The morning sun's divine effulgence ENGLAND. Written in October 1915. rewards ELIZA. By JOHN SCOTT. (See p. 340.) DEAR native Land! whom the free sky [ness pouring,With showers of bounty,-balm and freshAround whose virgin breast millions of guards Leap augrily, and are for ever roaring! Great Land! sure refuge and sole resting-place [time For human hopes and virtues,-in the Of powerful wickedness, and sore dis[more sublime! tress: - therefore Less than thy neighbours, Thou separated spot, by Ancient sought, Whence giant force, guided by gravest thought, [of nations! Might move the heavy world:-thou helm Swaying their sluggish bulk, - certain midst variations! Thou goal of all thy time's endeavour! Thou awful name, once heard, forgotten never! Sounding astonishment to Indian ears; Echoing o'er wilds of water to the poles; Where'er life lurks, inspiring hopes or [trols, fears; Whose influence instructs, corrects, conThe savage, despot, bigot,-and which cheers, [understood,Like light of Heaven, - far plac'd, ill Man's race, where blows the wind, or laves the flood! At this meridian moment of thy might, Our joy is grave, as thought of ancient story, For, like the Deluge, rises on the sight, Covering the Earth, the flood of England's glory! And, oh, it spreads from pure and sacred stream! Afar and difficult its sources lie, Up, 'mongst those heights of early worth, that gleam In the fine splendour of our morning sky. And should the flux of ceaseless Fate Roll o'er these shores Ruin's cold mountain-wave; Leaving what's fairest now, most desolate, Quenching the spirit that now burns most brave: Seats of Freedom,-hearths of Peace,Homes of Virtue,-should all cease! Where Genius rears its noble crest Should crawling creatures make their nest! Oh, thought of agony! should fade this scene Of cities vast, of meadows green; Shedding the beam of loveliness on duty; day, cay! [yawn! Where towers this pile should a foul chasm, Should darken'd be the brightness of this [dawn!And a long night precede some future Thou of my soul! These of each wish that's purest![die*,Living and loving now,- -but soon to Should the poor remnant of what now [Ay; seems surest, Our dust,-in winds o'er silent deserts Or, like the powder'd wreck of Babylon, Rest for wild animals to howl upon! Still would the lustrous lights of England's fame, [sphere; Remov'd from this, burn in a changeless Now prais'd in act, but then ador'd in [fear! name; What's purchas'd now, then paid in holy Scattering our bones, Destruction may be roll'd,[hold The heights of British worth will still upTheir heads above mutation,-high and THE GREAT DAY OF JUDgment. HARK!-Hear th' Almighty God! The Father spake, "Archangels, sound your trumpets! Death, awake! Bid all Humanity collected crowd In unity of Godhead shining bright, Swift at his word, to North, East, South, T' effect his will, the awful angels press'd, Stretch their dread trumps, and from a golden cloud They blow a blast, a blast so long, so loud, Earth's inmost centre echoes to the sound, And yawning graves display their dead around. Rent is each sepulchre. The dead obey; Through each drear mansion streams the living day. Regenerate man, from dust and death unbound, Clad in immortal essence seems around. An awful crisis! See, what scenes disclose! [repose, Where starts the Sinner from his last Clings to his shell, and lingers to arise, Hell, Heav'n, bliss, torments, op'ning on his eyes; [abode, Each racks his soul, the blest or curst He strives to flee the presence of his God, luvokes the hills to hide him in their womb, [doom. While his own conscience antedates his But mark the different transports of the Just, [dust, Who hast'ning tramples down his mortal In his own bosom spreads celestial wings, And soars to meet his Lord, the King of kings, [save, While dawning life prevents His' pow'r to And Angels stoop to lift him from his grave. He comes, he comes, tremendous thunders roll, Gleam lurid lightnings, mingles pole with [vide, pole ; Huge mountains tremble, solid rocks diThe liquid Earth recedes a rapid tide; The Sun and Moon, the Stars, the Heavens decay, And melting Nature all dissolves away. Wrapt in his Father's majesty and might, The Saviour comes, to judge the world aright: Lo! on his right th' immac'late Virgin stands, Around her circling th' Apostolic bands; 7 Tho' a celestial crown adorn her head, And o'er her Heaven's most choice perfumes be shed; [throng, Tho' guardian cherubs round her beauty And hymning angels pay their joyous song; With meekly reverence she fills her place, While tears for man suffuse her placid face. The Patriarch Moses, and the chosen Seed, In proper order on the left succeed. Myriads of Saints and Angels round Him meet, And all mankind lies prostrate at his feet: His name and praise celestial harps resound, [bound. And loud Hosannahs rend the utmost The ample page lies open to his view, Each one receives his just, eternal due. Hark! - List! -O God! the dread[Heaven. ful signal 's giv'n; Time is no more, one Hell there is, one But for the Good extatic thrones are drest, Mr. URBAN, April 3. SIMPLE as the following lines may ap pear, their brevity may induce some person to retain them in his memory. And if so, it may arise at a convenient season to prevent one fit of intemperance; which circumstance would amply repay the writer. Abstain, O Man! abstain! - If Men will not abstain ! On the reverse, 'tis plain HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. PROCEEDINGS IN THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE FIFTH PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND; continued from p. 264. HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 24. EARL Grosvenor observed, that another petition from Mr. Cleary, the secretary to the London Union Society, had been put into his hands, in substance the same as the petition which he had formerly offered. He trusted that the period was now come when it would be received. Lord Harrowby said, that the document from which the Committee had drawn their conclusion that there did actually exist a London Union Society engaged in these projects, was this:-It was an address dated the 30th of October, 1816, and published by the Sheffield Union Society, established for the professed purpose of promoting Parliamentary Reform, which referred to the London Society as then existing. In that address it was stated, that the object of the society was to carry its purpose into execution by a general and national union, by co-operation with the London Union Society, and with the branches throughout the country; and the address proceeded to state, that it was absolutely necessary that there should be a radical reform, annual parliaments, and universal suffrage. Earl Grey said, with respect to the Report, the explanation just given, shewed the danger of proceeding to legislate on matters of the highest. importance-to suspend the laws upon which the liberties of the subject depended-merely on an examination of ex-parte evidence. Lord Holland strongly condemned any attempt to snspend the Habeas Corpus Act on such vague and general charges as were to be found in the Report. Lord Erskine observed, that the charges of treason in the Report were confined to societies called Spencean Philanthropists -visionaries who talk of, dividing the land. No suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act was necessary on their account: the fittest way of disposing of them would be to place them in private mad-houses. Earl Grey then moved, that the petition be referred to the same Lords who composed the Secret Committee, that they might examine witnesses, and report their opinion to the House.-Motion negatived by 74 to 23. Viscount Sidmouth, on moving the second reading of the bill to enable his Majesty to secure and detain in custody persons suspected of designs against his Majesty's person and government, commented upon the prominent parts of the ReGENT. MAG. April, 1817. port. The Committee had presented the conclusions and results of their investigation, instead of detailing information, necessarily of a secret nature, and producing documents which would put to hazard the safety of individuals. These seditious papers had been spread over the country in a profusion scarcely credible, and with an industry without example: every town in the manufacturing districts was overflowed by them, and scarcely a cottage had escaped the perseverance of the agents of mischief. Many prosecutions were now pending. The circumstances that marked the atrocious character and designs of the meeting in Spa-fields, did not come to the knowledge of ministers until three weeks before the meeting of Parliament. It was a great satisfaction to him to inform the House, that it would not be necessary or just to extend the operation of the bill to Ireland. The Marquis of Wellesley observed that this was a crisis which at once called for all the fortitude of the people and all the energy of the Government: he was ready to allow that the state of the popular mind was exactly such as had been described by one of the greatest statesmen of any age or country-he meant, that general distress had produced general discontent. The statesman to whom he alluded had said, that the matter of sedition was of two kinds, poverty and discontent:" and of this matter of sedition he was willing to admit that there was an abundant supply: though, as to the sedition itself, he did not think the proof was so evident. it be proved, however, that the country was in danger, and he would ask where was the man who would not say that even a great evil ought to be sustained in order to prevent a greater. Let The Earl of Liverpool, in reviewing the Report, took the same line of argument as Lord Sidmouth, contending for the necessity of vigorous measures. Earl Grey contended generally that the existing laws were sufficient to punish both sedition and blasphemy. The Duke of Sussex observed, that he was present at the greatest part of the examinations of the rioters, and the result he had heard was this:-The whole subscription amounted to the enormous sum of ten pounds. The ammunition was contained in an old stocking; there were about 50 balls, none of which fitted the pistols, and 1lb. of powder: such was this mighty mighty plan of insurrection; but he could not allow mole. hills to be magnified into mountains. The duty of an honest man was to vote only on that side on which his conscience lies, and therefore he should sit down in voting against the measure, (Hear!) Lords Grenville and Holland spoke shortly against the Bill; and the Duke of Gloucester in support of it. The House then divided on the motion for the second reading, when it was carried in the affirmative by 150 to 35. The Bill was then read a second time, committed, reported, read a third time, and passed. In the Commons, the same day, Lord Castlereagh concluded a very long speech on the subject of the Report, by proposing the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act; secondly, to extend the provisions of the Act of 1795 to the security of the person of the Prince Regent; thirdly, to embody in one Act the provisions of the former Acts against seditious meetings in two branches: one against tumultuous meetings, and the other to regulate the debating societies, taking the provisions of the 39th of the King, against all societies administering illegal oaths, and all those bound together by secret affiliations; also to make the appointment of a delegate from one society to another a proof of their affiliation (hear!) He hesitated not to contend, that the provisions of the law ought to be permanent against aggregating societies, and trusted the House would see it made effectual. But he did not wish the law against debating societies and seditious meetings to remain in force longer than the necessity of the case; therefore he had taken a shorter period than formerly. He hoped that the sense of Parliament, and the sound and discerning part of the community, would make the prevailing absurdities fall to the ground with rapidity. Though the theories were of so absurd and disgusting a character, yet they were dangerous enough to call on Parliament to act with a vigilant and determined hand, to relieve the public mind from the bondage of desperate men, countenanced too much by the conduct of men of higher rank and importance (Hear!) They must, therefore, be prompt and efficacious. On these grounds, then, he exercised this painful act of duty arising out of the Repórt. He concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill for more effectually preventing seditious meetings. Mr. Ponsonby had concurred with the Committee in their Report, and was prepared to give his assent to all the measures, except the suspension of the Ha beas Corpus Act, to which he was decidedly adverse. Sir F. Burdett objected to all the measures proposed. It was not, he said, the Spenceans who ought to be feared, but the Expenceans in that House, that really and effectually took away the property of the people. Mr. Elliot said, that we had at present but a choice of evils; that no one would willingly go into such measures as were then before the House, but he conceived they were now called for by the necessity of the case. The point at issue he understood to be this, whether or not, when. a number of individuals pervert the rights and privileges of the Constitution to its danger, may not those rights be for a time suspended? Mr. Lamb, Sir William Garrow, the Solicitor General, and Mr. Canning, spoke at great length on the same side; they were replied to by Mr. Brougham, Sir Su→ muel Romilly, and Lord Cochrane. The motion being put, that leave be given to bring in a Bill to suppress seditious meetings, there appeared, for the motion 190; against it 14. The Bill was read a first time; as were also the several other bills, as proposed by Lord Castlereagh. Lord Cochrane moved, that a petition should be read which within ten minutes had been put into his hand. It came from an individual who was ready to prove at the bar of the House, the falsehood of certain imputations on the publick that had lately appeared in the journals as the Report of the Secret Committee. He (Lord C.) thought there could be no doubt, that allegations of this nature should be examined before the House proceeded to suspend the liberties of the country. The individual in question stated, that Lord Sidmouth knew beforehand the proposals and intentions of the parties who excited the tumult at Spafields; that certain instruments, resembling pikeheads, had been ordered, by a person in the dress of a game-keeper, to be made at the shop of one Bentley; that those instruments were nothing more nor less than spikes, for securing the head of a fish-pond against marauders; that certain police-officers had come to this same Bentley, and had ordered him to fabricate some more spikes similar to those he had made for the gamekeeper; and that these imitations, fabricated by such orders, were the pike-heads produced before the Committee of Secrecy. The petition contained much other curious matter, for the truth of which he (Lord C.) did not hold himself responsible; but he thought that it ought to be examined into, and a committee appointed for the purpose; because it would be satisfactory, that the proceedings of the House should be grounded on truth, or that, that, if the allegations contained in the petition were false, the individual who had attempted thus to impose on the House should be severely punished for his contempt of their proceedings. It appeared to him a most extraordinary circumstance, that though a private person, when accused, was allowed to exculpate himself in the best manner he could, the whole people of England should be condemned, unheard, by a selected Committee (and all knew how Committees were selected), This was so extraordinary and unjust, that he there, in his seat, protested against it; and he trusted the House would not sanction such a proceeding by its vote, when it was notorious that no serious disturbances had taken place. It was true, that a small body, calling themselves Spenceans, had meditated an attack on the property of the country; but they were not above 100 in number, even in the opinion of the Lord Mayor; that a few desperate individuals might have evil designs he had no doubt, but that the Constitution was in danger from any such wretched individuals, no one could seriously imagine. The petitioner himself, on his way to the Spa-fields meeting, met those coming from it who were said to have hired the waggon from which such inflammatory speeches had been made that it was extraordinary that the Courier should have stated those resolutions to have been made as part of the proceedings of the meeting, which were absolutely rejected by the petitioner, and which ministers were in possession of long before the meeting. It was averred in the petition, that so far from Spa-fields having been fixed on with any settled design, that Palace-yard was the place originally chosen for the meeting; from whence there could have been no design for at tacking the Bank or the Tower. The petition from Henry Hunt, of Middleton Cottage near Andover, was then read. It stated in substance, that the petitioner had been the mover of several petitions which had been favourably received by both Houses of Parliament, and of one in particular as the Spa-fields meeting, which had been received by his Royal Highness the Prince Regent; that he had lately read the Report of the Secret Committee, which, as far as he was able to disentangle it, endeavoured to show that Spa-fields had been chosen as the centre for an attack on the Bank and on the Tower; and that at the second meeting, the banners of revolution had been unfurled, and an insurrection actually begun. That pikeheads had actually been fabricated, and delegates appointed from different meetings in the country. With respect to the first allegation, the petitioner, as he could not know the thoughts of men, could say nothing; but he trusted a simple narration would remove all suspicion from those who were principally concerned in the business of the day. The petitioner, while in the country, had received a letter from Preston, requesting his attendance at a meeting to be held at Spa-fields; he wrote to know the object of the meeting, and received for answer an advertisement dated from the Carlisle Arms, and addressed to the distressed mechanics, mariners, and others of the metropolis. Petitioner hesitated not to accept the invitation, and attended the meeting: be found there a memorial ready prepared, which a stranger put into his hand. Petitioner, finding it contained propositions he could not approve, and, among others, one to lead the people to Carlton House, refused to accede to it, and moved instead, that a petition should be presented by himself to the Prince Regent. John Dyer had furnished Mr. Gifford, the magistrate, with a copy of the other resolutions, which were in the hands of Lord Sidmouth before the meeting was convened; so that whatever took place was owing to the connivance of those who knew beforehand what would be proposed. With respect to the second allegation in the Report of the Committee, there was nothing, like previous concert in the transactions of the meeting. A second day had been appointed without any decided preference, but only with a view to the probable meeting of Parliament: at that meeting the petitioner was to carry down the Prince Regent's answer to the petition that had been presented him: the petitioner had informed Lord Sidmouth of this, who, so far from making any objection, or advising petitioner not to do so, said that petitioner's presence appeared to have prevented mischief; so that his Lordship could have had no desire to prevent the meeting. The petitioner, and others connected with him, had nothing to do with the unhappy disturbances on the day of the Spa-fields meeting. He met the rioters on his way to the meeting, and proceeded to the strongest resolutions against violence and tumult; so that at a third meeting, much more numerous than either of the preceding, every thing passed off in the most orderly manner. to the pike-heads, he was ready to shew that a person of the name of Bentley had been employed by a game-keeper to make spikes for the preservation of fish in a fishpond; that the first set succeeding extremely well, more had been ordered; and that, after this, Bentley had been sent for to Bow-street, and ordered to make others similar as a copy of what he had furnished the game keeper w th. Delegates from Hampden Clubs having been mentioned, the petitioner begged to shew As that |