and effective ; by which means, with the aid of economical retrenchments, we trust that no new burthens will be I;aind necessary. The A3urish ing state of the \limey-market is such as to tiuilitate, if not render highly advantageous, an*mancial ope rations which the Chancellor of the Exchegner may find expedient to put in practice. Alany statements have been put forth, tending to create lartn, as to de falcation in the receipts of the public revenue, &c. these, we have some reason to think, are far from cor rect. A deficiency certainly has existed, and, perhaps, may exist for a time to a minor extent, but by no means of a nature to create despair, or the least doubt that the Administration have it in their power to supply the (Weir without making any additional call upon the people, who may look forward to a diminution, rather than an increase of the weight which they have so loog and so patiently endured. A considerable portion of the time of both Houses will, it is most likely, be occupied by the old and stale subject of the " Catholic Claims."—Nor will there be Wanting hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Petitions on the subject of Parliamentary Reform—these will, we trust, be considered on their own merits without pro. ducing party spirit, on giving rise to invidious objec tions tending only to create popular clamour and dis content, when much might be done to,4llay the excited feelings of a loyal surl deserving people. We sincerely hope the wisdom of Parliament, will not fait' among its euriiest enactments, to provide some salutary remedy for the relief of the distressed poor, by a revision of those laws by which they are peculiarly affected, nor ought they to lose sight of other objects, in which not only the lower classes, but the :)üblic at large arc ma terially interested, and which arc so fully illustrated by the Reports, long ago laid before both Houses by the Committees appointed for that purpose, We refer more particularly to the Report, of which the public are in possession, on the subjects of Mendacity, and the Police of the metropolis, embracing also the smarm of the li censing system, with an exposition of the alarming mo nopoly existing among the Brewers, and others concern ed in supplying the public with those articles of con sumption, which, in the present state of saciuty, may be ranked among the necessaries of life 0. publi • meet_ ing has been culled in the motrop " for the purpose of considering the 6:%1 means of counteracting this Gn IVANCF.,. 9 and we trust tha l'ArLau,ut in their eudeavouri to promote the general atuclichauun PRICE 9ij of society, will not lose sight of objects of such into. rest and importance to the great mass of the population, who are looking forward with no small degree of anx iety, to the gx)d which they have a right to expout from the deliberations of the ensuing seam. PRINCE LEOPOLD. WEYMOUTH, JAN. 117.—Last Sunday his Serene Highness Prince Leopold, and the whole of his esta. blishment, observed the solemnities of the Sabbath in $ private manner at Came-house: the Rev. Dr. England, Archdeacon cf the Diocese, officiated. The next day he and his attendants took a ride on horseback over Bincombe-down, through the village of Preston, and from thence by the turnpike-gate leading to this town: here he stopped for a considerable time, surveying the distant bays, esplanade, and different buildings. His Highness appeared in deep thought; and it was observed that he did not communicate his ideas on the different prospects, either to Sir Robett Gardiner or Baron Hardenbroke; but quitted the scene in a state of mind absorbed in the deepest melancholy. On Thursday, Prince Voroniesky and General Count D'Ojarowsky, two Ri:ssian noblemen, arrived at Came. house, charged with letters of condolence from the Ent.. peror Alexander, The Earl of Ilchester, and several other Noblemen. and persons of distinction of the county, have this week paid morning visits of inquiry, but Prince Leopold's continued depression of spirits has prevented the honour of their personal introduction. The hot and cold baths at the King's Lodge arc kept in constant readiness ha. the accommodation of the Prince, who is expected to use the fornittr for complaints of the head. Parliament will be opened by Commission on Toes* day. It is generally understood in the Court circle; that the Queen will hold a Drawing room on the .Qtith of Fehnutry, _ . The I)uke of York is mending very -cast. Earl Fla. thurst had an interview with his Royal I Ugliness on Thursday morning The Princess to whom the Duke of Cambridge is about to be married, is the youngest daughter of Ern. &rick, Landgrave of Hesse, by Caroline of Nassau.-- She is the r antLanu g hter of Mary, second daughter of George 11., and consequently, second cousin to his Royal Highness, and is the 59th heir, in her own right, to the Crown of England. The Duke of Wellington, before he left Cambray fife London, notified to the Commandant (Sir Andrew Bar. nand), that none of the officers of the garrison were to be permitted to attend any of the masked balls dote ing the approaching carnival. The Duke of Wellington arrived at Apsley House on Sunday, and had an interview with the Duke of York, Monday afternoon, which lasted from half past four till six. Tuesday the Mae of Wellington and Lord Stewart transacted business at the Secretary of State's office fin. the foreign and colonial departments. At live o'clock thu Duke had a long interview with Lord Castlereagh, at his house in St. Innes's.squitr... His Grace afterwards dined with his Lordship, at which there wore present several foreigners and persons of distinction. He proceeded to Eton College cn Thursday morning about 10 o'clock, on a vi s it to l.is two sons, who are placed at that school. His. Gram was received by the Masters and Steward, and r_maincd alxnit an hour. He was much cheered by the scholars. THE STRATHrtEcosay EsTaTE.--The =loge. ments for the purchase of this estate are going on in the most amicable way, contrary to what was lad week reported. The Earl of Rivers is on a visit at the Marquis of Winchester's seat, at /import-noose, in Hampshire, wherin his Lordship lately met the men of business, to whom all arbitration is reti , rvet i. Th e Duke of Wellington abides by his lino determinat;on, not to interfere in the s. ttlement. The only Ipleain..; obstacle is the , want of ,round ; but this evil will h e removed. by Government taking in —eckfield-heath. There is not the slightest truth in the report that 200.0001. have Len ofro. e d to Lord R. by a emai banker. The drawings tin- the or ent tie, al* ready ; and preparations are makin g ; for a:ving a mw feature to the Wu.. i$ ..nd ether olotitatlens. The Rt:a►iaa FL*. -0 remain* at tvit'acao wind hound. or & o va% m w attain, are tng has Deen CLIIICU Lill: sp LIN - Fur Ifit put ',Emu - this . leatty ; am prt.pn.a Ivy% are ma m g on, were it not of conA tering the means of ciarnlrracfing waturc to the w0, , ..1s .std otter ta . totat;' , fli . . the liberation from rvAxer.,'' and we. trust tha Parl.am,at The Rs ' Hum confined under its lis their endeavour, to promoto the general atuelicasuon h oun d. `l"L"ai / . wind • . /az ~~ % \ b b 1 Ft..