supported their opinions had they been upheld remark that the aristocracy of England have by the other members of his Majesty's Admi- adopted the best mode in the world of appronistration, but who did not support their attor-priating the wealth and earnings of all the ney-generals in their well-founded opinions, possibly from a recollection and apprehension of falling into the same error as the late hon. Mr. Fox did, by asserting at the time of the Regency, that the Heir Apparent was entitled to it, whereby he had all the Tories with Pitt at their head against him, who then being in high feather, outvoted him.

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middle classes in the country to their own use; and at the same time leaving each to pursue his own mode of industry, when, by taxes of various descriptions, they contrive to gather the fruits of their industry, and divide them among themselves, their families, and dependents, as may be illustrated by the fable of the bees whom they suffer to gather honey into Though the kings with their estates (now their own stores without smothering or dedenominated crown-lands), and the great stroying them, though to be sure they leave barons or lords, with the monks, abbots, them a bare sufficiency to subsist on through now archbishops, bishops, and other religious the winter; so that the drones, being too persons, up to the time of the reformation of indolent to collect the boney, employ an army our religion, between 1510 and 1550, wholly of wasps who at low wages do it for them, and paid the expenses of the Government, with these are excise and custom-house officers, perhaps a very small addition from_the_cus-tax-collectors, soldiers, and police-officers toms and a few wealthy boroughs, the crown the first class collect the most, as they make estates in the time of William of Normandy, the poor bees pay for every flower they taste called the conqueror, being 400,000l. a year, or alight on to collect their winter store; the which had by our kings from his time been second class come to their hives and demand reduced to 132,000l. a year at the time of such a weight of honey; the third class stand Queen Ann, in whose reign the whole annual ready to enforce the demands made by this cost of government amounted only to half a second class, while the poor industrious bees million a year, including the above 132,000l., give their honey, and work hard for more, not the produce of the crown-lands; before this considering the more they make the more will time the religious houses almost wholly sus-be demanded of them; and when they stand tained the poor and entertained at their man-up for reform in these matters, they are called sions all strangers and travellers, and the mutinous and sad troublesome bees, whose ale body of the people lived tax-free; whereas and sugar must be heavily taxed, or they they now pay in customs, excise, stamps, would get so much of it as would render them post-office, and other taxes, more than forty unfit for fifteen or sixteen hours' labour in the millions a year as under, besides the sums we day, which is now required of them to furnish annually borrow and take up at interest in the drones and wasps with honey enough,' Exchequer-bills, while the great barous or although their grandfathers and grandmothers lords, and the bishops, enjoy their revenues did not fifty years ago work more than eight free from all attendance on the king in wars, hours, and in the large manufacturing towns are never called on for subsidies of tenths or the cleverest of them used to celebrate four or fifteenths, nor the latter for repair of cathe-five saint-days in the fore part of the week, drals or religious houses, and the people re-consuming sugar and ale heavily taxed, so as turn no more members to Parliament than to well aggrandize the queen bee and a nu they did before the days of Queen Ann, and merous aristocracy distributed among the many of those which they are said to return drones and wasps. are in fact returned by rotten boroughs under the direction of the aristocracy who now refuse us any reform, though their burdens are done away with and their revenues remain; well might a French periodical author

Having stated what appears to be the best and ouly practical mode of bringing that to pass, which is the almost unanimous wish of all not interested in the continuation of abuses which have brought this kingdom to the verge of bankruptcy, I should without hesitation subscribe my name, did I imagine that in so doing it would coufer any weight on it; but as that would neither diminish nor add to it, I shall only say that having for sixty years been a strenuous advocate for parliamentary reform, after having read the late Judge Blackstone's Commentaries and De Lolme on the British Constitution, and endured the names of a republican during the first American war, theu that of a jacobin, aud since of radical · and other similar names, and during those times had the honour and patronage of two noble Earls differing widely in sentiments from those I professed, and one of them, with that liberality and candour which did him great honour, conferred on me a place of great trust and confidence, though at the very time

we were adverse in our politics, and one of 14th April, 1832.-In the Morning Chrowhom did me the honour of saying why he nicle of this day, a noble Earl, resident in was so, viz., that he thought our Parliament Hants, is reported to have said, "What could sufficiently democratic already, and though I they think, when they heard law-officers of am a native and an inhabitant of one of the the crown not only maintain that the King above-named places which have not for some had a right by making peers to destroy the centuries sent any member to Parliament, House of Lords, but also that he had a right to yet having with a tithing thereto adjoining issue writs to some towns and places, and and forming part of the same town a popula-withhold them from others? ' Then the tion of 7,500, while other towns in the same county possessing not half that number, return members, I should be without a vote had not freeholds in the three adjoining counties, and therefore anı A FREEHOLDER.

November 15th, 1831.

19th November.-In the Sun of this date are five resolutions embodying the purport of the foregoing Remedy, which the Morning Herald of the 21st has inserted with comments thereon.

His Majesty, by proclamation of the 21st of November, has nearly dissolved all the unions, most of whom to their credit crumbled away immediately, whereby it clearly shows that the King's proclamation, when universally approved of, is EVERYTHING, but when wanting that, NOTHING,

noble Earl is reported to have talked about the Grand Seignor and his slaves and dependents, which went beyond what the law-officers said. What then, my Lord, if the law-officers did say so? Your opinion without argument does not prove that they were wrong. On the contrary, it may not only be legal, but it has often been actually done. Moreover, making more peers is an odd way of destroying the House of Lords. Most of us think it is the way to renovate and instil new life into your body; nor is your comparison of our patriotic King William IV. to the Grand Seignor at all applicable, but might have been more properly applied to any one who strongly manifested an inclination to everything of eastern magnificence and voluptuousness, even in his edifices as well as his government; and if we may judge of the sentiments by the speeches of some peers in October last, who recommended the oppression of the people as in the days of Pitt, such a one would not have wanted coadjutors.

Then why not by similar means dissolve the present, as also the oligarchy of borough-proprietors, direct writs to the sheriffs of the counties and other returning officers, with general instructions taken from the hill, which The the old Ex-Chancellor Eldon, the may be speedily converted into resolutions and stauch supporter of every abuse, is reported carried up to the Throne as pointed out in to have said, that it had been proposed by the Sun, leaving the detail to the returning those who wished to set aside the constitution officers, and the measure might be accomas it existed, that writs should be issued by the plished without any Act of Parliament (which sovereign to new boroughs and great towns, for reasons before stated should in this indi-and that the writs which had been usually vidual case be avoided); and which we are so accustomed to look on as a succedaneum for everything, that half the country think nothing can be done without one, as the late Lord WALSINGHAM had a notion in regard to all private bills, that there must be a schedule to it, and was as necessary an appeudant as a tail to a paper kite. We forget that this measure of reform, if done by Act of Parliament, must have probably twenty more to amend and explain it, which will occupy the two Houses for the two or three next years, and virtually take all power from the Commons as to elections.

Mr. COBBETT having honoured the preceding Remedy, by inserting it in his last Register, has rendered the promulgation of it the less necessary, as many more may read it there than (Judas like) choose to acknowledge it, and probably do as old farmer H did, lay the Register by the back of their Bible, and when suddenly broke in upon, open it and hide the Register.

The bishops having, instead of waiting till a bill for attacking their temporalities appear ed, shown their cloven foot too soon, have rendered it necessary more than ever for the King and the Commons to do this, than by resorting to the other House again.

November 30th, 1831.

issued should be withheld from others; and he would say without hesitation (no doubting here any more than on the late Queen's trial), that, if the advice given by one of the newspapers to swamp that House with a number of new peers was adopted by the Minister, he would not pursue a course less unconstitutional then if he was to advise the King to exercise his prerogative with respect to the writs in the manner he had stated. Well done, old boy!-We pray his Majesty to adopt either of these measures, for both have been resorted-to heretofore for bad purposes, and why not now for a good one? How many peers were created while the consciences of George III. and George IV. were in your keeping, and you not becoming poorer all the while? We care not which way it is done so that it is accomplished; and the Crown will be supported by the House of Commons, the best part of the Lords, and nineteen out of every twenty of the people who are not partaking of the taxes. And, then, who will care for the majority of the Lords and bishops?

BASTARDY.

NOTHING for a long while has astonished me more than the following article, which I take from the Morning Chronicle, dated at ABINGDON, 20th of April.

At a Petty Sessions, held at the New Inn, on Monday last, for the Abingdon Division, Eleanor Luker and Charlotte Busby, two fruitful ladies from the parish of Fyfield, were each committed to prison for two calendar months, for having bastard children.-[One of the overseers stated that relief to bastards the last year had been equal to one-fourth of the parish-rates.]

express purpose of confuting Mr. "O. P. Q," we have, as the reader will see, WOOD-FIRES in England, while those in France are going on. He might, indeed, have been satisfied before, for surely our fires were not instigated by JESUITS! In short, the same Jesuits have been, and are, at work in both countries; and these Jesuits are DEbts, TAXATION, RUIN, MISERY, and HORRID WANT. This horrid want urges people to take without leave; taking without leave brings the halter; to resist the halter brings the bayonet; hence the Now, I do not know how I got it into silent and covert-revenge. Mr. “O. P. my head, whether by dream or other-Q." would do well to leave off this nonwise; but I had got it into my head, that sense about JESUITS, and recommend the laws of bastardy were all repealed; to the French people to put an end to and that, in future, the breeding of bastards, so far from being punished, was to receive a premium; and that bastards, instead of being called "base born," were to be deemed the contrary! I myself am not, to be sure, in like dangers, thanks to grey hairs, from the consequences of this curious error; but, who knows but these poor chopstick girls may have had a similar dream! One thing, for their comfort, I will pledge myself to, and that is this: that, if ever I become a member of Parliament, I will move, and upon grounds distinctly stated, for a repeal of all the laws of bastardy.

FIRES!

the debt and its monopolies, and to the dear government that they have got, and which is actually forced on them by the usurers. When the French get cheap government they will be well off; when well off they will be quiet, and until they be well off I hope they never will be contented. These fires are very dreadful things, but are they more dreadful than death from starvation, and that, too, in a land abounding in food, drink, and raiment ?

FRENCH FIRES.

A destructive fire which is supposed to have originated in malevolence, broke out at St. Avold, near Metz, in the evening of the 14th instant, and continued burning for more than twelve hours. About sixty houses were consumed, and twelve individuals, four of whom were military men, perished in the flames. We have not heard any estimate of the amount of property destroyed.

On the fourth instant, at ten o'clock at

Don't start, reader, I am not going to set DENMAN to work! It is of fires in France that I am about to speak first. night, a fire broke out at Aix-en-Othe (Aube), which before it could be extinguished, conThis is wood-burning; and if the reader sumed thirteen houses, occasioning a loss to look well at it he will find the blaze the amount of 26,000fr. Circumstances showraging from north to south. "Mr. O. ed that it must have been a wilful act, and P. Q.," like our fools and knaves, in the caused suspicion to fall upon a man named Michaux, who, on being arrested, endeavoured case of our fires, ascribes these blazes to destroy himself by cutting his throat in the to the "instigation of the JESUITS!" most determined mauner. Hopes are, howOur vagabonds ascribed our fires to a ever, entertained, that the wound will not conspiracy in London," who sent prove mortal. Michaux acknowledged himagents about the country in gigs and did not intend the consequences to be so self to be the incendiary, but declared that he post-chaises to set incendiaries at work! serious; that it was an act of jealousy, his Oh! how many traps they did set for wife having left him, and taken refuge in the these London conspirators! But when-house of a man to the roof of whose cottage

ever the trap fell they were sure to find a Chopstick in it! But, as if for the

fire would be confined to that house alone, he applied a lighted match, thinking that the but the wind changing, his own dwelling was

involved in the destruction he had occasioned. |ing to different proprietors, whose names have Michaux bears a very bad character.

not reached us; and on the 11th, 200 acres belonging to M. Jules de la Rochefoucauld, fell a prey to the flames. The Journal de l'Indre et Loire of the 12th instant announces that forty acres of timber have been burnt in the forest of St. Denis. The same paper contains a circular, addressed to the mayors of the department, stating that the fires were multiplying, particularly in the woods, and therefore recommending the utmost vigilance in order to arrest their progress, and detect the incendiaries. The journals of the western departments announce that the prefect of Morbilan has issued a similar address. The Finisterre contains the following extract of a letter from Lorieut, dated the 8th instant :

We learn from Bourges (Cher), that a fire recently broke out in the forest of La Palais, and in a very short time consumed the timber upon 350 acres of land, and at about the same period between 500 and 600 acres of underwood were destroyed in the communes of Venemes and St. Baudet, between Chateauneuf and Mareuil. The system of incendiarism is still continued in the department of Morbian, and particularly in the environs of Lorient. Four houses have been burnt down near the Polygon, five in the village of Kerline, and several others in the neighbourhood of Hunnebon, Candan, and the village of Lomalo, near Port Louis. At Bauderion two farms have been entirely destroyed. We also learu," The maritime prefect becoming alarmed by letters from Soissons, that several conflagrations have occurred in that part of the country. All these fires are attributed, the letter asserts, to political malevolence, the object of which is to render the people of the different districts discontented with the present government.

On the 9th instant a violent fire broke out at Lamanciere, near Chamont (Haute Marne). The whole village only consisted of forty dwellings, of which thirty are consumed. Most of the cattle were also burnt.

On the 11th instant nearly two-thirds of the village of Condé, about three leagues from Bar-le duc, was destroyed by a fire, which broke out at seven o'clock in the morning. The village consists of one long street; and before the expiration of an hour, such was the violence of the wind, and rapidity of the flames, that the whole of one range, and a considerable portion of the other, was enveloped in one general conflagration. A similar fire occurred in 1788, when, on the 8th of October, 250 houses were destroyed, occasioning a loss estimated at upwards of 400,000 fr. The recent event will, however, amount in loss to a much more considerable sum, though the number of houses burnt is only 150. According to the rough calculation made, it will not be less than 550,000fr. The greater part of the houses were insured.

for the safety of the arsenal, and imagining that the fires which have taken place outside the town were made merely to draw the public attention in a different direction, has issued orders that the soldiers of the marine artillery shall not leave the fortresses. A quantity of gunpowder has been found under some thatch, with a train leading into the village of the Polygon, which was burnt the day before yesterday. One of the suburbs of Pontivy has also been burnt down. There are now in confinement about a dozen vagabonds suspected of these infernal practices. The town is in a state of general alarm, and the gates and airholes are all ordered to be closed at sunset." A dreadful fire broke out on Monday last, in the village of Geincourt (Oise), in which forty houses were consumed. The cause of this calamity is not stated. In the night of the 8th instaut, about one-fifth, or fifty acres, of the forest of Peyrouse, at Nontrou, Dornogne, was destroyed by fire.

ENGLISH FIRES.

Thursday a fire broke out at Creekmoor, heath and furze were consumed. The property near Poole, by which upwards of 200 acres of Galton, of Weymouth. The fire is supposed on which the fire took place belongs to Mr. to be the work of an incendiary. Another estate, the property of T. Redhead, Esq., near fire of great maguitude broke out at Haddon Wimborne, which consumed nearly 2,000 acres of heath, furze and plantation, together with a considerable quantity of game. This fire was occasioned by accident. Sherborne

Journal.

The system of incendiarism it still pursued in the department of the Loiret. 176 acres of wood in the arrondissement of Montargis, belonging to M. Alexander Perrier, Madame Verdier, and General Sulpice, M. Lacour, M. Liger, and M. de Biron, were destroyed on the 4th and 7th instant. On the 8th, 103 acres belonging to M. Terrier de la Chaise, M. de Thou, and M. Cagna, were burnt in the commune of Thou. On the 10th, M. Colas Desfrancs, of Orleans, lost eighteen acres in the arrondissement of Glen. On the same day the farm buildings of M. Couelte, in the commune I ASKED whether the fires were more of Poilly, extending over a frontage of sixty dreadful than death from want ip a land feet, with the forage and farming utensils of plenty. We are now going to see they contained, were consumed in less than what want is: we are now going to see two hours. On the following night a very the state of those who labour in this land, mune of Autry and its neighbourhood, belong- which the boroughmongers say they

considerable tract of woodland in the com

ENGLISH STARVATION.

have made so prosperous and so happy! I wonder whether the brazen scoundrels of boroughmongers will blush as they

read this!

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want. This was on a Tuesday, and they had not had any food since the previous Friday, excepting (Shame.) Case eighth a family of seven a little that they borrowed. weekly incomes 10s.; they had not tasted animal food for many weeks, and had not had The Wakefield Journal of Friday the 13th a gill of beer in the house for two years. They of April, contains a heart-rending report of the knew not how they lived; they were tired of proceedings of a public meeting, held at Hud- living. The ninth case was a family of five, dersfield, yesterday week, for the purpose of weekly income, for the last six months, 7s.; inquiring into the present distress which pre-all the furniture had been taken for rent; not vails in that district. It appears that a com- a table or chair left. When visited they had mittee had been formed during the winter, to no animal food, no bread, no beer, no tea, inquire into the state of the population, when afer diligent inquiry, it was ascertained that the average support of members of families at Almondbury and the adjoining hamlets was twopence per day and that there are hundreds of adult persons who have not tasted butchers' meat for many months, some of whom have not even tasted bread nor tea, but lived upon potatoes!

nor anything, They had neither tea nor sugar in the house, but lived upon potatoes and oatmeal porridge when it could be procured. The tenth was a family of five, whose weekly income was 7s. One of these poor creatures had to work all the night before he (Beaumont) took his statement, to finish the work in his loom, for the purpose of saving the rest from dying of starvation, as the whole family had not had more than sixpennyworth of food for the three preceding days.

Mr. GEORGE BEAUMONT, one of the committee appointed to ascertain the state of the poor, said, the cases were not selected, but Mr. BEAUMONT then proceeded to give the taken from door to door. The first case was meeting the state of the people of Scammon that of a widow with six children, whose weekly den, and out of a list of thirty-eight cases, he income was 6s. When visited, they were in a read the following nine:-1. A family of three state of actual starvation; the youngest child-income 1s. 9d. per week; they sleep in a was ill of the typhus fever, of which disease its corner of the loom shop, upon straw, strewed father died some months before. At the time upon, the floor, without any covering except of his decease there was not a farthing or a the old clothing which they wore in the day farthing's worth of food in the house, nor the time. 2. A family of four-weekly income least bit of soap to wash their few rags-nor 5s. ; they live on potatoes and thin water porany means of getting any. (Shame.) The ridge; no milk, as they could not pay for it; second case was that of a family of three per- no bread, no meat; had woven 160 yards, and Sons, whose income amounted to three shil-travelled 48 miles, for 16s. 4d. 3. A widow lings, who lived upon potatoes, and sometimes and four children with a weekly income of 4s. a little oatmeal. This poor man was 18s. in 6d.; they lived upon oatmeal porridge, witharrear with his reut, for which his landlord out milk, treacle, or anything else; no furnisold his jenny, which cost him 31., so that if ture; their bed was not worth a penny; inthe man had work he had no means of work-deed, they were perishing for want of food. ing. The next case was a family of ten per- 4. A family of nine, whose weekly income sons, whose weekly income was 6s., and who was 7s.; the whole of them lay on a bed of when visited in the evening were found break-straw, in a corner of a wretched hovel, not ing their fasts with coarse bread and mint tea, fit for one of the brute creation to inhabit. without sugar. The mother was crying over They had no bed-clothes or other covering, her distressed offspring. Case the fourth :-a except a dirty coarse wrapper. In this family family of five persons; weekly income 8s.; misery reigned in silent triumph. 5. A family the wife had been in the typhus fever ten of nine, with a weekly income of 8s.; they weeks; the family lived chiefly on potatoes laboured fourteen hours per day; they had and salt, and balm tea, without sugar; and three beds, and but one blanket for the three, they had had only four ounces of sugar during and that was nine years old. These miserable four weeks. Case the fifth :-a family of five, creatures, when visited, were getting their whose weekly income for the last twelve breakfast; the mother had a gill of milk, months was 6s.; they lived upon potatoes which she measured out by spoonfuls to their mixed with salt and water-sometimes an thin water porridge, being only two spoonfuls onion to savour this unsavoury food. (Shame, and a half each. 6. A family of ten, whose shame.) Case sixth :-a family of seven, all weekly income was 10s.; they had only one without work, and had not had more than a straw bed for the whole family; they had no pound of animal food during the last four bed clothes, but slept in those which they mouths. The seventh case was a family of wore during the day. This family lived chiefly seven, who had not more than 7s. a week for on potatoes, but sometimes had a pound of the last three months. These unfortunate beings suet; they had not had a pound of bread in had not tasted animal food for eighteen weeks; the house, excepting two or three penny cakes, they lived chiefly upon oatmeal porridge: and, when visited, they had not a morsel of food in the house; they were all pining for

during the last three years. (Shame.) 7. A family consisting of a widow and three children; they are employed in weaving