tion to the public bufinefs, and the measures you have adopted for improving the refources of the country.

Gentlemen of the Houfe of Com

mons;

I thank you for the fupplies which you have granted for the fervice of the current year, and for the provifion you have made for difcharging the incumbrances on the revenue applicable to the ufes of my civil government. The most falutary effects are to be expected from the plan adopted for the reduction of the national debt; an object which I confider as infeparably connected with the effential interefts of the public.

My Lords and Gentlemen, The affurances which I continue to receive from abroad promife the continuance of general tranquillity.

The happy effects of peace have already appeared in the extenfion of the national commerce; and no measures fhall be wanting, on my part, which can tend to confirm thefe advantages, and to give additional encouragement to the manufactures and industry of my people.

The Speech of his Grace Charles, Duke of Rutland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to both Houses of Par liament, on Thurfday, January 19, 1786.

My Lords and Gentlemen, IT is with great fuisfaction, that in obedience to his majesty's commands, I meet you again in parliament. You will, I am perfuaded, give your utmost attention to the various objects of public concern, which require your confideration Your natural folicitude for the welfare of Ireland, and a full

fenfe of her real interests, will direct all your deliberations, and point out to you the line of conduct which may be moft conducive to the public advantage; and to that latting connection between the fifter kingdoms, fo effential to the profperity of both. Gentlemen of the Houfe of Com

mons,

I have ordered the public anccounts, and other neceffary papers, to be laid before you. The principle which you to wifely established of presenting the accumulation of the national debt, will, I hope, appear already to have proved fuccefsful; and I entertain no doubt, that your wifdom will perfevere in meafures, which, in their operation, promife fuch beneficial effects. His majesty relies with confidence upon your grant of fuch fupplies as are neceflary for the public fervice, and, for the honourable fupport of his government

My lords and Gentlemen, A fyilematic improvement of the police, and a vigorous execution of the laws, are effential not only to the due collection of the public revenue, but to the fecurity of private property, and indeed to the protection of fociety. The frequent outrages which have been committed in fome parts of the kingdom, will particularly call your attention to this important cbject.

It is unneceffary for me to recommend the protefiant charterfchools to your protection, or to enumerate the happy effects which may be derived from your continued attention to the linen and other manufactures, to the agriculture, and to the fifheries of the kingdom, and to fuch meafures as may animate the industry, extend the education, and improve the mo rals of the people.

It will ever be my ambition to promote the real interes of Ireland, and to contribute by all the means in my power towards eftablifhing its future profperity on the furest and most lafting foundation.

commons have, in this feffion, continued the fame taxes, and granted all the fupplies that were defired, to the full amount of every efti mated expence; nor have they omitted at the fame time to provide for the fpeedy reduction of the national debt by a confiderable finking fund, and to continue to the a

ing manufactures of the kingdom, the bounties neceifary for their fupport.

May it pleafe your Grace, THE expences of this kingdom had for a feries of years, as well in time of peace as war, contantly exceeded its revenue, and debt increafed on debt.

Where fuch a fyftem is fuffered to prevail, manufactures muit at length give way, trade will decline, and agriculture ceafe to produce wealth or plenty. The Commons, therefore, in the last feffion, wifely determined to put a stop to fo ruinous a fyttem, and with a fpirited attention to the true intereft of their country, and the honourable fupport of his majesty's government, they voted new taxes to increafe the revenue of the year, in the fum of 140,0001.

The effort was great, and the event has proved its wildom. No further addition is now wanting no loan or act of credit is necefiary a fituation unknown to this king dom for many fetlions paft, and marking with peculiar force the happy era of your Grace's admi

niftration.

Animated by this fuccefs, and determined to perfevere in the principle of preventing the accumulation of debt, his majefty's faithful

Great as these taxes are, they are the moft firm and full confidence, liberally and cheerfully given, in that from your Grace's experienced wisdom and affection for this kingdom, they will be found effe tually to anfwer the end propofed, of fupplying the whole of the public expence, and preventing any further accumulation of debt.

The Bills which I have the honour to prefent to your Grace, for the royal affent, are, &c. &c. &c.

The Speech of his Grace Charles, Duke of Rutland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to both Houses of Parliament, on Monday May 8, 1786.

My Lords and Gentlemen, I Have feen, with great fatisfaction, the constant attention and uncommon dispatch with which you have gone through the public bufinefs. I am thereby enabled now to relieve you from further attendance in Parliament. The harmony of your deliberations has given no lefs efficacy than dignity to your proceedings; and I am confident that you will carry with you the fame difpofition for promoting the public welfare to your refidence in the country, where your prefence will encourage the industry of the people, and where your example (E 2)

and

and your influence will be happily exerted in establishing general good order and obedience to the laws. Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons,

I am to thank you in his majefty's name for the liberal fupplies which you have given for the publie fervice, and for the honourable fupport of his majefty's govern-, ment. They fhall be faithfully ap plied to the purposes for which they were granted. My reliance upon your decided fupport to the execution of the laws for the just collection of the public revenue, affords me the best founded hope, that the produce of the duties will not fall fhort of their eftimated amount.

My Lords and Gentlemen, The determined spirit with which you have marked your abhorrence of all lawlefs diforder and tumult, hath, I doubt not, already made an ufeful impreffion; and the falu tary laws enacted in this fellion, and particularly the introduction of a fyftem of police, are honourable proofs of your wifdom, your moderation, and your prudence.

His majefty beholds, with the highest fatisfaction, the zeal and loyalty of his people of Ireland; and I have his majefty's exprefs commands to affure you of the moft cordial returns of his royal favour and paternal affection.

I have the deepest fenfe of every obligation to confirm my attachment to this kingdom; and it will be the conftant object of my administration, and the warmest impulfe of my heart, to forward the fuccefs of her interests, and to promote the profperity of the empire.

The Speech of the Ambassador Extra ordinary from their High Mightinefjes, the States General of the

United Provinces, to the Emperor
of Germany, on being admitted to
their Aud ence of leave, on Wednef-
day, February 15, 1786.
Sire,

THE miffion which we had the honour of performing at your imperial court. being now completeÎy fulfilled by the fo much w fhedfor refloration of peace and union between your imperial n ajefty and the republic, their high mightineffes have thought proper to recall us.

This bleffed event has given new vigour to thofe fentiments of veneration which their high mightineffes entertain for your imperial majefty, and which we had it in command to exprets.

Thofe fentiments, from which they never varied, will now become indiffoluble by the new ties which the republic is happy to have entered into with your imperial majefty; we think ourfelves equally happy that it is in our power to prefent you the firfi tomage of those fentiments, which are further con

firmed in the letter we have the honour to deliver from their high mightineffes.

All that remains for us to do, is to offer to your majefty the humbleft acknowledgments for the kind reception we have been honoured with, as alfo the affurances of those refpectful withes, and of that lively fenfibility which muft imprefs every one who has the happiness of approaching your majesty.

May the glorious reign of your imperial majefty, deftined to com plete the felicity of your fubjects, daily administer to fame, the best means to extend, and perpetuate your great and awful name! May the era of Jofeph II, like that of Titus, Trajanus, and M. Aurelius, your predeceffors in the Roman em

pire, be for ever recorded as that of humanity, peace, and the happinefs of mankind.

ANSWER.

Gentlemen,

You may affure their high mightineffes that I am equally pleafed the difputes that had arifen are finally fettled, as this cannot but redound to the mutual advantage of both nations; the more fo, that all obitacles being levelled, the old friendship which always fubfifted between them cannot again be interrupted. As to you, gentlemen, I am glad to have been acquainted with you, and fuch a ition must have been very pleafing to you, fince it has been the ground - work, as well as the means of effecting the restoration, of tranquillity.

Sheweth,

THAT your Petitioners, the Magiflrates for the city of London, have had an opportunity of obferving, with the most heart-felt concern, the rapid and alarming in creafe of crimes and depredations in this city and its neighbourhood, efpecially within the last three years. The fact of fuch increafe is too publicly known, and too feverely felt by your majesty's fubjects, to be doubted; and if any direct proof of it were wanting, it will moft evidently appear from the

number of days employed in the trial of felons at the Old Bailey, which, upon an average of the last three years, have been upwards of Fifty-five in the year; whereas the highest average of any Three years prior to the year 1776, was less than Forty-fix, and the general average of twenty years prior to that period, lefs than Thirty-four days in the year.

That the increase of the crime

of burglary is become moft alarming to your majesty's fubjects, which increafe your petitioners are inclined to afcribe to the great number of experienced and well practifed thieves now in the kingdom, who commit this atrocious crime with fuch art, that fearce any precautions are fufficient to guard against it. And the fame experience that enables thefe offenders to perpetrate this offence with eafe, has probably convinced them that it is attended

with lefs perfonal danger and ha

zard of detection than most other offences.

That in the years from January 1766 to December 1775, both inclufive, (which time immediately preceded the top that was put to tranfportation) above Three thoufand one hundred perfons were tranfported from London and Middlefex alone; and having reafon to believe that all the rest of the kingdom have furnished an equal number, the whole amount of the tranfports in thefe ten years has been above Six thoufand. That the number of prifoners tried and convicted of felony in the ten fucceeding years, from the beginning of 1776 to 1786, having greatly increased, there is every reafon to believe, that, if the executive juice had remained the fame, the traniports in thofe years would have much exceeded the number of the ren (E 3) preceding;

preceding; but the regular courfe of transportation having been in terrupted during that period, and few opportunities found by government of fending convicts abroad, and thofe only in fmall numbers, your petitioners humbly fubmit to your majeily, that it neceflarily follows, that after making an allowance for the fmall number fent abroad, and for the convicts who may have died during that period, there must now remain within the kingdom, either at large, or in the different prifons, at least Four thoufand perfons, who, in the judgment of the law, were proper to have been fent out of it.

That your petitioners humbly conceive that this dreadful accumulation is alone fufficient to account for all the evils that are fo heavily felt and to july complained of, both as to the over-crowded ftate of the gaols and the increase of crimes and of offenders.

To what extent the mifchiefs that are fo feverely felt already, and the fatal confequences fo july apprehended, may be carried by a longer continuance of fo rapid end alarming an accumulation of convicts within the kingdom, no human wifdom can forefec.

When facts fo important as thefe, and which fo materially affect the peace and fecurity of your majefly's fubjects in general, and especially of this great city, have come within the knowledge of your petitioners, they would ill difcharge their duty to your majely, or the public, if they neglected most humbly to lay them at the foot of the throne, earnestly befeeching your majefty to direct fuch meafures to be taken, as to your royal wifdom fhall feem beft, for providing a fpeedy and due execution of the law, both as to capital punifament and tranfpor

ift. That it be carneftly recom, mended to the principal in abitants of all places, to agree in uniting together, under certain rules and regulations, for the better purpofe of detecting felons, cheats, vagrants, night-walkers, night poachers, and pawn-brokers, who are often guilty of male practices, and particularly in receiving ftolen goods, knowing them to be fuchfellers by falfe weights and meafures, perfons adulterating or improperly mixing meal, flour, &c. and, in fhort, all thofe who are in any way guilty of a breach of the law.

2d. That fome regulations ought to be made in the appointment of proper conftables, and that they be required to exert themselves in bringing to justice offenders as aforefaid, as they will answer the contrary at their peril. And that they be alfo required to be particularly vigilant in the time of horfe-races, fairs, feafts, markets, or other public meetings; evil difpofed perfons of different kinds