The National Register. — London, England, 1820-11-19 00:00:00

• g. 0 OV6-€. l 1:- 1 tit _4ib, a ti lt:4 w il k to i c it t r, . , • _ _ _ eute Sing, tottattution, anti LPRICE 90. No. 1,281.—V0L. XIII.] (V ON THE ISSUE OP THE QUEEN% TRIAL. -.....- WHIN we first sawed the lists in favour of hex Majesty, we did it with the perfect conviction that on the issue of her trill would depend whether we were to remain, or cease to be, a free people. The nion, is absolutely necessary to every scheme of liberty in a highly cultivated state of society. This shews how careful statesmen ought to be in pre serving the regal dignity from the slightest degra- • dation. Much as we love liberty, we could not easily reconcile ourselves to the rude familiarity eel' modern mullein manners. Royalty takes off the sough edge of cresikes, and renders it more_durage, by its tendency - to check its lussuiance. We thaw fore deplore the injury it has ree:eived from the • accursed Bill of Pains and Penalties; and, to rectify this misfortune, we confide more io the gcod 811.140 of the public, than in the seal of its intemperate supporters. more we reflected on the subject. the more we felt penuatied that our Brat impression was cotTect ; and • • . _. • - . I .1 [ meting am alter, that if the Bill hat? passed, the station could never have been induced, but by down right violence, to submit. to its enactments. 'Un utterable calamities must have arisen out of the unfliet, that would hare been thus raised between die government and a very large majority of tLe nation. There is every reason to suppose that it would have been a deadly one, and that one party would have fallen, mortally wouaded,in the struggle. The people would have not yielded, and the govern ment could not, for, after carrying so odious a measure, it must have supported it by a succes sion of violent acts, one exceeding the other in its unconstitutional and coercive character. The Bill was founded on that sort of policy, which admits of no compromise with the party attacked, and leaves only the alternative of complete triumph or total defeat. It is, therefore, difficult to say whether the govern ment or the people have most reason to congratulate themselves on its rejection. The former could not call that an advantage, which would deprive it for war of the auachnbaat and csaddrass of titeanblia;. and when it would have to secure its parliamentary triumph by the entire destruction of the reme;ning rights and liberties of the country. It is well known how insecure any system of rule is, though fenced round by all the mighty and terrific means, at the disposal of a tyranny, if once the people regard it with implacable distrust and aversion. We therefore advise ministers to bear their defeat with fortitude, and to consider it even a fortunate circumstance that they have got, u they have done, out of so perilous a dilemma. But as the result of success on their part would have been the curtailment of the people's rights; the penalty of having miscarried will be the reduction of their own influence, and perhaps their dismissal. In politics, as in war, the party who engages in a desperate enterprise, and fails, usually loses all the ground it had previously gained : the general, who collects all his resources, in order to fight a pitched battle, and is defeated, is generally driven back to the position be occupied at the commencement of hostilities. A government, also, which has been waging war for a long time with its free-born sub jects, is always forced back to the ground it held at the beginning of the struggle, as soon as it is beaten upon a question of great,and decisive mo amt. It is surprising, therefore, how ministers could entertain and persevere in a measure that was sure to call forth every energy of the nation, and to make the cause of the Queen that of every one, who would not see Might triumph over Right, and the crown set aside at pleasure all the safeguards of con stitutional liberty. This was fair of the greatest blunders ever committed by the servants of the crown in this country; fur, in the first place, they tyre off at once the veil with which they had pre viously endeavoured to conceal their encroachments upon the constitution; and, in the next, tiny risked the fruits of forty years' successful areas on 0111 . at tack. It is now about forty you. since Mr. Dunning 801)'1 I! AMERICA. The following is an extract of a letter from the son of Mr. O'Connell, who .ucconipanied Cient.ral D'Evereux to South America. We believ- it isthe most authentic account that has reached Europe from this quarter. 416,: " Head-quarters, Barranquilla, Monday, Aug. 13,11.120. My dear Father—Mr. Burke, a most particular friend of the General's, having hail me that ire '41:1 11' , ~ fc au op portunity of sending letters to-mote' J.: :131 0 .'3, 1 CM brace the opportnisily to send ylls ;: item ;isn' t : am account of our voyage and ataiv,al 11. it . After a li•w • weeks tedious passage from Jamaica, we auc b lr,.J in the Bay of Saveuella, and ,tone but the G. a t t% ai ado.; ed to land, accoMpanied by two Aides-de-Cam,. ; you hum ble servant was one of those, but tile Gearrita nut heir; able to procure horses enough I.r us, I was left bt.stind. " As soon as the General taw Adult's+ Brio. , he soli cited permission for all of us to lead, winelt the Admiral granted, and sent down a large belle .; fur its 10 come up from SaveneHa to Barraip.illa, 22 miles distant —Aili.nengo came down, but the cal* never liteationed a word lit the message; they loaded her from several ves sels with different articles, went up the river, and we never knew she was for as 11.11 ii side we. gone. Tot pas sage tip the river always occupies front 2 to SO hours fur barge boats, in consequence of he enrage' of the current running down ; as soon as the General saw we were taut cuter, another large boat was de patched, and after lying at Saveatella for near a week, we edits.' 11,, bele slier 2-1 • booms passage. On our arrivall:ere, , i.e . .itticers and sol diers were billeted on the inhabit:sm rind supplied with v excellent 'iola of beef, 31h. each—of hreml. a good bat; and rice, candles, &c. 1 being on the General's Stall stop at the same house with him. 'rite Admiral behaves very well 'o the General, and indeed we as e trey.ted here with the greatest respect. " It seems that Moinillo has refined to give np the Corp tumid of the army to the General ; iu C01134.41111 . 11CC of which 'he General bay despatched Hall and Bennett to the President, to lay the matter before him. Toe General reopen greatly my not hying op here in time, •ohe he would have sent sue to the President iitstead of Bennett. Bolivar is al present within ten days journey of this. " I rode yesterday, with Mr. But ke, to Suledad, about seven miles off, whetc 40.1 Creoles are stationed. I was prereired to Admiral Brion and rah Madan) ---, a so ;terminated old Ditches*. Yon will be sore. hied to hear, and no doubt rejoiced,' - as servant, who came My dear father, I"l wt " The messenger w! mist finish abruptly, nell, &c. are all in a few days." The same gentleman maica, under date Jul• of Carthagena had six officers and four took with him abou► Creoles, which, added to 150 on board ti„t's fleet. and 300 at Angostura, will constitute a force of 600 Irish and 100 Creoles; that the army wider the President's special command is P 4,000 strong, which is intended for an attack on in con junction with the divisions of Geiser..; Urdaneta. Extract of a letter from List l• iorid3 date:—" We are at length derivilig tl' ‘‘e atiticited from the change of which the Cortes has given a! Giito gen, who is most retpected by the peopl ed as a portion of the river, opposite St. Mary's, where preparatimis ace , mal sidcrable business. This .new port -is St. Joseph. One French Ififf fi•om I I,..vrL arrived, And whets arc expected daily. The and port charges arc quite atm we ar.. !Lupo% for a brisk trade, in winen the merchants of the United :..i:ates are expected to participate very largely. 4 4 :NI 4 , i pi! - .. ~ , less. You will be sore. Owl( to loran-. tI, that I have got Tim,ly out with Palmer, of the Li Heel 4.-6 4 Mote again to you before I e 400 1 ' MORGAN 0•CON/T i rs • !hu goes wills this is , se ly. Mr. trAllulleii, reim. I ova. We air to ait'porn.t. Alartho eman writes fratia Kinston, Ja- July 17, stacflig that the Viceroy 1 iirriveethere, accompanied by • friars(that General LYE , ..treux out 160 Irish troops and 100 I 411..1, I'av4 . 6 y r ` itid•A of a t the adva (iovern „ h. l -. P. :To I. ur Co • _ 4. .1e% Au, hai g the to Ikltte fin . . s t‘i be t ;d.. Lt. ri is A.: 2 7)9 IitiNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1820. made his celebrated models in the House of Commons " that the power of the crown had increased, was incoming, and ought to be diminished." The mo tion had no other effect than to record the fact ; and the rapidity with which the nation recovered from the difficulties occasioned by the American war, counteeected the effects intended to be produced by that &Sion. The erowtecontinued to receive op aananion of strength; scut at the period when die Queen retuiped, it had reached a height that was probably never contemplated by the statesmen of the last century. One ill-advised and intemperate measure has been the means of restoring the ancient powers of the constitution ; and the crown has lost, in the course of a few months, what it had been acquiring in the space of half a century. It is nominally the same, and to a superficial observer as imposing as ever; but it is in reality as weak, and perhaps weaker, than it was at the beginning of the last reign. It has shewn, by its abandoning the proceedings against the Queen, that it is not able to contend with the power of public opinion ; and as it has betrayed the secret of its weakness, it will be pursued without respite, till it be driven back to its old ground. The people, wheie they arc the assailants, act with fur more impetuosity than their rulers ; and us they have in general injuries to resent, es well as prin ciples to support, they always make the most of every, advantage they acquire. When they have asseted sae eamoossion, it is only a signal for insist ing ea another; and every compliance, in weakening the party that yields, strengthens that which de mands. When once a government, long accustomed to give the law, is compelled to receive it, it is very rarely able to resume it; and it is our firm belief, that the crown, having failed in this great trial of strength, will be obliged to act for the future on the defensive, instead of pursuing, as heretofore, a sys. tem of aggression. Such are often the consequences of a single error in politics, and such is likely to be the memorable result of the proceedings against her Majesty. We confess the more we examine the state of public feeling, as excited by that ill-fated question, the less we feel ourselves competent to fix the limits at which the desire, so strongly evinced by tho na tion for redress, may confine itself. The public, indignant as they arc at the attempt to force upon them the Bill of Pains mid Penalties, will probably require far greater securities for their liberty than they would have otherwise deemed necessary. They h2ve now little or no confidence in the justice and moderation of the government; and as they imagine that they have been threatened with a military rule, ►hey wisp probably be guided by that apprehension in their future precautions. They will endeavour so to restrict the influence of the crown, as to render such un attempt fur ever impracticable. An unqua lified jealousy of the executive will be the rule of their conduct, and it will require great temper and great management in the leaders of the people, to prevent this feeling from running into any tingcr ous exec.'s. Royalty never stood so naked in the eyes of mankind as it dots at present; it is nut sur rounilol by any of those illusions which used to fascinate the many, and without which it can exist but with difficulty. We deplore this change, for there arc static things, and those of the highest uti lity, Which cianivit exist without the aid nt siltodid prejudices; and tuyalty is a, u, which, in our opt• • J l C. , 1• • • Ei 1 1 ~l 4