Star.
London, England, 1831-05-14 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

TIMES Look at the elections, how admirable, u a whole, they

are working ! Not Cheshire and Woreestenhlre only, but Cornwall,
where Sir Richard Vyvyan .spirts—and Pembrokeshire, hitherto Sir

John Oven's

where Mr. Banker tumbles every

day lower on the poll—Ozford■bire, hitherto Tory even u when it

as Jacobite—ad the great southern counties, Prom Cornwall to

Essex—like all the great northern, including York and Lar.caster—
all have ♦indicated the public spirit of Englishmen, or are rapidly
preparing to proffer just claims to their country's admiration.
Now let tag ask the refract Iry patrons of close boroughs, do they pmeess
nerve enough to stand up in their own persons, and in those of their

nominees, as defenders of that system which the people of England,
with an energy and unanimity not to be parallelled in the records of
this kingdom, have condemned ? Have they forehead enough to tell
20,000,000 of their countrymen, we will go forth to do battle for oar
boroughs,—to light you, the British nation, in every county and city
of the realm,—to discharge our offensive missiles at you from be.
hind the heaped-up nuisances which we ourselves have raised in every
street of every village,—nay, where there are neither villages nor
streets—throughout Great Britain ? Verily the m o who threaten so,
I are not among the modest; and the men wno fulfil such threats have
courage which nothing human can appal, or brains which nothing can
penetrate. People inquire of us, how the House of Lords is likely to
receive the bill when sent up to it from the Commons. Why, they will
pose it, to be mire. The bill will pass into a law through their Lord.
ships' favour ; or it may, we fear (and the anticipation is fearful) find
its way into the constitution, without much importunity to their Lord.
ships. In short, the people will have the bill; and the people, let it
be understood, does not with us mean the moh,—it means the MIND of
England.
- - - - - -

POST.—Is it possible, we ask, for any mau, in the midst of the
strife, and turmoil, and confusion In the Ministerial camp, to form
the least judgment as to the nature of the measure of Reform to be sub.
mined to the new Parliament, by the Ministers of the King ? We
take it for certain that It will be a new measure; and, from the past

achievements of the same body, in every department of legislation in
which they have made any attempt, we think we may safely assume
that it will be something eminently absurd, extravagant, and mischlev-
Ova. But surely, note that the national sentiment is said to have
boa pronounced so derisively infamous. of Reform, there will be found
in Parliament a body of honest and rational men, capable of coneocting
a measure of Reform, which will deserve the character of being both
mama and honest l 11

HERALD.—We cannot read the description of the animated and

oupiring scene which Penenden-heath presented on the occasion of the
recent election, without being reminded of one of the earliest triumphs
upon record of the manly virtue of the forefathers of the perm
" men of Kent." which deserves to be held in everlasting remembrance.
When the liberties of England were struck down in the disastrous
battle of Hastings, where the Kentish bill-men fought with such de-
voted, but unavailing valour, the Norman William having been crowned
at Westminster, resolved to lead his army to Dover, for the purpose of
overawing Kent, and ensuring the obedience of the south of the king.
dom. When he had reached Swansea:the, about two miles west of
Gravesend, he found himself in a place when dime were dens weeds
OD the flanks and in front of his army; he Maga lie abeermil the
extraordinary appearance of portions of those yeas him is matkli,
like " Birnam wood ;" but suddenly the mystery was data op, by
seeing the " men of Kent," who were drawn up in medal adw, en
the skirts of the forests, throwing down the green branches, which they
carried to conceal themselves, while, enclosing his army sued, they
displayed their basses, end, with best hews, impend fa Midst se
that, as the histories apeetese it. " be thee am now had the ream
to his seeming, in Ids kirk almost mead ha &mak of his owe btu"
It was then, at the ammo whoa •an awful piss ement
that the men of Kent, dm* the mouth et the iuewrfese Noma—
the patriotic archbiebep of semierhury-Adiestod to the hataghty No.
man the following message motley of immortal record i•—• 4 Moot noble
duke, behold hen the Cemmens of Kent me awe forth se all and
receive you as their &sad's. earMarg yam penes, *than lbw tra-
dition of estate, and their ancient ion Orly used. If thank de.
Died, they are here presently to abide the medics of battle, fray soasived
rather to die than to part with disk lea, or te live is eervilehmages
which name and nature is, ad seer dial WOW lON es, la IN W
be endured." "The conqueror,* awe the adage Me Ws
strait, and loath to bused all en anise a polniZdieledenundlslrtilyed
unreasonable, more wisely thee willingly spited their dams r
thus, while the rest of the Wisdom was to the .111"
pension of the Norman innovations, Kent peemrved be admit
laws, and liberties ; and the , wheelies planted die halal spun
so deeply in the soil of that it has never due been lA* era.
&hated was obliged to respect the Saxon lestitudens of the lin•
conquered people of Kent. Now let us put the e 1 j, The,
have usurped the representative rights of the people, is Pa
the Norman Conqueror, and, with a few alteration, the above
manly and equitable demand of the Commons of Kent may serve
to express the reasonable desires of the people of England in ad-
dressing that oligarchy for a restoration of their rights at the resent
day. It would then stand thus Meet Noble !--
Behold be the Commons of England tale forthaTo=genro
sovereignty, requiring your peace, their own free sada= ef multi
and their ancient laws formerly used. If these be denied, they al
here presently to abide the verdict of a coattail:al stroglint
' are resolved rather to endue any suffering ad toil. tam °
part with their laws and live in senile whisk, althea. To
have made it eel strange to them fee a grbeeatiVlispost, yet it is set any
. longer to be endured." The people of Sighed have, hr edam. ad-
dressed such language to the inlty that plundered them of tit&
I rights. They have Noe forth to adeouLthoelit dimmed, hl to"
and violence, but by the peaceful and Imam of a esestita-
tional array. The beroughmengers will do by eating in this strait
with the prudence tithe Norman Conqueue—" and more wisely than
willingly granting their desires."
nantwestemme
A private letter has been kindly handed to us, addreleed
, by Mr. Moore, of his Majesty's ship Acteon, to a friend 10
town, dated May the Ist, in which we find the following
I spirited passage :—" We are now blockading Lisbon : we
have a powerful squadron ; and if Miguel will not come to
unequivocal terms by next Wednesday, we shall go in. fetch
out our friends, and going to work with our bull deb's,
show the tyrant and his minions what British hearts of ask
can do."