U2 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



yes; theymerit a double-tailed cat. 

 Base dogs ! Wliat, mutiny for the 

 sake of the price of a knapsack ! 

 Lash thero ! Wog them ! Base ras- 

 cals ! Muuiiy for the price of a 

 goat's skin ! — And then, upon the 

 appearance of the Germansoldiers, 

 they take a flogging as quietly as 

 60 many trunks of trees ! — I do not 

 know what sort of a place Ely is; 

 but I really should like to know 

 how the inhabitants looked one 

 another in the face, while this 

 scene was exhibiting in their town. 

 I should like to have been able to 

 see their faces, and to hear their 

 observations to each other at the 

 time. This occurrence at home 

 will, one would hope, teach the 

 loyal & little caution in speaking of 

 the means whichNapoleon employs 

 (or rather, which they say he em- 

 ploys) in order to get together and 

 to discipline his conscripts. There 

 is scarcely any one of these loyal 

 persons, who has not, at various 

 times, cited tiie hand-cuffings, and 

 other means of force, said to be 

 used in drawing out the young 

 men of France ; there is scarcely 

 one of the loyal who has not cited 

 these means as a proof, acompleto 

 proof, that the people of France 

 hate Napoleon and his government, 

 assist ivith reluctance in his wars, 

 and wonXAfoin sec another revoke- 

 lion. I hope, I say, that the loyal 

 will, hereafter, be more cautious 

 in drawing such conclusions, now 

 that they see that our ' gallant 

 defenders' not only require physi- 

 cal restraints, in certain cases, but 

 even a little blood drawn from 

 their backs, and that, too, with 

 the aid and assistance of German 

 troops. Yes; I hope the loyal 

 will be a little more upon their 

 guard in drawing conclusions 

 against Napoleon's popularity.— 



At any rate, every time they do, 

 in future, burst out in execrations 

 against the French for suffering 

 themselves tobc 'cliained together 

 and forced at the point of the 

 bayonet, to do military duty,' I 

 shall just re-publish the passage 

 which I have taken for the motto 

 to the present sheet. I have heard 

 of some other pretty little things 

 of the same sort ; but I rather 

 choose to take my instance (and 

 a very complete one it is) from a 

 public print notoriously under the 

 sway of the ministry." 



The jury would observe with 

 how much reproach Mr. Cobbett 

 mentioned thejword " loyal." He 

 would not suffer it to be believed 

 that Napoleon would use such 

 means to raise an army. He not 

 only rendered it a vehicle of attack 

 on this country, but as adefence of 

 the emperor of France ; he would 

 not permit the country to believe 

 the tyranny of Buonaparte. So 

 that the author meant to represent 

 that the treatment of ministers was 

 as tyrannical as the chaining to- 

 gether the conscripts of France. 

 The object of the libel was, to give 

 to all men a distaste to the German 

 legion, into which some must enter, 

 and to persuade people, that the 

 tyranny of the measure of the local 

 militia was greater than that of 

 Buonaparte. For these reasons he 

 felt himself called upon to bring the 

 publication before ajury. What- 

 ever the author had to allege, he 

 would be patiently heard. He had 

 attentively considered the paper in 

 question, and could give it no cha- 

 racter, but that which he had de- 

 scribed it to be. 



Mr. Cobbett defended himself, 

 and the jury returned a verdict of 

 guilty. 



On the 9th of July following, 



