Star.
London, England, 1830-01-13 00:00:00

.r.
• 'X

MR: COBBETT'S NORTHERN' TOUR.

It is an old saying, that " long is the lane which has
no turning in it. A more correct way of expressing it
would be, that "long is the course of error, if correction
never come." I told Lord Grey, in a letter I addressed
tt him in the year 1822, that events were at work for
Me ; that I should triumph by events in spite of every
thing that could be done by the Government, or even by
the people themselves ; that I rested for my success on my
predictions ; and that I was sure that if the whole nation
were to unite as one man, in order to prevent the fulfil-
ment of my predictions, it would be out of their power to
do it. I was sure that, in the end, I should be pro-
claimed to have been right from the beginning; iS bore
the calumny of such fellows as Coke and Suffield, and all
the hireling tribe throughout the kingdom; not only
without complaining did I bear their calumnies, but I
heard the calumnies with pleasure, because I knew, that
in the end,. those very calumnies would add to my fame,
and t 6 my power of doing"good to my country. I knew
that converts are more zealous than even the old settled
disciples. I knew that those who had been opposed
me in the most violent manner, would, at last, become my
mast zealous partizans. Then there were, at the same
time, all' my other wonderful efforts of industry, working
for me ; and I expected that which I now behold, the
people nearly unanimous in the desire to show that they
are of my opinion, or at any rata to show that they have
no hmitilitiloward's me.
This I found precisely at Liverpool. There were from
six to nine hundred persons to give their money, some
two shillings and some one, to hear me, who, only about
a couple of years ago, appeared to be looked upon by the
far greater part of these people as a man not only un-
worthy of attention ; not only as a person whose opinions
were of no value ; but as ono whom no decent person
would think of going to look at. I had the pleasure to
see Members of Parliament, the richest merchants in this
opulent town; in short, I had the pleasure to see the
bankers, and all the principle persons in the town, sit-
ting before me, and so sitting for the purpose of hearing
my. opinions, having given their money for permission so
to sit. When Peter Macculloch came to this same town,
•
he came loaded with letters of introduction and recom-
mendation : all Scotland was put in estate of requisition,
to muster him up an audience in Liverpool. The mer-
chants who had received letters by him, bought his tickets,
' gave them to their clerks or warehousemen, and thus Peter
got an audience, which, after all, might have been, as
they say of a close-running pack of hounds, covered with
a blanket. They might have been covered with a pretty
(recent carpet, at any rate; for the number, I understand,
was next to nothing, not exceeding above a couple of
hundred at any rate.
It was impossible for me to behold my audience at Li-
verpool, without receiving a perfect conviction of the great
change which had taken place in the public opinion. I
have been the rallying-point of one part of the nation;
the rallying-point of all those who detested the paper
system. All who have held that set of principles which
include, and may be said to be summed up in an im-
placable hatred of the paper system, have taken my name
for their motto ; for the rule of their conduct in politics.
It has required too much time for men to give their rea-
*sons and opinions, and, therefore, they have cut the
matter short, by saying, " I am for Cobbett," or " Cob-
bett's right," or something of that sort. On the other
side, the parties have thought it quite sufficient, instead
of saying that they approved of the paper and funding
system, to say that they " bated old Cobbett." So that
my name has become the question ; the touchstone;
and people have, in general, long had their minds turned
to this point : " Is Cobbett to triumph, or is he not ?"
When I saw my audience at Liverpool, I saw that the
public had decided the point : I saw that it had decided
that I should not only triumph, but that the triumph
should be so signal, as to leave no doubt in the mind of
any man in the world.. lam aware, and I was aware,
and so I told my audience that it was curiosity which
had, in great part, procured me the audience that I then
had the honour to address; I was quite sincere: I was
well aware of this ; but the curiosity itself was quite
enough to show that I was destined to triumph over the
conceited, proud, insolent), arrogant, and stupid creatures
who have, for so many years, been keeping this en-
lightened and industrious country -in such a state of
uncertainty, distraction, - ruin, and beggary. 'The
curiosity itself was quite enough to convince me of that;
for the curiosity arises out of the weight attached to the
opinions, and the effect pranced% by the writings or
speakings of the individual. If I had two heads or four
hands, or something in that sort of way ; if I were seven
or eight feet high, or not higher than my boot ; then the
curiosity would be traced tb its spring; but, in my case,
though the spring is'not so manifest, or very little reflec-
tion is enough to convince any one, that the bringing of
the people together; even if they came out of curiosity,
ought to have been quite enough to satisfy me. I• really
knew, as an acquaintance, but one single man in Liver-
pool, and that was, si every man in Liverpool well knows,
Mr; Thomas Smith, the bookseller, in Lord-street. I
went to a private lodgings near the Music Hall (where
the lectures were delivered) ; very few persons had .any.
intercourse with me ; so far from carrying letters of intro-
duction, as Peter did, I declined every overture to intro •
ductioe of any sort. Still I had the most respectable of
audieeces, the moat attentive and patient hearers ; I met
not with a single mail of disapprobatiOn. of any sort; I
received, great and frequent applause; I was received
will) cheers on the first evening, and I took my leaie
amidst a general cheer • on the last evening, after a
speech of two .hours and three quarters long, which I
could not contrive to shorten, and which was heard with
a degree of attention, with. an immobility on the part of
the auchence, and with a patience such as I never wit-
nessed before for. a similar length of tiqe.—Register.

. •
PR,ECEDENC't 4,--WheII'IVIATHEWS was a young man
widua • in Wales, The
_ .

tiappenuirtehiiengaged 1, party n. _
Manager,,, in. he midst of the season, lost his wife; the:
houseleas closed ;' and.the performers, u in ditty-bound,
mustered:their sables' topay honour to the deceased put.
ner. of theiiteader. When the procession was .about to
move, a question as to its order arose. "My dear M.l
said one of the Actors to the Manager, " we are a little
aloes here-+-how aroma) to: o 3" M. WQ plight to have
pr: mired; was sincerely sorry for theloss'of his wife;
" My .dea;*fritind,".wipingliis eyes,,"..thatik ye for
.tit is;
ting me in mind of .these.xuatterstiun really so gnovif
—can't attend to any thing... How are you to go t Let
me seeoh ! I suppose two' bylwo,-yes, thees it.'!
". Nay, my dear M. thee. ..lid it ;-.I mean in what order
are Ye to walk ?" " Order Imy deer friendt-I' 'am so
caselderra—l don't .uaderetand yen—pray etigioi.,,
" yliieknow; M. thettr'
iis a certain order to be oh-
serveir.jotluie know, wk,Silsh ttiknow7wixrfire tq
wooed. ! deal resod, weepPg ) .you are
so kind to look after these atrugeszente—r can attend to
nothing myself! 'Yes, yes, it is proper to be orderly—
Let the Tragedy people go fbremost !"—Spectator.