The Sun. — London, England, 1820-01-05 00:00:00

who happen to be in power, that the irrational anger and irritation of the world may the more speedily cease. It is not, therefore, to arouse a spit it of animosity that 1 thus write, but, it pos sible, to direct your attention, and the attention of the Government, to the extraordinary power that Providence has placed in your bands to do good, and to allay the present alarming and in creasing irritation of society. Let the People be instructed from infancy in knowledge that the character of every individual is formed for him, and let all your other proceedings be consistent with Iris fundamental principle, and your difficulties will speedily terminate. Instead of the present system, which you must plainly perceive is generating evil op all sides. a new one will rise from your labours, which must prevent the creation of nny of these evils, as it will destroy them in their birth—where you have now anger, opposition, and malevolent s , you will have kindness, unity of action, and all the best feelings of human ttature. Charity and Benevolence will be i complete ; they will not then be bounded by the selfish circle of our present limited locali ties. Try ten tliOHSdnd oilier schemes to make men better than they are, or have been, and you will fail. Permit me to a 4 what character do these sec tarian notions of locality. ‘vhich you and my truly excellent friend, Mr. Wilberforce, opposed to the incipies which I advocate, tend to form in society ? Those who have had the hest means of honestly and impartially appreciating them, know, that with some amiable executions, they can produce no other general character t h an well-intentioned weak minds, with diseased imaginations, too often creating religious vanity and spiritual pride, destructive of sound judgement, social • intercourse, and real excellence. \\ hen turn, whose characters have been formed by them, - avempt to direct public affairs, tvith the best intentions, which I believe they possess, they most involve themselves and others in inexttieable dif ficulties and errors. Witness the present crisis, and the crimes which are actually crewed by the public measures which they support. In thus freely stating my opinion of the tendency of these doctrines, I ant most desirous not to mown, the feelings of any individual connected with the Evan gelical Party, for many of whom I entertain sin cere regard, friendship, and affection. But I ap peal to the world if their theories, opposed as they etc to facts which perpetually surround us, i4o not, at this moment, prevent the adoption of a wise, energHic system of Government ? A Government which, instead of uselessly lamenting evils, and wasting its powers in detecting anti punishing crimes arising from its own intbe eili,y and errors, should he actively employed in devising and executing means to prevent .the exist ence of those errors and crimes, by giving a pro per direction to the superabundant resources of the Empire, to produce snore wealth than is suf ficient to support a grea ly increased poptibi• ion, and to give a well tot met! and rational character to the People-. Is it, Sir, more a mails of wis dom to govern the world by notions arising front a diseased imagination, which never cart produce their promised effects, or to govern it by princi ples its unison with all the known laws ot nature, and which, when propetly applied, will, with un erring certainty, (as they now do in exact pro portion as they are introduced) produce the most beneficial result in practice What, Sir, was the general character of the Debate on Sir William De Crespigny's tnotion ? Notwithstanding the unfavourable and unfounded constructions of individuals, it appeared to me decisive in favour of those measures which I re commend. All admitted the existing evils, arising from the present system of governing the world ; and all admitted the practical benefits which are the result of those principles upon which I have uniformly proceeded in the experiment conducted at New Lanark. Had these principles been car ried into practice by many others, who possess more advantages than I possess, the results would have been still more favourable ; and is it not by the general effects of any principles that we are to judge of their value and truth ? If, however, the world is not yet sufficiently enlightened to act fully on a complete system of prevention of crimes, it is certainly prepared to adopt such a modification of it, as is not opposed to the prejudices of the times in which we live; and such a modification I am ready to propose, as shall not interfere with the existing Govern ment or Religion of the country, or be detrimen tal to individuals of any rank or class. This mo dification will leave to the present Church Esta blishment the ascendancy it now possesses, and , to the Dissenters the rights of conscience, anti full religious liberty. On this basis a system may now be formed, which might speedily relieve the country from its pecuniary embarrassments, and from the demoralization which is now daily spreading over the Empire, and wisich, if not checked by other measures than coercive enact ments, must very soon involve the country in far greater difficulties than it has yet experienced. Unless arrangements shall be formed to give effect to the industry, skill, and capital of this country, the present frame of Society cannot be long held together. It is now evident that these valuable materials of a Nation's prosperity, are, by the existing sys tem, paralyzed and rendered of little avail, when they ought to be, and might be made efficient and productive—when they might be applied to give beneficial occupation to all who are in want of employment—to 'seduce, and gradually render unnecessary, the Poor. hates--to diminish the most pressing of the public burthens—and out of the increasing Revenues of the kingdom, gradually to reduce the !Public Debt ; while, with these important results, other arrangements would be c•insbined, to secure, on principles of science, a superior character to the lower classes. The effects of these measures would be to induce foreign Powers, from motives of interest, to open with us, and with one another, a free and bene ficial inteichange of the advantages which they could mutually impart. Such, Sir, are the outlines of the advantages which I hove to offer to the Government and Population of (his Country, whenever the prejudices, naturally arising front the localities by which they are surrounded, shall permit a fair and honest enquiry into my proposals. Seeing how you are enveloped with inextricable diflic►►lties, in every direction to which your pre sent system can extend, 1 await the time, which cannot now be far distant, when the unavoidable necessity for a change shall overcome those pre judices of localities, which weaken the mind, and deptive it of those clear, distinct, and strong p o wers of ju►lgment, which are now so requisite to enable the world to derive benefit from past ex perience and improvements. My request is nothing for myself, but that you will impartially exan►ine the arrangements which may relieve you from difficulties which experience will soon prove, are insurmountable by any other means that can be devised, and which, sooner or later, the Government of this country, for its own security and political interest, will find it necessary to adopt. It is true, some of the Members of the House of Commous, who took part in the Debate on Sir William lie Crespigny's Motion applied the terms visionary or impracticable to part of the measures which I have to propose. These Gentlemen, however, in justice to themselves, should study these arrat►g►meuts touch more accurately and profoundly than they have yet done, before they pronounce a judgment on a subject which is so far removed front their ordinary thought and re- I have the honour to he, most respectfully, Your mos: obedient, London, Jan. 1, 1320. ROBERT OWEN. PARLIAMENTARY I'APERS. A BILL to REMEDY CERTAIN INCONVENIENCES in LOCAL and EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTIONS. Ikrbereas the trial of capital offences before Justices of Peace, within local and exclusive in risdictions not being Counties, may he attended with inconven.ence ; and it is desirable that some remedy should be provided for the same. He it therefore enacted, by 'the KING'S most Excellent Majesty, by Bud with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and 'femporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the Jus• tices of the Peace acting within and for any town, liberty, soke or pLce, not being a County, but Having an exclusive jurisdiction for the Trial of Felonies and Misdemeanors committed within the same, shall, from and after the passing of this Act, have full power within their respec tive limits, at their discretion, to commit any person duly charged before them, or any of them, with any capital offence committed wi;h• in such limits, to the gaol of the county within which such town, liberty, soke, or place shall be situated, then to be tried at the next Session of Oyer and Terminer or General Gaol Delivery, to be held in and for such County, in the same man ner as it such offence had been committed within any other part of the same County, and as if such person had been committed by any other Justice of the same County, not bring within such limiCk. And be it further enacted, that in all cases where any Justice of the Peace, under the autho rity of this Act, shall commit any person to the County Gaol, it shall be lawful for such Justice, and he is hereby authorized and required also to bind over all necessary parties and witnesses by recognizance, to prosecute and give evidence against such offenders at the next Sessions of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery, and to transmit such recognizance, and all depo sitions take❑ before them relating to the charge, to the Clerk of the Cron•n and other proper Offi cer, to be filed in the Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery for such County, to the intent that the same may be used or put in force by the Judge or Judges of the said Court, as he or they shall deem proper, according to Law, Provided always, and be it further- enacted, That in all cases of any commitment to the county gaol, under the authority of tl►is Act, all the ex penses to which the County may be put by rea son of such commitment, together with alt such expenses of the prosecution and witnesses, as the Judge shall be pleased to allow by virtue of any law now in force, shall be borne and paid by the said town, liberty, sake, or place, within which such offence shall have been committed, in like manner and to be raised by the same means whereby such expellees would have been raised and paid, if the offender had been prosecuted and tried within the limits of such exclusive Jurisdic tion ; and that the Judge or Court of Oyer and Terminer and Geatral Gaol Delivery, shall have Lull power and authority to make such order touching such costs and espences as he shall deem proper ; and also to direct by whom and in what manner such expenses shall in the first instance be paid and borne, and in what manner the .same shall be repaid and raised within the limits of such exclusive jurisdiction, in case there be no reasurer or other officer within tl►e seine, who by the custom and usage of such place ought to pay the same in the first instance. 'l'l►e Viceroyalty of Ireland_has proved fatal to several of the Noble families that have been ele vated to that honour within late years, The late Duke of Rutland died (luring his administration in there country, in the year 1787. The late Countess of Westmorland died in Dublin in 1793, doting the Viceroyalty of her husband, the pre sent Earl of Westmorland. The late Duke of Dorset was killed by a fall from his horse near D►►blin, in 1815, during the Viceroyalty of his father-in-law, thel present Earl Whitworth ; and now we have to lament the death of Countess Talbot, during the Viceroyalty of her husband, the present Earl Talbot. The Durham Advertiser contains the following paragraph :—" We are informed that the sale of the Black Dwarf is so much reduced, that they carriage of the quantity received in a neighbour ing town last week, cost IN. less than the quan tity sent to the same town a fortnight before! — We believe that many persons who disapprove of the principles of this publication, have been in the habit of purchasing it through coti, s ity.. We would remind such, that it they wish for the dis continuance of a work, they should not encou rage its proprietor by buying it." FOR THE SUN. REFORM. Ma. EDITOR—As you thought proper to insert my Letter from this place, on the subject of Ra eoesa, I am induced to trouble you again with my crude notions, which Ministers will most probably treat with contempt, because they do not come backed with the all-prevailing force of Parliamentary interest. It may not be improper for me to sketch an outline of the Plan of Reforni which I before proposed, and which, if carried into effect under the sanction of Ministerial in fluence, may tend to allay our heats, to lessen our discontents, and to spread unity and peace over the Country. My main points were these : In the first place, Ministers should not devote so much of their patronage to secure Parliamentary interests, but bring forward and protect men of talents and knowledge who may really serve the Public. At present any unlicked cub is soon pro vided for, if he happens to be the hundredth cousin of a Peer, or of a man of extensive Parliamentary interest, or even a favourite footman. Such things have often been seen, and they may be seen again. In the next place, no person should possess more than one situation under Government in these held titnes, if it will afford him a comfort able maintenance, and if not, his salary should be raised, but be should not be suffered to remain a Pluralist, In the third place, no large salaries should exist, bur should be reduced to a moderate proportion, by which means there would be a re source to augment the income of those whose sa laries may be too small and disproportionate to their duties. It is astonishing what would be gained to the Public by these arrangements, and how they would tend to calm the angry passions of the middling and the lower orders. it is evi dent, Mr. Editor, in what view our Government beholds the present state of National Affairs, by the new Laws which have been passed, and to me, and to most persons with whom I associate, and who are really all loyal men, the state of the Country appeared to bear too strong a resem blance to that of France a very short time before her dreadful Revolution. lint, Sir, I have a few more hints to give respecting my Plan of Reform. 1 would have Ministers commence a rigid scru tiny into the pretensions, qualifications, and prin ciples of those who enjoy good situations in of fices under Government (they are likely to know well enough how they were attained) for the People ought not to pay largely to those who are not able or disposed to serve them. Something effectual must still be done after the immediate danger is remov ed, or all may still be lost. It is notorious that there are men in subordinate situations under Go vernment, who are Radicals in principles and feel ings. How many men of great talents and high attainments are pining for want of such employ ments as they would fulfil to their own honour and the advantage of the Country, but which are bestowed on men without any merit, anti only because they have Parliamentary connexions! Perhaps it would be very difficult to find many situations in any Public Offices occupied by men of real talents, and who owe their situations o n ly to their intrinsic merits and acknowledged ser vices. 1 do not wish the old system of seniority to be abolished, but exceptions should be made, and Government should exercise a sound discre tion in the choice of successors to any office ; for mere continuance of dog-trot practice should not entitle a man to keep down an inferior of great talents and acquisitions, who might, beyond com parison, be more useful to the Country. The want of a due exercise of such discretionary judgment is always the proof of a weak or timid Government, Again I say, Mr. Editor, something must be (fore. Ministers must not be satisfied with having already done well, as I admit they have, for they are placed in times that imperiously demend.a continuance of wisdom, firmness and rectitude.— Having occupied all the posts that may fall vacant (which are not mere sinecures, for I confess to you, Mr. Editor, I would have all ,sinecures ebo fished) with men of real talents and solid infor mation, who, in this Country of tnental cultiva tion, may easily be found, with what firmness could a Niniver meet the Representatives of the . People in Parliament, and with what respet:t and confidence would they look 'Tomhim, whose Ad ministration was founded upon rectitude, just ice, and an enlightened policy, which disregarded all party influence in order to support the essential interests and honour of the Em pire ! ! Sir, he would stand upon a rock, and might look with scorn on the foamy and feeble billows of a noisy Opposition. What, indeed, would an Opposition have to complain of when they found the business of this Nation vested in hands qualified toconduct it, and not wholly bestow ed upon needy Relations, early Connexions, and Parliamentary Supporters ! What a prospect does this present to a Minister of enlarged notions and a true attachment to the welfare and honour of (he State. He would be the best friend of the SOVEREIGN, and the SOVEREIGN would be too wise to interfere ip the arrangements of so en ligkeried a Counsellor. Such a Minister would, of course, select associates of distinguished ta lents, smind integrity, and comprehensive views XVith such a t»an at the helm of affairs, the Radi• cat Reformers would soon sink into universal con tempt, the Nation would fiOUl ish, and the People would IP: happy. Bristol, Ihc. 27. A V.EFORMER. We have again to announce the non-arrival of Paris Papers. Two days' Journ a l s are due. (From the Liverpool Paper received this morning.] The Message of the PRESIDENT of the United States is expected by the next Packet ship, which is looked for every tide. We have had winter during the last week in all its vigour of frost and snow. The frost on Friday night, we believe, was one of the severest which Liverpool has experienced for a number of years ; and we have been informed by a Gentle man who lives at Lowhill that his thermomet er , at 7 o'clock on Saturday morning, in an exposed • situation, was as low as 7 degrees. It appears that the Irish PAPISTS are determined to make a resolute struggle for a participation in Political Authority during the ensuing Meeting of Parliament, and, as far as we understand, are confident of ultimate success. We have inserted this day en article which appeared in The Dabfirs Evening Post of the Ist iust.; and we recommend it to the particular attention of all who are sensi ble of the blessings which we enjoy under our present happy Establishment in Church and State, which Papists of every description would deem it not only a meritorious but a religious duty to annihilate for ever, and to consign all Pro testants as Heretics to eternal perdition. Now that our Political Constitution and our National Faith are secured by wise Laws, which allow all rational freedom, from rebel Reformers and Blasphemers, it is the duty of our Legislators to be as zealous to preserve that National Faith as the Papists are to destroy it. When we see men of high rank and vast possessions, and even some Members of our Government, sup. porting the claims of Popery to a shar e i n Political Power, it is time for all true friends to the Established Church to be alarmed. The danger is more threatening than people in general suppose, for the doctrines of Blasphemers hava• been too widely spread, and have been too suc cessful its producing an indifference to Religion in the minds of the lower and the middling orders, and consequently may render them insensible to the miseries which the restoration of Popery might even. - lordly bring upon themselves as well as upon their Country. Religious controversy is not a proper subject for a daily Journal ; but when the vital interests of a Protestant Government are con cerned, there is a call upon us to use every pos• sible means to avert the danger. We have had many able and learned Correspondents, who have exerted their abilities through the me• dium of THE SUN ; and on a recurrence of the danger, we trust that they will again come forth. We had indeed hopes that our lIIERARCHY would, on that account espouse the interests of our Paper, and give it the sanction of their peculiar recommendation and patronage. We still indulge those hopes, relying 'on their full conviction that it is necessary to oppose, with the most resolute and determined zeal, all efforts t hat may lead to the restoration of that Papal Despotism. which was once so dreadful an infliction on the British Em. pirc.—We are glad to find that our enlightened Correspondent BarTasnicus, of Leicester, is col lecting into a body that mass of true Patriotism. religious Truth, and pure Christianity, conaprized in the Series of Letters which were communi cated to the Public through the medium of our Paper. CORN-EXCHANGE, JAN. s.—ln con4qtience of the stoppage of the Navigation, and the impossi bility of working any Corn aut of vessels, no sales were made this morning, except such arri vals as were in Granary, and even those were very trifling ; so that the prices of all Grain may 4; considered 2ominally as on Monday. THEATRICAL REGISTER. Performed Lest Night. • TOEATRE ROYAL, Dan RY-LANE.—The Country Girl : Moody, Mr. Dowton ; Miss Peggy, Miss Kelly. After which, Jack and the Bean Stalk. THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN.--The. Comedy of Errors; Dromio of Ephesus, Mr. W. Farren Adriana, this Ste phens. After which, Harlequin and Dun Quixote. 41 .,* For W. M—N on the Insolvent BM, see the First Page. PRICE 0 STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK. Bank stock 2201 3 per Cent. Red 67ii GB l B . 31 per Cent 764 4 per Cents. Bank Long Ann. I7i I I-16tht India Bonds.. Ss. 10s. es. pr. Exch. Bills, 2d. .. Is. dis. par Cons. for Acc. 681 69 68y 62i MAILS. ARRIVED-2 Dublin. ant-1 Waterford, 1 Guernsey and Jersey, 1 Gottenburgki 1 France, 2 Hamburgh. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO.MORROIt'. Morning, 25 minute after 7. Evening, 55 minutes after T. THE SUN. tOLEM QUIS DICERE FM SUM A IJDEAT ? LONDON, WEDNESDAY, J.II•UARY 5, 1820.