of France; the British troops remaining to act as auxiliaries to the governor were to be maintained at the expense of the British government, and to preserve strict discipline. The persons and property of the inhabitants of the inhabitants were to be fully respected.

In the island of Guadaloupe the revolutionary cause obtained a temporary triumph. A vessel having arrived, after a short passage, from France, on June 18th, with intelligence of the return of Napoleon, an insurrection broke out, in which the military and the citizens declared for Buonaparte. The governor, admiral count de Linois, was placed under arrest, as a matter of form, but on the next day he was set at liberty, and issued a proclamation, acquainting the soldiers and inhabitants with the late unexpected intelligence from Europe. On the same day Buonaparte was proclaimed in great ceremony at Point-a-Petre, under the direction of the commandant Fromentin, acting for general Boyer, and with every display of enthusiastic joy. As soon, however, as the affairs of Martinique were settled, preparations were making by the British commanders to wrest Guadaloupe from the imperial usurper. Sir James Leith, having collected troops from the windward islands and the continent of America, and made arrangements with rearadmiral sir Charles Durham, sailed, on July 31st from Carlisle bay in Barbadoes, whilst the land force, from St. Lucie, Martinique, and Dominica, was ordered to rendezvous at the Saintes. On the 7th August, the whole force being assembled at the Saintes, it was resolved to lose no time in making the attack, expedition being rendered necessary as well by the approach of the hurricane season, as by the internal state of Guadaloupe, in which the sanguinary scenes of the French revolution were about to be renewed. The 15th of the month, being Buonaparte's birthday, was, according to report, to have been solemnized by the execution of a number of royalists already condemned to death; and their rescue was an object of interest to the British commander. The troops of the line and armed militia in the island amounted to about 6000 men, posted in Grandterre and Basseterre, and it was the plan of sir J. Leith to land his principal force so as to prevent

the intended junction of the enemy. This was successfully effected on the 8th, and the troops were moved forward, driving the enemy from the position they had taken. At the time of landing, the general and admiral circulated a proclamation, of which they had previously sent a copy to Linois with notice of their intention. Its substance was an information to the inhabitants of the events which had taken place in France since Buonaparte's landing, namely, his entire defeat at Waterloo, the march of Wellington and Blucher to Paris, and the advance of all the allied armies to the French frontiers. They also announced their arrival with a powerful force to place Guadaloupe under the protection of his Britannic majesty, and stated the terms on which they proposed to receive the colony.

Early on the 9th the troops advanced in columns with all possible rapidity, and a series of actions ensued, by which the enemy were completely cut off from making their intended junction. On that night an officer came to propose a capitulation on the part of Linois; but the answer returned was, that no other conditions would be accepted than those mentioned in the proclamation. On the next morning, preparations being made for an attack on Morne Houel, a white flag was hung out, as a signal that the troops in it had surrendered as prisoners of war, and that all the forts in the colony had yielded to the British arms. This conquest was obtained with a small loss, and by it an end was put to revolutionary attempts in the French West Indies. By the articles of capitulation, it was agreed that the count de Linois, Baron Boyer, and the French troops of the line, with the military administration, should be sent to France, to the duke of Wellington, as prisoners of war: that the militia who had already withdrawn to their habitations should be protected in person and property, but that those who were still in arms should be treated as prisoners of war, and sent away: that no individual should be molested by the British government on account of his political conduct to the present moment: and that the laws, and private property on shore, should be respected. All the forts, redoubts, &c. in the island, with

nese language, which were returned by the viceroy unopened, with the declaration that he would receive addresses from the English only in their own language; the obvious reason for which was, that by the medium of false translations he might transmit to Pekin garbled accounts of their contents. After various other indications of ill-will to the English, all intercourse was prohibited between the company's ships at Whampoa and the king's ships at Champee, boats passing up and down the river were stopt, and several English vessels provided with port-clearances were fired at. The committee at length, finding that no justice could be expected from the viceroy, who appeared to be entirely gained over to the American interest, resolved upon appealing to the imperial court; and in the beginning of October issued orders for all British subjects to quit Canton within four days. The order was suspended for the purpose of trying the effect of a negociation by the medium of sir G. Staunton, who acted as representative of the company; but this having proved unsuccessful, sir George, in November, left Canton, accompanied by all the British subjects, ships, and treasure, leaving with the local government a sealed letter to be forwarded to the court of Pekin. This decisive proceeding alarmed the viceroy, who, dreading the defalcation of the revenue, and the consequent displeasure of the emperor, deputed the Hong merchants to follow sir G. Staunton, and renew the conference. He was persuaded to return, and negociations being recommenced, several important concessions were made by the Chinese. The king's ships returned to Champee, those of the company proceeded to Whampoa, and the usual amicable relations were resumed.

Subsequent advices, however, convey the information that these appearances of conciliation were fallacious. A month had scarcely elapsed when an imperial edict was received at Canton, extremely hostile to the British both in its style and spirit. After renewing the complaints against the conduct of the English men of war, it peremptorily ordered the dismissal of the younger Hong merchants, and the consignment of the whole British trade to three or four persons. It

expressed great displeasure against sir G. Staunton for his interference, and appeared to enjoin his detention. It accused the English of being a litigious and ungrateful race, delighting in broils, and insensible of the blessings showered upon them. With the real or affected contempt of the commercial relations between the two countries, it affirmed, that in return for the valuable products exported from China, the English have introduced only articles of luxury, the effect of which has been to corrupt his imperial majesty's subjects. In conclusion, it informed the supercargoes, that if they were discontented with the paternal protection of the Chinese government, the wisest thing they could do would be to withdraw themselves from it. selves from it. Whether or not the supercargoes would take this advice seemed at that time undetermined; but the state of affairs was on the whole so unpromising, that a mercantile house in London was strongly advised to lay aside speculations to China for a twelvemonth to come.

In the meantime another embassy to the court of Pekin has been resolved upon by the British government, at the head of which lord Amherst has been placed, and great preparations are making to give it due splendour. Whether it will prove more beneficial than that of lord Macartney, time must discover: there is, however, too much reason to apprehend that in the oriental regions the English nation is regarded with more fear and suspicion than good-will; and probably the war in Nepaul, and the revolution in Ceylon, if brought to the knowledge of the Chinese government, will tend to augment the unfavourable impressions it has already received.

Reports have been made to the court of Rome from the Roman catholic missionaries in China, of a great progress of the Christian religion in that empire. M. de Molke, the titular bishop of Cathay, states, that in the province of Fo-kien, twenty-two families had been converted by him, who, in the course of one year, administered baptism to 10,400 children, and 1677 adults; and that 2675 catechumens were under preparations for receiving the holy sacrament. In Ho-nan, the labours of the fathers had effected the

invested are the same with those formerly belonging to the knights companions.

The second class is to be composed of knights commanders, who are to enjoy precedence before all knights bachelors. Upon their first institution, their number is not to exceed one hundred and eighty, exclusive of foreign officers holding British commissions, of whom ten may be admitted as honorary knights. But in the event of future wars in which distinction is obtained, the number may be increased. No person is to be eligible to this class who does not hold a commission not below the rank of lieutenantcolonel in the army, or of post-captain in the navy. The knights commanders are entitled to assume the distinctive appellation of knighthood; and no officer shall hereafter be nominated to the dignity of grand cross who shall not previously have been appointed a knight commander.

The third class is to be composed of officers in the army and navy, to be styled companions of the order of the Bath. They are not to be entitled to the appellation or precedence of knights bachelors, but are to take place of all esquires. None are to be adinitted into this class but such as have received a medal or other badge of honour, or have been mentioned by name in the London Gazette, as having been distinguished by valour and conduct in action.

Other articles describe the badges, ensigns, or distinctive marks assigned to each of these classes; and lists are subjoined of the persons nominated to them, which comprehend all the eminent military characters of the three kingdoms. As this nomination took place before that renewal of the war, the termination of which has been so peculiarly glorious to the British arms, it will readily be supposed that great additions have in the latter part of the year been made to the preceding lists.

The internal tranquillity of the country has in this year undergone some disturbance, though, in the larger portion of the empire, not to a degree materially affecting the public peace. The re-introduction into parlia ment of a bill to prohibit the importation of corn, except when it had reached a price considered by the great body of consumers

as exorbitant, rekindled the animosity of the inferior classes against the legislature; and the metropolis was for some days in a state of tumult and outrage which excited serious apprehensions in the government, and caused strong measures to be resorted to for quelling the popular commotion. This was with little difficulty effected, after several obnoxious individuals had been sufferers from the usual mischiefs of riotous mobs, directed against windows and furniture. In some parts of the country violences of a similar kind were perpetrated, though in a less degree. The public mind was pacified by a fall in the price of grain, which a plentiful harvest rendered progressive, till it reached a point that threw real distress upon the class of agriculturists, and entirely frustrated any hopes which the landed interest might have entertained of maintaining by legislative measures the advanced value and rents of estates.

A resistance to legal authority of a more alarming nature, and much more difficult to repress, broke out in the latter part of the year among the numerous sailors of the ports in Durham and Northumberland, chiefly occupied in the coal trade. Their object was to obtain an advance in their wages, and also to fix a certain proportion of able seamen to be employed in every coaster. The coalowners not acceding to their demands, they began to use measures of force, which were the more serious from the method and order with which their operations were conducted, displaying an organised combination similar to that in the naval mutiny. They took entire possession of the river Tyne, by a chain of boats which did not allow a vessel to put to sea without a regular permit. The efforts of the local magistrates, and conciliatory propositions from the merchants, proving insufficient to restore obedience, whilst the sailors in other ports were also manifesting a disposition to combine for similar purposes, government resolved to interpose with effect to quell this dangerous spirit. A strong force, military and naval, was collected at the disturbed ports, which was so judiciously applied, that no resistance was attempted on the part of the sailors, and their coercive system was immediately broken up. Reason