The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-09-28 00:00:00

MINISTERIAL ANGER.

newer any act of the Government becomes the
topic of censure, and its advocates are at a loss for
amounts la its defence, we are constantly told of the
injustice of condemning an isolated measure without
tilting into view the general system of policy, of which
such a measure forms a part. 'The principle here
asserted is no doubt a just one, and on could
clearly see bow a measure in itself bad, could be the
needful accessary to a good system, it might la some
Instances avail. But however dangerous this prin-
ciple may be whoa applied to the defence of meuures
in themselves completely bad, we cannot refuse to
adept it; when any flagrant act of Ministerial delin-
luny drives back our recollections to an antecedent
series of similar acts, our attention is then engaged
measure to which no justice can be done un-
less soosidered in connection with its fore-rancor.;
and the enormity, however great, or the weaknese,
however contemptible, of the individual act, may appear
scarcely worthy of our resentment or our sneers, in
comprises with the deeper guilt, or the more pitiable
-Jelly of the system to width it only affords an addi-
tional elucidation. Who, for. instance; can do justice
to the meat conduct of ear Government towards Sir
Robed Mhos, without adverting to the pieta*
examples of Earl Fitswillians, Earl Fife, and Sir Robe. ''l
Bohm . Weald Miaisten themselves-even wish these
mules" displays of their anger to be disjunctively
considered. We cannot believe that they would, for
tkey would then exhibited only so many successive
hIPISINSII a petty malignity. If then, as we believe,
there is in these various acts of power the co-bereace
of deliberaie system, it behoves us to enquire what
that system is, and to trace, as well as we can, the
lasses that have produced it. It is tree that each of
these sets hae 'wow° peculiar and distinctive features;
they possess various kinds as well as various degrees
of euellenee ; the immediate occasions and the points
of attack are different, yet there are not wanting es-
sential points of resemblance that are common to them
all, and to these in the first instance our attention
might to be directed. In the first place, a want of
magnanimity may be fairly imputed to all of them.—
Magnanimity is the attribute of strength; the want of
it is a certain indication of conscious weakness. These
dismissals would in themselves convince us that the
adittinistration feels week, email' we could forget the
Parliamentary proceedings of the last Sessions ; the
violent effort that was necessary to preserve the War
Ault Doty; the unwilling sacrifice of the Agricul-
tural Horse Tax; and the reluctant and tardy pledges
of economy. Of that secure and permanent basis of
power—the esteem and gratitude of the country, we
will not speak; it is a language so foreign to the habi-
tual current of the ideas of the men who form the pre-
sent administration, that they would scarcely compre-
hend as. The power of patronage is that which they
perceive to he on the wane, and which by these dismis-
sals they seek to increase. By improvement in the disci-
pline, they would compensate for the diminished non-
leer of their forces; and seeing the sphere of theirau-
4Aiseritycnnerast,they would makelt mereaboolidewithia
4 4411141010014, illy orieleirtiMilittPililiselusib la
• 7ireStiriti Ministers have proclaimed to all the holders
sehoners, Aim or emoluments, during pleasure, that
the tenure on which they are held is essentially servile;
that though the meatless of their tenure may be va-
rious, the principle is the same is all, andthat as con-
junctures seecessively arise, they will vitsistnte the
condition and enforce or remit the *whims as to
themselves shall seta good. Lord Fi "hay
imagined that he held the Lientenantey of!
by virtue of the personal confidence of his
• 'a -
of his immense wealth, and powerful in/ - " t
county—of the high respectability of his private cha-
racter, and deemed himself as perfectly unfettered in
regard to his political conduct, as any ether of his Ma-
jesty's subjects. He had, it is true, been an alarmist,
(we believe a conscientious one,) and in that character
bad rendered important services to administration. An
occasion, however, arises, in which the Government
affects an alarm which Lord Pit:willies did not feel.
The illusion vanishes like lightning :—The Gov't's-
meat say to him in substanest "No longer alarmist,
no longer Lieutenant." The servile tenure on which
you held your °Mee, was that of being the ready dupe
and the constant apostle of alarm."
• Earl Fife fills the oleo; inconsiderable in point of
emolument, of a Lord of the Bedchambir. Generally
a supporter of Administration, be flatters himself, that
notwithstanding the petty office, he may be deemed
one of their independent supporters, and accordingly
takes the liberty now and then of voting is the House
of Commons, In opposition to their esessures. Bat it
unluckily happens, that on one of these rare occasions,
• the Minister is left is a Minority, sad the mistake of
Pifelseeey promptly reedited. "it wairvery well,
My Lord, sometimes to throw away year vote, when
yea knew that ear Majority was secure; but learn,
and let others poet by your example, that the servile
tenure as Oki you held your else, was that of cos-
steady istorpeeing. tote vote hotweell is sad the die-
.
grace bake
.le a a abaft . •4,
Itihielakir. a Olpiadtaty paha Magistrate
of the metrepolls, as submissive to Administration as
could well be desired, Ands himself in a predicament
for which his orders have not fully provided, in which
the lives of imbeds must have been sacrificed to the
literal and mimeo execution of these orders, and la
which such Mini and Waste execution was evidently
not of the least importance; and, for a moment, be
wavers, his heart beats with one throb of hums sym-
pathy; and &scant One throb he is told, " Sir Ro-
bert, you ate N longer the man we took you for ; be
no mere oar Aker 1"

Then COWS the case of Sir Robert Wilson, a Major
General, on half.pay, of whose wits and services it is
me further neesseary to speak, than merely to say, that
if any nu it .s tried to °man his seilkary_ rank
and esoissesa snare, be was that san. 'The greatest
Sovereign, of &trope bare noblest to extol his al.
litary Times, and ban gives the powarfal guarantee
•of their opinion to ensure the pernanney sad exalta-
tion of his military rank. • What hie n dome ?i, the
- the anivernlqnsties. As a adlitary Wan, be can
have ions notisim to give Wine t as a political .Y.•
racier. he is knows to hen dose seek. arn What owl
we resits fins
_, bat what Ira hew ?" Sir Robert.
•booimtemosabse beimusikesd foe *e diusiasai et
• able
ell toe bah fns abates& doll podia, me Wont
:20 IMMO N.

no doubt, imagined, in common with most ether mi-
ners on half-pay, that their military station wan entirely
independent of polities. The general error Is, we sup-
pose, by this time, pretty effectually corrected. Who
cats, for a moment, doubt, that the dismissal of the
Omura is identified, u to .its main object, with that of
the Lord Lieutenant, the Lord of the Bed-basher,
and the Police Magistrate? We costes% they all ar-
put to as to rrsalt from a deliberate system-4k system
intended to matronse opposition, and to improve the
discipline and increase the devotion of Ministerial ad-
herents. Who does not see, that by this unexplained
dismissal of Sir Robert Wilson, every half-pay officer
of the army and navy becomes, to his own feelings and
consciousness, a pensioner during pioneer*. (By the
bye, we know not how a co•labourer in the field of ra-
dicalism will feel on the occasion. His tenure of his

commission, be certainly, under existing circum-
stances, most consider precarious. Were the cue
of Lieutenant-Col. Turmas our own, we should either

sell oar Radical Journal or oar Commission. Bat if
we preferred Warding Ministers, which we believe
the Lieuteuant•Col. does, to wielding a sword. we
would secure oar cash, and send our Commission to
the We give this bint by way of advice, for
it can hardly he expected of Ministers, now that they
are keeping such a sharp look out, to let psi at►
'bedevil the political offences of an officer oft 16ritee,,
when they will not suffer a half-pay °facer with
ispitairy to interpose either by word or deed to
stop the. effusion of blood.) The parentage of
the Minister for the moment, at leaot in-
creased by degrading the army and navy lists into lied,
of Ministerial clients. That rank which the toile and
privations of warfare abroad has acquired, mast, hence-
forward, be maintained by political caution and dex-
terity at home. The measure of Sir Robert's political
iniquity became full, by the virtuous and manly seal
be a winced in the cause of her late Majesty. The ML.
nistry, no doubt, calculate on the effect of the example ;
and. if it should please them to propound the doctrine,
that erbornatiox and subordination are so nearly si-
milar, that no friend of the latter can be an enemy of
the former ; they probably think that even this severe
test would be taken by a greater number of military
subscribers than they could have ventured to reckon
upon two months ago.

SIR WILLIAM CURTIS.-It could be little suspected
that the present Royal favourite, Sir William Curtis,
bad originally been the political elere of John Horne
Tooke. Such, however, it appears, was the case ; and
is this manner Teoke related the occasion Sir
William's father had been a zealous friend of popular
politics in the city and county, and at the period of
the great contest for Middlesex, when Wilkes was op.
posed by Lutterel, old Mr. Curtis regretted that his
bovines. and his time of life prevented him being so ac-
tire in behalf of his favourite candidate, as he wished
to be. My son, however,' says he, is just now
of age ; be is young and strong ; take him, Mr.
Horne, under your own direction, and make him
laseful in your canvass !"• The young man," con•
tinned Horne Tooke, " retained his acquaintance
with-see fit some years afterwards
le it betrw*lliter
Td be touiry app./led. we oat met t
happened, however, after a very loos interval. while I
was a Member of the House of Commons, that, we'4lid
meet at the door of the House, joint out togetierlaW
the lobby, and, what was more extraordinary. going
oat, on a division, upon the same side. Being side by
'side," said Tooke, " I offered him my band as as old
political pupil, and told him I was heartily glad to find
that he had returned to his master and to his original
principles at last." Return !' replied Sir William
archly, I never left my principles ; it is you Mr.
Tooke, who have changed.'—' How am I to under-
stand you. Sir William Why, Mr. Tooke, when I
engaged in politics with you, we /lathe nsajority with
art; by the majority I have always stuck; and I will
keep among the majority to the last. "
We are authorised to slate. that on Wednesday the
19th instant, a meeting was bold of the subscribe,'
to a bond of credit for The Beacon newspaper, when a
resolution was adopted es withdraw the whole of the
names from the bond, which resolution was.on Thurs-
day the 20th, intimated to the conductors of The Bea-
ms, as also to the Bank, sad that those subscribers
were thus, after that date, a• longer connected, di►
reedy or indirectly, with that paper.—(Sdin. Star.)
His Royalifighnees Prince' Leopold is at Coburg,
with the Princess his mother, who. according to
the last letters received from Ms Royal Highness, is,
I dangerously ill. The Prince Las letirnated that he
does not expect he shall be able to return to Ragland
before the latter end of May or June next.
The statement (which originated with s provisciak
paper) respecting the illness of the Earl of Lander•
dale was greatly exaggerated. His Lordship was do-
Wood. ea his waj is Dambar-bottan North Britain,
during a few days at- Iterseaster. by slight indisposi-
tion ; bat from asolog its roatived by Ilia relative.
in town. It appears thatint is new in the enjoynient Of,
_ _ _

perfect !magi.
Coast Bertrand and fladly new osetipy tin toustal
the comer of lidgeware-road lasing the Park. formerly
the residence of the late General Paoli.
MiasaanLa Slam Or • Swiss COLONTeArtaillity
at tfielve o'clock precisely. a Mettle& both INIIIIMPSO
end respectable, minimise priasipally of Swiss Elea
dams resident is Lorelei, took plate at the City of
Lomb. Tavera, to take late coesideratlon the various
documents lately brought toads cosatry by P. Schmidt-
merle, Esq. describing the dreadful siteadonof
fieulement is the district of Canto Cello, Rio Janeiro.
Most of the principal Swiss &atlases and Merchants
of Londe. were present; amoogst whom were Messrs.
Apogee Cammove Des* Kaaba% Perin,
Prevost, Sivas. Re:gemont. &e. The Chair was takei
by Mr. Dozer, and several asset eassilent speeches
were made, ilescribiag, is leviable and antis( terms
the present melaaeholy coeditioa of the Reformism*
settlers.. The colony was teemed last year with ever,
prospect et success; but samisen eirserastaaess bad
brought the settlers Wee a siSeadell the mom deplora-
ble that hams imagisatioa mould ~active, sad *alas
the header Cloarlty was promptly szteaderl es demur
they suet ultimately petish. The nesting warmly
eulogised Alr. fichmidtmeyer' foe the plillastirreple
views which hag led his to visit these nafeemaise
rept* ; and it was ettleestety speed te epee s pal&
enimerirdeu, and to allele the dercafleas of emir
friend of beimesity is Artie* link solindeirt.- The
way NM Milo p.