The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-01-22 00:00:00

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Ur. Lamer AID returned thanks.
" The Liberty of the Prese.7.
1" The Duke of Bodford,"—" The Stewards."
Sir H. P. JODPIUM returned thanks.
The kealtiss of Mr. Newcome and Mr. Fowler (the
Vice-President) were drank, and both Gentlemen return.
ed thanks.
" The Earl of Rossiya's, and &ow Gentlemen in Scot-
land who celebrated the memory of Mr. Fox."
The Mooting broke up soon after It o'clock.

CORPORATIONS versas arm LIBERTY and
PUBLIC PROSPERITI:

SECOND SERlES.—Larrea VIII.

The winds grow high.
impending tempests charge the sky ;
The lightning !Des, the thunder roars;
And big waves lash the (righted shores.
Paton.

Stu—When the situation of a people, enjoying so

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much freedom as to be able to keep up a constant inter-
course of mind, has become such as to make a majority
of them feel that scarcely any change could render
their condition worse, or fail to render it better;
among sects people an important change is at
Land. In this country, unless human affairs should
for once stand still, or a circular of the Home Secre-
tary could obliterate knowledge, or the omnipotence
of Parliament arrest the progress of events, or some
other miracle interpime, we are evidently on the eve
of such a change. Itjs, therefore, proper that those
of us who are yet in their senses, should calmly con-
template, and prepare for such mutation, with a
view to alleviate those calamities which we cannot
w)lolly avert.
If it he asked, why such a change may be regarded
as certain and proximate, I answer, because the
struggle between knowledge and currwption has of
late become so close, that either the one or the other
must speedily prevail—that we must have either s
reform of Parliament, a military despotism, or a re-
volution, as the result of the conflict. With respect
to a revolution, I do not believe that there are six in-
dividuals in the kingdom insane enough to wish for
such an event. Even the number of those, who may
have a speculztive predilection in favor of a republican
form of government, must be very small. The great
body of the people of England are habitually attached
to a mixed form of government ; and that attachment
is so strong, that nothing but the extremity of dis-
tress, together with increasing knowledge,
could have convinced them of the necessity of remov-
ing even those abuses, which hare, by time and cir-
cumstances, crept into the system. The cry of the hole
and corner men against sedition and blasphemy, then,
1 regard as not only impertinent and unfounded, but a
deliberate calumny propagated for the base purpose of
holstering up the unprincipled Administration, who
have, by their love of place, occasioned all the agita-
tion of the country. The existence of blasphemy and
sedition, and of the desire of establishing a republic
in England, or of destroying monarchy, are pan
fabrications of persons in place and power, for
tarot tubieldbron, Wpm. ?Inch eelttluiPets, ?fll
are at all entertained, are, I am persuaded, as rare as 11
the wish amongst independent men, of seeing the
members of the present disgraceful Administration
retain their place.. Nay, lam convinced, with many
others (and the pr. of will perhaps in no long time
appear), that the republican and blasphemous protege
of Ministers, the notorious Sherwin, who has suc-
ceeded in making a scape goat of that poor fanatic
earlile, will be found to have heel', like Castles, Oliver,
Edwards, Reynolds, and Fletcher, laboring in his
vocation. Has it not been rendered more than pro-
bable, that it was one of those vile emissaries of the
system, who threw the •1 sprakiitg" potatoes, and
othernise insulted Isis Majesty, when Prince Regent,
in his passage throng,' the Park to the Houses of
Parliament ? Anil will not the same miscreants be
ready to commit similar crimes, if his Majesty should
now meet his Parliament in person ; in order to afford
their employers a pretext for accnsing the people of
olislo ;thy, and of calling out the military? I would I
pledge my life, that every truly loyal man, and every
real reformer, are disposed to pay their Sovereign all
personal respect. And, it behoves us all to watch and
to um, any one attempting, upon such an occasion,
to create a disturbance, anti to consider him, like the
spies, informers, and inciters to insurrection, the pla-
card conspirators, and the regularly wrganized disse-
minators of blasphemy and irreligion ; to treat hint
as a hired incendiary. Who are interested in such
liefarious proceedings ? Those alone, who wish to
pespettutte the existing abuses. Against whose in- '
tertsts do they operate? Those of the people.
Yet, we are called upon to believe, that the people,
against whose interests they operate, are the perpe-
trators of these crimes, and that Ministers, and the
(other tools, agents, and emissaries of the system,
in whose limier thee directly militate, bold them
in abhorrence ! This is drawing some what too
largely ni.on the credulity of the nineteenth century.
..—The conclusion, and a very satisfactory one it is,
which follows from these premises—is, that there
exists no danger whatsoever of a revolution in this
Country, except what may arise front the efforts of the
abettors of the present system of misrule, in their en-
dearou:s to establish a military despotism, with a
view Is preserve their places, or to prevent their be-
lug punished for their past misdeeds, or both.
That Ministers will make inch an attempt, if they
should still find themselves backed by a majority of the
honk of Countless, I have not the smallest doubt. But
tilt. 'newtons of that body, it is to be hoped, will feel,
that although they have certain interests as Borough-
mongers, and us Ministerial partisans, which would
lead them, in ordinary times, to stand to their colours;
not to abandon them in times like these, would be
not only high treason against the State, but obviously
roatrary to their own best interests ; as members of
society, and as proprietors of the soil, not to talk of
the eventual safety to their lives; fur they are not to
"Mlle, that, if Ministers could succeed for a mo-
uwnt in establishing a military despotism, the stabi-
lite ce their power would be thereby ensured. Would
sot the people feel it necessary, when they saw thin
despotism approaching, to agree unanimously to re-'
Huse to pay taxes? And, where, in sock case, ctuaid
the despots raise fends to pay their soldiers ? And I
what dependence mil.' they have upon the fidelity
et. the Army, similes they could ensure them regelar