The National Register.
London, England, 1820-01-16 00:00:00

No. 1,247.—V0L. XIII.]

political actrospftt.

IT was our intention to have continued our I
remarks upon the series of bills, as they now stand
enacted by the Le,girlature for securing the tran-
quillity of dm country, er rather flu teaelting us to
walk in fetters. But whilst the iry of distress, and
and the lameneitions upon the badness githe times,
• are ringing au loudly in our eunpon every side, it
is imptiable not to give the first place in our
thoughts and attenlitm,. •AVe have heard much and
long of she s‘gnation of trade aed manufactures, of
'bankrupt twasteri, and starving labourers, ofcapital
withdrawn fa= employment, and of skill and
industry looking for a. field for its exertions in other
countries. •.Withie the last two or three weeks,
however,-tondo is reported to have felt a beneficial
influence from various causes, but chiefly from the
policy of the Russian Government having under-
gone a change in our favour, by e more liberal
extension of her laws on importation. How far
this opening may us in the end yet remains
uncertain. 1 t may; and dams furnish a ground of
speculation, and thus contributes to the increase of
labour at least, awl perhaps of wages it, some par-
titular districts and brunches of manufacture. But
the speculations of trade were estrally ardent, we
remember, two years ago upon the =Acts of South
A merica, and when we remember also the miserable

sue of that enterprise, we confirm Ave are nut very
fauguip; on thotti4j:ct of our eonuneece with
• . Th IsSians .are moreover both a poor
generally 44ing,a frugal and hard living race.
'l3tcy must buy cheap or nut at all, and the mis-
'fortune is, that England can now furnish nothing
-that it', when compared with other countries, really
'.o-be called cheap. Her • common public burthens
ti, t% her'scatv from a fair and honourable competition
with- her lit4olboar6. iShe has fonght for them,
-alle has bled tbr them, • she has paid the bills of all
Europe fur twenty-five years pact, and her Rulers
now tell us of her proud and matchless glory. But
alas her glory neither feeds the hungry nor clothes
the naked. She 'has, unfortnnately for all her
people, except the few who have fattened on her
'f illy, departed from that uncient maxim which
should hind nations, as well as individuals, of being
at home before they are generous abroad.—
France is come out of the struggle renovated,
strengthened, and improved. Her finances and her
-system of legiilatiem ore both infinitely sounder
-titan they were before her Revolution, mid her
Teppleare both happier and occupying a nobler rank
in the ereution. Oh what a triumph tio the
present existing circumstances of Great Britain
furnish to those principles and to their firm and
eim,istent ailvocates, which are denominated Whig
Yes, the fruits of Tory principles are •ncw fairly
betbre us. We taste them in every thing we eat,
vet:imbibe 'them in every thing we drink, we hear
Ahem in every note of murmur and discontent, and
above all we feel them in our atold,!..red Rights and
.inipaiied Liberties. Other evils might be con-
sidered as transient; trade may revive under some
better auspices, and taxation be alleviated under a
-frugal and more patriotic administration, or a crlsis
of public credit may arrive, and some desperate
measures, partaking of the nature of national
bankruptcy may be proclaimed. But our whole
,history can inform us that the encroachments of