The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-03-09 00:00:00

Aihp SUBJECT of a GENERAL ELECTION
to.littei EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.
Rio, In looking forwards s little way to this
• wet, not *feet considerations suggest themselves to i
notice; for, perhaps, there never was in the history
_ of oar country, u period so full of importance--e
crisis of each veal difficulty. Indeed, the state of.
things Is sects, hot they are not to be contemplated
• with the common feelings which we bare about us,
even when thinking on matters of no &mail moment.
&fere Potosi** oh the few observations which I
. have to make with reference to the event in question,
h may be es well to observe, as a kind of charm to
lead us forward, that within these few years there has
lasten • considerable change in society—in their man-
bey of thinking, end in the netest of their thoughts—,
is political light has come among Osi and our eyes are
*Veil to the reel date, as well as to the mere appear.
*we of things. Deceptions of all kinds are fast wear.
log sway; end we may predict, that a day of no or-
Jittery isoportaate to the cause of true liberty is
&seeing -upon us. The issue of the late struggle-
semi the nations, and the measures which hive
bop) persued es a conseqoence of that kilos, have
loot • little contribated to this progress of thinking,
end liberality of judging, which has arrived already to
.eur.isnissieg growth. Men have seen what has been
• ibeYsith of kingly premises; end whet is the real
weaning of Royal declarations about fighting ogainst
the Oppressor. This trick has had, its effect, but, we
sney sonclode, wilt not have its effect again. The
betties which were called the Triumphs of Liberty,
were only the triumphs of legitimacy ; and the sop.
plies which were called for to win these fights of free-
dom,-Were, in fact, meant and applied merely to bol-
ster isp.that bated doctrine, which belonged only to
*le .darker ages, and which oor forefathers have
. stamped with the signet of abhorrence.
- Judging, then, from this progress of • rod and
constitutional feeling in the country, we may fairly
look to the effects which it will display at the ap.
proaching Goners! Election. Defective as the state
of the elective franchise msy be, there is still oppne.
(unity enough for displaying, in some degree, the

. .

pureness of principle—the lore of what is really con•
stitional, in opposition to what has been foisted upon
the nation as such. And it is not too much to sm,
that the teal work of lteform has began, and that,

too, just where it should begin, in the minds, arid
not in the imagination•, of the People. It is no longer,
on the one hand, al •isionary scheme, nor, on the

ether, the, mere effervescent of a wild and democra.
tical enthusiasm. )11en are awake to the voice of
throe liberty, which is not heard as the thonder of dis•

cord, but as a silent universal them, which. like the
- musket lent that chases silence from the midnight
hoer, lb felt with the finest feelings that can inspire
the human breast.
With regard to the claim which the asejneity of the
present Parliament can have on the support of the
People, it does not appear to me to be very great.—
Their conduct, in vinous acts of their Legislation,
has been neither in favour of the liberty nor of the
prosperity of the country. Whether their conduct
has arisen few,' an unfeyworable design nn the liberty
of the subj.ct (and, perhaps, it would be uncha-
ritable to think it us), or from a mistaken policy, it
is enough for the Nation to know that their MPllReflog
have tended to destroy its elearest rights ; and that
(arise front what motive it may) the People alone are
able, end ought to exercise their power—to evince
their info:lion for what is truly Constitutional, and
their hatred of what is not so. And this strely
cannot he hotter shown than by the choice of their
'Representatives.
It is needless to advert to the measures of Admi-
nistration in support of arguments for Reform. It
enoogh that its measures have, in many relieve,
'been opposite to the liberty of the suhjoct, and eub.
trersive of those principles which seated the !louse of
13au4swica on the 'throne.
In again urging the country manfully to stand
sop in •the cease of independence, and in condo&
leg the present remarks, i cannot but advert to the
duration of Parliaments.—llowever many may be
in favour of the notion of Annual Parliaments,
and whatever reason may be in the argument
Against them as tending to destroy that nice ba-
lance which should ever esist in the State, I must
et any rat* protest against the Act which makes
th 4 duration Septennial, as equally destructive
of that balance, which should ezist between the
democratical and the monarchial side. The popular
Bill which, with other constitutional Acts, we owe
to the Revolution, settled the duration of Parlia-
ments to three years ; and this, perhaps, is the most
fair duration that can be filed.— And we may, in-
deed, question the justice, if not the 'may of that
measure, which afterwards, by a corrupt Parliament,
to please a despotic Ministry, emended its term to
seven years. A.

The great rise in Wines is attributed by some to a
Irlonopoly, by others to • Scarcity of Wine of a fine
quality, • ith an increasing demand but we 'respect
it is in some measure owing to the Office-keepers ad-
vertising to give Wine gratis to their Customers in
Three or Four Pipes at a time, and inviting them to
(+Arae it themselves; nor is it likely that the price
will he lower until this Lottery is ever, and all the
Fir% of Port given to Purchasers are selected.
A notorious horse-stcyler;named Webb, connected
with others in custody, made his escape from Revd-
/II jail du►intg the As•ises there, by brqsamiltil
through the top of the prison, whilst illitillol6om ad-
jcioiogs to be brought into tb‘defk.

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