the enemy, he faid, would never have obtained fuch firm hold in Guadaloupe, Grenada, and St. Vincent's. The motion was oppofed by general Tarleton, Sir W.Younge, Mr. Dundas, and a very confiderable number of gentlemen. It was ably fupported by the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Smith, Mr. ferjeant Adair, &c. and in a very animated and eloquent fpeech by Mr. Fox. In all its various flages, the meafure called forth the whole of the talents of the house, 'either in attack or defence; but the arguments adduced have been fo frequently before the public during the repeated difcuffions upon this fubject, as to render any further detail of them unneceffary. The real friends to humanity will learn with concern, that the narrow views of intereft and policy prevailed over every confideration of religion and juftice. On the confideration of the reports, general Tarleton moved to poftpone confidering the flave-trade abolition bill for four months; and the bill was loft by a majority of four. On reading the flave-carrying bill, Mr. Wilberforce attempted to introduce a regulation of flaves in proportion to the tonnage; but, upon a divifion being called for, and the houfe being at different times counted out, the number of members were found inadequate to compofe a houfe; and the motion was confequently thrown out.

During this feffion a bill was brought into the houfe for rendering permanent the Westminster police establishment; which, after much difcuffion, was negatived; and an amendment, moved by the chancellor of the exchequer, to continue it for five years, was adopted. Mr. ferjeant Adair prefented to the houfe a petition from

the quakers, and moved for leave to bring in a bill for their relief, as to the imprisonment of their perfons for tythes, and for making their folemn affirmation evidence in criminal as well as in civil cafes. The bill was ably fupported by Mr. Adair, by Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Francis, Mr. Martin, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Lechmere, and Mr. Wigley, and paffed the houfe of commons, but was thrown out by the lords. A bill for the relief of curates met with confiderable oppofition in the houfe of commons, from its being confidered as a money bill, which had originated in the upper houfe. This objection was, however, removed, by recurring to a variety of cafes, in which the lords exercifed the right of introducing claufes for payment of money; and the prefent bill certainly did not attempt to levy any new impoft, but merely enacted a new diftribution of fums already applied by parliament to particular purpofes. The bill therefore paffed.

The earl of Moira, in the course of the feffions, brought in a bill for mitigating the rigours experienced by debtors; which was strongly oppofed by the law lords, and thrown out. On the 2d of May, colonel Cawthorne entered into a very elaborate defence of his conduct, relative to the charges advanced against him by a late courtmartial. It was then moved by general Smith, that, being found guilty of feveral of the charges, he fhould be expelled the houfe; which was feconded by Mr. Pierpoint, jun. Mr. Wigley wifhed the houfe to paufe, and entered into a very able vindication of colonel Cawthorne; who was, however, at length, formally expelled.

On the 19th of May the feffion was clofed, as ufual, by a fpeech from

from the throne, which the reader will find in our Public Papers *; and on the following day the parliament was diffolved by proclamation.

Thus terminated a parliament, concerning whofe conduct a more impartial and a more unanimous verdict may be expected from pofterity, than from the prefent age. If we look to the advantages which, in the courfe of their political existence, they conferred on their conftituents, if we inquire by what new and beneficial laws they improved the fyftem of British jurifprudence, or ameliorated the condition of their fellow-fubjects, we must confine our applaufes to two objects the bill introduced by Mr. Fox, which irrevocably vefted in a jury the whole queftion on trials for libel; and the decifion in the fame feffion (1792) for the abolition of the deteftable flavetrade in 1796; a decifion, which they afterwards wanted the virtue to enforce. Perhaps no feature in the character of this parliament was fo marked and prominent as its devotion to party; perhaps the fpirit of independence was never fo little confpicuous in the conduct of any public body. From its first affembling, the individual members were ranked and arranged under their respective leaders, with an order and difcipline almost as regular as in a military establish ment; and, when a certain number of thofe leaders negotiated with the minifter for a change of principles, they were enabled to

* Page (89).

contract for the fervices of their dependants with the precifion of a Heffian envoy, or a Swifs commandant. Hence the violence, the precipitation of their meafures, more analogous to the rafh counfels of a defootic ftate, than to the temperate determinations, the gradual and tardy compliances of a deliberating popular affembly. It would ill become us (who, as private men, can have little communication with the individuals who compofed this auguft body, and confequently are lefs acquainted with their private fentiments) to infinuate, with Mr. Burke, that their votes were fometimes at variance with their opinions. We are rather difpofed to conclude that the majority of them had really no opinion of their own, but modeftly affigned the direction of their faculties to other men: and the appellation with which they were ftigmatized, of a confiding parliament, will perhaps defcend to pofterity as the characteristic defcription of this particular body of reprefentatives. If, however, we fhould be difpofed to acquit them of intentional mifconduct and of actual corruption, we fhall at least have long to lament their unfortunate mistakes. In the fhort space of four years, they nearly doubled the national burthens, which were already enormous, and left their fucceffors involved in a conteft, the iffue of which it is impoffible clearly to forefee, but which cannot, on the whole, be fortunate or happy.

made their formal fubmiffion to the republic, and who had been admitted to the privilege of treating with the government as with a foreign power, again feduced the inhabitants of thofe departments from their allegiance; and the executive power found that it was indifpenfably neceffary to rid it felf of this domeftic enemy, before it entered on the operations of the campaign. The zeal of the directory was ably feconded by general Hoche, to whom the talk of terminating this war was entrufted, and who had already given ample proofs of courage and ability.

This contest, which had hitherto been carried on with addrefs and intelligence on the fide of the infurgents, now d. generated into a war of rapine and plunder. The chiefs of the Vendée, whofe aim was the restoration of royalty, had felt the neceffity of good order and difcipline while that object was thought attainable, and had conducted their troops with the addrefs and prudence neceffary to its fuccefs; but perceiving that the pacification lately concluded with the republic had alienated the minds of the great mafs of the people in the infurgent countries from attempting to plunge themfelves a fecond time into the horrors from which they had juft efcaped, they let loose the remainder of their bands to indifcriminate pillage and murder. The Vendéan had now returned to his peaceful occupa. tions; the interchanges of commerce had taken place with the inhabitants of the neighbouring departments, and the defolated communes began to feel the comforts of regular government, when this new irruption took place. Stoflet, who had previously intimated to his confidents that the

pacification entered into with the republic was a neceffary measure in order to renew the war with vigour, again iffued proclamations, calling the people to arms, and affuring them that the intention of the republic in making peace was only to deliver them over individually to deftruction. Although this invitation was difregarded by the people in general, ftill the influence of the chiefs encouraged numbers to revolt; and the plunderers being now released from every restraint, not only the western departments, which had been already the scene of war, were again desolated, but the departments nearer to the feat of government became alfo the theatre of pillage and terror.'

This conflict was, however, but of fhort duration; for, after several defeats of the various rebel armies, and the capture and death of their leaders Charette and Stoflet (29th March), the remainder of the infurgents, comprehended under the names of Chouans and Vendéans, haraffed on every fide, fubmitted to the forces of the republic, or to the magiftracies of the different communes; and peace was finally restored to these defolated departments.

The campaign opened in the fouth on the 9th of April. During the three former campaigns, the French had attempted in vain to pierce through Piedmont into Italy. That country of mountains feemed to oppose an infurmountable barrier to their progrefs. The republican armies had hitherto only fealed the van-guard of the Alps, from whence alfo they had been driven, after having viewed, in perspective, the immenfe difficulties they had to encounter before they could fucceed in achieving the conquest of Italy. The French had poffeffion