CHRONICLE

OP

MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES.

JANUARY

gion of Honour, and was, before his

new appointment, one of the Coun2. Paris.-The Moniteur of the 30th cil of State, and a member of the ult. contains a royal decree, announ- committee of legislation. The Count cing the organisation of a new minis- de Cazes, Peer of France, is appointtry. According to the new arrange- ed Minister Secretary of State for ments, the Marquis Dessolles, Peer of the Department of the Interior. BaFrance, and Minister of State, is nomi- ron Portal, member of the Chamber nated Minister Secretary of State for of Deputies, is appointed Minister the department of foreign affairs, and Secretary of State for the Departpresident of the Council of Ministers. ment of the Marine. M. Portal is M. Dessolles was, in 1814, comman- an officer of the Legion of Honour, der of the National Guard of Paris; and a member of the Chamber of when he conducted himself so as to Deputies; he has also been one of acquire the perfect confidence of the the Council of State since May 1814, King, and was raised to the peerage and has been, for two years past, inin June of the same year: he is a

trusted with the direction of the coLieutenant-General of the armies of lonial branch in the department of France, a Knight of St Louis, and the Minister of Marine, over the Grand Cross of the Legion of Ho- whole of which he is now appointed nour, and was, previous to his pre- to preside. Baron Louis, member sent exaltation, a member of the of the Chamber of Deputies, is apPrivy Council and a Minister of pointed Minister Secretary of State State. The Sieur de Serre, mem- of the Finance Department. M. ber of the Chamber of Deputies, is Louis was Minister of Finance in appointed Keeper of the Seals, Minis- 1814, being one of the administrater Secretary of State for the de. tion of which M. Talleyrand was at partment of justice. M. de Serre the head : he is a Grand Cross of the was President of the Chamber of De. Legion of Honour, and a member of puties during the last Session, and the Chamber of Deputies; he was was within four votes of obtaining also a member of the Privy Council the same dignity this year: he is å and a Minister of State. "The Mi. Knight of St Louis, and of the Le- nistry of Police is suppressed. The

members of this new ministry are Wright's note of hand. It must be considered as real constitutionalists, indorsed by you before I can proalike averse to the violent measures ceed against Wright. This rascal of the ultras of both parties, and at always contended that he borrowed tached only to the King and the the money on his own account. Your Charter. They have accordingly word was quite sufficient to prove entered upon office under the most tlre contrary; and though no part of favourable auspices.

it was ever made use of for me, and The Paris journals of the same though the arbitrator determined adate contain the following statement gainst my being at all responsible, I of the present strength of the Rus thought myself and still think my. sian army. It is said to consist of self bound to pay you, you putting 880,000 men, divided into different me in a condition to recover the mo

a corps, 360,000 of which are infantry, ney from him, which you can at once 68,000 regular cavalry, 86,000 Cos. do by indorsing the note of hand. sacks, 49,600 artillery, 75,000 ma- I am well aware the grounds of comrines, 100,000 belonging to the first plaint and reproach to which debtors line of the reserve, and 50,000 to the always expose themselves, and I am second, and 75,000 veterans. not vain enough to expect to escape

3.—Th, following singular cor- consequences to which all others are respondence between Cobbett and liable; but if I finally pay to the last Sir F. Burdett appeared in a Sunday farthing, those grounds will be all paper, and discloses Cobbett’s new swept away; and as I am in no doubt way of paying old debts. The an- of being able, in a short space of swer of the Baronet is full of just se. time, to pay every one fully, I antiverity, and expresses, in strong and cipate with great satisfaction the day pointed language, his indignant con- of my deliverance from this sort of tempt for the fagitious jesuitism of thraldom.--I am, Sir, your most obethe most impudent and unprincipled dient and most humble servant, turncoat of modern times.

WM. COBBETT. To Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, Bart.

To Mr Tipper. North Hampstead, Long Island, North Hampstead, Long Island, June 20. 1817.

Nov. 20. 1817. Sir,-I inclose you the copy of a Mr Dear Sir,-First let me acletter to Mr Tipper, which I beg you knowledge my deep sense of the kind to have the goodness to read, and to manner in which you have uniformconsider the contents of it (as far as ly spoken to Mrs Cobbett with rethey relate to the liquidation of my gard to me; and then, without furdebts generally) as addressed to ther waste of that time of wbich I yourself. In addition you will be have so little to spare, let me come pleased to understand, that, as to the to business, and let me lay down, bedebt due to you, no pains shall before I proceed to our own particu. spared by me to obtain the means of lar affair, some principles which ! paying it as soon as possible ; and I hold to be just to my conduct to. beg that you will furnish Mr White, wards my creditors in general. my attorney, with your charge a- If there be any man who can pregainst mc, including interest, that he tend, for one moment, that mine may transmit it to me.

an ordinary case, and that not having s now transmit 10 Mr White enough to pay every body, I ought

to be regarded as an insolvent debtor, posed, if such occasion should ever in the usual acceptation of the words; occur, I reserve the arguments and and if he does this after being ap- conclusion which the subject would prised that the whole force of an in- naturally suggest. To you

I trust famous tyranny was embodied into no such arguments are necessary, the shape of despotic ordinances, in- and therefore I will now proceed to tended for the sole purpose of ta- state explicitly my intentions with king from me the real, and certain, regard to what I shall endeavour to and increasing means of paying off do in the way of paying off debts. I every debt and mortgage in two hold it to be perfectly just that I years ;-if there be any man whose should never, in any way whatever, prosperity and whose means of pro- give up one single farthing of my fufitably employing his own industry ture earnings to the payment of any have remained wholly untouched and debt in England. unaffected by these despotic and When the society is too weak or sudden acts of the Government, and unwilling to defend the property, who is yet so insensible to all feelwhether mental or of a more ordiings of humanity as well as so will- nary and vulgar species, and where ingly blind to every principle of ei- there is not the will or the

power

in ther moral or political justice ;-if the society to yield him protection, there be any man who, wholly ab- he becomes clearly absolved of all sorbed in his attachment to his own his engagements of every sort, to immediate interest, is ready to cast that society ; because in every barblame on a debtor, who has had his gain of every kind it is understood means of paying cut off by an ope- that both the parties are to continue ration as decisive as that of an earth- to enjoy the protection of the laws quake, which should sink into eter

of property. nal nothing his lands, his houses, But from the great desire which I and his goods ;-if there be any man, have, not only to return to my nawho, if he had been a creditor of tive country, but also to prevent the Job, would have insisted that that ce. infamous acts levelled against me lebrated object of malignant devils from injuring those persons with wrath, which had swept away his whom I have pecuniary engagements, flocks, his herds, his sons, and his and some of whom have become my daughters, was an insolvent debtor creditors from feelings of friendship and a bankrupt, and ought to have and a desire to serve me, I eagerly been considered as such, spoken of wave all claim to this principle, and as such, and as such proceeded a- I shall neglect no means within my gainst : if there be any such man power fully to pay and satisfy every as this, to whom I owe any thing, demand, as far as that can be done to such man I first cay, that I de. consistently with that duty which spise him from the bottom of my calls on me to take care that my fasoul ; and then I say, that if he mily have the means of fairly exertdare meet me before the world in ing their industry, and of leading open and written charge, I pledge that sort of life to which they have myself to cover him with as much a just claim. shame and infamy as that world can It is clear, however, that to do any be brought to deign to bestow up- thing in the way of paying off must on so contemptible a being. For be a work of some little time. I such occasions as the one here sip- place great dependance on the produce of some literary labours of great its engaging and convincing properand general utility; and it is of these ties, make it so unlike all the offspring that I am now about more particu- of pedantry, that it is no wonder that larly to speak, and to make you, Sir, it should have made its way in genea distinct proposition.

ral esteem. I will make the new eFirst, I must beg you to read in a dition supplant all the old ones immeRegister, which I now send home, a diately; and to you I propose to conletter to a French scoundrel, whom fide the care of securing the copythe boroughmongers of England, by right both in England and France. a robbery of us for the restoration of A second work, and one of still more the Bourbons, have replaced in his importance as a source of profit, is title of Count.

also now under hand, namely, “ The When you have read that letter, French Master; or a Grammar to you will see a part of my designs, as teach French to English persons, by to my present endeavours to pay my William Cobbett.” You will easily debts.' “ The Maitre Anglois” has see, that if I could, 22 years ago, aclong been the sole work of this kind tually write a book in the French lanin vogue on the continent of Europe, guage to French persons, how able I in England, and in America. It was must be to write a book in the Eng. the only book of the sort, admitted lish language to teach French. Ininto the Prytanean Schools of Buo- deed, my knowledge of the whole naparte, where it was adopted by a matter is so complete, that the thing, direct ordinance.

complicated and abstract as it is in You will see that it is sent from its nature, is as easy to me as it is France to England, and in this coun- for me to walk or sit. This work, I try it is imported from France. Both will pledge my existence, will sweep editions (separate and coeval) are away very speedily all competitors. sold at New York, and in all the My children (some of them) are now towns here. I have always been a learning French by the principles fraid to look into this book, from a and rules which will constitute this consciousness of its imperfections, book, and this gives me every opowing to the circumstance of baste portunity of perceiving and removing under which it was originally writ- all sorts of imperliments and embarten.

rassments. You know as well as any man what My son William wrote French at the probable extent of sale and du- twelve years old better than ninerable profit of the exclusive right to tenths of the Frenchmen that I have print such a book are. I am now ever known, or at least that I have engaged in making this book quite ever seen write; and both John and complete, under the title of “ The he speak now French as well as the English Master, by William Cobbett, greater part of Frenchmen. corrected, improved, and greatly en. I shall publish both these works, larged, by the author himself.” If you and secure the copyright of them, understand French enough to read in America, where there is a great it with a perfect understanding of its sale for books of this description; meaning, you will, if you read this but from the great intercourse now book, easily see the causes of its existing between England and great celebrity.

France, the sale will be much more Its clearness, its simplicity, es considerable in those countries. wonderful aptitude to its purposes,

In about two months, or less, I

shall send to Mr White, to be de- trade in the fruit of men's minds. livered to you (if you will undertake You know them pretty well, and I the thing), the matter for these two have perfect reliance on your pru. works. You can secure the copy. dence, integrity, and industry. rights in England, and also in France. I am, you will perceive, getting It is impossible for me to say what ready a Grammar of the English Lanwill be their produce; and I know guage. This, which is a work which well that immediate produce is not I have always desired to perform, 1 to be expected; yet it would be ir. have put into the shape of a series rational 'not to believe, that these of letters, addressed to my beloved works must in a short time begin to son James, as a mark of my approbe a source of real and substantial bation of his affectionate and dutiful profit, the proceeds of which I conduct towards his mother during should devote to the liquidation of her absence from me. the debts due to you; and if they In this work, which I have all my exceeded that, to other purposes. life, since I was nineteen years old, In the meanwhile there would be had in my contemplation, I have asthe foundation of profit, from the sembled together the fruits of all my same source, laid in this country, observations on the construction of from which, however, I should for the English language; and I have some time not expect any thing be given them the form of a book, not yond what I should need here. I merely with a view to profit, but with do not know that there would be any a view to fair fame, and with the objection to the selling of this copy- still more agreeable view of instructright in France ; but I should not ing, in this foundation of all literary approve of this being done in Eng- knowledge, the great body of my illland, because time may make them treated and unjustly contemned a source of great profit, and further, countrymen. because I should not like for me or I believe it to be quite impossible my sons to be precluded from future that this work should not have a very improvements of the works them- extensive circulation in England selves. As to the particular applica- and America, and that it should not tion of the money that may arise from be of many years' duration in point this fair and honourable source, after of profit. Whatever part of this an equitable discharge of your de profit can, without endangering the mands on me; and as to the precise well-being of my beloved and exemmode of proceeding in the business, plary, affectionate and virtuous fathese must be the subject of a letter mily, be allotted to the discharge of

a to accompany the manuscripts, which my debts or incumbrances, shall, you will understand are now in a with scrupulous fidelity, be so allot. state of great forwardness ; so that, ted; but as to this particular object, as time is valuable, I hope that you, and as to other sources of gain, I who understand such matters so well, will first take care that the acts of and who have so much activity and tyrannical confiscation, which have intelligence, will, upon the receipt been put in force against me, shall of this letter, and upon the strength not deprive this family of the means of what you will see addressed to the not only of comfortable existence, beggarly tool of a French blackguard but that it shall not deprive this farascally Noble jean foutre, make mily of the means of seeking fair Bome inquiry amongst the race who and honourable distinction in the