Wel. Good, Nelson, good. He continued- Having the capital in my hands would have produced a wonderful effect. Nel. Capital, capital! no doubt it would, a most wonderful effect; Bonny at St. James's, King George and Pitt in Newgate! Wonderful effect! England declared a province of France! John Bull existing by the grace of Bonny, and I suppose Jerome made King of Scotland, and Joe placed over Paddy. It would have produced a wonderful effect indeed, Bonny. Wel. Yes, yes, Nelson, no doubt about that. He thus went on-After the treaty with Amiens, I also would have made a good peace with England, whatever you ministers may say, I was always ready to conclude a peace upon terms equally advantageous to both. Nel. Hear, hear, Wel. I proposed to perform a commercial treaty, by which for a million of English manufactured or colonial produce taken by France, England should take a million of French goods in return. Nel. Well, that seems fair. Wel. This was thought a heinous crime by your ministers, who reprobated in the most violent manner my presumption in having made such a proposal; I would both have made aud kept a fair peace, but your ministers always refused to make one on equal terins, and wished to persnade the world that I was the violater of the treaty of Amiens. Nel. That was the impression in England. Wel. The historian snys-The peace of Amiens, like that of Campo-Formio, turned out a mere armistee; it was signed in the midst of mutual suspicion, and the audacious ambition of the Freneh government, from the very day of its ratification, accumulated the elements of an inevitable rupture. Nel. That was my opinion. Wel. When the English government remonstrated against any of the daring invasions of the rights of independent nations, or crafty enlargements by diplomatic means of the power of France, by which this period of peace was distinguished. Buonaparte could always reply that the cabinet of St. James's, on their part, had not yet fulfilled one article of the treaty of Amiens by placing Malta in the keeping of some power which had been neutral in the preceding war. The rejoinder was obvious, namely, that Napoleon was every day taking measbres wholly inconsistent with that balance of power which the treaty of Amiens contemplated. Nel. Yes, I remember. Wel. It is not to be denied that he, in his audaciously ambitious movements, had contrived to keep within the strict terms of the treaty. Nel. I understand. Wel And it can as little be disputed that the English cabinet had equity with them, although they violated the letter of the law, in their retention of the inheritance of the Knights of St. John. Nel. Just so. Wel. The feelings of the rival nations, however, were soon kindled into rage; and on either side of the channel, the language of the public prints assumed a conplexion of even more bitter violence than had been observable during the war. Nel. Such was the case; did not Bonny prosecute some one in an English court of law for a libel? Wel. He did. A royalist emigrant named Peltier. Nel. And he gave Bonny a pelting. Wel. He did, a most severe one; he published a newspaper in the French language, in London, and in spite of all the advice which could be offered, he at length condescended to prosecute the author in an English court of law. Nel. Ha, ha, Bonny in the King's Bench. Wel. Peltier had the good fortune to retain as his counsel- Attorneys' Certificates-Conveyances, &c.; without a wrapper, 1d. Receipts Apprenticeship Indentures-Debentures for Drawbacks-Policies for Assurance-Scrip CertificatesJus Published, price 2d. fine paper, with wrapper, THE NEW STAMP ACT, shewing the New Duties on Wel. He did (afterwards Sir James Mackintosh,) an advocate of most brilliant talents, and moreover especially distinguished for its support of the original principles of the French revolution. Nel. Hear, hear, Wel. On the trial which ensued Mr. Mackintosh delivered a philippic against the personal character and ambitious measures of Buonaparte, immeasureably more calculated to injure the chief consul in public opinion throughout Europe than all the efforts of a thousand newspapers. Nel. No doubt of it. Wel. And though the jury found Peltier guilty of libel, the result was, on the whole, a signal triumph to the party of whom he had been the organ. Nel. It was so; this was a very imprudent step on the part of Bonny; and if my memory is correct, before M. Pettier could be called up for judgment, war broke out. Wel. Yes. The historian says, Buonaparte had, perhaps, some right to complain of the unbridled abuse of the British press. But the British government had a far more serious cause of reclamation against him. Nel. Yes, yes; his consuls. Wel. Just so. Under pretence of establishing French consuls, for the protection of commerce, ne sent persons, chiefly of military profession, who carried orders to make exact plans of all the harbours and coasts of the United Kingdom. Nel. Treacherous! but they were soon discovered. Wel. Yes, and sent back the French without ceremony; this was a plain symptom of warlike preparation. Nel. Just so. But go on with St. Helena. Wel. Buonaparte was asked who were the contrivers of the infernal machine? He replied-They were employed by the Count D * * and sent over by Pitt, in Engiish ships, and furnished with English money. Nel. Pitt, indeed; he had no more to do with the infernal machine than I had. No, no, messmate, it was the infernal ambition of Buonaparte, that brought out the infernal machine. It was the honest Republicans of France that sought his destruction. Bonny dug his own pit if ever a man did. Wel. Truly so. Although your * * * did not actually suborn them, they knew what they were going to execute, and furnished them with the means. Nel. Nonsense, Bonny, nonsense. Wel. I do not believe, he continued, that Louis wasprivy to it. Nel. No, I should think not. Wel. He was asked if he aimed at universal dominion? Nel. I suppose he did not "own the soft impeachment." Wel. No. He replied-No, my intention was to make France greater than any other nation, but universal dominion I did not aim at. Nel. Oh! oh! Wel. For example, it was not my intention to have passed the Alps. Wel. I purposed when I had a second son Nel. A second! heaven forbid, or by Jove, messmate, we should have had war till the "crack of doom." Wel. Yes, quite possible. Which I had reason to hope for, to have made him King of Italy, with Rome for his capital. Nel. Go it, Bonny, dotting out kingdoms for his unborn, had he have had a twenty-second son, I have no doubt Bonny would have established them all in the Royalty ilne. Yes, yes, he was a perfect manufacturer of Kings, Wholesale! Retail! and for Exportation! Wel. Ha, ha. Uniting all Italy, Naples, and Sicily into one kingdom, and putting Murat out of Naples. He was asked, if he would have given another kingdom to Murat? To be continued. FROM THE TOMB . PAUL'S -SEVENTH PART PATTIE, CHRISTOPHER COURT, ST. MARTIN'S AND SOLD BY M. A. PATTIE, 110, SHOE LANE, FLEET STREET. PRICE ONE PENNY. THIRTY-SEVENTH ᏢᎪᎡᎢ . A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TOMB. NELSON AND WELLINGTON, OVERHEARD AT ST. PAUL'S. Nelson. Ah! what did he say? Wellington. Oh, replied he, that would have been easily settled. Wel. If, said he, I was at the head of affairs in England, I would devise some means of paying off the national debt; I would appropriate to that purpose the whole of the church livings, except a tenth, always excepting those whose incomes were moderate, in a manner that the salary of the highest amongst the clergy should not exceed eight hundred or a thousand a year. Nel. Hear, hear! I've no doubt Bonny would have pulled over the stalls; he was the man to brush out the augean stables, either lay or clerical. Wel. He continued-What business have those priests with such enormous incomes? Nel. Hear, hear, hear! Wel. They should follow the directions of Jesus Christ, who ordered, that as pastors to the people, they should set an example of moderation, humanity, virtue, and poverty; instead of wallowing in riches, luxury, and sloth. Nel. Bravo, Bonny! stand up for the working clergy; really, messmate, with your immense power, you had a splendid opportunity of rooting out the abominations of the church, and doing an act of justice to the working clergy. Wel. You are not aware, Nelson, of the power I should have had to contend against. Nel. Yes, but your cause would have been a just one; you would have had the entire country to second you. However, you let the opportunity slip; so bear on, Wel. In Cambray, before the revolution, two-thirds of all the lands belonged to the church, and a fourth in most other provinces of France.— Nel. Hear. hear! Wel. I would appropriate to a similar purpose all sinecures, except those enjoyed by men who had rendered most eminent services to the state. Nel. Bravo, Bonny, bravo! Wel. And indeed, even those might be rewarded, by giving them some office in which they would be obliged to do something. Nel. Very good. Wel. If you emancipated the Catholics, Nel. I think you told me, in this respect, you did act on Bonny's advice. Wel. Yes. They would readily pay an immense sum towards liquidating the national debt. Nel. Not they, indeed! Bonny was quite wrong here, Wel. Quite so; he did not understand. He thus went on-I cannot conceive why your ministers have not emancipated them. At the time that all nations are emerging from illiberality and intolerance, you retain your disgraceful laws, which are only worthy of two or three centuries back, Nel. Yes, yes, but Bonny seems to forget, that England is purely (if not a pure) Protestant country; and I do think, messmate, that England has become such a great country, because she is so greatly Protestant. Wel. I think so too. He went on-When the Catholic question was first seriously agitated, I would have given fifty millions to be assured that it would not be granted. Nel. Why so? Wel. For it would have entirely revived my projects upon Ireland. Nel. Oh, dear! Wel. As the Catholics, if you emancipated them, would become as loyal subjects as the Protestants. Nel. Well, but he knew they were not emancipated; why the deuce did he not try, every thing in his favour; the canaille in London, " eager for the fray!" Ireland in fetters! He might have exclaimed, with the Third Richard"Now, by St. Paul, the work goes bravely on." But bear on. Wel. I would impose a tax of fifty per cent. upon absentees, and, perhaps, diminish the interest of the debt. Nel. What a Chancellor of Exchequer Bonny would have made. Nel. Ah; what sent adrift the " Wel. Yes, and the "fours" also. navy fives?" Nel. The deuce you have! Alas, for old ladies living on fifty pounds a year. Then after all, Bonny has given you a lesson. Talk of the navy fives, messmate, I remember one day I was at Simpson's (my man of business) in the Strand, and an elderly gentleman, after being told who I was, entered into conversation with me, and actually asked me if I would advise him to "sell out ?" Wel. Ha, ha, strange indeed. I suppose you did not venture to gratify either the bulls or the bears; for your opinion, I've no doubt, would, at that time have sent them up or down. Nel, No, no; I suddenly wished him good day. Go on with your story. Wel. He continued-The inability to rise above a certain rank, and to be made members of Parliament and other persecution. Nel. Ah! not being a member, a persecution. I think many that are members of Parliament are persecuted. Wel. That I can vouch for, and that to a great extent. Once removed from your Catholic brethren, you will find that they will no longer be intolerant or fanatical. Nel. Well, what say you, messmate; you have removed all restriction; tell me candidly, have you found them less intolerant; has the "lady in scarlet divested herself a little, of her rampant infallibility? Wel. I regret, Nelson, such is not the case; in fact, the more we give them the more t seem to crave. He thus went on-Fanaticism is always the child |