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Yet ftill reluЯant from my friends I turn,
Who hover'd round me with a fond concern;
Who early tried, and urg'd parental force,
To damp my genius in its native courfe.
The Mufe of Britain; a Dramatic Ole.

T

But foft perfuafion's magic fweetness fail'd, And still ambition o'er my mind prevail'd. Infpir'd by this, I brave each wintry blaft, Nor doubt to find a calmer state at last. Inferibed to the Right Honourable William Pitt 4to. 1s. Becket.

HE Mufe, in strong and not inelegant language, bestows compliments very liberally on the young statesman; the juftice of them must be determined by the opinion of the reader: to fome they will appear the juft tribute of praife; by others they will be confidered as the effufions of fulfome flattery -Non noftrum tantas.-The following may, however, be fairly called thundering applaufe. "Go on-and earn the deareft prize of fame,

A confcious virtue, and a deathless name.
And fure I fee a towering eaglet rife,
Jove's thunder in his grafp, his lightning in
his eyes!

THIS

And to he mounts where Freedom's morn-
ing gleams,

And laves, and floats amid her orient beams!
Him follow-Be it his in happier days
To drink the full effulgence of her rays;
'Bove Faction's eddying ftorms, Corruption's
tide,

Thro' other spheres his courfe fublime to
guide;

To wield his country's thunders as they roll,
And fpeed her lightning blaft from pole to
pole;

Then 'mid a nation's prayers, a nation's praife,
Beyond Detraction's voice, and Envy's gaze,
Soar to his Sire tho' Fame's meridian blaze!
Efq. By a Gentleman of Lincoln's Inn.
Wilkie.

near the metropolis, amply refute his pof-
tion. We are therefore happy to hear that
Government are refolved agam to bring for-
ward Mr. Reeves's late excellent Bill on that
fubject, which we learn has been so much
modified, that every objection formerly
brought against it will be removed, without
its efficacy being in the leaft diminished.

'Tis All My Eye. Addressed to A. Macdonald, 8vo. Price Is. "HIS author recommends great caution in framing a New Police Bill; suggesting that the laws now in force, and the powers with which the Magiftrates are already invefted, are nearly fufficient for the prefervation of good order. The inftances, however, he himself adduces of enormies, daily as well as hourly, committed in and A JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS of the THIRD SESSION of the SIXTEENTH PARLIAMENT of GREAT BRITAIN.

H

HOUSE

Tuesday, JANUARY 24.

OF

IS Majetty went to the Houfe of Peers, and being feated on the Throne, Sir, Francis Molyneux, Uther of the Black Rod, was commanded to order the attendance of the Houfe of Commons, the Speaker of which, with feveral of the Members, came immediately, when the King was pleased to make the following moft gracious Speech:

My Lords and Gentlemen,

SINCE I laft met you in Parliament, the difputes which appeared to threaten an interruption to the tranquillity of Europe have been brought to an amicable conclufion; and I continue to receive from foreign powers the ftrongest affurances of their friendly difpofition towards this country.

At home, my fubjects experience the growing bleffings of peace in the extenfion of trade, the improvement of the revenue, and the increase of the public credit of the nation.

For the farther advancement of thofe im portant objects, I rely on the continuance of that zeal and industry which you manifefted in the laft feffion of parliament.

The Refolutions which you laid before me,

LORDS.

as the bafis of an adjustment of the commercial intercourie between Great Britain and Ireland, have been by my directions communicated to the Parliament of that kingdom; but no effectual ftep has hitherto been taken thereupon, which can enable you to make any further progrefs in that falutary work.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

I have ordered the estimates for the prefent year to be laid before you: It is my earnest wish to enforce œconomy in every department; and you will, I am perfuaded, be equally ready to make fuch provifion as may be neceflary for the public fervice, and particularly for maintaining our naval ftrength on the most secure and respectable footing.Above all, let me recommend to you the ettablishment of a fixed plan for the reduction of the national debt. The flourishing state of the revenue will, I truft, enable you to effect this important measure with little addition to the public burdens,

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The vigour and refources of the country, fo fully manifested in its prefent fituation, will

will encourage you in continuing to give your utmost attention to every object of naLonal concern; particularly to the confideration of fuch meafures as may be neceffary in order to give farther fecurity to the revenue, ad to promote and extend as far as poffible. the trade and general induftry of my fubjects.

Soon after his Majefty's departure, the Lord Chancellor read the Speech, and at the conclufion,

Lord Morton rofe to move an address to his Majefty; he introduced his motion in the ical terms, alluding to different parts of the fpeech in ftrains of panegyric, and was happy to feize the opportunity of thanking the Sovereign for his coadefcenfion. The addrefs, of course, was a mere echo of the speech, and was feconded by

Lord Fortefcus, who obferved, that he was no lefs defirous of testifying his fenfe of the honour which had been done to the Houle, than his noble friend; he alfo congratulated the public at large, on the pleafing profpect of the increase of our commerce, and the affurances of our revenue being in fo funshing a state, as to give hopes of leffening the public debt. He thought much prafe was due to Administration, for having accomplished so desirable an end; and it was with the greatest pleasure he feconded the

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Eart Fitzwilliam faid, that although it we by no means his intention to oppose the audrets, yet he was under the neceflity of extreating their Lordthips would indulge him a few moments; for as there were fome points in the fpeech to which he could not confitently accede, he should wish to difAnguth himself from those who might be imed to give their implicit confent to the aturels. He fhould be exceedingly forry to have it understood in the work he had admed, that the bill which their Lordships hau thought proper to pass last feffions, conthing the twenty propofitions for a commercial arrangement with Ireland, was a Labatary measure; he had thought it deferving reprobation then, he thought fo ftill; fr feveral weeks together, while the meafere was in agitation, he conftantly attended the Hufe for information on the subject, and the formation he obtained only ferved to confirm Lim in his opinion, that it was fraught with positions that would be ruinous to the manufacturers of this kingdom, and reprehenfible for the infringement it made on the conftitution of Ireland; it was there. fore, with no fmall degree of fatisfaction he had feen it treated in the manner it had been in that country, and he hoped it would never an be revived; it had been feared, reprobated, and detested here; it had been fcorned,

contemned, and rejected there; but although he now had no doubt of its being abandoned, yet he could not fuffer a position to pass as unanimous in that Houfe, which would convey an approbation of the measure. As to the flourishing ftate of the Revenue, it was a circumftance, if true, that no man breathing rejoiced more fincerely in than he did; whether the Minifter of Finance had accomplished it in the most fair, just, and equitable manner, was not the queftion at prefent; he would therefore leave it with the public to decide upon; but he hoped, if there really was a furplus, their Lordships would he guarded against any attempt that might be made, to direct it into any other channel than leffening the public burthens: he was led to throw out this hint by a recent publication, called the Principles of the Commutation Tax: It was not a Grubftreet publication; the author was a Gentleman well known; he was of confequence in the East India-houfe, Member of Parliament, and in the confidence of the Minifter; fo much fo that he believed it would be no unfair statement to call it a Downing-street pamphlet: in the early part of it a person might be puzzled to discover its meaning, but it was impoffible for any individual to perufe it to the end, without perceiving its drift: by that pamphlet, which he could do no otherwife than think of confequence, it would be found the India Company would be very fhortly in want of no less a fum than 3.200,000l. he hoped, however, their Lordfhips would fcout the idea of appropriating the furplus of our Revenue to their ufe, while the public at large were almoft finking under the enormity of their burthens.— His Lordfhip then took a view of the India bill that paffed last feilions, and the confe quences that were likely to accrue from it, He was at a lofs to find terms fufficiently ftrong to reprobate a principle that indifcriminately threw a ftigma upon every individual who happened to be employed either in a civil or military capacity in that country.-Minifters had been cautioned against paffing a bill fo likely to create confufion; but they, at the time, infifted that it would no fooner arrive in India than it would reitore harmony and destroy peculation; and in the most unreferved manner charged thofe who oppofed it with ufing idle declamation upon unfounded apprehenfions; thefe minifters were, however, now convinced, by repeated informations, that their favourite act had thrown the Carnatic into confufion; a confufion that had deterred Lord Macartney, with all his magnanimity, from accepting the governorgeneralship: he did not pretend to speak from any information that honourable perfon had given him; for though he was honoured G 2

by

by his acquaintance, he had no claims upon his friendship; for, their Lordships might remember, when he was appointed to Madras, he ftrongly opposed it, but he so fully approv ed of his Lordship's conduct fince he had been there, that he took the first opportunity to declare he thought, by his refignation, the Company had loft the fervices of one of the best fervants they ever had. As to the bill he had alluded to destroying peculation, he was firmly of opinion, the contrary would be the fact; and he was confirmed in this opinion, by the actions of the Board that had been created by it, who, though they owed their existence to it, had proceeded in direct oppofition, and given reality to that which he believed no man ever thought had an exiftence, he meant the debts of the Nabob of Arcot. After dwelling fome time on the confequences of this bill, his Lordship reverted to that part of the Speech which feemed to convey an approbation of the Irish Propo fitions, and concluded with obferving, that he would certainly give his negative to that part of the addrefs which alluded to it.

Lord Sydney could not fuffer their Lordfhips to depart with the impreffion which the noble Earl might have made on their minds by his remarks on the bill for establishing a commercial arrangement with Ireland: -from what his Lordship had faid upon the fubject, it might be fuppofed the measure was given up; but on the contrary, he would affure them it was ftill open for confideration, nor had it been rejected by the Parliament of the fifter kingdom. Whatever epithets the noble Earl might think proper to throw upon the meafure, or the framers of it, he trufted the candour of the Houfe would give him credit that it had been produced by the best of motives, and thought by its fupporters likely to be a benefit to both countries-He certainly did not wish to induce noble Lords to approve of a meafure they difliked, nor would their affenting to the addrets bear any fuch implication; for, as he understood the Speech, it took no more notice of it than was abfolutely neceffary, and could not be conftrued into panegyric. As to the India Bill, which his Lordship had thought proper to reprobate in fuch ftrong terms, he differed entirely with him as to its effects, nor did he believe the perfon who had been alluded to had quitted the Carnatic on "ccount of the principles of that bill; it was true he had not Lord Macartney's authority for fuch an affertion, but he firmly believed his Lordship would be forry to have fuch a report credited. He affured the Houfe, that whatever measures had been brought forward and adopted by the prefent fervants of the Crown, originated with the

best intentions, and he as little expected a contrary meaning fhould be thrown, on them, as that any objection could be taken to the formation of the Speech which had been just delivered.

Earl of Carlifle, wifhing not to give an erroneous meaning to what had fallen from the noble Secretary, begged to know what he was to understand was the real fituation of the Propofitions, which their Lordships in their wifdom had passed into a bill last feffions, and which the Irish more wifely, in his opinion, had rejected. Did his Lordship mean to say that we have offered them thofe Propofitions, and that they might accept them when they pleased? It was not his defire to tie his Lordfhip down to time but if he was to put fuch an interpretation to his words, it would imply, that they were at liberty to ratify them now, or twenty years hence, juft as fuited their own conveniency; a strange doctrine that, and which he truited would never be acceded to-He reprobated the India Bill, and observed that Government had been warned of its confequences, and he believed they now forely repented not taking advice. The noble Lord who feconded the motion, and who had performed the task very ably, observed much praife was due to Administration; he wifhed to know for what; it was a very eafy matter for a friend to pronounce a panegyric, but thofe perfonages had now been fufficiently long in office to be judged by what they had done, and not by what they intended to do: the infatuation was worn off the public, and fo would they judge. He thould like to know by which of their measures they would wish to be tried; not the commutation tax he believed, fince one of their own friends, in a pamphlet, which a noble Earl had already alluded to, had given up the point of proving it advantageous to the public; they would not, he believed, rifk their popularity on the shoptax; the India bill which had fet the Carnatic in a ferment, would be he fuppofed equally objected to; nor did he conceive the commercial arrangements with Ireland would stand a better chance; being reprobated as ruinous in this country, contemned and defpifed there; upon what ground then were our minifters entitled to applaufe. He was at a lofs to conjecture, and therefore wished for information. His Lordship then enlarged confiderably on the India bill, and concluded by taking an opportunity of repeating his queftion refpecting the Irish Propofitions.

Lord Walfingham replied to fome part of the noble Earl's speech refpecting the Board of Controul, and entered into a juftification of their proceedings.

Lord

Lord Stormont then rofe, and in a very able fpeech of a confiderable length contende, against the addrefs in its prefent form; he went largely into the abfurdity of fpeaking in favour of the Irish Propofitions, fince it was now plain they were equally obnoxious to both kingdoms, and which he contended the Speech abfolutely did, notwithstanding what had fallen from the noble Secretary, as the words were, " but no efectual step has been taken thereupon which can enable you to make any further progrefs in that falutary work." Another part he objected to, was that which stated foreign powers had given the ftrongest affurances of their friendly difpofitions to wards this country"-for he was urable to conceive how pathing edits almost prohibring our manufactures, were proofs of their friendly difpofitions; he could fuppofe they were not inclined to go to war, and therefore, thought pacific intentions would have been more applicable.-He was happy, he faid, to find there was fome likelihood of leffening our national debt, and he hoped that every fhilling which poffibly could, would be applied to that purpose; it was time indeed fome attention was paid to that fubject, our formidable enemies having confiderably taken the lead of us: they had appropriated a certain fum from the year after the conclufion of the war to that purpofe. The allufion to the fupport of our navy gave him alfo pleafure, nor was it lefs necery; for he understood from what he thought good authority, but which he should be glad to hear proved erroneous, that the French built hips much fatter than this Country. That kingdom had not confined herself to encreafing her own ftrength, but had very judiciously formed a powerful allance. He could not here, however, forbear giving our miniftry due praise for their adaftry: they had not fuffered this alliance to take place as quiet fpectators; no, they formed a memorial to counteract it, and gave particular orders to have it prefented to the United States a full fortnight after every porter in the Hague knew the alliance was ratified.-His Lordship then dwelt a confiderable time upon the answer given by this court to the information given by the king of Pruffia, of the league entered into between him and the Elector of Hanover :he could not, he faid, for a moment fuppofe but our minifters were perfectly acquainted with it, and therefore their anfwer muft certainly be looked on as an approbation of the measure, which he could not but condemn as impolitic, conceiving it deferved no other notice than a polite bow.There was an alliance however now which

might be beneficial, and which ought to be fedulously fought after, he meant with Ruflia; and whatever might be the cafe at prefent, when he went out of office, as the noble Secretaries of State could teftify, that defirable object was in a very fair train.His Lordship touched upon feveral other points relative to the politics of France, Holland, and Germany, before he concluded his fpeech, which he did by declaring he had his objections to feveral parts of the addrefs as it then stood.

Marquis of Carmarthen entered into a defence of Adminiftration with refpect to their conduct as to the memorial prefented to the United States, and their anfwer to the King of Pruffia; the firit, he faid, the noble Vifcount could not poffibly have read with his ufual attention to ftate papers, or he would not to far have misunderstood it, as to charge minifters with prefenting a request to put off a treaty of alliance a fortnight after it was figued; when, in fact, it was only to require no engagements might be entered into that would be in the leaft likely to interrupt the harmony exifting between them and this country-The latter, he was of opinion, was mifconftrued, as he could not conceive the reply given to his Majefty of Pruflia's information by this Court, was any more than feveral others, nor did it at all pledge this country to take any part in the quarels of the electorate. The noble Marques then drew a diftinétion between the Minifters of the Elector of Hanover and thofe of the King of Great Britain, and faid it would have been the higheft abfurdity in the world for the latter to have interfered with the former, as it would have been nothing more than faying, We will not fight for you, and, therefore, you ought not to take care of yourfelves. As to the alliance with Rufia, he perfectly agreed with the noble Viscount, that it was a most desirable object, and he was happy to have it in his power to inform him that it was in fuch forwardnefs that the Emprefs had actually named her Commiffioners.

Lord Loughborough followed, and took a review of the different measures that had been brought forward by our prefent Adminiftration, and proved that most of their plans had been futile, abfurd, and ridiculous, and their taxes partial and oppreffive. Speaking of the Irish Propofitions, he obferved, he could not but rejoice in their failure, and, at the fame time, remark how strongly fome perfons had pretfed the hurrying them through with all poflible difpatch, left the Irish, who were fo anxious for them, thould be offended by delay.

Lord Thurlow rofe in reply, and condemned the manner that had been adopted of

debating

debating upon fubjects not before the Houfe, Earl of Hilfborough was strongly in favor of the Irish Propofitions; he thought, let the plan be whofe it might, it was a very excellent one; he denied that it had been rejected by the Irish House of Commons, and hoped that it never would. He anxioufly wifhed to see the most cordial connection between the two kingdoms, and the time, when there should be no distinction between an Englishman and an Irishman-He was an old man, and might not live to fee it, but he was confident, unless fomething of that kind took place, Ireland would be the place where our first foe would commence hoftilities.

Lord Ferrars faid a few words, and the

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THE

HOUSE OF

JAN. 24.

HE Houfe having returned from the Lords, two new Members took the oaths and their feats.

His Majesty's Speech having been read by the Speaker, Mr. John Smith, after expatiating on the fubject of it, moved that an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty for his most gracious Speech from the Throne: the Addrefs was an echo to the Speech.

Mr. Addington feconded the motion; he dwelt upon the motives of harmony which ought to cement all parties, from the general profpect of affluence and profperity in the nation; and recommended, that in fuch circumftances of public importance, the private views of individuals fhould be facrificed to the general welfare; fuch he recommended to the Houfe, alluding to the mention of Ireland.

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Lord Surrey oppofed the Addrefs, from an entire want of confidence in the prefent adminiftration. First, to the finances flourifhing, as he was glad to acknowlege they were, he allowed no merit, for every plan was bungled fo as to be non-effective, or improperly adopted; for how could the empire be good, when the component parts feparately were defective? The mention of Ireland deprived him of all fort of confidence, now that Minifters were fetting about a treaty with France. The experience of the Propofitions for that country made him doubt of their capacity, but they have had an acquifition fince that affair: an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Eden), whom he did not fee in his place, had contributed that knowledge, which was confpicuous in him, to a party that were ne. ceilitated to look for it from amongst themfelves: fomicthing might be expected from that refource. The late news from India alfo diminished his confidence, as matters

COMMONS.

were diverfe to what the Minifter adrifed the nation to rely on. As to the infinuation of Miniftry to expect us to maintain a navy always equal to the Houfe of Bourbon, have we any fecurity to exift as a nation when we ceafe to do it? None. His Lordship then moved as an amendment to the Addrefs, that the part mentioning Ireland, &c. fhould be omitted.

Mr. Fox feconded the motion, and expreffed his aftonishment at a Speech from the Throne, in which scarce any thing was men. tioned; nay, fo little did it contain, that it feemed to him as if it were only a compli ance with cuftom for the Minister to put it in the mouth of the Sovereign; and fo inconclufive in every thing, that when he viewed it with attention, he found he muft fpeak to what it did not contain, instead of any thing it did, fo little was faid about what is of the utmost importance to this nation, That the revenue is encreasing, and the public credit flourishing, is not due to the merits of the prefent administration; men of all parties agree in the importance of thefe objects, and are equally concerned in their profperity. The nation retrieving from a war in which he had fuftained unprecedented loffes, and ceafing to require thote heavy loans expended in a conflict with enemies on all fides, muft recover her own internal strength and credit of courfe; nay, if any other efficient caufe exifted to the rettoration of that credit, it is probable that the exertions of the state, confcious of its danger, have been that caufe as much as the industry of Minifters. If fome furplus remains, it may be found to be very little. Mention is made of the maintenance of our navy: it has been faid by my noble Friend, that the meafure of our care should be to keep one that would be able to cope with the Houfe of Bour

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