The National Register.
London, England, 1818-09-13 00:00:00

i/vad, Xx,"„ii„,. /Y 2
Zro/fo kiliationaTjLt

No. 55.3.—V0L. XI.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

ON THE STATE OF PARTIE3.

IN the lost &lirlihrgle &view a well-written article
has appearLd on the State of Parties. It is attributed
to the pen CZ Mr. Brougham, and may be regarded as
the Manifesto of the Whigs, preparatory to the next
eicssjon of Parliament. The writer sets out with stating
the objections which have been urged against party in
general, and particularly against opposition a regular
party.-1. The friends of Ministers, he says, never fail
to stigmatise them as disloyal, by the old sophism which
confouail.; the Sovereign with his Councillors—the
Constituticu with the Ministry of the day.-2. And by
the Public the question is often put, Are the Ministers
always in the wrong? and an inference is thence
drmea that there is as much dereliction of principle in
always agreeing with an Opposition, as in constantly
supporting a Minister.-3. In case of any coalition of
parties betbre opposalsto each other, another cause of
censure arises, and many look upon coalitions as no-
thing better than a profligate abandonment cf public
principle for the sake of private advantage.-4. But if
an Opposition party succeed to power, still another
source of censure is opened. How sparing soever as
oppesition may be of their promises to the country, ftr
more will always he. expected from them than any man
can perform, anal whatever has been done amiss by the
former Ministry, they will be called upon to rectify—
and that iostantly, for delay i 3 equal to non-perform-
anee.

Having enumerated these charges, the second of
which has been alledged against all piety, as such, and
the others e.gninst the unforeunatc Whim the writer
proceeds to examine them each in its turn. The first,
indeed, he dismisses very properly as unworthy of re-
futation, and goes on to the second. Swift has said
that party is " the madness of many for the gain of a
fetv." This Mr. Brougham controvert;, and it is t 3
be remembered that Swift himself was after all a par!y
man. The Reviewer defines party to be the union of
a number of individuals, who agree in holding many
stzong opinions upon many important topics,--e%
agree in thinking a change of system (not of men only)
to be necessary for the salvation of the country ; nd
wh.4 entertaining these sentiments upon the general
line of policy which ought to be pursued, mutually re-
lineuish those details, upon which different minds can-
not all coincide, in order to unite their evils for the
attainment of the imp or!ant objects in which they do
agree. If any set of Minieters have alepted a system
of govern:neat grossly erroneous, or corrupt, or uncon-
stitutional, a necessity arises for taking every lawful
means to displace them; and prevent farther mischief.
Such an union, the basis of which is to sacrifice the
'attempt at minor -objects in order to attain those
that are most important by united exertions, affords
the only likely means of success, for every Ministey
is sire to be lupe irted by a party at once narnemus
and nhclient, regularly rniteil:elled and kept together
in one solid body, al much more compact than the
best organized Opposition, as a standing army is better
disciplined than a corps of volunteers. But what
chance wattli un Oppesition have composed of indi-
videals totally insulated, and not acting together P—lf
the opponents of the tlinister only attack him when
they are all egreel upon the measure, they mast thr the
seine reaem nt ilte the attic's( in the menuer in which all
aperove ; that is to say, only those who agree in ais-
appeeeles of the measure, can join in the attack ; and
of Anse, only 5u..71 as iteree in the ,ierle of espre-aing
their dissent. It is not merely the, Ole may he in-
. fluencel by one reeson, an I nnether by another, to join
in the ea ne vire ; this wield deal to no material de-
felcatian or strength. But there will be fillni very few
raiz.; in which all precisely agresel ; and if each ea.:es

Our Ling, Condtitution anb t ai)34.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1818.

must fellow his own Judgment for cons:;ence sake,
even a small ditilnence of sentiment must prevent a
concurrence in the vote. Thus it will happen that the
whole body who disapprove of the measures of Go-
vernment as nay:dew, and conscientiotuly deem °change
necessary, are prevented from ever expres§ing their opi-
nion at all. Nothing but the union of an Opposition
party can Save any chance against a Ministerial party,
wad therefire, if it be Eglit at• ail to oppose bad. Mi-
nisters, k is necessary to do so by party assaciation.—
This is the Reviewer's general -reasoning, to which he
allows the exception of soh important questions (such
for instance as the Slave Trade) in which all the mem-
hers of the party are not agreed.
In such an union, he adds, the power of treat fami-
lies forms a ino3t necessary part. It is val.'. to stigma-
tize this eo-operation as the influence of a domineering
aristocracy. On the contrary, it affords a counterpoise
from the wealth, rank, and station of the great Opposi-
tion families, to the resources of force and corruption
at the diposal of the Crown : they are a rallyinb point
to the scattered strength of inferior partizans, and a
more permanent mass in which the common principles
mcy he embodied and preserved among the vicissitudes
of fortune ; and in the lapse of time, so apt to have a
fatai effect among the more fickle and more numerous
orders of soccty, they arc eminently useful in temper-
ing the zeal, as well as fixing the unsteadint.ss of po-
pular opinion ; and thus give re;ulation and direction,
as well as efficacy, to the voice and strength of the
people.

ST. DOMINGO.---Christophe, the sovereign of part of
St. Domingo, knowe us the kingdom of Hayti, has, since
the death of Potion, who was President of the sul.ee•
part, endeavoured to unite the. wliolo island under Iris
authority. For this pure.:se he has appronched with
a military retinue the territory which is under the Pre-
sidency of General Boyer, the successor of Petion, and
issued two proelametions announcing his views, and
promising to those who may support them the guaran-
tee of their persons and property, the confirmation of ranks
mel cmpley to military and civil offices, and protection
Leul tewards to others.—lt appears. that Boyer resists
Christophe in these views of aggrandisement.
By recent accounts from St. Domingo, it appears
that Christophe. failing in his efilirts to induce that
portion of toe Island, under the new President, Boyer,
the successor of Pceiee, to arlnewledge his authority,
is marching to attac!:. Port-au-Prieee, and that Buyer is
preparing to reoel
Peusstee imeN.—Privy-Conneellor Bornemann is
arrived. in London with the remaining obligations of
this loan, completieg the sum of 5,000,0,e) sterling.—
They are at present in the possession of Mr. Rothschild,
the contractor, who will deliver them in a lbw days to
the subscribers.
Extract of a letter from .Tylboa, dated Aug. 17 :
‘‘ We hailed with much satisfaction the arrival of the
Diana fri.:nte ; no Bonner had she apeenred, than the
insurgent privateers, which previously infixed our
I coast, disappeared; to the great
.joy of the inhabitants.
By the latest advices also From Cedie, we learn that two
or three English ships war are off that coast, no
denbt for the purpose of preserving some little respect
for legitimate flage Such is the present state of Spain
—a nation that once meditated an invasion of Great
Britain is new glad Oven o: nominal protection from two
or three of her frigates''
GasteT IStPIioVEIIINT IN TR IDE.--We cxperic,neff
real sotisfeetion in stating, that at Dudley, Stour-
bridge, tee., the iron trade was never known so brisk
a.s it is at this moment ; the foreign orders are so
geeat. that. it is impossible to get through them with
sum cient celerity ; we may also add, that the pipes
and other apparatus connected with pet works, give
e:nployment to a vast tam kr of hands. The nail
tra le is also so brisk, that the masters at De Iley and
Stoichridge have recently been able to raise the wages
of the; r workmen. • To a I...elite: and patriotic mind,
nattriag can be more gratifying than to observe tho
tr4trasc which the above astride present when the
atiturne of 18 tti is colipareel with the present time :
at the former period, all was distreas and dismay : at
the present, all is iudustry and opulence.