POSTSCRIPT DICTATED ON THE SPUR OF THE OCCASION TO A PRINTER'S DEVIL, [Feb. IN AMBROSE'S, ON THE EVENING OF MONDAY THE 21ST OF JANUARY, 1828. We have been far from well lately, and not a few of our pretended friends have had the audacity to look at us with a peculiarly disagreeable, indeed disgusting expression of face, as if they meant to convey to us a physiognomical hint that we ought forthwith to resign. Much out of sorts we certainly have been for some six months past or so-that loathsome COALITION having sickened all the old gentlemen in the country. The gout, having effected a temporary lodgment in our stomach, attempted to fly to our head, but was driven back with great laughter into our foot, where it at present remains unmolested, in too exhausted a condition to venture upon any farther hostilities. The frequent changes in the weather and in the Ministry, sufficiently trying to any constitution, have now subsided into what seems to be a settled state of the atmosphere-and Christopher and the Country, by the last bulletins, are announced to be convalescent. Both Patients are in a thriving way--and there can be no doubt that, in a month or two, we shall both be perfectly restored to the capacity and power of discharging all our manifold and important functions. Meanwhile we must be kept quiet-nothing in the form of a Whig or a Rat must be suffered to cross our path, for fear we should raise our pulse by treading upon it. The opening articles of newspapers must be administered in very moderate doses-and even our intercourse with Maga herself must be restrained within bounds, till our strength is so far renovated, that the system shall no longer suffer from the uncontrolled vehemence of our embraces. We confess that we feel the genial impulses of spring. Old Parr, and old Jenkins, knew little or nothing about longevity-either in theory or in practice. Ours is the Elixir Vitæ ; like the eagle we renew our youth-nor shall we breathe our last, till the memory of Whigs and Whiggery is faint and fuzionless as a jug of toddy twenty waters to the Glenlivet. We are deeply penetrated by a sense of our many million faults, failings, defects, deficiencies, vices, sins, crimes, et cetera-as will be shown to all the world in our Autobiography, for these last twenty or thirty years speedily preparing for the press. But in spite of them all, in Literature and Politics-we have been-consistent. And why? Because we obeyed no bidding-but the bidding of our own uncorrupted and incorruptible will. Bribes! From what region could bribes be brought, and by what power, to sway one single syllable of that voice, which has no utterance but when inspired else mute-by the spectacle of Truth, Genius, Liberty, Independence, Virtue, and Religion? From their cause never have we swerved an inch during all the variations of times and seasons. grew and flourished in the sunshine, dwindled not, nor shrivelled in the gloom, was The Work that broken not nor beaten down in the tempest. It is now firmly planted-straight in the stem-with bold branches, "itself a grove," and woe be to them who would dare to lay the axe to its root, or come, like thieves in the night, within the reach of its far-tossing limbs, in their natural and easy strength repelling unto the death all either stealthy or open aggression! There is a change in the Ministry. The Whigs have melted like so many blobs -not of dew-but of fetid grease--of kitchen-fee, (see Dr Jamieson)-drippings fit to be sold only to afternoon mendicants-and have left behind only-a stench. We saw them-we smelt them melting-as the Political Articles in our present Number, written weeks-months ago-sufficiently testify. Shall we henceforth leave the fishy fumes of the Faction of themselves to be dissolved through the air, or shall we dig a hole for the dead body of Whiggery, and inter it deep down in a corp-safe, beyond the pick and shovel of the resurrectionist? Wait and see. Meanwhile-WELLINGTON "Like a re-appearing star- FIRST doth head the flock of war." Peel and Melville, and other Worthies, are recalled to hold and wield that power from which they nobly retired, when to hold and wield it would have been dishonour. During their short obscuration behind the clouds of faction, we beheld them shining still; and the Nation-the entire British Nation-hails their return to that station from which they never could have been driven by force, but from which they did, with one magnanimous mind, retire, with all loyalty to their King, with all love to their Country-but in obedience to a still higher call than that of either King or Country-their Conscience. From our inmost hearts we applauded their retirement-from our inmost hearts we hail their return. But we shall speak of Men and of Measures with the same independent spirit, now that they are in power, as we did when they were out of power; and on all the Acts of Government hold such language as will prove to the People of Britain that we have no object at heart but the honour of public men, and the true greatness of our country. C. N. Old Wheat.-First, 67s. Od.-Second, 65s. Od.-Third, 628. Od. Average of Old Wheat, per imperial qr. £3, 48. 1d. 2-12ths.-New, £2, 8s. 2d. Average Prices of Corn in England and Wales, from the Returns received in the Week ended Jan. 4. Wheat, 51s. 8d.-Barley, 29s. 6d.-Oats, 218. 4d.-Rye, 33s. 8d.-Beans, 39s. 7d.-Pease, 42s. 8d. Aggregate Average by which the duty on Foreign Corn now in bond is regulated.-Wheat, 51s. 10d.Barley, 30s. 6d.-Oats, 218. 11d-Rye, 32s 10d-Beans. 41s. 7d-Pease, 43s. 9d. London Corn Exchange, Jan. 7. Wheat, red, old 8. to-White pease Fine ditto 48 to 52 Small Beans, new 46 to 50 Eng. 7 0 to 7-6 to .6 52 to 56 Ditto, old 60 to 64 59 to 61 Feed Oats 17 to 19 30 to 32 Fine ditto 20 to 22 Barley New Malt Fine 25 to 29 Poland ditto Superfine ditto 81 to 34 Potato ditto Hog Pease 50 to 56 Fine ditto 59 to 62 Scotch 37 to 40 Flour, per sack Seeds, &c. 8. s.d.1 Tares, per bush.-to- 6 Rye Grass, Brown, new 9 to 12 0 Clover, red,cwt. white Caraway, cwt. 38 to 42 0 Coriander 60 to 84 0 Irish. 43 Cinque Foin 48 to 52 0 Lintseed feed,.-to-0 0 to 0 0 to 58 0 to 54 0 0 to Pease, grey 0 to -White 46 0 to 50 Flour, English. p.240lb.fine39 0 to 42 Irish, 38 0 to 42 Mess 70 0 to 75 0 -p.barrel 0 to - 0 Pork, p. bl. Mess 50 0 to 58 0 half do.26 0 to 30 0 Bacon, p. cwt. 0Short mids. 44 0 to 46 0 0 Sides -0 to 0 Lard,rd.p.c.60 Weekly Price of Stocks, from 1st to 22d Dec., 1827. 0 11 to 1 0 Butter, Beef, &c. Butter,p.cwt.s. d. s. d. 86 0 to 0 0 Newry 800 to -0 . 2 10 to 3 3 Waterford 0 to 0 44 0 to 46 0 Hams, dry 0 0 Green stock, Long Annuities, New 4 per cent. consols, India bonds, Exchequer bills, 51 55p. Exchequer bills, sm.. 53 51p. Consols for acc. French 5 per Cents. VOL. XXIII. Course of Exchange, Jan. 7.-Amsterdam, 12: 3. Ditto at sight, 12: 0. Rotterdam, 12: 3. Antwerp, 12: 3. Hamburgh, 36: 6. Altona, 36: 7. Paris, 3 days' sight, 25: 35. Ditto, 25: 60. Bourdeaux, 25: 70. Frankfort on the Maine, 150: 0. Petersburgh, per rble. 10: 3. Berlin, 0:0. Vienna, 10: 3. Trieste, 10: 3. Madrid, 35. Cadiz, 351. Bilboa, 35 Barcelona, 343. Seville, 343. Gibraltar, 46. Leghorn, 48. Genoa, 25: 50. Venice, 46. Malta, Naples, 39. Palermo, per oz. 118. Lisbon, 46. Oporto, 46. Rio Janeiro, 33. Bahia, 37: 0. Buenos Ayres, 0. Dublin, 21 days' sight, 13. Cork, 14. Prices of Gold and Silver, per oz.-Foreign gold, in bars, £3: 17: 6d. per oz. Doubloons, £3: 140. New Dollars, 48. 10d. Silver in bars, stand. 58. Ogd. New METEOROLOGICAL TABLE, extracted from the Register kept at Edinburgh, in the Observatory, Calton-hill. N.B-The Observations are made twice every day, at nine o'clock, forenoon, and four o'clock, afternoon.-The second Observation in the afternoon, in the first column, is taken by the Register Thermometer. |