The Statesman. — London, England, 1810-05-30 00:00:00

,STATESMAN TO THE MGM' EON. GEO. PONSONBY, M. P. " Patere bin ronsilla, Roo Reath r' was asked a few days after the appear. ance in the papers of a speech, reported to have . been delivered by you in 66 House of Commons) on the subject of the late- Committals, what I thought of your argument?—to which I replied, ai was the case, that I had not taken the trouble of reading it. This declaration excited great star. prize; because it was presumed, from the usual interest I manifest on political questions, that I mast have felt an irresistible inclination to peruse K hat had afforded such delight to both sides of the llonourabk House, the Ins and the Outs. But when I further declared, that such was the apathy I felt about your speech, that I should probably not read it at all, my friend's astonish. ment was great indeed I ! I endeavoured to satisfy him by a very brief ex planation of my sentiments on the si,' a in substance as follows :—" Mr. PONSONOY is, no doubt, a man of very respectable talent, and I should expect to receive both information and pleasure from him, in the discussion of political subjects in general. Ou this particular one, he leas before avowed his opinion; and having al. rens!) , carefully attended to all that has been urged on both sides, I feel that my mind is,unal. teral►ly made up, and I shall certainly, to the la. test day of my life, maintain that the late as. &emptiest of power by the House of Commons, under the vague claim of privilege, is at total va. riance with the immutable principles of justice, subversiye of the lawful and unalienable rights of the people; entirely inefficient for any pretend ed gond purpose, either now, or hereafter ; and that the perseverance its such a pretension is a great aggravation of the violence that has been committed; and any arguments in defence thereof, a downright insult and mockery of. common sense 11" The Gentl►►man to whom I addressed these ob. servationi, and who, I verily believe, yields to scarcely any man in the kingdom for sound' judgment, candour, and impartiality, very sea. sonably suggested that we ought never to be obsti. nate. " You perceive (said he), that many sen. siblo men differ from abut, and which, I own, is entirely my, opinion on this subject. Read, and hear all you can, as I do, against our opinion, and especially. Mr. POSSONUY'S speqcb, because it should seem, from the triumphant manner of ifs being applauded, that it comprises the whole dc. fence that the House of Commons is capable of bringing forward. It surely, therefore, is enti tled to the must deliberate and respectful atten. lion." The deference I always feel towards wise and virtuous men, very readily determined my adop tion of the advice of my friend ; and I feel con. scions of having brought to my aid, that temper which is always indispensibiy requisite fur the re search after truth. -The•result has • been, if pos sible, a deeper conviction of the usefulness of my first opinion. I will, however, in return for the pleasure of reading this speech, offer a few com. ments upon it, which I premise by borrowing * phrase from the Editor of an excellent Sunday paper, who facetiously and very justly remarks, that it is, 66 redolent of the wig and gown." With respect to argument, it is an abase of words to apply such a term to a tissue of .the most miserable sophistry. The essence of this bombas tic nonsense is -shortly this. " The !louse of ommons has always hail, and therefore must con tinue to have undefined privilege. The House may, to any extent, abuse or misapply this pow. cr ; but in the exercise of it. discretion is, and must be, superior to any contrite!. This privilege, which is intended fur the benefit of the pcoide, must not be resisted, if occasionally turned against them, because when the House of Continuns shall become what it ought to be, it will be iiiilispensi .bic for the protection of the constitution, against the usurpations and encroachineots of the Crown. There must be a discretionary power in every government." Now, really Sir, this doctrine has nothing of novelty in it, for arbitrary notions have always bcen too prevalent. For my own part, I have not penetration enough to imagine any thing more' completely liberticide than the principle on which it proceeds ; " a vigour beyond the lure." nap. pily, however, the gross and palpable absurdity upon the face of it, is an antidote to the deadly poison it, in vain, einleatours to conceal. Be assured, that this parliamentary logic will al. ways, as it has lately done, require the aid of an army. • In the name of common sense, - what do such arguments mean ? They are as applicable to one sort of despotism as another, and might as reason. ably be urged for the discretionary power of is . . stiln..l " Lettres dc Cacha," as in support of a lawless House of Commons. When, inked, the aria that should be raised for our protection in. fiefs the mortal stab, ,we may exclaim, with in. creased horror, "Et to brute !" I 'hall n priiiced . (deettring, in the first nt.re, that I entertain not a particle of personal hostility towards Mr. i r olisonaT) to remark upon what is strikingly prominent throughout his els bOrate speech. 'I must presume, Sir, that yeti were not yourself aware of being' su entirely an. der an influence that I would nut willingly attri. bute to you ; but I have nu hesitation in saying, that I never read any thing that had such an ap, pearance of a place-hunting speech. In the ser. vile adulatory strain, in which it attempts to please in a certain quarter, I venture to offer it as a specimen, which leaves at a distance the best efforts of the " No Popery" set, when they conceived they should feel themselves more com fortable by exchanging situations with the 66 Ta lents." In one part of your speech the laudable, digni. bed, and patriotic sentiment is expressed, in speaking of the King and People, that 66 you will serve lubth, but flatter neither." You have kept your word. "It should seem that his pre. sent Majesty is the only King who ever prpperly loved a House of Commons." This, to be sure, is any thing but flattery, and I trust will be in. dignaotly repelled in the quarter to which it is addressed. Come forward, Mr. Postsosay, and upon your word, as a man, declare whether you do or do not believe, that the most tyrannical and weak Prince of tho House of STUART, however moth his views were thwarted by such a House of Commons as he had to deal with, would have had any objection to o►ne of a certain construe. lion, and " co.flected together by means which it is unnecessary to describe." Du, Sir, have the candour to say whether you think that wretched bigot JAMES 11. would not have loved such a Par. liament ? In the prefatory part of your speech you, with great sagacity, anticipate that it may possibly render you unpopular ; most assuredly it will have that effect, if the people of England are slot ready, with the rest of the privations to which they are doomed, to surrender their understand. ing. I never again shall place confidence in Mr. PoNsosny as a public character, and I sincerely and conscientiously warn my countrymen against him, as more dangerous than one of our open enemies. The glorious fabric of the Constitution of Eng land rests upon the only solid basis of freedom, namely, the separation and independence of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Powers. The Litter has.gloriously maintained its character, and pray Heaven it may prove immortal!! We shall soon know the result of an attempt to rob Eng lishmen of the protection of law ! XV. it succeed, we are slaves : 66 actunt est de nobis." AN ENGUSIINIAN OF THE OLD SCHOOL. Kay 19, 1810. A person at Canterbury has been for some time past prophesying the death of BONAPARTE ; ho was to die on the lath of April ; the 16th April is past, and ho is still alive. lie has now, accord. ing to this prophet, N days added to his life from the 16th April ; that is, he is to live till the Ist of August. Wo have much pleasure in obliging our Corres. pondent at Bath by inserting the following excel. lent Letter, which appeared in the Bristol Jour. nut previous to the ElectiOn at Gloucester : To the Freeholders of the County of. Gloucester,. G navLe Ns offering to your attention a few candid observations on the approaching, important period of electing a Representative for our County (one to whom we delegate, as Fieemen, a great trust, and one to wh se guardianship we commit oar best interests), I shall use tes affected apology, bemuse, in exercising a constitutional right, I trust noise will ever be deemed necessary.—To every impartial and reelecting mind it must be eyident, that the best and only remedy to avert the evils that menace us, is a pure, constitutional, and inde pendent Repreeentation. You have now, Gentlemen, au op. portunity of contributing to the attainment of such a deshaible object, by exercising with con s titutional independence your elective franchise, and by giving (unbiassed by any misdeal, but that of a wish to serve your country) your suffrages to that num, who, addicted to no party; uninfluenced by any interested views,', will, in its truest meaning, and most ex tended acceptation, be your Representative, the selected Gua am AN of your RIGIITS nod best IsTERESTS. In uct ing thus, you will 90 an example worthy of imitation. Ours,Gesidemeu, if we do our duty, is no easy tack; and the times we live Ware unprecedented in the muds of history. We are beset with danger, both external and internal ; own I have must to dread from our internal ones. Giglintic as the power of our enemy is, and which is still augmenting (and, to be convinced of this, we owed only take a retrospec tive view of the once Geographical Map of Europe) yet we have no reason on this bead to despond. Let me, brother Freeholders, impress on your minds. that our Army, howe ver great—our P 4 av y. however mighty—nor even our Com merce and Wealth. which we so much [mild on—cull Mime save us from the impending Worm which tareatens u', and has overwhelmed 'natty of our mice independent neighbouring States All these auxiliaries and safeguards, great as they are, will, Gentlemen, be of no avail, unless accompanied and aided by a commensurate spirit and union of ug ALL—by a radical Reformation of /Ousts, which, by the lapse of time, and other causes, have crept into our Constitution—and by an entire aisanclonment of that System of Corruption and Venality, to which fertile sources we alone attribute all our evils ; and that selfishness which makes too many of us .sacrillee pub. lie good to private aggrandizement.- - --Under this eon• victim), and actuated by these impressions, I do assert, Gen tlemen, that it is the imperious duty oft he Electors implicitly to deniand from the Candidate who s died, our suffrages, (let him be a Whig or a Tory, a Blue or Ydlow, little matters,)' Whether he scat, in his Senatorial character. promote a free and adequate Itepresettlation of the People in Parliament— vote for the 4bulition p f all Sinecure Places, and unmet ited Pensions—watch with a vigilant eye over the Esp.:radii:4re of Public Money. and whether he will. " Vimlac'd, unpension'd, no Man's Heir or Slave," guard ur consli:utional digits and privileges, coeval with our unmet, front undue encroachments and dangerous in novstions? LI kakis we put then candid questions, soul receive 3 corresponding reply, I have no hesitation, as a Freeholder and one of yourselves. in sa)ing, we shall not do our duly, and what - the imminent and critical state of our country so loudly demnads of us, I write uut this Inaspirit to dictate; far otherwise= I have only discharged my duty in stating them sentiments with con stitutional freedom, and ;men exercising a right, the use of which t will ever claim, and never shrink from. I asp, Gentlemen, and Brother Freeholders, With nil due sentiments, yours, Ike. w4Lrhat 110\Y WOOD YAMS. Bristol, May 9,1810, (c.tprAlN FOSKETI 4 , "..11111.... • Preparatory to the dfscuisiOn of Oaptaie Fos arrr's case In the Berrie of Coramens, that Gen. tlernan has published a justification of his conduct, in the two points on which he was attacked by General CRAWFORD ; namely, the duel in which be acted as second, and his own efficiency as an an officer of the Fifteenth Light Dragoons. We cannot enter at large into either% of these topics,: but shall extract the most important of the doers. ments he adduces in his own support. Upon the subject of ths duel, he has the testi. mony in writing of all the other parties—the two principals, the other second, and likewise.that- of another gentleman to whom the circumstances, previous to the meeting, were knonn, that he coo. ducted himself with propriety and h u ma n ity. Th e following is-the letter of Mr. Nrcssom, the other second ; Dewit Stn. New Road, 'lsth May, 1310. In coosequenee of what l stated to have passhd In the l thrice of Commons, respecting, the duel between Lieutenant, Wallace and Cornet Russ, to whom we were seconds, t think it incumbent on me to state the facts as they literally were. From the correspondence that parsed between those gentlemen,. Iselare we wore acquainted with the circumstance matters were carried. lousy opinion, to such an ext rem ity ( a s their let ters will prftve). that all amicable interference.on our parts proved inejfectual. It has been asserted that hair triggers were used, which I most positively deny. Five shots were exchang ed ;—they commented atihe distance at ten.paccs, and after the first three rounds; the distance was shortened to eight ; and I here coatradkt the reports in circulation, as to their advancing a pace after each shot ; they never tired at a less distance than eight;—it was the fourth shot, Lieutenant Wallace's pistol went of while our backs were turned; and I do not hesitate ileeloriog stow, as I did tbeu his secoad),- that it should go for a shot. Is consequence of the business being extended to this unusual length, we at last prevailed on these gentlemen to inert half way and shake bands, After the honourable way this atair was settled, I am astonished to God any blame could he attempted to be attached to you; and I think it 'but justice to you, and happy sun . I to have it io my power to state, that your conduct, on that occasion, was as correct and as honourable as possible t and I t4l/1110i hal' add, that soi were particularly an.auar fee on arataabas adjustment. I am, inv dear bir, To Captain Foskett, Your*, obediently. 15th Light Dragoons, M. NICKSON. As to his general efficiency as an officer, Capt. Fosarrt has likewise the testimony of the Field Officers of his regiment in his behalf. All their letters, too, he publishes. We have room only for two or three ; the rest are, however, precisely of the same tenor, except those of Major Lanett and Lieutenant-Colonel 'Serum's, who declitse giving their testimony; the former, lest his, letter should be brought forward in opposition to the wishes of one to whom he is tinder great oblige. tion ; the latter, as ho ortpst " either hurt Captain FOSILETT'S feelings or Illy in the faceof the Dike is of CUMBEaLANO." The following is a speci. met' of the tenor of the rest of these letters : Ipswich. 2d November, 'WS. Being called upon to state my sentiments, with regard to your duty as an Odicer during the period 1 had the honour to serve in the 15th, 1 have no hesitation in saying. I always considered you an active, zealous. iutellient Officer; and, under those circumstances, if at any time Thad the command of the regiment, I should certainly have recommended yon in your turn fur purchase. I have the honour to he, Sir, your mast obedient bumble Servant, To Capt. Foskett, W. A YLETT, 15th Light Dragoons. Colonel I. F. 0. MAK Sia, Woodbridge, Ist November, ISOS, lam favoured with your letter of the 97th ultimo. lam most happy to hove it in my power to hear testimony to your zeal for the service, and exemplary ritedtion to those duties which you have been to my knowledge required to pertorin. Surely, it must be allowed such conduct merits promotion. Believe nie, dear Sir, To Capt. Foskett, Yours thlthridly, 15th Light Dragoons. G. ANSON ' , • Col. and Lient.-Col. Queen's Li. Dragoons. DEAR Fusgcsr, 9, Clifford-street, lath May,lBlo. I only received late last night your's dated Apr.l 12th, which, from its appearance, I fancy has been halfuver Eng land after me. In answer to your question, whether I thought your troop as fit for service as any other troop in the regiment, when or dered to embark for Spain, I most certainly cannot hesitate to declare, I thought your troop perfectly fit for service; and had the selection of the troops tor service been left tome, you, and your troop, most certainly should have embarked; cnd I further beg to add, as my opinion of your general con duct, (which I have repeatedly said to your diFerent Com manders) that a more honourable man, or a more zealou- offi cer, during the ten years I served with you in the 15th regi. meat, in my humble opinion, does not exist. Believe me, ever your's, Most altbfully, F. FORESTER: (Late Major 15th Light Dragoons. ROEI I. II UN I. It will be recollected, that when his Majesty's hounds hunted on the Thursday in Easter week, the celebrated deer; called the Hendon Deer, was so extremely fleet, that he was lost ; and although repeated attempts have been made by the King's huntsmen and yeomen packers, with the hounds, and frequently with a numerous 'assemblage of gentlemen, they could not find him till list Serer. day, though they beard of him in different parts of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. After several hours pursuit on Saturday, the hounds found him in a small wood near East Burnham, in Bucking. hamshire. On his being started, he showed great sport' i across the country, nearly in the same direction Al i when he was turned Out for the day's diversion on Stock Common, on the day he was lost. llecon.l dolled thy chase fur upwards of seven hours hard mooing, taking his course into Oxfordshire, near Sherborn Castle, to the left, near Benson, making a double back by Stoking Church, and was at length taken within four wiles of Great Marlow, in Buckinghamshire. When 110, , iva,s taken, there was only one gentleman sportsman, Mr. Tehbott, who was up with the huntsman and yeomen prick_ ' era. Every horse and rider was completely knock er' up. gotwithstanding it had been seven jiours of the hardest running ever known, the deer would not have been taken when he was, had he not got entangled with a large hedge stick, which ran into his-shoulder. The Pantheon, Oaford.street, will -exhibit, on the Ist of June, a novel and interesting sight.' The Inventor of the Rep' Lancastrian System of Education will Lecture there, and a School of 300 children, governed by a bey of fifteen, will illus trate the subject of the Lecture by going through a variety of school evolutions. It would seem, by the very great demand ex. perienced at the Offices of RICHARDS" GOOD mica, and Co. for Tiikets and Shares in'the pre. sent Lottery, that the üblic are of opinion, that as Fortune dispensed Two of the Great apital Priges in the last Lottery, through thdir hands, so she means to continue her favours thrunghthe same channel. ..1 ~ • • • ”-rsk• - Lbedt Tl*-. town - of fit. Alban's ins been the scene of serious tumuli during the latt five days. S,veral - privates of the Local Militia , now acsemblml there, it appears made an extraordinary demand of ;shoot h. per man, which was refused by the ofil-ers. la consequence, a serjeant wak deputed by the i reginient to represent their grievaucei :to 144% 4 Cothmander, which he did to such a way as to give great offeoce. Inconsequence, he was arrested 'ind thrown intolhe town jail: . On Sunday affer. • 110fin,."bet*ebalwa and three hundred of the mil!. Alk assembled in front of the prison, end after teastaitfnig many . ontrages i s they brake the door with pikes, itc. And 'write(' the pri. .06144 ''The officers assembled as soon aq pus- sihit; ,eelled all: the men that would stiod by • thent y with other Wets, and repairing to the tetite of disorder &laic the jail, they suce:yded in taking into custody 19 of the rioters, without much mischief occurring, On Monday the nun t refractory of them *erg taken froM the other j til in thetown where they bed been confinedlllnight, and tried before a Coort.martial. The result was, that fire of the ringleaders were sentenced to re. .ceive a hundred lashes etch, and one was ordered 150: these sentences were put in execution, The • tumult is not entirely subsided. .The officers were threatened with violence, and tumultuous tneetings still take place. The Magistrates, with a struitg force, are however on the alert, and„ we 'trus't, tranquillity will speedily be restored. The Drury-lane Theo:011111, nowln the House of Commons, 'emonstets a ormber of persons to raise the Sion of 300,0004 ii a tend to.Boidite the claims of the creditors' on. the old' mueslis, and also to' rebuild 'the Titeatre.' 'ft iv 'the purovert of the Bill to erect thous ihte 5 . 0.41)06409 * told without tiny elclusive right ; so that there may be other Theatres built on the same plan; Though the mysteiy respecting the set of D' rag 'is at length revealed, it is still dilticult tp conceive the reason that induced him to assume thb female character and attire, unless, indeed, upon the supposition that he was concerned in the plot to excite doubts upon the subject, in order to share in theprofits of public crednlity. lie • was a man of spirit. Re fought a duel in Russia, in which he conducted himself very Well ; Ito was, how. ever, not distinguished for his strict regard to veracity. Ile basely accused the Count de Gunton., a most respettible Nobleman, who married a sister of the late Lord IlaiscotraT, of being*cmployed by the Fronelitourt to get hula kidnapped or murdered ; and though it clearly ap. peered that no such scheme had been devised, the Count sunk under the imputation, and died soon after his return to France. A paragraph which appeared in the public prints tuf this country, an. flouncing that a man had confessed on his .death. 1 bed that he was one of tho agents in this alleged plot, was traced .to D'Box, and was a mere in. vention or his own, in order to give some colour • to his former 'story, which had brought considers.. ble discredit on his character. In short, D'Eow was well fitted to act the part of an impostor on the stage of life, though he possessed abilities and attainments which qualified 'him fur a station in which he might AeSeriedly hate acquired the respect of mankind. . • A few days ago, at gpofforth, near Kearesbo. rough, aged 91, died John Metcalf, commonly called Blind Jack. lie was born at Knaresbp. rough in the year 1717, last his sight when only four years old, soon after which ha was instructed to play on the violin, and afterwardeattended as a musician at the Queen's Head, High Harrogate, for many years, and was the Ord Isersois' who set up' a wheel carriage, for the conveyance of coin. pany to and from the pieces of public resold in the neighbourhood. In the year 1745, he engaged to serve as musician in Col. Thorn.lon's volunteerg, and was taken prisoner at the battle of Falkirk. 'Being soon released, he returned to Kisaresbo. rough, and commenced common carrier between thit town and York, and often served as a guide in intricate roads over the forest de ring the 'tight, or when the tracks were covered with snow; our was any person more eager iv the choice, which he' would follow on foot or on horseback, with 'the greatest aridity. Strange as tliis tub)? appear to, thoie who can see, employment he followed for more than forty years was still more extihordi-. nary, and one of the last to which we club! ',op pose a blind man.Wotild tarn his itiiintion(hat projecting anCeontractlng for the making of high roads, bidding bridges, house's,. &c. .. With no other assistance than a toe& staff in his hand, hd would ascend the precipice; and explore the valley, and investigate the extent of eadh, its form and tuition. The plans which he made were done by •a method peculiar to 'himself, and which he coUlit not well convey the meaning of to others. Hie descendants arefour children, twenty gian'tl chit.: siren, and ninety great and great groat grand chi!. deco. On Monday part of thifirst Dragoon, CAM, Marched feOns Piershill Barracks for Ireland. They aro to be replaced' by the Skath Dragoou'Ontida, or Carabincers. • The body of a miedlo-aged‘womast was picked. up floating on Sunday near akeltfriati.britige, and was owned yesterday napping. , Hee name ' was Manders—she had left' hee situation as a teacher at a lady's seminary, in Sj. James's, about a fortnight. ' Yesterday afternoon the earriage,of Mr. Mon.. ping, of Curatu.street ; was overturned by one of the long westOro coaches, . a short distance, from Hyde Perk -corner,' Amt Oil coachman, whops' , name 'Was Hinds, was killed oh the spot. 'wii . • ladies in the c a rriage est:ood unhurt. The Lottery .04lices ako.crowded - da:ty, The present Lea:teeny Will be drawn in a few days, coo- the usual plied, CoOpeesafatl. Tickets and Shares art:sedan/I in m; tit variety it both of 13tia's Old Vistablished Offices, 4, Coen. hill, and 9, Charing,Cross, where Twelve Capi. tals were shared . In the lasi Lottery, and Eight in the . preceding ) ineloding Three Prizes of Rta,ooo, Two of .e 5,000, Ten of .61,000, and Fire of .€5 4 W• O The Lottery will byes and lash on Friday, the Bth of June. . 4 _~'-- . k • :