FALKIRK POLITICAL UNION. SIR,-Aware of the interest you take in the progress and diffusion of political knowledge, I make no apology for troubling you with the intelligence, that a General Meeting of the Inhabitants of Falkirk and neighbourhood was held here on Monday, the 20th instant, for the purpose of establishing a Political Union, similar to that of Glasgow and other large Towns in Scotland. The assembly was large, and a few eloquent and appropriate speeches were delivered. Resolutions favourable to the institution of a Political Union were proposed, and carried unanimously; and a Committee chosen to carry the resolutions into effect, and to conduct the business and correspondence of the Union. Before dismissing, three hearty cheers were given to our Patriotic King and his enlightened Ministers; and three for that celebrated and honest Statesman, Joseph Hume, Esq., M. P. The greatest order and harmony prevailed during the whole of the proceedings.-I am, &c. J. G. Falkirk, 27th June, 1831. We heartily congratulate our new friends of the "Falkirk Political Union," on their formation, and wish them every success in the promotion of the good cause; the success of the Reform Bill we consider perfectly certain; but the possession of power and popularity is dangerous, even in the hands of the best men; there is a tendency in human nature to abuse power-a selfish bias-an inclination to "ride on the top of com mission;" -men in power, therefore, whoever they are, require to be narrowly watched, and their every measure scanned with a vigilant eye; and the more Political Unions are multiplied, the more difficult will it be for any future Ministry to lead the country into useless and devastating wars, and increase that enormous debt which hangs like an incubus on the neck of our every exertion. Knowledge is power; and the more widely political knowledge is diffused, the more powerful and happy will the nation become. RENFREWSHIRE POLITICAL UNION. THIS Institution, from the manner it has been supported by the spirited gentlemen of Renfrewshire, who move in the first circles in society, and by the people at large, has now become by far the most important political association in Scotland, and the most timid cannot but have confidence in the legality of its proceedings. Now, therefore, that the improvement of our laws, the extension of our commerce, and, above all, the recommending of able, honest, and independent Representatives for the People will come to be subjects often and openly discussed at the meetings, the duty of becoming members, as well as the benefit to be derived therefrom, must be obvious to all ranks of the People. THE LATE LORD ADVOCATE.-We perceive that Sir William Rae denies using the expressions attributed to him, and for which, we-" in virtue of our authoity"-sent him "to Coventry!”—viz. “that a body of Scotchmen could never and separate themselves again, without bloodshed."-It may be so, but the rs have the blame of many errors they never commit. RAVINGS OF THE "GLASGOW COURIER." He is a strange sort of fellow this same Courier-does he imagine that the sensible part of the population view the present aspect of affairs through the same time-serving telescope as himself, that he writes such balderdash; or does he suppose that even the few who read his lucubrations are ignorant enough to be gulled by such mendacious ranting? Those operatives who lost a day's work and wore shoe leather, attending a procession, did not require the Courier to inform them that they only occupied £5 houses; but they had the good sense to hail with approbation that measure which brought the elective franchise within reach of their neighbours, though it did not reach themselves; aware that whatever benefitted the occupier of a £10 house, would also necessarily benefit the occupier of a £5 one; and whatever the Courier may think of the foolery of processions, even he cannot deny that they produced an effect on the nerves of some of his friends the Boroughmongers, that has made them act like rational men ever since, in place of " yaumering" like himself in the following canting lachrymose style: "We are thankful that the Election Riots which took place in this neighbourhood-the processions, and all such disgusting foolery-have very properly been made the subject of animadversion in Parliament. When the People see that their Demonstrations of physical and moral power' are no longer in request, and that, by the highest law authorities of the land, they are declared to be illegal, we hope they will separate themselves from the political incendiaries, who are now tampering with their passions, and refrain from again infringing the public peace, by any more flag-flapping, and trudging hither and thither like school children playing at sodgers. Those operatives who have lost one day's work, and worn shoe leather in the cause of Reform, should know that the Bill, whatever be its fate, makes no account of them. Vintners, shopkeepers, village portioners, and such like, are to have votes; but all under £10 of yearly rent are permanently excluded: so says his Majesty's Ministers. This measure is to be final and effectual; and there is to be no farther extension, let the people clamour as they like." TORY ORATORY.-We have no occasion to regret the lack of wit and eloquence among our Legislators. The days of “the Talents” never afforded a more brilliant example of sound sense, powerful argument, and playful imagination, than the following laconic oration of Colonel Sibthorpe:-"I maintain that the Budget has been a failure in every point of view. The Reform Bill, as well as the Speech from the Throne, I assert, will be a decided humbug and delusion upon the public." Could any reasoning be more complete? In the space of less than four lines he has knocked on the head the Budget, the King's Speech, and the Reform Bill. Incomparable orator! THE duties of a Member of Parliament are, of course, excessively arduous: and it may, probably, be gratifying to the electors of Preston to learn how their Representative was engaged for the greater part of two days. Hunt was summoned by a hackney-coachman for the non-payment of sixpence, which charge he resisted on a dispute of distance. That part of the affair occupied one morning at a police office. The distance was to be measured-so Hunt attended the officers on another day, and it was ascertained, as might have been expected, that the coachman was right, the Blacking Office being thirty yards more than a mile from St. Stephen's; upon which Hunt was presented with the following bill of costs:-Summons and service, 4s.; measuring the distance, 5s.; coachman's loss of time, two days, 6s.; hearing, ls. 6d. ; the disputed fare, 6d. total, 17s.-The Honourable Member's defeat by the Jehu has tickled the cessarisible muscles of many persons, but none appeared to enjoy the joke more than be Earl of Harrington; who declared, "'Pon honour, the man must be a dost extraordinary creature indeed, to know that he had thirty yards to spare.' -Electors of Preston! you have, indeed, a precious sixpenny worth! LETTER TO THE EDITOR. SIR-In reading over last Saturday's Gazette, I was particularly pleased with the liberal sentiments of a brother reformer. The variations in the last line of his quotation from Scotia's Patriot Bard, led me to try my hand at something similar; if you can afford my attempt a corner (as an answer), you will oblige, Hae, there's a hand, my worthy frien', Lang" vile" reformers nam'd we've been ; It's lang been ken't the chaps up bye, But "freedom" now sae loud a' cry ;- Adelphi Mill, June 29, 1831. There's something in the soul o' man, An' heth I fin't in mine, J. B. So come, my frien', let's pledge again- And long may gude King William reign,"— STARVATION IN the midst of PLENTY !—Mr. O'Connell, the other night, in the House of Commons, " denied that the distress in Ireland was to be called famine. It was starvation certainly; but then it was starvation, not from dearth of food, but in the midst of plenty. He referred to Galway, Newport, and other parts of Connaught, from which, at the same time, that thousands of the people were perishing from the want of food, numerous vessels were daily sailing out loaded with provisions!" If any of our Friends in Town or Country wish to be supplied regularly with the Gazette, they will please send to the Printing Office. TO CORRESPONDENTS. R. P.'s remarks on the conduct of the "Twa Gorbals Baillies" are good, and the castigation he gives richly deserved. We shall probably make some use of his communication next week. A. M.'s poetry has too much puffery in it for our pages:-we are, like our neighbours, fond enough of public approbation, of which we have had our share, but A. M.'s comes" in such a questionable shape," that even our modesty refuses the dose. R.'s article on the trimming consistencies of the Herald will not suit us, in its present shape; we do love to see its jolly Editor at a cold punch sederunt;-there he shines-it seems his congenial element-there his wit sparkles" like dew-drops on a lion's mane,"-and oft has he "set the table in a roar." We therefore like the man, and cannot afford to abuse him ;-but we hate his politics with a perfect hatred, and have no objections to see them run down to the level of Don Miguel himself, and that is surely low enough. We shall be always glad to hear from Retaliator, but we advise him to eschew Muir of St. James's conversational style, and to deal less in parenthetical involution; we intend this as a friendly hint, as we feel really obliged to him. All Communications (Post Paid) addressed to the Editor, and left at the Printing Office of MUIR, GOWANS, & Co. No. 42, Argyll-Street, (opposite the Buck's Head,) will be thankfully and confidentially received, and promptly attended to. Printed and Published by MUIR, GOWANS, & CO. 42, ARGYLL-STREET, (Opposite the Buck's Head,) FOR THE PROPRIETORS. THE personal interview we had in London last week with Sir THOMAS DENMAN, the Attorney-General of England, was gratifying to us in the extreme. Like an honest man and a Patriot, he declared that his opinion of the infamous Acts of Castlereagh remained unaltered, and that it would give him the greatest pleasure to see these Acts obliterated for ever from the Statute Book. He also declared that nothing could be farther from his wish than to attempt to repress or shackle any Publication like ours, having for its object the dissemination of useful knowledge, and the maintenance of the Laws and Institutions of the Country, Civil and Sacred, according to their true intent and spirit. But he stated, what we indeed knew, that he had no control over the Fiscal or Revenue departments in Scotland-and he was pleased to add, that it would be to him matter of regret if we were put to any unnecessary trouble or annoyance, since he believed we were animated by a sincere desire to promote the best interests of the Country, in common with the great body of His Majesty's subjects. In short, K Sir Thomas Denman treated us with respect and kindness-and from all that we saw and heard of him (and we saw and heard a good deal), we are satisfied, and gladly report to our friends in Scotland, that he is justly entitled to the high confidence reposed in him by the People of England, who reckon their rights and liberties perfectly safe in his hands. We had also several interviews with the LORD ADVOCATE. His Lordship was pleased to state that he had been urged to prosecute us by certain parties in Scotland, but had declined!-And for what, reader, do you think the Lord Advocate was urged to prosecute us?-For SEDITION!— Aye, for Sedition!! Only think of the Editor and Conductors of The Loyal Reformers' Gazette being prosecuted for Sedition! ! !—— Radicals! Do you see what some busy devils in Scotland would do to us and to you, if they had the power.-Sedition, truly!-Is it against the King--or the King's Government, whom we love and revere, that we have written or uttered any thing like Sedition ?— Impossible! But if we have written or uttered Sedition at all, it must-it only could have been, against the King's enemiesagainst the enemies of His Government, and these are the base, the cowardly Boroughmongers, with whom millions of bearded men besides ourselves now desire to have a fair and open reckoning, and we say the sooner the better, for the balance, we think, will be greatly on the side of the People. This attempt, however, this secret desire to prosecute us for Sedition (we can almost laugh at the charge) only excites us to stand to our posts a little more firmly, and to show a bolder front than we have yet done. We therefore declare that we do not care one straw for all the Boroughmongers in England, Ireland, or Scotland. We snap our fingers in their face, and we tell them without the slightest scruple, that even if the black days of 1793 were yet to come upon us; if it were possible that Robert Dundas of Arniston, and Robert M'Queen of Braxfield, could now rise from their graves, to sit in judgment against us (as they did with the early Reformers), we would most respectfully assure them that "The time has come when men must stand or fall according to their actions!" Such was one glorious sentence in THOMAS MUIR's defence, now adopted, as we rejoice to see, by the Press of England. And cherishing as we do his sentiments, and desiring to imitate, however humbly or feebly, his great example, we say that if the Anti-Reformers wish to try an experiment against the Young Radicals of the year 1831, |