n? a thing to make your ears tingle! the
Manchester massacres were a trifle to it. An Englishman----Oh Lord!
gentlemen, it's all over with the habeas corpus act----an Englishman
has been arrested by the emissaries of government after he had quitted
the kingdom."

"What government? the French government?"

"No, gentlemen, by the English government: arrested out of the kingdom:
think of that, gentlemen!"

"But where, where?" exclaimed several voices: "in France?"

"Why yes, I think I may say in France: for he was going to France; and
he had actually put off in a boat from the Isle of Wight, and was three
hundred yards from shore, on his way towards a French ship, which he
was going to board."

"Oh come, Mr. Dulberry," said some of the company, laughing, "but
that's England, however: as far as an English cannonball will reach,
and a little farther too in the opinion of some jurists, the four seas
are English property: England's domain; her manor; her park; and she
has a right to set up turnpike gates if she pleases."

"By no means, gentlemen, by no means; Blackstone says that, to
constitute possession, there must go two things--the act of possessing,
and the will to possess. So also no doubt of a man's domicile: to make
this bar my domicile, I must not only _be_ here; but secondly, I must
_will_ to be here. Now this man willed to be in France; and England was
no longer his domicile. And where a man is not, there he ought not by
law to be arrested."

This pretty piece of subtilty was received by most of the company with
a smile; but as Mr. Dulberry remarked that some little murmuring arose,
which announced that some of his auditors were impressed with what he
had said, he seized his opportunity, jumped upon his chair, flourished
his white hat, and briefly harangued the company.

"Gentlemen," said he, "we all know that ministers have sealed this
country against all unhappy foreigners, and have tarnished the old
English character for generous hospitality by their cursed alien bill.
This we knew before: but now comes a fresh assault on liberty. Not only
must we look on and see nets and lines set all round our once
hospitable shores to catch the unhappy fugitives from continental
tyranny; but at length, it seems, ministers are to be allowed to throw
out their grappling hooks after English fugitives from the tyranny of
Lord Londonderry. If a man runs to the North Pole, I suppose Lord
Londonderry and Ally[1] Croaker wil