The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-15 00:00:00

ADDRESS. •
• The prevalence of disloyal and seditious principles, to a
great and alarming extent, among certain classes of our fel-
, lete-subjects, is unhappily too notorious at the present time
to admit of doubt nr discussion.
• Possessing, as this nation does, a Constitution which is the
eery and ailluiratiou of the world—at peace with every other
conntry—covered with the glories of a long, nn arduous, and
-,11 triumphant contest—enjoying an impartial Administration,
--; filustwe—and subjected to the mild and paternal Goverti-
i meat of a Patriotic .Sovereign, it might have been hoped that
all ranks and degrees of men would have bent in humble
gratitude fur such unexampled blesiings to the Almighty and
Merciful- Disposer of human events.
But that this is far from being the case, and that, on the eon-
trary, a spirit of hostility exists against our most sacred and
estimable Institutions, we have only to appeal to the uni•
• form testimony of those numerous loyal Addresses which
• hare of late been laid at the foot of the Throne by Corpora-
tions Or' meeting's. of Individuals. Framed by bodies of men
in, different And distant parts of the kingdom, d
without con-
cert or communication. end cnniainin4 opinions rawn
from actual observation and eonvietion, these Addresses in-
disputably prove at once the lamentable existence of the evil
and its feorfnl extent ;_they prOv e that it menaces not the
predomintioce of this or that party lit the State, but the safety
of the State itself; nut the sepiirate interests of this or that
class of men, but the liberty, the property, the security of
All.
The Consequences which bare already resulted from this
perversion of public principle, are butt too obvious. Arming
them are to be numbered, a daily weakeiting.of the hoods of
union between the humbler ranks of society rtiol their natural
guardians and protectors—insulaordinatioadisregard of
• the laws, and frequent attempts to obstruct their operation—
increase of crimes—denunciations of hatred toweard gi s the
. greatest and best uteliin the country—tnockery uf Rlion—
querulottsitnpatienee of all contrail! and restraint—vain and
ostentatious contempt of all sound learning, experience, and
knowledge—interruption of the courses of honest industry
' "—and derangement of the great concerns and enterprizes of
the patios,. it
-The Causes of the evil are no less apparent ; may be ilk-
:linetly traced to the mechinations lila comparatively small
number of individuals. These persons act partly by means
of the turbolente and excitement of public meetings, at
Whirl the most untoundeif and inflammatory speeches are de-
livered; and eerily through the medium of a licentious Press,
which, without
dates- the nation with an unexampled profusion of slanderous,
seditious and hlasPheinotts publications. , ,
The miscevious activity the popular agitators has not,
pricihous or transient :of
they have ',Lollard their course
been ca
systematically: and the influence which they have acquired
over the minds of the less-informed classes of society, has for
several .years been regularly and rapidly increasing. If it
has eccasiotiaily ceased to attract public attentiout it has op:-
peered at every new manifestation more fortnithibler it:has
been nourished by every art which a pernicious ingenuity
could devise; and it has enlisted in its favuur every personal
feeling of its ignorant anti deluded victims.
The Press, that great and invaluable blessing of civilized
Cite--that. mighty engine for diffusing the light,of Liberty
and of the Gospel—has unhappily become, in the hands of.
evil men, a,lever to shake the verY foundations of social.and
mural order. Its power, which within the last century has
been multiplied• an hundred-fold, • may flaw be almost said
to reign paramount in the guidance of public opinion; and
Cu those friends of their country who reflect deeply on this
fact, it ;cannot but be matter of serious alarm to observe
that a very large proportion of our periodical publications
sti-
is
under the three. ion either: of avowed enemies of I he,Con
lotion, or of persons 'whose sole principle of action is their
own private and selfish interest. By these, and by occasional
Writers of a like character and description, every artifice is
employed,with daily increasing boldness, to render the people
discontented with the Government, and disobedient to
the
[sews: to persnatie then) that they are betrayed by those who
thould protect them • to seduce them from their affection
and allegiance to their' Sovereign; and, finally, y,
ibrin org
about a Revolution, to which (however it might gfy ,
enrich themselves and-their associates) the wenttli. the Pres'
perity, the.internal happiness, and, the political greatness of,
the Empire, must ineritably he sacrificed.
And it is Oen" that isolated, individual exertion,
vould be
utterly -i-ritiaequate to Cope with all the evil energies now,
!strayed agaiost public order and the public peace; so it is
to be feared, that the Govermitent and Legislature ahem-
selves might find the contest difficult, without the fictive,
zeal um, and persevering co-operation of the loyal aiiil
towell-
distitised pail of the emuntimity; which co.opertion, be
l'flectital, most be the result of a regular and systematic union
of individuals.
• Persuaded that by these means afore the progress of sedi-
tints, principles can be arrested ; and feeling that to arrest it,
if possible, is the bounden duty of every good subjtet and
sincere patriot ; the Members of this Society have adopted
.he fialowing Resolotioas •
Ist. That they will use their best exertions to maintain
order, rind to support the due execution of llus Lad.
21. That they will employ their influence, individually rind
nillectivelv, in discoontenaticiug and opposing the dissetnina-
tion of seditious principles.
:at, That they will encourage perspns of integrity
and
ta4
ent in the Literary World to exert their abilities in Cot
ttg ithe, sophistries, dissipating the illusions, arid exposing
:he folsettoods, which are employed by %sicked and designing
ri`en to nilatt ad t Ire people. • ' ' '
Atli. 'Mat they will resort, to such lawful measures ait may
to deemed expedient to restrain the publishing and eircutal-
ng'of Stalitisois and treasonable libels."
In wishing that the licentiousness of the Press should be
'est rained, this Association is actuated by a sincere desire tu
ecure the true Liberty of the Press—that liberty which sub-
tits only under the' protecting' shield rof law, nod which is
Ore to be one of the first sacrifices made tat a Political no lo
nti oit. Such a liberty is ahsolotely incOmpatible with the
resent licentiousness ; antithe one musett
be so
fore theon destnatireon
ythe
dher. lin, alternetive, hoWever, is y.
['he Members of this.SOciety have no wish to prescribe limits
0 discussion, nor even harshly tutens the excesses of an
tonesti though mistaken zeal ; t there are publications
end unfortunately many of those eirculated anionic. the
Ilse
louritig classes are of this description), on the es tunna ity
11 which no rational doubt can be entertained. These works
°mist almost wholly of scurrilous slanoers. and of the most
',llse and inflammatory statements respecting public instils'.
loos 'andimblic men; they ithOillid with personal calumny,
'nil otter direct incitemeois to•violenee and crime, let ehort,
hey are ins eterately hostile to public intil private virtate, and
avowable only to whatever tends toi'degrade anti
eankintl. All that is estimable io the etitintry.would debase'tilted by their suppression ; rind motile; would be so much
improved loot elevated as the PI t' SS itgeli. •
This Association is established on the broad principle, net
f sopporting this or that 'Adininistration, bur of opposing
he attempts tinW matte to o
foverthrw the Civil Institution. of
he state:- Other Societies have or seine .tinie eitistcd, for
lie protection of Religion nod Ni"al!'; but, with the excep-
ion of a few Loral Associations, the present is the only Ogle
letifiit ely &Stifled tO the very import manlnt obordject
of
to oppoaten tsing
he progress of DishiValty and Sialito. er l
I" end, it has been.itt termini:dr-
l; TFo establish a mid, 'by the voluntary contributions of
he Al embers. at such rate as
int a Committee for conducting the business of
110Zocitsts. • '
3. To, adept a system of. Correspondenee with those Nleni-
..