The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-09-26 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

about one tenth as much as the times required, and their
rank demanded. But as classes, the higher orders have
disgraced themselves of " late times" by the meaner ana•
rice, and the basest desertion of their duty. Leagued on
all occasions against public interests, and the bitterest
enemies of public rights, they have been more fatally
hostile to the prosperity and safety of the country, than all
the foreign enmity to which it could have been exposed.
The higher classes inEngland resemble the higher classes in
Spain, andwere the straggle for freedom to take place here,
they would crouch as long to a conqueror as the nobility of
Spain did at the feet of Joseph Buonaparte. Nor is it true,
that the middling classes deservesny praise. Mr. Denman
knows that they are such middling patriots, in general,
(though they have bben mending of late) that if HE had

not had the lower classes on his side, he would never have

been the representative of Nottingham. It is not even all
wbo now attend upon bis triumph, who supported him at

the election ; and many who were with him would just as
loon have dined with anybody else. The lower clams ss•
cured bis return. Yet be omits to mention them at all.

We do not like classification at all ; but if the parts of the

pyramid of the body politic are to be spoken of separately.
we do not see why all mention of the base and support of the

whole is to be omitted ; and still less justification %us

there for giving to the higher and middling classes, praise
which was entirely undeserved. Half of the speech of Mr
Denman was occupied with describing the atrocities con;
mitted by the "higher clames,in late times." He declared the
ministers and their majorities to be"enemies ofpublic liberty.,
He pointed to the employment of spies—the infamous
restrictions on the freedom ache people—the interdiction of
foreigners by the Alien Act—the persecution of the Queen.
the Manchester massacre,—and other enormities,—all the'
" glorious deeds," of the higher classes, the majority active
and the minority passive, instruments in them all,---and
then commended this " display of spirit :" We ate afraid
this method of treating the higher classes will not bring
them to any sense of their duty ; and as to the middling pa-
triots, we would just hint that if they do not perform much
more than they have yet done, they stand no possible chance
of seeing the triumph of reform in the course of their
generation. Sir Francis Burdett knows these matters
well enough ; and his la guage respecting the higher
classes was of a different complexion. He said,—
" When the old aristocracy of the land, acting ander the
wholesome recollection that they held their large estates
0 for the public good, were proud to come forward to de.
" fend their country when menaced with public danger,
"there was a salutary protection for pnblic rights; but he
0 lamented to see bow that bond of public strength bad
0 been weakened so far es the aristocracy of the land
" was concerned, since the French Revolution. On that re-
" markable occasion people deprecated foreign inter-
" ference, and proclaimed the mode of doing so pursued by
" the Government to be hostile to the principles upon
which the British Constitution was professed to be
"founded. The higher classes unfortunately took a
" different view of the signs of the times, and by an un-
" manly and unworthy decision for themselves, unmerited
"by the lower classes, and unfortunate for all, they
"adopted a coarse which made them in the end accom.
"pikes in the guilt of others. whose views were despotic,
" and whose principles, both then and ever since, were
" subversive of British Freedom, and of the principles
" upon which the British Constitution were professed to
"be founded." The remedy for this mischief, in the
opinibn of the Honourable Baronet, was neither the pub.
Re spirit of the higher classes, nor of the middling classes,
but in "a regenerating and invigorating spirit in the
PEOPLE of ENGLAND." To other portions, indeed to the
whole of the Baronet's speech, we invite particular atten-
tion. His declirations, that le is still ready to put his
foot as far as that of any man, in the pursuit of Parlia-
mentary Reform; —and that he would rather lose 50,000
lives, than crouch to the oligarchy, which tyrannizes over
both the King and the People, remind us of these days,
when he was

" The foremost champion of the public cause ;.—e
" The stay and bulwark of the public host."
Sir R. Heron announced himself as a candidate for the
representation of Lincolnshire, in the event of the death of
Lord Yarborough, which would call Mr. Pelham, one of
tlw p►esent members, to the House of Lords. His Lord-
ship's illness, we perceived by the papers of this miming,
has terminated fatally; and Sir Robert will doubtless he
returned, and perhaps without a struggle, as the remain-
der of the session is too short, and the Ministerial majority
too decisive, to render it probable that any Ministerial
member will go to much expense in contesting the matter.
Mr. Weinman, who had that morning been made a
Burgess. addressed the company at considerable length,
and was warmly applauded. Colonel Johnson very
properly reminded the company, that though much
had been said as to the necessity of Reform, yet that the
mode of electing it had been entirely unnoticed. This is
too mush the case. Neither wishing for reform, nor call.
ing for reform, will produce it. It must be by a demand ;
and the demand must be made in such a way as to enforce
attention to it. Men usually talk of using all constitutional
means of obtaining a reform. Now all meast are consti-
tutional, by which TIM PEOPLE seek to obtain their just
rights. It was constitutional to depose Charles I. and to
banish James lit—and can it be unconstitutional to compel
the usurpers of the representation of the people, to restore
the rights which they have stolen? There seems to be a
necessity for some enquiry on this bead. Colooel Wild-
ipan, Mr. Disney, and various other gentlemen addressed
the company in the course of the evening.

Gibralter papers and letters to the sth inst. were received
yesterday. On the evening of the 2d, a considerable
number of small craft left the bay with supplies for Cadiz.
Slr R. Wilson, with Generals Quiroga and Zayas, and
several other officers of the Constitutional party, went as
passengers. The Tribune frigate had sailed for Malaga,
to enquire into the circumstances under which the English
merchants resident there had been thrown into prison by
Riego for nun payment of their assigned quota of contribu-
tion to the forced loan. The American Commodore, who
was solicited to sail for Malaga on a similar errand in be-
half of the American merchants and Consul at that place
refused, on the plea that he had no authority to interfere.
Little information existed in Gibraltar of what was passing
at Cadiz. The French troops at Algesiras left that place
on the 2d for Port St. Mary's. The Spanish guards re-
mained.
Private letters from Paris communicate the following
particulars respecting the capture of Riego: —Having ar-
rived with four companions of his flight, two of whom are
said to be English officers, he supped on the 14th at a vil-
lage called Arguillos, consisting only of 15 houses, inha-
bited by the descendants of the German colony with which
Charles 111, attempted to people the Sierra Morena. He
had announced himself as belonging to the army of Bal-
lasteros, but having been betrayed by the appellation of
flexors!, with which one of his comrades addressed him,
be was recognized by one of the peasants. Probably in a
village inhabited by Spaniards under the dominion of the
priests, he would have been massacred, but the good Ger-
mans only arrested him and conducted bias to Carolina.
From Carolina he will be conveyed to Madrid by the French
troops, to be placed at the disposal of the Regency.

.._