The National Register.
London, England, 1815-07-23 00:00:00

470

Tit E NATIONAL REGISTER.

"11141111nE. JVVY 11.-s A. Ru.sian courier, who passed thiongli
111;,1,11. "on estereav evening, Oates that there '. on the 7th, a
sev:.! e !nto.lr lie:ween l'rince Wrede and Soon, in the country Le-
twcenlous and Nancy, in which the Ft each were totally defeat-
ed. anti Prirr.e ;:deaneed tnwatds Melun. The loss on both
sidri is stated at Imatt men.

BASLE, JULYt --Adtiice Lax been received at the headlnarters
of the Arehiliike John, that Leen:luta', after a long and bloody le-
witance, has b Ili, entrenched cant') near Beloit, and retired into
the tortre-. It seems there niu,,t have been some very bard fighting
a great many wonniled having been bionght in here Inr these three
sii;hts rest.

" Hnussus, Juts is now confirmed, by accounts from
Luxemburg, that the whole of the remaining divisions of the
pin:siao army have passed the Rhine, and are on their march
to join Prince Blucher. The r ezooiations midi the comman-
der of Metz have hitherto had r,o further result than that the
Commander has jeclared he should be guided in his resolution
by the course of events. The Hessian troops under General En•
gleitardt, after Liking Sedan, marched directly to Charleville and
Dlizieres, passitte by Givet and Rocroy. A body of troops, chiefly
composed of National Guards, who attempted to stop the Hes,ians,
were instantly beaten and dispersed, and forced hastily to fly over
the Masse.

LATE MR. WHITBREAD.

FROM coßßErrs POLITICAL REGISTER.

I
can, for my part. see no reason whatever, which
ought to restrain 0110 from giving one's opinion freely as
tO the conduct, or the character, of the dead, which
would not apply with equal force to the case of the
livilf.f. For *.what are all the tombs, the epitaphs, the
mon unients, and other memorials, of the dead? Are they
riot intended to perpetuate the praise of the dead? And
how is praise to live except on man's lips? history, where
it dares speak out, spares not the dead ; and what is
history hut the record of the actions of men.? Why, then,
this squeamishness in epeaking of the recent dead, when
all agree, that we may freely speak of thosc who died at a
distant period ? If, indeed, it be of poor peis'ons, or, of
those who come by their death in consequence of their
offences. again,d vozcer, the press seems to be at full li-
berty to dial With them at pleas.ttro ; while, for years, at
least, the rich, or powerful, sreru to find in the grave a
complete slii(l.l from-every thing but the praise of partial
frictids and' hireling scribes.
Notwithstanding these reflections, however, I should
not have noticed either to', manner of the death, or even
the public'conduct of this gentleman, had not the press
teemed with observations and assertions with respect to
him; net only unsupported by any proof of their truth,
but, as to many points, containing liagt.ant falsehoods.
Mr. WorrawEan Wai a man of great natural talents;
his application to study and public affairs had been great;
he ‘v.as possessed of a large store of »seful knowledge; he
was acute in
,ler•ceiv;i4, clear arid strong his st..t
Ments reasimings,land eloquent in the cialveying of j
his ideas- to others. But, a's to being 'the pat; of that he,
has been represented, as tolhe. loss which the country has
sustained by his death, .1 recollect• very fey, instances,
in which he even endeavoured to accomplish for tlitconu-, 41

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. .
try objects worthy of the exertions of a great
never cordially and heartily co-operated witi
sought a reform in the House of Commons,
was too sensible a man not to perceive, not
convinced, that no object short of that was
serious effort ; nay, he must have been well
that his frequent contests about comparative
calculated to amuse the nation with false n
expectations ; that he was drawing their nth
the true cause of their calamities; diverting
of the public mind from its useful end ;
shield to the citadel of political evil, by wei
exhausting the assailing force in skirmishings ab,
beyond even the foot of the glacis.
Vanity appears to have been his ruling pa
was constantly in search after triumph. No:
of a daily victory seemed to suffice. This
led him to pursue, in Parliament, la petite guerre. No-
thing was too little for him; no subject too contemptible;
no adversary too feeble; no quantity or kind of applause
beneath his eager acceptance. The cheering of the Ho-
nourable House, the clappings of play-actors, the hum
of the Bible Society; all were swallowed with equal
avidity.
Much has been said about his openness and sincerity.
But it unfortunately happens, that this character has been
given by the most profound and most successful hypocrite
upon the j'acc of the whole earth; and, indeed, he appears
not to have wholly unmerited such praise at such bands.
For whore was his sincerity, where was his principle,
when, after most furious attacks on Perceval and Castle-
reagh, he protested that he meant nothing disrespectful
to them, and walked out of the House with them arm-
in-arm. Either he believed what he had said of their con-
duct, or he did not; and in either case his insincerity was
Manifest. This was, too, calculated to produce a most
pernicious effect on the public, who, after hearing him,
for years, accusing Perceval, heard him amongst the fore-
most, -saw him the very bell-weather of the Hock in ex-
tolling his character and conduct, and in voting large
sums of the public money as a compensation for his
public services. If it he just to call such a man sincere,
insincerity does not exist in the world.
Ido not say, and I do not think, that he was prone-
ditately deceitful. He was led away by his vanity. Hav-
ing obtained, from one side, the praise clue to a bold as-
sailant and defeater of the minister, he next sought,
from the other 'gide, the praise of candour and liberality.
His vanity was a foul-feeder, but it was admirably
calculated to nullify all his attacks, and to keep alive a,
remnant of that popular delusion as to party, which had
still remained after the coalition of the Grenvilles and
the Whigs.
AMongst those who were at all under his power; he
was intolerant. Ills vanity forced, where it had power,
all to administer to it; and where it had not power to
enforce it, it resorted to -stratagems to gain its ends.
That he was really insane, at the time of putting an end
to his life, I have no doubt ; and, it is a fact well
known, that vanity is the most frequent cause of insa--
nity as well as of suicide. Why do we hear of so
many men killing theluselvea when they fall from great
riche:, to povoly ? It 'is not because they fear puniel-
nient, for a, e are sure to receive none ; it is not be-
cause (they fear that they shall want the Means'of existence,
for the 'mere baubles in their families will afford them