The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-04-26 00:00:00

.

...

1
61
itri
*ll
oow published—nor were knowledge unit
tonfined to the upper classes or the higher*S L'
lons. A friend of his going throuilli (tit*
thund the Quarterly Journal of Seriviitt. de*
~ um bcc..46c . t be' • Enircloymetioa in. tfie lie .*
an inferior •tradesaisn. Passing through Oslo
.....g.hcA. j...a115x...h.,-.4.. 1€!&.....41» • toe/ -..lwkge soil=
**/41111itir-rerrlFlCifireh winks were not taken there,
moire' they wire' pertiCularly ordered. Such wee
thrtillitilie state Of-tigiiiiwitfiiin .iii-tho frighei viol'
,ester charm*
aware of the
. to educe-
euaisple of
by the tin.
4 of diffus-
bed' been en-
phis was set ,
.her been laid
works et a low
neeiced Hume' s
fa, end others
Ibliihod
_.in Gd. 1
ihlIT we .
trilile hail
passed ii
mooledge—.
of the parties
r the, works,
publication's con-
of the (lay.
411 biro
Societies.

and spent
were four
sheet that
went on will'
generally the
to the stele
moved for
time sgo,
moonier "lie

, were in
sold yearly
,110111840410.-7,000,000
ones—and
'ell her two
frets from
Neer. la
)ablished in Eng..
35 in 1821.
;periods pirb-
last 91. 3 in
in 1821.
14 ; 111 1,

17009 9; 14
A. Nein*
jo the Sri-
:6. Total
tlB4;—in.
r published
itetnertit on
to cou'ider
hod peon

_ adequately to re-
..
grfailat • this, increase in the knowledge and in-
,,tellsgeace •• of -the people of all chases. He
°"411V1 /tale hfoodir io paasiog that it was not
Duty neemsery, for Parliament to inquire if it did
rgilly rep/toot the increased wealth and intelli-
tor,te trf.,44goottettry, bet it ought to keep pace
with the It of society. He would
state it .$4 • tae irnAshich could not be controverted,
itmt no government ceuldl continue which was oot
.4111(44 iR,.lOle aisle -and.condition of the peoplii
ogee wborg .11.4sitti to preside. Any governmeul .
Fit :tipL
mut girt iu coneordaace with the hasatedgt
21..thirtintsithe kged whi
ch em
dris
it:llodg,
onlotthaceconinsb.or:
- risat, t weir sn evident thet•it
, occopy the time of the
that another and a very
ined wt thin the walls of
by the molt liberal.
. service of the Crown—
freedom and the morass
Right Hon. GesiliJ
ire vise,. which was iii
that the increased is.;
a reason for contineing
beet.)—The piece wad
timid. What an nr-
prnportien as the pen-
House -were to become
'e required to be more
mare corrupt—end
enlightened, the Go-
•
the less capable. of
altogether so absurd,
og,Da it could utrkghusg.
,r thepropoeition, a Ormsod-
riotalli4 of the PeOple: *Would'
' ‘lue of monarchy, and
the dissolution of •the
to Coutoder what the
and in considering this
struck by the remark of
if the defects of the re.
so good, that there is
country who is caPahle'.
a proper "ray. who,
Member or other."
caution of the cam-
had, some semblance.
. statement. .4o far wan it
truth, that there muatbe.
et - . persons,perfegtly fsee".erho,.
Ytill..hett.b? voter APPlo.*.ish4 to ,hare r volt. *Mt
sicre,perrecily cspikiplejskgaercierult thefiroctimi of
riesling tiserubersvAl:lispets ;wait the broad, fact
tied,
- to besporitAgt Oat bee' that * the,tnajority.
. tir House wets. returned 4 8,000 electags.-.-
• . tigas i Ste:m.44logs utter6,at aar with the
,IfYst"fil. trAPPrlttoCe ,mall knowledge ref.tht peo-
Ate...! terge; but if,%key:wese-so irl iMo Maisie, it
1..04. bf -sclii Olt. o.4kik.t4 440'4 milwOnclrat,
sgs )a *otir!lcdge arid. mdeabiiiist*Aret§telalf -el re-' ..
.root right: less krodusOly. 0P4871444, eltailet the,
*guy • jui 4 hero igg utmost AP itgl flake t al. Gispepris-.
tlollmse repremoristgomotelkanurelakcontied-to:k ..
+VI 'Man. poesioq gefilte „wop,le.ndhle.rdist.uot
orFr this of tilt wittOlithliratti hol.'o vim sietaissais
;degree. so ta desanlifilt the voAes.,in,egs, queer!
tit). fkr* Avrce,446l4.**.4.9r#Presohiefi, to_
tot found*intim! ._ll#l,febtit, .401414 514 treii•
h*olotritoit tif•thao.litiVistrrileriontid.tksbosoufac- ,
smegys'neeg eusisleg,to visto.fqr the enmity Members.
* the +bore &burliest. was assail j. oui iii 658 mem-
KS: 41M 4.lft No MP. ate, ildi .A 44 .tu this. that

. . ~

. .

conni •• yq e 4 :iv expetiliye thet h sres,i
gfposible is ' eithout the orierifire of a Sery
41
west perriion . f etuir. The electors of Devon-
Agri, fur inhfacti • were to be brought to the poll
fe,:fb titles do each side of thet'S'iiiitry to Exfter.
Was it probable that gentlemen would often incur
Abwitilittmai /mom et such eoutwite-?- -1111#4iii..
',sequclice . was, that a compromise was generally
made, lud the two parties beiog both represented,
{haunter of the members neutralized each other,
leir4ng else rmijority in the proportion of six to one
Oith the Other me-sabers. Another great charge had.
crept in by the gieat proportion of the landed gentry
• having beencalled iiptotheHliiirseofLords. Mr. Pitt,
with prorfigsl profusion, lied bestowed Peerages on
the bulk of the property in the Lower House, so
that tee country gentlemen of the nest degree of
, ivealth were Leos ohle to bold the contest. .He was
disposed to think the withdrawing those who-had
the greatest stake in the country from that House
we. much to be regretted, and that if persclos of the
greatest property only were entlileil to sit, their ae-
pbaiiktions being exposed to poblic ceersuse, would
be ifound to accord more with the views sod opi-
. silos of the people out of doors; and that even if
They were appointed for lifetbeqatrestiment would
• 4stitl be s wire toteiable Goveituiteut. 'lf it were
practicable to abolisri the Hattie of Commons alto-
gether. and manage all their: proceedings by the
[fosse of Peery, he qiii;stioheel-if the Li,rda would
' molt rib' to *tire popirfar than the House of
otpteiptria'siiCore colistiiio:4ltelnunded thii opinion
fiiitbe "sippo*itiou thospersoos having a large stake
m the country wereless likely to propose measures
as absurd and disgusting tolhe whole people. He
thought the case of the Queen proved that there
:"yeert symptoms of so ipelisetiou
.iii that body to
ipposider the wishes of the people, which he had
sewer seen masifested in that House. He came
next to consider the state of the representation
of the great %owns . where there might be a
few Persons of hidepgridesit pray of thiriking,
hot the grepar nunitier were so swayed, that the
influeuce of such persons waitnothing among them.
Again, the rights of elections had been so pared and
limited by decision% of different Committees of the
HOuse, that Plymouth, which it the restoratiou'of
Chirtirs 11. coutsiord '3OO .votes out of • a papal*.
goo of MOO ruhabitairie, now had only 900 voters
out of • population of 16,000. Thecondrtion of the
video of 'Bath add Cambridge were other instances
orths minion' b 7 ;hick greet team/ were to be
' a*iikTred in course ()fume out of their representation.
But the most prolific source of evil lay in the
*taller botonghs and Nernst of those:44o.in Eng-
land only, regorged 280 Members, nii actual Maio-
titY +ir 'w-i.to!lse, with fres than • 5,000 votes—
_llmif theist coptaiuiug lest than 9,oooiiihsbitauts.
It was well knows that the abuses of these boroughs
were of the grossest, kind. Corruption hod bribery
to the greatest extent prevailed in these borobghs,
especially in Cornwall. Were he to go tato details,
he could read letters which would shew in what
manner corruption was practised in there, and
that the returns were made by money only.
This fact, however, was not oily well known but
acknowledged. It was admitted that of forty-two
Cornwalll boroughs. only five were represented by
natives of the county. This was stated by eh..
Prime Mister as a reason why they did not need
alteration ; this was quoted as a proof of the ex-
cellent elasticity of the Constitution, that the old
boroughs could be made to represent the• new riser-
csutile interests. Goad God ! was this theri the
wry to effect represoutation ? Ouly consider what
,this practice wise;rond to what consequences it
,must lead. 111.,11.egen with perjury, and the
.violation of elliribiemaleeen laws decreed by Par-
liament to prohibit the payment of money for elec.
buns ' • it •• led to draiikeuness and Avery *bongos.
lion. Bid witb this vielaiten of law. and contempt
of morals. did it produce representation ? When
the Member reached that Heise, the money being
paid. it reef indifferent to the elector whether he
voted. as a Whig or Tory, as an advocate of freedom
or slavery, for the Dome of-Brunswick or the House
Of Stuart. The Member code into possession of that
limpet dangerous possession, however, without re-
, eponsibilit,y; he became the representative. not of
the great body of the people, but of the mercantile
house with which he was connected. He rentecn-
• bered one of- those members, who dreaded the
Ilistice which he thought would be taken of his ow,
confessing to him that it ems a most urifurtueitd
business, and thatrhe (the derelict member) would
never have sought * seat io the House, only he wad
induced to do so by the other partners of the house.
This was a sort of member not desirable company
for that House. His object must be to obtain ad-
vantages of Government—whether infamous ones
or not lie could riot nay—but certainly the sole view
in. that cape must be the interest of the firm. Dur-
ing the war there were many excellent things to • be
given away, Oue member made by a single license
to the West Indies 15,1001. It became natural for
such persorts. to wish to conciliate the favour, and
fix the attention of Government upon them; but
they. would be far from represeuting the people or
the usaaufacturingelosseo to which they belonged.
There were nut marry olio would ley out their
money on a small borough for the mere pleasure of
being constantly in a minority. A greater number
would be inclined to co-operate with the Govern-
ment,and Secure their private interest—besides,
there was the hope and desire of olsiaining the
pattenage of the borough ; but not. only so,
there were among the evils of ilia system the
employment of the agents. the middle men, the
hoogry attorneys, who carried on the traffic, and.
•perfurnted the disgraceful office of handing aver the
ilamoury, so. as to elude the law. Then, fur a small
{sum of money in a Government borough, a Mem-•
.her govt the•distribirtien of alla_the.borough offices -
.010. The -GOtriunent had to give away. One
of' thin boroughs. which via represented by the
'Chaticrltrit. of the Exchequer, was SO 'fall of
_offices, that it woe perfectly astonishing. to are
the list of pertrus who. held posts in the packet,
"eerie; rind. other offices beloriguig to that ho-
.rtrytigli. 'ln such eases it was impossible for any
iiidillseriderit perirdit• to hope th it his vine and ea-
isople.toold Ins:v'e the smallest weight in the elec-
tion. •Ssich bease 'the state of.the representation,
05td.1.5 absolutely at, variance . with the slate of
the:pe6Ple, it, must follow- that the ebtipai 'evert
to he reineelied. .• It' had '.beet mit wittily Isy.
Mr, %I'iredisrial;" that those "rho cfled'out'ior R.
form on accousit of the defective stole of the refire-
isioitanou, ',arc like the MAN ia Ihe Speciatgr, who


. r
had every symptom of the goat eicept that.be felt
no pain. All oignions of that tind, howeviki. were
in the teeth of that sound doctrine
.in Bace....that
estrogen, instead of ash shifts ap.d expedients,
ought to consider of dangers which are to come, and
then they might be able to put them still far off. •
' There was not even this spree left for the date.,
gees. of bad representation. They had the prows{
of the Government with ell the other symptoms.
The country was suffering from causes *lnch
had arisen out of inadequate representation.
It Reform could give no immediate remedy '
for evils now existing, it would furnish security fur
good government in future. In examining the
evils of representation. it was to be observed list
the House might possibly go on in perfectly repre-
senting the people, and yet the discrepancy not
be detected, or the whole consequences of the eta
detected. The people might be eager for war,
and it would be the interest of a corrupt. Go-
vernment and a complying Parliament to be foe war
also; there might, by accident, be iii economical
Minister to place.—the Parliament would have no
difficulty in agreeing with him; the people might
wish for the reform of the laws, and there might be
nothing in the subject- to which a corrupt Par-
liament would object. But other cases would
same, or later arise when the most credulous would
be convinced, and requite no further experience to
eteinplify the -evils of the system.—(Here the
Noble Lord took a brief review of the motor of Mr.
Pitt in 1785, •and of the argarnents he afterwards
used on Mr. Flood*, motion for Reform in 4790,
to evade his early deelarations.)—Mr. Pot was
right in his way., He ceetaiirly had the majority of
the property and the people of influence for him ,in
the war of Mi.- They were frightened sod
alarmed at thee tii44.l.olwent willingly intuit. At
a later period, whey tbi-war had hefted two or thiett
years, there was "disposition to return to peace, slid
the peace of Amiens for a time satisfied the country.
They entered a fresh war, which went on without
the growing discrepancy of the representation being
discovered, 0 so felt as to induce any call for
Refbrus. He ineatiooed this, because there was
• dieposition in the people (whatever might he
urged to the contrary by those who held the people
to he subject to the designs of agitators) which was
opposed lo tumult. There was a d..positiuu in
rayon; of any Government put over them which
continued..eseept,the evils of it become intolerable;
nor could the people be induced to take even the
necesseey owitions against the probable loss of their
liberdis; lihd reat must be the evils of the Govern-
meat before, t people could be brought to oppose
them. :A prop of this lay in the eonduct of the House
upon the Walcheren expedition in 1809; an ex-
peditiowes signal for fsllahy sod imbecility as any
that ever left the country. There was soaring to
allege either for the original or for the catmint's--
it stood every way condemned. The phonier,
had the 'matt ample means at their disposal,
and yet the 'execution was most disgraceful
sod ruinous. The men who were sent mit
might ask, in the language of the children of
Israel," Were there not graves enough iii Egypt,
that ye have brought es oat to die in this 'orange
place ?" And yet thisexpedition, so full of cola.
mity and disgrace. 'the House was not contest to
refrain from reprobating, it actually passed a formal ,
ettlogium on it, which was entered on the Journals
or the House. This fact, so strong and striking,
convinced many of the necessity of Reform 11110
Could never he brought to believe it - before. when
they pew the praise, of Parliament following an act
upon which the country was calling deed' the IWIII.
viest punishment. • The planner of that expedition
was now the Chief Minister in the Howse, and' tjie
General who commanded it had received one. of
the most aplesudid rewerdsof the Crown. The gene-
ral pooulerity of the Spanish war which followed,
with the hope of reducing the Sovereign wise enta
then domineering in Europe, enabled Ministers to
'evil all the defects of that mischievoui achieve.
Went. The confidence of the people was
taken advantage of in the fullest manner.
Every possible abuse crept in—every advantage
. was taken to increase the burdens 011ie people.
It was not till after the conclusion of tfltr Utak
• .
• Ole Sense of the country was restored. gum.
too then fell between On parties—whether there
should be a lane expensive military governuseot or
at cheap civil one. It was quite plain what the de-
teem must have been, hid the interests of the peo.
pie been consulted. It •was evident that if the
Uouse really represented the people, they must have
determined for the champ civil government, and if
they did not represent them, the question would
be divided in direct opposition to the wishes
of the people. This question must be considered
as the experiisenswom erweis on the subject of re-
preseutation. It was then decided what was the
'notion of the representetion in respect to the public
interests. It was decided against the reptesen-
Wiwi of that House. They divided in favour •
of retaining satiety-nine thousand troops with
all the expensive establishments appertaining.
These votes did not comprehend the majority of
the county Members whom he had described as
more directly representing the independent portion
of the people. They divided three to two against
the military establishments, while the majorty of
the whole House divided three' to two' in support
of the proposal of Ministers. Those establishments
led edittributed in a very full degree to the suffer-
irtwisilder. which the. country at present groaned.
[W.liordship proceeded to state some curious par.
washer respecting tbe•votet given by county and
'other Members, which he had collected from re-
:iiserlai niiiefe by Lord Milton, and a book recently
,poblished. called Tie klecturs' neworashropteer.]
,Has Noble Friend, he believed, in his calculation,
tad: put down from his knowledge of die House,
-sod- his tecollecnon of the different Memlprii, and
the side which they generally took. the atwitter in
'ilhich they hid ;toted. He (i,ord J. Russell) telt-
jug from the book to wOieh he had alluded the
:votes of the several Members, had put down as
Ministend all those who had not voted fur reduc-
tion in the establishments and expenditure of the
Gore'nitnent; end ss'Opposition Members all those
who had
.vinctL for apy three popular measures,
atliiviltill they might ,have generally voted with the
Ministers. He thought that a toterably for test;
for no men could deny that the questions in which
the people 'took th6le/gest interest ,z were tl?e hest
crsteduli or th*Odegree in which the imtes of that
House esteemed the sentiments of the nation; and
Ittihot done wore two subjects whsiO heel arisen' dot-

...(04,1341 ordeal :But there was it still ream
..)o Abe lower orders; there were fee km
Asgire.ef stimulus which had been given I
ihOftan by Ore Lencestenan orhools, the ee
;1010 hoidiseen most laudably followed b
toms' schools. But besides those modes
lb); knowledge 4t it cheap rate, there had'
eiliv iu operation. Some yeses ego's phi
~$P foot, 'mid 1,000,0001. had altogether
omit gyr it, for publishing standard works
Clarice. *moue these works he had no'icei
.. o.istteg. Ojos, the Encyclopedia. Sr
, 31, 00' wise insportence;" they were publish(
tire
s/stims, which were brought out either i
qv /,
.itimei,but fair-to say that thii I
•pippiiim4bt of those Acts which
4 . )lAR,ros the mippression of - kiwi.
...aitheugli it was an instruction of A
:the kraal' employed in vending th
... ' e. they were note° deal in soy publics!
,A. nrtl Pre Peilbeal controversies of
.. 110.; greet sues to knowledge I
,iireen lb the Bible sod Christian 'relict
i or Ahom 900.0001. had been collected i
the Bible. Society. Of tracts there 1
•.. ono distributed uonually. He *bold
inCrelPe of politicsl knowledge aria
• !Inuillllllpidity, and hoer senoesly and lien
.pririoite of the country was called to
t,
i .:41149.11r5Mt. of the day.. He had in t
.0111 !OW 016 ledloseper- IlltilliDps some ti
4f /1
.:fti poi;.us* out in the nit
.40 ed.' . Lit it . appeared that 'there
ngjaitqr alone 0,000,000 newspapers a
—,11.00,00041ai1y Leaden uewspapevo-1
t49.11!7; 'l)!Pers—lit,oofl,ooo of weekly c
fitif-fsht.tseye made ar of publications of 1
4-111$te days a wytk. He,„hild oilier I
....
..,,fpc••?,,,te.:oll;iirt.eepaitieh,es same
t'vij iere' 51 hewsp.peis pobli.hii
: . . -70,06 there weft 62--and ISZ
,Jr 416d-tete -1/:ere id the sense per
; . . .-iiielirst •Puthe second./ ; the last
400011 is 17911.: 9 in 1790 ; and 56
I ,than 414 y papers.. 17014 9; 1790, I
A. . rWOrfa .three days a week, is 1791
.4, ;Olt,' VOWS published once a week
91 & latter,lo. Papers published tr
,
3..41'145ica. former period. mine ; latter, 4
~.you .4stipee rnod. 114; far the latter. i
• *mile ne. o! oat double the number
Ii
• Ye!" ttp.,,,iiitying completed the vitae
. e part at the !object, he next came tc
. *twit Parlimmetit, and how far it hi
Power and knowledge so as adrquat

..ei,a3gi,eggar mimic general wept
• lead 10 ruivf..,Tiiaject r
iwtsty. 09914 411.0 fie or,
tag*. if Staling it. bat that
oreatetieory rues rentintsinee
I;l9Mrip .11 had been ssid I
4itinfyd Itlinister ever in the set
one wleplnas ffiendlv to Gerd,
rr(liber, Avoe skerpersoi'd by this 1
*;io .4
_.rjrri qf . Ointtu re
dotter , Ogling lair/bolted, the
titutorieg of the people was a i
tile 01rwet+(}1,esr,. hear, het
44,1144 ..9.n0 other gruuli
go Tenn W 9 sat, that iii pr.
vie stA rot I•sags. the Ha
Iptge: fetollll.*lrObey were 1
nest, they were %D become
She more tine persle Wetting ei
i6ntnent ought, tn 4 Made
ineg insproiiier: Tbie'was i
tany Gove*Waiit sdi „pi
tl)ey te.l9)loW up .
..
...•
4.9 p so adverse to the al A(
ake tbem'eloolpt of the- tole
iimpie them to beention; for tl
• (49een4,01.tv• He came neat
'Pate of Par igesept ..01; and
fiie
j‘ct; he bad, Ipeei filen era
• lodestone,. isbps;groking of t
uliti•o„ seest.'" ,et it is s
lljr• free agent in the eon
ks
, exercising ,the right •in i
not te voti fur: some i
4sidelring_ rtsst general . cal
ititentstor, hii..memt ' lieve In.
it truth for go. ttitli. 4,.statem
,fines, now reselyWinsite troth,
et, least, one mullion of: persons
...... . • •...