templation as the Wapping docks; if a canal had been dug in France equal in length with the Paddington canal; what occafion of boafting would they not have afforded to a French writer? how would he have extolled the greatnefs of his country? We mention thefe things that an English reader may not be caught by the frippery of French declamation, or think that in works of importance they excel this nation. At the fame time, the plan of an annual expofition cannot be too much commended; and if, by the authority of government, a fimilar proceeding was adopted with refpect to this country, it would not only contribute to useful information, but increase the fund of patriotism.

There is one point, however, in this expofition which is of much more importance to us than details of finance, or accounts of improvement. The Conful denies that there exifted an extraordinary armament in the ports of France and Holland, or that a single preparation was made in them, to which the most remote fufpicion could give a finifter interpretation, at the time that fuch things were afferted in the King's meffage to have taken place. He declares that the British government has deceived the nation, and precipitated it without reflection into a war, whofe terrible effects now begin to be felt in England, and whofe results may be decifive of its future destiny. He triumphs on the poffeffion of Hanover, as a pledge of that juftice which the King of England will be compelled to perform; and he declares that France will never confent to a treaty lefs favourable than that of Amiens, nor allow to the British government the right of fulfilling its engagements as may fuit the progreffive calculations of its ambition, or the right of requiring farther guarantees after the guarantee of faith plighted. The two courts are thus committed; and it is the interest of this nation that it should prove to Europe that it has not begun the war by uttering a falfity.

The Conful is not only fovereign of France, but lord, in a great measure, of all Italy. Hence it was natural to expect that he would not permit any of the fmaller powers of that country to interfere in this conteft in our favour. The partiality of the court of Naples to the English interest is well known; and in consequence, it is faid, that the

Conful infifts on three fortreffes on the coaft to be garrifoned by his troops, that the British cabinet may not avail itself of its fuperiority at fea to land troops when it pleafes in Italy. The probability is, that Naples must allow of the demand; by which the French intereft will be paramount to every thing in the fouth of Europe, and not a friendly port in that quarter may be open for the admiflion of our fleets.

At the fame time that the fovereign of France is thus uing the power he has acquired, he leaves no means untried to increafe his influence on the continent. The filly fuperftition of Rome has ftill its advocates, and multitudes bow down to the pretentions of a prieft, who aflumes fome imaginary rights on the equally imaginary claim defcended to him from one of the Apofties. Abfurd as thefe opinions are well known to be to every Proteliant, the Pope has addreffed his bull to the Conful, as his beloved fon in Christ, as the guardian of and benefactor to religion, to protect the rights of the church in Germany. The mediation will, doubtlefs, be accepted with pleafure; but the church has loft too much of its temporalities, and information is too widely fpread in Germany, for any very great advantages to be thence derived to the pretended Holy See.

Another difpute in Germany excites fome degree of intereft in the greater and fmalier courts, which relates to the Knights of the Empire. In the great exchanges of property, or, we fhould rather fay, the fyftem of rapine and plunder, by the real Jacobin fyftem which has taken place in that country, the Knights have been confiderable fufferers; and though it will be scarcely poffible to place them on their autient footing, fome time muft elapfe before their claims can be adjusted; and the interpolition of various courts in this affair will be conftrued by thofe who are unacquainted with the complicated forms of the Germanic conftitution into hoftile difpofitions.

The northern courts of Europe do not feem to have varied at all fince our last report. The Porte is faid to be more tranquil, the Beys of Egypt have confented to fome arrangements, and Alexandria is to be garrisoned by Turks. However this may be, at prefent there is no profpect of the permanence of any treaty which does not leave the Beys in the real, though not per

haps the nominal, poffeffion of the government of Egypt.

From India the news is partly of a doubtful, partly of a melancholy nature. A war exifts on the continent, the nature of which and its refults we shall take into consideration at a future opportunity, when our intelligence is more matured. In the illand of CeyJon the British forces have met with a difafter: a whole regiment has been cut off by the natives. The probable refult is, that this event will be confidered as fuflicient ground for new aggrellions on our part; and the whole iland mutt finally bend under the yoke of Europeans.

In the Weit, the refult that we anticipated in our last report is now afcertained to have taken place. The French troops were not only under the neceffity of quitting St. Domingo, but, to avoid the juft fury of the blacks, were compoiled to furrender themfelves to our feet; and by becoming our prifoners, and availing themselves of the refpect paid to our flag, their lives were fecured. The General of the expedition and his fuite, and a great part of his furviving army, are now prifoners in England. The black chief, on the evacuation of the island by the French, iued a proclamation, declaratory of the intention of the blacks, and of the men of colour, to affert their independcnce against any force that might be brought against them from any quarter, They infift upon the rights to which they are entitled in common with the reft of the human race, do not acknowledge any inferiority to that part of the creation which has had the infolence to keep them in their former degraded fituation, and refuse a refidence in the iland to any perfons who thall infift upon fuch ill-founded claims. The former proprietors are invited to return to their efiates, if they can bring themselves to fubmit to the newly conftituted authorities; but it remains to be feen, whether a white proprietor ean cordially fubmit to the preponderance of the blacks, to whom he once flattered himfelf that he was by nature fo much fuperior. What form of government will be adopted, how far it is probable that the blacks will become induftrious and cultivate the island to advantage, what profpect exifts of their remaining a united people, the want of intelligence from that quarter forbids a conjecture with rational grounds

of fuccefs. War has a great effect changing the tempers and dispositions of men. The blacks have had to encounter a warlike and well difciplined army; hence a degree of difcipline and fubordination on their part was neceffary: their chiefs had, many of them, the advantages of a European education; and if the day which makes a man a flave takes half his worth away, according to the poet of antiquity, the refloration of freedom to the flave may not only restore him to the worth of humanity, but the fenfe of his degradation may excite him to efforts which thall carry him beyond those, in manly virtue, who are accuftomed to hold him in contempt. One advantage likely to refult from the establishment of a black republic, is, that the flaves in America, who, according to the contions of the United States, muft, after a certain number of years, be fet at uberty, will many of them find an aylum in an ifand where their own colour has the preponderance, and thus, by degrees, be reftored to their true ftation in fociety.

The United States of America have diftingu fhed themselves in a manner which does them great credit. They have made peace with Morocco, without fubmitting to the degrading conditions which are exacted from the courts of Europe. They have not paid any thing for tribute, or in the fhape of tribute; and, if the fame resolution were fhewn by the European powers, a fpeedy end might be put to that fyftem of piracy which difgraces the northern coaft of Africa. The acquifition of Louisiana adds confiderably to their fcale of power: by this mean, the interior states will have a vent for their commodities, commercial towns will be built in the heart of North America, and the Miffifippi and Ohio become rivers of the greatest import

ance.

In our domeftic politics, after the calamitous event firft mentioned in this report, the attention of the public has been chiefly occupied with the volunteer fyftem. The attacks upon it. have been numerous and umanly: the volunteers, in the mean time, have gone on, with a few exceptions to be expected in fo large a mais, very calmly and quietly, learning the military exercife, and qualifying themselves for the object the nearest to their heart,-the defence of their country. An out

rage committed at Chester, and a few difputes in fome corps, much exaggerated, have been made the grounds of general complaint against the fyftem, as if they neceffarily rofe out of the fyftem, and were not to be confidered as the effects of human affairs, which cannot in a moment bring any thing to perfection, and, indeed, cannot aim at any thing more than gradually to cure defects, as they become prominent. A difpute in the Southwark volunteers occationed no small surprise, from the former popular conduct of the Colonel, who in this inftance feems to have exercifed a temper which he was not fuppofed to poffefs; and his arbitrary meatures, by no means fupported by the conftitution of the corps, met with proper refiftance. The decifion of the Court of King's Bench in the cafe of a volunteer, which established his power of refigning, in oppofition to the opinion of the Attorney General, has been of great ufe in setting that question at reft; and, when the officers and men mutually confider each other as volunteers, few difficulties, we are perfuaded, will arife. Volunteers, we repeat it, are not to be treated, nor is it necellary to treat them, as regulars: the regular foldier has nothing elfe to do but to attend his parades and his military exercises. The volunteers have other occupations; and there is nothing in the military exercife which they cannot learn without its being made irksome to them, or calling on their time to the interruption of their affairs.

- The alacrity of the volunteers in the north was feen on the alarm fpread on the lighting of the beacons; from what saufe it is not fufficiently afcertained. It may, however, lead government to the improvement of that part of the practice of making fignals; for it may eafily be eftablished whether an error has been committed, and the march of an hottile army be ascertained, by proper management, at a hundred miles from the fpot, within half an hour from the time that every movement is made. This art has, as yet, received by no means the encouragement in this iland that it deferves.

The law courts have prefented us with two important cases; the one of a lady calling herself Lady Augufta Murray, the other of Mr. Aftlett. The lady applied for an injunction to a banker from her claim of 4,000/ a year, fettled on her and her children

by the Duke of Suffex, to whom he is fuppofed to have been married; but, according to the English law, the mar riage contract is declared invalid. The propriety of this law deferves ferious examination; and how far it is compatible with the law of God, a law fuperior to that of man, may be jutily called in question. But though the lady cannot be Duche's of Suffex, and can claim no rights from her marriage in the British doinin ons, yet, as the Duke is also a Prince of the German empire, it may be questioned whether the lady can now call herfelf by her family name: fhe muft follow that of her hufband, and take her rank as a Princess, as his wife, on the continent. The injunction could not be granted, from the impoffibility of binding the banker down to the conditions required.

The cafe of Mr. Aftlett was fubmitted to the twelve Judges, of whom a majority have decided, that the uppofed exchequer bills which the accufed perfon took from the Bank were real property. Since the Judges were not, it is faid, unanimous in this opinion, we may be allowed to embrace it with hesitation. Sentence of death has been paffed upon Mr. Aftlett.Whilft there is ftrong ground for heûtation, a paufe will be affuredly made before a man is deprived of life; and a ftrict enquiry ought to be made into the conduct of that public officer, whose ignorance of or inattention to the duties of his office has made this the fubject of fo much public difcution.

In the higher circles, fome time ago, was circulated a very curious correfpondence, that took place laft fummer between the Chancellor of Ireland and Lord Fingall, a very worthy Catholic Peer. The correfpondence has lately been publifhed, and excited the aftonishment of all who are acquainted with the difputes between the two churches, the Catholic and Proteftant. The Chancellor perfuades himself, that the confufions in Ireland originate from the nature of catholic doctrines, and that its priests weaken the tie of loyalty on the incompatibili ty of allegiance to heretics. The opinion is refifted with great calmness and found knowledge by the Earl, and the queftion will, by every candid mind, be determined in his favour. But the correfpondence is of importance, as it is attended with an imputation by the Chancellor on the conduct of a priest,

who has published a vindication of himfelf, and given a picture of the tortures to which he had been fubjećted, that can be parallel only by thofe inflicted by the cruel Duke of Alva formerly in the Netherlands. If his account is true, we have no reason to exclaim again't the cruelties of a Roberfpierre: the British character has received a ftain equal to that of the French in the horrors of their revolution; and every one who has a regard for the honour of his country muft be folicitous that due inquiry may be made into the atrocities faid to have been committed in Ireland, that either the accounts may be contradicted on proper authority, or the perpetrators of them meet with condign punishment. The fate of the coinage of this country has long been a subject of concern and complaint. By giving to Mefirs. Bolton and Watts the coining of our copper, a beautiful coin has been prefented; and they could do the same with our gold and filver coinage, in a manner that should render forgery extremely difficult, if not impoffible. Notwithstanding the experiment of the kill of our two artifis, the Bank Lately iffued dollars, which they had the affurance to value as crowns, with the figure of the King stamped on the King of Spain's neck, that made a molt difguiting fight, and feemed intended originally by fome jacobin, to bring both Kings into contempt. We hope the report is true, that the artists above mentioned will be permitted to have the re-ttamping of the dollars, as they can by one ftroke of their powerful engine, give to the dollar a quite new appearance in every part, except the milling. We with we could add, that to the fame artists was committed the entire management of the coinage, as they would perform it in a manner more honourable and cheaper to the country than it is now performed in the Tower.

In the Houfes of Lords and Commons, very little bufinefs of importtance has been tranfacted. The Houfe of Commons met pursuant to adjourn ment, on Wednesday, February 1it; and after fome matters of little importance, its attention was called by Mr. Fox to the Middlefex petition. This petition had been prefented by persons, ftating themfelves to be freeholders of the County, but not ftating their claim to a right to vote, or to a feat in that house,

in confequence of the iffue of the Middlefex election. This omiffion Mr. Fox declared to be fatal to the reception of the petition, as the house was bound by the act of parliament, the 28th of the King, to which reference was made, which exprefsly pointed out the form to be adopted by petitioners. The Minifter could not fubscribe to Mr. Fox's opinion, though he confeffed that it was a queftion of much delicacy. In confequence, however, of the objections, the order of the day for taking into confideration the petition was deferred to Friday; and Mr. Fox gave notice that he should move, on the morrow, for its rejection altogether.

Accordingly on the next day Mr. Fox made his promised motion, prefacing it with his opinion, that the cafe was too clear to admit of argument. The house is to be guided by the act of parliament; and as this act was framed with the particular view of putting an end to vague ideas of the intention of the legislature, it cannot be denied that it must be interpreted as nearly as poffible according to the precife letter. The duty of the house, then, was plain and fimple, to examine the act by itfelf, and lay afide every idea but those of its injunctions. The act declared, that if petitions were of fuch a nature, they were to be laid before a committee; and the house was bound to receive petitions under certain circumitances, and to reject those in which were not laid down the neceffary allegations. As the house was bound by a pofitive ftatute, no precedents could, in this cafe, be of any avail. It would be abfurd to lay down rules for the regulation of a court, and then fuffer the decifions of the court to fly in the face of the rules for its conduct. The claufe of the act to which he referred stated, precisely, that a petition was not to be referred to a committee, unless it was ftated that they who figned it had a right at the time to vote as unexceptionable freeholders. In this cafe, the conditions had not been complied with: the perfons figning it had not afferted that they were freeholders who had a right,

I am, faid the honourable member, a freeholder of Middlefex, but under circumftances precluding the exercise of my elective franchise. Many others might be in the fame fituation; and how could the houfe determine, whe ther the perfons figning the petition

were in the fame clafs or not. Suppofe a petition to be prefented to the Loute by perfons defcribing themfelves to be freeholders, agreeable to the act, though they were only a tumultuous rabble; the house muft in the first inftance receive it, and refer it to a committee, which would afterwards acertain and punish fuch an attempt to impofe on the legislature. If the prefent petition had been figned by women inftead of men, still, if they ftated their claims agreeably to the act, the petition muft go to the committee, and wait their decifion. The law required certain allegations: these allegations might be falie, and subject the petitioners to punithment; but, however reputable might be the prefent petitioners, their character cannot vindicate a disobedience of the law. Equity might be pleaded here; but if fuch a ground is admitted, legillative provifions become a nullity.

A petition was prefented by myself, continued the honourable member, on the conduct of the High Bail if in the contested election for Westminster of 1784. The equity of the cafe was obvious to the majority of the house, though they refifted the admission of the petition; and they rested their oppofition on the allegations not being fuch as the act had specified to be neceffary, previous to the admiffion of a petition. In coufequence, a new act was made to remedy an admitted inconveni

ence.

The prefent was not a matter of deliberation: a petition is to be admitted or rejected, not from the fenfe of its propriety or equity, but becaufe the act had ordered that in certain cafes a petition was to be admitted in other cafes to be rejected. Suppofe the petitioners in this cafe to have been only copyholders, claiming a right to vote. Their claim was known to be futile; yet that was not the ground for rejecting the petition. Another cafe of more importance, is that of the joint tenants, which had created a great deal of interest. Had they been the petitioners, and the houfe, from an opinion that their claim to vote was ill founded, rejected their petition, its decifion must have been confidered as irregular and unjust; for it would prejudge the caufe to be decided in a committee, and execute that office, which the house, by the paffing of the Grenville act, was declared incapable VOL. I.

of performing with fairness and impartiality.

The houfe, then, has a fimple task to, execute; to determine merely whether the conditions of the act have been complied with. The petition appeared to Mr. Fox evidently irregular; and in confequence the order of the day for confidering it was read, and he moved that it might be difcharged. In oppofition to this motion rofe the Minister,

Who allowed the propriety of adhering rigidly to the provifions of every act of the legiflature, and the neceffity of avoiding every reftraint on the right of the fubjects petitioning parliament. The prefent interference, however, he could not but confider as of a very dangerous and unconstitutional nature, breaking in upon a regular caufe of precedents, and counteracting the fundamental principles of the laws for regulating the elective franchife. After the act of the tenth of this reign, the table of the house was covered with petitions; and, to remedy the inconvenience, the act of the 28th was paffed, determining the perfons entitled to petition, but he did not conceive it to be m the contemplation of the framers of the act, that the petitioners fhould exprefsly state their right of voting in the bottom of the petition. -All that was intended was, that the general defignation of freeholders 'fhould be obferved: if this had been done, the injunctions of the act were fulfilled.

The objection to precedents did not appear to him to be valid; and he conceived that the people would have reafon to complain, if a mere inadvertency fhould annul a moft important conflitutional privilege. Precedents were numerous, and the houfe had been fatisfied when the common-fenfe meaning of the act had been complied with. He dwelt much on the hardfhips to the prefent petitioners, if they fhould thus be topped in limine; but, in contending that their claim fhould be laid before a committee, he was far from affirming that it hould be admitted by the committee without examination. If they had imposed on the houfe, they would affuredly meet with punishment; but they were not to be prefumed to be diqualified. In receiving the petition, the house would be guided by practice; in rejecting it, by rigour and injustice.

Bb