The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-08 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

do what in as lay to reconcile their irritated feelingeslsienc remarked, and must now, with mach additional
and to render them truly our allies, in feeling and in care, repeat, if such a punishment was suffered to
interest In the Speech, which he must again consi- exist, we could not complain of being called—a flog-
der as the Speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman op- I god nation ! No exertions of his, the Honourable
losite, there were several other omissions, and there Baronet pledged himself, should be wanting to wipe
were observations which would receive the sanction off this stigma from the country. Some people were
of that House, if, as they were supposed to be, they pleased to say, that this was a punishment which
were really the representatives of the people. could not be entirely dispensed with, and that it was
The SPEAKER here called the lion. Baronet to only inflicted in a few instances. Let the offences,
order, this net being language in which the House however, for which it was to be inflicted, be defined,
Ought to be addressed. so that it might not be an arbitrary punishment ; or
Sir F.BURDETT declared, that nothing couldgive let a substitute, whatever it might be, be found for
him greater pleasure than to be called to order on it : Officers were exempt from such a punishment ;
such a subject ; because he was now from thence to I and why should the soldier be exposed to it. This
understand that it was to insult the House to say, was another complain under the, head of grievances
that they were not the Representatives of the Peo- to which he wished to call the Prince Regent's atten-
vie. If this doctrine had been held precious to the tion. Amongst other grievances, to which he felt it
year 1808, he (Sir F. Burdett) should not have been to be his duty now to call the attention of the House,
much surprised • but really, after what he had and of the rriuce Regent, was one which operated
then heard within the' walls of that House ; after it both in the nature of a tax, and of a grievance and
was not only boldly asserted, and offered to be imposition on the liberty of the subject. A power
vroved, that seats were, publicly bought and sold in had been lodeed of late years in the Attorney-
open day ; when this was not only not denied, but General, by which the law of the land was set aside ;
'Ministers even admitted the fact and justified the ,and he was invested with an authority of filing cri-
traffic, on the ground of its notoriety, and being of , minal informatians, as they are technically called.
every day's practice, he should have expected that This was a power of a novel and most dangerous
such delicacy of expression as that which it seemed kind—one wit* could not safely be for a moment
to be supposed he ought, on the present occasion, to entrusted to any' man. The exercise of such a power,
observe, would not have been insisted on ; and that could on no principle be reconciled to the ideas of
the House would not have been otfrnded, though he law, of justice, or of common sense or feeling. It
did not regard them as to all intents and purposes depended on the humour, caprice, or stomach of the
therm repretrotatives of the nation at large.— ' person with whom the power was entrusted. It
This defect in the representative system was one" wevildbe ebsortt to oteetst the illegality of -soo pro-
great object to which lie (sir F. Burdett) was anx- • ceedings. Nothing could be legatwhich was lot de-
ious to call the attention of the Prince Regent, after fined. How this power had been used, he should
be should be free from the shackles with which he was net now in
q ire. It was sufficient for him at present
at present loaded, and which, as au encroachment on to say, that more informations of this kind had been
the just prerogatives of the Throne, he (Sir F. B.) filed within the last two or three years than in all the
was of opinion ought never to have been imposed.— period before, since the Revolution. It was impossible
The Hou. Baronet looked forward with confidence not to see, that, in the exercise of this arbitrary dis-
to the period when his Royal Highness should be cretlon, great partiality must take place—that some
freed from the fetters with which he was at present persons were called up forjudgment and others not. In
bound, assured from the principles Otitis Royal High- one recent case, he alluded to that of
White, for a li-
nes*, and from those declarations to which he had bel, even the Judge had gone the legth of anticipating
pledged himself, that he would redress the complaints condemnation before the Jury had given their ver-
of the people in this important point, on which the diet. When the House saw these things—when they
salvation of ate country in a great measure depended. saw that in virtue of these criminal informations many
The Worthy Baronet had seen persons who stood up persons had in the most arbitrary and unjust manner
in defence of an Absolute Government ; hE had seen been sent to distant jails, must they not be convinced
others who preferred an Aristocracy ; and a third that the liberty of the press, one of the grandest bul-
party who would rather chuse a Democracy ; and ' warks of the freedom of these kingdoms, was in the
he had perused well-written articles iu defence of utmost danger of being annihilated? When they saw
each of these systems. But a man who would' the conductors of the press held to bail, time after
recommend an Oligarchy--and that too not of time, at the pleasure of the person entrusted with
great mete but of rotten borough-mongers—persons the power of filing these criminal informations, must
not to he found in any other country hut our own— they not be surprized that the press was at all free ?
was one whom he had never yet met with. That This the Worthy Baronet conceived was another
was thed root of all the evils under which the country i great grievance ; and he felt surprized that the perms
now groaned; and to this grand and fundamental ! sons connected with the press were not terrified into
grievance he (Sir Francis Burdett) had felt it his duty complete silence, after the terrible examples they
thus early to call the attention of the house, and of bad seen. Even in case of acquittal, the punish.
the Prince Regent. But what had been the effects ment in the way of costs was severe. For though
produced, by the system under which we now acted ? 'by law they would have been free from any farther
Those Sings who had been persuaded to become : expence, in the event of the bill not being found,
our Allies, had been compelled either to abdicate yeti by this mode .of proceeding by criminal in-
their Thrones, or to content themselves with scanty formation, they were obliged to give bail, to renew
pittances of the dominions they had once possessed, it from to time, and to proceed till they Wantl-
and to bold even these at the will of their Conqueror. ed a verdict of acquittal: so much so, that the costs
This bad not befallen one, /mean of oar /Wee; yet we 'of obtaining the verdict al acquittal ateouased of
calmly looked on, calling ourselves wise and free, and theraselvee to a most severe punishment. From the
did not think of changing a system from winch such Crown no costs could be obtained. He confessed he
evils resulted. If we turned our eyes from the Conti. I saw no ground for any such rule ; but, if the Crown
sent of Europe to the state of ourcountryat home, we I would carry on unjust prosecutions, particularly if
would there see nothing consolitary, and which could , the Attetrntsy-General would file groundless ex officio
relieve the gloom of the other part of the picture. We informations, he thought the party accused was well
should there see taxation carried almost to an itnprac- I entitled to his costs. If such an Office,/ was at all mi-
neable height; we should see oppression on every cessary as an ex officio filer of informations, he was
hand, aggravated to the unfortunate sufferers by pe- also of opinion that there was more, or at least equal,-
culation, waste, and profusion, without bounds, and ' ground for making his art office for life, as that a
unrepressed. We had heard, in former times, of Judge should be for life. Some of the sentences re-
the extortions of Empson and Dudley ; but these i cently imposed too, operated most unjustly ; as for
were now hardly worth thinking of. Formerly it instance, in the case of White and Hart, where Hart
had been thought, that even the enactments of an was sentenced to the same period of imprisonment
Act of Parliament were ineffectual to justify extor- with White, although Hart was only the servant.—
tion. Now, we had only to look to our surveyors There was this additional hardship too, in Hart's case,
and our surchargers, and we would see that even to sas he undo-stood it—that he was even deprived the
pay our taxes, burdensome as they must be felt, was ; use of small beer, and was confined to the common
not sufficient. We had now Empsons and Dudley! , jail allowance of water. The Worthy Baronet cone
in every district, and not only were we deprived of tended that the unnecessary severity of a Gezernment
the right of Trial by Jury, but it was even-provided, never failed to produce the brutality of the people;
by special Act of Parliament, that when a person and when that was produced, it would be found a never
came before one of those physical tribunals, he was:Lining observation, that the conduct of the Govern-
denied the benefit of Counsel or Attorney, so that ment was at the bottom of it. The education of a'
it became more advisable to acquiesce in an un- oration consisted not in teaching the people to read and
just surcharge, than to seek redress by complaint. write,though those were advantages which he was far
Then came another subject of complaint in the mill- from undervaluing, and which he heartily wished to see
tary force of the country : and, as if it was not suf- afforded to all ; but still he must say, in them did
ficieta that the military should be in possession of not consist the essential education of a people.—'
the country, to our own soldiers were added a great These, indeed, were calculated to produce great ad
number of foreign mercenaries, Germans and vantages, but the real education of a nation was
others—as if England was incapable of her own produced and matured by the fairness, justice, and
defence. If there was any thing more than another mildness of its government. By all the various
requiring immediate redress, this was a thing grievances which he had enumerated, more particu-
levity dee,' ving of tins attruticm of iris Royal lady by extending the military character to all, and
Highness. If we reverted to the time of Charles I. by the sufferings and burdens under which we la-
we should find, so jealous were our ancestors on boured, was this education greatly checked, if not
this important point, that an Address was presented annihilated • and sympathy and feeling were almost
to that Sovereign on the subject, in consequence of extinguished from the breasts of our oppressed cowl-
Ins having 1000 foreign soldiers iu the kingdom, and try men. On these various topics he should move,
in his pay. Really the feelings of Gentlemen were . That an humble Address be presented to- his Royal
so altered, that one must almost be inclined to doubt I Highness the Prince Regeut. He had framed ids
whether it was the same country. But even our own Address with all respect to the Illustrious Person to
soldiers, it would seem, were not thought efficient whom it was meant to be presented ; and at the same
unless they were transformed into foreigners in ap- timacmbracing every point which his own sense al
pearance. Had the French taught the people of this , duty to his contituents, and to the country in general,
country, or the Government at least, to believe that pointed out to him as essential. The great and imports:-
German or other foreign soldiers were more efficient ant point, he conceived to he, a full and fair repro-
than British soldiers, that we found it neCtitintry to sentation of the people in that House. To the want
ef
disguise our own soldiers, and to adopt the rough that full and fair representation of the people in Par:
chin of the German instead of the smooth chin of an liament, he, with full confidence that his assertion:
Englishman. Such folly he was almost ashamed to was corrects attributed the debt' of the hundreds of
think of, and was satisfied more real advantage arose millions sterling with which we were now loaded;
from the plain dress of the English cavalry than from and the numerous other calamities which bad been
the cumbersome and useless accoutrements with which daily accumulating on the country. He was happy
in imitatien of the dress of the Germans, they had, to think that his Royal Highness the Prince Regent
been invested. There was another topic, however, had a short interval before he should be entirely
connected with the military to which he was also happy freed from the shackles with which he war now load:
to have this early opportunity of alluding, and that ed, during which he might have leisure t 4 reflect on
was--the punishment of the lash--a subject which he the different topics to which he bad felt it his duty tor
hoped to see discusselat length in an early period of allude in the Address, which he ndw held In his hands
the Session. This wa at all times a question of the He had the fullest confidence in his Royal Hightmee,
highest importance, but it was rendered so, now, in that they would receive his serious consideration ;
an infinitely greater degree, In consequence of almost and, on a mind so constituted as that which his
every man in England being forced to become in ' Royal Wgitness was known to possess, he enter:
some respects a soldier. He had, on a former ores- Woad sot a doubt that the grievances of a fro`'

snd suffering people could not fail of making an im-
pression corresponding with their weight and import-
ance; satisfied as he (Sir Francis Burdett) trusted
his Royal Highness would be, that on a due atten-
tion to, and on the redressing of those grievances,
depended the lasting glory of his Royal Highness's
throne, and that of his family.
" His ego gratiora dictu alia esse acio, and me
Vera pro gratis loqui, etsi meow ingenium
Noe moneret, uecessites cugit."
The Worthy Baronet then read his proposed Ad-
dress, which Wag as follows: .
" We, his Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the
Conine/us of the United Kingdom of Great Britaiii, in Par-
-1 ament assembled, return your Royal Highness. the bumble
thanks of this House, for the most graciumi Speech delivered
by the Lords Commissioners, by your Royal Highuess's tome
band.
is We assure your Royal Highness that we 'shall, without
delay, take into our serious consideration all the 'natters to
which your Royal Highisess has been pleased to direct our at.
tentiun, and endeavour to adopt such measures as are best
V calculated to meet the exigencies of She times.
44 But we should deem it a failure in oar-duty, were we, on
'this solemn occasion, to omit expressing to your Royal High-
ness the remedy, which, in our opinion, is called for by the
evil already experienced, and by the dangers which appear to
be impending.
" We always hear with great satisfaction, though not with
surprise, that our countrymen, whether by land or sea, main-
' tain the character of their ancestors; hnt we cannot, at the
same time, dismiss from oar miuda all consideration of the
little effect with which their valour has been exerted.
0' We lament to we nothing, characteristic of that love of
Freedom for which this nation has been so highly renowned
in the world. In looking through the history of the last
eighteen years of war, we find the valour and resources of our '
emeetegin 110 instance employed in the defeuce or restoration
'of ffessoition, ihioXsilloost eolleterstly is mideavours to prevent
the oppressed from becoming free, or tweelotstage them into,
slavery, to reharden the grasp of despotism, and to sharpen
the lief-blunted fangs of persecution, so that the British flag,
formerly the dread of tyranny, appears, through this long and
disgraceful period, to have waved only in hostilities to the li-
berties and happiness of mankind. .
" From a line of conduct so repugnant to justice, to the
common sense, and common feeling of men, the natural re-
sults have ensued. In those distant regions, where ignorance
mud feebleness have rendered the people an easy prey to suc-
cessive ueurpation, we have uniformly been conquerors, and
in overturning one despotism, have fur the purposes uecessary
for the maiateoance of cerruption at home, uniformly erected
' soother in its stead ; while iii all those countries, where Ines
have obtiined a knowledge of their rights, curd have possessed
courage to avenge themselves on their oppressors, we have
found few sad treacherous friends, and many and implacable
Cos.
" The Sovereigns, our Allies, subdued not less by that abase
of their power, %Stitch we have endeavoured to support, than
by the arms of ilea'• and our enemy, have either been chives)
from their thrones, or have abandoned their cause, anti dis.
claimed our connection, as the only means of retaining even a
woolly portion of their former dominions, so that after having
stirred up, in hostility to freedom, almost every Sovereign of
'he Continent of Europe,af:erhating expeadeelliundreds of mil-
lions in the support of that formidable and unprincipled league,
we were, at Ito, reduced to a contest alone with the Conqueror
of lb it Continent, upon a spot, which we have only assisted
to desolate and ravage, defending Sovereigns, who, not being
able to rely on the ffoct lobs of their subjects:have sought their
personal safety in abdication or flight.
"To the regret of having seen the national resources ex-
hausted in the prosecution of measures, so fraught at once
with wickedness and fully, we have not, however, to add the
shame of having seen the people of this kiugdom voluntarily
lend their aid to those measures--their sense of justice and
love of freedom revolted at so inhuman a crusade, which at the
outset they condemned, and against atrial many bad the virtue
openly to protest, well knowing that a war in other countries
against Freedom, was in reality a war against the People
of England themselves To couuterart the effect of an opinion
so obviously just, a system of terror was molted to, false
eOsesne were Incited, spies and itifonewtsweraideedivemsetruee
live tremens were revived, and new-bugled treasosa enacted,
the safeguards of personal liberty were reniowed,furtresses, wi-
der the name of barracks, were established throughout the
land, and the fame, and the person of every man, were placed
at the absolute disposal of those who, calling themselves the
servants of the King, were, in fact, the agents of that rapt.
cious and haughty Oligarchy, who had long fattened on the
miseries of the country, and who, in thr progress of the via
ciples of Liberty, saw the seeds of a destruction of .their
gotten power.
" Under the operation of this system we have beheld meek
that remained of our liberties wholly swept away ; we have
seen practised, under the name of collecting a revenue, audio
the guise of legal proceedings, acts of oppression and insult,
which our forefathers would have perished rather then eli-
ding. The dwellings, the books, the most private recesses
and concerns of Englishmen, once so sacred, now are expo-
sed to the intrusion and inquisitorial scrutiny of nev.viiere
lees mercenary agents, appointed and removeable at the plea-
sure of the Crown. Financial rapacity breaks in between
landlord and »neat, and in violation of every principle of
property, the Crown is become co-proprietor, in every man's
estate, having a prior claim upon his tenant; under the name
of redeeming the land.tax, there is • general confiscation of
landed property, while in the form' of a stamp duty, it
seises the {bequests of the dead in their passage to the heists;
SO that at last there is no man in England who can be said
to be the owner or proprietor of any thing, the Government
having assumed a controul and mastership over property of
every description.
"There was a time iu English History, when the exertions
of an limpsuu and a Dooley, though under the sanction of an
Act of Parliament, brought the principals to the block, and
consigned their subaltern agents to public vengeance in the
pillory. But now we have many Empsuns and Mtleys, in
every county, ;visit, under the name of aerchargers, supervi-
sors, he. inflict aesercements and fines at their pl , the
parties so amerced being denied not only an appeal to a Jury,
but even the aid of Counsel or Attorney' to speak in their de-
fence before thou &cut Trihuoals, which, to the terror of the
people, are established in every corner of the land.
" Is net piroportiow le the James' of. these exertions
have ape saga the inereitee ache military force, and the 111 Di -
tipliesi ion of means calculated to,divest the soldier of all fel-
low.ferlinge with the citizen ' Cooped up is barracks and
depots, !lowa for the must trifling vertices, he loses, by de-
grees, all regard for those rights of which be is deprived, all
attachment for that Constitution out of the pale of which lie
is placed, and becomes the passive and unconscious instrn-
tnent of tyrannical coercion, mistrustful Of the effect of Eug--
itsh feeling, which it seems to have been feared English sol-
diers rook{ still retain ; many thous in& of German and other
foseign mercenaries have been introduced said placed on our
military establishment, with privileges not possessed by the
troops of our own country ; whole districts of England and.
large portieres of the English army have been put under the
c•mmand of German Office», and the more eff.vetually to
estrange the people from the native soldiers, the latter have,
in many instances, been compelled to assume a German garb ;
the Militia, heretofore regarded as the sole coustitutional
force of the country, upon the principle, that as men had most
interest so they would be most stout in defending their pet's.
ties and properties, the Militia having been luny perverted
from its legitimate purpose, has at last, by the interchange of
the English and Irish Militias, been converted, with reels:vet to
the two countries, into the too convenient instrument of re-
ciprocal oppression; and especially with regard to Ire! .nd,
where the Jest remonstrances and complaints of a generqw.,
a gallant, and 100 suffering people, have uniformly been met
with repulsion and disdain
" In the Institutime of the Local Militia, we behold all the
severities of a military imwript imt, 'without its impartielits,
sod without a chance of its rewards; and in the assumed pie.
rogative of calling upon the people' to perform militety duty
under that system of discipline which is now in practice, ere
ace every mail in gugraad, when commanded to, tolee so arms
in what is termed the defence of his country, liable to cape
fleece the degradation suit torture of the lash.
" flat a people formerly so prowl of their liberties would
be silent ender such ao accumulation' °flipper-slime and *hat
late
commuoication of Wilmot feelings would not, in t'ic rr I pro-
dace *Wane, Was lb* Asa for uses an insolent an aadu-

4