1831.] Affairs in General 321 



ment takes another turn, as may be seen by the following proclamation, 

 glowing from Pekm: 



" Proclamation. The Emperor of the Universe has issued the following 

 notice to his subjects : ' Smuggling is a trifling affair ; but having a commu- 

 nication with foreigners is a thing which involves vast interests. It is indis- 

 pensably necessary to strain every nerve to eradicate the first risings of base- 

 ness or mischief. Respect this!' " 



The east is alive again, the Hindoos are up in arms, that is, in a wordy 

 war against any encroachments on their ancient privileges of widow- 

 burning and infanticide. " They have got up a petition to the English 

 parliament, and have forwarded it by one Bathie, a lawyer. We think 

 it very hard indeed that they should be debarred an indulgence in such 

 amusing propensities ; we should like to know, however, which of ' the 

 honourable members' will support the prayer of the petition/' To this 

 we answer, that Captain Swing, if he should be returned for the Borough 

 of Westbury, or some similar place of free election, would be the proper 

 .man. His credentials furnished by the results of the special commission 

 are irresistible. Two hundred and fourteen had judgment of death 

 recorded against them ; seven were sentenced to transportation for life ; 

 twenty-five for fourteen years ; two hundred and forty-six for seven 

 years; and three hundred and fifty-seven from five years to three 

 months imprisonment. In all eight hundred and forty-nine. This is 

 however only so far as relates to his employes. The return of the quan- 

 tity of barns, hay-stacks and farm-yards burned, would entitle him to 

 the high priesthood of the College of Brama. 



Lord Rivers's unfortunate death still remains a subject of inquiry ; 

 and there certainly has been no sufficient evidence to decide whether it 

 were voluntary, accidental, or by violence. The verdict of the jury 

 settles nothing, and it is in fact, oddly enough, much more a verdict on 

 the Hanger, or whoever had the care of the necks of his majesty's sub- 

 jects travelling the parks, than on Lord Rivers, viz : " Found drowned 

 near the public path at the head of the Serpentine River, considered 

 very dangerous for want of a rail or fence, where many persons have 

 lately fallen in/' We see by the papers that some good however will 

 result from this unhappy circumstance, as the present ranger, "the Duke 

 of Sussex, is said to have ordered that a railing shall be put up. The 

 evil, to be sure, had been pointed out to the authorities for these twenty 

 years, and many a nameless wretch had been " found drowned/' Yet 

 no railing was put up. On the contrary, as an improvement lately, 

 the water was deepened, the path levelled more completely, so as to 

 remove whatever trifling obstruction might once have existed to any 

 one's going in head overheels, in the first fog ; and the depth and decli- 

 vity of the Serpentine were so much increased, that nothing but a 

 miracle could save the faller in from being drowned. Protestations of 

 all kinds were raised, but nothing was done, and the public might have 

 seen the nuisance left in the same state for twenty years more, but for 

 the calamity which has forced attention to the subject. The Humane 

 Society's men stated before the inquest that nine or ten persons had 

 been rescued by them from drowning in that spot, in the last few days 

 of fog. However, the first step to remedy is a good. But another step 

 is equally obvious. There passes no winter in England in which some 

 M.M. New Series. VOL. XI. No. 63. 2 T 



