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that the interest of impressment be satis-mises on his tongue, he never ceased to

factorily arranged. He is willing that think on war. At length having collected Great Britain should be secured against a large army, and strengthened it with the evils of which she complains. He seeks, Austrian, Prussian, Bavarian, Wurtem on the other hand, that the citizens of the berg, Westphalian, Italian, Spanish, Por United States should be protected against a tuguese, and Polish regiments, who were practice, which, while it degrades the na- constrained through disgrace and fear, he tion, deprives them of their right as free- put himself in motion with this immense men, takes them by force from their fa- force, supplied with vast quantities of armilies and their country, into a foreign tillery, and penetrated into the interior of service, to fight the battles of a foreign our country. Murder, fire, and destrucPower, perhaps against their own kindred tion, were his attendants on the march, and country.I abstain from entering, The plundered property, the towns and in this communication, into other grounds villages set on fire, the smoking ruins of of differences. The Orders in Council Moscow, the Kremlin blown up into the having been repealed (with a reservation air, the temples and altars of the Lord not impairing a corresponding right on the destroyed; in one word, all kinds of cruelpart of the United States), and no illegal ty and barbarity, hitherto unheard of, at blockades revived or instituted in their length prove by his own actions, that they stead, and an understanding being obtained have long been lying concealed in the depth on the subject of impressment, in the mode of his mind. The mighty and happy Rusherein proposed, the President is willing sian Empire, which possesses every thing to agree to a cessation of hostilities, with a in abundance, awakened in the heart of view to arrange, by treaty, in a more dis- the enemy envy and dread. The possession tinct and ample manner, and to the satis of the whole world could not satisfy him, faction of both parties, every other subject so long as the fertile fields of Russia still of controversy.I will only add, that if were happy. Full of this envy and interthere be no objection to an accommodation nal hatred, he revolved, turned, and arof the difference relating to impressment, ranged in his mind, all manner of evil in the mode proposed, other than the sus-means by which he might give a dreadful pension of the British claims to impress-blow to her power, a total confusion to her ment during the armistice, there can be riches, and bring general destruction on none to proceeding, without the armistice, her prosperity. He likewise thought, by to an immediate discussion and arrange- cunning and flattery, to shake the fidelity ment of an article on that subject. This of our subjects; by the defilement of the great question being satisfactorily adjusted, sanctuaries, and of God's temples, to make the way will be open either for an armistice religion unsteady, and to strike the naor any other course leading most convenient- tional sight with follies and extravagances. ly and expeditiously to a general pacification. On these hopes he built his destructive I have the honour to be, &c. plans, and with them he forced himself, like a pestilential and murderous tempest, JAMES MONRO. into the heart of Russia. The whole world has fixed its attention on our suffering country, and inwardly moved, thought they saw in the reflection of the flames of Moscow the last day of the existence of our freedom and independence. But great and mighty is the God of Justice! The triumph of the enemy was of short duration; pressed on all sides by our valiant armies and levies, he soon discovered that by his temerity he had ventured too far, and that he could not, either by his vaunted army, his seducements, or his cruelties, inspire fear into the loyal and valiant Russians, nor save himself from

PROCLAMATION, Issued by the Emperor Alexander, dated St. Petersburgh, Nov. 15. We, Alexander the First, by the Grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, &c.- -It is well known to the whole world in what manner the enemy has entered the boundaries of our empire. No step or means that have so frequently been resorted to by the punctual fulfilment of the peaceable stipulations, nor our steady endeavours by all possible means to avert the effects of a bloody and destructive war, have been able to check his obstinate design, in which he has shewn himself entirely immoveable. With peaceable pro

destruction.

After many fruitless endeavours, and now that he sees his numerous troops every where beaten and destroyed, (To be continued.)

317

As illustrated in the Prosecution and Punishment of

WILLIAM COBBETT.

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In order that my countrymen and that the two sureties in the sum of 1,000 pounds each; world may not be deceived, duped, and cheated that the whole of this sentence has been executed upon this subject, I, WILLIAM COBBETT, upon me, that I have been imprisoned the two of Botley, in Hampshire, put upon record years, have paid the thousand pounds TO THE the following facts; to wit: That, on the 24th KING, and have given the bail, Timothy Brown June, 1809, the following article was pub- and Peter Walker, Esqrs. being my sureties; lished in a London news-paper, called the that the Attorney General was Sir Vicary Gibbs, COURIER: The Mutiny amongst the LO- the Judge who sat at the trial Lord Ellenborough, "CAL MILITIA, which broke out at Ely, was the four Judges who sat at passing sentence Ellen"fortunately suppressed on Wednesday by the borough, Grose, Le Blanc, and Bailey; and that "arrival of four squadrons of the GERMAN the jurors were, Thomas Rhodes of Hampstead "LEGION CAVALRY from Bury, under the Road, John Davis of Southampton Piace, James "command of General Auckland. Five of the Ellis of Tottenham Court Road, John Richards "ringleaders were tried by a Court-Martial, and of Bayswater, Thomas Marshan of Baker Street, "sentenced to receive 500 lashes each, part of which Robert Heathcote of High Street Marylebone, "punishment they received on Wednesday, and John Maud of York Place Marylebone, George 66 a part was remitted. A stoppage for their knap- Bagster of Church Terrace Pancras, Thomas "sacks was the ground of the complaint that ex- Taylor of Red Lion Square, David Deane of St. "cited this mutinous spirit, which occasioned John Street, William Palmer of Upper Street the men to surround their officers, and demand Islington, Henry Favre of Pall Mall; that the what they deemed their arrears. The first Prime Ministers during the time were Spencer "division of the German Legion halted yesterday Perceval, until he was shot by John Bellingham, "at Newmarket on their return to Bury."- and after that Robert B. Jenkinson, Earl of LiThat, on the 1st July, 1809, I published, in the verpool; that the prosecution and sentence took Political Register, an article censuring, in the place in the reign of King George the Third, and strongest terms, these proceedings; that, for so that, he having become insane during my impri doing, the Attorney General prosecuted, as sedi- sonment, the 1,000 pounds was paid to his son, tious libellers, and by Ex-Officio Information, the Prince Regent, in his behalf; that, during my mé, and also my printer, my publisher, and one imprisonment, I wrote and published 364 Essays of the principal retailers of the Political Register; and Letters upon political subjects; that, during that I was brought to trial on the 15th June, the same time, I was visited by persons from 197 1810, and was, by a Special Jury, that is to say, cities and towns, many of them as a sort of depuby 12 men out of 48 appointed by the Master of ties from Societies or Clubs; that, at the expira the Crown Office, found guilty; that, on the tion of my imprisonment, on the 9th of July, 1812, 20th of the same month, I was compelled to give a great dinner was given in London for the purbail for my appearance to receive judgment; pose of receiving me, at which dinner upwards of and that, as I came up from Botley (to which 600 persons were present, and at which Sir place I had returned to my family and my farm Francis Burdett presided; that dinners and other on the evening of the 15th), a Tipstaff went parties were held on the same occasion in many down from London in order to seize me, per- other places in England; that, on my way home, sonally; that, on the 9th of July, 1810, I, toge- I was received at Alton, the first tows in Hamp. ther with my printer, publisher, and the news-shire, with the ringing of the Church bells; that man, were brought into the Court of King's Bench to receive judgment; that the three former were sentenced to be imprisoned for some months in the King's Bench prison; that I was sentenced to be imprisoned for two years in Newgate, the great receptacle for malefactors, and the front of which is the scene of numerous hangings in the course of every year; that the part of the prison in which I was sentenced to be confined is sometimes inhabited by felons, that felons were actually in it at the time I entered it; that one man was taken out of it to be transported in about 48 hours after I was put into the same yard with him; and that it is the place of confinement for men guilty of unnatural crimes, of whom there are four in it at this time; that, besides this imprisonment, I was sentenced to pay a thousand pounds TO THE KING, and to give security for my good behaviour for seven years, myself in the sum of 3,000 pounds, and

a respectable company met me and gave me a dinner at Winchester; that I was drawn from more than the distance of a mile into Botley by the people; that, upon my arrival in the village, I found all the people assembled to receive me; that I concluded the day by explaining to them the cause of my imprisonment, and by giving them clear notions respecting the flogging of the Local Militia-men at Ely, and respecting the em ployment of German Troops; and, finally, which is more than a compensation for my losses and all my sufferings, I am in perfect health and strength, and, though I must, for the sake of six children, feel the diminution that has been made in my property (thinking it right in me to decline the offer of a subscription), I have the consolation to see growing up three sons, upon whose hearts, I trust, all these facts will be engraven. Botley, July 23, 1812.

WM. COBBETT.

Published by R. BAGSHAW, Brydges-Street, Covent-Garden.
LONDON: Printed by J. M'Creery, Black Horse-Court, Fleet-street.

COBBETT'S WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER.

VOL. XXIII. No. 2.] LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1813.

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SUMMARY OF POLITICS. AMERICAN WAR .- -This war, which was spoken of by the hireling of the TIMES news-paper and others, with such ineffable contempt, has now assumed a very formidable mien; and those who were so eager for the war, begin to revile each other with regard to the conducting of It. There are, at this time, three political factions in the country; the one that is in possession of the distribution of the public money; the Whig faction; and the faction of the Wellesleys and Cannings. The two latter would join if they could; but, each aims at the possession of the power of giving places and pensions, and, in short, at being the ministry.These two, therefore, cannot agree wholly; but, they both attack, though upon different occasions and different grounds, those who are in possession of the paradise of Whitehall. Amongst other objects of attack is that of negligence as to the American war. The Chronicle and the Times are equally bitter against the ministers upon this subject; they revile them for having plunged the country into a war with America without providing a sufficient maritime force to cope with that new enemy. A sufficient force! Why, the Times newspaper spoke of the navy of the United States as a thing not worthy of the name; it laughed at "Mr. Madison and his navy;" it predicted that a few months would add that navy to our own; it, in short, spoke of it in a tone of contempt which I should in vain attempt to describe.- -And yet, it now blames the ministers for not having provided a sufficient force to cope with that contemptible navy; that navy which was an object of the most cruel ridicule.The defeat and capture of the Guerriere, the Frolic, and the Macedonian must, of course, be matter of astonishment to those, who listened to the language of these presumptuous and foolish men; but, in what respect are the ministers to blame for it any more than they were for the evacuation of Madrid, and for all the consequences of the unexpected retreat of our army in the Peninsula? The ministers had a great abundance of

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ships, of all sizes, on the American station; and what were they to do more? 1 recallect, and so must the reader, that, at the time of the rencounter between Commodore Rodgers and Captain Bingham, the words in the mouths of all these writers were: "Let one of our FRIGATES meet with "Rodgers, and we ask no more.” This wish; this challenge, was repeated a thousand times over; the public cannot have forgotten the fact; nay, the sentiment was universal. Upon what ground, then, are the ministers now to be blamed? Are they to be blamed, because, upon trial, it has been found, that our Frigates are not a match for those of America? Are they to be blamed, because they did not entertain a meaner opinion of our frigates, compared with those of America, than any other man in England entertained, or, at least, dared to say that he entertained?--We are told, by the writers in the interest of the two OUT factions, that the Republican Frigates are bigger, longer, have heavier guns, and the like, than our Frigates have.

"The varlet's a tall man," said Bobadil when he had been cudgelled.But, are these new discoveries? Were the facts not all well known before to all these writers, when they so boldly challenged out the American Frigates to combat with ours? When Rodgers attacked Bingham, the size of his ship was well known' and particularly described; and, yet, no one then called for heavier ships to be sent out to the American coast.- -Why, then, are the ministers to be blamed for not sending out heavier ships?-Besides, they have heavier ships upon the station, and it cannot be their fault if those ships do not fall in with the American Frigates. What are they to do with our frigates? If ours are unable to face the American frigates, what are, I ask, the ministers to do with them? Are they not to suffer them to go on a cruise, lest they should fall in with a lafl Yankee? In short, it is another of the tricks of faction to blame the ministers for these misadventures of the navy; and, the attempts made by the ministerial prints to account for our defeat upon the ground of

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our inferiority of force is another of the | briety, vigilance, and consideration for his means made use of to deceive the people, crew; and these qualities are within the and to encourage them in the continuation reach of every man. The American goof the war.- -When, until now, did we vernment, too, has a wide range for choice; think of disparity of force? When, until with it no intrigues, commonly called "innow, did we dream of an English ship sur-terest," is likely to prevail; because the rendering to a ship, the superiority of the possession of the powers of the state depend force of which it required a minute calcula- solely upon the will of the people, and, the tion to show? When, until now, did an government, having such support, is not reEnglish Captain hesitate to attack a ship of duced to the necessity of seeking support a few guns more than his own?—Instead from any individuals; and, of course, is not of all the calculations that we have seen in exposed to the danger of being compelled to the news-papers; instead of those swelled employ as commanders, or as officers of any out accounts of the vast force of the Ame- rank, persons not recommended by their rican frigates, we should be plainly told, own good qualities.-This is a very that we have now an enemy to cope with great advantage possessed by the American equal to ourselves as far as his numbers government; an advantage to which, perwill go. Amongst all the calculations haps, it owes those successes, which we so and computations, however, that we have sorely lament, and which seem to be very heard, I have not perceived it any where likely to form an era in the naval history of taken into account, that we have experi- the world. But, let what will be the ence, which the Americans have not. final result of these transactions, I really Where did Isaac Hull gain his naval expe- can see no good ground for accusation rience; and where Mr. Decatur? There against the ministers on account of the misare two Decaturs, the father and son. fortunes that have befallen our frigates. They were my neighbours, in the country, Blamed they may be for the war. There, in Pennsylvania. They were farmers more indeed, there is matter for blame; because, than seamen, though the elder went occa- if my reasoning upon the subject be correct, sionally to sea as commander of a merchant they might have avoided the war without ship. If it be the father who has taken the any dishonour to England; but, for this Macedonian, he must be upwards of three they cannot be blamed by those who are score years of age; and, if it be the son, I seeking for their places; because some of am sure it is the first battle he ever was in; those very persons were amongst the men for, twelve years ago, he was but a mere who adopted and adhered to the measures lad. The father was a man of great pro- which produced the war; and, the rest of bity and of excellent sense; and, I have no them have pledged themselves to prosecute doubt that the son is the same; but, I'll it upon its present ground. Mr. Canengage, that both have had more experience ning and Lord Wellesley were, in succesin raising Indian corn than in naval tactics. sion, Secretaries of State for Foreign Af-Something, therefore, in our estimates, fairs while the dispute was maintained. should be allowed for our superiority in against the abolition of impressment of point of experience. We have no officer of sons on board of American ships. Indeed, the navy, who has not passed a great part the former has expressed his disapprobation of his life on actual service; we have of the "concessions," as he calls them, scarcely one who has not been in numerous made to America, in the repeal of our Orbattles; and, in the unfortunate cases above ders in Council. Of course he cannot comspoken of, one of the Captains appears to plain of the ministers for going to war; have been of long standing even in that and Mr. Ponsonby, as the organ of the rank. When we are speaking of the Whigs, distinctly declared, that, if Amenaval preparations of Napoleon, we always rica was not satisfied with that repeal, he dwell upon the difficulty of his forming would support the war against her.naval officers; but, here we see, in the case Not, therefore, being able to find fault with of America, that that is attended with no the ministers for the war itself, they fall on difficulty at all; we here see gallant and upon them as to their manner of conducting consummate commanders start up in a trice; it; and, as I think, I have shown, they do and, in a moment, is dissolved the charm this without a shadow of justice.- We, which bound us in ignorance as to this im- "Jacobins," blame all the three factions; portant species of information. The some of them for causing the war, and truth is, I believe, that, amongst the first others for pledging themselves to support qualities of a naval commander, are so-it; nor have I the least hesitation to

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shilling of the £6,000 that, as President, he receives. And, why should he not? What claim would he have to the title of patriot, if he grudged to use his talents for his country; or, which is the same thing, if he refused to use them without being paid for their use? If such were his disposition, what claim would he have to the confidence of his fellow-citizens? But, with the common soldier or sailor, or other inferior person employed by the govern ment, the case is wholly different. He has nothing but his labour for his inheritance; he possesses no part of the country; his time is his all; and, of course, he is paid for that time at as good rate as if he laboured for an individual.- -Those who speculate upon the resources of America should not overlook these important circumstances; but, hitherto, I am sorry to say, that we have almost wholly overlooked them. I never shall forget the obstinacy of many persons with whom I am acquainted, as to the intention of the American government to go to war. They persisted to the very last, that it was impossible. They called the declaration of the Congress" bullying;" they said it was" all "smoke" and so, indeed, said the hired press, that vehicle of lies, that instrument of ill to England.--They have found some fire as well as smoke; they have found that the Republicans have something at their command besides words; and, when it is too late, I fear that they will find, that this is the most fatal war in which we have yet been engaged. One effect of it appears to me to be inevitable; and that is, the creation of a Navy in America.—Pray, good hired men, do not laugh at me; for I am quite serious when I say, that my fear is, that this war will lead to the creating of a formidable navy in America. The means are all in her hands, and her successful beginning will not fail to give activity to those means.- A Navy, a military ma

predict, that, day after day, will tend to convince all persons of impartiality, that we are right.This war we owe entirely to the presumption inspired by our foolish and venal writers. The language of the late PERCEVAL, who talked of not wishing for the destruction" of America, and who spoke of her as of a power depending on his will for her very existence; this language, which will long be remembered, was the general language of the press. We could not believe it possible, that a government, the whole of the officers of which, President and all, did not receive from the public so much money annually as one of our sinecure place-men; we could not conceive, that a government who did not get more money for itself would be able to get money enough to carry on a war more than sufficient to last our sloops for a few months. We have now found our mistake; and, indeed, the premises which we had in our eye should have led to a directly different conclusion; for, would not common sense have told us, that the less of the public money was taken by the officers of Government for their own use; the less of it that was devoured by placemen, and by others for no services rendered the public, the more there must be for the Government to employ in the public service? This would have been the rational conclusion; but, to reason thus, suited not those who had, and who have, the control over ninety-nine hundredth parts of the press of this country. They, therefore, represented America as a nation destitute of warlike means; when they should have made an estimate of her resources upon the grounds stated in my last number. The persons in high offices in America are badly paid; but (and the fact is worth great attention) those in low rank, or, no rank at all, are well paid. The former have very small salaries; their gains are much less than those of any considerable merchant or manufacturer, law-rine, in America, is, to me, a most formiyer, or physician; but, the common sol- dable object. Twenty frigates only would dier and sailor are paid at a very high cause an expense to us of millions a-year, rate; at such a rate as not to make him unless we resolved to yield the West India regret his change from civil life.- -I Islands at once. I would not advise should not say, perhaps, that the former our government to look upon the rearing are badly paid; because, there is something of an American Navy as something necesin the honour of high office, which the sarily distant. America has swelled her common man does not enjoy; and, besides, population from about two to about eight there is something due from every man to millions in the space of less than 30 years. his country; and, the greater that is his Another ten years may see her population stake in the country, the less is his right to amount to twenty millions. From not bedraw from her purse. Mr. Madison does, ing permitted to make a hob-nail," she I dare say, expend, as President, every has risen to be an exporter of numerous

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