The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-09-14 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN

recoennsendationuf WI sos's jury : and that %%ruses",
in consequence, rendered up his forfeit life. A very
few days after this dreadful mental struggle, (fur
having supposed it, we will uuw assume it,) the sub-
ordinate powers were directed to apprise the York-
shire prisoners, that if they should think good to
plead guilty to their indictments, the executive would
think rood to spare their liter. Here was no recom-
mendation to merry of a benevolent jury : the Go-
vernment, by their Indic:mews, were ready to call
upon a jury to condemn these men to death : anti yet
the said Government spared the lives of these traitors
(fur they are now all attainted of Iligh Treason)
and this, although only a few days before, the same
Government felt themselves under the melancholy
net estity of rejecting the merciful recommendation of
a Jury in a similar ease. This is all very ctratwe it
Lis passing strange ; but it is all justifiable, pet fectly
legal, and a part of it is laudable. Fur our own parts,
if we were permitted to offer an opinion spun the cause
of this new-born merry, we should have no difficulty
in ascribing it to those vicituffcrows, the Portuguese
IConstitutionals. few disc ago, every thine appeared
very fair, and very promising for the ernsl.ing of
liberal opinions, and of insolent plebeian inquiry.
Naples was to lie dispatrbrd out of hand, and Spaia
was to be well flagellated in good time: when (Wes'
us. and sate r.s !) the people of Portugal suddenly re-
volted against their God's anointed, demanded their
and carved out fresh work for the swords of le-
gitimacy! Ti.is is the cause of a ce“tatiutt or the work
of blood sincerely do we rejuice at it. anti as sin-
cerely do we hope that the cause will increase in
every direction, provided its emit ce continue in the
peaceable and praiseworthy lilltlnt'r in which it has
began.. We shall then have little doubt dist peace
and hannintess will become universal: thiq Kinp
I will enjoy.heir subjects' affection and we shall
almost begin to Itve that some endeavour
,w ill be
; wade to deserve it.

That the pending proceedings against the Qt VEN
Wiii indict. and 11.1Ve inflicted tin BB eraus And appalling
evil* upon the country, is undeniable ; yet, it happens
on this occasion, as indeed is usual, even under the
most trying calamities, that topics of consolation are
nut altogether wanting. Amongst the • •rable
cal •s b) which the friends of reform have been
assailed, none has perhaps tended so powerfully to
withhold fr their r inks the upper and middle (lasso(
society as the imputation that under then inie of Reform
their real ()Neat was revolution. To this caltwainv.
their conduct un the present oc..asion furnishes the
i most decisive and unequivocal answer. The friends of
refuse', Isar.? been to a man 4/1441.4.41 to theta prarChtl•

ings froM the beginning : the encodes of reform hive
been the only promoters of them. Let it' examine the
nature and tendency of the prw•eedin:•s, and we shall
be quickly able to determine which party- are the friends
and which the enemies to the Constitutional llonarci v
of England. It is admitted, that no known law has
been violated by the gun:N. and it is not even pre-
tended that the safety of the state is, in the slightest
degree, involved in the conduct imputed to her.
the violation of law, or the producing sonic imminent
danger to the state, are the only gr•'unds upon which
it has ever yet been thought proper !tv punish, Or even
to call in question the conduct of individuals. It is
clear, therefore, a p•riorc, that WMe new principle most
Govern thi• case. Happily this principle is nut
'obscure; it is not left to be deduced by inference,
it is clearly and distinctly stated, not only by
the supporters of the 1 ill of Pains and Penalties,
but on the fare of the Bill itself. The prim
ciple is this :—" That the honour of the country
is so dependant ul the personal morals and
purity of every mewl., r of the Royal Family, that
whenever any of them pursue an immoral and
vicious course of life, the country is not merely
justified in casting them off, but imperatively called
upon, in vindication of it: injured honour to do r
This is the manifest and avowed principle of the Bill
of Pains and Penalties against the g-kvs, which, let
it never be forgotten, has met with hone %WHOM'S
and zealous opposition from no party in the state, than
from the reformers ; whilst it has received the unqua-
lified sanction, as far as the principle is c •erne.l•
of the monarchial and aristoeraiical branches of our
Constitution. We will not insult the penetration of
our readers, by pointing ant the practical rouse•
spruces of this principle—a principle, which, it
would be, indeed, a feeble epithet to term revo-
lutionary, since it touches the very confines of
republicanism ; we wish merely to direct the attention
of the public to the authors of this new doctrine, and
to the reception which it has experienced in England.
What revolutionists but would hail such doctaine with
unbounded and rapturous acclamation? What revo-
lutionists but would deem the shelter of the I broue
and Peerage to such a principle worth the sacrifice
of a hundred Queens '—We trust we have said enough
to con4inee the dullest and most unthinking, that the
retarders are not desirous of revolution; we will go
a step further, and say, that the tircuntstances de-
monstrate that Government, when for any purpose
hostile to freedom, it professes to think them so, pro-
fesses what it dues not believe. What Government
we ask, would propound such doctrine as we have
been commenting on, to a people already disposed to
revolution? The most idiotic Government that ever
yet existed in the world, would have been incapable
of such fully.

Hut

WINDSOR. SEPT. 13, THEM P. M.--The King
left here at two o'clock, in his trxtelliog carriage, fur
Brighton, where his Majesty is expecte', to arrive to
dinner. Since the Kintes residence here, he has been
in the enjoyment of excellent health.
Sir 11 illiam Keppel left for London yesterday.