GENERAL HISTORY. 



[95 



and the resistance made by vninis- 

 ters to some proposed retrench- 

 nienta, was by no means calculated 

 to inspire general contidence in 

 their government. A spirit of pe - 

 titioning for a redress of obvious 

 grievances was therefore diffusetl 

 through the country, and in many 

 places produced public meetings, 

 at which the, waste and corrup- 

 tion arising from pensions, sine- 

 cures, and extra\agant charges 

 of every kind, were ex])osed with 

 great freedom and severity. When, 

 however, the lower classes, irri- 

 tated by their distresses, and at 

 all times readily acted upon by 

 bold declamation, began to take 

 a conspicuous part in such assem- 

 blies, the supeiior orders, alarmed 

 with the dread of popular coto- 

 motion, found it expedient in ge- 

 neral to stand aside, and await 

 the result of the lessons already 

 friven, of the necessity of concili- 

 ating the people at large, by far- 

 ther sacrifices of personal inter- 

 ests. Tliis (juiescence was doubt- 

 less promoted by the introduc- 

 tion at meetings for petition, 

 among other topics, of that of 

 ))arliamcntary reform, so often a 

 subject of miavailing discussion, 

 and almost discarded as an im- 

 practicability, by the party con- 

 sidered as taking the leail in po- 

 liticid improvement. ^Vhether 

 such an emergence as the present 

 is a seasonable time for exciting 

 a warm interest in tlie comnui- 

 nity, respecting a matter so im- 

 j)ortant and dithcult, we shall not 

 en(piire ; but as a fact it may be 

 stated, that tlie most guarded ad- 

 dresses for tlie abolition of abuses, 

 carefully aw^iiied that toj)ic. On 

 the other hand, it formed a con- 

 spicuous object in some remon- 



strances, esi^ecially in the address 

 presented in December, to the 

 Prince Regent, from the Corpo- 

 ration of London, which, with 

 the answer of his Royal High- 

 ness, will be found among the 

 State Papers, as a political docu- 

 ment worthy of preservation. 



Although assemblies in popu- 

 lous towns were convened for 

 political purposes, which included 

 the lowest and most uninstructed 

 members of the connuunity, yet 

 cither from their orderly dispo- 

 sition, or from the precautions 

 employed by the goveinment and 

 magistracy, the public peace was 

 little disturbed ; and even in the 

 metropolis, where popular meet- 

 ings are peculiarly dangerous, 

 they migiit have harmlessly jjassed 

 ovei' in listening to field orators, 

 had not, on one occasion, a few 

 desperate enthusiasts taken the 

 advar.tage of collecting a mob, 

 for the pinpose of putting in exe- 

 cution a daring, though absurd, 

 insurrectionary attempt, which, 

 for a short time, threw the whole 

 city into alarm, and thieatened 

 serious mischief. It was, how- 

 ever, without any difficulty, cpielled 

 by military assistance, and the 

 principal agents wore taken into 

 custody. (See Chronicle for De- 

 cember, for the particulars.) The 

 year closed with general tran- 

 ([uillity through this island. 



Ireland during the pjescntyear 

 liai sulTercd under a continuance 

 of those disorders and atrocities, 

 which so much prevailed in the 

 last year, and \\ hich have rendered 

 necessary the maintenance of an 

 additional number of troops in 

 tliat unfoitunate country. The 

 parts i)articularly infested with 

 tliese disturbances, and the state 



of 



