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fishing among the French people any particular form of government, never would have had their concurrence or fupport.

In expreffing these their fentiments and opinions, on entering into the prefent war, His Majefty's faithful Commons are fenfible that they are only repeating thofe benevolent declarations, which policy, and a careful attention to the real interefts of the British nation, induced His Majefty to ufe in his moft gracious fpeech from the throne at the beginning of the prefent feffion of Parliament, and in repeated meffages to this House.

To reprefent to His Majefty, that though his faithful Commons have the most perfect reliance on His Majefty's facred word and promife, folemnly pledged to this country and to Europe, not to interfere in the internal affairs of France, or to enter into the views and projects of other powers who, in the prefent war, may be actuated by motives far different from thofe which govern the conduct of His Majefty; yet they feel it to be their indifpenfible duty to call His Majefty's most ferious attention to fome of the circumftances, which have occur. red fince the commencement of the prefent unfortunate teft.

The French arms which, after a fuccefsful invasion of Brabant, had threatened the fecurity of His Majefty's allies the States General, have fince been confined within their own territory, and are now occupied in defence of their frontier towns against the united forces of His Majefty and his allies. The danger apperehended from the former conquefts and aggrandizement of the French nation, appears therefore to be no longer a fubject of just uneafinefs and alarm.

Some of the powers engaged in the confederacy against France, have, on the other hand, openly avowed and fuccefsfully executed plans of domination and conqueft, not lefs formidable to the general liberties of Europe. The rapacious and faithlefs difmemberment of the unhappy kingdom of Poland, without having produced, as far as it appears to this House, any remonftrance from His Majefty's Ministers, has excited in His Majefty's faithful Commons the highest indig nation at fo daring an outrage on the rights of independent nations, and the keeneft folicitude to refcue the honour of the British Government from the fufpicion of having concurred or acquietced in measures fo odious in their principle, and fo dangerous in their example to the peace and happiness of man. kind.

The fevere calamities which, fince the commencement of the prefent war, this nation has already experienced,―the fhock given to commercial credit, and the alarming confequences which the failure of the mercantile and manufacturing

interefts

interefts threatens to the public revenue, and to the general profperity of the country, cannot have failed to attract His Majesty's attention, and to excite in his benevolent mind a fincere defire to relieve his fubjects from diftreffes of which they cannot hope for a termination but in the speedy re-establishment of peace.

His Majefty's faithful Commons make it, therefore, their moft earnett and folemn requeft, that His Majefty, taking into his confideration all the above circumftances, will not fail to employ the earliest measures for procuring peace on fuch terms as are confiftent with the profeffed objects of the war, and with that good faith, ftrict justice, and liberal and enlightened policy, which have hitherto fo peculiarly distinguished the British nation.

On the 21st of June 1793, His Majefly went to the House of Peers, and made the following Speech on proroguing the Parliament.

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

HE firmness, wifdom, and public fpirit, by which your conduct has been eminently diftinguifhed on the many important occafions which have arifen during the prefent feffion, demand my peculiar acknowledgements.

Your firm determination to fupport the established Conftitution, and the zealous and general concurrence in that fentiment, which my subjects have fo ftrongly and feasonably manifested, could not fail to check every attempt to disturb the internal repose of these kingdoms; and you will, I doubt not, in your feveral counties, encourage the continuance of the fame vigilant attention to that important object.

The rapid and fignal fucceffes, which, in an early period of the campaign, have attended the operations of the combined armies; the refpectable and powerful force which you have enabled me to employ by fea and iand; and the meafures which I have concerted with other powers for the effectual profecution of the war, afford the best profpect of a happy iffue to the important contest in which we are engaged: It is only by perfeverance in vigorous exertions, and by endeavouring to improve the advantages already acquired, that we can hope to obtain the great end to which my views are uniformly directed, the reItoration of peace on fuch terms as may be confiftent with our permanent fecurity, and with the general tranquillity of Europe.

Gentlemen

Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons,

I return you my particular thanks for the chearfulnefs and difpatch with which you have granted the neceffary fupplies; and I am happy to reflect, that you have been enabled liberally to provide for the exigences of the public fervice in a manner fo little burdenfome to my people.

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

The arrangements which you have formed for the Government of the British trrritories in India, and for the regulation of our commerce with that part of the world, will, I doubt not, fecure and augment the important benefits which we have already derived from thofe valuable poffeffions. It has been impoffible for me to fee, without concern, the embarraffinent which has lately arifen in the ftate of commercial credit; but the steps which you have taken to prevent the progrefs of that evil appear already to have been productive of very falutary confequences; and while they have afforded a ftriking inftance of your attention to the interefts of my people, their effect has furnished additional reafon to believe that the diftrefs, which has been felt, proceeded from a concurrence of temporary causes, and not from any diminution of the real wealth, or any failure in the permanent refources of the country.

I have much fatisfaction in reflecting on the effectual protection which I have been enabled to afford to the trade of my fubjects fince the breaking out of the war; I am at the fame time perfuaded that, if our commercial interefts had unavoidably been affected to a more confiderable extent, it would not have been forgotten that we are contending for our future fecurity and for the permament prefervation of advantages, the most striking and the most valuable, which any nation has ever, by the bleffing of Providence, been permitted to enjoy.

And afterwards the Lord Chancellor, by His Majefty's command, Jaid,

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

It is His Majefty's Royal will and pleasure that this Parlia ment be prorogued to Tuefday the 13th day of August next, to be then here holden; and this Parliament is accordingly progued to Tuesday the 13th day of Auguft next.

APPENDIX.

HISTORY OF THE WAR

BETWEEN Great Britain, the King of Hungary and Bohemia, the German Empire, the King of Pruffia, the Empress of Ruffia, the King of Spain, the Republic of Holland, the Queen of Portugal, the King of Sardinia, the King of the two Sicillies, &c. &c. &c. on the one fide; and of FRANCE on the other; taken faithfully and only from the LONDON GAZETTE, published by the British Government.

NAVAL EVENTS.

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE.

Admiralty Office, June 22, 1793.

Copy of a letter from Captain Edward Pellew, of His Majefty's fhip La Nymphe, to Mr. Stephens, dated off Portland, June 19, 1793.

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I HAVE the honour to inform you, that, at day-light yester

day morning, I was fo fortunate as to fall in with the National French frigate la Cleopatra, mounting forty guns, and manned with 320 men, commanded by Montieur Jean Mullon, three days from St. Maloes, and had taken nothing.

"We brought her to clofe action at half paft fix, and in fiftyfive minutes took poffeffion of her; the two fhips having fallen on board each other, we boarded her from the quarter-deck, and ftruck her colours; and finding it impoffible to clear the fhips, then hanging head and ftern, we came to anchor, which divided us, after we had received on board 150 prifoners. The enemy fought us like brave men, neither fhip firing a fhot until we had hailed. Her Captain was killed, and three Lieutenants wounded; the number of men not yet afcertained, but from the best accounts about fixty; her mizen-maft overboard, and her tiller fhot off.

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"I am extremely concerned fhe was not purchased at a lefs expence of valuable officers and men on our part, whose loss I cannot fufficiently regret, and to whofe gallantry I cannot poffibly do juftice. We had twenty-three men killed, and twenty-seven wounded, a lift of which is inclosed.

"I am very particularly indebted to my firft Lieutenant, Mr. Amherst Morris, and no lefs fo to Lieutenants George Luke and Richard Pellowe; and I was ably feconded on the quarter deck by Lieutenant John Whitaker of the marines, and Mr. Thomson the mafter; and I hope I do not prefume in recommending those officers to their Lordships' protection and favour and I should do injuftice to my brother, Capt. Ifrael Pellew, who was accidentally on board, if I could poffibly omit faying how much I owe him for his very diftinguished firmnefs, and the encouraging example he held forth to a young ship's company, by taking upon him the directions of fome guns on the main deck."

A Lift of the killed and wounded on board His Majefty's fhip La Nymphe, Edward Pellew, Efq. Captain, in an engagement with La Cleopatra, a French frigate, off the Start, on the 19th of June,

1793.

Killed. Mr. Tobias James, Boatswain; Mr. Richard Pearse, Mafter's Mate; Mr. George Boyd, Midshipman; Mr. John Davie, ditto; Mr. Samuel Edfall, ditto; together with fourteen feamen and four priva e marines.

Wounded. Lieut. George Luke, Second Lieutenant; Mr. John A. Norway, Midshipman; Mr. John Plaine, ditto; Mr. John Whitaker, Lieutenant of Marines; together with seventeen feamen and fix private marines.

Admiralty Office, October 25, 1793. Copy of a Letter from Captain James Saumarez, of His Majesty's Ship Crefcent, to Mr. Stephens, dated off Cherbourg, October 20, 1793.

"I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that this morning, being off Cape Barfleur in his Majefty's fhip Crefcent under my command, I fell in with a French frigate, which, after a clofe action of two hours and ten minutes, ftruck to his Majesty's colours; the proved to be La Re-union, mounting 36 guns, and manned with 320 men.

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"I am fingularly happy in being able to inform their Lordfhips, that the has been obtained without the lofs of a single man, or even any wounded; although her's has been very confiderable, having, as the prifoners inform me, 120 killed and wounded.

"I muft beg leave to render the most ample justice to the officers and fhip's company of the Crescent, for their cool and steady behaviour

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