The Statesman. — London, England, 1823-02-03 00:00:00

MAILS. i d DIM ARR. Dablla t. S Reload • O Waterford 0 0 Iltuebre • . G. & Jersey - 0 1 Propos Lisboa 0 1 Flanders - 0., Gotteobori - 3 1 Brazil PRICE OF STOCKS THIS 'Busk 5t0ck......41111 .it 937761 3 par Ct. Red ...... 9par CS.Coap ....4 4 99 4 1 4 per ONO& 1/14 f Now Falai 9/11 94f I per Ct. IMF .l.coosAaa. . lonp.ll per et... . .. ...... Trish II per Casts. DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. ladle Stock . Ditto Bonds .. 99s *Os.. pm. !bath Sea Stock ... South Sea Old Ann. Es . Bill.9d. 111 is. 111 pm. 10001. -WC lb I Is. pm. -mall is. Ils pm. Coolor Aset 761 70 LotteryTtekets ....221. 19s. Zit, .ibtattontan. LONDON: MOMbAT zrextzio, rustuav I, 1823. BOURBON WAR, ': ♦ND THE INFAMOUS NEWSPAPERS. For upwards of twenty years, I have been asserting, and have very frequently been giving proof of the ntis cbievous tendency of this press. I once compared it to the " tenehriore stars," mentioned somewhere in the SPECTATOR; things shedding darkness instead of light I have a hundred times bad to sbew the practical mis chiefs which resulted from the works of this corrupt and stupid press. As to internal policy ; as to the contending rights of individuals; as to matters in ) dispute relative to land and funds; as to measures relating to Commerce, to war, to every thing, in short, of a public nature, it has fzneate my lot to show the errors, the falsehoods, the immense r‘ista. - .lefs proceeding from this press. It has Lag been clear to me, and I have frequently stated my conviction of the fact, that the present calamities of the country are, under the Devil, chiefly owing to the work ings of this at Race illiterate, conceited, corrupt and • inexpressibly grovelling and stupid press. At the time when it took place, I showed with perfect clearness that the silly add nnprinapled war against the United States of America never could have taken place If it had not been for this press. That war which, besides a load of disgrace such as the country foyer bail before to bear, added ieventy millions of money to the debt. In the urging on of that war, the City of London and the Old Times newspaper were the two principal agents. This vile newspaper, which has always made its appeal to this baser passions and most grovelling interests, seeing Na poleon put down, cried aloud for the putting down of James Madison. That vile paper, which now affects to complain of the conduct of the King of France, then in • sisted that there was no safety for any legitimate govern ment in Lerope until Me government of Me United Metes should be destroyed. In this nefarious coarse it was seconded by a great pan of the rest of the London "rapers. The language they held was this: there can be no peace in Europe while the American govern ment can be suffered to remain what it now is: if that government be suffered to remain what it now is, it will get a stout fleet and be our rival upon the ocean: let us, therefore, crush it now, while France is in such an humbled state, and while there is no war to be dreaded upon the Continent : we have a fleet and army ready ; and, therefore, let us depose Madison and destroy this arecessful example of democratic rebellioa before we lay down our arms; by which means we shall, too, obtain resources for assisting to pay the interest of our debt!— This was the substance of what they said. Incessantly did they inculcate these doctrines. The war was under taken ; and the consequences we have to rue. Every thing that one man could do with a pen was done by me to counteract the efforts of the stupid and m.tlignaut press. I warned the Government and the country of all the consequences. I fotetold, with the greatest exactness, that which finally took place ; those Leavy losses and that everlasting disgrace. Still the myrmidons of the press went on. They throve as much as ever; were as impudent as ever; the public were still as credulous ; ate! dearly have they paid for their credulity. We now see this vile press leaped in an effort to I prevent the prevalence of just principles with regard to so adjustment of the nation's difficult affairs. We now see it leagued in a course of lying, distorting, calamni sting, and every species of villainy that it is possible for the basest of minds to bring into play. The vile thing has not, however, the power which it had. The wretches e he trode in it have been a good deal exposed. The scourge n hich I bore is become of greater length and of greater strength than it was. The powers of the whole press taken together have undergone a new divi• lion ; and in that division a much larger portion has fallen into my hands. Long perseverance aud incessant watchfulness on my part have at last snide an impression upon the accursed thing. They have 'hen n the traders in their true light to all the- intelligent part of the eom. mnnity ; and, the castle of ignorance and corruption has been for some time shaking and trembling. Nothing bas happened, for a long while, to give this castle a greater shock, than that which has now hap. pined with regard to the Bourbon war. This press has now manifestly keen the sole cause of the ruin of thousands of families. This affair is really fortunate for the nation. The ruin even of thousands of families must ultimately be greatly beneficial, if It have the effect of weaning the people Irons a belief of what is published through the columns of this infamous press. Millions of money have, within three months, been as clearly conveyed from English into French pockets as a man's wage's of a Saturday night are, fur the greater part,con. Terd oat of his hands into the hands of the tax gather. er. And it is row equally clear that these millions have been conveyed from English into French pockets, because, and only because, the public read and believed .what was published by this stupid and corrupt press. There is one advantage belonging to this transaction: that is. the lime has nut been too long before the result took place. The Bourbon war began to be seriously talked about only in the first week of November ; and, it is now actually declared in the last week of January. During these three months, the topic has always been kept before the public. Not a day has passed without *wt. r ...., . . 1 0 . . o THE STATESMAN. more or less being said also at it. in the daily papers. The @abject has been one of very deep interest to the nation . at large ; and particularly to those bustling, talking persons who deal in stocks. The stocks is, in fact, a great game always going on. Innumerable persons hike a part in this game. This game, like all otitis* produces a great excitement in those who are at engaged in it. Then, there bate been numerous persons who, tempted by the large interest on Spanish securities, 'as they are drolly enough called, have ventured their all and the all of theii families in this game. The thing came to this, in short a betting upon peace or war. Our stupid and blackguard news papers; our illiterate, unprincipled and corrupt newspapers advised their readers to feet upon peace. They did so: and they have lost millions, which millions have been carried away by the French ; and by GerniansPessians, Prussians, who were in the secret, and who knew that there would be Now, if there had been nobody to foresee and foretell that there would be war. If no public writer, having so other means of information than these newspapers had ; if there had been no such Pelson to foresee and to foretell that Which has taken place; then, indeed, {her charge against this vile press might not be so clearly made out. But, I can appeal to the public, I can appeal to my own columns for proof,that from the very moment that the subject was first mentioned 1 said there would be war, I proved that it was folly to believe that there would not be war, Therefore these newspapers are totally deprived of all excuse : they must be be lieved to be either profoundly ignorant or profoundly corrupt. Of all these offenders, none has been so great as the Old Times. Many are the mischiefs which this credu lous public have experienced from giving ear to that calumnious and lying vehicle ; but in other eases, it has not been so easy to trace the mischief at once to the source. Here we have mischief and source both before our eyes at once. And now let us hear what this stupid old paper has to say in its defence. It feels the consequence of its abuse of the public. It seems to feel that it is impossible it can ever be believed again; aid therefore it makes the following miserable attempt to palliate ha conduct. " We cannot refrain from repelling an intputation east indiscriminately epos as with others, that we pare aces . "ranee, or even hazarded an opiates, that no sear would "take place. How was it possible to predict the final " determination of • mind that vibrated every day ? We " never did more than describe and explain coteraporameows "appearances. No one can deny that M. de l'illele's " articles in the Journal des Debate were pacific. No one "can deep that the Duke of Wellington made the strongest "efforts at Verona for peace; and would not any one have " been mad to have sa id, snore than two months ago,that those " efforts would prove unavailing SOW ? Whoever, Indeed, "should have said that war was decided on, eiglit and forty " hours before the speech, the detested speech, was uttered, " would have been in error." Mr. Canning, when he conducted a newspaper called the Anti Jacobin, spoke of the Courier newspaper in the following words. Let It be observed, that the Courier was then, as well as it is nuw, the property or part pro• pert) , of Daniel Stewart. These were thd words in which Mr. Canning expressed himself with regard to the Courier. "We formerly observed, that the ICOURISIt was written by madmen for lAe use of " fools; we now think it is written by fools for the use of madmen : it should be mentioned,that a competent " degree of kaavery, which is by no means inconsistent _ _ 0 with the character, either of folly or madness, must 44 be understood to attach to both parties." Never, perhaps, was a better description ; certainly never • truer description; and, precisely do these words apply to the old paper of which we are now speaking. In• deed, there may be some doubt, whether it be the mad men or the fools who are the writers; bat that, between writers and Leaders there is a mass of madmen and fools, nobody calf p ossibly doubt. What tioiAthis old paper mean by complaining that the imputation is Cast upon it, as si ell as upon other papers? Why, it was the great bell weiber of the: blunder. It was not only wrong, but it led the way in error. There is a whole tribe of country papers that have been in the habit of pinning their faith upon it. Cockey Bacon of Norwich, for instance, has never any thing of his own upon such a subject. He merely copies what is said by this old thing, which he calls the "first of " English Journals." Such a man as Cockey Bacon dues net know any more about the interests or passions which are at work in France and Spain thaw he knows about what is passing above the clouds.—Su that this old blundering bell wether not only merits a share of the imputation, but a principal share of it. " How was itponible", says the old thing, " to predict the final determination of a mind that vibrated every day ?" Here is a miserable shuts ! How do you know that the mind of the King of France vibrated every day ? And if you did know it, how came you never to tell ne of it? The King of Franee's mind had nothing at all to do with the matter. It was the mintilOf those whose mind governs the mind of the King of France. Bur, at any rate, you never told us that his mind was vibrating. You told us that be was for peace; and the wretched creatures who have lost their fortune s believed you. But, what impedance; what idiot-like folly to ask how it was ?orate for any one to predict war, when predictions not only of the possibility but of the fact are so fully before the public : When it is notorious that the STartsmarr did predict if ! What do you want more to convince you that it was possible? You gave a deicription and explanation of" contcmpora meows appearaacu." Oh, you did, did you ? And what does that mean (you old fool I.) What does contempors neous mean? Wbo authorised you to fabric Ate words? But, if you wean that you described and explained tl.e symptoms which appeared of the disposition of the parties on whose will the result rested ; if this be your weaning,tlsen you resort to your old practice, that of du.vnright lying ; for, never did you any such thing, and Dever were yon able to do it. " No one can deny " that Al. de Vilklea articles in the Journal des Del ats " were pacific." In the first place, what authority have you for saying, and what reason ever bad you for believing, that the articles to which you allude were articles of M. de Yillele?- What do y ou k now of M. Villele and his writings ? In the next place, " the articles were pacific?! Yes, In he eyes -of as fool like you; . lint when you told us this; or, *tit er , w hen you told* it to the besotted holdersof Spanish bonds, what did we say ? What did we tell the holders of Spanish bonds? We told them that these paCific articles were written for the express. , purpose of deceiving them; for the express purpose of getting money out of English pockets aid putting it into French pockets; and you, therefore was either pro foendly ignorant, or you were willingly assisting in the cheat.. This time, however, we acquit you of the latter, and ascribe your articles upon tbe subject to your incor rigible stupidity.—" No one can deny that the Duke of Wellington made the strongest efforts at Verona for " peace." But we deny it; we denied it from the be ginning; we always said it. was false; and where have you any proof of its truth ?•-•,—." Would not any one have been mad to " have said. more than two months ago, that these efforts would prove ono " nailing ;atria ?" Are not you a mad old devil to ask this question ? For, did not 1, more than two months ago, when you told us that those efforts were making, tell the public that if they were made they would prove unavailing? Did 1 not over and over again give the public the strongest assurance, that if the Duke made the efforts he Would be laughed at? And yet, with all this before time public, you, (crazy old wretch 9 ask if it would not have been madness to foretel that which you yourself say has now leit verified! Yes, yes, it is, as Mr. Cittning said in the case of the Courier, madmen writing for the use of fools, both having a saitable por tion of knavery.--.. Whoever should have said that war .. was decided on eight and forty hours before the speech 4 . was made. would have been in error! What! is there nobody to take you to Bedlam! Have you no relations, no friend on earth to pay for a broom-stick or a strait waistcoat? Why, you raring mad old creature, eight and forty hours before the speech was made, the STATES. ataN told the public that war was decided on. Look into its columns and you will see that just eight and forty hours before the speech was made, the STATESMAN told the holders of Spanish bonds, that war was decided on ; and out come you now. with all the foam and drivel abont yonr jaws, and tell that very same public ; tell those poor ruined creatures that held the Spanish Bonds that those were in error who told them that war was decided on ! In this same dotard j ouroal of Saturday, we find the following pretty little attenip: at shuffling out of respon sibility. The reader has already seen enough ; but, in a case like this, we can hardly have too much. 1 will I therefore insert this abufile. " Yesterday being settling " day for the transactions in foreign securities, a very great sensation was produced among the persons ea " gaged in them by the aononacerwent of a defaulter of "'the Bret consequence, whose _eitensive resources were 0 previously supposed to hairs placed him beyond the 1" apprehension of each a reverse. The name of this 1 " gentleman is Mr. Dewitt Moearro, and it is ne'more " than justice to say, that the previous knowledge of " and estimation for his character, caused the most " lively sympathy to be every where expressed for his "misfortune. It has been caused, no doubt, by a con "fidexce is his own jagasent that the peen of the Con " tinent would be maintained, and which was so strong "as to induce him to risk his very large property on " the issue." So, this jobber was ruined by a confi &ace is his ownjudgment, was he? How do you know what confidence he bad in his own judgment? Did he tell you that he was confiding in his own judgment ? No, you shocking old thing ; bat you made this obser vation by way of insinuation, that if he bad followed yosr advice, be would have been saved ! Hence this observation about his own judgment. He followed his own judgment to be sure; and ihat very weak judg ment led him to confide in you inetead of confiding is the Statesman. If his judgment had been sound, he would have despised the silly trash in your columns, would have been influenced by the clear views and sound reasoning offered to him by me; and his fortune would have been safe lel his pocket. Other and even more heavy failures are expected we are told ; and, indeed, this peace-bubble threatens to equal pretty nearly the famous bubble of the South Sea. Millions, at any rate, have been conveyed out of the pockets of the English into the pockets of the French ; and it must now be evident to all the world that the newspapers with the stupid Old Times at the head of them, has been the cause of this transfer. We happen to kuow of a gentleman in the country, who had bought to the amount of many thousands of Spanish Bonds. when these bonds were at about 48. Being in London, be went into the house of a friend, pulled out the Old Times newspaper from his pocket, and, in a tone of exultation, exclaimed to his friend : " here, you " see, there'll be no war 1' And then went on to congra tulate himself on the purchase that he had made. His friend immediately put into his hand (lie STATIMMAII of the evening . .before. " Read that," said be; " and " think a little more about the matter, before you resolve " to risk so much." He looked at it. Ile read it. He wad staggered. But he held on: he believed in the stupid Old Times, and has become a half ruined man.— This doubtless has been the case, or nearly the case, in thousands of instances. Covered with the curses of wives and children mast this mischievous newspaper be but, curse it as long as they will, their curses will never reach a ndllioneth part of its demerits. It has often occurred to me, that one of the most useful things that could be done, would be to show the nation who the people are that own and conduct this London press. If this could be dihm completely, the delusion would instaniy he at an end. These newspaper dealers and jobbers have influence only because they are not taloa*. The notion of the world is, that each newspaper is the property, and i s under the controul and direction of literary yeallensen ; men of extensive information ; men to whom the sources of , knowledge are open ; men of great ability ; men, in short, whose business it is to tench the public what to think Of public matters, and whose talents are equal to the due per. formance of that business. The mysterious WE that they make use of, give men an idea that what they are reading, proceeds from a little council of wise meu, who have been ' sitting and deliberating upon what they shall put forth.— Each paragraph appears to be a sort of little order in council; a solemn decision of a species of literary conclave. If the publio could but know how the bing is managed; if they could but know whams:taboo those are from whom these paragraphs proceed ; ine f could but know how a newspaper concern is in general conducted; if they could but once gee all the rabble rolt of proprietorp,and bear their hickerings and quarrellio u , about the the prtfiti; if they could but once see Ay4.; hear these the delusion would vanish. They would never more believe a word ,that they read, ant! would never be more in danger of experiencing the fate of Mrs. Muccatter. To exhibit the whole swarm to the public view, wit; an account of all their shares and all their dividends of profits would require the space of a not very small volume, I shall, therefore, fur the present, content taysta with en exhibition of the nature of that trading concern, the stupid and beastly Old Times. And this I shall do be inserting a copy of the affidavit, recorded at the Stamp Office, and in virtue of which affidavit this miserable old paper is permitted to be published. The reader will stare when he sees it; but, it is necessary that it should be seen, in order that the public may know the names of aomeof those, at any rate, who have been the cause of so much delusion, and of such inexpressible mischief. AFFIDAVIT. • " CHARM/ABELL of Brunswick-street, Christ-Chuerh, in the County of Surrey, Printer; JAMIE CARDEN of Bedford- Square In the County of Middlesex, Esq. and Mary kis Ink, (which said MART CARDEN is eke of the Administrstrizes wittfthe Will annexed of JOHN WALTZ 2 ICE of Teddiagtso In the County of Middlesex, Esquire. deceased); the Ite. VEREND ALEXIINDRR BRODIE of Eastbourne in the COW!' At Sussex, Doctor of Jislaity, and Anna his Wife, du severally make oath and say: And, first the DepOD . efli CHARLES BELL, for himself, with that he Is the Printer and Publisher of a certain Newspaper called " TIIE TIMES ;" And the Delo. omits JANE. CARDEN and Marg his Wife and the said Aces- ANORIt BRODIE and Anita his Wife, for themselves say they believe that the said John Walter at the time of his deeds was the Proprietor of eleven sixteenth Shares of the said Newspaper; and, being such Proprietor, in and by his last Will and Testament gave and bequeathed novo his Nephew John Walter and John Sbubaek certain Shares in the soli Newspaper Upon Trust as to two sixteenth SharesAttereof for the sole and seperote use of the said hisne CARDEN Naliedk standing her Covertnre and as to two other sixteenth Shares thereof Upon Tryst for the sole and separate use of the mi; Arose Brodie tottwilikstaistfiai Aer Corerisre ; and :hat t se, said James Carden and Mary his Wife, Alexander artid4... and Anna his Wife, for the laid twelve months and upwards have been, and now are, in the receipt of their respective Shares of the Dividends and Profits in respect of the *id several two sixteenths so bequeathed by the said John Wet ter deceased as afore aid anti that the amount of each of the said two sixteenth Shares In the Property of such Newspa per Is not less than the proportional Share of any other Pro prietor. And these Deponents, CHARLES BELL, JAIIES CAa- DI and /Barg his Wife, ALEXANDER BRODIE and Anna his Wife, do further say that the aforesaid Newspaper is in tended to be Printdd at the Printing Office iu Printing Hoses Square in the Parish of Saint Ann, Blachfriars in the City of London, and lastly that the said News-paper is Whaled "TILE TIMES." Sworn at the Stamp them Somerset Place, . t this fifteenth day optuse, I9°1; before me, " HENRY HALLAM. "A Commissioner for managing hts Majesty's Stamp Duties." " Charles Bell, " James Carden, " Mary Carden, " Alexander Brodie, D.!). " Anna Brodie." Here is a. picture! Here is an exhibition! Here are the mighty and mysterious WE! An attorney and his wife, and a parson and his wife. The two women, y o u see, are the real proprietors, fur 'the shares are secured to them, itetutithstandinif their s eobeeterc.' Tints, then, the infamous blackguards who have been representing me as .keeping a butcher's shop at Kensington; have • been fighting under the shelter of the petticoats of these two impudent women. Conte at them with horse-whid or broom-stick you cannot ; for it is the two women; it is Anna Brodie and Mary Carden that are the real pro prietors; and who come, and, upon their oathv, place their names here as the persons who authorize all that is contained in this atrocious paper; a paper marked fur its inculcation to the shedding of blood ; a paper marked by every atrocity, that has ever disgraced paper and print. But, these women arc not to escape in this way. Swift very justly lays it down, that when women quit the behaviour of their sex and behate like bullying men, they are to be treated like bullies and kicked down stairs accordingly. Every word contained in this indecent and atrocious news-paper, must be deemed and taken to be the words of these two women. They pocket a consi derable part of the profits arising from the sale of this paper. It was only the other day that theseintpwlent women talked of my "paunch." I do not at present know the persons of the audacious tennagents; but when I do, I shall be by no means sparing in description of their paunches, and such other parts belonging to them, that I may think worthy of description. However, that which is much more interesting to the public is, the dirt awl filth of the trade that is here ex hibited. Here is this concern, divided into the devil knows how many shares. Here are eleven sixteenth., VI by will; so that even the old Walter appears to have been proprietor of only eleven parts out of sixteen of the paper. These two abusive women swear that each of their shares is not less than the share of any one other proprietor ; so that, according to this oath, there most be eight proprietors, and the fellow called John Walter, whom Dr. O'Meara horse-whipped by proxy, or, at least, horse-whipped another person in the stead of, Can be the proprietor of no more than two shares out . of six teen. There may be fifty shares, for any thing that we know, and twice as many proprietors. Whole families of childn n, it is said, are in saw degree dependent upon some of the shares ; and, in short, the shares are, and must be as much an article of traffic as lottery tickets, shares in play-1 ,ses, or any other thing of the kind. You see, the women talk of dividends of profits! there is a pretty concern ! Here is a thing to which this pub lic are to look fur correct information as to matters in which the nation, or in which large classes of persons are deeply interested! Is it not manifest, that a thing like this can be carried on for no purpose other than that of profit attending it? Upon tlr! fare of it, it is a trading concern ; a concern for making money ; a concern with which truth or falsehood, can have tothing at all to do. Whatever the interest of the concern dictates ; whatever offers the prospect of the greatest profit, must necessa rily be pursued. Where, then, are we to find terms sufficiently contemp tuous to apply to th t-e, who, at the hole and corner meeting held in a ba. n • n Norfolk, could state, as a rea son for protesting against the coaity Petition, that that Petition had been a woe . by the London aewspspers! In the speech ascribed to Lord SUPPIELD, this very rea• son is given for that hole a"d corner proceeding. Su! his Lordship was frightened out of his senses at the war. Me‘il xeddisti Lord ! decent I bnichor paunch county imputed she can, be WWI k?trdis qthe to 11 foil inK me Ed war( behind to cowl And, prieton 'Neel i: vilest o by the: bullied of tbei vile tr all to; * thew) poesy • tont, whole the :r % this de and a fiends. the ne the fat thef f 4 the pc tion o the au Norfol as I ol arc, al thing man, thew. Jews. have s .of cos Vf gSe, them : just 1.4 Ont newsp them read They aeettri SIT Conga are at ing In Otero and ii is prei