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LONDON, June 8.
T>j the independent elector* *f Honiteiu
Gintlemin,
Perceiving that Mr. Cavendish Brad
shaw has, since hy your voice he was I
constituted one of the guardians of the
public purse, taken care to obtain a
place by the means of which he drew
into his own pocket some thousands a
year out of that purse, abd this, too, at
a time when the load of indispensible
taxes is pressing his honest and indus
trious constituents to the earth ; per
ceiving this, and being fully persuaded,
that whenever the electors of any place
re-choose representatives under similar
circumstances, the cause is not so much
in their own disposition as in the apa
thy and luke-warmness of those inde
pendent men who may have the ability
to rescue them from such hands ; with
this truth being deeply impressed, I
did, upon hearing of the approaching
vacancy, use my efforts to prevail up
on other men of this description to af
ford you an opportunity of evincing
your good sense and uprightness, and
having failed in those efforts, 1 have
thought it my duty to afford you this
opportunity myself; it being manifest
ly true, that unless men of indepen
dence and of publicspiritwill offer them
selves as candidates, to rail at electors
for choosing and re-choosing the de
pendent and the mercenary is, in the
highest degree, unreasonable and un
just.
As to professions, gentlemen, so ma
ny and so loud, upon such occasions,
have they been ; so numerous are the
instances, in which the foulness and
the shamelessness of the apostacy have
borne an exact proportion to the purity
and the solemnity of the vow ; so com
pletely, and with such fatal effect, have
the grounds of confidence been destroy-;
td that it is now become necessary,.
upon all occasions like the present, to i
give a pledge, such as every man can \
clearly understand, and such as it is
impossible to violate without exposing
the violator to detection and to all the
consequences of detected hypocricy and
falsehood; and, such, a pledge I now
give in declaring, that, whether you
elect me or not, I never, as long as I
live, either for myself, or for, or through
the means of any one of my family,
will receive, under any name, whether
of salary, pension or other, either di
rectly or indirectly, one single farthing
of the public money ; but, without
emolument, compensation or reward of
any kind, or in any shape, will, to the
utmost of my ability, watch over and
defend the property, the liberties and
the privileges of the people, never
therefrom seperating, as I never yet
have, the just and constitutional rights
and prerogatives of the crown.
This declaration, gentlemen, is not
made without due reflection as to the
future as well as to the present, as to
public men in general as well as to my
self. It proceeds, first, from an opin
ion, that the representatives of the peo
ple ought never to be exposed to the
temptation of betraying their trust; se
condly, from long observation that
those who live upon the public are a
mongst the most miserable of men ;
and thirdly, from that experience in
the various walks of life, which has con
vinced me of the wisdom of Hager,
who prayed for neither wisdom nor
poverty ; not riches, lest he should for
get God ; not poverty, lest he should
be tempted to steal; and, to receive
the public money unjustly, is not only
stealing, but stealing of the worst and
basest sort, including a breach of the
most sacred trust accompanied with
the cowardly consciousness of impuni
ty. From reflections like these, gen
tlemen, it is, that the declaration now'
made has proceeded, and, when I de
part, in word or in deed, from this de
claration, may I become the scorn *f
ray country ; wherein to be remem
bered with esteem I prize beyond all
the riches and all the honours of this
world.
But, gentlemen, as it is my firm de
termination never to receive a farthing
of the public money, so it is my deter
mination equally firm, never, in any
way whatever, to give one farthing of
my own money to any man, in order
to induce him to vote, or to cause oth
ers to vote for me; and being convinc
ed, that it is this practice of giving or
promising to give, money or money’s
worth, at elections; being convinced
that it is this disgraceful, this unlawful,
this profligate, this impious practice,
to which are to be ascribed all our ca
lamities, and all the dangers that now
stare us in the face, I cannot refrain
from exhorting you to be against all at
temps at such practices, constantly and
watchfully upon your guard. The
candidates who have resorted to such i
means have always been found amongst
the most wicked of men ; men, who,
having, by a life of adultery, or of gamb
ling, xr of profligacy of some other
sort, ruined both their character and
their fortunes, have staked their last
thousand upon an election, with the
hope of thereby obtaining security from
a jail, or of selling their vote for the
means of future subsistence, drawn
from the sweat of the people at a hun
dred fold ; and thus expecting to pock
et the profit of the corrupt speculation,
sneering at their bribed and perjured
constituents, as Satan is said to have
sneered at the reprobate with whom he
had bargained for his soul.
Far from you, gentlemen, be credu
lity so foolish ! Far from you disgrace
so deep, infamy so inddiuble 1 Far from
you so flagrant a violation of the law,
so daring a defiance of the justice and
the power and the wrath of God ! But,
were it otherwise, and did I find in
Honiton but as many righteous men as
were found in Sodom and Gomorrah, I
would tender them in my hand and lead
them from the rest. Very different,
however, are my hopes ; these hopes
forbid me to believe it possible that
there should be, collected upon one
spot, four hundred Englishmen, hav
ing the eyes of all England upon them,
who will not, by their votes, freely and
cordially given, sanction the grdat
principle upon which I now stand....
and in these hopes, I will, if I have
life, do myself the honor to meet you on
the day of election. In the mean while,
I am,
With great respect,
Gentlemen,
Your most humble and
Most obedient servant,
Wm. cobbett.
Eotley, Southampton , J
| of June , 1806. y
——
Juki 10.
Honiton, June 8»
This afternoon, to the great surprise
of the electors of this Borough, the
Gallant Lord Cochrane, .having been
apprized of the day of election by Mr.
Cobbett, arrived here accompanied by
several gentlemen, in two chaises and
four, from Plymouth, with colours fly
ing, and with every appearance of an
inflexible determination of entering up
on a desperate engagement with the
Teller of the Irish Exchequer. The
surprise excited by this unexpected ar
rival in the bosoms of the Electors, was
surpassed by nothing, but the astonish
ment of Mr. Bradshaw, when he found
that his Lordihip was to be his opponent
instead of Mr. Cobbett, whe, adhering
to the statement of his Address, re
signed his pretensions as soon as he
found another man perfectly independ- -
ent ready to stand forward. The great- •
est bustle prevails throughout the town.
Expresses and post-Cliaises are flying
in every direction, and the contest pro
mises to be as warm a one as has been
witnessed for some time past. The
election commences to-morrow, when it
is said that Mr. Cobbett means to ad
dress the Electors : to draw a compari
son between the qualities of the noble
and gallant Officer, in favor of whom
he has resigned his pretensions, and
the qualities of the man on whom the
new Ministry have thought proper to
lavish three thousand a year of the pub
lic money.
Paris, June 5.
MESSAGE
Os his Majesty the Emperor and King.
Senators —We charge our cousin,
the Arch Chancellor of the Empire, to
acquaint you, that, adhering to the vows
of their High Witnesses, we have pro
claimed Prince Louis Napoleon, our
most dear brother, King of Holland—
and the said crown to be hereditary, in
sovereignty, by order of primogeniture,
in its natural, legitimate, and masculine
offspring. Our intention, in the mean
time, is, that the King of Holland, and
hi* offspring, keep the dignity of Con
stable of the Empire. Our determina
tion, in this case, has appeared to us
conformable to the interests of our peo
ple. In a military point of view, Hol
land, possessing all the strong places
that guarantee our northern frontier, it
was necessary for the security of our
states, that the guardianship should re
pose in persons, whose attachment we
could entertain no doubt. In a com
mercial point of view, Holland, being
situated at the mouth of great rivers,
which water a considerable part of our
territory, it was necessary that we
should have the guarantee of the faith
ful execution of the commercial treaty
which we have concluded with her, in
order to conciliate the interest of our
manufactures and commerce with that
of these nations. . In fine, Holland is
the first political interest of France.—
An elective magistracy would have had .
the inconvenience of frequently dcliv- i
ering the country to the intrigues of j
our enemies, and each election would
have become the signal of a new war.
Prince Louis, not being animated by
any personal ambition, has given a proof
of the love be has for us, and his esteem
for the people of Holland, by accepting
a throne which imposts on him so many
great obligations.
The arch-chancellor of the German
Empire, elector of Raiiffion, has ac
quainted us that his intention was to
obtain for himself a co-adjutor, and that
with the agreement of his ministers and
the principal members of his chapter,
he tho’t that for the good of religion and
the Germanic Empire, it was necessary
that he should appoint to that office our
uncle and cousin, cardinal Fesch, our
great chaplain and archbishop of Lyons.
We have accepted the said nomination
in the name of said cardinal. If the de
termination of the elector arch-chancel
lor of the German Empire can be of any
use to the said Empire, it is not less con
formable to the interest of France.
It is so that the services of our coun
try calls from amongst us our brothers
and sons; but the happiness and pros
perity of our people composes cur dear
est affections.
(Signed) NAPOLEON.
NEW-YORK, July 29.
We learn by Wood, of the brig
Mary, from Trinidad, that Gen. Miran
da, in the ship Lcandcr, the Lilly sloop
of war in company, arrived there on the
22 of June. He brought with him about
two hundred men, and had enlisted
about three hundred more at Trinidad,
among whom were some persons of the
first respectability. Several of the in
habitants of Carracas had fled to his
standard. The Leander was under
British colors and commanded by cap
tain Johnson. The colors intended to
be hoisted, on effecting a landing on the
Main, are red, yellow and blue. The
prospect of success was in the highest
degree flattering.
Letters from Trinidad, by the Mary,
contain the following information:
“ We have this day received such in
telligence as places things in so favor
able a point of view, that hardly a doubt
of success remains. V/e shall certain
ly leave this in a few days, and as cer
tainly effect a landing, from whence I
shall immediately write you."
“ We are making every preparation
for the point in view, and shaii leave
this in 6 days, and in 10 more the fate
of the country will be decided. Our
force is respectable, of which I would
give you a correct statement, but for a
’ reason which has prevented my writing
j as fully as I wish, that is, lest my let
ters should fall into improper hands on
the passage.
“ Reports from the Main states that
the government is tremblingly alive,
and they treat the prisoners, our friends,
with a degree of lenity which was not
generally expected.
On the 28th of June, Gen. Miranda
issued the following proclamation :
Friends and Countrymen,
M The glorious opportunity now
presents itself of relieving from oppres
sion and arbitrary government, a people
who are worthy of a better fate, who
txught to enjoy the blessings of the fin
est country in the universe which boun
tiful Providence has given them, but
who are shackled by a despotism too
cruel for human nature longer to en
dure. Groaning under their present
afflictions, they hail with extended arms
the Noble Cause of Freedom and Inde
pendence, and call upon you to share
with them in the god-like action of re
lieving your distressed feilow-creatures.
Hasten then to join the standard of one
who has the happiness to call himself
your countryman, and is determined to
rescue hi* country, and to shed the
last drop of his blood in promoting its
happiness ; an object of which he has
never lost sight for a moment of his life.
“ There will be made a liberal dis
tribution of land at the expiration of
twelve months, according to the rank;
and privates at the instant of enroll
ment, will be entitled to provisions and
clothing, with a quarter dollar per day
as pay, not subject to any deductions.
“ And you, brave Volunteers of the
Islands, who have nobly come forward
to partake with us our honors, and to
share with us our prosperity, hasten to
follow those officers under whose care
you have already been trained, and who
are impatient to lead you on to victory
and wealth.
“ The Gulph that Columbus first
discovered and honored with his pre
sence will now witness the illustrious
agtions of your gallant efforts.”
PHILADELPHIA! August i.
. L.ciruct s is a Utter froui Triniucd, ti&tai
J J ULV Jift •
j “ MIRANDA is collecting ships and
troops here, to proceed on his expedi
tion on the Main. It is generally be
lieved here that he will succeed, unci a
great number of respec table inhabitants
have joined him as volunteers. I un
derstand this government has ordered
three sloops of war to cruize off where
he intends to land, so that they may
give him assistance in case he should
want any ; and it is said that the govern
ment has backed his bills on the British
governmeut for his exptnses. It is re
reported that he has received informa
tion from the Main, that the majority
i of the people are ready to join him as
soon as he can effect a landing, which
he can easily do with the reinforcement
he will receive here, which I suppose
v ill be about 7 or 800 men.
r i he first attempt he made was very
discouraging: for on his ariival at the
Main he fell in with two Guarda Coast- ■*'
ers, which attacked his two schooners
he had with him w hich they took, and I
believe, Irom the best informa’ion I can
receive, it was by some mismanage
ment of Capt. Lewis of the Leander,
that they were taken; however, the
whole affair remains an entire mystery
how the two schooners should be taken,
Sc the ship not far off to windward ; one
of the schooners was the Bee, of Phila
delphia, commanded by capt. Muddle.
Capt. Lewis has either left the ship or
has been turned off, but I believe the lat
ter, he is now at Barbarities. The Le
ander is now commandj-'d by a capt.
Johnson, of New-Providencc, and a fit
man in my opinion, for such an expedi
tion, as he has commanded a privateer
this and last war, cruizing off the Island
of Cuba.
GEORGETOWN, (Col.) July 31.
We insert with pleasure the follow
.ing ample refutation of a most scanda
lous and unjustifiable calumny against
the character of Com modcire Rodgers
which was imprudently, as we then
■ thought and still think,' rung through
the papers in the United States, during
1 the absence of that gentlemtip. Asthis
refutation come 9 from Capt. Gale him
self, it is scarcely necessary to request
' the printers, in whose paper the charge
■ appeared, to insert it—they doubtless
will feel pleasure inpromptly publishing
’ a contradiction of so foul a calumny
1 against this meritorious officer,of which
they were unwittingly made the more
1 extensive propagators.
To 'INK PUBLIC.
\ I have seen with no little surprise, a
, a piece in a Ncw-York paper, of the Ist
of March last, wherein it is stated, that
* I was run thro’ the body and killed by
> Commodore Rodgers, for remonstra
ting with him on the impropriety of
1 flogging amarine. This has been done
by some scandalous person, no doubt,
1 to injur:* his character, and, although
’ the effect could only be temporary, yet
’ people in general may suppose that it
- originated from some misunderstand
ing subsisting between him and me. I
1 can assure the public, that not only my
self, but every officer that served under
his command, have always been on the
, j most friendly terms with him, and the
. best proof of this is, that every one of
; his officers will be happy to sail with
, him at any future period. During the
. time I was under his command, it is on
. ly justice to say, that he behaved to
t wards me, with every politeness and at
, tention due an officer.
ANTHONY GALE, Capt. M.
t Jufj 28, 1806.
NORFOLK, August I.
: The French fleet having failed in the .
. attempt to destroy the British merchant
. fleet at Tortola, may yet (if not chscov
; ered by Sir J. 13. \Varren) effect a
f deadly blow to the British commerce,
i This fleet, when spoken on the 25 th"'
: of last month, by Captain Turlington,
> of the sloop Director, was exactly in
i the track of the valuable Jamaica con
, voy, coming through the gulp!) passage.
. By an arrival at New-York, we perceive
f that the Jamaica fleet had sailed, con
; sisting of nearly 200 sail, the day of
. their sailing is not mentioned, but by
1 another arrival at New-York, we ob
- serve that this fleet had reached the
Havana on the 14th of last month.
: Having, since our last,“seen Captain
I Tarlington, we understand that the
> French officer who boarded him, wasw
i particular in his enquiries about theear
: rival of a British fleet in the West In
i die s, and having got possession of an
Antigua paper, stating the arrival of
Sir J. B. Warren/ he went with it in
stantly on board the Admiral. What
• effect this information produced on the
i subsequent rout of the fleet, we cannot
say, but >ve are confident from what we