The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-11-23 00:00:00

Were too deeply impressed with their own a.„
tions of temporary distress, and or the 11.!nn•
tnge of temporary expedients, to search dew,
into the altered circumstances of the counter:
It was impossible that a war of such nnevainn'id
expenditure and length as that from which we 14
• year before emerged, should lint have efr,cred
mighty revolution in the laws of Great firitaio ;
it was also impossible that the cesmotion of each a
violent
actaionseonnsibtlliee
shock.entir entire systemr;
produced r
were right; but unfortunately they nal ',mire
the mode in which the action or the cessation had
operated ; they looked only to th. 2 tiarr.ve of lhe
and thought of healing the
.t .sere
bwthei3,
re. apparent—while their !Hutto lour opi:ntirlito,
more sagaciously and more like statrs:ner, veer, ,r
opinion that the wounds should he carefully ',soled.
and the effects of the convulsion he traced throve:.
out every part of the ayatent.

The same error is unhappily still retained, sral
the iNlinisters hope to attain their object bv diwt.
ing their efforts against palpable efficts, *hilt thsv
suffer the causes to remain untouched. Thee h„:1
that the people assemble and talk seilitiou,lsLt!,
learn from their spies that violence i. eailtrinotor..
They in consequence propose laws against seditious
meetings, and strengthen their riii:iiary finer. flat
will such measures allay the spirit biat excites the
people to mischief ? Will they give employment
to the idle, food to the hungry, or hope to the
desperate ? Meas►►►es of severity have been Mid
and found wholly useless, and it is bad policy to
exasperate any portion of the people which may be
considered already displeased with the e,i,aluct
of
the Administration. This, ligsrev,r, mast ►re the
effect of any laws restrictive of the ri4lit of meeting
in public; such laws must affect the whale itatioa,
for it will he impossible to distingtEsh, by any pre.
vious regulations, a loyal and con.tittitiensl free%
■ seditious assembly. Much as we contlemo ta.
species of Parliamentary Reform which is drafted
by the Radicals, we should mull lament that perwi
honestly believing that such a' mode of reform
could alone maintain public rights, shoot,: be es..
eluded by any general law from meeting to express
their opinions. There are many persons iu the
country of speculative habits, who sincerely profess
the belief that, if the House of Commons were.
constituted by universal suffrage, and were elertel
annually, the pore spirit of the British Ciinvii
Lion, in its present form, would be best pr,eived.
And shall such persons be, by a sneepitie
ment, declared traitors to their King and cooot,y ?
Such a declaration would be extremely i11y.%
although they might, with much truh, he 1...-
flounced had politicians. Their arguments rim
have no influence if the House of Commit•, it i.s
present mode of being constituted, spew itself
dependent of corrupt influence, for the great n:a•s
of the people in every country are hostile to chat g...
and nu revolution proceeding from the people .“-r
yet happened in the annals of mankind, which
could not he distinctly traced to the crimes or
f.•;-
lies of the Government.

Being upon this subject, we cannot resist the
temptation we feel to transcribe the words used by
Earl GREY at the conclusion of his admiral)!r
speech on the Address in 1817. They •epic /lit:p
surprising minuteness to the present state of the
country :

" I should," said the Noble Lord, " be extremclv seas
if..-by confounding all those, who sincerely, mud .ith 1..
nest intentions endeavour to procure a reform in the
gislature, with persons disafficted to the Government—tot
opinion should be excited in this country, er in Catope,
that there mar any considerable body of men anion ui cn-
tertaining designs hostile to the Constitution. I,t haul.) re-
pel this still mole, were such an opinion to the
foundation of any laws tending to infringe Ili_ pro tit tee r f
the subject. I hope J shall never heir it stetted, that re•
form and retrenchment are topics which the treat 1.m1.! .4
the people ought not to discuss. After all the privatiotA
which the people of Eitgland bare, with such unparalleled
fortitude, Untrue, I trust that they will not now he &pellet
of their constitutional rishis. The Molly they enjoyed sae
their best consolation under rill the difficulties tlwy hail to
encouster ; but if they now find Parliament wore rarer'o
impose restraints o* their freedom Man lo it-titre A,-
sash, then, indeed, I fear that their discontents sill 1.•
pally and alarmingly increase."

A Flanders Msil has arrived. with Paper. firm
Bruvsels to the (20th inst. from which we Wye glvv9

Friday evening Lord EXUOUTH strneh IJ. ll!tr
in Cie hareptable. ut Plymouth. and vet
London.

Dorton CowrtLl.o, Direetor-Getural of Tit
Medical Staff of the Irish Legion, and Ca
KENNY, of the personal Staff of Gerier.ll
ftxux, arrived at the Donegal Arms, oil Satuiday.
We understand the object of their nitesuoti %vss
receive rind offer every assistance in their power I:,
two or three regiuieotv of lancers, said to he P"
their ptsssage, and hourly expected at Belfast, from
the West Indies, which they left in consequence Of
ill health. The report has proved to he incorrect.
It has, however, been the means of shewing to the
Officers of the Irish Legious the anxious aml
thoughtful solicitude which General I.hvxaxvx
feels for all those who have placed aliemselres
under his command.—(Belfast CosnerCial Clue

•
Nick.) .
A Naval Court Martial was had yesterday se'n-
night on board his Majesty's ship Spencer, in Coil:
harbour, on two marines, charged with deser"°^"
and with stealing a gold watch sod seals front ono
of the Officers. They were flogged round the
shipii in the harbour at Core.