The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-22 00:00:00

ON T'YRANTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF TUB STATESMAN.

" Lear Interet personnel est preinieremeni que le People soit
foible, miserable, et qu'il ae puisse jamass leer resister."
Rovssa•v.
•

Ste,—ln all the proceedings of Tyrants, however
remote the period and scene of action, there casts a
striking analogy which is apparent to every attentive
observer. A common sympathy of naturecreaterin them
the same propensities ; and hurries them to the corn.
mission of the moo disgustful crimes. Thus we find
them dastardly, cruel, proud, avaricious, and pro-
digal, with an inveterate hatred of every thing as.
earning the apearance of virtue. They fly from
crime to crime as an arrow from the bow ; no sooner
have they imbued their hands in the blood of one
'victim, than their vulture eyes Gs on another, which
mast instantly fall a sacrifice to their ferocious
brutality. Their enjoyment, if so it can be termed,
is being the scourge of the human race, to whirl, they
seem to have imbibed an eternal antipathy. The un-
happy objects of their fury, are pursued so incessan...
ly as to make an escape from their overspreadiug and
all powerful fangs, to be morally impnss:ble.—
Strangers to pity or remorse, these monsters march
on in their career of blood with an audacity which et
once astonishes and confounds every beholder. It
cannot, indeed, be said that the Buroughmongers
possess all the bad characters of the Nsaos and
CALIGULA' of antiquity, but that they are imbued
with the spirit of tyranny is but too manifest.

One prominent feature in the conduct of tyrants
is, to reduce the People to a state of misery. Hence
that torrent of abusew hich has lately been poured on the
wretched journeymen manofactureriin Lancashire, for
their attempt to recover the former price of their la-
bour. Though this price was not enough to support
comfortably them and their families, yet their em-
ployers curtailed it during the depression of trade.—
To c,,nremphire the lower class enjoying the most di-
minutive portion of the comforts of life is torture to
the Boroughmilnger, as well as to the other descrip-
tions of inferior task-masters.
The Corn Bill is another instance of this feature.
By prohibiting, its certain circumstances, the imports.
lion of corn, the price of bread becomes so much en-
hanced as to place it almost out of the reach of the
People, though indispensible to their subsistence.—
Here is a powerful source of misery, which will con-
tinne flow with the utmost velocity. This mea-
sure being in such a high degree inimical to the inte-
rests of the People, submission is a matter of sato-
nislsteent ; and every constitutional method ought to
be adopted for the purpose of obtaining its repeal.—
One may justly term it a most impudent and bare-
faced robbery.

The ponderous texstion is also irrefragable
dente of the prominent feature above mentioned.—
It grinds the People to powder. Every chink feels
the effects; for it is omnipresent as well as muds.
none. By it the middle donate precipitated bete,
the state of the lower, and the lower into a state of
starvation. Starvation, with its consequeirt el►.
cleanliness, is the cause of various diseases among
the lower class. Shocking it must be, for a father
to behold his hungry children, with ghastly visages,
and in squalid dress, crying for a morsel of breed,
without being able to administer to their wants.—
Hut what pen can describe the poignancy of his!
feelings, when the sane cause which afflicts his
children with fatal disease, disables him from pro.
curing them medical relief. Boroughrnongers reflect,
sod shudder at your crimes. Nearly the whole of
this taxation has been created by bloody wars, en..
feted into ender the specious pretests of supporting
tbe honour and independence of the country ; also
of defending the liberties of Europe against a gigantic
enemy, whose ambition knew no bounds; but in
reality for the infernal purpose of tearing op by the
roots, not only the liberties of this country, but of
Europe, yea, even of the world, and of establishing
in their stead a despotism invulnerable to every at.
tempt at its overthrow. These are the primary ob.
jects of the Holy, or rather un.Holy Alliance. They
evet were, are, and will be the primary objects of
al!tyrants. _ _ _

Thus are the robust bodies of Englishmen enerret..
ed. A Boroughmonger, like any other tyrant, be.
lieves that the reducing of the People to a state of
misery is a sure preservative of his power. Besides,
he may imagine that in paralyzing the physical fa.
culties, he patalyzes the mental, whereby there will
be an annihilation of that noblespirit which.timolated
oor ancestors to such glorioos deeds,iind caused their
mighty efforts to be crowned with
_decisive success :
those ancestors, by whom the standard of liberty was
erected in Runnymede, by whom CHARLES I. was
brought to the scaffold, and by yr hem James 11. was
driven out of the kingdom. Were this spirit to be-
come extinct, the Bosoughmongers might safely' in.,
solve the People in war, for the purpose of west-
' ing their blood and treasure in the restoration el the
Bounnoars and the POPE. No enquiry into thiPie
treachery would take place. Suspension and Gagging
Bills would then become unnecessary ; though not
quite so a Corn Bill. Tyraany would reign tri-
umphantly.
Notwithstanding all the essays the Borooghenonger
Faction may make in order to deceive themselves ;
all the hopes they may infuse into the breasts of their,
accomplies ; the mauceuvres and conspiracies; the
implicit confidence in the misery of the People, prov-
ing for them a fortress of impregnibility ; should
they cast their eyes athwart the history of this country,
they will find, to their utter confusion, that slwsys
when resistance began to display itself, the People I
were involved in excessive misery. Instance the
reign of the tyrant JAMES 11. He had his horrible
JETPERIES, whp even made a boast that he bad ban(
e.l more men the. all the other Judges of England.
This Woell)PfWeSn4PSef at rest except .he was val.
lowing in hereon blood. . The fetocieus JAMES, cute
complimenting him, look the opportunity of term.'
ing one of the Circuits which he had just finish-
ed, . his campaign ; so manifold had been his
. murders. Watt mark the result, vengeance cime
in due time. The People rose and tore this ,
cruel monster into pieces. Jesus himself was

THE • STATESMAN -_

AMiiiiiii..,-,

1 glad to save hit head by a precipitate fl &ht.--
At the approach of danger, the most brutal tyrants
are the basest cowards. if this event is too remote
to produce the effect for whiCh it is so well coley.
listed, take a mote recent one. I
allude tb the
French Revolution, which it admirably in point.—
What People suffered so Much ender the unrelenting
hand of oppression as the French, previous to the
Revolution ? What tyranny so unfeelingly, so wan-
tonly, or so universally eserclsed, as the tyranny of
the BOURBONS! What chains so huge and galling,
as-tiinse by which the BOURBONS bound down that
unfortunate race? The immense mass of taxes, and
the unprincipled mode of levying them, formed a fright.
fulscene. Still, as If the cop of iniquity werenot filled
to the brim, there was the domineering and cruel ty.
ranny of the Noblesse, with the ihquisitive and per-
muting tyranny of the Priesthood. Was ever mi-
sery so stupendous! However this, fat from pre-
vessiiii; resistance, was the very cause itself. The
People were compelled to rise. What were the con•
sequences? The Bestile was attacked, though at
first without success; and the inhuman Governor
having, by stratagem, made a few of the wretches
prisoners, ordered them to be immediately hanged on
the walls. Here is a glaring proof of the cruelty
i of tyrants when they get the upper hands averse ID
all mercy, they indulge their savage propensities
1 ekb the blood of their victims, without experiencing
the least satiety. These persons Were immolated
l' without a trial, consequen.ly contrary to all law;
nevertheless had tyranny obtained the victory, this
disgustful act would not only have been palliated, but
justified and applauded. Necessity, the tyrant's
plea, would have been brought foulard in its de-
fence : it would have been witted vigour. But this
vigour did not produce the intended effect ; instead
of inspiring terror, thereby causing resistance to
cease, it inspired horror, and thirst for vengeance.
The people, exasperated even to madness, renewed
tie assault, fought with the fury of tigers, carried
the fortress—what can withstand the efforts of li.
berty !—seized the Governor. and hanged him op as
an example to future tyrants. How do his brother ty.
rants relish this vigour ? On the news of the taking of
the asstile, the whole covey betook themselves to
flight. Princes, Priests, and Nobles, were scattered
in every direction, precipitately endeavouring to
make their escape. Some did succeed ; hut others
not being sn fortunate, tasted a little of that vigour
which they had been in the habit of giving to those
who happened to come within their gripe. The day
of visitation, though tardy, came at last ; and dread-
ful were the tears of the guilty. Justice stared them
in the face.

The French Revilution presents an awful
example for tyrants to profit by, ye enslavers
of the nation!—surrender to the King and the
People their rights, which you have usurped.—
By this means prevent a convulsion, which would
plunge you and your concretions headlong into .the
gulph of destruction. A light has gone forth; it has
pervaded the mess of the People. All are politi-
cians; especially those termed the lower class. They
hold discussions daily and hourly, di•coveriog much
talent anti information. Ask but a miller, a black.
smith, or even a scasenger, whence flows the heavy
load ol.oppression *Web weighs him down t• the
earth? Ire sill immediately answer, from the
roashmotagoring aiystem. Sophistry con no longer
&wive them. They ire acquainted with all the ope-
rations of the corrupt practices. On' a redress of
grimmer@ they imist. Lean not on a broken reed,
lest it pierce you. Now is the time to restore hap.
pines. to your disconsolate country. But if an on.
paralleled perverseoess possessing itself of your in-
fatuated minds, impel yo• to proceed its your' ne-
ferious practices, you yoursel►es will be respoillible
for the cotisPquenees.
October 17, 1818. W. M.

FAVOURABLE IN7'ELLIGENCE OF THE
IVOATILWEST EXPEDITION.

Althnegh thelabjeet.of the Discovery Ships under
Captain Buchan has been defeated for the prevent by
ttessolortunate occident which heel the Dorothea,
and inconsequence thereof the_caestion of a practi-
cable passage over the North Pole remains precisely
where it did, there is every reason to believe that the
North-west Eapedition, under Captain Ross, will
prove.successful. We have just seen a letter from
Mr. Wm. Burst, Master of the ship Ariel, to his
Owners, Messrir lianornond end Smith, dated Strom.
ness, October 8, ohich_says
" A heavy gale,came on on the 9th August from
the Southwasd,•aed we gut close beset among Ismael
Saws of ice, where we were detained till the Atter
September, without any possibility of getting out.—:
The ship was in great danger while we were beset,
but happily we escaped clear oil, and observed is
let. 76. 8. N. and there found an open sea. We stood
off to the Westward for 12 hours, and met with no
ice. The Discovery Ships got out of sight of us about
the middle of August, and from the appearance it bad
when we left the ice, I doubt not but they may God
'llbeiv,wished-for passage."
Tars it appears that the Isabella and Alexander
irtfrto the Northward of 76. three weeks before the
"dale/ had run to the Westward in an open sea, free
'firom all ice; which three weeks, in the event of the]
sea continuing open, is more than sufficient to have
carried
„them to Behring's Strait. At airy fate, we
think it probable,tbat, should they not be. ibl to
reach that length, they will pass the winter in'the
Hyperborean Sea, on the Northern shore of America.

y
socr.toon, Dowson, and Miss Brant are non,
performing at .the Liverpool Theatre, where they
' appeared, on Monday last as Dont:irks, Isaac
Meadow, and Clara„ in theDisenna.
A pear; was gathered, last week, in the garden of
Mr. Spencer, at Newton St. Luw, neer Bath, which
weighed t wenty.tvro ounces, and measured thirteen
inches in diameter. There are three others on the
tree nearly at large.
Taesday night the house of Mr. Simi, In the New.
roado,was broken into and robbed of 101. in Bank.
notes, a watch, a gold, locket, *et in pearl, a bine
Hock coot, and wines other articles.
Yesterday, a fine boy, named Thema+, son of
Mr. %melt, of Clare-halt-row, Lierrehoese,
playing in the back yard, lost hi, bat in the water.
closet. lie instant') followed It. Unfortunately the'
lid was sairecated before assistance could be obtained.