The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-10-28 00:00:00

'I

' qtly upoft precedents brought to his recollection
. some lines he hartlearned at school
Here maw,. a precedent,
Slam put it there?
A better Man than you, f's
Teach it if you dare." •
l'lnt to return to my position on the subject of
Reform. The cry of innovation, and these are not
the time., by the opponeuts of Reform, seems
absurd wheu.tlte canker worm is. supposed to be
rid I consuming the very vitals of our c titution ;
and I believe um national cousequelice can ~rise by
taking away verbal, propleges, the loaves and fishes,
from a few close cringing ministerial boroughs and
rich monopolizing corporations (with respect to
returuing Members of Parliament), and grouting
and diStributing the same priiileges and franchises
elsewhere upou popular and sound constitutional
principles.
Ahoy gentlemen who choose to attach them-
selves to the cause of Reform, nue unjustly stigma-
fixed with the odious epithets of levellers and jaco-
bins..who deservedly merit the name of firm pa-
triots, and are indeed the very beat friends and Ifni.
lectors of the constitution, and would, sit my opi-
, Mon, be the first end foremOst to rally round and
pr 'the sacred edMgreot our commtitution
violate from the shock of faction, and the itordiuus
attacks of lurking corruption, •
The fear of a revolution in accomplishing this
great end of Reform, Mil at this juncture is,
striae, groundless and imaginer,. although I have
been lately told from the pulpit, by an old Divine.
the the reformers and their demagogue have no-
thing to lase, and that their Role ohiect was to pro-
doce anarchy mid •cotifereitor. to . the stare, and an
equal partition of property!. Pray Nate Sir Francis
Burdett, Mr. Hobhouset and .Sir Charles Woke-
ley. nothing to lose ?
Lord Treasurer Burleigh. knowing the revenue
of
England to be so immense, sap, " /Inland
can never be ruined but by the corruption of her
Parliament."
11. will now conclude with the exclamation of
• Horace—" Quid ?yes sine moribus nonce profiei-
nit :" and perhape another such sentiment of tilts
author will apply to the present degenerated age—
" 2Elas paresanne pejor aria tent, nos negutores
mot donna progentem vitiosoretn"—.. The age of
our fathers, which was worse than that of our ances-
tors, produced us, who are shortly to raise a pro-
geny even more vicious than ourselves." Sonic have
gone so far as to say, " Qua fuerunt villa mores
sunt"--11 What were once vices are now the cons•
coon manners of the age :" but certainly of all cor-
ruption the comption of the greet is the worst—
" Corrnptio optirni pessineo." It is a maxim ever
held by the wise in all ages, " that when the morals
of a prince are corrupt, the nobles and plebeians
generally follow the same fatal principles; and
thus the nation gradually sinks into effeminacy and
consequent decay."
I have quoted this sentiment merely to shew the
contagion of vice and the datigerons consequence
of evil example: and, in my humble opinion, if u
public character of rank and fortune fells unit in-
dulges himself in vice and fully, such a person sins
doubly ; for as I have just intimated, vulgar minds
are greatly influenced by the example of their au-
periors in rank. Much its vain is the gospel preached
from pulpits to the poor, if men of literature amid
elevated situations in life treat all its precepts with
insignificance and contempt.
I have further to remark, corruption engenders
war, and war misery and poverty ; but I sin here
happy to remark, that throughout all the ear, and
in all battles and contests in which the English
arms have been fairly engaged, both by sea and
laud, that they have shone conspicuously and glo-
riously : in fact, the valour, courage, and physical
strength of the English troops have not been ex-
celled. It might therefore he truly said, England
has arrived at the summit of military renowo, us the
page or history will record.
I believe our national debt now exceeds eight
hundred millions of pounds, which of course must
be the cause of a heavy taxation for many years to
come.
Mr. Home says, that " Either the nation must
destroy public credit, or public credit will destroy
the nation." However true this assertion might
prove by any possibility, it must be admitted that
it behoves every patriot to promote public credit.
It may not perhaps be here impertinent to re-
mark Baron Nltintesquieu'e observation on time cha-
racter of the English nation: lie says we are inca-
pable of bearing the delays, the details, and time
coolness of iiegociations: " In these they are more
unlikely to succeed than any other Minim; hence
they are apt to lose by treaties whist they obtain by
their arms." In concluding this subject, I am
sorry to have occasion to remark, that although
England is rich in soil, and productive of the ne-
cessaries of life; and although the late harvest has
been abundant, yet provisions are now dearer in
this country, thus' perhaps any other in Europe.
It is therefore an indisputable fact, that the ways of
man have perverted the ways of Providence!
• The dissipation in the metropolis amongst titled gee.
tlrmen certainly confirmed me is this opinion.

various circumstances, and it apoeara in the Wield
quarter that the second week offered a much. more
Haltering indication. of the state of die revenue
&11l did the week preceding. This partial state-
ment having escaped from the Treasury, we felt
it necessary to communicate it to our readers,
but we think it would be much snore prudent if
such statements wen• in all ca.es suppressed, fur
they cast tend to no other purpose than to de-
ceive the public by cresting erroneous impressions
respecting the financial state of the country.

$l3llOll AND JLIDE.--HOlidli, of the Haut, Exchequer,
E Ist ludas, and South Sus Houses.

TH 15 Sil ESS.