The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-07-07 00:00:00

LONDON,

TUESDAY. JULY 7, me.

Nothing in the moment of defeat more keenly
wounds the feelings than the rude expression of
triumph, and the proud exultation of victory ; jet
at this delightful motorist, when the spirit of nide-
prudence has buoyed up .4 the triumphant ark of Bri-
tish likerty"—when a city great iu commerce, rich
in wealth, has proved she neither valuer nor esteems
her tidies and her greatness, if deprived of free-
dom, the heart is thrilled with the genuine glow of
British feeling, and this joy is indeed heightened
by the consciousness that troth and integrity are re-
warded—rye(
and ambition disappointed.
But far be it from us to wound the feelings of
individuals—for though the pour hirelings of faction
may 1,091 r their torrent of abuse On those whose only
crime it is t 3 differ from them, the patriot must regret
his purest thoughts are branded with infamy, used
that malignant jealousy stamps them with the vilest
ionises. The Ministerial Press has, during the
last week, exhibited a sad spectacle of the abuse of
that power which should be the guardian of our
liberties, the protectress of our rights—nor should
freedom of expression become the venal tool of cor-
ruption, nor prostitute its purity. Should the page
be stained by heaping scurrility on a man who, if
he differ in the wide field of politics, is beloved by
all who know him, adored in the private walks of
life, esteemed by those who regret he differs from
them ? Sir FRANCIS BURDETT 11•1 boldly stepped
forward to prove abuses which justice should cor-
rect—has raised a voice against corruption—and is
the reward of his truth (even should his cause be
bed) to be denied ?—nay, are all Iris private feelings
to be forgotten, and every epithtt ohich malice

.-
4.•

, 4

roul,l suggest, nod wickedness invent. be heaped
upon hint ? If these are your boasted privileges, if
these are the proofs of freedom, soon will your enjoy.
Invite vanish. and despotism will be at your gates. If
once 111'2 Press shall bend its submissive neck to
power, Und the assertors of our rights be darkened by
the foul libels of corruption—then farewell our
once-loved England, and the once " free shores
that girt thee in !"

The defeat sustained by the Ministers in Wist-
minster has confounded them and their partisan..
so that it is quite amusing to observe the very
awkward attempts made by the Treasury Prints to
conceal the impression it has crested. They affect
to believe, that the real sense of the Electors of
WeAmitister lies not been expressed, because, for-
sooth, all the votes iu this extensive City had not
been polled ; but they will not deny, after their own
repeated and solemn assertions, that the friends of
the Ministers had equal facilities of approaching
the hustings as they enjoyed who supported the pi,.
pular Candidates, and if any persons having vat,•
had not thought proper to exercise them, the na-
tural inference is, that they were fully satisfied
with the manlier in which the contest was pro-
ceeding. We know, indeed, that several hund►ed
Electors, whii. lied determined to vote fur Sir
SAMUEL ROIIIILLY and Sir Fasects BURDEtT,
declined exerc•s ng their franchise, uCting tinder
the very dangerous and repreheniible notion, that
their votes individually were not necessary fur en-
suring the triumph of independence. The Courier,
however, in its sorrows seeks to find sonic consola-
tion, from the circumstance that Sir FRANCIS
BURDETT was not first on the poll. This gratifies-
lion, trifling as it is, and we cannot well imagine in
what it consists, is gathered from the indiscreet
vanity of Sir FRANCIS BURDETT'S Committee,
who professed that nothing was achieved unless their
favourite rose far above the heads of all Isis compe-
titors. ‘Ve can hardly accuse the Ministeriali.ts of
weakness in urging this point of triumph, havioe;
seen the professed friends of independence so neatly
sacrificing the common object to the ardent pursuit
of a childish vanity.

The next point of congratulation is not quite so
excusable, fur it exposes somewhat too plainly the
maitre of the late contest. The Courier conceives
it little short of a triumph that nearly five thou-
sand persons should have " rallied round a man,"
who was, till the moment of his appearing on the
hustings. "quite unknown to them." How ex,:
tremely virtuous and disinterested these " five
thousand men" must have been to give their
support to a man till that moment quite un-
known to them, and to intrust the care of
their dearen and most valuable rights to a
matt with whose principles, it appears, they were
totally unacquainted, of whose qualities they
were ignorant, and of whom, in short, they knew
nothing, but that he was a puppet set op by the
Ministers !! Had he appeared as a Candidate for
IVestminster, with no recommendation but that of
his personal characterz-.had no Minister taken him
by the hand—had no Secretary of State appearcil
at the hustings to vote for him—how many Elec-
tors of IVestiniiistev does The Courier believe
would lustre "rallied around • man wholly un-
known to them ?" In such a case he might
possibly have rivalled Mr. HUNT'S seven dozen.
But we do not think even that very probabl.,
fun Mr. HUNT at least promised something, which
most have had great charms fur men of denier/ft
fortunii and abandoned characters; but we be-
lieve that Sir MURRAY Itlaxwatt has too much
sense, and too high a feeling of honour, to setk
fur elevation by flattering the worst passions of
the lowest rabble. Obedience to Courts and Mi-
nisters is always glossed over with some chasm
to captivate the senses and to lay the conscience
asleep, hut servility to a mob is slavery in its
naked deformity, and is uniformly accompanied
by circumstance* at which an intelligent and gene-
rous mind must ever revolt.

Preparations are making for chairing Sir F.
BURDETT on Monday next. It will be a splendid
►pectacle. The ceremony will be followed by a
grand dinner. An advertisement in front of our
Paper state*, that the dinner to celebrate Sir
SA SIU FL Itoutt.t.x's return, is deferred to a more
convenient season. In the late contest for West-
minster, about 2,300 plumpers were given for Sir
F. Burma-re, and nearly a like number voted
for Sir M. MAXWELL—whiIe the plumper. fur Sir
S. Itostit.LY did not. we understand, exceed
400. Ilia great character for public and private
worth, dins appears to have given him friends in
both parties, and by an happy union of discrimina-
tion and independence, placed him at the head of
the poll.

We copy from the Sum of last night, • letter
from Pans, containing •n account of a couspirsey
to dethrone-Ilse King of FRANCZ.

A Flanders Mail has arrived, bringing paper
and letters, from which we have made the follow-
ing extracts:-
2.
His Highness the Hereditary Prince ,pf is
and her Royal Highness the Princess Eliaatr,tl
arrived in this city last night, from Calais,'
Hotel de Belle Vac. Amoug the persons
Baron O'Nsibtra, the Prince's Aide-dc-asp,

tuosne, JULY 2.
'Herat Humisoutl.
tatreib, M. convrt.
pul
: 4
alto
Ga t ft:
h sei