Imatges de pàgina
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as the organ of the nation: clubs, which are commonly proofs of a minority, ought in all events to be feduloufly kept in the back-ground, and even difperfed, if tending to obfcure the dignity of the legiflative body: the fpectators of a fenate ought to testify their refpect by an invariable filence.

Under the prefent conftitution of France, it is a moft difficult province for a minifter to retain the confidence of the king, and of the affembly. On the tenth of March Louis notified that M. de Grave had been nominated to the war-department, in the place of M. Narbonne. This nomination was followed by the impeachment of M. Deleffart, the minifter for foreign affairs. The chief articles against him were, that he had neglected his duty and betrayed the nation, in not producing to the affeinbly the papers proving a concert among other nations against France; in delaying the measures neceffary for the fafety of the country; in deferring till the firft of March any account of the official notice of the emperor, dated the fifth of January; in meanly fuing for peace, and giving prince Kaunitz improper information concerning the ftate of the kingdom.

The diforders of the realm were in the mean time far from being compofed, nor could unanimous tranquillity be expected after fo great, fo recent, fo fudden a change; and while the funfhine of foreign peace continued to nourish every petty feed of faction. In the affair of Avignon the affembly fhewed no eminent prudence from the beginning; and it is now faid that the ariftocratical party have feized the caftle, and maintain it against their opponents. Surely, as we before hinted, the affembly ought to pay particular attention to this acquifition, and curb its native fanaticifm, by a competent gar rifon of national troops. The admiffion of Rochambeau and Luckner to the rank of marshals of France, while de la Fayette received not that honour; the fudden unpopularity of the latter, grounded, as is faid, upon his freely declaring his opinion that France ought to prefer peace to war, are circumftances not eafily explicable.

The fudden death of the emperor, on the firft of March, excited great confternation among the ariftocrats, and afforded joy and exultation to the fupporters of the conftitution.

The affembly proceeded to the fequeftration of the effects of the emigrants; and it was decreed that the debts due to them fhould be paid into the chamber of fequeftration; that the produce of the fale of their goods by a creditor fhall be paid into the chamber of the diftrict, three months after the adjudication;

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and that the estates of the emigrants, who fhall return withia the month after the publication of this decree, fhall be held by the nation, until the expences of the military preparations, oc-. cafioned by their emigration, shall be known, and the amount of their indemnity fhall be regulated by this fum.

An answer from the king of Sardinia was read to the affembly, in which that prince afferts that he has given proofs of his wishes for peace, and expects a fimilar return; that his troops are beneath the peace-establishment; that he has fent no artillery into Savoy, but on the contrary the garrisons there have not their compliment: and he declares his refolution to maintain peace and good neighbourhood with the French nation, and that he confiders any fufpicion to the contrary as an injury.

The death of the Swedish king, on the 29th of March, was doubtless a fortunate event for the French revolution. Fresh fpirits were diffused through the nation; and the fuperftitious vulgar imagined that they beheld the peculiar protection of heaven, in the removal of the two chief foes of France in one month.

Meanwhile that veteran and haughty ftatefman prince Kaunitz, ever remarkable for the pride of his meafures, and for their failure, continued to hold the reins of government under the new king of Hungary. On the tenth of March he had returned an answer to the requifition of France, importing that the affembling of troops by his mafter and the German princes, was only to maintain the peace of their ftates, difturbed by the French example, and by the machinations of the jacobins and that the league between the court of Vienna, and the most refpectable powers of Europe, fhould be continued till the French nation paid more respect to kings.

In the progrefs of thefe negotiations, the young Hungarian king, excited by the influence of Pruffia, began to exhibit more enmity and feverer terms. At length, on the 5th of April, M. de Noailles, in his difpatches to the French minifter for foreign affairs, explained the propofitions of the court of Vienna, that fatisfaction should be given to the German princes proprietors of Alface, that Avignon fhould be restored to the pope, and that the internal government of France should be invested with fuch efficiency, that the other powers may have no apprehenfions of being troubled by France. Thofe terms produced a declaration of war against Francis I. king of Hungary and Bohemia, decreed by the affembly, and ratified by the French king, on the 20th of April.

M. de Noailles, in his dispatches adds, that the Pruffian en

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voy at Vienna has haftily departed for Berlin; that requifitions have been fent to the circles of the empire for contingents in men and money; and that Francis I. is inclined to diftruft the king of Pruffia, who preffes him with eagerness to war. Amid these important objects, we have omitted to mention that the affembly has iffued a decree against the diftinctions of the habits of ecclefiaftical dignitaries: and that lord Gower, the English ambaffador at Paris, has prefented a conciliating note on the affair between a French and English frigate in the Eaft Indies, apparently arifing from faults on both fides, which it is to be expected will prevent any difagreement arifing from this cause.

BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS.

The most important object, under this divifion, is the wat now carrying on in the Eaft Indies; but having already, under the latter title, mentioned its progrefs, there is no occasion for any repetition here.

The chief articles in the marriage-treaty, between Pruffia and England, have been laid before the public. The Pruffian monarch gives to the princefs a portion of 100,000 crowns. A formal renunciation is made, in favour of the male fucceffion, of all right of inheritance arifing from the houfe of Pruffia and Brandenburgh, as ufually done on the marriages of the Pruffian princelles. The fum of 4000 l. fterling is annually affigned for pin-money and other expences; and 8oool. annually of jointure, in cafe of the death of her husband.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

Many important affairs have been debated, but few decided in the prefent feffion of parliament. The minifter's popularity had been confiderably injured by the injudicious preparations for a Ruffian war; in which Europe was aftonifhed to behold, for the first time, Britain acting in a fubfervient capacity to the narrow and interefted politics of Pruffia. It was eafily perceivable that fomething must be done to appease the public clamour; but the ufual imprudent conduct of oppofition furnifhed the minifter with the fureft defence.

In declaring our fentiments with the freedom of impartial pectators, unconnected with all parties, and influenced only by our earnest wishes for the public tranquillity and advantage, it is hoped that no reader wül impute our occafional applaufe

of the minifter to a blind confidence in his measures, or our occafional cenfure to any inclination towards the oppofition. Whatever party be in office, the prefent, the oppofition, or any other compofed of both, or inimical to both, we confider it as the peculiar duty and special privilege of the prefs, to watch over the power of minifters, ever dangerous, whether they be monarchical, ariftocratical, or democratical. By our happy conftitution little can be apprehended from the royal prerogative; but every thing is to be feared from minifters, thofe temporary kings, whofe power, not being hereditary, nor of any fixed duration, is frequently enlarged to excefs, on purpofe to fecure itfelf. We would wish to fee a philofophical enquiry into the origin, nature and tendency of this new fpecies of magiftracy, which in moft European kingdoms forms. an important branch of the government and conftitution; and yet has never been confidered by any political writer as even a member of government, while it is in fact the chief wheel of the machine. A comparifon might be inftituted between this high office and that of temporary magiftrates in republics, of vizirs, and maires du palais; and even that of elective monarchs, particularly the popes, the fingular government of which laft it not a little refembles, in its duration upon a medium taken, and in other refpects, especially in the facred privilege, here called confidence in the minifter, and at Rome infallibility.

Setting this afide, we believe that were Mr. Pitt out of office, it would not be eafy to find a better minifter to supply his place. Yet we applaud not the praises of our conftitution, echoed by the minifter, and even put into the royal mouth on the meeting of parliament: fuch praifes are injudicious, and the voice of a happy people is in this cafe the only acclamation which ought to be heard.

To difperfe the fhades of unpopularity, the minifter, instead of impofing more taxes to defray the expence of the Ruffian armament, as expected, liberally took off fome fmall taxes which chiefly harraffed the poorer clafs of people. This might have been regarded as a mean compenfation for committing the national honour to no purpose, and for a wanton wafte of public money; and even as an avowal that many of our taxes were unneceflary, except to keep minifters in power by bribing our reprefentatives, had not an infatuated oppofition fallen headlong into the fnare laid for them. Inftead of filence, or infincere applaufe, the oppofition feemed eager to fecure the public hatred, by objecting to any diminution of taxes; and, on a future occafion, by a propofal to increase the allowance of the duke of York. Happy is the minifter who has fuch enemies!

In the debate on the Ruffian armament, a measure reprobated by the nation, it was contended that the British parliament may foon become a type of the parliament of Paris, and be only employed to regifter the edict of the minifter.

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A flight vote of cenfure indeed appeared proper; but though the miniftry had, in this inftance, been mifled, yet their former merits were fuch, that the house had no reason to suppose the public opinion in their favour much changed, and therefore continued their fupport.-To overpower the charge by concealment of papers, and by mere majorities, was, however, rather odious, confidering the progrefs of reafon and liberty in the public mind. The charge against a certain member, for improper conduct in the Weftminfter election, was fuppreffed in a fimilar way; and the public wondered that darkness fhould have become abfolutely neceffary.

On the reduction of the army and navy, and the increase of pay to the former, we fhall not comment. The trial of Mr. Haftings has proceeded flowly. The debates on the Indian war, another object of no popularity, were terminated in the ufual way, by a majority.

The bill for an alteration in the choice and distribution of juftices of the peace, in Weftminfter and other departments adjacent to London, feems a laudable meafure. It has, however, been objected that the influence of the crown, that is of the miniiter for the time, must be thereby increafed; and that the trading jultices, with all their infamy, are neceflary evils, as they are attended by men experienced in detecting criminals, Perhaps the latter magiftrates might be allowed to retain their offices, for this purpofe, while the new juftices might determine more creditable matters.

The arrangement for the payment of the national debt, of which nine millions are already cleared, was revifed and improved.

Mr. Fox's bill on libels flumbers in the houfe of lords, though more conciliation might have been expected.

The bill for the abolition of the flave-trade was at length carried; but a gradual abolition will, it is believed, be preferred. We with that this meafure may not prove injurious to our colonies, and to the empire: as philanthropifts we applaud, but as politicians doubt. Little would be the advantage even to humanity, if in a century or two our colonies became the property of the African aborigines, a race who fince the cre ation of the world have not produced one civilifed nation, and in whose hands the field of induftry would foon become a defert wafte,-We adore the footffeps of providence in the

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