What adds to the curiosity of the lived all my life as free as a bird in the thing is, that I never have wished to woods; who have never been thwarted possess any public power of any sort, in my will by any-body, and who have except that of being in Parliament, and never had on my shoulders responsibility that wish arose from a desire to assist in to any living soul; who value not effecting a Parliamentary Reform I wealth, who cannot gain a particle of cannot but know the prodigious difficul- fame, who despise the very thought of ties that must surround a man who shall possessing what are called honours and now undertake to assist in putting the dignities, and who would not pass affairs of this great and troubled country one evening amongst the guttlers and to rights. I know well that my thir-gossippers and spitters and belchers of teen propositions, which Lord WYN- the boozing-ken of Bellamy, even on FORD (I think they call him), who was condition of thereby adding five years once the renowned SERJEANT BEST, to the length of my life; can I, for my lamented that he had lost, and therefore own sake, sigh after a seat in the Parlia could not read them to the House, and ment? which I will subjoin to this letter, that Yet, what a fuss, what a contriving, the late Serjeant may have them another what a plotting, to keep me out of that time; I know, my Lord, that these hole of candle-light confusion, to sit in thirteen propositions must be adopted which, more than one session by candleto the very letter, or that the discontent light, would demand a motive much after the reform will be even greater stronger than I can at this moment than it is at this moment. And am I, conceive! What an intriguing, what a of all men in the world, so stupid as not plotting, what a prosecuting, by both to perceive the great difficulties attend-the parties; and what terrible calamiing that adoption? Am I so short-ties to this our country! And, at once sighted as not to foresee the turmoil horrible and ludicrous as is the thought, which will arise in consequence? Do I verily believe that, at last, both parties I know so little of mankind as not to would prefer a going upon the rocks to be aware, that he who inflicts present the seeing of me in that Parliament, in evil on a comparative few, is sure to which I do not want to be, but to go find but weak apologists in the many, into which I will never decline, if any on whom he is bestowing future and body of electors shall freely, and of permanent good? Do I not know, their own accord, choose me to be the that reproaches follow the knife of the representative of their will; and in which surgeon, though it be necessary to the Parliament the nobility, if they had had saving of life? Can I behold in pros- common sense, would have taken care pect, as I do, as clearly as I behold the to have me long and long ago, seeing paper on which I am writing, swarms that, while I would not have suffered of clamorous pensioners, sinecure peo-them to take one penny unjustly out of ple, retired-allowance people, discarded the pockets of the people, I would not commissioners, dead-weight people, by have suffered them to be despoiled by thousands upon thousands, growling loan-mongers and Jews; always having fundholders, and dependents of all been convinced, as I still am, that an these, swarming like locusts upon the banks of the Nile, and all directing a good share, at least, of their reproaches towards me: can I behold all this, and behold, at the same time, the delivered the freed, the benefited, the happy nation, leaving me to bear the reproaches as well as I can: can I behold all this, and, still possessing my senses, embark in the perilous concern as on a party of pleasure? Can I, who have aristocracy of title and of privilege, when kept within due and constitutional bounds, brings none of that oppression upon the working people which is always brought upon them by a damned aristocracy of money. I have, thus, my Lord, very frankly, and, I trust, with becoming respect, offered you, my opinion upon a subject deeply interesting to those industrious and laborious millions to whom our country chiefly owes its greatness. I am fully persuaded, that it is your individual wish to act justly towards them; glebes; and, for the rest, leave and that you may have the resolution 5. To take all the rest of the property, to give effect to that wish, or to appeal from your opponents to the people, is the anxious desire of one who has never had any ambition other than that of seeing his country the greatest and the happiest in the world. I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient Fand most humble servant, P.S. The following are the 13 pro- 1. To put an end to all pensions, sine- reduce all salaries to the American 7. 2. To discharge the standing army, ex cept such part of the ordnance and 3. To make the counties, each accord ing to its whole number of mem- 4. To abolish tithes of every descrip tion; to leave to the clergy the 8. commonly called church-property; To cease, during the first six months To divide the proceeds of all the pro- 9. To abolish all internal taxes (except the same day, and in such manner as to cost in the collection, or, rather, payment, not more than four hundred pounds a year in any one county; to make the rate and amount of this tax vary with the wants of the state, always taking care to be amply provided with means in case of war, when war shall be demanded by the safety, the interest, or the honour of the kingdom. 10. To lay just as much custom-house duty on importations as shall be found conducive to the benefit of the navigation, commerce, and manufactures of the kingdom, viewed as a whole, and not to lay on one penny more. Now, my Lord GREY, here, at any 11. To make effectual provision, in rate, there is nothing of an abstract every department, for the main-nature; nothing theoretic, nothing tenance of a powerful navy; to dark, nothing covert. This is what I give such pay and such an allot- would do, if I could have my will; and ment of prize-money to the sea- if I were a member of Parliament, and man as to render impressment found that this, the whole of this, could wholly unnecessary; to abolish the not be obtained by the Parliament, I odious innovation of naval acade- would quit the concern as soon as I had mies, and re-open the door of pro-ascertained this to be the fact; as soon motion to skill and valour, whether as I had ascertained that the people had found in the heirs of nobles, or in the sons of the loom or of the plough; to abolish all military Orders, and to place the navy next in honour to the throne itself. 12. To make a legal, a fixed, and a generous allowance to the King, and, through him, to all the branches and members of his family; to leave to him the unshackled freedom of appointing all his servants, whether of his household or of his public ministry; to leave to him the full control over his palaces, gardens, and parks, as land-owners have over their estates; to take care that he be not worried : with intrigues to purloin from him that which the people give him for his own enjoyment; so that he may be, in all respects, what the Chief of a free people ought to be, his name held in the highest honour, and his person held sacred, as the great guardian of the people's rights. chosen men not ready to do all this; or, at least, as soon as I had ascertained that the people would again choose such men. I would not consent to be the representative of any body of persons who would not pledge themselves most solemnly to support me in my endeavours to accomplish all this. And, further, I would accept of the post only on the condition that I should be at liberty to vacate it if I chose, at the end of one session, if the Parliament continued the shameful practice of sitting by candlelight, and under the same roof where there are an eating house and a boozing place. I will never sit, for any length of time, amongst "legislators," who drop in one after another, or half a score at a time, belching, and picking their teeth. In such a scene, how can attention and reflection exist? From such a scene sober thought is excluded by the laws of nature. From the fumes of port and sherry and grog and brown-stout and tobacco; from the spattering of the frying-pan and the hissing of the grid13. To make an accurate valuation of iron, wisdom fees as men flee from a all the houses, lands, mines, and other real property, in each county in the whole kingdom; to impose a tax upon that property, to be paid quarterly, and in every county on pestilence. To account for so great a country being brought to the state in which this now is, after ages will only want to be informed that its legislators lounged away the morning in bed, and off against the Catholics, has now recoiled on the Protestant Bishops!' I wonder how he of Exeter felt, while the transactions, which are related by the Chronicle as follows, were going on! I wonder whether, when surrounded in his palace by SOLDIERS, he thought of Lord Grey's advice to the bishops, to put their house in order! held their deliberations in the night- and thrown over into his own garden! time, under the same roof with a guttling He of Bristol was absent, when his and guzzling house, and that, on an palace was burnt; or he might have average, a fourth, or a third, of them experienced something more serious. were eating or drinking, at the very Instead of GUY FAWKES, who has, for moment that laws affecting the pro- more than 200 years, been annually perty, the liberty, the life of millions burnt in effigy on the 5th of Nowere under discussion. This is all that vember, the Bishops have been burnt after-ages will want to know about the this year! What a change! How causes that produced a state of things that lie, that infamous lie, which has such as that which now exists in Eng-for more than 200 years, been played land. To a body of men leading such lives and addicted to such manners, no motive, not much more powerful than I can have an idea of, would induce me to belong any longer than the time sufficient to enable me to ascertain that no change in their manners was to be reasonably expected. So that the renowned OLD SERJEANT need not be very uneasy about the danger to be "This city has been in a constant apprehended from my being in Parlia- "state of alarm for several days past, ment. Those who have the power of" in consequence of the vast influx of choosing members of Parliament gene- strange ill-looking fellows, and as it rally look for a little coaxing; and" was well known to the authorities none will anybody ever get from me. "that it was the intention of certain It will be service for me to bestow, and " parties to burn the effigy of the not a favour for me to receive. I have," Bishop, an officious little Tory with the rest of the people, an interest" Alderman, the Bishop's secretary, and in the general happiness of the nation;" several other obnoxious characters, on but I have none but a common interest; "the 5th of November, it was greatly and there is no moral obligation on me "feared this scene would be taken adto submit, for the sake of the general vantage of by the ill-looking fellows good, to endure the breath of the "who were lurking about the city in belchers from Bellamy's, who have, I" parties of six and eight; accordingly am told, even a “smoking room!” All the Mayor sent to Plymouth for a this must be changed, or there can be no regiment of soldiers, but none could good arise from reform. At any rate," be spared. All the inhabitants were it shall be changed, or I will have no- requested to be sworn in as special thing to do with it for more than one "constables, and as that force would session. So that, again I say, OLD SER-"only be adequate to protect the city, JEANT BEST may make himself pretty "four regiments of yeomanry cavalry easy on account of me. THE BISHOPS. were quartered in the barracks to de"fend the county jail and bridewell. "So affrighted were many of the wealthy inhabitants, that they re"moved their plate and valuables, proPRETTY generally these " successors "vided themselves with fire-arins, and of the Apostles," as they call them-" fortified their houses in every possible selves, have been hanged and burnt in" way. The long-dreaded 5th of Noeffigy, since the rejection of the Reform "vember came, and the morning, as Bill He of WINCHESTER Was, as the usual, was ushered in with a merry newspapers told us, hanged, on the top" peal on the parish bells, firing of of the market-house, just opposite his "cannon, &c. The day passed off palace, at Faruham; afterwards burnt," quietly, and, in the evening, the usual 66 66 "display of fire-works took place; past twelve, when the whole Palace "but the spectators were comparatively was set in commotion by a few idle "few; no move was made to burn the boys rolling a burning tar-barrel to"effigy of the Bishop, &c., till eleven" wards the Palace, which was supposed "o'clock at night, when a large body "to be the signal for its demolition: "of determined fellows made their ap- "but it was only done to frighten and "pearance in the Cathedral-yard with "make a deeper impression on the "the effigy of the poor Bishop, mitred" mind of the Bishop, of what might be "and lawn-sleeved, &c., also a large "the consequence of a second act of "quantity of faggots; a temporary" hostility towards the people. The "gallows was soon erected, and the boys continued their course down a pious scaramouch was soon hoisted" street towards the river, which soon upon the gibbet. Its appearance was quenched the tar-barrel, and dissipated "ridiculously emblematical of this" the fears of the Bishop, the Tory Lord "notorious hater of liberty and re- "Rolle, and others assembled in the form. The head was composed of "Palace, to support the drooping spirits a hollow turnip, with a candle in the" of the holy and right rev. Father in centre, in which were cut the nose "God, whose compunction of conscience "and mouth, but no eyes-showing," they had serious apprehension would "that though the head possessed light, urge him to apply one of the loaded "the bishop was blind to the past and" muskets to his head, and blow out 66 present scenes around him. The fag-" the small portion of brains his skull gots being adjusted, they were set fire" contained. Soon after burning the to, and the light soon discovered the " effigy of the Bishop, the assembled "vitals, composed of the liver and lights" multitude separated, quietly went to "of a sheep, and a heart one mass of "their homes, and up to the present "corruption, which the flames soon time, Monday morning, there has not "devoured, with the hollow head," been a single committal for riot or mitre, and lawn sleeves, of one of" disturbance. I again repeat, much "the twenty-four enemies of reform," credit is due to the Mayor for fore"and withholders of the people's just" sight, determination, and coolness, in "rights; all this was done in the "permitting the effigy to be burnt, which "Cathedral-yard, in full sight of the "could not have been prevented without "Palace. Had any attempt been made "bloodshed. Will the liberty-hating Tories "to prevent this innocent ebullition of "now dare to say there is a re-action in re"public indignation, I have no doubt" form in Devon, and especially in this many lives would have been lost," city, which till lately has been com"and we should have had a second" pletely under their thraldom? It has "Bristol affair. Much credit is due to "thrown off its shackles, and the people "the Mayor in permitting the people" are now as free as the air they breathe. "to vent their indignant feeling (created" An anti-reform petition has been "by the late blind, obstinate, and wicked" hawked about the city for the last "conduct of the bishops) on this effigy "week past; and notwithstanding the "of a man who can never reclaim his " Tories have had the meanness to get "character but by voting for reform" upwards of thirty people to sign it "when the bill is next brought before" under the pretence of its being in "the House of Lords. The bonfire" favour of reform, and several other "and effigy being consumed, the assem- poor creatures at sixpence a-head, still "bled multitude, which was composed only forty-three individuals of the "of many thousands, gave three groans "lowest class have disgraced them"for the bishops and Tories, and nine" selves by signing it. No sooner had "hearty cheers for the cause of reform." the affrighted inhabitants of this city "The Bishop's Palace was filled with "recovered themselves on Sunday, than "armed soldiers, who kept guard all an alarm was created, about two "night. Nothing occurred until half- o'clock by the galloping of the yeo |