advised to treat this address with neg- II. Provided always, and be it enacted by lect, and to suffer the flogging to gomitted against this act, whether committed on the authority aforesaid, That any offence com on. the high seas, or within that part of Great Britain called England, shall and may be prosecuted and tried before any court of Oyer and Terminer or jail delivery for any county in such manner and form as if the said ofin that part of Great Britain called England, fence had been therein committed. act, from being tried for the same as high treason, or misprision of high treason, in such Let me now, my friends, beseech you to turn your eyes back a little; to survey the times that we have passed through; the perils amidst which we have lived, and the sufferings that some of us have undergone, only for speaking III. Provided always, and it is hereby dewith disapprobation, and in a tone of clared and enacted, That any person who lamentation, of that which is now exeshall be tried and acquitted, or convicted of crated in a manner the most fearless. liable to be indicted, prosecuted, or tried again any offence against this act, shall not be Let me first call your attention to the for the same offence or fact, as high treason, act of Parliament; an act of "well-work-or misprision of high treason; and that noing Parliament, which made it thing in this act contained, shall be construed DEATH to do little more than speak to any offence against this act, and who shall not to extend, to prevent any persons guilty of a soldier. Our children will not be-be tried for the same as an offence against this lieve that their fathers lived under such laws; and this law you will observe, is still in existence. The first act was manner as if this act had not been made. IV. And be it further enacted by the aupassed on the 6. June, 1797. It was thority aforesaid, That this act shall contirenewed at the time of its first expira-nue and be in force until the expiration of one tion. It was first enacted, as all such acts have been, to last until the commencement of the then next session of Parliament; when that time arrived, it was continued for the life of the then King; and, in 1817, at the same time when the reformers were gagged, or dun geoned, it was MADE PERPETUAL; and, here it is. An Act for the better Prevention and Punish-feited to the King. I remember that, ment of Attempts to seduce Persons in his Majesty's Forces, by Sea or Land, from their Duty and Allegiance to his Majesty, or to incite them to Mutiny and Disobedience. [6th June, 1797.] "Whereas divers wicked and evil-disposed persons, by the publication of written or printed papers, and by malicious and ad"vised speaking, have of late industriously "endeavoured to seduce persons serving in "his Majesty's forces hy sea and land from "their duty and allegiance to his Majesty, "and to incite them to mutiny and disobedi"ence;" be it it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this act, any person who shall maliciously and advisedly endeavour to seduce any persoa or persons to commit any act of mutiny, or to make or endeavour to make any mutinous assembly, or to commit any traitorous or mutinous practice whatsoever, shall, on being legally convicted of such offence, be adjudged guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as in cases of felony, without benefit of clergy. month after the commencement of the next session of Parliament and no longer. Now observe, that, under this act, the editor of the Dispatch, and the BIRMINGHAM POLITICAL COUNCIL, and about two hundred editors of newspapers, might all have been hanged by the neck until they had been dead, and their goods and chattels might have been for at the revival of this act in 1817, old ELDON said, in answer to Lord HOLLAND, who had contended that it was not necessary, that it was a very good act," and that we ought not to lose the benefit of it. It does not appear to be attended with much benefit now: for the newspapers reprobate, with voice unanimous, the practice of flogging; and in such a manner, too, as for it to be impossible that their language should not tend directly to incite soldiers to disobedience. But thus it always is in such cases: it has always been found, that, in the end, such laws lose their force; and, indeed, have an effect the contrary of that which they are intended to produce. I now come to my own dreadful case; and I am really half afraid, that if this report her had reflected on the great gratification that I must receive from reading the report of this debate, he would never have been the cause of such a pub lication. It is monstrous, to be sure, today of July 1809, he inserted in the said think this; but I am half afraid that it work the above paragraph from the Courier, is right to think it; for, if I had hired and that he, at the same time, subjoined the fellow to do the thing, the thing words of his own, expressive of great indignacould not have been done better, or give tion at the transaction, but words conveying. me more delight. My dreadful, my no sentiment which he did not then think, and case of unparalleled cruelty, is fully set which he does not now think, it became an Enforth in the following petition, which Iglishman to entertain and express on such an YESTERDAY sent to the Secretary of occasion; and your humble petitioner is fully State for the Home Department, that he convinced, that if YOUR MAJESTY were to be might present it to the King, requesting graciously pleased now to read those words, the Secretary of State to be so good as taking all the circumstances into your consito inform me of the nature of his Ma-deration; who the punished parties were; that, jesty's decision thereon. I will now insert the petition; and then I shall have some remarks to add to that. To his Most Gracious Majesty WILLIAM the Fourth, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Petition of WILLIAM COBBETT, of Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, they were poor men, whom a novel law had forced to quit their homes, and to submit to military service; that the law had awarded a sum of money called the "marching guinea," but knapsacks had been given, or tendered to them, instead of the money; that though, perhaps, this might be for their own ultimate convenience and good, yet that, even if their claim had not been strictly legal, their youth and inexperience ought (your petitioner is sure your Majesty will allow) to have pleaded successfully in excuse for their conduct, and ought (especially as That there was published in London, in the they had been compelled to assume the miliyear 1809, a newspaper, called the Courier, tary garb) to have saved them from sufferwhich newspaper continues there to be pub-ing punishment, severe in itself, and deemed lished unto this day; that, in this said newspaper was published, on Saturday the twentyfourth day of June, 1809, a piece of news, or intelligence, in the following words; to wit: Most humbly shows, infamous by the law of the land; your hum ble petitioner is fully convinced that, if your Majesty were now to read those words, taking into consideration all these circumstances, your Majesty would see in them nothing that ought not to have proceeded from the heart or the pen of an Englishman; and that your Majesty would be able to discover in those words nothing that ought to be deemed seditious or libellous. The mutiny amongst the Local Militia, "which broke out at Ely, was fortu"nately suppressed, on Wednesday, by "the arrival of four squadrons of the Ger"man Legion Cavalry from Bury, under "the command of General Auckland. "Five of the ringleaders were tried by a *Court-Martial, and sentenced to receive That, however, for having written and five hundred lashes each, part of which caused to be published these words, your "punishment they received on Wednes-humble petitioner was prosecuted by an ex "day, and a part was remitted. A stop- officio information; that he was harassed with "page for their knapsacks was the ground this prosecution for nearly a year; that he was "of complaint that excited this mutinous then brought to trial; and that he was sen"spirit, which occasioned the men to sur-tenced, first, to be imprisoned for two years in "round their officers and demand what the jail of Newgate; second, to pay a thou"they deemed their arrears. The first sand pounds sterling at the end of the two "division of the German Legion halted years; and third, to be held in bonds of three yesterday at Newmarket, on their re-thousand pounds himself, with two sureties in "turn to Bury." a thousand pounds each, to the end of seven years after the expiration of the two years of imprisonment. That your humble petitioner published, at the time here referred to, a work called the Weekly Political Register; that, on the first That, after the verdict had been given against your petitioner, he just had time to imprisonment, and the other parts of the merreturn to his alarmed family at seventy miles ciless sentence, your humble petitioner will distance from London, when he was brought not presume to trouble your Majesty ; but will ́back by a judge's warrant to give buil for his conclude with, first, expressing his gratitude appearance to receive his sentence; that, hav-to God for having preserved him and his faing appeared on the first day of term accord-mily amidst all these terrible sufferings; and ing to the command of the warrant, he was next, with appealing to the justice of your at once committed to jail, and kept there until Majesty, whom he humbly begs leave to refinally brought up to receive his horrible sen- mind, that at the end of these two years of tence; and that (a thing theretofore wholly pain and of ruin, he paid into the hands of an unheard of), his then printer, THOMAS HAN- officer of the crown a thousand pounds sterling, SARD, his then publisher, RICHARD BAGSHAW, for the use of the King; and he now prays and even a bookseller named JOHN BUDD, that your Majesty will be graciously pleased were all, for the self-same cause, prosecuted to cause the said thousand pounds to be rein like manner, and all punished by imprison- stored to him, with the interest thereon; a ment ; so that all persons pursuing the busi-prayer, the rejection of which he cannot antiness of printing, or that of publishing, became terrified at the thought of printing or publishing the writings of your humble petitioner, who had to endure many and great disadvantages arising from this terror, which caused an augmentation in the expense of putting forth his future literary labours, and other grievous injuries which he will not here enu merate. That your petitioner, who had long lived in the country at the time, and who had a wife and a family of six small children, was put into a part of the jail allotted to felons and to persous convicted of unnatural crimes; that, on the day after the imprisonment of your petitioner commenced, one of the former was taken out to be transported; and that, in a few days later, several of the latter were taken out to be placed in the pillory, and then brought back again to endure imprisonment in the same place that had been allotted to your petitioner, but imprisonment, he beseeches your Majesty to be pleased to observe, of much shorter duration ! cipate, now that the House of Commons have 20th June, 1832. I I presented a similar petition to the to late King, except that I did not pray have the interest of the money returned me. Here are twenty years' interest upon a thousand pounds; so that, if I be allowed to charge only simple inteand it is no fault of mine if I have not rest, that would make it two thousand; settled up the account, and received the interest annually, so as to entitle me to If I can prove the compound interest. that the other parties would not settle with me, the law would certainly, in a common case, give me the interest upon interest, which would make the amount, I believe, more than three thousand pounds; so that, if his Majesty should be graciously pleased to return a favour That your humble petitioner, in order to avoid society like this, and to be able to available answer to my petition, this Gohimself of the consolation afforded by occasionally seeing his virtuous family, obtained, through the intercession of gentlemen belonging to the corporation of London, leave to reside in the house of the keeper, to whom he paid for this indulgence twelve pounds for every week; amounting, in the two years, to one thousand two hundred and forty-eight pounds. vernment will, after all, have been acting a paternal part towards me; and, finding me not disposed to husband the fruits of my labour, took a parcel of it from me, to take care of it for me in my old age. I hope, however, that they have not committed it to the charge of the Old Lady in Threadneedle-street for in that case, I would not give much That, with any detail of the numerous other for it, unless I could have it before the expenses, losses, injuries, aud mischiefs of birth of any of the projects of Sir HENRY endless variety, attending these two years of PARNELL'S committee. t; The fact is, that I never will cease, as sentence was passed to the present hour. long as I live, to endeavour to get this Just as they took me to the horrible money; unless I get it before I cease Newgate, a dreadful stroke of thunder to live. When I gave it into the hands seemed to make the prison shake: at of the officer in Newgate, I called to that moment my wife, who had followed me a little son and daughter that I had me up from the Court of King's Bench in Newgate with me, and said to them, at Westminster, came running into the "Look here, my dears, I am givng this hole into which they had put me, seem "thousand pounds to this man, that he ing very much frightened by the clap of may carry it to the King, who will not thunder. Taking her by the hand, I "suffer me to be let out of this jail un-said, "Never mind: don't be afraid of "unless I pay this thousand pounds. I" anything that God will do to us; and want this thousand pounds for you and" as to those, who have sent me here, your mother. I will endeavour to in- " be you only patient, and I will take "duce the King to give it me back care that they shall get nothing by again; if I should die before I get the" what they have done." They have "money back, let me charge you never got nothing by it; and, God granting "to cease your endeavours to get the me life, nothing shall they get by it; money and to give it to your mother. but at all events, I will have my money, "There it is; take it, and carry it to if applications for it, in a legal manner, "the King' So saying, I put the will get it me. thousand-pound bank-note into the hands of the fellow. 66 Just before I went out of the prison, the Westminster committee (not yet Now, I repeat this charge to my sons, corrupted into a Rump) sent me an who are now grown up, and possess the address, in which they described the ability to urge this claim. All the cruelties which I had been made to enmoney that I paid to the jailer: all thedure. My answer to them was this: ruinous losses and expenses ought to be" Gentlemen, I very sincerely thank repaid me. Never was a claim more 66 you for this expression of your abhorclear or more just; and we have heard"rence of the sufferings which I have enough of compensation for losses," been made to undergo, for having when the losses, real or pretended, have" expressed my indignation at Englishbeen to uphold this present system), "men having been flogged in the heart which is now declared to have been de-" of England, under a guard of GERstructive to the nation. Millions have" MAN bayonets. I will be revenged on been given in compensation on this ac- my persecutors, by never ceasing, count; but I reckon my sufferings and" while I have life, to endeavour to do losses as nothing? I want nothing but " good to my country, and to restore a repayment of my money with due "its liberties; and, gentlemen, be you and legal interest thereon; and that" assured, that our days will be speedily repayment I will have, or content on "numbered, unless we be destined to this score shall never be an innate of" behold the abolition of military floymy breast. ging." We have seen it; and though the days have been numbered of some of those who sent me that address, there are some of them still alive; and it ought to be a gratification to them, that they were amongst the persons agree to that address, and to receive that answer, which was at once so patriotic and so prophetic; and up to the very letter of which they have seen me act from that day to this. 4 Oh my God! What an Iliad of troubles has this cruel punishment of me and my family brought upon this THING! So great was the suffering; so abominable was the whole transaction; so deep-rooted was my resentment on account of it; so many circumstances were there belonging to it, each seeming to be more cruel than all the rest, that it has never been out of my mind for any one twenty-four hours together, from the time that the horrid to With regard to SOMERVILLE, whose christian name is, I suppose, ALEXAN DER, as there is an A before his name, perils, from which, after all, I should I must, from the nature of the circum- not have escaped, had it not been for stance, have a strong fellow-feeling the discernment and the justice of Sir with him. It is very curious that the THOMAS CARLETON, the governor of the first thing, the very first thing that I province, and the virtuous Lord EDever wrote for the press in ny life, was WARD FITZGERALD, of whom I have a a little pamphlet entitled the "SOLDIER'S thousand times said, and I said it once FRIEND," which was written immedi- in the presence of PITT, that he was the ately after I quitted the army in 1791, only really just commissioned officer or early in 1792. I gave it in manu- that I ever knew in the army. There, script to CAPTAIN THOMAS MORRICE if I had nothing else to animate me in (the brother of that CAPTAIN MORRICE her behalf, I owe a great deal to illwho was a great companion of the treated Ireland. Prince of Wales); and by him it was taken to Mr. RIDGWAY, who then lived in King-street, St. James's-square; and Mr. RIDGWAY (the same who now lives in Piccadilly) published it. I do not know that I ever possessed the pamphlet, except for a week or two I after it was published, but I remember the title, and I remember that the motto is 1 answer I have a great fellow-feeling with SOMERVILLE, as, indeed, I have with all soldiers, though I have carefully kept aloof from them, from the time that I first read the above-cited terrible law. I should like SOMERVILLE as well if he were not a poet; but, while there no harm in that, his letter to the Dispatch, and, above all things, his to his commanding-officer, proves him to be a man of mind and of merit; and 1, above all men living, know the perils that surround a man who possesses merit, and has nothing but merit to oppose to power which has none. If I were to relate nothing but the naked facts, connected with the life which I had to lead for six years; if I were merely to describe the perils amongst which I lived, merely on account of my merit, the minds of men in general would be hardly able to bring them to consider the relation in any other light than that of romance; To return to Somerville. It is proposed by the editor of the DISPATCH, to raise by subscription the means of legally obtaining his discharge; and I hereby request my friends, in every part of the country, to contribute each of them a trifle, for which purpose a little book shall be kept at my shop in BoLT COURT, and I will pay the noney over to the editor of the DISPATCH, whom I do not personally know, but whose excellent conduct in this interesting case proves him to be worthy of the trust. He has the great merit of having begun the undertaking, and it is for him to conclude it. There can be no objection, to the thing; because the purchasing of discharges are matters of every-day occurrence. I see that there is a penny subscription going on for this purpose at CANTERBURY. KENT never was yet the last in proofs of public spirit. What a stir is here now! How changed the minds and feelings of the people! A base hireling of a caricaturist of the name of GILLRAY, who was pensioned in the time of PITT, exhibited me, the moment I was in prison, tied up to the halberds, and the viperous Attorney-General, GIBBS, in the act of flogging me! I will one of these days publish all the names of the jury; but, I recollect, that TOM RHODES, the cow-keeper of HAMPSTEAD, was the foreman of the jury. Thus, my friends, readers of the Register, I conclude an address, very long, to be sure; but I trust you will deem it of interest sufficient to apologize for its length. I remain your faithful friend, |