and a 686 The man state of General Excelman's case, as given" riff Court. During the whole expoeven in the Morning Chronicle itself, how " sure, they were assailed not only with is it possible to acquit the writer in that" filth but with stones. The man, who Journal of a base and malicious calumny "seemed at first to treat his punishment as against the French Government, when he" a joke, was particularly aimed at, and denominates its proceedings "oppression," must have received much bodily hurt. "renewed system of Lettres de "The woman, however, did not wholly"Cachet?"-It is not my wish to advocate". escape. From the blood on her cap, she the conduct of the present Rulers of France," seemed to have been wounded on the or to attach blame to the individual who head. The stones were thrown chiefly, has incurred their displeasure. The charge" if not entirely, by a party of lads stapreferred by the former may be unfounded. “tioned near the new building erecting on The latter, of course, must be innocent. — "the site of the old gaol. When the hour But it is not necessary that either of these" was elapsed, the disgraceful business did points should be established, to shew that "not terminate. There were those among the proceedings against the General me-" the mob who thought the sport far too rited the harsh terms by which they have" fine to be given up so soon. been described by the Chronicle. In this "was, according to their jargon, put land of liberty, where the Habeas Corpus, through the mill.' He was cuffed and as Gordon says, 66 secures, at least rescues, kicked, and knocked down and raised up, "from all wanton and oppressive impri-" at the pleasure of the by-standers. În "sonment," numbers of persons are neces- "the Candleriggs-street, to which the mob sarily arrested, and even imprisoned, who it" moved, he was thrown into a cart, whose afterwards turns out are entirely innocent." driver for some time drove him along, We have cach known individuals, for rea-humouring the amusement; but, finding sons of State, kept in close custody, with-" that neither himself nor his horse escaped out any suspension of the Habeas Corpus." the punishment meant for the old man, he Would we not call that man a knave, or "loosed his cart, and tumbled him out on a fool, who would charge our Government "the street. In the course of the fray he with oppression for sanctioning those pro-" was repeatedly raised shoulder-high, and ceedings? What, then, are we to think" exhibited in his grey-hairs, torn garof the Editor of such a paper as the Morn-“ments, and swollen features, a most pitiing Chronicle, when we see him bringing "able spectacle. At length he was rea similar charge against the French Go-" scued by the exertions of the Police, and vernment, who appear to have acted a part "taken to the office in Albion-street." not more reprehensible than ours? Is it possible, as I asked before, to acquit such a man of wanton and deliberate malice?-exhibited in London, within these few Your's, &c. January 4, 1815. THE PILLORY. JUSTITIA. MR. COBBETT,—I should like to be informed why our neighbours the Scotch, who have been so long celebrated for their liberality of sentiment, and so far famed for their hospitality, should have degenerated so much of late years, as to permit the following disgraceful affair, (the account of which has appeared in all our newspapers) to be transacted amongst them: 66 That scenes, no less savage and barbarous than those described above, have been years, no one will pretend to deny ; but that they should exist in Scotland, the seat of learning, where " pure and undefiled religion" has more professors than any where else, and where we ought to look for a more distinguished display of its humane and benevolent effects; that such a spectacle should be witnessed, at this time of day, in such a country, is a phenomenon well deserving the attention of those who feel interested in the cultivation of public morals, and in the improvement of cur criminal code. I question much, whether in all Europe, even in “demoralized” France "BRUTAL BEHAVIOUR.-Wednesday, itself, an instance can be produced where "between one and two o'clock, William popular fury has been permitted to dis"Coil and Elizabeth Roberts, his wife, charge itself with such marks of ferocity, "stood in the pillory at the cross of Glas- as in the case of the hoary-headed wretch gow, for Wilful Perjury, of which who was given up by the Magistrates of they were lately convicted at the She-Glasgow to be cuffed, kicked, and knocked UNIVERSITY OF Oxford. down, all for the "amusement" of the "observance" Much as has been done of pious and hospitable inhabitants of that late towards ameliorating our criminal highly cultivated and enlightened city!!! law, there still remains a vast accumulation The pillory is evidently a vestige of that of abuse and error, which it will require feudal barbarism which formerly overspread more than ordinary exertion and talent to Europe; and although it is not now at overcome. Those to whom the country is tended, as then, with the painful infliction already indebted for many excellent reof having the ears nailed to the instrument forms in our criminal code, will have of disgrace, or the cheek branded with a much to combat, in the way of prejudice, hot irou, it is a punishment that must, in before they can accomplish all they propose. many cases, be worse than death, when But as they have already experienced the the culprit, through a mistaken policy, is beneficial advantages of perseverance, they left to the mercy of an infuriated mob.- may pretty safely calculate, that as long as It would be difficult, I think, to point out they continue to keep the object steadily the wisdom of that law, which leaves the in view, they need be under no apprehendegree of punishment of a criminal to be sions as to the result.-Yours, &c. determined, and inflicted, by the multitude, BENEVOLUS. who neither know, or are capable of justly appreciating, the offence with which he is charged. The case of the man at Glasgow was no doubt of a very aggravated nature. But are all persons condemned to the pillory of the same description? Have we not had that sentence put in execution for mere matters of opinion? and can it se- It is true that a room is now fitting up riously be said that any person thus situated in the prison for sick persons, but this ought to be consigned to the lands of a room will not contain more than four beds, set of unprincipled ruffians, to be kicked which is a very inadequate accommodation. and cuffed, as long as they please, for their As the University Officers are at this time amasement? Why should not the law endeavouring to apprehend all the prostiexplicitly define and apportion the degree tutes who are ill of a certain disease, the of punishment belonging to each offence? prison, should the winter be severe, wil Why should so glaring a proof of its inef- present a scene of more than usual mifcacy be permitted for one moment to scry. The writer will feel himself much exist? Where our national character is obliged to any resident Member of the so much involved, and the rights of huma- University of Cambridge, who will favou nity so deeply implicated, it surely would him, through the medium of your REGISTER, be no disgrace if our legislators would with a full and accurate account of the eexert themselves to get a practice abolish-thod, pursued there with respect to these ed, which, on all occasions, would be unfortunate women. more honoured in the breach than in the Oxford, Jan. 2, 1315. SIR,-You will much oblige the writer of the letter which appeared in your last REGISTER on the subject of the Oxford prison, by inserting the following Postscript to it : Printed and Published by J. MORTON, 94, Strand, VOL. XXVII. No. 2.] LONDON, SATURDAY, JAN. 14, 1815. [Price 1s. 331 TO MR. JOHN CARTWRIGHT, THE IMPLACABLE ENEMY OF TYRANNY. ON THE Peace between England and America. Botley, January 9, 1815. DEAR SIR,-Before I proceed to the proposed subject of this Letter, I think it right just to notice, that I have, in addressing you now, omitted the addition of Esq. at the end of your name. It is become high time for us, and all those who think as we do, to partake, in no degree whatever, in this sort of foolery, especially when we ale writing, or speaking, upon the subject of a peace, which has been made with a nation, whose Chief Magistrate never pretends to any title above that of "fellow"citizen," which he shares in common with all the people of the free and happy country, at the head of whose Government he has been placed by the unbought votes of his fellow-citizens." In my former Letter I stated, as clearly as I was able consistent with brevity, the real cause of the war; and also the real causes of its continuance after the European peace. I shall now endeavour to state clearly the real causes of the peace; and then we shall come to those consequences, which, I think, we shall find to be of the utmost importance to the cause of freedom all over the world. a The peace has been produced by various causes. When Napoleon had been put down, this country was drunk with exultaan. The war with America was geneally looked upon as the mere sport of month or two. Our newspapers published reports of speeches, or pretended speeches (for it is the same thing in effect), in which the orators scoffed at the idea of our having any trouble in subduing a people, with two or three thousand miles of sea-coast, defend ed by raw militia, and by “half a dozen fir "frigates, with bits of striped bunting at "their mast heads." This phrase will be long remembered. One of our Orators called the Americans, as he had before [34 called the Reformers," a low and degraded "crew," having amongst them " no honour "able distinctions ;" and he expressed his pleasure, that they were, as he said, fighting on the side of our enemy. They were, in his eyes, so contemptible, that he was glad we had them for enemies, and especially, as, in their chastisement, republicanism would be humbled in the dust, if not wholly destroyed. Such were the sentiments of the greater, part of the nation, at the time when the Kings and Potentates of Germany paid us a visit, and when the "Bits of Striped Bunting" were seen reversed under the Royal flag on the Serpentine River. There had, indeed, occurred, before that time, events, which, one would have hoped, would have checked this contemptuous way of thinking. The defeat and capture of the Guerricre, the Macedonian, the Java, the Peacock, and divers other smaller ships of war, by that Republic, whose very name we affected to despise, might have been expected to create a doubt, at least, of our power to annihilate the Republic in any very short space of time. But the nation had been cheated here, too, by the corrupt press, who persuaded them, that all these losses arose from causes other than those of the skill and valour of the Republicans. At one time, it was superior numbers; at another, heavier metal; at another, our own seamen inveigled into the Republican ships. This delusion was kept up for two years, until the incursion in the Chesapeake seemed to have closed the scene; and, you will bear in mind, that, at that time, it was the almost universal opinion, that our Regent would soon send out his Viceroy to Washington City. It was even at this very moment, however, that the tide began to turn. The gallant little army of Republicans, on the Niagara frontier, hal before proved, at Chippawa, that they were made of the same stuff that composed their ancestors; and, at Fort Erie, they now gave a second most signal proof of the same kind.While these never-surpassed acts of deve same time; the land army met, as far as it went, with a very gallant resistance, though it behaved, on its part, with equal gallantry; and Mr. Macomb must, in all probability, have yielded, in time, to a force so greatly superior, if the attack by water had not been frustrated. But on the water side, the Republican Commodore Macdonough, though his force was inferior to ours, and has been so stated in the official dispatch of Sir George Prevost himself, not only defeated our fleet, but captured the whole of the ships, one of which was of 36 guns, while the largest of the Republican ships was of no more than 26 guns! The Governor-General, seeing the fate of the fleet, knowing that the taking of the fort after that would only lead to a speedy retreat from it, and fearing the consequences of an attack on his way back to Canada, raised the siege, and hastened back towards Montreal with all imaginable speed, pursued by the little Republican tion to country were performing on the borders of Lakes Ontario and Erie, Lake Champlain exhibited a spectacle, which struck with wonder all the Continent of Emope, and which, in fact, astounded every man of sense here, who had before clamoured for the war. It is true, that this was only a repetition of the scene, exhibited the year before on Lake Erie, where, with an inferior number of men and guns, the Republican Commodore Perry had beaten and actually captured, the whole of our fleet under Commodore Barclay; but, all eyes were at that time fixed on the Continent of Europe. The expected fall of Napoleon, and the real victories over him, made the loss on Lake Erie (a loss of immense importance, as is now seen) to be thought nothing of. Our great object then was, Napoleon. Him once subdued, the Republic, it was thought, would be done for in a trice. To suppose, that she would be able to stand against us, for any length of time, appeared, to most men, perfectly ri-army, and leaving behind him, as the Rediculous. A far greater part of the nation thought that it was our army who had put down Napoleon. Indeed, the Commander of them was called, "the conqueror of "France;" and, it was said, that a part of the Conquerors of France, sent to America, would, in a few months, "reduce" the country. publicans state, immense quantities of stores, ammunition, &c. besides great numbers of prisoners and deserters. They may have exaggerated in these their accounts, but the Canada newspapers stated that 150 of our men deserted; and, which is a thing never to be forgotten, our Ministers have never published in the Gazette Sir George Prevost's account of his memorable retreat, though they have published his dispatches relating to all the movements of the army before and after that retreat. A part of them were, accordingly, sent thither; and now we are going to view their exploits against the Republicans on the borders of Lake Champlain. The Governor-General of Canada, Sir George Prevost, having received the reinforce- This blow did, in fact, decide the quesments from France, invaded the Republic tion of war, or peace. There was much at the head of 14,000 men, with five blustering about it here; it was affected Major-Generals under him, four troops of to treat the thing lightly; the Times, and Dragoons, four companies of Royal Artil- other venal newspapers, represented it as a lery, one brigade of Rocketeers, one bri- mere trifling occurrence, which would soon gade of Royal Sappers and Miners. The be overbalanced by sweeping victories on first object was to dislodge the Republicans our part. But upon the back of this came from Fort Moreau, near the town of the brilliant success of the Republicans in Plattsburgh, on the edge of the Lake, repulsing our squadron, and burning one about 15 miles within the boundary line of our ships before Fort Mobille, in the Gulph the Republic. In this fort were 1,500 of Mexico; and thus, while we had to Republican regulars, and no more, and vaunt of our predatory adventures against 6,000 volunteers and militia from the the city of Washington, the town of States of Vermont and New York, under Alexandria, and the villages of Frenchthe command of a very gallant and accom- town and Stonington, the fame of the Replished citizen, named Macomb, a Briga-publican arms, by land as well as sca, dier-General in the Republican service While Sir George Prevost attacked the fort by land, Commodore Downie, with his fleet, was to attack it by water. The attack, on both sides, commenced at the Tilcounts. sounded in every ear and glowed in every heart, along the whole extent of the sixteen hundred miles which lie between Canada and the Mexican Gulph. In Europe these events produced a pre In the meanwhile, the Ministers, previous to their knowledge of the battles of Chippawa, Fort Erie, Plattsburgh, Lake Champlain, and Fort Mobille, had put forward, at Ghent, very high pretensions. They had proposed, as a SINE QUA NON, they expulsion of the Republicans from a considerable portion of their territory, in behalf of the savages in alliance with us; they had demanded, though not as a sine qua non, the surrender of the Lakes to our King, even with the prohibition to the Americans to erect fortifications on the borders which would remain to them; they had demanded a line of communication between Quebec and our territories east of the Penobscot, through the territories of the Republic. The American Negociators declined any discussion of these conditions, until they should receive instructions from their Government; alledging, and very justly, that this was the first time that any such grounds of war, or dispute, had been mentioned by us. digious sensation. Those who wished to those taxes, the existence of which dependsee a check given to the all-predominanted on the duration of the war. naval power of England, rejoiced at them; and every where they excited and called forth admiration of the Republicans. There had been, during the struggle on the Continent, no leisure to contemplate the transatlantic contest; but it now became an object of universal attention; and Europe, so long accustomed to regard English naval invincibility, when the force on both sides was equal, or nearly equal, as a thing received and universally admitted, was surprised beyond expression at the undeniable proof of the contrary. The world was now called on to witness the combat between England and America single-handed. The former was at the summit of power and glory; she had captured or destroyed almost all the naval force in Europe; those powers who had any naval force left were her allies, and were receiving subsidies from her; she had an army of regulars of 200,000 men, flushed with victory; she had just marched part of this army through the heart of France herself; she had a thousand ships of war afloat, commanded by men who never dreamt of defeat. This was the power that now waged war, singlehanded, against the only Republic, the only Commonwealth, remaining in the world. The friends of freedom, who were not well acquainted with America, had been trembling for her. They did not seem to entertain any hopes of her escape. They thought it scarcely possible, that she should, with her Democratical Government and her handful of an army, without officers and without stores, resist England even for a year single-handed; and they saw no power able if willing, or willing if able, to lend the Republic the smallest de-In short, it was now clearly seen, that the gree of assistance. Government of the Republic was equal to a time of war as well as to a time of peace; that we had to carry on a contest, at 3,000 miles distance, against a brave, free, and great nation; and that the aristocratical faction, on whom some men had depended for aid, were sneaking off into pitiful subterfuges, afraid any longer to shew a hankering after our cause. These demands having been transmitted to the President, he, instead of listening to them, laid them before the Congress, with an expression of his indignation at them; and in this feeling he appeared only to have anticipated his fellow-citizens throughout the country, with the exception of a handful of aristocratical intriguers in the State of Massachusetts. New and vigorous measures were adopted for prosecuting the war. The Congress hastened on Bills for raising and paying soldiers and sailors; for making the militia more efficient; for expediting the building of ships; erecting fortifications; providing floating batteries, But when the battles of Lake Champlain were announced; and when it was seen by ae President's Message to his fellow-citizens of the Congress, that the Republican Government marched on with a firm step, and had resolved not to yield one single point to our menaces, or our attacks, a very different view of the contest arose. The English nation, which had been exult- In this state of things; with this proing in the idea of giving the Yankeys "aspect before them, the Ministers wisely redrubbing," began to think, that the undertaking was not so very easy to execute; and seeing no prospect of an end to the war and its expences, they began to cry ant for the abolition of the greatest of solved to abandon their demands, and to make peace, leaving things as they stood before the war. The Opposition, who had pledged themselves to the support of the war upon the old ground, that is to say, |