lved to steer another political course, seeing that the only means
of averting military despotism from the country is to unite the people
and the Whigs, so far as they can be induced to co-operate, which they
must do if they wish to preserve the remainder of the Constitution.
The 'Times' of yesterday contains the fullest account of the late
debates on the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, and by that report
you will perceive that the Whigs really made a good stand."

In that temper, Lord Cochrane spoke at a Westminster meeting, held
on the 11th of March, "to take into consideration the propriety
of agreeing to an address to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent,
beseeching that he will, in his well-known solicitude for the freedom
and happiness of His Majesty's subjects, remove from his royal
councils those ministers who appear resolved to adopt no effectual
measures of economy and retrenchment, but, on the contrary, to
persevere in measures calculated to drive a suffering people to
despair."

There was some flattery or some mockery, or something of both, in
that announcement; and both, with much earnest enunciation of popular
grievances, were in Lord Cochrane's speech on the subject. He said
that the Regent had as much cause as the people to complain of his
present ministers, seeing how shamelessly they sought to hide from him
the real state of the country. It was to be expected, from the early
habits and character of the Regent, that he would anxiously pursue
the interests of the nation, if, instead of being in the hands of an
odious oligarchy, he could act for himself. This, at any rate, Lord
Cochrane maintained should be urged upon him, for if something were
not quickly done for the relief of the nation, trade and commerce
would soon be utterly ruined, and the whole community would share the
misery that had so long oppressed the lower orders. He again dwelt
forcibly on the causes of this misery, and again denounced the conduct
of the ministers and placemen who, while squandering the hardly-earned
pounds of the people, claimed respect for their exemplary charity
in doling out a few farthings for "the relief of the poor." In the
previous year, he showed, Lord Castlereagh, "the bell-wether of the
House of Commons," and thirteen other persons, had drawn from the
revenues of the country 309,861_l._, and out of that amount had given
back, in "sinecure soup," only 1505_l._

On a hundred other occasions, both outside o