The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-04 00:00:00

'ESMA N.

entity ;" for, they have only to.ni; to the landlord's
" do you want more lazes!" That question will be
quite enough. Not another word will be necessary.
Their answer most be, that they leant more taxes, or that
they approve of the " strict U•lan:illy." For, they are
not yet prepared to say: blow ep the debt! As to any
attempt to blame the Ministers, fur nut having threatened
the French Government, that would be childish enough.
The Ministers would say one of two things; and either
of the two, would be a complete answer to such com-
plaint. FIRST, they might say, why should we threaten
the French Government? Why should Ave disapprove
of its crusade against Jacobinism in Spain, when you,
yourselves, have so often boasted of the success of the
Crusade against Jacobinism in France? What is the
French Government now doing more than you were
doing for five and twenty years ?—Sacoxn, the Ali-
'listers might say; what would have been the use of
bolding a menacing language to France? Are you fools
enough to suppose, that the French Government do not
know the state of your pockets as well as you do ? Are you
fools enough to suppose that the French Government
do not know that you are crying out for reduction of
taxes; and that we cannot go to War again without
blowing up the debt? Are you fools enough to believe
that the French Government ha►e not read "Cobbetes
Register," of which more than a hundred goes to Paris
every week . and, if they have read it, are they fools
enough, think you, to have done any thing but laugh a
any huffing language that we could put forth ? Arc you
fools enough, then, to blame as for not making use of
language which we must have retracted? Oh, no!—
The Ministers are upon a rock of adamant, tiith regard
to all those who are for paying the interest of the debt
in full, and who are, at the same time fur a reduction of
taxation. That is to say, they are upon a rock of ada.
mant with regard to the part they have acted relative to
France and Spain. Indeed, they have acted no part at
all. The French and their Allies have despised them.
They knew that they bad no power to prevent the con.
summation of their projects. And they have paid no
more attention to their wishes than they have paid at-
tention to the wishes of our stock jobbers. Our wretched
ballocking newspapers, are still endeavouring to keep
up the notion of an interference on the part of our Go-
vernment, to prevent the invasion of Spain. They seem
wholly to forget that the War in the Peninsula cost us
twenty millions a-year. But, in short, they are mad ;
and their wretched dopes must continue to suffer, from
believing in their mad ravings.

As to the domestic affairs of the country; here our
pretty gentlemen will find themselves in a little more
difficulty. There seems to be great stir and uneasiness
amongst them. VANSITTAIIT, who so pertly talked, and,
indeed. so malignantly talked, about " such financiers
" as Cabal and Carlite:" this pretty gentleman has
gone Qt/: It is very curious that the disowning of the
Treasury pamphlet and the dismissal of Vaxitirrauv,
took place precisely at the same time! Further changes
amongst the pretty geutleusen are talked of ; but here
is the grand fact: The estates must piss away from the
present owners; or the whole of the present system of
Debts and taxes. must be changed. -
The speech of this day, be it what it may in other
respects, will tell us very little of i►hat is going to be
done. The town is full of rumours as to distuissions
and resignations of Ministers. We do not believe any
of the rumours; or, snore properly speaking, we rely
upon none of them. Hot this we are very sure of, that
the Ministry are much about in the state of a parcel of
fruit-dies, that are got down into a bottle of sugared
beer. They never were in such a mess before. They
have rolled and rolled along, and round about amongst
the lime twigs and the rubbish of the brake: there they
fie, fairly trundled up, without ability to extricate
themselves, and without daring to call in the assistance
of others.