Star.
London, England, 1830-09-11 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE JOURNALS.

Cnaoxict.s.—ln most countries Lord is like Sir in this country,
which signifies Lord, and is applied universally. The objection to my
Lord in this country is, that it is distinctive and offensive, from the
cumbrous and ostentatious manner in which it is applied. The indivi-
dual who is addressed as "sty Lord," feels himself as much elevated
by the distinction us native of New Zealand by the tattoo, or some of the
other savages of the South Seas by the privilege of wearing bones through
their noses. Dame is the same originally as Madam, but a poor woman in
the country does not conceive herself honoured by the title. England is
the country of distinctions ; we wish we could say that England gains in
happiness by them. So far from it, it is impossible, go where you will,
not to see that the artificial distinctions of society in this, country
are a source of much heart-burning and uneasiness. People will not
not enjoy the happiness within their reach, because others may be happy
in the same manner. When an Englishman of rank leaves his own
country he is at first miserable, because he perceives nowhere else that
servility to which he was accustomed at home. What is called coiling
a man is known only in this country. In France no man ever conceives
that he ought to have one manner of addressing one man and another
manner in addressing another : the consequence of which is, that there
is none of that constraint and resetvcwhich distinguish ourselves. The
extent to which these foolish distinctions are constantly present to all
Englishmen, may be seen in the pages of those writers whose more espe-
cial business it is to observe our social peculiarities. Thus, for instance, we
find Mr. Galt, in his Life of Lord Byron, dwelling on the imprudence
of Mr. Leigh Hunt forgetting that a person in his rank ought always to
have been on his guard in his intimacy with a Lord. A foreigner could
not understand the following passage " Mr. Hunt, at no period of their
acquaintance, appears to have been sufficiently sensible that a man of
positive rank has it always in his power, without giving anything like
such a degree of offence as may be resealed otherwise than by estrange.
ment, to inflict mortification ; and in consequence presumed too much to
an equality with his Lordship—at least this is the impression his conduct
made upon me, from the familiarity of his dedicatory epistle prefixed to
Rimini, to their riding out at Pisa together, dressed dike: We had blue
frock coats, white waistcoats and trousers, and velvet caps, s la Ra-
phael, and cut a gallant figure.' Ido notdiscover on the part of Lord
Byron that his Lordship ever forgot his rank ; nor was he a personage
likely to do so; in saying, therefore, that Mr. Hunt presumed upon his
condescension, I judge entirely upon his own statement of facts. lam
not undertaking a defence of his Lordship for the manner in which
he acted towards Mr. Hunt, because it appears to me to have
been, in many respects, mean ; but I do think there was an
original error, a misconception of himself, on the part of Mr.
Hunt, that drew down upon him a degree of humiliation that he
might, by more sell-respect, have avoided." When we heap Lord
Byron discussing the qualities of aristocratic breed, and gravely quoting
in terms of admiration Ali Pacha's distinctive mark of short ears, we are
almost inclined to think that his ears were longer than they ought to
have been. But the accumulation of property in consequence of the
customs of the country, and the abuses of the Representation, enable
the evil to be perpetuated. However, we cannot enter further into the
übject at present.

COSBET T.ll RZOISTEL—Tbere Is no doubt that the revolt in Bel.
glum was hastened by the revolution in France:. but, it is clear that the
causes of it existed before the revolution in France was so much as
thought of, for we know that public writers were banished from Belgium
• before the month ofJuly, and we know they were banished for making
known the grievances of the people- In all Pees where revolutions
are made by the people, the chief cause ever has bean THE TAX s.When
the government leaves the people to enjoy the fruit of their industry, they
seldom revolt t as,'amongst individuals, ninety-nine quarrels out array
hundred are about property of some eon or other; so it is between go-
vernments. and people. Men never revolt, if they have the full enjoy-
ment of the fruits of their labour, skill, and care and whenever we see
restraints put on the press, we may be sure that the government knows
that the people have eons, for oceriplaird ; hawses it Inuit know that
no writer, hOirkTel able, can persuade a man that be is badly off, when
he is well off ; no writer can persuade a man that he is hungry and
naked, *hen that man's belly is full, and his body well clad. But
of what do the Belgians complain ? They complain of the heavy tares
they have le pay. They complain of other things also, but this is the
100 T of the whole, just as it is in England, and just as it has been in
every country where revolutions have sprung from the people, which
our revolution of 1688 did not, that being a revolution made by the
evirtoeravg, and foe their benefit. The Americans were not, In 177‘,
loaded with taxes, but they saw that they should be. The taxes were
enacted by the taxing Parliament, and the Americans resisted, ratbyr
than pay them. Their declaration of independence contains twelve
distinct charges against the King of England ; but the coos of all
vu, that be was about to load them with taxes. The French am-
bition of 178 D had the same cause. And have the taxes had nothing to
do with this revolution In France ? The taxes in France were
ikawry heavy, though light compared with what we have to hear; they were heavy; and accordingly we find that the new I