ll?

114 PORTRAIT CF E5 GLAND.

States have been often compared to the natural body, the government to the head, the middle classes to the trunk and arms, the poorer to the legs. Popular as such comparisons have been, there is little ground for them. The interest of one or two classes has been supposed to be con- cerned in keeping them up, and the others, not being aware how much depends upon letting a figure be taken for a reason, have acquiesced. There is some truth, however, in the analogy, especially as regards the sophisticate or dressed condition of the body politic ; and as the “ upper” classes have long been fond of the image, we will accommodate at once their old notion and our unqualified one,by drawing a portrait, the likeness of the most melancholy part of which it will be impossible for them to deny, whatever they may say to the rest. Cruikshank, if we had thee near us, thou shouldst draw it betterthan we.

First, then, there is the crown of the head,——a real crown,—in very splendid condition, all gold and jewels, worth, pro- bably the subsistence of all the labourers in the county of Kent for a dozon years. This is to be imagined painted in great lustre,fittiug for the incrusting pencil of Rembrandt, and casting a. light into the surrounding darkness.

Under this comes the head, or the legis- lature,—no very great head in point of brains, but capitally conditioned as to cheeks,—-round, rosy with beef and wine, the expression lofty, the eyes looking down,—-the whole face lordly, as representing lords, and the character “ no- torious as the sun at noon-day.”

Next comes the “ order,”-——the aristo- cracy,—typified by the upper part of the body, and all over orders and ribbons, as rich as can he, panting with asthma. The two arms representing the army and navy, hung on either side, one red, the other blue, each with its epaulet, and one with a sword in its hand, threatening the pheno- menon’s own legs.

Underneath this is the “ part abdomi; nous,” the clergy, (magister artis venter) plump, round, strutting in black cloth, distended with dropsy. As the swelling descends, the regions becomes clothed in scarlet, typifying the fox-hunting part of the “squire archy.” The pockets, the monied interest, stuffed with bank-notes and c0pper,swing apart like a Dutchman’s; for the merely monied is not a flesh and blood interest. It consists of the pocket and nothing else. The cloth of this part of the dress is good plain broad-cloth, and the flaps are closely buttoned.

Lo, then l adreadful change; for the thighs, the farming and mechanical “ in- terests,” are shrinking within their shab- bier clothing, especially the one to the left, which is in green. The other is in

THE BRITISH AMERICAN

Manchester cotton. Compare these with the condition of the waistcoats and the flaming chest,—-to say nothing of the crown. But who can help thinking of the crown and all, when he sees the legs P Gorgeous is the crown, plum and arrogant the cheeks, gallant the shoulders, flaming the chest, prodigious the abdomen, shahby the thighs ; but the legs are bare, shivering, wasted away, and the feet are in the mud ! All their blood is dratvn upwards : there is repletion in the head: in the thighs weak- ness and shabbiness ; in the legs famine ! Oh! what a support to all that upper splendour! What a contrast! What a contradiction ! What a shame !

This is England, " the pride of the world l” —Taller.

TAXATI ON.

It is taxatian which takes the bread from the labourer, in order that it may be pour- ed in accumulated heaps into the lap of the unproductive sinecurist, placeman and pensioner ; it is taxation that enables the great landed proprietor, the fundholder, and the capitalist, to roll in splendour and luxury, whilst the poor and destitute manu- facturers and labourers are not able to ob- tain, by the sweat of their brow, the means of protecting themselves from penury and want ; it is taxation which has called into existence the severe and oppressive Corn Laws ; it is taxation which has been the principle cause of our manufacturers having recourse to the use of steam power in all their operations ; whereby manual labour has been rendered comparatively useless ; it is taxation which causes the unequal dis- tribution of the productions of nature to such an extent, that one part of the com- munity not knowing what to eat or drink, revel in every thing that nature, art or riches can supply ; while the other part of the community (and that the productive part,) are labouring incessantly from morn- ing until night, with the only hope of being able by such means, to keep their families foom utter starvation, or from the work- house ; and unless the legislature strike at once at the root of the evil, and adopt measures to lessen the burdens of the peo- ple, by an immediate and extensive reduc- tion in the taxes, every effort to alleviate the distresses ofthe country will be totallv ineffectual and unavailing. Why does the labourer receive so small a portion of na- ture’s bounty as a remuneration for his la- bour? Is the earth less fruitfu than usual? ls the land less productive. than formerly, or are the cultivators of the soil more in- dolent than their forefathers, and less in- clined to reap the blessings which Provi- dence has so bountifully bestowed ; or

rather is it not the unproductive part of the community, who destroy too great a share of the produce of the country, and thus deprive the labourer of his fair proportion

520.15

of nature’s choicest gifts. It may be true that the great landed proprietor, the fund. holder, and the capitalist, only enjoy what they have the means to purchase, but itj. also true that all the wealth of this and every other nation, is produced by the la. hour ofthe people, and by that means only; therefore whenever the unproductive part of the people bears too great a proportion to the productive part or labourers, or, in other words, when there are too many drones to be kept out of the honey pro. duced by the bees, the inevitable conse- quences ofsuch a state of things, is extra- Vagance, wantonness, and luxury on the one hand, and misery, wretchedness, and poverty on the other. That such is the situation of the country at the present mo- ment, is too evident, when we contrast the splendid mansions, the costly furniture, and the sumptous living of the great, with the miserable hovels, the naked children, and the half-starVed and famished appear- ance of our labouring poor. Such being our situation, no measure for our reliefcan be efl'ecred unaccompanied by a serious reduction in the expenses of the state.- Bolton Chronicle.

EUROPE.

THE WAR IN” PORTUGAL.

Blacl-wood’s .Magazine.-—The nature of the present contest in Portugal is totally mis- understood by the British public in three fun- damental particulars. 1n the first place. it it always assumed by the revolutionary press that Don Miguel is an usurper, and that the title of Donna Maria, as the daughter of the elder brother, is indisputable, But this th Portuguese lawyers, proceeding on the con stitution of their country, and the precidc of their history,dcny. They assert that by the law of Portugal, when a Portuguese King accepts a foreign Crown. his right to the throne of Portugal, ceases by the very fact of that acceptance; that the father of Donna Maria had accepted the crown of Brazil before her birth, that he could not communicate in- heritable blood to the crown of Portugal to hit daughter any niorethau the Pretender coull convey a right to the English crown after the revolutitn of 1688; and, therefore, that the legal succession opened to Don Miguel as the heir, whose birth was prior to the forfeiture of the crown for the el ier branch by that circum- stance. As we are not Portuguese lawyers, we cannot determine whether this opinion ‘ well or ill founded. It is enough t. say, that ll is the opinion ofthe Portuguese bar, and that their law being a matter of fact to us, must be judged of by their opinion. In the next place whether Don Miguel is the legitimate Kingol the Portuguese or not, one thing is perfectly clear. that he is the King of their choice; 3}“ this title it is diflimilt to see how the Englfll King,whosc titic stands on the revolution!” I688, which excluded the elder branch of W Stuarts. or the French monarch, who stands 0| the revolution of the barricades, which excll ded the elder branch of the house of Bonrbo canwith any consistency refuse to aknowledl Don Miguel has been now for five years!!! session of the crown of Portugal,and during ll that time there has beenno sort of attempt on

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