COBBETT's WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER VOL. 37.---No. 11.] LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 1820. [Price, 6d CONTENTS. 1. A Letter to Parson Cunningham of Harrow, on his insolent Publication respecting her Majesty, the Queen; and on the conduct of the Parsons in general. 2. A Letter to Lord Palmerston, on his insolent Observation relative to the keeping of the Soldiers distinct from the People. 3. The King's Maritime Exploits. 4. Divers Subjects. His insolent Publication respecting her Majesty, the Queen, and on the Conduct of the Parsons in general. London, Sept. 27, 1820. shoulders; baited and buffeted as you have been, you must not be suffered to get off yet: you have received temporary chastisement; but it belongs to me to give you such as shall stick by you for life. It is, for two reasons, necessary to state the history of your insolence and turpitude: first, that all who shall read this Letter may see clearly the grounds upon which it proceeds; and, second, that you may have no occasion to complain of Well as you have been be- misquoting, or of misrepresentlaboured by others; sound asing. I shall, therefore, first of has been the lashing which they all, insert, at full length, your have laid on your reverend Letter to Mr. Whitbread. All PARSON, Printed and published by W. BENBOW, 269, Strand," the world will say, that you" in general, and especially for "those of my own parish (a 66 part of which is almost sure to be drawn within the vortex of this publie meeting); "an apprehension of the multiplication of such meetings; are unworthy of such particu- "and lest other men of character should be tempted to pre"side over them all these "motives constrain me, though "with much pain to my own " mind, thus to address you. "4. I wish, then, to take the "liberty of asking, what benefit you conceive likely to be "1. SIR,-As a freeholder of" conferred on individuals, or on the great county which you the state, on the cause of lerepresent as an individual«. gitimate freedom or of sound "for whose vote and assistance" morals, by the convention of "in the county you have more "such an assembly? 86 "than once been pleased to ex- "5. Consider the plain cirpress a desire-and as the mi-" cumstances of the case, as it "mister of a parish bordering "stands at the present moupon that on which you are," ment. " 66 66 probably, at this moment in- "6. The Queen is not indeed "flicting the nuisance of which proved to be guilty of adul"this letter is designed to com- "terous intercourse with her plain; I take the liberty," menial servant, but she is so"however reluctantly, of ad- lemnly charged by the Minis"dressing it to you. "ters of the Crown-a body of 2. I have seen, with a mix- men acquitted even by their "ture of regret and indignation," enemies of perjury or cruela placard pasted over many of "ty-and by a committee of the walls in the neighbour-"Peers, including several dis"hood, announcing that you" tinguished individuals politi"were to take the chair at a " cally opposed to those Minis"meeting on Paddington-" ters, of crimes of the most "green, summoned to collect gross and detestable nature. and convey the condolence," And this charge is supported "sympathy and approbation of" by the testimony of an im"the females of the vicinity to" mense body of witnesses, as "the Queen, and to take into " yet unconvicted, and, accord"consideration the investiga- ing to the persuasion of thou"tion now pending in Parlia-" sands of impartial persons, not a ment. likely to be convicted, of per 66 "3. Now, Sir, my anxiety for " jury. "the interests of good morals 7. What then, I repeat the "question, is the good likely to" their wives or daughters, or result from such a meeting? "the wives and daughters of "8. Is it your object to vin-" others, to trumpet forth the "dicate the Queen? Surely no praises of a woman who may, "reasonable man will be, more "within a month, be proved to "satisfied of her innocence be-" have violated, all the common cause you, with a few gentle- "decencies of life? men who can read and write, 12. Finally, is your object, "and many of both sexes who " what I would least of all sus"shrink from all such aristo-" pect it to be, the seating your "cratical distinctions, think" self permanently as repre proper to assert it in speeches "sentative for the county of "or shouts upon Paddington-" Middlesex? A seat so won or "green. "preserved would be neither an "9. Is your object to alarm" honour nor comfort to the "the House of Peers into a de-" winner. " cision favourable to her Ma- "13. But, Sir, if you are unjesty? But surely, Sir, you able to instruct us in the ad "know too much of the high vantages of such assemblies, spirit of your countrymen, and "you will perhaps allow me especially of that noble house, briefly to state some of their "to believe that they will sur"evils. " render any thing to terror "14. In the first place, you "which they refuse to argu-" are encouraging many, who ment, or generosity, or ho-66 plainly need no such encou "nour. ragement, to insult and traget" duce your Sovereign, as a But" suborner of perjured wit "what man, in his senses, will" nesses, "10. Is your object to "rid of the Ministers? 66 "not prefer what is called the "15. In the next place, you tyranny" of the Ministers---" are bringing into contempt the "that is, of men of sense and " highest court of judicature in "honour---to the worst of all" the land. "tyrannies, that of the mob, 16. You are, by giving light "under whose dominion it is" names to gross offences, sap"the natural tendency of these ping the very foundation of meetings to place us? "morals. 66 66 "11. Is your design to gra- "17. You are, with the maxim tify the political with which" in your mouth, that every you act? But how different man is to be esteemed inno a line have most of the leaders" cent till he is proved to be "of that body pursued in parlia-" guilty,' treating all the wit"ment! Have they substituted" nesses against the Queen as "clamour for reasoning-treated liars, though as yet uncon"the admitted familiarities of“ victed of falsehood; and all "the Queen with her courier as "the ministers of the crown as "a light offence--called on" base and profligate conspira 66 "tors, though their honour and)" the King'---- Uncleanliness, humanity have never been" let it not be once named among called into question. "you. The clergy are the con 18. You are holding out as "stituted guardians of moa model to the females of this "rals' in the country; and now, # country an individual, of whose "if ever, they are called upon "moral purity you cannot but" to stand in the breach,' and "entertain some doubt; and endeavour to stay the plague' "whom you would not probably" of political anarchy and moral "suffer a mother, daughter," pollution.-1 am, Sir, your "wife, or sister, to visit. "obedient Servánt, 19. You are, finally, che"rishing in the minds of many "unthinking and uneducated "persons a spirit of radicalism -a spirit of which the cle 66 "J. W. CUNNINGHAM. "Harrow-on-the-Hill, Sept. 14.” The first five paragraphs conyour motives, "ments are the rejection of tain a statement of Scripture, and a contempt of or, rather, pretences, for inter"all the institutions of your meddling upon this occasion; "country; and of which the "result, unless averted by a merciful Providence, must be "anarchy, atheism, and uni"versal ruin. for giving us a specimen (of which we stood in no need) of what a meddling priest" really can do; and, therefore, "20. You, Sir, will not, "think, be sufficiently ungener-upon these paragraphs I shaП "ous or unjust to say, in answer only observe, that they merely to all this, that I am • a cler "gyman, and have nothing to serve to develope your hypo"do with such subjects. But cricy. "others may urge this objec"tion. To them, therefore, I In the sixth you enter into "would say, in conclusion, that matter, and in the very first "this is not a question of mere politics, but of morals, of de 661 sentence, you are guilty of two impudent and wilful falsehoods. "cency, and of religion-a ques- You say, that the Queen is "tion involving, in my judg "ment, all the decencies, vir- charged 66 I by the Ministers of tues, and comforts of public "the Crown, a body of men, " and domestic life. This brief.. acquitted, even by their ene "letter is, in fact, nothing more "mies, of perjury or cruelty." "than a practical comment on "the doctrines which, as a What do you mean, Parson? clergyman, I am required, What had the or to do here? "on the highest authority, to "preach from Sunday to Sun- However, you mean us to un"day,Fear God Honour derstand, that, even the enemies 12 of the Ministers have acquitted with the grossest hypocrisy, and them of perjury and of cru- exhibited in its most detestable elty" As to perjury, it is a forms. You may not call it cruspecific crime, known to the elty; a Parson may not call it' laws and, the ministers have cruelty, to do any of those not been arraigned for perjury. things, of which Mr. FinnerIt is possible that they never ty, in the name and on the behalf may be. At any rate they have of his injured country, accused not yet been arraigned for per- Castlereagh, and for accusing jury; and, therefore, it is a false-him of which Mr. Finnerty was hood to say that they have been shut up in jail for eighteen acquitted of perjury. They have months, loaded with the curses not appeared yet in the charac- of the bad and the blessings of ter of witnesses. With perjury the good. The people of this they have not been charged country will never forget the and therefore of perjury they meritorious conduct of Mr. Finhave not been acquitted. This, nerty upon that occasion. The therefore, is falsehood the first, sentence of imprisonment did' As to cruelty, however, that not remove the charges he had is another matter. With cruel-made. A Parson may not ty they have been charged, and think it cruelty to treat a man upon many occasions, too. You as Mr. Finnerty was treated in may not call it cruelty to have the jail of Lincoln. A Parson prosecuted the Tin-man of Ply-may think it by no means cruel mouth for tendering Addington to shut the people of Ireland up money to give the Tin-man a in their houses from sun-set to place; to fine and imprison this man; to produce his death and to bring his wife and family to beggary; while, in a very short time afterwards, the trafficking in places, when brought home on great numbers of men, to to persons in high life, was drag them out of their beds by wholly passed over, and visited night; to load them with irons; with no sort of punishment! to hurry them away to distant You may not call this cruelly; jails; to put felons dresses upon but I call it cruelty, accompanied them; to cut them off from all sun-rise; to punish them with transportation for disobedience; and to transport them too without trial by jury. A Parson may not think it cruelty to seize |