The National Register.
London, England, 1818-01-25 00:00:00

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Our thug, Confititution anti

SUNDAY, JANUARY AS, 1818.

operation. Upon this subject, it may be observed that
the greatest enemies of Government will hardly have to
complain of rigorous severity, in carrying into effect an
act, which vested in the hand of Ministers such extra-
ordinary, such unlimited powers. Wailer, Sherwin,
and the publisher of Cobbctt, mighttong since have
been incarcerated, had not the Government wisely suf-
fered them to put forth their publications, and thus
give the people of England the opportunity of judging
of them by their own works, and the doctrines
which, from the passing of the Act, they have never been
hindered from promulgating. The thing is, however,
gone by, and we trust the country will never again
have the misfortune to witness the operation of an act
so foreign, so inimical, to the feelings, to the disposi-
tions of Englishmen.

A Royal Marriage will, there is little doubt, form a
subject Parliamentary deliberation. The Duke of
Cambridge, who is reported to have fixed his matrimo-
nial choice on a Princess of I Jesse Cassel, is entitled to
the respect and esteem of the nation at large for his
amiable qualities, and the general goodness of his un-
sullied character.

With regard to the public finances, there is reason
to believe that less difficulty will be experienced than
many are ready to anticipate. The Minister has, dur-
ing the recess, been using great exertions to reoder the
old taxes operative and effective ; by which means, with
the aid of economical retrenchments, we trust that no
new burthens will be I;aind necessary. The A3urish-
ing state of the \limey-market is such as to tiuilitate,
if not render highly advantageous, an*mancial ope-
rations which the Chancellor of the Exchegner may
find expedient to put in practice. Alany statements
have been put forth, tending to create lartn, as to de-
falcation in the receipts of the public revenue, &c.
these, we have some reason to think, are far from cor-
rect. A deficiency certainly has existed, and, perhaps,
may exist for a time to a minor extent, but by no means
of a nature to create despair, or the least doubt that
the Administration have it in their power to supply the
(Weir without making any additional call upon the
people, who may look forward to a diminution, rather
than an increase of the weight which they have so loog
and so patiently endured.

A considerable portion of the time of both Houses
will, it is most likely, be occupied by the old and stale
subject of the " Catholic Claims."—Nor will there be
Wanting hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Petitions on
the subject of Parliamentary Reform—these will, we
trust, be considered on their own merits without pro.
ducing party spirit, on giving rise to invidious objec-
tions tending only to create popular clamour and dis-
content, when much might be done to,4llay the excited
feelings of a loyal surl deserving people. We sincerely
hope the wisdom of Parliament, will not fait' among its
euriiest enactments, to provide some salutary remedy
for the relief of the distressed poor, by a revision of
those laws by which they are peculiarly affected, nor
ought they to lose sight of other objects, in which not
only the lower classes, but the :)üblic at large arc ma-
terially interested, and which arc so fully illustrated by
the Reports, long ago laid before both Houses by the
Committees appointed for that purpose, We refer more
particularly to the Report, of which the public are in
possession, on the subjects of Mendacity, and the Police
of the metropolis, embracing also the smarm of the li-
censing system, with an exposition of the alarming mo-
nopoly existing among the Brewers, and others concern-
ed in supplying the public with those articles of con-
sumption, which, in the present state of saciuty, may
be ranked among the necessaries of life 0. publi • meet_
ing has been culled in the motrop " for the purpose
of considering the 6:%1 means of counteracting this
Gn IVANCF.,.9 and we trust tha l'ArLau,ut
in their eudeavouri to promote the general atuclichauun

PRICE 9ij

of society, will not lose sight of objects of such into.
rest and importance to the great mass of the population,
who are looking forward with no small degree of anx-
iety, to the gx)d which they have a right to expout
from the deliberations of the ensuing seam.