realized, dig their precipice; or by threats, or by the conftant exertion of rigours which they are obliged to fuffer, and which bereaves them of the courage of taking the part of juftice, loyalty, and their own prefervation.

His Majefty believes, that one of those means would be that of uniting together the whole found part of the French Nation, in the fame manner as the city of Toulon has done; to establish from the prefent moment a form of Government under an Hereditary Monarchy, referving, till the ceffation of the prefent troubles, the modifications which might be deemed convenient for its moft folid establishment. His Majesty is perfuaded, that this is likewife the mode of thinking of his Britannic Majefty, his Ally; and he doubts not but the other Powers who have taken up arms to make one common cause against France, will contribute towards the fame end, by receiving and protecting thofe Frenchmen who fhall be ready to profit by thefe beneficial difpofitions.

The Catholic King, for his part, announces thofe difpofitions to them from the prefent moment in the most fincere manner, and promifes to hear peaceably every idea which may conciliate itself with the dignity of his refolutions, withing as foon as poffible to fee the moment when, after the deftruction of that anarchy which caufes fo many ills to France, there may be in that kingdom a body or clafs of men whom he may confider as having fufficient power and authority to deliberate upon an object fo important to France herself.

Then will his Majefty confider her as a Power which has recalled into her bolom the principles of religion, morality, and civil intercourie, which thofe who have vefted themselves with Supreme Power contributed to banifh with to much violence! Then the civilized Nations may treat with her, and renew the bonds of friendship and commerce which fubfifted till now and then, the horrors of war having entirely vanished, Spain may afford to France all thofe good offices which become a good Neighbour, a generous Nation, and a King of the fame family.

ANSWER of the Swiss REPUBLIC to LORD ROBERT FITZGERALD'S DECLARATION (inferted page 60). YOUR Excellency, in a letter dated the 30th of November, thought proper to recommend to the serious confideration of the Helvetic Body fome important obferVOL. XXY.

vations on the relative fituation of the Republic to the Belligerent Powers.

Thefe obfervations we have examined with all that care and attention which is due to the interests of our country, and we think that we afford your Excellency a proof of the elteein which we entertain for your character, by making an open and fincere expolition of our fituation and our conduct.

However afflicting the remeinbrance of thofe terrible events in France (which your Excellency has brought to our recollection), and the fad fate of our brethren who fuffered fo unfortunately, may be, yet our grief muft nevertheless yield to the principles of our Conftitution: thete principles have refted for feveral centuries on the relations of peace, amity, and good neighbourhood with all the furrounding Powers.

The operation of thefe principles has never been interrupted by foreign wars. A rigid and exact neutrality was the invariable maxim of our ancestors; and having received it as a facred inheritance, we have conceived it to be our duty to abide by it in the prefent war. And this conduct has produced a falutary influence, not only on our external fafety, but on our internal peace.

Accustomed to observe scrupulously all engagements entered into, we will neither wander from our declared neutrality, on any pretence whatever, nor will we liften to any infinuation which might give rife to juft complaints.

It is for us to preferve the enjoyment of that happy and peaceful fituation to which all our most zealous efforts tend. We will unite our force to repel even the lightest attempts that may be made to disturb our repofe, or to undermine the foundation of it by any destructive principles.

It is towards this end that our forefight is directed, by carefully guarding our frontiers, and by endeavouring to prevent any difficulties by a correfpondence infeparable from our local relations.

We intreat your Excellency to affure his Britannic Majefty of the invariable determination of the Helvetic Body; and it is with entire confidence we expect, from his good-will, that, following the example of his illuftrious ancestors, who at all times have maintained the independence of the Helvetic Confederacy, he will continue henceforth to entertain a fincere affection for our profperity and our repofe.

We are, &c. SPEECH

SPEECH of his EXCELLENCY the LORD LIEUTENANT of IRELAND to the HOUSES of PARLIAMENT of that KINGDOM, on opening the SESSIONS, JANUARY 21, 1794

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I HAVE his Majesty's commands to meet you in Parliament. You must have felt, with the highest fatisfaction, that, by the fuccefs of his Majefty's arms, and thofe of his Allies, the hopes of France, in their unprovoked Declaration of War, to impair the stability or fake the Conftitution of Great Britain and Ireland, have been utterly disappointed.

The forces of his Majesty and his Allies are in poffeffion of many important fortreffes which belonged to the French, and many of their oppreffive and unjuft conquefts have been wrefted from them; and, whilst the trade of the empire has been generally protected, the refources which our enemies derived from their, wealthy fettlements and extenfive commerce have been almost entirely cut off. I have the fatisfaction to acquaint you, that the fpirit of infurrection which was for fome time prevalent among the lower orders of people, is in general fuppreffed. No exertion fhall be wanting on my part, to bring them to a due fenfe of order and fubordination, and to prevent and punish the machinations of thofe who may aim to feduce them from their accustomed loyal. ty into acts of fedition and outrage.

The law for rendering a militia in this kingdom effectual, has been carried fuccefsfully into execution. I am hap. py to find that the people are at length fully reconciled to this inftitution, which has already been attended by the moft beneficial confequences, in producing internal tranquillity, and contributing to the general ftrength and force of the empire.

I am commanded to acquaint you, that his Majefty has appointed a Commiffion under the Great Seal, to execute the office of Lord High Treasurer of this kingdom, in order that the payment of the Civil Lift granted to his Majefty, and a regular appropriation of the revenue to diftinct fervices, may be carried into execution in a manner as conformable to the practice of Great Britain as the relative fituation of this kingdom will permit.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons, I have ordered the national accounts

to be laid before you, as well as efti mates for the fervice of the ensuing year. It is painful to me to observe, that the exigencies of the times will require a large fupply and additional refources; but when you confider that this is a war of abfolute neceffity, and that you are contending for your Liberty, Property, and Religion, I doubt not that you will chearfully contribute to fupport the honour of his Majesty's Crown, and the effential interefts of the kingdom,

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The Agriculture, the Manufactures, and particularly the Linen Manufac ture of Ireland, the Proteftant Charter Schools, and various other inftitutions of public utility, have fo conftantly received the benefit of your care and liberality, that I need not particu larly, at this time, inculcate their importance.

Ilis Majefty has the fullest reliance upon the loyalty and attachment of his people of Ireland. You are now, by the unjuft aggreffion of France, involved in a contcit for your Religion, for your Conftitution, and for the prefervation of every principle which upholds focial order, or gives fecurity to your perfons or properties. In fuch a caufe his Majefty has no doubt of being cordially fupported by the efforts of all his fubjects, in refifting the defperate defigns of men who are endeavouring to erect their own power and dominion on the ruins of law and order, and to involve every Government of Europe in a general feene of confufion and anarchy.

His Majefty's object is peace; and he will exert himself, in conjunction with his Allies, whenever an occation fhall prefent itfelf for obtaining this defirable end, without furrendering the honour of his Crown, or facrificing the prefent or future fecurity of his people and of the rest of Europe.

You may depend upon my faithful reprefentations of your fervices to his Majefty; and I will zealously co-operate with your exertions for the welfare. and profperity of Ireland.

[Addreffes of thanks to His Majefty for the above Speech, were voted una nimously by both Houfes of Parlia ment.]

JOURNAL

AS

TUESDAY, JAN. 21.

S foon as his Majefty had retired, and the Commons had withdrawn, the Speech delivered from the Throne was, according to the forms of the House, read over by the Lord Chancellor and the clerk at the Table; when

Lord Stair rofe to move the Addrefs. His Lordship commenced his fpeech by obferving, that it would degrade Britain to attempt any thing like a comparison be tween its happy ftate and the miferies of a neighbouring country: a country that, by an unprovoked aggreffion, had forced us into a war, which, in conformity to his Majefty's advice, we ought to profecute with vigour, until, in conjunction with our Allies, we had fo far reduced her power, that the fhould no longer have the means of disturbing, by her execrable fchemes of aggrandizement and anarchy, the repofe of Europe. That there was the fareft profpect of our fucceeding in the attainment of fo defirable an object, might be inferred from what had already been done. When we commenced hoftilities against France, the was then in poffeffion of the Netherlands, had taken Nice and Savoy, and threatened Holland and all Italy with invafion. The moment we interfered Holland was fafe, and the confequences were, that the Netherlands were recovered by their lawful Sovereign; Valenciennes, which the Convention admitted to be the key to France, was taken, other fortreffes furrendered, and fuccefs attended the efforts of the combined forces along all the borders of France; her navy was crippled by the capture and burning of her hips, ftores, and arfenal at Toulon; the most valuable of her Weft-India If lands had, or muft, fall into our hands; and he verily believed, there was not at this hour one of their fettlements in the EaftLadies in which the French flag was flying. His Lordship drew a terrible pic ture of the internal fituation of France, and declared, that by a vigorous profecution of the war, there were the most flat. tering profpects of our obtaining the great objects of it, to our own and Europe's future repole and fecurity; he therefore moved an Addrefs to his Majefty, which was, as ufual, the echo of the Speech.

Lord Auckland feconded the motion, and detailed in an animated and masterly manner the diabolical proceedings of the

rulers of France, to whom, however, he gave the praife of ability, and confefled that the fuccefs of the war did not so much depend upon the exertions of the Allies, as upon the certainty that the enemy must ultimately defeat itself. The rifing in a mals, he observed, was a novel and a terrible expedient, but at the fame time it car ried with it its own antidote, as it was fuch an one as could not be repeated without reducing the nation to the lowest ebb. Her commerce was nearly annihilated, her refources were daily diminishing, and by the Convention's own confenfion, the expence of one month's campaign exceeded the receipts of her revenue for one year. His Lordship contrafted this deplorable ftate of France with the flourishing fituation of Britain; rich in revenue, mistress of the feas, and with new fources of commerce daily opening to her. He quoted an expreffion of General Dumourier's, who faid, it was not the army of Cobourg, but the interference of England, that prevented the conquest of Holland; and he declared, under the prefent circumstances, it fhould be the last thought that ought to enter the head of a Briton, to abandon our Allies and this neceffary war, on the vigorous profecution of which depended our prefent and future confequence and fecu rity; the motion had, therefore, his most hearty approbation.

Lord Guildford faid, there was no man who would be more happy than himself to congratulate his Majesty upon the bravery of his army and navy; but he was very forry to collect from the noble Lords who preceded him, that the objects which Minifters now have in view in profecuting the war, are very different from thofe by which they lured the nation into it: ali that was at firft profeffed by his Majelty's Minifters in entering into the war, was the protection of our Allies, and the fecurity of the kingdom; thofe objects by which many were induced to content to it, are now changed, and crushing France, and reitoring her monarchy, is the language at prefent held. In fhort, their Lordihips were called upon to vote the continuance of a war, the objects of which were undefined, and changed with the changing politics of the day. But he would afk Minifters, if they had calculated the force and refources by which they are to accomplish their prefent views in the war.

Much

Much reliance, no doubt, must be placed upon the affiftance of our Allies, who, as the Speech expreffes, have entered into an almoft general confederacy; but our Lopes cannot be much brightened by the profpect of affiftance from thofe whom we are obliged to fubfidize for their own preiervation. It is notorious to all Europe, that the refources of Auftria are exhaufted. The emperor can no longer levy fresh impofts upon his fubjects, and he is left to the precarious fupport of private benevolences, and the loyal contributions of individuals. As to the king of Pruffia, lefs reserve is necessary. Notwithstanding the Jate shameful addition which he has made to his territories by the plunder of the innocent and defenceless Poles, he either cannot or will not contribute any material affiftance to another campaign. Such, faid his Lordship, is the state of our prin cipal belligerent Allies. Noble Lords had been very eloquent upon the miferable internal fituation of France; but would the fate of Lyons (which would be that of Toulon) and the defolation of La Vendee (which was described to be without a houfe or inhabitant for 20 miles round) encourage other provinces to revolt against the exifting Government, and induce Bourdeaux, Marseilles, or Dunkirk, to expose themselves to the fame exterminating vengeance?

ence

cious declarations which he has been pleased to make of the views and prin ciples by which he is guided in the profecution of the prefent war; but they hoped his Majefty would feize the earlieft opportunity to conclude a peace, by which the permanent fafety of his fubjects, and the independence and fecurity of Europe, may be provided for s and that they humbly hope no difficulty may prevent the attainment of so defirable an object from the form of Government which may be established in France."

The Duke of Portland faid, he felt it fo strongly incumbent upon him to give fomething more than a filent vote upon the occafion, that he was thus early anxious to offer himself to their Lordships notice. He had, at the commencement of the war last year, acknowledged his opinion of the juftice and neceffity of it: and he was now more convinced of both. He thought it the duty of every man to concur in ftrengthening the hands of Government, as a vigorous prosecution of the war appeared to him the only means of faving the country, and bringing the war to an honourable and favourable end.

He obferved, he did not know to what the Amendment could tend, unless it went to recommend a breach of all the treaties which exifted between this country and foreign powers—a measure which it would unquestionably be dishonourable for this country to purfue, and which must ultimately end in our ruin and difgrace. His Grace faid, that therefore he should decifively support Ministers in the war, oppofe the Amendment, and vote for the original Address.

Earl Spencer alfo said, that though he regretted he must now differ from men with whom he had long acted, yet his duty and his confcience compelled him to make the avowal, that he would support Government in a war which had for its objects the preiervation of our Constitution, property, religion, and lives.

The Earls of Mansfield, Coventry, Hardwicke, and Carlisle, and the Marquis of Townshend, and Lord Kinnoul, warmly argued for the original Addrefs; whilft the Amendment was fupported by the Duke of Norfolk, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord Derby, and Lord Stanhope;-the latter Peer declared the war would always have his most determined oppofition; and he gave notice, that he should on Thursday bring for. ward a Motion for acknowledging the Frjuch Republics

Lord