Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small]

It having been announced this morning, that Mr. Cobbett would be here in the course of the day, a vast crowd of persons went out to meet him. Early this evening he entered the town in an oper: carriage, attended by four of his

[From the Morning Herald, June 1st.] sons, and some friends from Man

chester. He stopped at the Royal Oak Inn, and addressed the crowd from one of the windows:

[ocr errors]

Bolton, May 29. EARLY this forenoon, Mr. Cob- "I left my native country," said bett, accompanied by his four sons, he," at sixteen years of age. I well and some friends, entered this recollect the thriving, contented, town on their way to Preston. plentiful state in which I left the They were met as they approached labouring classes. I stayed abroad the town, by a large concourse of until I was thirty years of age. persons, it having been well known On my return, how differently siyesterday, that Mr. Cobbett would tuated I found my poor countrypass through here to-day. The men. I found them impoverished, party having arrived in the town, deprived of their good bedding; Mr. Cobbett took the opportunity, their clothes, their brass kettles whilst the horses were changing, were gone: I found them beyond of addressing the people. He measure miserable, compared with ascended to a window of the what they had been when I was a Bridge-Inn, and spoke for about boy. From seeing all this I was ten minutes. His speech was animated by a strong desire to pretty much to the effect of that alter your situation. I was born which he afterwards addressed to and bred amongst you: it is my the assembly at Preston. duty, I feel it, to spend the rest of

Printed and Published by WILLIAM COBBETT, No. 183, Fleet street,
[ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL.]

my life, as I have spent a great but you will please to recollect, portion of it hitherto, in endeavours how many a single family get as to improve your condition; in en- much as all of you here together, deavours, in short, to leave you, and get it too out of your earnings. at least, in the situation in which A pretty family concern it is truly. I found you." (This speech was (Loud laughing.) These things followed with great applause.) must be remedied. Measures must be proposed and adopted for that purpose; and it is in your power to do something towards that issue, by helping to send to Parliament, a man who can propose such a measure. I therefore exhort you, my fair countrywomen, to exercise that influence with which you are gifted over those men, who have any thing to do with Preston. You are all so young, that I am sure you cannot be married. If you have not husbands, you certainly have sweethearts-prevail on them, such at least as are connected with Preston, to give me all the support they can."—Mr. Cobbett then proceeded to Preston.

As soon as Mr. Cobbett resumed his seat in the carriage, the party proceeded on to Preston. On their way, they saw on the hills on both sides, flocks of people descending towards the road to meet them; and by the time they arrived at a little village, called Bamberbridge, about seven miles nearer to Preston, the crowd had swelled to a vast body indeed. It was remarkable here that the great majority of the assembly was composed of young women. They appeared to desire that Mr. Cobbett should address them; when Mr. Caudelet stood up, and told them that his friend Mr. Cobbett had travelled a great way, At six o'clock, a large body was very much fatigued, and could of persons, preceded by a band not then address them. But Mr. of music, and bearing amongst Cobbett said, that seeing so many them a number of flags, went out pretty smiling faces, he could not towards Walton to meet Mr. Cobleave them without saying a few bett. Having waited here for words to them. He explained to some time, Mr. Cobbett and his them the way in which they par-party arrived. Here a procesticularly were made to pay taxes; sion was commenced to Preston, -they paid a tax on sugar, tea, which was prodigiously increased soap, &c.; the items of which he minutely explained. "Now," said Mr. Cobbett, "this is the way in which you pay the taxes, though you do not know that you are paying them. But we have been told by Sir Robert Peel, the great master-manufacturer, you know, that this paying of taxes is nothing-it is only a paying by one part of a family into the pockets of another part-it is all in the family way.--(Great laughter.) To be sure it is in the family way;

by the time it arrived at that town. The scene was altogether very animated. The crowd was much more numerous, and far more excited than it had been on any former occasions. A greater proportion of the assemblage, too, carried green branches, the size and thickness of which made them, in many instances, to be borne with difficulty. Amongst the flags which decorated this procession, the most remarkable was one of a very considerable size, of a cylindrical

shape. On one side was a full (nied Mr. Cobbett from Mancheslength figure of Mr. Cobhett. On ter, addressed the assembly for a another side was seen Britannia short time, exhorting the electors weeping, a lion prostrate with a to support Mr. Cobbett. trident through his head. In another compartment, John Bull appeared with the debt on his back, and he almost sinking under the weight, whilst death was striking at him, and he bleeding at every pore. Hope with her anchor, however, was by. The following verses, from Cowper's "Table Talk," were handsomely written under the several devices ::

[blocks in formation]

No sycophant or slave that dared oppose

Her sacred cause, but trembled when he rose
Felt himself crush'd at the first word he spoke.

And ev'ry venal stickler for the yoke,

Such men are rais'd to station and command,
When Providence means mercy to a land.

He speaks and they appear; to him they owe

Skill to direct, and strength to strike the blow;

To manage with address, to seize with power
The crisis of a dark decisive hour.

When the carriages had arrived at the Castle Inn, the multitude had increased to an extent beyond all power to enumerate them. The carriages could not be brought to approach the inn, so densely had the people been wedged together. Under these circumstances the horses were sent away, and Mr. Cobbett was lifted from the carriage, on the back of one of the crowd, and carried, amid much cheering and laughter, into the Castle Inn. The remaining inmates of the carriage were obliged to remain where they were until the business of the day was over. The whole area of the spacious market-place was now closely filled, and the avenues leading to it were likewise thronged-the windows on all sides presented a display of the beauty and fashion of Preston. After the lapse of a few minutes,

Mr. CAUDELET, who accompa

Mr. COBBETT then appeared at the window, and was received with the loudest acclamations. He spoke to the following effect. Gentlemen, after the fatigues of this day, after having had the honour of addressing three assemblies of the people of Lancashire already, it is impossible for me to speak to you now at any great length. If I was even able I am not so disposed, after so much of your time has been already occupied. Gen;tlemen, being at Bolton as I have been this day, I could not refrain from recollecting-and recollecting, I could not refrain from expressing that which was passing in my mind. Recollecting that there were days when a poor man of Bolton was put into prison, put into prison by the order of magistrates; and when his offence, when the crime laid to his charge was, going round the town, and announcing to his fellow townsmen, that William Cobbett, their coun tryman, had arrived at Liverpool in good health. Yes, we have seen the days when it was thought a crime for a man to go round a town to tell his townsmen that an Englishman had returned in good health to his native land. I hope that we shall never see those days again. I lament, yes, lament the losses of the merchants and the manufacturers, and those others who are now suffering. I am sorry for their ruin, and the ruin of their families. I lament the general distress. I lament the difficulties of those in high life. I do not enjoy even the difficulties of those Ministers themselves: but

I say again, welcome all those | Houses congratulated each other difficulties, welcome all those on having passed this law-they losses, return again all this dis- caressed each other-they contress, once more be the merchant gratulated the King, or rather the and manufacturer destroyed before Prince Regent, for he was at that I should see England again in time only Prince Regent, and his that situation when a poor man Royal Highness congratulated shall be sent to prison for an- them in return-or I should more nouncing to his townsmen the safe properly say the Ministers; for arrival of an Englishman to his the King, though named, has nonative land. (Cheers.) But, thing to do with the things that thank God, whatever other cala- are done in his name, he has no mities have befallen us, those part of the blame; and has no days have passed away, and never right to be set down as a party to again do I fear to see in Eng- these proceedings. However, land such acts as these made into they all congratulated one another crimes. But, to the point.-Well, in passing this law. Well, this is it not presumptuous, some-Bill reached me in America, body will ask, is it not a piece it was to take four years in of presumption in this man, the execution; and seeing only this for announcing whose return to Bill as it was sent me by some of England, in good health, an inha- my friends, I said, "If you (the bitant of Boston was put into pri- Parliament) carry this Bill into son, to offer himself before the effect, I will give Castlereagh electors of Preston, and ask then leave to broil me on one of the to confer on him the great honour hottest of his gridirons, while Canof returning him to Parliament ? ning stands by to make a jest of Is it so, indeed? What! The my broiling."-(Loud laughter.) stone that has been rejected by What! the House of Commons to builders-is he to be the chosen agree to a Bill-the House of corner-stone of the fabric at last? Lords to approve of it both -(Laughter and cheers.) Gen-Houses to carry it to the Kingtlemen, there is a concatenation in the King to assent to it, and all to the circumstances which I have congratulate each other on the just been mentioning, so striking, passing of this law, which I, Wilthat I beg you particularly to re- liam Cobbett, being then in Long mark it. When John Hayes was Island, in North America, three imprisoned, and I had arrived thousand miles across the sea, from America, whither I had gone going there lest those Ministers from this country; being there, should consign ine to a dungeon, and hearing of what was going on sitting in my Yankee trowsers and here, I predicted that which was shirt, and nothing else on, with now passing in words, part of my bit of paper and pen and ink which have been painted on the 1 to write," This law you, the flag, which some gentlemen have Parliament, can never carry into voluntarily provided for the oc- execution, or if you do, I will concasion. The short story is this:- sent that you shall broil me on a The Parliament passed a law, gridiron.' What can this be? no matter now what it is-the two Here were the congratulations

going on; here were the people the farmer, whom they had alrubbing their hands, enjoying this ready nearly overwhelmed, they great discovery of the Parlia- are now going to give another ment, that the paper system was streke. I say, therefore, Gentleto be put an end to, that they were men, as I have told you before, to see nothing but gold and silver that it would be presumption in for ever. What a clever Parlia- me, it would be impudence to the ment! how happy we shall be! last degree, to ask you to make Just in four months and four days me a Member of Parliament, only after this Bill was proposed in Par- just to be a Member of Parlia liament, my prophecy came home ment. Why should I make such and appeared. The Ministers a request? Why should you affected to despise, as the reptiles comply? Is there any thing in who now unite against me affect my face to induce you to elect to despise me.. But while they me? But, Gentlemen, if you see, held the language of contempt, as I am sure you do, that I have they trembled at the same moment. more knowledge and better judgNow mark; the Bill was to be ment than are to be found in either carried into effect in four years. of the Houses of Parliament, then Just within nine months of the indeed, you will have good reafour years being out, they turn son for choosing me to be your round-they abandon it-they are Representative, particularly if you compelled to give it up-they send find besides that I have always out the small paper again-they been resolutely opposed to any had not the courage, you see, to offers made to me to receive the bring me to the gridiron. But the public money. I have been offered argument which arises from all place and emolument; I have these facts is this: Do I not know been offered the public money better than these Ministers or this over and over again, and never has Parliament, how to manage the one farthing of that money, to affairs of the nation? I, who being this hour, touched my palm.three thousand miles off-a sea (Cheers.) Gentlemen, there is cast between me and the place a curious anecdote to which I wish where these proceedings were oc- to call particular attention. I tell curring; 1, seeing nothing but a it openly. I am here before you copy of this Bill, and yet to say, all; what I say will be written My, Lords and Gentlemen, you down; there are those here who are doing wrong; if you perse-write it down as soon, almost vere, you will plunge the country into certain distress; pray give way; do not attempt to press this measure." I said again, if after what you have done, you put out this paper again, your country banks will blow up. Well, they did put out the paper, and the country banks did blow up, causing the ruin of thousands of manufacturers and tradesmen ; and to

66

sooner than the words drop from my mouth. I speak it in the eyes of the whole nation; and all the witnesses are living who can contradict me if I say that which is false. It is now five-and-twenty years ago, six-and-twenty years in August, since I sat at dinner in company with the present Lord Liverpool, Mr. Canning, and Mr. Huskisson. They each had some

« PreviousContinue »