The National Register.
London, England, 1812-12-20 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

There were three foundations on which a Government could be said
to rest—on an aristocracy—on an army—and on thn! will of the people.
When an aristocracy preVailed, the Government was controuled by a
set of hatividuals, wiiose interests were in opposition to those of the
country at large. When an army was relied on, it sehlam or never
happened but that some time or other a Governmentgtelt the edge of
the instrument which it employed. The only secure Government
was that which was found. d on the affixtions of the people, without
which it could neither be staple, nor glorious, nor happy. With
rcspeet to tint present state of this country, it was indeed most main- •
choly. It used formerly to he denied, that the House of Commons
was in that corrupt state so generally believed—but that which was
fora erly denied was now unblushingly avowed and defended. It was
now notoriously known to be corrupt in its constitution, and no longer
any safety tier the liberties of the subject ; for there could be no redress
to the people when the House of Commons itself was the great
grievance wh'cli was complained of (applause.) Ihe Court of King's
Bench had become of late years little inferior to the Court of Star
Chamber (applause.) And he had no doubt. it the same system of
severity continued much longer, it would become as odious in the
eyes of Englishmen, as ever the Court of Star Chamber was. He did
pot merely allude the case of Mr. Drakard. a man who deserved so
well of every humane ;and feeling heart, for his endeavours to put a
stop to that base, ignominious, and unmanly system of flogging, to
which the soldiers of the English army were exposed. It was they
Press of England which loudly called for something to be done, to put
a stop to the most deadly mischief which could threaten a country.
To have a licenser certainly was destructive to liberty ; but deStruc-
tiye as such a system was, it was far less cruel and unjust than that
Wilda at present prevailed. A sham trial and oppression, exercised
according to the forms of law, were of all acts of injustice the most
severe. By the arbitrary and unrestricted exercise of Ex-officio In-
formations, it was in the power of an Officer of the Crown to put
every man in peril when he pleased. He could withdrag a prosecu-
tion when he pleased, or keep it suspended over the head of the vic-
tim, and wait till such a Jury could be obtained as might be depended
on (loud applause.) In a word, every thing was now mockery and
fion, without any of the substance of justice. He should like ex-
ceedingly to ask any of those Gentlemen who found Mr. Hunt. the
other day, guilty, of what they hal really found kin guilty ? What
was a libel ? A libel sttictly signified nothing more than a book.—
Those who were enemies to their principles; instead of meeting thens
on fair grounds, and combating them by argument, always had re-
course to an easier mode of opposition, namely, misrepresentation.
They began by stating something as maintained which was not main-
tained, and then proceeded to combat the phantom. With such
people Reform was Revolution. The enemies of corruption were
friends to anarchy. It was curious enough to see that those who
were the loudest in crying down and affecting to condemn popu!ar
meetings, and all expression of popular feeling, were themselves the
fore:nost to avail themselves of any transient appearance of popularity,
and to run round the country like strolling players, and exhibit them-
selves from place to place (approbation ) He pledged them that he
could not disgrace the vote with which they had honoured him. He'
should at all times be ready to combat tyranny under every shape--
After Sir. F. BURDETT had concluded, the band played " Rule
Britannia."
Mr. Wisnaar then proposed " The Health of Lord Cochrane,"
who, he was sorry to say, was not so fortunate against ckmestic ene-
mies as foreign foes. Drank with three times three.
Lord COCHRANE returned thanks. Many toasts were then given,
and among the rest the tollowing—Ccnstitutienal Judges, Indepen-
dent Advocates, and honest Jurytnen."—n ith three. " Mr. Broug-
ham, the successful opposer of the Orders in Council."—With three
times three. " Engl::nd's distressed Manufacturers, and may these
- speedily have bread to eat."—This was drank in silence, and the band
played " The Dead March." " Radical Reform in the Commons
House of Parliament." The band was ordered to play " I sigh as
I tug at the oar." " May the dissalution of Parliament be Lllowed
by the resurrection of principle."—Drank with three. . " The inde-
pendent Freemen of Liverpool, who endeavoured to rescue the town
from'slavery."—With three times three.—The band played " Britons
strike home." " The People of Ireland, and the Restoration of their
Rights."—With three—The hand was ordered to play " Erin go
Brag')." The last toast was " Liberty ail over tlot world, and courage
to defend it."—The band played " Libctty Hail."
At about a quarter before ten, Sir F. Burdett, Lord Cochrane, Al-
dermen Wood, and several others, retired.

CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE..—A Gentleman, denim., a tour last Sum
mer in the west of England, observed, to his no small seirpri‘e, over
;he door of an decant mansion, the following singular Latin inscrip-
tion :—Elcraties ad 0, per E.—Anxious to know the meaning of these
r:rtc!ious words, he made enquiry, and W:i3 informed, that the owner
ni it was formerly in very indigent circumstances, and that his presrut
ex.iltid sittiAinn in lite was o"ing eptirely to his having purchased a
Share of a Capital Prike at ErroN's Cutters Offices, No, 18, Coveraly
S wet ; And I.kew:se, tlret the literal translation of the iuscription wag,
•• raiied t,) Qattara'