66

66

was rising in price, has, in the end, produced all the scenes of misery, all the acts of violence, and the melancholy fate of so many of our countrymen. There can, I

the Orders in Council, and certain other parts of our maritime system connected with them, have been the chief cause of all these calamities; and, when we behold the sufferings of the people, as proved before the House of Commons; when we see the soldiers stationed to protect the Judges in the courts of justice; when we see the soldiers employed (as is stated in the public prints) to guard the Sheriff and his officers in the performance of their awful duty of

By and by I shall offer 66 an observation or two upon the reasons "the Americans have for going to war, and upon the probable consequences of such 66 war, if it should take place. At pre-think, be no doubt, that the perseverance in sent, I shall as to this point, only repeat 66 my opinion, that it will take place, unless "the Orders in Council be repealed: and "also my opinion, that these Orders will "be repealed; and, that, too, without any "of the saving conditions, of which the "half-horned Courier is so silly as to talk. "It will mortify some people, but it will "be done. It will make those Jacobins "and Levellers in America laugh, and "Mr. Madison more, perhaps, than any "body else; but I say, it will be done.executing the men at Chester; when we "Buonaparte will laugh too; but it will be are now told of 38 men being just commit“done; and, perhaps, the least mortifying ted in a body to Lancaster jail, out of which "circumstance will not be, that it is what 8 persons have just been taken to be hanged, "I recommended fifteen months ago. How amongst which eight, one is stated to have "much better would it have been, IF IT been a woman, "Hannah Smith, for com"HAD BEEN DONE THEN' How" mitting a highway robbery, by STEAL"much better in every respect; and espe-"ING POTATOES at Bank Top, in the "cially how much better for our character! "town of Manchester:" when we behold "However, better late than never; only all these things, Sir, and scores of others "when it is done, I hope it will be done that might be added to the list, and when "with as good a grace as possible, and we reflect, that they might all have been "that after that, the venal prints in Lon-prevented if my advice had been followed a "don will never more foretel the downfal "of Mr. Madison, and will see the folly of venting their spleen in words, against "those who are beyond our reach; of showing the teeth where one cannot "bite."

66

66

66

year and a half ago; when we thus reflect, and when we see that we have to pay £50,000 down and £3,000 to the family, and have further to be taxed to pay for a monument in honour, of the minister who rejected this advice, what must be the feelings of the people!

These passages, Sir, were published on the 18th of January last; so that, it would Even in December last, when the Corseem, that, though shut up in one of "His poration of the City of London, upon the moMajesty's Jails," I knew what was doing tion of Mr. ALDERMAN WOOD, prayed your in the world better than "His Majesty's Royal Highness to take measures for " re"Ministers" did. "How much better" opening the usual channels of intercourse "would it have been, if it had been done" with neutral nations;" if, even then, "then." These were my words five the Orders in Council had been annulled, the greater part of the calamities above mentioned might have been prevented. But, your ministers, with the late Mr. Perceval at their head, advised your Royal Highness to reject this part of the prayer of the City of London, and to tell them, that "nothing should be wanting on your part to contribute towards the restoration of commercial intercourse between this country and other nations to the footing on which it had been usually conducted even in the midst of war. This, Sir, was only repeating what your ministers had before said; but, Sir, you have not been able to do this. You have not been able to make the Emperor of France relax in the smallest degree. His continental system

months ago, Sir; and, therefore, they ap-
ply with the more force now. "How
"much better would it have been, if it
"had been done then!" How much bet-
ter would it have been, if my opinion had
been acted upon; if my advice, so urgently
and so respectfully tendered to your Royal
Highness, had been followed! What na-
tional shame, what humiliation, what mi-"
sery, what melancholy scenes, would have
been avoided! There can, I think, be no
doubt in the mind of your Royal Highness,"
that the troubles which we have witnessed
in the manufacturing counties, have arisen
chiefly from the want of employment
amongst the manufacturers, which, lower-
ing the wages at the same time that corn

remains in full vigour; and so it will re- "of our flag, carried on with unabated main, even after our Orders shall have" rigour and severity. If it be our duty to been completely done away. What, then," encourage the fair and legitimate comSir, are we to think of the minister, who "merce of this country by protecting the advised you to give such an answer to the property of the merchant, then indeed, City of London? What are we to think of a "by as much as life and liberty are more monument to the memory of that minister?" estimable than ships and goods, so much There is yet one point, and it is a point" more impressive is the duty to shield the of great interest, upon which I am anxious" persons of our seamen, whose hard and to address your Royal Highness; and that honest services are employed, equally is, the effect which the annulling of our "with those of the merchants, in advancOrders will produce in America. It has "ing, under the mantle of its laws, the been said by the hired writers (who detest" interests of their country." These were the Americans only because they are free); it the sentiments, expressed in that Report, has been said by these prostituted person- which determined on war; and, your ages and their like elsewhere, that America Royal Highness may be assured, that up to will now demand other points to be con- these sentiments they are prepared to act. ceded to her. I had the honour to state to It was from this conviction, that, in the your Royal Highness, in my Fourth Let- Vth Letter, addressed to your Royal Highter, that America had TWO subjects of ness, I said: "If I were asked what complaint against us, upon both of which ought to be done to prevent war with she must be satisfied, if we meant to have America, I should say, certainly, first peace with her: namely, The Orders in" repeal the Orders in Council; but, I Council, and The Impressment of American "am far from supposing, that that meaSeamen. The nature, the extent, and the sure alone would be sufficient. Indeed, grounds of the latter complaint was, in the" it seems to me, that the Impressment of Letter here referred to, fully stated; and I" American seamen must be abandoned; then took occasion to endeavour to convince" your Royal Highness, that this was what stuck closest to the hearts of the people of America; and, in America, Sir, the feelings of the people are consulted, as they ought to be, upon all occasions.

say:

If we look back to the Report of the Committee of Congress, of November last,+ we shall find, that the heaviest of its denunciations is levelled against our impressment of their seamen. After stating their grievances as growing out of the Orders in Council, they proceed to the subject of impressment, and "Your Committee "are not, however, of that sect whose "worship is at the shrine of a calculating "avarice. And while we are laying before you the just complaints of our merchants "against the plunder of their ships and 66 cargoes, we cannot refrain from present"ing to the justice and humanity of our "country the unhappy case of our impress"ed seamen. Although the groans of these "victims of barbarity for the loss of (what "should be dearer to the Americans than "life) THEIR LIBERTY; although the "cries of their wives and children in the "privation of protectors and parents, have, "of late, been drowned in the louder cla"mours at the loss of property: yet is the "practice of forcing our mariners into the "British navy, in violation of the rights

Present Volume, page 129. + Present Vol. No. VII. p. 207.

and to this I would add a declaration, that England would not interfere in the affairs of Spanish South America."+

I

• Present Vol. No. VII. p. 193.
+ The following Bill, which, in all proba-
bility, has long ago become a law in
America, will show in what light the
Americans view the subject of our Im-
pressinent of their Seamen.

A Bill for the Protection, Recovery, and
Indemnification of American Seamen.

The Preamble states, that His Britannic Majesty has caused to be impressed out of the ships of the United States, sailing on the high seas, under the American flag, divers liege citizens of said States, and hath compelled them to serve on board the ships of war of Great Britain, and to fight against the United States, and that numbers of them are yet detained.It is therefore enacted, that from and after the 4th day of June next, any person or persons who shall impress any native seaman of the United States, sailing on the high seas, or in any port, river, haven, basin, or bay, under pretence or colour of a commission from any foreign power, shall, for every such offence, be adjudged a pirate and felon, and on conviction, suffer death; and the trial in such case shall be had where the offender is apprehended or may be first brought. That it shall be lawful for

now, Sir, most earnestly repeat this advice. I implore you to resist the advice of those, who would fain make you believe, that we ought to persist in these impressments. I implore your Royal Highness to reflect on the manifold miseries that may arise from this cause; and, to be pleased to bear in mind, that to yield hereafter, to yield upon force or menace, will be disgrace; whereas to yield now would indicate a sentiment of justice. How many nations have, from the indulgence of the pride and obstinacy of their rulers, been, at last, humbled in the dust! But this will never, I trust, be the lot of England under the sway of your Royal Highness. That nothing may be wanting on my part to prevent your Royal Highness from being deceived into the adoption of injurious measures with regard to the question of Impressment, I will, in my next, endeavour to lay before you a true and clear statement of the case, and will humbly offer you my opinion as to what ought to be done by our government with respect to it. And I remain, in the meanwhile, &c. &c. &c.

WM. COBBETT.

State Prison, Newgale, Thursday, 18th June, 1812.

British territories, as may be equal to the impressed American seamen in the possession of Great Britain, and by a cartel to exchange the same.- -That the President, whenever sufficient testimony shall be produced that the commander of any public armed vessel of any foreign nation shall have taken or impressed from on board any ship or other vessel of the United States, while at any port or place not within the jurisdiction of such foreign nation, or while on her passage to or from any port or place, any seaman, mariner, or other person not being in the military service of an enemy of such foreign nation, may prohibit by proclamation, every person residing within the United States or its territory, from affording aid, succour or provisions, of whatever kind, to such ship or vessel; and any pilot or other person, residing within the United States, who shali, after such prohibition shall have been made known, and before the same shall be revoked, afford aid, succour, or provisions, as aforesaid, to such ship or vessel, and be thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to be imprisoned not exceeding one year, and fined not exceeding one thousand dollars.—That from and after the 4th of June next, whenever full and sufficient testimony shall be produced, that the commanders of public any seaman, sailing under the flag of the armed vessels of any foreign nation, have United States, on any person or persons at- impressed or taken from on board any ship tempting to impress him, to repel by force; or vessel within the jurisdiction of the and if any person so attempting to impress United States, or while on her passage to said seaman shall be killed, maimed, or or from any port or place, any seaman, wounded, such seaman, on the general mariner, or other person, the President issue, may give the special matter in evi- may prohibit, by proclamation, the landdence, which is hereby declared a perfecting from on board any ship or other vessel justification.That on information being of the foreign nation (whose commander or given to the President of the United States commanders have offended as aforesaid) proving satisfactorily to him, that any citi- any goods, ware, or merchandise within zen of the United States shall have been any of the ports of the United States or the impressed, and shall be yet detained, or territories of the United States.-The shall hereafter be impressed, to cause the above Bill was read a first time by a mamost rigorous retaliation on any of the sub-jority of 53 to 28. On its third reading, jects of said Government taken on the high it was re-committed to a Committee of the seas, or within the British territories, whom whole. he is hereby authorized to cause to be taken and seized for that purpose, any treaty to the contrary notwithstanding. That any seaman, heretofore or hereafter impressed, may attach, in the hands of any British subject, or in the hands of any debtor of any British subject, a sum equal to thirty dollars per month for the whole time he shall have been detained on board any British vessel or vessels.That the President of the United States may capture, by way of reprisal, as many British subjects, on the high seas or within the

SUMMARY OF POLITICS. MR. EATON.-PAINE'S AGE OF REASON. In my last, at page 753, I notified, that I would cause to be published, at my own expense, whatever might be written to me by my pastor, the Rector of Botley, in answer to Paine's Third Part of the Age of Reason, provided that it did not exceed in bulk twice that of the work to be answered; and, in case that gentleman,

every circumstance shows of what importance this work was thought by these great law characters; and, therefore, as the work is got abroad, and cannot now be stopped in its progress, or in the progress of its effect, and which effect, the Attorney General said, must be "DREADFUL IN "THE EXTREME," I do hope that the world will have a complete answer to it from a clergyman of the Church of Eng

one's Church upon an occasion like this. Some persons, indeed, may suppose, that she should have come forward and defeated this work without the assistance of the Law; but, at any rate, we may, I trust, rely upon her doing it now.

from indisposition or any other cause, should decline the invitation, I notified that I would do the same with regard to an answer by any other Clergyman of the Church of England. Now, I beg leave to amend this last part of my offer; and to confine it to BENEFICED Clergymen; because my notion is this; that we Churchmen have a RIGHT to call upon our Clergy for the answer in question; but that, as this right arises wholly out of the circum-land. One feels a little for the honour of stance of our paying them such immense sums of money annually, we have no such right in the case of gentlemen who have taken Orders and have not obtained any benefice. This distinction appearing to me to be founded in justice, I have lost no time in making it. I shall hereafter have Since writing the above, to return to the subject; and will only add I have received a letter from the Rector of an expression of my hope to be soon fa- Botley, who, I have the satisfaction to say, voured with the wished-for answer, as I has authorized me to state, that "he proam well informed, that, in spite of those "mises to give the public, through the me-: "fences of the law," of which Lord Ellen-"dium I have offered, a sufficient antidote borough is, in the report, stated to have" to the deadly poison, whose pernicious spoken in his charge; in spite of all "those" effects I have shewn myself so anxious. "fences with which the law has surround" to have counteracted." It would seem, "ed our religion," the book of Paine is however, from another passage of his letter, making great progress. The price of it, that he supposes this "medium" to be the which, before the trial, was 3s. is now 5s. Political Register. That is not the one inat which, it is said to be bought with great tended. I propose making the promised eagerness. Therefore, I trust, that our publication in the form of A PAMPHLET, Clergy will come forth. They must now and that for three reasons; first, because see, that the law has done its best; and, if the performance would necessarily exceed they do not come forth, it will, I must con- the limits of the Register, and must be fess, not be very easy to me to account for greatly injured in its effect by being sent their conduct.In my last, I said, that, forth in small divisions; second, because it while the Jury (the Special Jury, whose would be in a form different from that of names I will publish another time) were the work to which it would be an answer, consulting about their verdict, the Attorney and, of course, could not be bound up and General moved the Judge not to suffer Mr. preserved along with it; and, third, beEaton to leave the court. This, I am as- cause, as the great law characters would sured, was a mistake of the reporter of the prosecute me for publishing Mr. Paine's trial. A gentleman, who was present in book in the Register, it would be cowardly, court, has assured me, that this was not the inconsistent, and stupid to publish an annature of the motion of the Attorney Ge-swer to it in the Register; it would be disneral, who did not move for the preventing of Mr. Eaton from leaving the court; but for the preventing of some copies of Mr. Paine's book from leaving the court. The fact appears to have been this: Mr. Eaton had brought into court 12 copies of the work, for having published which he was prosecuted, with a design to give one to each juror. When, therefore, the jurors were about to retire, he got up, and held the copies forward towards them; and, thereupon it was, I understand, that the Attorney General, or his aid, Mr. Garrow, moved the Judge to prevent those copies from being taken out of the court.—Thus,

cussion all on one side, to which I am, and always shall be, I hope, a mortal enemy.

-For these reasons my intention, and, indeed, my resolution, is, to cause the answer to be published in a pamphlet of the octavo form; and, that the Antidote may come as closely as possible on the heels of the Poison, I further intend, that the former shall issue from the very same shop that the latter has issued from. In short, I intend, that the answer shall be sold by Mr. Eaton, at his shop in Ave Maria Lane, Ludgate Hill, by which means Mr. Eaton himself will be made instrumental in the answering of what he has been pilloried

place from whence you came, and from thence (severally) drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution, there to be hanged by the neck, not till you are dead, but to be cut down, and whilst yet alive, your bowels taken out, your heads sut off, your bodies cut into quarters, and those quarters to be at the disposal of the King-and the Lord have mercy on your souls!!!