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History of the Regency and Reign of King George the Fourth
History of the Regency and Reign of King George the Fourth Author:William Cobbett Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: " and independence of Europe, have induced his Royal " Highness to give directions for the augmentation ofhis . Majesty's hind and sea forces.—The Prince R-gcnt ... more »has likewise deemed it incumbent upon him, to lose no lime in entering into communications with his Majesty's Allies for the purpose of forming such a concert as may most effectually provide FOB THE GENERAL AND PERMANENT SECURITY Of Europe. And his Royal Highness confidently relies on the support of the House of Commons, in all measures which may be necessary for the accomplishment of this important object." 230. This language was artfully moderate ; but it proposed an augmentation of the land and sea forces. It did not, indeed, talk decidedly of war against Napoleon ; but, what there was deficient in it, in this respect, was amply made up for by the speeches of the ministers, and, indeed, of the members on both sides of the House, which breathed against Napoleon a war of absolute extermination. Upon this occasion the vocabulary of our language seems to have been ransacked, in order to make Napoleon and the French people objects of abhorrence and detestation in England. The people were told, that they never could be relieved from their burdens until Napoleon should be again put down. The people, in several instances, answered by petitions, praying that peace might be preserved with France; but, everything was prepared; and the government and parliament, for the reasons before-mentioned, were resolved upon war. The language of the government press was, in sub- stance, this: that it was not Buonaparte, but "the French people who were to be subdued j that it was the sort of government, and state of things, in France; that the Bourbons were to be disregarded, and were either to be set aside altogether, or were to be comp...« less