VOL. 62.-No. 6.] LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 5, 1827. [Price 6d. "Gentlemen, that MR. CANNING (I mention him as the CHAMPION "For 'tis their duty, all the learned think, "T' espouse the cause by which they eat and drink.". "The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his MASTER'S CRIB; and "THE CRIB." TO THE REFORMERS. Kensington, 34 May, 1827. perched side by side with TIER- L Printed and Published by WILLIAM COPPED N. 83, Fleet-street. [ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. that the two backers have not, a countenance by being present at last, the CRIB fully in their eye! the exhibition, whereupon he walkMore of this, however, when fed out of the house! have spoken of what the newspa It is, perhaps, the greatest error, pers tell us took place in the House not to call it the most flagrant of Commons on Tuesday last, the cheat, that ever was practised 1st of May, and in the House of upon mankind, to suppose, or, to Lords, on Wednesday, the 2nd of affect to suppose, that the putting May, on which two days the of silk gowns upon the backs of Houses appear to have been whol- a couple of score of lawyers; that ly engaged in hearing explana- the hoisting of three or four lawtions of the motives of the INS and yers up upon the bench; that the of the ours. The retiring Ministers putting of thirty or forty Catholic chose to assume that they had aristocrats or relatives of Boroughbeen accused of conspiring and mongers into Parliament; that caballing against the exercise of the giving the Catholic aristocracy the King's prerogative, and on a chance of getting their noses that assumption they grounded the occasionally into the King's counnecessity of coming forward to cil, privy or cabinet; that the clear themselves from the charge, putting of a dozen or fifteen Cathough nobody cared one straw tholic peers into the House of about the matter. Every one of Lords to enjoy their right of lethem, in both houses, alleged that gislation, and which they did enthey quitted the Ministry because joy, and in both Houses of Parit had at the head of it a man no- liament, too, until the foul combitoriously an advocate for that nations of the fanatics, combined which has been so long, so decep- with the Church clergy, shut them tiously and yet so ludicrously call-out of those seats in the reign ed Catholic emancipation, that of CHARLES II.: it being cuold subject of amusement to the rious, indeed, to observe, that the vulgar, that grand store of pow-Protestant Reformation was made; der to throw in the eyes of fools, was begun, continued and comthat "annual farce, " as Sir pleted through the reigns of good FRANCIS BURDETT called it about Queen BESs, the famous racking ten or twelve years ago, and to and military-law lady; and through the acting of which, as he alleged, that of JAMES I. and CHARLES I. no honest man would give his without any one ever appearing to have thought of any thing so happy kingdom! Yet, the old damnably unjust and odious as story; all this intriguing, al! this that of taking from these peers squabbling and quarrelling; all and gentlemen the possibility of this contest for power and emolusitting in the two Houses of Par- ment, all these coalitions, these liament, and that, too, merely be- splittings-up, these re-meltings and cause they and their fathers had new castings, are, as it were, by never been apostates: however, common consent of all the parties, the above are the things, which made to turn solely upon this "Catholic emancipation" would question of emancipation; and, if effect, and nothing more; and, one may judge from present apagain I say, that there never was pearances, on that question the an error, not to call it a piece of opponents of the lucky Minister cheatery, so gross as the hope that mean to found their first grand atthe accomplishment of that mea-tack upon him. In the House of sure (if accompanied with no Commons, Mr. PEEL has rested other measures) would produce, his secession solely upon this not relief, not deliverance from ground. In the House of Lords, misery, not restoration to happiness and freedom, but, the smallest portion of good, that it would add one single miserable potatoe, one single mouthful of hog-meat, and bad hog-meat, or one single rag two inches square to the food or the dress of the average of the great body of Roman Catholic subjects of the King. What a farce, then, what monstrous insincerity, or what more than monstrous folly, to pretend, as Mr. Canning's adherents pretend, that this measure is necessary to the tranquillity of Ireland, and to the safety of the "British em-which it produced is likely to be pire," as the foppish style of the of the greatest possible benefit to day calls this ancient and once the country; because I cannot four of the seceders have done the same, while Lord MELVILLE tells us that he was for Catholic Emancipation, but that he would not sit in the Cabinet, unless the others, who were against it, continued to sit there also. He was very explicit in stating this; and, if, after this, any man can have a doubt as to the real motives of the parties, the head of that man must be of a very peculiar construction. 10 I may stop here to observe that, from the bottom of my heart I do think that, let Lord MELVILLE'S motive be what it might, the act help being convinced that the (sincerely, unless it be destroyed Duke of Clarence being at the by a reformed Parliament. A rehead of the navy, being the source formed Parliament would not, if of promotion and of honour in that it were to assemble to-morrow, branch of service, on which the wish to displace the Duke of Clasafety, the greatness, the glory of rence. No appointment could the country must, finally, depend have been so proper; and, though in a great degree; I am firmly this change; this conflict of fac-. convinced, that his Royal High- tions; this general remu-menage, ness, being in this post, having no this breaking up of all combinapartialities to gratify, having, not tions, this putting an end to all the even by possibility, any interest packing, by which the people were disconnected with that of us all, both deceived and injured; though must be of the greatest import- this unexpected, and, as it were, ance, and may, perhaps, be the providential stir, which is exposcause of our being finally defended ing and will finally put in the full against those growing powers, blaze of light, so many things hiwhich are now silently towering therto closely hidden from the up, each and every of them hav-people; though I am satisfied that ing, as its ultimate view, the pul- this breaking up, this throwing of ling down of the maritime power all the elements of faction into of England. It is not likely, let the fate of Mr. CANNING be what it may, that this appointment will be overset. Here is the heir presumptive to the throne; here is a man that nobody will be disposed to displease. I look upon this appointment as permanent, as long as the Duke and his Ma- To return from this digression: jesty shall live; and, of such great the Catholic question is to be conimportance do I deem it, that, were sidered by sensible people as nothe permanence of the appoint-thing more than a mere plea, first, ment to depend on the permanence for the secession on the part of the of Mr. CANNING's power, I could Ex-Ministers, and, next, for the almost wish that power to be per- coalition on the part of the stragmanent too, and I do wish it most glers from the Whigs, who have confusion, will finally lead to events more important than any one seems to anticipate, I should hail it as the great blessing to the country, were it, in the end, to have been found to produce nothing but this appointment of the Duke of CLARENCE. |