The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-05 00:00:00

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AZURE OF 71.1 E MRS.

It isilroadt.ll to find inn country like this, which

rsseases every 'Wiwi advantage, and which seems
alparently calculates, for the happiness of the-human
race, that so much misery should be found ; the
more so, when it is considered that that misery, over-
whelming as it is, falls to the unavoidable lot of the
great majority of the people. Tile sudden and
most exorbitaht advance its the price of every neces-
sary of life, may well confound our understanding,
and strike us s ith dismay, because, under this cala-
stlitous state of things, we know not which way to
turn, or how to act. it is not only the extremely poor,
or the lowest ortleeti of society, on which this evil
hears with such dreadful force, but it falls with ac-
cumulated severity on all the middling ranks of lire.
The labouring poor undoubtedly partake deep of
this bitter draught, but they are not compelled to
drink out the very dregs of it so entirely as the me-
chanic, tradesmen of 0(41, kind, the shop-keeper,
the little farmer, the inferior clergy, and all those
m hose incomes are narrowly circumscribed. These
most have a regard to decent appearance, otherwise
they will sink still lower, and be compelled to give
up even hopt-t, the only support of the wretched in
such teeitJeolons circumstances. They must also
contribute to the maintenance of the, extremely
poor when they ca a 1:o loner maintain themselves ;
sn that the lowest orders of society have a last re.
loge, not much below their former habits and ideas,
while the middle ranks have none. A necessary re-
gird to &emit appearance, involves them in number-
less difficulties, from which thousands are never able
to recover. Bat bad as these circumstances are to
every individual not possessed of an ample I,rtune,
what must he the agonies of those who have not only
the to regard, but who are encumbered by
numerous other oftlects of their painful anxiety and
teir:er care?--hark the worthy father, with
a ri;:o'ly of children looking tip to him for bread, •
vhcse hem, st industry formerly supported himself,
his wife, and a numerous offspring in fell comfort.—
What must he do now ? Trade is bad ;—in many
branches it is almost annihilated. His profits are
less, much less than formerly ; and yet the few
pounds (for guineas are out of the question) which
he obtains will not go half as far as they would have !
done a few years ago. The little farmers that re-
main, in like manner find the same insuperable diffi-
culties.. The great expence of absolute necessaries •
obliges them to toil on with, hard work and sclitty
living, scarcely one step above thesituation of a day ;
labourer. The incitements to industrious exertion
are no more. 'Piney may give up, in desperation,
when they find that the most economical arrange-
ments wi:l not protect them from that share of the
general misery. it'Apially paii.ful is the state of the
Inferior clergy—these who, in general, do the duty of
the parishes. have their plump rectors and vicars
raised their stipends? %Vilest is the thirty, forty, or
:fifty ;iounds a year in these di'tressful times ? When
bread is at eighteen-pence halfpenny a loaf, 't will
scarcely furnish that arti:le to a family composed of
several children. The situation of all those proles-
sic) tat nion, w hese incomes are narrow'y circom-
selibed, is the same; and they have generally the
ad+iitio;e nook% of tine feeliogs, given them by a
cult ivited education, atid other ha'iits of life in bet-
ter iblys to combat with.—A. condition so over-
wheliniag is ton touch for humanity in general to
boar. There are h.it few, very few indeed, who
l a:t alai, lent strength of mind to stand firm in such
eite-tuotance,:. T.:ere are another% .:ate,
situateA, wield have been honest and respectable;
List, pressed by the disasters ()Nile times, in despair
of any better situation, or from a forlorn hope of

removiug resent anguish, abandon themselves to
those practices which render them amenable to the
penal laws. Where that is not the case, thousands
and tent of thousands are the instances wherein
conscience, 1-Inour, strict integrity—the proud
trust of the virtuous—lio a blecdingssacrifice. how
can it be otherwise with multitudes ? At the sight of
a languishing and beloved wife--at the piercing cry
of hungry infants, the heart sickens; resolu-
tion faints ; all firmness dies away ; despair en-
ters ; and sirtue—honest virtue, t e great con-
solation of the happy, is insensibly sapped by
little unwilling compliances, till it is surrender-
ed, by de(rees, to • strong and almost irresisti-
ble temptation, and at last is overthrown. The un-
Lr distracted victim is thus often impelled by those
generous social feelings, which are the honour of his
tiature, even to comply with the contemptible arts
of corrupt life, which his soul disdains. Wnat he
would not do, that he does, though with disgust, de-
testatioss, remorse, and agony of mind, rather than
see the helpless objects of his affection perish around
Lim, under, the pressure of those circumstances,
which overwhelm thonsaads. This is the present
state of Creat Britain. This is the influence of
our disastrous circumstances on the happiness and on
she morals of society. Dare we lift up our eyes to
behold the coming prospect? Then we meet the
teight of our calamity. Evils infinitely greater still
stare us in the taco, and horribly advance with rapid
step.—Fa.ni.te, whose meagre menacing frown pal-
sies the inmost soul, and extinguishes its powers ;
close at his fee's, his sure and constant attendant
pestilence, with the uplifted rod in his sable hand,
as tide EYath, on his pale horse, with threatening air,
tomes gallopping forward, to close the awful scene.
Bread, the great support of life, must fail to tsou-
ss,nds, if the price still advances. To them the scar-
city must be absolute famine; and should this become
general, putrid pastilentiat sickness must ensue.—
want of suilicient nourishment gives to all ani-
o,ai bodies a teudency to putridity; and if, through
o4e4;y, a want of cleanlineis is added, especially in
the rims pled parts of cities and great towns, the cala-
mity i 4 not to be avoided. It comes rapidly; it-is
scarcely dreaded before it is here, and dismally
marks its wiy by the havoc which it makes. It must

ulso be ei►peotedl, that, under suck circumstances, the
. burdens of the middling class will accumulate beyond
all precedent. Tie extremely poor must and will
iosort to the parish provision, and the rates must, of
consequence, rise to a most distressing height. In
Many places the labouringpoor already look forward
to this as a probable event; and universally declare,
that should bread increase Meek more in price,,they
'hill work no longer, hub crowd into the parish
• 'uses. Such is a faithful picture of the present
&saws. now to prevent an accumulation of misery,