1826,
the Duke of Devonshire attended the coronation of the despotic
Nicholas, since the murderer of the brave Poles, as the representative
of George the Fourth, King of England; and his splendid retinues and
sumptuous fetes created no little astonishment in the Russian capital at
John Bull's extravagance.
In January, his majesty _returned_ one thousand pounds of the public
money, to relieve the distressed Spitalfields' weavers, who were
suffering every possible hardship from the want of employment. We feel
great pleasure in recording every instance of the _charitable_
intentions of this king, entertaining no fear of being wearied with
their detail. We should be equally happy, were it in our power, to
record the payment of those loans and promissory notes, to which this
personage had subscribed while Prince of Wales. It is a good old maxim,
"Be _just_ before you are _generous_;" and we cannot help thinking, that
if the "first gentleman in the world" had given his accommodating ladies
a little less, and satisfied the demands of the holders of those bonds,
he would have acted more "as became a man." But no; his kingly dignity
kept him aloof from the civil proceedings of his foreign creditors, and,
being a stranger to honour, the documents were left undischarged!
The king at this period being reported unwell, the parliament was opened
by commission. His majesty's indisposition could hardly be wondered at,
when the gay life he had led was taken into consideration. Besides, as
he was now getting into the "sear and yellow leaf," it might naturally
be supposed that the prickings of Conscience sometimes annoyed him into
bodily pain. Indeed, though the fact was only known to a few persons at
court, his majesty had long been getting into a very low and desponding
state, and frequently appeared lost in abstraction, from which he was
but seldom relieved by shedding tears! He knew that there were blemishes
upon his escutcheon, which, though he had long been able to conceal them
by bribery and trickery, might some day or another be exposed to the
rude gaze of the multitude. He had long unsheathed the sword of
oppression against his suffering people, and he could not possibly tell
at what period it might be lifted against his royal self.
The Tory government of persecuted England still appeared to think that
the persons composing their _Sanhedrim_ were the only interested
individuals in giving and opposing laws. But had not every Englishman a
direct interest in the affairs of government? If government should act a
part that might endanger the safety of the community, surely every man's
property would be equally at stake. All national affairs, therefore,
ought to be conducted with a view to the _general_ good, and not for the
mere aggrandizement of a privileged and self-elected set of hirelings.
When _secret missions_ were the order of the day, as was the case at
this period, the public might be assured that "something was rotten in
the state of Denmark!" for state secrecy is always the forerunner of
evil to the people. But no men of upright principles were to be found in
George the Fourth's cabinet. We do not mean to say that England did not
possess such characters, but then they had taken the advice of the poet,
"When evil men bear sway,
The post of honour is a private station!"
When the Chancellor of the Exchequer brought forward his budget this
year, the galleries and lobbies of the House of Commons were actually
converted into a "Stock Exchange." We need not offer a remark upon this
circumstance,--the intelligent reader will draw his own inferences from
such an exhibition. Shortly after this, the House proposed "that five
thousand pounds per annum be added to the salary of Mr. Huskisson."
Repeated discussion ensued, but the proposition was finally abandoned,
and two thousand pounds only agreed to. Mr. Huskisson was undoubtedly a
man of great talent; yet he was already in the receipt of a sufficient
remuneration for the exercise of that talent, as he then enjoyed _two_
incomes from the people: as treasurer to the navy, three thousand
pounds, and as president of the Board of Controul, five thousand pounds,
making together the _annual_ amount of eight thousand pounds! Some
people, however, are not to be satisfied, as Mr. Huskisson said, that he
felt considerable anxiety and _hardship_ arising from the union of the
two offices or situations, and that, from the great pecuniary
responsibility attached to the treasurer of the navy, the two offices
were more than he could possibly attend to! "Then," _modestly_ added
the president, "the pay-master is an officer fully acquainted with the
details of business, and perfectly familiar with all the operations
necessary for the proper and effective management of the department." We
do not doubt the verity of this remark, or dispute the qualifications of
Mr. Huskisson for _one_ of the offices; yet we cannot help thinking it
was a _little_ slip of the tongue, when this gentleman said, "I cannot
say from _my own knowledge_ whether, at this moment, matters are going
on _right or wrong_ in my office, but I have entire confidence in the
_pay-master_." This curious confession of Mr. Huskisson proved that he
enjoyed the emoluments arising from a situation, to the business of
which he paid little or no attention! Would an unprejudiced and honest
administration have exercised the imposing means here set forth? or
would any real representatives of the people have sanctioned such
mal-practices by their vote?
The manufacturing districts unfortunately continued in a most melancholy
and alarming situation. Riots, disorder, and distress, universally
prevailed. To relieve the people's grievances, however, the king
returned eight thousand pounds more of the public money to the
distressed weavers of Spitalfields. But we cannot help thinking, that
such an inadequate sort of relief very much resembled a bankrupt's
paying one farthing in the pound, and then claiming the gratitude of his
ruined creditors!
Let not our readers suppose that the _worthy_ parliament were idle this
year. The matter printed for the House during its short sitting, from
February to May, occupied twenty-nine bulky folio volumes, independent
of the journals, votes, private acts, and other matters of equal
importance to the nation! In this brief session, also, no less than
seventy-nine new acts of parliament were added to the already ponderous
and indigestible statute-book. Here was industry indeed! But, good
reader, in all this mass of business, not a single act was passed for
the amelioration of the distressed condition of the people.
The health of the Duke of York now began to decline; and, although he
had been in the receipt of such enormous sums from the people, he was
actually destitute of a home,--at least of one he could call his own.
Here was a disgraceful circumstance!--the heir presumptive to the throne
of England, through his abominable and reckless extravagance, obliged to
accept the hospitality of an acquaintance! An accumulation of diseases,
arising from excesses of every kind, soon became manifest, and the duke
was at length declared to be seriously indisposed. On the 14th December,
he was pronounced, by his medical attendants, to be in the most imminent
danger.
The revenue was deficient in its returns from the former year, two
hundred and thirty-three thousand, nine hundred, and forty pounds! which
arose from the very general stagnation of trade and the paralization of
commerce. This enormous deficiency in the country's income, however, had
no effect upon the men in power; for the most wanton expenditure was
still kept up, both at home and abroad. Our ambassadors appeared the
very type of their sight-loving and spendthrift master, and thousands
were swallowed up in glittering baubles and unmeaning pageantry. At the
time the "Dandy of Sixty," (as the ingenious and patriotic Mr. Hone
usually termed him) was meditating on the most expeditious way of
squandering the hard-earnings of the poor, his wicked and unmanly
ministers pampered the royal appetite in all its childish wishes and
unconstitutional desires, verifying the words of Pope,
"Fools grant whate'er Ambition craves."