The National Register.
London, England, 1817-12-29 00:00:00

RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE YEAR.

IN drawing towards a close of the year, it is natural
that we should cast a retrospective glance upon the
events, which have in any particular manner distin-
guished it. Although the year Eighteen hundred and
Seventeen, has not been marked by any of those external
oecurrcnccs which gave cause of triumph or dismay,
chequcring our days through a quarter of a century,
yet it has been full of matter of the most interesting
kind—matter,which in the hands of the titture historian,
trill tnark it among the most eventful periods recorded
in our historical annals. . .

A period of warfare is generally a period of privation.
This is so well understood, that if the sword is drawn in
justice, the hearts of the people fly out with it. Indi-
vidual suffering, indeed, will sometimes produce indA.
dual complaint, and tainted members of the fo&c, will
sometimes betray their predilection for the unwhole-
some herbage of the enemy : but the national feeling of
• the mass of the people, high and low, is generally direc.
ted aright, and while the choice is between honour and
dishonour, (such is the national temperament,) the
warmest patriot has rarely an occasion to complain.
This endurance of privation is the effect of the national
elasticity of spirit, and the unextinguishable love of
borne ; ra.her we should perhaps say, all this has
been. Whether our character has entirely passed from
us, or is only suffering a temporary change, it is not
flw us to say. It has hitherto been the peculiar cha-
racteristic of Eallishinen, never to ba depressed too
low by misfortune, nor to be too much elevated by
success, this is the golden mean which insures content—
which has beam prized by the wisest all worthiest of
mankind. This temper though little moved by any of
the vicissitudes of a long and eventful war, has not been
proof against the sufferings induced by a sudden and
unexpected peace, for to deny, that the immediate cause
of our recent and existing misery, is the unlocked for
change, is to deny the evidence of our senses, let the
sticklers for popularity say what they will to dm con-

Crary.
We think too highly of the fortitude and loyalty Of
even the lowest members of the community, to believe
that their sufferings, great as they have been, would
have urged them tu•acts of violence, had not their worst
passions been excited by men less virtuous than th,2m-
*elves ; and this is perhaps, the stongest argument, which
can be offered in favour of thutlegislative measure which,
for a time, suspended the most important part of our
constitution. It was, in fact, a shield extended by the
arm of Power over the weak, to defend them from the
wicked, and however painful such a proceeding is to
the feelings of the inflexible and virtuous patriot, he
roust allow that a temporary suspension of a part of the
law is better than putting to hazard the existence of the
whole. Viewing the prudent use which has been made
of this great power by the executive, and the symptoms
of amending times, we trust that the despondency
xi:lkb has too long clouded the brow of industry, will
be now dissipated, anti that the machinations of tho
rtil doers will fail before the returning virtue of the
•
people.
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That the great bulk of the nation, Las remained
untainted in spite of all the etlints which have been
made to corrupt them—that they still turn with gra-
titude and love to the illustrious Mouse by whom
their liberties were confirmed—their conduct on the
gloomiest event that ever darkened our annals, is a
satisfactory proof. They felt the loss, not as a public
losses arc felt, but as when the hand of death is vi-
sible in our private chambers, when it sweeps away the
nearest and dearest of our kindred, leoving us almost
without hope—without consolation. Atgiist events so
gloomy, where shall we turn Not certainly to re-
gard the wild and incoherent ravings of those, who