The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-18 00:00:00

SIR HENRY CAVENDISH'S DEBATES OF
TEE ROUSE OF COIIIIIIONS—Penn I.
Longman, London, 1840.
In consequence of the strict enforcement of the
standing order for the exclusion of strangers from the
gallery of the House of Commons, the debates in that
House, from 1768 to 1774, have hitherto remained
quite a blank in the history of the country. Fortu-
nately, however, Mr. Wright has just discovered among
the Egerton Manuscripts Reports of the Parliamentary
proceedings of that period, which were taken down at
the time in short-hand by Sir H. Cavendish, himself
a Member of the House. These Reports have till
now eluded the research of all our most zealous histo-
rians, and their discovery at the present time canno•
but be looked on as a great acquisition to our political
stores; for the periods which they embrace are those
of " Wilkes and Liberty," and those still more remark-
able disturbances which terminated in the loss of our
American colonies. That the Reports arc authentic
we have not the slightest doubt ; but they arc sadly
meagre, and would never pass muster in the present
day, when the art of Parliamentary reporting is so well
understood, and executed with such signal ability.
Still, notwithstanding this defect, they give us a
very fair insight into the character of the debates
of that day ; and even had we nothing better to
guide us to an opinion, we should be satisfied, from
Sir 11. Cavendish's skeleton notes, that Burke was
one of the most eloquent and philosophical speakers
that ever pleased and instructed Parliament. Here
are specimens of his manner which no one can mis-
take. He is speaking on the " Address on the King's
Proclamation for suppressing the Riots of 1768 :"
" At the beginning of a new Parliament, the House of
Commons is assembled to complain that all order is sub-
send. Some gentlemen hint at the cause ; some com-
pla'n that no remedy is proposed. The field is a wide one;
and some part of it has, I believe, been already trodden ;
I nevertheless hope to fix my landmark. What are we to
thank the Administration for ? Tumults upon tumults,
insurrections upon insurrections. We are not afforded the
customary opportunity of paying our compliments to his
Majesty at the opening of the Session ; something, there-
fore, must be supplied by a stroke of Parliamentary adula-
tion ; something must be conjued up ; it was necessary
that we should begin with some little civilities, a sort of
grace before meat ; and I must take leave to say this much
of the gentlemen opposite, that the mode they have taken
shows a large and abundant appetite for praise."
Here is one of those philosophic truths with which
Burke's mind was so richly stored, and which abound
in all his writings. He is alluding to the American
discontents :
" While you have your troops in one place, you will
want them in another. There is no such thing as govern.
ing the whole body of a people contrary to their inclina-
tions. It is not votes and resolutions—it is not arms that
govern a people."
On the motion " for the correspondence with France,
respecting the cession of Corsica," Burke replies to
Lord North, who had observed, " if we were to attack
France wherever she went, we should indeed be the
bullies of Europe, and, like bullies, we should conic off
with a bloody nose," in the following highly charac-
teristic terms :
" France is reaping the benefit of her conquest, and we
the benefit of our memorials. No country, Sir, was ever
memorialised out of its ambition. Those memorials outzlit
to have been backed in the mcde pointed out by the Gal-
lant Admiral. Corsica is under the protection of Grcct
Britain. We should have consecrated it by that word.
But we arc told, we shall be the bullies of Europe. 'l'.,
this bullying, as it is called, ire are indAted for our
grea!est dignity. France conducted the spirit of the treaty
of Munster. Holland rose, like an exhalation, in the at.
niosphere of Europe. Let 'us recall our proclamation
against Corsica."
We subjoin a sample of that more tawdry and florid
style, in which Burke, in his later days, was so prone to
indulge. We have little doubt that the passage vu,s
taken down verbatim by the Reporter.
" Sir, I am terrified, though not blasted, by the thunder
of the Noble Lord (North) ; who hurls about his bolts,
like the Thunderer of famous memory ; hut, Sir, judges
ought not to be arrayed in thunder ; the still silence of the
Almighty ought to go before the thunder of this House."
In a sentence or two afterwards, Burke observes, in
that aphoristic manner so peculiar to him :
" As political hatred is the worst of hatred, so political
forgiveness goes far beyond the forgiveness of religion."
When he so gravely annunciated this aphorisir,
Burke little thought how soon it would be realized by
his friend Fox, in his famous coalition with Lord Nora,
whose head, he had stated a thousand times in Par-
liament, ought to have fallen on the scaffold ! This WA
an instance of" political forgiveness," which Burke, who
shared in it, little anticipated, when ha hazarded the
above remark. His much vaunted political prescience
deserted him on this occasion. Among the other
members whose spe,ches are resorted by Sir H. Ca-
venish, we may mention Lord North—Judge Black-
stone—Col. Luttrell, who acquits himself with uniform
spirit—Sir Gilbert Elliott—and Alderman Beckford,
who, considering he was a Lord Mayor, shows sur-
prising tact and sagacity.

=------- ,
Tfl E Two EXTREMES— I,„ EETOTALISM AND
DrtuNxENNE66.—At the Uxbridge Petty Sessions, which
were held before Sir W. Wiseman, Bart., J. Clark, and .1.
Dagnall, Esqrs., for the appointment of headborough, consta-
bles, &c.. for the Uxbridge district, two rather curious ()like_
tions, and somewhat opposite in their character, were made by
two persons named Ernmerton and Wingrove, who had been
nominated to fill the office of headborough. Mr. Emtomebretoenx's.
objection to serve was on the ground of his being a teetotaller •
and be stated that as his woulddntie.so
tilerfefo
regrueelly)egcompel him
to enter public-ponces, he would
cured." The objection of Mr. Wingrove was, at least, a very
candid one. It was “on the ground that he was a drunkard,"
which rendered him unfit. to Ivld the office. BoEtltiwmoomf
theseee x tt
r enm- o en sd,
jections were held to be " good, by the Bench, who forth- ith-
resolvedto doiospdentsweowoitthhetrhc
Iseesrsviaediesootedf Mtoesstrhs;
Wingrove, . .
were sworn In In their stead.