Rhode Island American And Providence Gazette

From the London Sun of July 29.

Poor Old Cobbett.—This precious disciple of Tom Paine has addressed a letter to Mr. Canning in his usual style, on the state of the country. The most amusing features of this epistle, is the high tone which honest Iago assumes over the right honorable gentleman, by saying, that all the measures which the Cabinet must resort to are the measures of Cobbett! and the moment these measures are adopted, then, says this modest man, 'I am your master!'

After this bounce, down comes 'the patriot' from his high estate, and humbly supplicates the Right Hon. Gentleman for a seat in Parliament We give the following extract to illustrate the assurance of the Preston candidate:

"But, what puzzles me exceedingly is, the grounds upon which you reckon on escaping from being compelled, at last, to acknowledge me your master. A stone tossed up in the air will not more assuredly find its way to the ground, than your system will find its way to a state of prostration. I must triumph over you. It is not in nature that I should fall. You can coin your body into sovereigns as easily as you can continue to pay the interest of the debt in full in a currency of gold. Trick after trick, contrivance after contrivance, may be put into motion; miserable respites may be obtained; delusion may still do something; but Lavender, the late London thief taker, and Grimshaw, the Mayor of Preston, can cause victuals and drink to go in abundance into the dwellings of the unfortunate weavers and spinners of Lancashire, as easily as you and your colleagues can pay the full interest of the debt in a currency of silver and gold.

"You do not believe this." Is it so? So much the worse for you if it be so; for your surprise and mortification will be the greater. We are now living amongst the last tricks and contrivances of the system. It is in the very nature of this system to produce, in the end, 'starvation in the midst of plenty.' This is its peculiar attribute. It is now producing this effect; but this is its end; like the viper, which naturalists tell us of, as being of so very poisonous a nature all through that it kills itself generally by biting its own tail. So this system, having first destroyed every thing within its reach, will finish with the destroying of itself.

"In conclusion, Sir, let me remind you that you have frequently said that you liked to see demagogues in Parliament; that you like to see them there, because they soon found their level and became insignificant. Now, Mr. Canning, let me put your sincerity to the test; you know (aye as well as any man you know) of my late adventures at Preston: you know the infinite pains I have taken to get face to face with you; you know that of right the seat was mine; you know by what means I am for the present, kept out of it: if, then, you be sincere in your wish to have demagogues in Parliament, and a demagogue you have called me; if you be sincere in this, now is the time to show your sincerity! All the world says that something must be done. I have said, and I still say, that I would not be two months in the house before I would submit to it a bill, calculated, in my opinion, to make the nation once more happy and free, and particularly to sweep away all the present embarrassments, dangers, and sufferings. My opinions, you know, are opposed to yours upon the subject; I am ready to face you in that assembly where you have at all times a decided majority, I am ready and willing to expose myself to the risk, if such risk there be, of being put down, laughed at, rendered the scorn of those whom I have hitherto so cordially despised.— Come, then, if you and your colleagues have a manly sentiment in your minds; come, I say, give me a seat: place me within reach of the lash that you have in store for demagogues; place me where I shall 'find my level,' and be sunk for ever! 'Nay, answer me not with a fullborn jest;' and above all things, do not use the ridiculously hypocritical pretence, that I am not a man that you wish to demolish. How gladly, alas! would you see that demolition! At any rate, whatever the fact may be, the public belief is, that you and all your colleagues, though you may wish me no harm, would feel much more comfortable than you do now, if you could hear that my bones were as dry as those of old Tommy Paine, who outlived Pitt, after all the hectoring of the latter, and his threats against the former."