best preservation of the church and state it was by connecting the past with the present, and the present with the future, that genuine patriotism was produced and preserved. He repeated that he was shocked and scandalized at the manner in which the advocates of this bill would persuade the House to act; to prohibit an old amusement, because it was the amusement of the poor; for the objection was not to the cruelty of the amusement, or the scope of the bill ought to be enlarged. Those gentlemen seemed to be influenced by a species of philosophy dictated by their wives, one of whom might be supposed to address her husband thus:

was a most injudicious system of thinking, and he cautioned the rich against acting upon it. The efficient part of the community for labour ought to be encouraged in their exertions, rather by furnishing them with occasional amusements, than by depriving them of one, as this bill proposed-a bill, the supporters of which would take them to the Tabernacle or to Jacobinism-for, if to poverty were to be added a privation of amusements, he knew nothing that could operate more strongly to goad the mind into desperation, and to prepare the poor for that dangerous enthusiasm which was analogous to Jacobinism. He objected to the way in which gentlemen would have the House to look "My dear, do you know, that after at the consequences of bull-baiting, by you went out with your dogs this mornciting particular accidents, and from that ing, I walked into the village, and was concluding that the practice was cruel, shocked to see a set of wretches at a bulland that the bull in baiting was treated bait, tormenting the poor animal. I with cruelty. He believed the bull felt a wish, dear, you would speak to our mem. satisfaction in the contest, not less so ber, and request him to bring a bill into than the hound did when he heard the parliament to prevent that horrid pracsound of the horn which summoned him tice." Independent of the injustice of to the chace. True it was, that young encroaching upon the few small amusebulls, or those which were never baited ments of the poor, he would beg the before, showed reluctance to be tied to House to consider the consequence of the stake; but those bulls, which accord- rendering them discontented or dispiing to the language of the sport, were rited, by leaving nothing for them but the called game bulls, who were used to bait- wide waste of labour. The reason why ing, approached the stake and stood there our labourers were capable of more work while preparing, for the contest with the than slaves, was obvious; because they utmost composure. If the bull felt no felt that they worked for themselves; and, pleasure, and was cruelly dealt with, sure- according as their profit, or their prosly the dogs had also some claim to com- pect of pleasure, which was the same passion; but the fact was, that both seem- thing, was increased, just so did their ed equally arduous in the conflict; and labour generally increase also. Such a the bull, like every other animal, while it bill as this to abridge men's pleasures, had the better side, did not appear to feel and to hold out a kind of direct hint to unpleasantly it would be ridiculous to them that they never could labour enough, say he felt no pain; yet, when on such was sufficient to Jacobinize a whole coun. occasions he exhibited no sign of terror, try. In proof of the assertion, that bullit was a demonstrable proof that he felt baiting did not operate to brutalize men's some pleasure. With regard to the peti- minds, he had only to turn the attention tion from Stamford against this bill, it of the House to Lancashire and Staffordwas entitled to the most respectful atten- shire, where that practice principally pretion, for it came from a body of sober vailed. Those counties were known to loyal men, who attended to their several produce the best soldiers in the army, vocations, and never meddled with politics, and the militia of Staffordshire were faithful to their landlord (the marquis of known to have been selected, from their Exeter), with whom, however, they could good behaviour, to do duty about the not avoid being a little displeased for his royal person; a pretty good proof that endeavours to deprive them of their fa- bull-baiting did not produce such effects vourite sport by supporting this bill. on the morals of the people as the puriThose petitioners state, that this amuse- tans affected to deplore, but rather such ment had been enjoyed by their town, for as the Jacobins in France and England a period of 5 or 600 years; and the anti-very sincerely lamented. It was mockery quity of the thing was deserving of re- in men to talk of the sufferings of animals spect for respect for antiquity was the from the sports of the lower orders, while

worse.

they themselves were doing something To the difference between the jolly bull-baiting peasant and his demure gloomy censors, he would apply the words of the poet

“Tom struts a soldier, open, bold and brave; "Will sneaks a scrivener, an exceeding

knave."

The right hon. gentlemen concluded with stating, that if the bill before the House should be adopted, he should, for the sake of consistency and the character of parliament, conceive it his duty to move for leave to bring in a bill to prohibit hunting, shooting, fishing, and all the sports of the field practised by the higher

orders.

some curious properties of mind, and by which modern philosophers have explained many phænomena in the moral world. He should just mention one instance, probably familiar to many gentlemen, who must have observed a bear dancing to music in the street. It might be asked, how was this awkward and uncouth animal disciplined into this graceful agility? Solely by association. The mode was, by putting a hot iron under the hind feet of the bear, and holding him in an upright situation, and playing a tune on the fiddle; the pain made the animal move briskly about, and change his position as quick as possible. After being sufficiently drilled to these manœuvres, he was publicly exhibited as a dancing bear; and the burning pain became so associated with the music, that whenever a fiddle was played, the same impression was conveyed to his brain, and produced similar gesticulations, and correspondent motions. in his feet. Some gentlemen had expatiated on the cruelty of torturing an animal merely for sport and diversion: he begged leave to differ from them; a bull might be baited, from a pure principle of humanity, to preserve his life; for it was evident, if he was not reserved for this entertainment, he would be consigned to the slaughter-house; and he would seriously ask those affected philanthropists, whether, if the bull had his option, he would not rather prefer being baited twenty times, to the being knocked on the head once?-The right hon. gentleman had also proved, that bull-baiting saved us from all the horrors of Jacobinism and fanaticism. Surely this was of infinite importance to church and state! he should therefore hope a sum of money might be voted, and a number of bulls and dogs purchased, and dispersed over the kingdom, that morality and loyalty might be every where disseminated in the most agreeable way; and that the lower ranks of the community might receive instructions and lectures on their duty, without the irksome attendance of listening to a sermon, or being catechised at a parish church. He would also beg leave to ask, how the ex-ministers (who had, with grief of heart, seen the death-warrant of the constitution signed by the peace), “Up to the stars the growling mastiffs fly, could now employ themselves if this bill "And add new monsters to the frighted sky." passed. Cut off at once from all the The right hon. gentleman might have" pride, pomp, and circumstance of gloanalogically elucidated this wonderful rious war;" in what a desponding situaprinciple of association; the source of tion must they be left, without something

Mr. Courtenay said, he was surprised to hear his right hon. friend complain, that the time of the House, at this important period, was emploped on such a comparatively trifling subject as bull-baiting; for he had proved incontrovertibly, that bull-baiting was the great support of the constitution in church and state, and that the generosity, courage, and humanity of the lower ranks of the community solely originated from this heroic and laudable species of entertainment, which had distinguished both the dogs and men of this country from the earliest records of history. His right hon. friend had also obviated all objections to this rational sport, by most ingeniously and philosophically proving that the bull (which seemed to excite so much pity and compassion), derived a singular pleasure from the exhibition; and there was no doubt of the fact, though many gentlemen seemed to smile at the assertion. Yet there was no reason to suppose that the bull, after he had been baited two or three times, from that philosophical principle of association so ably elucidated by Locke, might not enjoy great and triumphant pleasure from the consciousness of his own prowess, from the shouts and applauses of exulting multitudes, who beheld this noble animal bellowing, and tossing the ferocious dogs, who attacked him, into another element; a sight equally singular, picturesque, and enchanting: and which had been happily described by one of our Epic poets,

Mr. Wilberforce thought that the sub- | ported them under their complicated burject had been treated with too much levity. thens. Wretched, indeed, must be the If the good effects which had been attri- condition of the common people of Engbuted to it were really produced by bull- land, if their whole happiness consisted in baiting, why not move to have it rendered the practice of such barbarity! Such a more general? But the truth was, every supposition was a satire, not only on the argument employed to defend the prac- name of Englishmen, but on the Creator tice had been merely palliative. Mere who formed reasonable creatures with such opinions had been stated to prove that barbarous propensities. Of all the arguit was nowise hurtful to morality; but for ments ever invented by Jacobinism to his own part, he thought it fostered every prove the wretched state of the lower bad and barbarous principle of our na- orders, this surely was the strongest, if ture; and he was sorry that any one so the only enjoyment of the common people respectable as his right hon. friend had of England was derived from the practice been found to defend it. He was certain of bull-baiting. It had been said, that if that right hon. gentleman, or any other this practice contributed to keep alive the member, had inquired into the subject martial ardour of the nation. But had it minutely, he would no longer defend a not been proved, by experience, that the practice which degraded human nature to greatest, the most renowned characters, a level with the brutes. The evidence had always been the most hunrane? against the practice was derived from re- When we considered that the victim of spectable magistrates. From such evi- this human amusement was not left to the dence he had derived a variety of facts, free exertion of his natural powers, but which were too horrid to detail to the bound to a stake, and baited with animals House. A bull, that honest, harmless, instinctively his foes, and urged by acuseful animal, was forcibly tied to a stake, clamation to attack him, must we not and a number of bull-dogs set upon him. conclude that the practice was inconsisIf he was not sufficiently roused by the tent with every manly principle, cruel in pain of their attacks, the most barbarous its designs, and cowardly in its execution 2 expedients were hit upon to awake in him No man was more unwilling than he was that fury which was necessary to the to encroach upon the amusements of the amusement of the inhuman spectators. lower orders; on the contrary, he wished One instance of the latter kind he would to rescue them from the ignominious restate; a bull had been bought for the proach cast upon them, that they were so sole purpose of being baited; but upon ignorant and so debased as to be fit only being fixed to the stake, he was found of to enjoy the cowardly amusement of torso mild a nature, that all the attacks of menting an harmless and fettered animal the dogs were insufficient to excite him to death. But it had been stated, that to the requisite degree of fury; upon the present bill ought not to be passed, which those who bought him refused to without also preventing shooting, hunting, pay the price to the original owner, unless and every other attack on inferior animals. he could be made to serve their purpose: Suppose these diversions to be equally inthe owner, after numberless expedients, human, would not the admission of this at last sawed off his horns, and poured argument infer, that no vice was to be into them a poignant sort of liquid, that abolished because all of the same species quickly excited the animal to the wished- could not at once be done away? But it for degree of fury. When bulls were was by no means proper to place the dibought merely for the purpose of being versions of shooting and horse-racing on baited, the people who bought them wish- a footing with bull-baiting. Shooting afed to have as much diversion (if diversion forded exercise to the body, and the birds such cruelty could be called) as possible who fell by it were subjected to no pain for their money. The consequence was, beyond immediate deprivation of life. In that every art, even fire, had been em- horse-racing, two generous animals, with ployed to rouse the exhausted animal to scarcely any compulsion, exerted their fresh exertions, and there were instances speed against each other, and returned where he had expired in protracted from the course with small abatement of agonies amidst the flames. It had been spirits or vigour. But bull-baiting not said, that it would be wrong to deprive only excited the natural passions of the the lower orders of their amusements, of animal for the amusement of the specta the only cordial drop of life which sup- tors, but also subjected it to the most in