nice and delicate question, the proper Whilt a change was taking place in the administration of our government, an important one was meditated in France, which is a full ftronger proof of the diminished influence of the peo ple in the affairs of state. The Firt In the raifing of the First Conful to the dignity of Emperor there is a tacit implication of a fuperiority attached to the name, which might lead to an eaquiry into the power of the Tribunate and Confervative Senate to confer this fuperiority on any perfon. The fovereign of Germany is dignified with the title of Emperor, as the reprefentative of the antient Cæfars; and he is knowa in Germany under the title of the Kai- merely words of courfe, for whatever In the mean time, however, the The other countries of Europe prefent little of importance to us. The court of Peterburgh is faid to have made a ftrong manifeftation of its indignation at the execution of the Duke of Enghien, which reminds us of the conduct of our glorious Queen, who appeared in mourning, with her whole court, on the day that the first received the French ambalador, after the hor feat of St. Bartholomew. Indeed, the rible maffacre of the protestants on the recollection of the horrible acts perpetrated by the old dynafty of France dynafty; for, notwithstanding the mamuft reconcile every perion to any new ny atrocities imputed to Buonaparte, he is far inferior to his predeceffor aud cruelty. Reports from Spain make Lewis XIV in bloodshedding, bigotry, preferved with that kingdom. it credible that peace cannot be long would, of course, be declared when it fuits the intereft of the French fovereign; but no additional ftrength will be derived from involving Spain in the conteft, and the defu uction of its commerce will add to our wealth, and diminifh his resources. War Egypt is itill in confufion, without any profpect of an improved governEnglish power paramount on that conment. India prefents to our view an tinent in the fame manner as that of dies, the pre-eminence of the blacks on France is in Europe. In the West Inone inland creates naturally diftruft on Mr. Wilberforce on the flave trade has the reit; and the renewed motion of put the Weft India merchants in agitatereft, and baffle the measure. From tion to exert their parliamentary inthe mode in which the queftion has dent that no expectation is entertained been of late years managed, it is eviend of a feflion, and is merely an apo of its fuccefs. It is brought in at the logy for the neglect of a question in much intereft; and which, if properly which the public at one time took fo conducted, would by this time have difgrace of the flave trade, and increafremoved from the English nation the nics. The blacks of St. Domingo are ed the fecurity of the Weft India colories they have fuffered for the last two now retorting on the whites the mife hundred years; and as no other argument could justify the former conduct blacks, with lefs alliflance from civiliof the whites than that of power, the fation and religion, cannot be expected to be inferior to their teachers in the arts of tyranny and oppreffion. Africa gave to the French an occafion for boafting of the capture of Godoes honour to Lieutenant Pickford, ree; but the retaking of that island and placed the conquerors into our hands without bloodfhed. But, if we rejoice in the honour gained by Lieutenant Pickford, the navy of England has been difgraced in a moft fhocking manner on the coaft of Portugal. A fleet, under convoy of the Apollo frigate, for the Weft Indies, was nearly all loft on this coaft; the frigate itself, and between thirty and forty of the convoy, wrecked: numbers of lives loft, and the commander drowned, That fuch an event could happen at a time when navigation has been fo much improved, when the daily fituation of the fleet with refpect to every European thore might be known with the utmoft facility, muft create our aftonithment, and a defire that the whole affair may be inveftigated with the utmoft fcrutiny. If there was not a timekeeper on board the frigate, nor in any thip in the convoy, the want of it argues a degree of unconcern about life and property, which fo terrible a calamity is calculated to correct in future. We understand that fome fhips in the convoy very prudently kept as much to the wett of the captain's illfated course as poffible: and from them, on their return to England, we fhall hope to learn what reprefentations were made to the captain on his steerage, and whether it is poffible that on board a king's thip there thould be fo much ignorance as this difafter at prefent feems to indicate. If no opportunity was offered to take a lunar obfervation, and the whole fleet was without a timekeeper, ftill we thould have thought it incredible that they could ftrike the land within two cables length of the thore, without any apprehenfion of their fituation; for the dead reckoning ought to have been fo kept as to preterve them from fuch a calamity. Parliamentary intereft and family connections may, in many cafes, not be very injurious to the ftate; but where the lives and property of fo many individuals may depend on the capacity and fcience of a fingle perfon, and his talents may be easily climated by a fuitable examination, it is highly expedient that no one thould be advanced to a poft of confequence who does not poffcfs the fuitable qualifications. Our attention is called to the law equrts by a profecution inftituted by the Society for the Suppression of Vice. This fociety, it feems, has a very great averfion to dancing; and, like fome fanatics of former times, thinks it is doing good fervice, by preventing every thing like cheerfulness in fociety. In confequence of this anti-dancing fpirit, it dreffed up two of its fpies, to go to an affembly in the neighbourhood of Bedford-row, where there had been for fome time paft balls of refpectable people, who paid half a guinea for tickets, giving them admiflion for four nights.— The fpies, having purchased tickets of admillion, went to a ball one night, and brought back a report agreeably to the withes of their employers, who imme diately determined to profecute the matters of the aflembly, two dancing mafters, for keeping a riotous and diforderly meeting. The caufe was tried before the juftices at Clerkenwell, and not one inftance was given of rude or improper conduct: the neighbourhood had made no complaint, and it ap peared evidently to be a profecution founded on thofe wild and imaginary conceits, which, under the pretence of reforming mankind, and fuppreffing vice, have their batis in a malignant, intolerant, and pharifaical spirit, determined that no one fhall dare to amule himself but in a way laid down by thefe new reformers. The defendants were found not guilty: but it becomes the public to confider, what a nuifance a fociety is which keeps in its pay fpies to enter into every place of amufement, and to report to their masters whatever they please of the proceedings to which they have been witness. The fociety then carries on a profecution against, it may be, a very poor individual, who, if he has juftice on his fide, may be terrified into fubmiffion; and the malignity of individuals may be gratified by finding fome little caufe of complaint against a neighbour, and bringing upon him the terrors of the fociety. An enquiry, we hope, will be made into the proceedings of this felf-formed body, a body not known to, nor authorised by, the conftitution --whofe means, whatever the ends may be, are bafe and difhonourable, and which, in encouraging fpies and infor mers to prowl about the streets, and enter into every house of entertainment, is more likely to be inftrumental in the promotion than in the fuppreffion of vice. The last month brought into circulation the new coinage of dollars, or the conversion of the coin of the King ef Spain into marks for the use of the Bank of England. The appearance of thefe counters is much improved in one respect, but in another it must excite very ferious reflections. On one fide is the King's face, with his name and title; on the other, Britannia in an oval, round which are ftamped the words five fhillings dollar; and be tween the oval and the edge of the counter the words, Bank of England, 1804. The execution of this medal or counter is far better than the stamping of the head of one fovereign in the neck of another; but this change in the mode of providing a filver coinage is a proof of the state into which the country is brought by that unhappy day, which gave to the company, called the Bank, a privilege beyond that of any other trader. That the bank has uted filver instead of tin, or copper, or lead, or paper, is at leaft fome gain to the public; for it might as well have iffued paper, or the bafer metals, with the declaration of their intended worth, as filver medals, on the iffuing of which it is not a very confiderable gainer; and it affords to every one the opportunity of reflecting on the depreciation of its own paper money. The day is anxioufly looked for, when the connection between this trading company and the government shall be diffolved, and the coinage of the kingdom be vested in thofe hands whofe privilege it is, and where it is beft placed with fecurity to the public; and, indeed, the bank ought now to be very well contented with the inordinate gains it has been permitted to accumulate. In confequence of the change in the miniftry, the Houfes of Parliament have been more employed in ordinary business than in interefting debates :— they have been indulging in a degree of repofe requifite after the fevere conteft which had taken place on their floors. The divifions on this fubject deferve to be recorded. The firft took place on the 16th of April, on the third reading of the Irish militia bill, when the oppofition voted against it, and divided 107 against 128. In the House of Lords, on a motion for papers, the minifter was in a minority, there being thirty-one for and thirty against the queftion: but, in a fecond motion, the minitry brought in a fupply of force, and had feventy-feven on their fide against forty-nine. On the 23d, Mr. Fox's motion on the state of the cour VOL. I. try was supported by 204 against 256. On the 24th, two divifions took place in the Lords, the one on a claufe in the Irish militia transfer bill, when 71 voted for the ministry, and 45 in oppofition: on the other, the paffing of the bill, produced 61 against it. there were for it 94, and the oppofition day, alfo, a motion of Mr. Dent's, reOn this lative to the loyalty loan, gave the ministry 100 against 76. The 25th minifter's power, for, on the motion proved the evident decline of the relative to the army of referve suspenfion bill, the minifter's number was reduced to 240, whilst that of opposition Fox's motion, having on this day 203, was within one of its ftrength on Mr. and leaving to the minister a majority of only 37. Upon this, negotiations took place. Mr. Pitt obtained his with, embodying his forces; whilft the new was fully employed in collecting and oppofition was not, as foon as they arranging their strength. Certain great knew his intentions, behind hand in fides, but there is no appearance of families have taken the lead on both any strength on the fide of the country at large to controul the motions of those whose evident aim is the acquifition of place and power. The volunteer bill has, from the of the prefent meafure, but did not al 4 A who had no controul over the iffuing of private paper. The prefent bill was neceffary, as long as the reftriction remained on the Bank of England; but he did not forefee any circumftances which thould prolong the restriction in Ireland beyond its term in this country. Lord H. Petty conceived, that as the Irifh bank had iffued paper five times more after than before the reftriction, it became parliament, which had allowed the power of thus coining money to individuals, to investigate the caufes which had led to fuch a ufe of the power. The bank had increafed its dividends full one and a half per cent, and he understood that there was to be this year an additional bonus of five per cent; but whilst the bank was thus enriched, the whole trade and property of Ireland was threatened with danger. In these fentiments Mr. Fofter joined, adding, that he did not believe there was a real thilling from one end of Ireland to the other. Mr. H. Thornton thought the fubject more fimple than was generally imagined. The excefs of paper circulation is the cause of the bad ftate of the exchange, and this arofe from the different state of the two banks of England and Ireland. In England, the bank controuled the operations of the private banks, but it was not fo in Ireland. He wished, therefore, to limit the circulation of private banks, and that Irish bank paper might be made exchangeable for that of the Bank of England. Lord Caftlereagh thought the quef tion to be of extreme delicacy and the moft abftruse nature, and the extent of the evils should not be enlarged beyond their juft limits. There were good reafons, he affirmed, for believing, that they arofe not more from the depreciation of paper than the rife in the price of gold. He doubted whether a remedy could be applied, though he was fure that parliament must be embarraffed in any attempt to interfere with private banks. Mr. Johníon oppofed Lord Caftlereagh's pofition, that if gold had rifen as paper had fallen, five per cent would be the proportion in both cafes. Lord Caftlereagh and Mr. Fofter explained: other Irith members fpoke all agreed in the importance and difficulty of the cafe, which evidently arifes from, and is one fad confequence only of, the Bauk of England's ftopping payment, and yet going on with its bulinefs. On the twentieth of February, the motion for the third reading of the bill brought up Lord A. Hamilton, who urged very strongly the effects that muft arife from the restriction being continued to any length of time, and that the fcarcity of guineas arofe rather from factitious than real causes. There was a point alfo that called for explanation. Though the exchange was fo great against Ireland, the Lords of the Irith Treafury received their falaries at par; at lealt the general report was, that this was their mode of receiving their falaries. For the cxifting evils a remedy was loudly called for, and it seemed neceffary, as a previous step, to appoint a committee to enquire into the high state of the exchange against Ireland. Mr. Corry confefied, that certain officers from Ireland, who were employed in this country, received their falaries at par; a practice which had originated at and continued without a remark fince the union. Mr. Curwen faw no reason why the banks of England and Ireland thould not be united, or a bill be paffed to limit the circulation of paper in Ireland. As to the private bank paper, he faw no reafon why the private banker should not be obliged to pay his notes in Bank of England paper. This last remark brought up Sir John Newport, who fhewed the abfurdity of fuppofing that an Irish banker would iffue paper on one day, on which, by being compelled to change it the next for Bank of England paper, he might lofe eighteen or nineteen per cent. The Baronet did not attribute the balance of exchange to the reftriction; for in 1795 and 1796 it was as high, when there was no reftriction. The cause of the prefent evil was to be found in the state of the country, in the large amount of the abfentee rents, in the large loans for money, in the defire of every perfon to get cash, and the difpofition to hoard it. He therefore hoped that the difference of the two countries would be confidered, and that more weight fhould be given to the particu larity of the cafe than abstract reafoning on general principles. The bill was paffed, after a few remarks from Mr. Fotter, who expreffed an intention of bringing forward, unless he was anticipated by minifters, a bill for |