nately almost all Frenchmen, were killed at the

beginning, and several others wounded, But on the

first alarm, the whites, united by the sense of their common danger, the only ground of the tranquillity of Cuba, amidst the passions which ferment in it, and the revolutions which surround it, rose in a body, and hastened on all sides against the revolters; from one hundred and fifty to two hundred negroes were killed on the spot. Pursuit is making in the woods after the fugitives. Order is completely restored.

PARLIAMENTARY REPORT.

The two houses of parliament were prorogued the 6th of July, not by his majesty in person, but by commission. The following is the prorogation speech read by the lord chancellor:

My Lords and Gentlemen,

"The business of the session being now brought to a conclusion, we are commanded by his Majesty to express the great satisfaction which he feels in releasing you from your laborious attendance in parliament.

"His Majesty returns you his warmest acknowledgments for the zeal and assiduity with which you have prosecuted the inquiries into the state of Ireland, which he recommended to you at the opening of the session.

"It is a particular gratification to his Majesty that the tranquillity and improved condition of that part of the United Kingdom have rendered the extraordinary powers with which you had invested his Majesty no longer necessary for the public safety.

"His Majesty is happy to be able to announce to you, that he receives from all foreign powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country, and of their desire to maintain the general peace.

"While his Majesty regrets the continuance of the war in the East Indies with the Burmese government, he trusts that the gallant exertions of the British and native forces, employed in operations in the enemy's territorry, may lead to a speedy and satisfactory termination of the contest.

"Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

"We have it in command from his Majesty to thank you for the supplies which you have granted to him for the service of the present year, and at the same time, to express the satisfaction which he derives from the reduction you have found it practicable to make in the burthens of his people.

"My Lords and Gentlemen,

"His Majesty has commanded us to assure you, that he is highly sensible of the advantages which must result from the measures you have adopted, in the course of this session, for extending the commerce of his subjects by the removal of unnecessary and inconvenient restrictions, and from the beneficial relaxations which you have deemed it expedient to introduce into the colonial system of this country.

"These measures his Majesty is persuaded, will evince to his subjects in those distant possessions the solicitude with which parliament watches over their welfare; they tend to cement and consolidate the interests of the colonies with those of the mothercountry; and his Majesty confidently trusts that they will contribute to promote that general and increasing prosperity on which his Majesty had the happiness of congratulating you on the opening of the present session, and which, by the blessing of providence, continues to pervade every part of his kingdom.

The day preceding the last sitting of the house of commons, Mr. Canning replied to a question put, in the preceding evening, during his absence, by Mr. Baring, who asked why an envoy from Buenos Ayres had not been presented to his majesty. He had observed, that this conduct, on the part of the English government, was to be attributed to the interference of certain foreign powers. Mr. Canning repelled this assertion as false, because no power had interfered, nor would probably interfere, in future, in the conduct of England towards the states of South America. As to the question of fact, the agent from Buenos-Ayres had not received credentials authorising the officers of the crown to present him to his majesty; for although they might have been sufficient for his presentation at the French court, they were not sufficient at an

English court, which claimed the privilege of an entire minister, (a laugh.)

"I know," said Mr. Canning, "it is the opinion of some individuals, that the new states of America. ought not only to be raised to the rank of ancient governments, but that they ought to be placed in a more advantageous situation. I am not of this opinion. When the new states are admitted to the rank of nations, I think the crown of England ought to require of them the same etiquette as from the most ancient despotic and best consolidated European monarchies. Unless this conduct be adopted, i. is impossible to admit their agents on the footing of ministers invested with the appropriate character of authority. The credentials of this agent were not sufficient to confer upon him the powers of minister from a foreign state; and the same objection would have been made to a minister from France or Russia. I hope that this explanation will be sufficient; I will only add, that as soon as the credentials have received the alterations necessary to assume an official form, the most sincere, reciprocal relations shall be established between England and the republic of Buenos Ayres.

"Mr. Baring alluded also to another circumstance connected with this mission from Buenos Ayres, to which I will reply. This government, in the first period of its existence, had appointed in England, as consul general, the partner of a commercial house, a gentleman in every respect qualified, who presented himself at my house, with the avowed intention of discussing questions of the greatest importance; but, knowing that he was only a commercial agent and

not an accredited minister, I refused to see him or to treat with him officially. Every state has a right to regulate its manner of receiving the ministers of other states. This right the government of Buenos Ayres has exercised towards us; we are, therefore, permitted. to stand upon our own ground, and to adhere, in this instance, to our national rights.

It remains to answer another observation, connected with the nomination of certain individuals in England. It is evident, that our relations with the new states of South America are rather of a commercial, than of a political nature. The only question of policy consisted in establishing the necessity or inutility of recognizing their independence; but the details were of a commercial nature. Considering the fluctuations to which such relations might be subject in England, and the possibility that private interests might be injured by them, I requested the government of Buenos Ayres, not, in future, to appoint English merchants, as agents in England, and I wrote on the same subject to the chargé d'affaires of Buenos Ayres. It is certainly inconvenient to communicate officially with commercial agents; and an individual invested with that character will be the last to be informed of the intentions of England towards the government of Buenos Ayres.”

I have also forbidden every English agent to engage in commercial transactions, and recalled those who disobeyed this injunction. Such is the conduct I have observed towards the new states, in regard to which, we are placed in more delicate circumstances than in respect to the others.-I am sorry there should have been any VOL. II. No. 5.

RR