Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

part of valour is discretion." It was an observation, in America, that the Hessians always smoked their pipes as they went to the attack, but never in a retreat. They are certainly, the whole of the Germans, not less prudent, at any rate, than they are courageous; and, indeed, the whiskers, which seem to have a natural fitness to their faces, denote, like those of the cat, a characteristic cautiousness.For these reasons, and some others that I shall not now mention, I do not think that the Austrians, if war should take place, will follow the example of the Spaniards, in making a gallant resistance to the approach of the French; and, in short, my opinion is, that if Austria now suffers herself to be hurried into a war, her royal family will share the fate of the House of Bourbon.

figures of rhetoric proceeding from the pen-
cil; and, as the inimitable Gillray is not
in the habit of making sentences, I see no
reason why he should not ridicule what he
deems to be the follies and vices of the
times, or of particular persons, with his
pencil. It is, to be sure, very provoking
to see one's self held up to public ridicule, or
censure, especially if we are conscious of
not deserving it :. but, then, we should bear
in mind, that the principle, upon which we
appeal to the law for redress, will be sure to
be made to apply against ourselves, if we
make use of the press. It is the practice
of bringing actions and preferring indict-
ments and informations by individuals that
has kept the several successive Attornies-
General in countenance; for, if we, parti-
cularly we who use the press, barrass each
other with the law, with what face can we
complain when we are made subject to pub

Sir John Carr should have foreborne to ap-
ply to the law, though he had been morti-
fied almost to a state of hanging. For an
author, or bookseller, to appeal to the law
of libels is an act of downright treason to-
wards the whole of his brethren. Those
who live by the press must be content to die
by the press; and the press includes the works
of the pencil as well as those of the pen.
I am very glad, that Sir Richard Phillips is
not the publisher of the "Revolutionary Plu-

[ocr errors]

tarch." That was the work I meant certainly; and a work so full of manifest falsehoods could, assuredly, never have obtained circulation, except amongst a people totally blinded by a hatred too great to have arisen from any other cause than that of cowardly fear. The greediness with which all the foul slander, all the barefaced falsehood, all the worse than Mandeville or Munchausen lies, of this book have been swallowed, is truly wonderful. The good old maxim of

LIBEL-LAWS.[Intended for insertion last week but accidentally omitted].Sir Richard Phillips, in consequence of my re-lic prosecutions? As an author, therefore, marks, relative to his evidence, in the action of Sir John Carr, knight, against Messrs. Hood and Sharpe, has, in the last week's Register, published a letter addressed to me. -I will notice the points touched upon, in this letter, in the order wherein they are placed. I am not at all surprized to learn, that the author of the prosecuted pamphlet was also the author of the report of the trial; and that being, as Sir Richard now informs me, the real fact, I can readily suppose, that the report was by no means favourable to the plaintiff and his witnesses. This, however, does not essentially alter the case in my estimation; for, it was not so much the sort of evidence that I care about, as the act of prosecuting, and I am sorry to discover, even now, no regret, on the part of Sir Richard, for having been, though unintentionally, perhaps, instrumental in causing that prosecution. He who uses the press ought to defend himself solely with the press. There are people enough to bring the law to bear upon us, without our countenancing their conduct by our own example. I own that caricatures do not constiture a branch of sober criticism, and Sir Richard says, in the close of his letter, that Sir John Carr founded his action solely and exclusively on the caricatures. But, caricatures are things to laugh at They break no bones I, for instance, have been represented as a bull-dog, as a porcupine, as a wolf, as a sans-culotte, as a nightman, as a bear, as a kite, as a cur, and, in America, as hanging upon a gallows. Yet, here I am, just as sound as it no misrepresentation of me had ever been made. The fact is, that caricatures are nothing more than

[ocr errors]

giving the devil his due" has been quite thrown aside by the author, who has so impudently set truth, and even probability at defiance, that to affect to believe him is to subject one's self to the charge of being a partaker in that moral depravity, which evidently presided at the execution of every page of his work. -I most heartily agree with Sir Richard Phillips in opinion respecting reviewers and reviews in general. I have, many times, expressed the same opinion, and for the same reasons; but, he has had much more experience than I have had with "the race that write" in reviews. He must know the "craft" well, and I beg leave to refer the reader (see page 206) to what he has said respecting it. I agree

1

with him, that every man should put his name to what he causes to be published. The pronoun we is, nine times out of ten, a convenient mask for cowardice or rascality, and, not unfrequently, both together. It is true, that argument derives neither strength nor weakness from a name, but opinion does; and, it is the opinion of the reviewer, that the greater part of readers look after. It would be fair for an anonymous author to be subject to anonymous criticism; but, the critic of Sir John Carr's work ought to have put his name to his perform ance. All this, however, says nothing in favour of taking the law of a man for what he has published, whether it has a name or not. For the reasons, which I have before given, I always strongly suspect the goodness of the cause of that man, who appeals to the law of libels; and, for reasons also before stated, I must, and ever shall, regard the author, or bookseller, who makes such an appeal, as a false brother, as a trailor to the cause of freedom in general.--Sir John Carr has, however, by his experiment, done essential service to the cause of truth, though, apparently, contrary to his inten

tion.

He has put the principle to the test. By pushing it to the extreme, he has shewn the world what it really is. No man could pretend to believe, that his feelings were not injured by the caricatures contained in a criticism that actually, as it would seem, killed him dead, as an author; but, no man was bold enough to say, that criticisms on a man's works ought to be punished as a libel. This leads to another question: namely, why should the feelings of a minister, that is to say, of a servant of the public, be considered as more sacred than the feelings of an author? Why should not the talents of the former be held up to ridicule, as well as the talents of the latter? The author, Lord Ellenborough says, voluntarily challenges public criticism; and does not a minister do the same? Is not this the case with every man in a public situation? We have, according to the decision in the case of Sir John Carr, knight, a right to speak our opinions freely of the talents of authors; why, then, should we not as freely speak our opinions of the talents of a minister, or a commander? And what harm could arise from it, seeing that the press would be open for the controverting of our opinions? I mean, what harm to the public; for, it is evident, that the speaking of our opinions freely of a nnister might do him a great deal of Larm; but, the press being open on his side, truth would prevail, and the harm done to him would be good done to the public. The

Digunts,

fact is, that the liberty of the press has no definite meaning, it is sheer sound without sense, unless it means, the liberty of freely publishing our opinions of the talents and character of all men in a public capacity; and, if we are liable to be punished for so doing, can we be said to do it freely? The liberty of the press would, in that case, be the liberty of doing that which would subject us to fine, imprisonment, and pillory. In this way we, every one of us, enjoy the liberty of stealing and of committing murder.

JAMAICA.- -The reader, will, probably, remember the evils that were anticipated from the establishment of Black Regiments, in the West Indies, and the earnest remonstrances of the people of Jamaica upon the subject. Below will be found a proof, that those remonstrances were worthy of attention. Without time to say, at present, any thing more upon the subject, I must content myself with expressing a hope, that this dangerous experiment will be carried no farther.

Bodmin, 17th August, 1808.

COBBETT'S

Parliamentary History

OF

ENGLAND,

Which, in the compass of Sixteen Volumes, royal octavo, double columns, will contain a full and accurate Report of all the recorded Proceedings, and of all the Speeches in both Houses of Parliament, from the earliest times to the year 1803, when the publication of "Cobbett's Parliamentary Debates" commenced.

The Fourth Volume of the above work is ready for delivery. It embraces that period of our Parliamentary History, which is, perhaps, the most interesting of any; namely, from the Restoration of Charles the Second in the year 1600, to the Revolution, in 1688. For this Period, the Proceedings and Debates, in both Houses, have been, for the most part, collected from the following works: 1. The Journals of the House of Lords; 2. The Journals of the House of Commons; 3. That portion of the Parliamentary, or Constitutional. History of England, which contains the proceedings of the Convention Parliament, from its meeting on the 25th of April, 1660, to its dissolution, on the 24th of December following, at which epoch the editors of this able performance conclude their labours; 4. The Life of the Earl of Clarendon, written by himself, containing

HAL

Some interesting Debates, in both Houses, during the period between the Restoration of the King and the banishment of the said Earl, in the year 1607, which Debates never yet found their way into any Collection; 5. The Proceedings of the House of Commons touching the Impeachment of the Earl of Clarendon, with the many Debates in that House upon the subject; 6. The Works of the celebrated Andrew Marvell, who, from 1660 to 1678, regularly transmitted to his constituents of Hull, a faithful account of each day's proceedings; 7. The Debates of the House of Commons, from 1667 to 1694, collected by the Honourable Antichell Grey, who was thirty years a member for the town of Derby; S. The Debates in the House of Commons on the Bill of Exclusion, in the year 1680, first published in 1681, in a small duodecimo volume, and afterwards republished in 1710, and again in 1807, with the addition of the Debates in the Short Parliament held at Oxford, in the month of March, 1680 1, the proceedings of which related chiefly to the same subject, that is to say, the Exclusion of the Duke of York from the succession to the crown ; 9. Timberland's History and Proceedings of the House of Lords; and, 10. Chandler's History and Proceedings of the House of Commons.-It will, doubtless, have been observed by most persons who have much attended to the matter, that, for the period from the Restoration to the year 1743, the two last mentioned works, that is to say, those of Timberland and Chandler, have hitherto been regarded as a regular and complete collection, and the only regular and complete collection, of the Proceedings in Parliament; and that, as such, they have been introduced into, and enjoyed a distinguished place in, almost every public and great private library in the kingdom. Therefore, in preparing the present volume for the press, it might naturally have been expected, that considerable assistance would have been afforded by these works. It is, however, a remarkable fact, which may be verified by a reference to the proceedings of any single session, that very little assistance indeed has been received from them. To say the truth, a discovery of the extreme imperfectness of these works produced one of the motives which led to the present undertaking. On comparing their contents with those of the authentic works before enumerated, they were found to be so extremely defective and incorrect, that they could, in hardly any case, be relied upon with safety. In them, King's Speeches are, in numerous instances, either wholly omitted, or very much curtailed.

Scarcely any of the Speeches of the different Lord Chancellors, delivered at the opening of the several Sessions, though those speeches generally contain an outline of the state of the national affairs, are preserved. The Journals appear to have been rarely consulted. Scarcely a Motion or Resolution is given as it stands in those authentic records Explanatory notes there are none; and, in only one or two instances have the compilers deemed it necessary to favour the reader with informa tion as to the source whence they have drawn their materials; which would seem, indeed, to have been moulded into the form of volumes for the mere purpose of filling up a chasm in a book case.-Besides resorting to the above recited works, recourse has been had to the best historians, and contemporary writers. From Burnet, Echard, Kennet, Oldmixon, Rapin, North, Ralph, Marvell, Reresby, Temple, Walpole, and the Work of the late Mr. Fox, recently published, many Notes, historical and biographical, have been introduced; and, for the sake of connexion, a short account of the principal Occurrences, during each recess of Parliament, has, where necessary, been inserted.

By way of Appendix to this volume, is subjoined a collection of scarce and valuable Tracts, purely parliamentary, taken from the State Tracts, privately printed in the reign of Charles II. and James II; from the Harleian Miscellany; and from the noble Collections of Lord Somers. Through these, a more lively image of the times is conveyed, than could be received from any general description, from however eloquent a pen it might proceed. From their scarceness, it is impossible that they should, in their separate state, be generally known; and, as the utility of them, when accompanying the Parliamentary History of the times in which they were written, must be manifest to every one, the compiler does certainly consider them as not the least valuable part of his work.

**The success of this work, up to the time of publishing Vol. III, was before stated. Its success since that time has been still greater. No work of equal magnitude, had ever so great success, in so short a space of time. The fifth volume, barring accidents from illness, will be published in October, and the sixth in December ; · after which it is hoped, that a volume every tinee months will be regularly finished, until the work be concluded, or rather, brought down to the Parliamentary Debates; which will form a sequel to it, and which will, of course, be continued in the same maner that they now are.

66

COBBETT'S

Parliamentary Debates.

The Tenth Volume of the above Work, comprising the period from the Opening

of the Session on the 21st of January to

the 8th of April, is ready for delivery. The Eleventh V jume, which will close the Debates of the Session, is in considera le forwardness. The Appendix will contain the Annual Financial Accounts, together with other valuable Documents connected with the Proceedings in Parliament during the Session.

BLACK REGIMENTS.-Kingston, May 30. Some degree of agitation was excited in this city early on Friday morning last, from the report of a serious insubordination having arisen in the 24 West India regiment, under the command of major Daricy, stationed at Fort Augusta. It appears that the regiment had paraded at the accustomed hour in the morning on the beach, about 300 yards from the glacis leading to port Henderson. In the fort 54 recruits were left to be drilled by a black serjeant. They were principally of the Chamba and Koromantyn nations, purchased a few months since to serve in his majesty's colonial corps; 46 of them were attached to the second, and eight to the fifth West India Regiments. The men on the beach had not been long under arms, ere a terrible war hoop was heard, and the Jecruits were observed to rush out of the fort, and approach near the left of the regiment. Lieutenant and adjutant Ellis instantly rode towards them to learn the reason of the noise and what they desired; he had scarce reached, the spot, before he was knocked off the horse with the butt end of some of their firelocks, and received several wounds about his head and body with their bayonets, of which he almost instantly died. Major Darley, anxiou ous to know what occasioned the tumult, repaired directly thither; unhappily for him, he experienced a fate nearly similar, being knocked off his horse, and wounded about the body, &c. Appearances at this moment not being favourable, the officers dispatched a serjeant to the fort for ammunition, while some of them flew to major Darley's assistance; he was taken to his apartments and languished about an hour, when he expired. The ammunition having arrived, the men were directed to load, and fire on the mutineers, which was promptly obeyed, when fourteen of them fell dead, five were wounded, and two taken prisoners; twenty-one who did not appear to be active in the mutiny, instantly surrendered

without the smallest resistance. The remainder being dismayed at the check the party had received, ran off to secrete themselves in the mangroves and brushwood, and there is little doubt ere this they are completely subdued or shot.-No other reason was as signed for their improper conduct by those taken, than that they had been too repeatedly drilled, and that they wished to return to their country.-Every regret for the untimely fates of major Darley and adjutant Ellis have been evinced, the service having lost in them two valuable officers. Their rentains were interred with military honours, amidst the lamentations of their brother soldiers. On the first knowledge of an insubordinate spirit having manifested itself in some of the garrison at Fort Augusta, the drums beat to arms in Spanish Town, and the St. Catherine's militia, with a degree of celerity highly commendable in them, were in a disposition for actual service. They proceeded some part of the road to the fort, but learning there was no necessity, were saved from a most harrassing and tedious march, and returned to their homes.-Briga dier general Darby, with great promptitude also proceeded to the scene of action, with the 18th regiment, under command of lieut. col. Hozeyman, but there being no occasion for their services, all, with the excep tion of the flank companies, returned to their quarters. Two men of this regiment expired on the march, supposed from the excessive heat of the weather.-Information was transmitted to the general officers in this district; and on Friday noon, lieut. gea. Villettes, most of his staff, and several other officers, proceeded to Fort Augusta. All the boats at the wherry wkarf in this city were impressed, and took down in the evening three companies of the 55th regi ment, under the command of major Halligar, where they are to remain for the present. --The principal part of the 2d West India regiment have been sent on board some of the vessels of war in Port Royal harbour, to make room for the detachments of white troops sent to Fort Augusta.

From the Kingston Chronicle. Head-quarters, Gray's Pen, June 9, 1808. -Sir, The public mind having been much agitated by the unfortunate affair which lately took place at Fort Augusta, in a detachment of about fifty recruits, of the 2d West India regiment, at drill, near thirty of whom rushed out of the Fort with their arms during the time the regiment was at exercise, and, before any stop could be put to them, killed their major and adjutant; the circumstances of which have been most closely and minutely

investigated by two courts of inquiry, and by a general court martial, before which it has been fully proved that the whole of the unfortunate affair originated in a few ignorant recruits, and that upwards of twenty of them were innocent of the offence. To

quiet the public apprehensions as much as possible, I send you, by the permission of his excellency the commander of the forces the sentence of the gener al court martial, with the consequent orders thereon.-I have only further to add, that the seven unhappy affenders were shot, pursuant to the orders, and that the conduct of the 2d West India Regiment was strictly correct and regular at the excation.-W. TONGE, Captain, Acting Dep. Adj. Gen.

Extract from General Orders, dated Gray's Pen, June 7, 1808.

At the general court martial of which brigadier general William Balfour was presideat, which was held at Fort Augusta on the 30 h ult. and continued its proceedings until the 6th instant, by adjournment, were tied the following prisoners: Robert Hawker, Robert Wren, William Cashell, Hugh Dive, William Minott, John Stotesberry, William Gilman, Daniel Hagan, John Danger, and Thomas Moody, soldiers of the 2d West India regiment, charged with being jointly and individually concerned in a mutiny which took place in a party of recruits at drill, at Fort Augusta, on the, morning of the 27th ultimo, and for violently assaulting major John S. Darley, their commanding officer, and lieutenant Thomas Ellis, acting adjutant of their regiment, in the execution of their duty, and whereby their lives were lost; and at the same general court martial were tried the following men of the said regiment, also charged with the foregoing crime, and with desertion from their regiment, viz.-W. Peele, John Tonge, George Dalmer, James Stubbs, William Rossitern, and Harry Cope. The court having maturely weighed the evidence against the foregoing prisoners, with what they have separately offered in their defence, is of opinion, that the said Robert Hawker, Robert Wren, William Cashell, Hugh Dive, William Minott, John Stotesbury, Wm. Gilman, Daniel Hagan, John Danger, Wm. Peele, John Tonge, George Dalmar, James Stubbs, Wm. Rossitern, and Harry Cope, are each and all of them guilty of the crimes with which they stand charged, being a breach of the articles of war, and do therefore adjudge that each and all of them do suffer death. But the court acquit T. Moody for want of sufficient evidence.-His excellency the commander of the forces approves of

the foregoing sentence. The prisoners John Danger, Hugh Dive, Wuliam Minnott, Daniel Hagan, William Peele, John Tonge, and George Dalma", whose daring atrocity is most conspicuous, will meet their just and awful sentence by being shot to death, by a party of the 2d West India regiment, on the sands, outside of Fort Augusta, near the spot where their orime was committed, in presence of the garrison of Fort Augusta, on Wednesday next, the Sth instant, in the morning, at as early an hour as possible.

His excellency the commander of the forces greatly laments that at so early a period of his command, he is called upon to perform so painful a part of his duty; but in consideration of the dreadful example already made by the prompt and laudable exertions of the body of the regiment, whereby several of the mutineers were killed on the spot, and others severely wounded, and trusting that their crime originated in their inexperience and ignorance of the service, and through the instigation of those who so justly suffer on this occasion, and that the enormity of the off-nce had not occurred to them, he is pleased to respite until further orders (or until his majesty's pleasure is known) the following prisoners. --Robert Hawker, Robert Wien, William Cashell, John Stotesbury, William Gilman, James Stubbs, William Rossitern, and Harry Cope, whose portion of guilt is not aggravated by any particular acts, and whose youth and apparent contrition hold them forward in a more favourable point of view.-In the performance of this painful part of his duty, which calls for the most severe example being made, to check so flagrant and unpardonable a crime as mutiny, the commander of the forces cannot but derive some consolation from its being proved in the most satisfactory manner, on the late very minute investigation of the circumstances attending or leading to the mutiny, that it originated solely in the ferocious spirit of ignorant and undisciplined recruits; and that the regiment manifested on that unfortunate occasion a sense of loyalty and attachment to their officers highly creditable to themselves and honourable to the character of soldiers. trusts they cannot but most sincerely lament the fate of those valuable officers, who fell victims to their zeal for the service, and their confidence in the fidelity and attachment of their men in general, which they had ever been studious to conciliate.-He strongly recommends to the officers of that regiment most forcibiy to impress on the minds of the men the heinous offence for which those unhappy men suffer, and that

He

« AnteriorContinuar »