TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
London, 241 January 1332:
Sea—In your last Sunday's Spectator, you were so good as to honour a letter of mine with a place in your useful and valuable Paper ; and also inserted an- other on the same subjest : on both you were pleased to make a few remarks, which, with your permission, I will now briefly reply to, as well as notice a part of your correspondent's letter.
I do not, nor ever did, accuse you of "persecuting any individual." No, Sir;
I have too high a regard for your well-known honour, and consistent and gen- tlemanly feeling, to bring such an accusation against you: but I did say, I thought the paragraph which has given rise to this correspondence, was the outpouring of a bitter and disappointed heart, and I still adhere to that opinion. I again assert, that the present Commodore on the Fahnouth station has no sort, no manner,. no shadow of influence amongst the inhabitants of that town ; and the spirited Falmouthians will not thank you for insinuating, that he does not only possess, but exercise such influence. So little influence has he, that when it was supposed the late Reform Bill would have passed, and which would have given Falmouth a member, seine person proposed that the Commodore should be put in nomination ; to which the latter replied, "I am d—d if I should get a single vote." The present officer was placed on the Falmouth station under very peculiar circumstances—he was put there to upset great and shameful abuses ; to introduce an entirely new service ; and to carry into effect the rules and orders of the Admiralty, with a strict, unflinching, and impartial hand. These things have been done most effectually.; but that in sonic things the officer in question has exceeded the bounds of discretion, I do not pretend to deny or affirm ; with this I have nothing to do: he bas, though. faa.aglit the Packet service to a state of peifection which no one thought could lie done. So much for perseverance; for this he deserves praise, and, I should presume, some reward.
As to the Lieutenants making so much money in so short a time, a cor- respondent of yours says they do, it is a very great mistake. Lieutenant Mooau (who is lately dead) could not have made, I should imagine, more than a third of the sum which it is stated he did whilst he was in command at Falmouth. If I had a file, I think you call it, of the Falmouth Packet newspaper by me, I could then pretty nearly state what he did make ; for that paper gives the num- ber of passengers and amount of freight brought by every packet, and the num- ber of passengers they take out every voyage. The amount of passage-money is made public by Government; so about this there can be no mistake; but the money the commanders receive for passage is not all clear; for they must keep a liberal and indeed expeasive table, or they will be sure to be blown with a vengeance amongst the merchants. There is not a single commander at Fah mouth who "keeps an expensive establishment." I have no private feelings to influence me, no local attachment to Falmouth, to gratify, no desire to see any body of men pushed forward to the exclusion of others equally meritorious; but I do feel an immense interest in what concerns my country, consequently a great partiality towards all branches of the Navy, and a great regard fur those who are really and arduously working for the En,- pure; and admire, indeed venerate, those who by their professions are devoted to our welfare, as much as I loath, detest, condemn, abominate, abjure, those wretches who batten upon their country, and care not what becomes of their native land, as long as they can live in wealth, idleness, voluptuousness, corrup- tion, and vice, although they know they are hated, despised, scorned, and sneered at by all virtuous minds. Great God ! can it be such vipers are per- mitted to crawl on their filthy bellies amongst us, without meeting with their just punishment? But their fetid slime tracks them too openly to much longer escape their merits. Pray, Sir, pardon my rambling. I shall not again tres- pass on your Paper or patience, as I am shortly about to leave home for abroad.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A CORNUBIAN RADICAL.
Previous page
