LINES ADDRESSED TO THE UNKNOWN ELIZA, Who made an unprovoked Attack upon the Author, by acquainting him in a Note, after a great Deal of unfair Criticifm, that he was a mere Scribbler, and knew not how to write. BY THOMAS ENORT SMITH. Some people have but one fault, there is nothing true they fay. PRIOR. AH! why in Slander's venom dip thy pen, [plenteous flow; When kind Good Nature's milk doth Woman appears far moft alluring when She acts the friend of man, and not his foe. Then ceafe, imprudent Fair Oné, thus to fpite, [iucceed: Believe me, ill-plac'd cenfure wont 'Tis plain enough here I know how to [to read. write; But You, I fear, have fcarcely learnt Little St. Thomas Apoflles, London. Fashion, [keep, With noify mirth, their boatted vigils Dull filence reigns! and ev'ry lawiefs paffion, [fleep. But meagre Av'rice, feems awhile to Oh bane of worth! can Heaven's afflict. ing thunder On guilty man a fiercer engine move; It tears the laws of friendly hearts alunder, [tuous love. And breaks the facred bonds of vir Perhaps e'en he, the fource of all my pleafure; [behold; She whom my eager fight would fain E'en the, perhaps, thall tell her heart for [gold. treature, And pawn her innocence for love of Prefumptuous thought! Can fhe, from art fecluded, By ev'ry virtue, ev'ry grace adorn'd; Can the by fuch vain tinfel be deluded As gilds the fool, and makes the mifer fcorn'd? Sooner yon ftars shall shine with wild refraction, And from their orbits in confufion fly! Sooner yon moon forfake her bright attraction, [iky. And lawless wander thro' the spacious Hence, then, ye doubts! ye vain illu. fions vanish! [care; No more my heart fhall feel oppreffive Hence from my mind each treach'rous thought I'll banish, [Defpair. And chafe the phantoms of that fiend Thy fhade, O Night! fhall be my confolation, In focial fympathy our fates combine; Thy gloom arifes from the fun's privation, Louifa's abfence is the caufe of mine. Then wand'ring here, around her favour'd manfion, [forts flow; I'll praife that Being whence my comView all his glories thro' the bright expantion, [low ! And guard the fairest of his works beAnd when Aurora's gilded beams en[of day, lighten The path that guides th'illuftrious orb Then fhall my dawning hopes begin to brighten, [gay! My fun fhall rife, and all around be Edmonton, Dec. 18. M. PROCEED!" quoth Dick, " Sir, I aver You have already gone too far, Beie, by fome Authors, it is laid, ) Το prove Which made him thus his theme renew, Or think in lies to catch me out ; For Hermes, all the world believes, J H. The offspring of the work of fin, Unluckily fo like her kin! An interloper born and bred ; By Folly's bounty cloath'd and fed. A Nightingale, whofe neft was near, (trange to tell) fung all the year; And, ftranger ftill, in Handel's strains He charm'd each fair that grac'd the plains ; And But tho' of peace and love he fung, And tho' the feafted at a board Nor make fo free to fly to mine. Attempt the envious mind to gain. JOURNAL OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE SECOND PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. (Continued from Vol. XLII. Page 472.) HOUSE OF LORDS. an application for them, without fome reason being aligned in the King's Speech, was unparliamentary. In the latt Speech, no mention had been made of the relative fituation of this country with the Powers of the Continent : one reafon for this, he inferred, arofe from Minilters not knowing whether we were at peace or at war, or how long France would permit us to enjoy that which we had purchafed fo dearly. He then went over the old ground of the aggrandifement of France by the annexation of Piedmont and Parma, and the subjuga tion tion of Switzerland, and condemned Minifters for tamely looking on; for it was even faid, that we had been afraid to execute a convicted traitor, because the Chief Conful interfered in his behalf; and we had fuffered one of our brave Naval Officers to be infulted and degraded with impunity. He concluded with obferving, that the Houfe ought to be put in poffeffion of the reafons for fuch a large Peace Establishment. Lord Pelham denied that Napper Tandy was indebted for his liberation to the interference of France; and as to Captain D'Auvergne, the facts were, that he had been taken into cuftody by the Police; but upon application being made by our Minifter, he was inftantly difcharged. Lord Carlife agreed with Lord Spencer as to the neceffity of knowing the reafons for fuch a confiderable establish. ment. The Duke of Norfolk approved the conduct of Minifters, as well for their measures of precaution as for their conduct towards Napper Tandy. Lord Grenville faid, he would affert, in the mot unequivocal terms, that this Bill could not be read without a violation of the laws of Parliament; and he entered into an argument to prove, that no fupplies had ever been voted without having been demanded by the Crown. The Lord Chancellor faid, that every neceffary form had been adopted in the prefent inftance: he denied the charge that the Chief Conful had any influence over the fate of Napper Tandy; but he had given his opinion that it would have been an act of injuftice to have made him fuffer after fo long a refpite. Some explanations took place, and the Bill was read. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15. Lord Spencer again opposed the further progrefs of the Malt Tax Bill, in arguments fimilar to thofe adduced on its first reading. He examined the conduct of the French Government; contended, that there was no fecurity in the peace; that Minifters had proved themselves totally incapable of their fituations, and therefore ought not to be trufted with the appropriation of fuch large fupplies, which he admitted were neceffary; but it was only by recalling that great man (Mr. Pitt), in whole praise he could not fufficiently explain himself, to that Situation which he had fo honourably filled, that this country could poffibly be laved at the prefent critical period. The measures might be proper, but he objected to the men. Lord Suffolk expressed his disapprobation of the conduct of the late Minifters, and hoped they would never come into power again. The Lord Chancellor faid, that if Minifters really were fuch ideots, the most regular mode would be to bring a spe. cific charge against them, and move for an Addrefs to his Majefty to defire their removal. Lord Hobart infifted, that neither he nor any of his colleagues would fuffer the honour of the country to be tarnished, and entered upon a defence of the plan of the fupplies. Lord Carysfort gave a minute account of the places we held at the period of the peace, and wished to know whether Minifters intended to give up Malta ? The Duke of Norfolk fpoke against the restoration of the late Ministry. Lord Grenville repeated the fame arguments which he had urged on the first reading of the Bill; and added, that by the furrender of Martinique, we had endangered our West India poffeffions; and by permitting the French to have Cochin from the Dutch, it only remained for Minilters to give up Malta, to enable France to carry a war into the Eaft as foon as the fhould think proper. Lord Pelham declared, he knew nothing of the French being put in possesfion of Cochin; and went into a general defence of the conduct of himself and his colleagues, not only in obtaining the peace, but of the manner in which they had advised these fupplies to be called for. Lord Minto faid, that after the Chriftmas receis, he fhould make a motion to inquire into the part that we took in the late troubles in Switzerland. TUESDAY, DEC. 21. On the motion for the fecond reading of the Navy Abuse Bill, Lord Pelham expreffed his opinion that it was abfolutely neceffary; although he was no advocate for delegating extraordinary powers to Commiflioners. Lord Nelton alfo expreffed his convic tion of the great abuses that exifted in the Navy, and particularly among the Prize-Agents. He lamented the diff culty experienced by failors in obtaining their rights in this refpect, more particularly when an Agent happened to die. He laid great frefs on the neceflity of the Bill, and concluded with giving it his vote. The Lord Chancellor fpoke at length on the jealoufy that he entertained of the Bill, because it gave unufual powers to a fet of Commiffioners. Every man who wifhed well to his country's honour and intereft, must feel anxious that those failors who fought our battles fhould, without delay or vexation, receive the reward of their valour; but that deGrable object would have been better obtained, if a leparate Commiflion had been authorised by a Bill, for the purpose of inquiring into the abufes of Prize-Agents. The fact meant to be defcribed in the afsertion stated in the preamble of the Bill might, by one fet of men, be termed "an abufe;" by another, “a fraud;" and by a third, "an irregularity." Would it not, therefore, be a more intelligible thing to have divided each of thefe; and, inftead of inftituting Commiffioners to inquire into compli cated objects, to have iffued different Commiffions applicable to each of the three heads afferted in the preamble of the Bill to exift? He concluded with expreffing his anxiety to watch over the benefits of every British fubje&t. Bill was read a fecond time. The The Navy Commiffioners' Abufe Bill was read a third time, and fent down with its amendments to the Commons. MONDAY, DEC. 27. Some converfation took place relative to the Bill for fufpending the Woollen Manufacture Acts; and it was ordered to be taken into confideration on the first Tuesday after the recefs. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28. The Speaker of the Commons, attended by fome of the Members, ap peared at the bar, and heard the Royal Affent given, by Commiffion, to the following Bills :-A Bill for allowing certain Drawbacks on the Exportation of Sugar from Great Britain; a fimilar Bill with refpe&t to Ireland; a Bill for paying off Navy and Exchequer Bills; a Bill for inquiring into Abuses in the Naval Departments; the English Militia Pay Bill; the Irish Militia Mistake Bill; the English and Irish Corn Trade Bill; the Irith Corn and Potatoes Importation Bill; the Malta Trade Bill; the Felon Transportation Bill; and the Dublin Bread Regulation Bill.-The Royal Allent was allo given to fome private Bills. The Houfe then adjourned to Thurf day, the 3d of February. HOUSE OF COMMONS.. MONDAY, DEC. 13. SEVERAL Petition.s were prefented against the Malt Bill. Dr. Lawrence gave notice of his intention to make a motion, after the recefs, to inquire into the infult offered to Capt. D'Auvergne. On the Report of the Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Princep took a review of the fituation of the country with respect to its commercial interelt. He contended, that illegal relations of commerce were forming on the Continent, to the great prejudice of this country. He referred to the iffue of Exchequer Bills; and, though he complimented the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the able manner in which he defcribed the state of our finances, he could not agree with him as to the farther iffue of bills, which, ha conceived, were likely to create embar railinent. The Chancellor of the Exchequer itated, ftated, that it was the intention of Government to iffue Exchequer Bills gradually; but by no means to increase the actual amount more than at prefent in circulation; which, exclufive of the three millions in the hands of the Bank, and for which no intereft is payable, is not more than 11,300,000l. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved to put off the hearing of Election Petitions till the 8th of February; after which the Houle would hear two daily. After fome converfation, the orders for taking the following Petitions into confideration were discharged, and the Petitions were appointed for confideration on the days after-mentioned : The Burghs of Dumfermline, complaining of a double return, on the 8th of February.-Shaftesbury, complaining of the return of R. Hurft, Efq. for two places, on the 8th Feb.-The University of Dublin and Great Grimsby, on the Toth. Nottingham and Barnstaple, on the 15th.-Coventry and Bridgewater, on the 17th.-Kirkcudbright and Invernefs, on the 22d.-Liskeard and Waterford, on the 24th.-Drogheda and the -County of Hereford, on the aft of March. -Penryn and Stranraer, on the 3dChippenham and Carmarthen, on the 8th. Ilchefter and Eaft Grinstead, on the 10th-Glafgow and Oakhampton, on the 15th.-Norwich and Berwick, on the 17th.-Taunton and Boston, on the 22d.-Malmesbury and Sterling, on the 24th.-Cirencester and Bifhops Caftle, on the 29th.-Evesham and East Retford, on the 31ft.-Newcastle-under-Line and Radnor, on the 5th of April.-Kingtonupon-Hull and Leominster, on the 14th. Aylesbury and the County of Middlefex, on the 19th.-Maldon and Honiton, on the 21ft.-Shaftesbury, complaining of the return of E. L. Loveden, Efq. on the 26th of April. On the order of the day for the reconfideration of the Petition from the Freeholders of Middlefex against W. Mainwaring, Efq. Mr. Tierney contended, that the Houfe was juftified in receiving this Petition, on the principle of the Grenville A&t, whatever might be its refult. After fome converfation, the Petition was withdrawn. THE NAVY. Captain Markham, in pursuance of notice, adverted to the wifh long enterTained by Government, of making necefiary and prodent reformations in the Navy, and to the steps taken by the First Lord of the Admiralty to purge the Augean ftable; but the object for which fome law was neceffary, was the abufes committed against the veterans of the Navy by rapacious Prize-Agents. To correct thefe-to give the man his due whofe zeal, courage, and conduct, prefented him to his country's regard,' would be an object well becoming that country. He therefore moved for leave to bring in a Bill to appoint Commif fioners to inquire into the feveral abules in the department of the Navy. After fevral Members had brief delivered their fentiments, leave was given. In a Committee of Supply, among other votes, was one to the Bank, for Corn Bounties, of 1,500,000l. Mr. Vanfittart, after a preface explanatory of the fubje&t, wherein he noticed how much the ftaple trade of the kingdom was cramped by obfolete Acts regarding the woollen trade, moved for leave to bring in a Bill to fufpend, for a time to be limited, the Acts of Elizabeth that had fuch an effect. TUESDAY, DEC. 14. On a Petition being prefented from the Ship Owners of Hartley and Blyth againft the Tonnage Duty, The Chancellor of the Exchequer wished that no particular inference might be drawn to the prejudice of the revenue from a partial ftatement of the decrease of fhipping in fome of the ports. He had the pleasure to fay, that in the port of Liverpool there had been a confiderable increase in British, and decrease in foreign fhips. The number of British fhips that entered inwards at that port, was, in 1801, 1331; 1802, 1783; increafe in favour of 1802, 452. Number of foreign veffels entered inwards was, in 1801, 655; 1802, 425; decrease of foreign vellels in 1802; 230. The tonnage of faid British vefféls was, in 1801, 179,353; 1802, 224,859. The number of Britifh veffels cleared outwards was, in 1801, 1694; 1802, 2062. Of foreign veffels cleared outwards was, in 1801, 703; 1802, 461. The amount of the tonnage of faid British veffels fo cleared outwards was, in 1801, 222,696; 1802, 225,603. The number of seamen might be estimated at an increase of 20,000 men in the last year in the four ports of London, Liverpool, Briftol, and Hull. General Gafcoyne contradicted the Chancellor's statement, and defended his former affertions; after which the Petition was left on the table. On the second reading of the Navy Abufe Bill, Mr. Cooper entered into a juftification I |