GOVERNMENT" may find its way quainted with, and who shall take a part into the heads of some of the members in such addresses, either to Ministers, of a reformed parliament. His lord-King, or anybody else, I desire that ship's apprehension is certainly well-such person will deem me no longer founded; and, I could almost take upon worthy of his acquaintance. Some sort me to assure him, that the idea of of festival is talked of to express our joy "CHEAP RELIGION" will also enter at the completing of this measure. My into the heads of some of the same part in such case I have decided on. members; and, I venture farther to If I be in the North at the time, I will predict, that if these ideas should not dine with as many poor weavers as I can of themselves enter into their heads, afford to give a dinner to; if in the that the people will pretty soon drive midland, with as many poor workers in them in, or drive the members out of the iron; if in the South, with as many House. Aye, aye! my good Lord chopsticks of Hampshire or Wiltshire RODEN, the people of England have lived or Berkshire. That is what I will do ; long enough upon potatoes, and those let others do as they please. of Ireland much too long upon sea- Now, my friends, I have addressed weed and nettles and stinking shell-you at great length; but the matter apfish, while pensioned lords and ladies, peared to me of the greatest importance; and their offspring, and swarins of sine- and, I trust, that I have placed it before curists, grantees, retired-allowance peo-you in a manner, such as to render it ple, dead-weight people, and bands of comprehensible now and useful heremerciless usurers and monopolists, have after. been living in luxury upon the fruit of our care and our toil. I remain, your faithful friend, As for me, my readers, my duty will now be to give you my opinion, with regard to the means which we ought to P.S. 23d MAY. I see that the bill jogs employ to secure to ourselves the ad-on; and with infinite delight I perceive vantages which this Reform Bill will put the furious rage of old Serjeant Best, within our reach. My MANCHESTER LEC-KENYON, and others. But I also see, in tures describe that which we ought to the Morning Chronicle of to-day, some look to as the end of our exertions: my fool or some knave recommending a duty now will be to point out the means national subscription to raise statues to of attaining that end; and this, life GREY! and that, too, just at the moand health permitting, I will now do. ment when this same GREY has just We shall have the Reform Bill and suffered the statue of that impudent that, too, in the best possible manner; vagabond, CANNING, who declared that because there will not now be a single he would oppose reform to the last hour man in the kingdom so foolish as to be- of his life; who called the reformers lieve, that the people owe it to anybody a low-degraded crew; who spoke and but themselves. Had it not been for the voted for Sidmouth and Castlereagh's events which have recently occurred, I, bill, to gug them and dungeon them be for my part, should have been half cause they petitioned for reform: just killed by the disgust excited by fulsome at the moment when GREY has the addresses to Ministers and King and meanness, aye, and even the baseness, Queen, and upon my soul I should not to suffer this statue to be stuck up upon have been surprised to see addresses to ground belonging to the public; just at HERBERT TAYLOR, the maids of honour, the moment Dr. BLACK has the folly to and to all the GERMAN squads in the propose a national subscription, for the kitchen. Now, it must be a base wretch purpose of sticking up a statue to indeed, as well as fool, who will GREY! Give me the list of subscribers think of addressing, or even toasting to CANNING's statue, and I will show anybody but ourselves. If there should you that the wretches got every penny be any one, whom I happen to be ac- of the money out of the taxes: let the TO THE WORKING PEOPLE OF NOTTINGHAM: MY FRIENDS, tax-eaters and tax-hunters now sub-that after he had perused it, if he did scribe for a statue of GREY. But, not approve of its contents he would readers of the Register, subscribe not give it to his servant to return-I have you one single farthing: be not you therefore to request that you will have amongst the number of fools who are the kindness to state to me, what you cheated by knaves. If we raise a statue, wish me to do in this affair from your let it be to those CHOPSTICKS, without personal treatment to me in your own whom we never should have seen a house on Monday, I must decline exReform Bill worth a straw. posing myself again to such a degradation I know not whether you have made any communication to Mr OConnell either by your Son Mr John Cobbett or personally yourself or by letter, but I cannot but think that there was a studied insult meant by Mr D. OConnel, and from the ungentlemanly THE following letters will speak for themselves. The first of them is put to me of writing to Nottingham, comthreat and insinuation which you made into print, word for word, letter for plaining of my intention to expose Mr letter, and point for point, as I received OConnel to the northern Counties, even it. The affair is yours a great deal more before I had seen, written, or had any than it is mine; and as such I lay it communication from him either direct before you. The second letter is, as or indirect is to me most surprizing-I you will see, an answer to the first, am the more impressed with the notion which first I received late on Thursday that Mr OConnels behaviour was preevening, the 17th instant. With the meditated from the fact that he immemost anxious desire to see strict justice diately after saw two deputies from inflicted on all your atrocious foes, and Glasgow to whom he behaved, in a with a desire equally anxious to be able direct different manner, to what he to assist in producing that result, I treated me, I here most solemnly declare always remain that I have not the slightest wish to hurt either your feelings or Mr OConnels I think when engaged on public busi. ness of importance, neither my behaviour nor my feelings ought to be put to the pain which you and Mr OConnel have inflicted You are two In compliance with your advice great Men and evidently so in your given to me on Monday I wrote a full opinions I am but a little Man coming explanatory letter to Mr. Daniel OCon- from a little Town, but I know how to nel Member for the County of Kerry, vindicate myself when wantonly ininclosing a printed copy of the Petition sulted without cause It is your fault not from Nottingham complaining of torture mine if we disagree, I did not begin being practised in the Prison requesting and you know that I have not deserved according to your suggestoin, an inter- harsh treatment Your faithful friend and most obedient servant, Bear and Staff, Smithfield, MR WM COBBETT view to this request I received no answer, when after sending in a note and attend ing four times this morning, I at length I am Mr Cobbetts Yours Bolt-court, 19 May, 1832. was told by his servant that I might see SIR, him on the Stairs Upon my addressing On Thursday, the 17th instant, I rehim he declined all conversations asked ceived from you, by the two-penny post, me for the Petition, said he would pre-a letter dated from the Bear and Ragged sent it or not according to his view of Staff, Smithfield, at four o'clock that it, when he read it, That he had the day. To which letter I now give my Petitions of all Ireland to present, and answer; an answer which I should cer tainly have spared myself the trouble of sarily protracted, and thinking, of giving, did not the giving of it afford course, that your wishes in this respect me an opportunity of discharging what accorded with my own, told you that I deem a very sacred duty towards the you should, if you chose, while detained deeply injured people of NOTTINGHAM. in LONDON, come to my house at BOLTThe case is this. At Nottingham, on coURT, and there breakfast, dine, and the 13th of March, you were introduced take tea in the evening with me, or to me by one of the truest friends of the with whoever else of my family might working people that ever breathed, as a happen to be there; and that, if none person charged with the business of of us were there, entertainment would carrying to London a petition, on the still be provided for you in the same part of the working people at Nor- manner as if I myself were always preTINGHAM, complaining of some most sent. Knowing that I should not be in monstrous acts, connected with the London for ten days or a fortnight from recent administration of justice in that town, and at the same time you showed me the petition. The length of the petition and the importance of its contents forbade me, who had to set off for BIRMINGHAM next morning early, to attempt to enter into an examination of the matter at that time; and as I was certain of not being in LONDON Sooner than ten days from that time, the following arrangement was settled on. that time, I wrote home stating the nature of my offer; and your reception would have been accordingly, if you had appeared before my arrival. Mr. O'CONNELL was, at that time, in IRELAND; and, therefore, it was perfectly useless for you to go to LONDON at that time. When I got to LONDON, which was on the 26th of March, Í found that you had never been to BOLTCOURT. Some days after my arrival, You represented to me, that neither you came; and, to my surprise, I found the members for the town, nor of the that you had been in LONDON for some county, of Nottingham, would take time. When I asked you why you had your petition in hand with a promise to not accepted of my offer, you said, that support the prayer of it; and, what your lodging was so far off, and menyou wanted was some member of Par- tioned other things quite as unsatisliament to undertake to do that. I gave factory, seeing that BOLT-COURT was it as my opinion that there were several situated between SMITHFIELD and the members of the House of Commons House of Commons; nor could I, for who would willingly present your peti- my life, divine, how an ambassador from tion; and I particularly mentioned Mr. the weavers of NOTTINGHAM, Could find Alderman Wood, as one amongst many, anything so very congenial to his taste, on whose justice and firmness you might or so likely to further his patriotic views, safely rely; but that the nature of the amongst the butchers and drovers that petition was such that justice could not frequent, and amidst the bleatings and possibly be done to it by any one but a bellowings that surround, day and night, lawyer, or, at least, by some man pos- the Bear and Ragged Staff, in Smithsessing a great deal of knowledge of field; I recommended a quiet lodging the law. I further said, that the only in this very court, and offered to speak proper person that I then could think to my neighbour, Mr. BECK, to render of, was Mr. O'CONNELL; and I added, it as little expensive as possible to you. that I would do my best to prevail upon However, every one to his taste; and Mr. O'CONNELL to take the petition in your preferring the Bear and Ragged hand. Understanding that your ex- Staff was nothing to me, provided your penses in going to LONDON on this bu- business were faithfully attended to. siness were to be defrayed by the work-But I think it necessary very explicitly ing people at NOTTINGHAM, I, wishing to state, that I expressed my disappointthose expenses to be as little burden-ment that you did not come to my some as possible, wishing also that your house, where, as you were told, breakstay in LONDON should not be unneces- fast would always be ready at eight, 1 dinner at one, and tea at six; and I remonstrated with you upon the subject; and, by dint of almost complaining, I prevailed upon you to dine with me once. 66 66 the satisfaction to learn, that he had been elected for the county of Kerry. After such a state-paper, issuing, too, from the Bear and Ragged Staff, would it have been much wonder if Mr. O'CONNELL had handed the ambassador over to his servant? But I venture to assert that this part of your representation is not correct. conveniently can, just to say when it "is likely that he can see you for a very short space of time; but by no means go to him until he says that he "is prepared to see you. And now, as So much for the grounds of this bu- "I am sure that it is impossible for him siness ; and now for the contents of" to attend to your business at present, your letter; and first, with regard to" let me hope that he will not be repre your complaint against Mr. O'CONNELL." sented to the good people of NottingOn Monday, the 14th instant, you came "ham as being indifferent as to their to Bolt-court, at an hour when you injuries and their just complaints." never ought to have come there without You begin your letter by saying that a previous appointment; and after a you have acted in compliance with my great deal of idle chat, began to talk advice. That advice was (as the genabout the petition and Mr. O'CONNELL. tleman alluded to can bear witness) to Let the working people of NOTTINGHAM write to Mr. O'Connell a very short be so good as to recollect the situation note: you wrote a full explanatory we were in on that Monday! "What!"" letter to Mr. Daniel O'Connell, member said I, 66 a run upon the Bank, all busi-" for the county of Kerry :" and telling ness at a stand, the town in com- him, I dare say, that his name was motion, the ship amongst the rocks, Daniel, and that there was but one lat "and the gale increasing every minute, the end of his name; and that you had "and you want to go to one of the "pilots to ask him what he thinks of "the longitude!" After something of this sort I proceeded to tell you, that it would be the most unreasonable thing in the world to make your application to Mr. O'CONNELL at such a time upon such a subject; that it was impossible that he could attend to it; and that I hoped that you would not attempt to My advice was, that you should not press it upon him under such circum- at such a moment go to Mr. O'CONNELL · stances. After this, you remained to at all, until he sent for you; and it apentertain me with your idle gossip, and pears that, "in compliance with that obtrusion of your opinions about "pub-advice," you beat up his quarters no lic men," saying, amongst other silly less than four times in one day before things, that Mr. HERRIES was the only you had received any answer from him man of genius that you had found at all. And now you complain of his amongst them; and talking of your in- conduct; now you represent him has terviews with Lord MELBOURNE and having offered a studied insult, and you great Tory statesmen. Tired of this have the audacity to insinuate that that sort of equivocal, diplomatic-like talk, arose from some instigation on my part; which was only a repetition of what I though I have not had any communica had frequently to endure before, but tion, written or verbal, with Mr. O'CONwhich now came at a time when I was NELL for at least three months past. not so disposed to endure it; and a You argue, and you u will endeavour to gentleman calling upon me with whom make the good unsuspecting fellows of I wished to have some private conver- NOTTINGHAM believe, that Mr. O'Con sation, I addressed you thus: Now, nell premeditated this behaviour to"Mr. HENSON, my advice to you is this: wards you, "from the fact that he im to write a very short note to Mr."mediately after saw two deputies from "O'CONNELL, just stating to him the" Glasgow, to whom he behaved in a nature of your business, and asking directly different manner from that him to give you a line as soon as he" in which he behaved to you.” If you 66 ་ 66 had had sense in store instead of con- same time, I must declare, that, if I, ceit and impudence, you would have with all my indignation against the seen two very sufficient reasons for the accused, and with all my most anxious difference of behaviour: first, that these desire to see justice done to the illdeputies from GLASGOW came to Mr. treated people of Nottingham; if even O'Connell upon that important business I (having the power that Mr. O'CONwhich was occupying every one's mind NELL has) were beset by a man like you at that moment; and next, that they and inundated with rubbishy writings had not bothered him, at such a mo- from the Bear and Ragged Staff; if I ment, with " a full explanatory letter" found it impossible to meddle with the of ungrammatical rigmarole, in addition matter, without being pestered with to a printed petition; to read which, your interminable gossip, I should be with due care, would require full two obliged to say to the good people of hours. Nottingham: "Come up to me one of 66 66 With regard to what you say of my you, who is no conceited prig, no conduct towards you, I shall leave it" dandy weaver with polished boots, no with merely observing, that I suffered" statesman that cannot spell; but a your interruption, and endured your man of plain sense, willing to be in- · impertinence, much too long, much" structed in that which he cannot unlonger than was consistent with a due "derstand; a man that has public jusestimate of the value of my own time," tice, and not the gratification of his and than 66 was consistent with that own vanity at heart; and, above allfrankness, with which, however pain-" things, a man, who, while he has the ful, it becomes a man to act in such" starvation of the working people of a case. But with regard to the peti-" NOTTINGHAM everlastingly upon his tion itself; with regard to the object of" lips, is not strutting about London in that petition, it becomes me to state my costly and fine linen, at their expense, opinion to the honest and industrious" and is too highly fed to accept of a people of NOTTINGHAM; and that opi-" plain table for nothing." nion is this; namely, that their petition Working people of NOTTINGHAM, relates to matters of the greatest possi throw not away any portion of your ble importauce, matters connected with scanty earnings upon any ambassadors the personal liberties and lives of us all; at all, and particularly upon such as that, if the facts stated in the petition those whose offensive conceit, coupled can be substantiated, that man is a vil- with their vulgar ignorance, are sure to lain, who, having the power, refuses to do injury to any cause with which they lend his aid in bringing down the hand meddle, and who have simply and solely of justice upon, the heads of the offend- in view the gratification of that which ers; that, however, a petition, con- is the great vice of mankind; namely, taining so many important allegations, to live in idleness upon the fruit of the and inculpating by name so many in- labour of others. Keep in mind condividuals, and those individuals so high stantly the rule of St. PAUL: "he that in station, and so well prepared with will not work, neither shall he eat. defenders, is not to be lightly taken up, Why, my good friends of Nottingham, by any man; that it is a great legal mat- our great national curse is, that we. ter which is here presented to the view, have to maintain innumerable bands of that even a lawyer of industry, talent, idlers out of the fruit of our labour. Of and zeal, equal to those of Mr. O'Cox- this we are incessantly and most justly NELL, must have time allowed him for complaining. The great burden of our consideration and investigation, before complaints is this very thing. How he can meddle with such a case; that I often have you yourselves petitioned firmly believe all the allegations in the against pensions and sinecures! And petition; that that must be base blood now you have a sinecure placeman indeed, which is not roused by the facts of your own, in addition to all the stated in this petition; but, that, at the rest! |