The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-10-08 00:00:00

L.) the ELECTORS' of WESTMINSTER. GlNvtr.strg,—ln addressing so enlightened a por tion of the community as the Electors of the great Metropolitan City of Westminster, it would ill be. tome me to adopt the hacknied style of congratula tion and profession usual on occasions like the pre. sent. I ceneot congratulate the People on the op. portunity afforded them for redressing their manifold grievances, by a due exercise of their constitutional right to appoint their Representatives in Parliament well knowing, and that too they know full well who • sause this cheating appearance of an Election to take place, that no such opportunity is, in point of fact, or is intended to be, afforded the Peo. ple.—You, Gentlemen, are too welt informed of the real condition of your country, not to regard such language as deceptious. - d to treat it with ' merited contempt. Neithe- ~ with truth, pro. fess that I shall be highly, ..11, gratified, by being returned a Member of an ~sssemhly where corrup tion is acknowledged to be as " notorious as the sun at noon day," and where 44 practices, which would 64 have made our forefathers startle with indignation gc in utter oblivion of every former maxim and feel " ing of Parliament," have been impudently avowed, and shamelessly justified. This he' brenglit as into e sitostfon almost impossible, within the !Units of an advertisement, to depict. N o se hundred millions of debt ; inland fortresses uivter the name of barracks ; an army of Germar and other foreign inerce-1 tiaries ; an army of spies and informers ; of Tax rind Excise Agents ; an Inquisition of pri-i vale property ; a phantom for a King; a degraded Aristocracy ; an oppressed People ; a confiding Par (lament; irresponsihle Ministers; a corrupt and in timidated Press ; pensioned Justices ; packed Juries vague and sangeinary Laws, sometimes shamefully relaxed, at other times violently stretched beyond their tone; which, together with a host of Itileres of foreign Expeditious, and the present crushing eurthen of Taxation, are somo of the bitter fruits ,f corruption in time (louse of Commons. A House if Commons, the :Weathers of which did, agreeably o a return laid hefore it in ISOB, put into their own pockets 178,991 i. a-year in sinecures, salaries, and •leitsions, besides their S!atf-Appointinenfs, and their :ominissions, and besides the money received by heir Wives and other II lations. lii fact, the whole f the evil arises here. TiloF.o who vote the money 're, some way or other, interested in the expendi ture of it. The small number of Independent Men have no weight at all. 1, Gentlemen, it is often affirmed, that the savings in cur power to make from Sinecures and Pensions, •:ould afford no relief to the People : let us take a fnv out of numerous instances. 'the House of Corn !ions itself ( In sheer Places and Pensions, swallows s nit.Ch as A ould also fifty shillings a-yrir to :1,2 . 21 families. Would this be nothing? Would it of be felt by the People ? Lord ARDEN, brother to the late Minister, with reversion to the late Minister tl Li:itself, receives from his Sinecures 38,5711. a-year. Phis is the exact sum stated. But it is said, that he las besides immense sums arising from interest. Here support all the year round, at 12 shillings a week, • ermore than a thousand families. The same may be said for the family of GRESTILLt. The Duke of riaArros's sinecures and pensions would maintain all as many ; and, in short, it is in this way (. ,he nation is impoverished, and reduced to mi- 'cry. The Lord Chief Justice, EbLEN milt:won, tesides his salary, receives in Sinecures 5,9931. s -year ; besides having offices to sell, and partici- Whir in the emoluments of his own gaoler. The .;inezures of the Chief Justice would keep 300 fa. I silieE. Mr. CrAIZNI Ili, the Apotheeary•General, )as a clear 12,0001. a-year, according to his own ecknor lodgment ;--besides the sums given to the raiNcEs out of the Droits of Admiralty, the K I NG'S Ovate i ;•operty in the reeds, exempted from the In some Tax, and Mr. Ar DINGTON (the milker and the breaker of the 'Treaty of Amiens) in 1801, mistip. ;lying upwards of 50,0001. (voted for the Civil List) 8s a I - can to the Duke of YORK. onl y a small pvrt .0,11 ~..s I.,ttit .epa.o. !.itcl leet e ir,out le :',o est. ' , Id. , 7,43c.,p1es they so us, of making .... rei t . , ..;...., :. „ n , r , :'se Yo u r!. to their suffer . '.et v eiot ei the !: vs, 4,1 d the diatreavi Gentlemen►, there was f►•rmnris• a law for putting a Cadge of distinction on every pauper receiving alms 'Torn his parish; but what fiAnors OF INFAMY do hose men deserve, who thus extort alms from every .+oor man in every parish in England ? who embezzle, ► unmerited pensions, and sinecure places, and di 'vrt into private purses, the public resources of their aouatr?. Gentlemen, our usurping oligarchy assumes a ,over of making our most innocent actions misde pecanors; of determining points of law without ap • ; and of imprisoning our persons without trial ; vf breaking open our houses with the standing army; Ind murdering the People in the streets, by soldiers paid by the people themselves for their defence. — Gentlemen, before recent experience, we should have hardly thought that a bare vote of the Lower House would have been of sufficient force, in any Court of Justice, to overpower the solemn enact ments of King and Parliament. Gentlemen, the Judges, in the time of CHARLES 1., decided against ihmentm in the great cause of Ship-money --` s ut recunduns kgent nneretur JOJNNES HAMPREN."— gentlemen, in the action brought against me by the present excellent High Bailiff of Westminster, TIM STATESMAN which I defended because I thought it my duty not to give up your rights, Lord ELLENROROUGH di rected the Jury to find a verdict for the High Bailiff; reasoning in this carious manner, 64 the burthen and " the benefit ought to go together; -therefore as I had had the benefit," said his Lordship, " by taking the seat, the Election expeuces ought to fall upon me." As to taking the seat, that was compulsory, in obe dience to the King's Writ, and what the benefit is, of a seat in the House of Commons, I am still to learn. How his Lordship could make so many blun ders, both in law and logic, in so small a compass, it is impossible to imagine, unless it coUld, for an instant, he supposed, that his Lordship spoke from experience; and that, having found a scat in the House a convenient stepping-stone to the Bench, he had forgotten the ancient theory in themodere ,ice of the Constitution ; with the latter of which his Lordship is said to be to the full as Well ' quainted as with oe former. But there is nothing in the conduct of Judges, either ancient or modern, to induce us to resign, at the shrine of their autho rity, all pretensions to common sense, and to the understanding of plain Englishi—How are we the better for the noble struggles of our forefathers against arbitrary power in the ktria, if we ender* it in much worse hands—those of our fellovi-sal . jects ? What signifies to us the law declaring, that no man shall be imprisoned without lawful judgment of his Peers, if the jargon of 66 Lex et consuetatto Parliamenti" (a scrap of Latin is ever introduced to cover a cheat), can render all the Laws useless.— 'How is the flock the better for being safe from the wriir, if they are devoured by the very dogs placed to defeml them ? What avails resisting the Lion to fall into the jaws of the Jackal! ? to have pinioned the Eagle's wing to become the sport or prey of Daws and Kites ? Despicable condition ! cheated, sold and arbitrarily ruled by our own servants, who ex. reed ,lungs in treachery, and equal him in guilt ! i 'Ai House of Commons, instituted to redress our glievances, is become the GREATEST OF ALL GRIM- A ncEs, itself the ready instrument of all our op prcsssors ; a two-edged sword to destroy, instead of a shield to protect us. Gentlemen, the People of England are entitled, by several positive laws, as well as by that which is superior to all Law, Reason, and Common Sense, and Common Good, to annual Parliaments and free Elections. These are the vital principles of the Con- stitution ; the only means of ensuring JUSTICE, PEACE, and SECURITY to the community at large. Gentlemen, we once had this happiness ; our Laws were made by Representati►es of our own chusing ; our money was not taken from us but by our own consent, and the Laws made by common consent were the measure of the King's Rule and the subject's obedience. To use the words of our great Dramatic Bard, 44 Look here upon this picture, and on this; " The eouoterfeit presentment of two Brothers, " See what u grace was teated ou this brow." 4 ' A combination. and a farm, Indeed, " Where every God did %cent to set his seal. 4 * This was year Coma rrrowion. Lutsk now,whatfollowe: " Here is your CONSTITUTION." We may well conclude by asking, with the Poet, What devil waet 44 That thus bas cozcn'd us at houdusaa !Aim, ?" Gentlemen, under the present system no change of Miuistry can be permanently and importantly use. ful to the country. The present are just as good as any of their predecessors during the present reign, or as any that are likely to succeed them. The fault is not in the individuals, but in the system ; a system under which no nation ever did or can prosper ;—a system of the most infamous and 'com... plicated corruption. To this internal situation of ; the country, I desire to draw the attention of my I Countrymen, persuaded that from hence alone pro ceeds all our internal sufferings and external weak. ness ; by the removal of this system, you may have foreign conquest, if that is desirable; by the non -ctooval of it, even vietery and conquest would serve only to enhance, and to confirm the national servi tude, depravity, and misery. This system must i be pat a stop to by efforts from without the : tbsors of the House of Commons, for, be ass staled, the Gentlemen within will never reform themselves. They will no more part with their rotten boroughs than tl highwayman with his pistols. The SPIRIT of lIAMPDEN must! revise in the breasts of our Country Gentlemen, ' and the People, with united voice, must demand' Reform in rt language not to be misunderstood, —Until some such spirit shall manifest itself, I am desirous of withdrawing from acting a part in the low farce carried on in gt. Stephen's; of resigning into your hands your delegated trust; of returning to that retirement I had chosen when you so unex pectedly placed me in your service; thinking that in so degraded, and degrading a state of the country, " the post of poseur is a private station." At the same time, Gentlemen, be well assured that nothing can efface from my recollection the deep impression of your noble and generous conduct. On this point all the world are agreed, whatever difference of opi nion may exist about the object of your choice.— Gentlemen, your kind and considerate behaviour has made a burthen,.far too heavy for my shoulders, sit easier than I could bare expected. Not only have I been free from importunity, but even from the slight. est request from a singhtinditidual of sour numerous .body. ' Gentlemen, this conduct fills me with esteem and respect, Ind must ever Lind me to the Electors of Westminster by indissoluble ties of gratitudt. and affection. But, Gentlemen, I do most earnestly wish to spare myself the ntortitirntian, and yon the disappointment of passing a irlittfel life in untli.,7tti tied, because unsupported, and u:ta.,eiling, efforts to stem a torrent of cu. ; nptiott, ai irrosistible as infavnouS; of " Airpitig Lea. et` into empty wells and growing old In dra 110thiiig op.° Gentlemen, I remain with the most profound gratitude anti devotion, Your humble servant, rtt.AN&;is BußnErr. Oxford, Oet.E, 1312. LONDON G..ME7'TE EXTRAORDINART, ITLDNEgiI 1.1", OCT. 7. Arcign-Offirc, 04.7, 1312. A bispateh, of which the. Ming. :nir is n Copy, wax this tiles re ceived by Viscount Castlereaeh, his Majesty's Priticipal S,. crelary of State for Fori ign Affairs, from ITEI Excellency Vis count Cathcart, his Alajecy's Amhattailor Extraordinary told Plenipotentiary to the Court of the Einuror of All the Itaselas. St. Petersburg h, Sept. 13, 1812. MY Letn,—l am most happy in having to begin My efts-respondence from St. Peterthategl:, iry an nouncing that thY arms Of his Imperial Majesty have been victorious in a most obstinate and general action, fought on the 7th September, at the village of Brodi no, bet*een Mojaiske and Tjate, on the great road from Smolensko to Moscow. It appears that Bonaparte hnd concentrated his forces after the affair of Smolensko. Prince Koutonsoff, on his part, bad selected a position, and had established his forces in its vici& nity. On the 4th of September the enemy made a recon noissance in force, and was driven back with loss. On the sth September, the French attacked the left, and wre repulsed with considerable slaughter, both in the action and in the retreat, and with the loss of seven or eight piece of ordnance. On the Gth Septembnr, nothing of consequence took place; but Prince liontovsatf brought up his reserves, completed his I !ispocitions, and added se veral intrenchinents and batteries oii his left. On the 7th September. initlorcover of a thick mist, the French again ntoacked the left with great • im. petuosity, and with all the ineens and successions of.. fresh troops that they hive hitherto employed in their most desperate exertions. They were receisoil 11- the divisions of grenadiers belorgir.g to the le r! wing, commanded by Prince Migration; and the contre of the Russian line having in its turn attacked the mass direetcl against the left, the affair becaine general. Prince Koutouull . .l.ites his dispatch?! front the field of battle. The eaciny are stated to have covered their P retreat by the Wirtemberg infantry, and by large corps of ' cavalry. Genival Platow, however, withCotlae)te foil' lo•-.-ert kern, ..:;:d kilid , v took emboli. '. The eaemy retreated upwards teen wersta.-:-.' I have detained this dispatch two days, h 1 expels ! . tion of further events, and of a more detailed report, but as letters have beets received as fate as the 11th of September, I have thought it expedient 'to transmit in its present form the account of an affair wyCh must for ever add lustre to the military achievements of this empire, and which, though it may not be de. cisive, *use at least prove a most Important feature in the history of this war. • I have seen letters frem distinguished Officers of great experience ; they consider this as by far the Most dreadful and destructive engtsethtt thei ever witnessed, Infinitely beyond that of Prussian, Eylaw. • . Several General Officers have been wounded, be-, sides those named ; and the loss of Officers of other ranks is stated to have been in proportion to that of the men. I have not heard the Russian loss esti mated at less than twenty-fire thousand men. The loss of thz French should he infinitely grater, because of the pursuit, and because the fire of their] artillery ceased at an early hour, %%bile that of the : Russians continued as long as the guns could be brought to bear. i The new raised troops from llose.ow were brought 1 I up, and appear to be perfectly efficient. Those who were ette,fte ' ed behaved tell. The right wing was not much calle d upon ; and of the guards one battalion I only is stated to have sustained any loss. I Reports hate been received of the junction of the head of the army from Moldavia with General Tor ; mazoff's tome, which, with another corps, consisting • Of several divisions, which has joined that Officer, will amount to an army of eighty thousand men of, i the best deierirt inn, I The corps of eighteen thousand men Which en'. • barked at tlelsinfors, has landed at Revel, and is by this time near Riga, witieli will lead to an immediate , reinforcement of General Wittgeostein's corps. ! Tr., much praise cannot be given to the •natiolial spirit which animates all ratiks of tht , itusiians, esp dally tine.? properly so called, and the most sanguine expectations which were formed of their conduct have I been exuederi. . i ft appears, that much reliance was placed by 80. ' naparte on the effects of his attetipts to s introduce French principles, and a portlier cry of emancipa. tion and liberty ; bet that they hate been reec4ved• as an stake to destroy their liberty and their re , ' ligien ; and it is very coidideoitiv asserted, that he 1 has given very strong marks of intliguation against Ithose upon whose reports of the disposition of the; people he relied. . I have enclosed herewith translations of the Rut. letilis of the affairs of the Sth had 7th . .of September, uew style. I : • The aceounts of the tittle of ti;e. 7th reaehed the Emperor early on ere morning 'of his . tame day, which Is always celebsated with vetginys and other, ceremonies, end Illuminatiairs.: Cis Imperial M.i-! jesty ImniNliately sent an.. Afd4rte-Camp to notify It to met and after Divine Wersidp..iir the Cathedral* i n presence of theft Inlittlal Majesties •anitthi whole Cpeet,.an DOice selds tudered to fetcd)he 13+ letin aloud, which gave the' populactiaik bffortanifY 0 exprinsitig thbir exultatiesk ! • ls ,:. .N dilm• A corps of militia, a ton thousand thOn, -ere!Ted their colours this morning, and are to f•i:i Ch i i two days from hence. . I hare the honour to be, re. (Sig (mil) CATHCART. (tfl. t.NSIATI )N.)—RIALt.TfN, No. I. retscr Kotyousoyr, neNErar. or iNr tNurttV, CaNto 7.4.1Ni0:11 IN tame OF ALL VIE AlUtllEs, lit P 'TO liii IMPERIAL NW E.TIC AS FoLL.,W:. , , Fat, • Tilt VILLAGT. or nttontxo, IP:DEA D ‘TE Of TS% CTII exLmapt After my last most humble report to Yon I^:ne:jall lilt:jesty, in which I announoed that 1 was wai i g the Pttack of the enemy in the pos:tion of Broth .o, the 3th,!;:pleallser, qv.? I,tomy directed a very strr ug force against our left hank, which was commandrA by 'Prince ilagration. Observing the Impei.:o , i:y with which Cie main force of the enemy tht.'w thou selves upon this point, I judged it necessary, in or der to fix his attack, to direct it egai:rst tae hn:;hts, which had been previously fortified. i'to cru:age ment lastc:l with groat obstinacy, from two o'clock until very late at night : and your Attieity's troep, displayed on that day the bravery which I had ob , served from my first joining the army. The se..:ottd division of cuirassiers hdtig oWiget; to tlake its se cond attack in the dusk, particularli Itself, and in gent!ral all the tron i p;, so far front losing an inch of ground, defeat.4l the ene:nv on every with Inuzl, i,i,Ater loss Man ' , ther tl:emselves : eight guns were taken, of which. three, being rendered totally useless, were left on the field. Many Officers des .rve to be individnally Hamel to your Majesty, a list of whom 1 shall forthwith have the happiness of transmitting ; for the pres. , nt I confine myself to giving your Majesty a short preciin (TRANSLATION.)--BULLETtN. N 0.% GENERAI.PRIRPE ROUTOUiOFF, COMM INOER IV CII3EII OF TIIE ARMIES, M tKE4 HOSP RE.PIC .01 LY TO Mai IMPERIAL MAJESTIC THE itIPORV PROM THE Irmo OF BITTLE AT THE VILLAGE RRODINO, THE BTH OF SEPTEMBER Since my report of the attack N hich enemy had made on the sth instant, with a c widerabl• force upon the left flank of our army, nothing of importance was undertaken against us during . tls• whole of the Gth. But yesterday, dt day-break s that is to say, about. fbur o'clock in the morning, the enemy, availing himself of the foggy weeded* again diteeted the whole_ of his forces against oar left flank. r The battle became genefal,.dnd lasted untit tight;, the loss on both sides is great ; that of the enemy, to judge from his terrible attacks upon our fortified position, must greatly have surpessed-ours: Your I mperial.Alajesty 's troops fought %lit incredible vet. lour. • The batteries passed A•om the possessioa one pfirtf, to that of the other, and the rcssnit (hat the enemy with his superior force Iris, ilium imp part, Owl: an inch of ground. I remained at niglst reastor or the 'field of Lattle. So' soon as I shall have.recirnited my troops, supplied my artillery, iota augmented my forces LA , rainfnrcom.ukta fv...n 1 1444. :cow, I trastiog in the .assistance . of that Al. mighty, and the incredible valour of toe amiy, see what I can undertakeitglinst the enemy. Prince 13agratiou, to our great regret, has bespip, wound:A in the foot by a ball. Lieutenant-Generale Toutschkolf, Prince Gortschakoff, Major-Generals Bachnistief, Counts Woronzotf and *KrCtotf, harts been wounded. We have taken from the coenly troeSe prisoners, some guns, and a General of Brigade. It is still night; and I have not been able to precur, any mole rietuils. His Imperial Majesty, in acknowledgbient of thp distinguished services of the General of Infantry; Prince Koutousotr, has been pleased to appclnt hie i e Marshal-General, and to grant to him 10(.),000 roam bles, and also five roubles to each soldier, who- hts. a share in this memorable battle." LIVERPOOL MAC nom.—Ort Monday Mr. Rjtou4J HAM made his public entrance into titis town-. Ott his arrival at Mr. Roscoe's Bank. he attdressed the populace. lie si—ke with great confidence Of the success of his Electio n s as he did of his friend Mrs CaceseirL he reprobated the late Orders in Cettncil, aud took credit to himself In the part le had gekerb io causing their repeal. lie spoke in high terms of the condu .t and chars: ter of Mr. [Cameos; the merchant of this town, who first applied to bins is present and support the petition against the Orden, in Council. The Earl of SErrox, Mr. Roscoe, and Mr.CoAirld spoke strongly in favour of Mr. BROUGHAM and Mr. CREEVEY. The lattOr observed that Messrs. IL and C. had both mothers and sisters, but they were not paupers nit the public as Mr. CANNING'S were. A number of Mr. CANNING'S friends, who were at some windows in Castle-street, showed their colour. and hissed. A Meeting of General asscosrpre and Mr. Cur. emu's friends, were called together, at the sates time as the procession was announced to take'place it two places near Mr. Roscoe's Bank, and in cone sequence some violent scuffles took place. Cirlisle experiences also a strong and unexpected oppuiition to the interests of Lord Lonsdale and Mr. Cut wen. Friday nett is the day appointed for the nomi. `nation of fat persons to stand Candidates for the re. prestmtation 'of SoMerset. Mr. Dickinson and Mr. • Latigtolt, • belettles: only GentleuAn who have of. ter' dd themselves;. will, it is thought, be returned. 1116 IticrWed • revenue of the Post-office, by a dissolutioo of • Parliament, itas been stated as a pen confra Settitist the expenses incidental to the eleCtion NI- ttui Government Boroughs. Tuesday last, the fenudation stone cf an intended Chapel was laid by the Wortlefan Methodists ist Cheltenham, which is to be . deuomlnati:d by the ape poltaßon of " Ebenezer Chapel'' ' 'Die ceremony was ennducted with suitabie . decornth, 4nd an appro. priete hymn wellung on the occasion. Monday 'arming, about eight 'o'clock, a Man, kOtiarentli )ti the blue line, his fluids being stained witt a Lth t c lour, dpng himself from the cent(' anis et tr# lirldgtl immediately En *, and dioinied;. fosse fitly assistance could be air oi Mint Thelludi hat since been domed M s WA* 7eofoind. ' • - I . . r \ . y ~ i u, i~ ~,~, i' r t r i 1