allied armies on the frontier, and from the countenance and assist ance of his majesty's navy on the coast. Although the great exertions of the enemy have in some quarters been attended with success, his royal highness is persuaded that you will admire the perseverance and gallantry manifested by the Spanish armies. Even in those provinces principally occupied by the French forces new energy has arisen among the people, and the increase of difficulty and danger has produced more connected efforts of general re

s stance.

The prince regent, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, commands us to express his confident hope, that you will enable him to continue to afford the most effectual aid and assistance, in the support of the contest which the brave nations of the peninsula still maintain with such unabated zeal and resolution.

His royal highness commands us to express his congratulations on the success of the British arms in the island of Java.

The prince regent trusts you will concur with his royal highness in approving the wisdom and ability with which this enterprise, as well as the capture of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius, has been conducted under the immediate direction of the governor-general of India; and that you will applaud the decision, gallantry, and spirit conspicuously displayed in the late operations of the brave army under the command of that distinguished officer sir Samuel Auchmuty, so powerfully and ably supported by his majesty's naval forces.

By the completion of this system of operations, great additional se. curity will have been given to the

British commerce and possessions in the East Indies, and the colonial power of France will have been entirely extinguished.

His royal highness thinks it expedient to recommend to your attention the propriety of providing such measures for the future government of the British possessions in India, as shall appear from experience, and upon mature deliberation, to be calculated to secure their internal prosperity, and to derive from those flourishing dominions the utmost degree of advantage to the commerce and revenue of the united kingdom.

We are commanded by the prince regent to acquaint you, that while his royal highness regrets that various important subjects of difference with the government of the United States of America still remain unadjusted, the difficulties which the affair of the Chesapeake frigate had occasioned have been finally removed; and we are directed to assure you, that in the further progress of the discussions with the United States the prince regent will continue to employ such means of conciliation as may be consistent with the honour and dignity of his majesty's crown, and with the due maintenance of the maritime and commercial rights and interests of the British empire.

Gentlemen of the house of commons,

His royal highness has directed the estimates for the service of the current year to be laid before you. He trusts that you will furnish him with such supplies as may be necessary to enable him to continue the contest in which his majesty is engaged, with that spirit and exertion which will afford the best prospect of its successful termination.

His

His royal highness commands as to recommend that you should resume the consideration of the state of the finances of Ireland, which you had commenced in the last session of parliament. He has the satisfaction to inform you, that the improved receipt of the revenue, of Ireland in the last, as compared with the preceding year, confirms the belief that the depression which that revenue had experienced is to be attributed to accidental and temporary causes.

My lords, and gentlemen, The prince regent is satisfied that you entertain a just sense of the arduous duties which his royal highness has been called upon to fulfil, in consequence of his majesty's continued indisposition.

Under this severe calamity, his royal highness derives the great est consolation from his reliance on your experienced wisdom, loyalty, and public spirit, to which in every difficulty he will resort, with a firm confidence that, through your assistance and support, he will be enabled, under the blessing of Divine Providence, successfully to discharge the important functions of the high trust reposed in him, and in the name and on the behalf of his beloved father and revered sovereign to maintain unimpaired the prosperity and honour of the nation.

REPORT UPON THE STATE OF THE

KING'S HEALTH, JAN. 8.

Mr. secretary Ryder brought up the report of the queen's council upon the state of the king's health, which was read by the clerk at the

We, the under-written members of the council appointed to assist her majesty in the execution of the trusts committed to her majesty by virtue of the statute passed in the fifty-first year of his majesty's reign, intituled An act to provide for the administration of the royal authority, and for the care of his majesty's royal person, during the continuance of his majesty's illness, and for the resumption of the exercise of the royal authority by his majesty having duly met together on this 4th day of January, 1812, at the queen's lodge, near to Windsor castle, and having called before us, and examined upon oath, the physicians and other persons attendant upon his majesty; and having ascertained the state of his majesty's health, by all such ways and means as appeared to us to be necessary for that purpose; do hereby declare and certify, that the state of his majesty's health at the time of this our meeting is not such as to enable his majesty to resume the personal exercise of his royal authority.

That his majesty's bodily health appears to us to be as good as at any of the periods of our former reports.

That his majesty's mental health appears to us not to be worse than at the period of our last report*.

That all the physicians attending his majesty agree in stating, that they think his majesty's complete and final recovery improbable, differing, however, as to the degree of such improbability, some of them expressing themselves as not despairing, others as not entirely despairing, and one of them repre

senting

"Shortly after the above report had been read in the presence of all the physicians, and one of the members of the council had left Windsor, the physician alluded to in the las clause of the report stated in writing to the other members of the council, then remain. ing at Windsor, That he had unguardedly made use of an ex. pression which he was apprehensive might carry a meaning far beyond what he intended to express, and requested to be allowed to correct it, and assured the council, that whilst he thought the final recovery of his majesty very improbable, he by no means despaired of it.'

"The members of the council to whom the above statement was

made, having sworn the physician alluded to, to the truth thereof, afterwards communicated the same to the whole council assembled this 5th day of January, who have deemed it right to subjoin this fact

to the above declaration.

Feb. 18. G. P. R.-The prince regent, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, having taken into his royal consideration the eminent and signal services performed by gen. lord viscount Wellington, in the course of a long series of distinguished exploits in the campaigns in Spain and Portugal, and being desirous to mark the sense he entertains of services so honourable to

the British army, and so eminently beneficial to the interests of the nation, has conferred, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, upon gen. lord viscount Wellington, and the heirs male of his body, the rank and dignity of an earl of the united kingdom, by the title of earl of Wellington. The prince regent, further desirous of granting to the earl of Wellington a net annuity of 2000. in addition to the annuity already granted by parliament, and subject to the same limitations imposed in that grant, recommends to the house of commons to enable his royal highness, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, to grant and settle such annuity, and to make such further provision aforesaid, as may be thought most effectual for the benefit of general the earl of Wellington and his family.

TREATY OF ALLIANCE OF THE 14TH

MARCH BETWEEN THEIR MA-
JESTIES THE EMPEROR AND KING
OF FRANCE AND THE EMPEROR
OF AUSTRIA.

ART. 1. There shall be perpetual amity, and sincere union and alliance, between his majesty the emperor of the French, &c. and his majesty the emperor of Austria, &c.

In

In consequence the high contracting parties will take the greatest care to maintain the good intelligence so happily established between them, their respective states and subjects, to avoid all that could injure it, and to further on every occasion their mutual utility, honour, and advantage.

2. The two high contracting parties reciprocally guaranty the integrity of their present territories.

3. As the result of this reciprocal guarantee, the two high contracting parties will always labour in concert upon the measures that shall appear the most proper for the maintenance of peace; and in case the states of one or other shall be threatened with invasion, they will employ their most efficacious offices to prevent it.

But as these good offices may not have the desired effect, they oblige themselves to mutual assistance in. case one or other shall be attacked or menaced.

4. The succour stipulated by the preceding article shall be composed of 30,000 men (24 infantry and 6000 cavalry), constantly kept up to the war establishment, and of a -park of 60 pieces of cannon.

5. This succour shall be furnished at the first requisition of the party attacked or menaced. It shall march in the shortest delay, and at the latest before the end of two months after the demand shall have been made.

6. The two high contracting parties guaranty the integrity of the territory of the Ouoman Porte in Europe.

7. They equally recognise and guaranty the principle of the navigation of neutrals, such as they have been recognised and cousecrated by the treaty of Utrecht.

His majesty the emperor of Aus

tria renews, as far as is needful, the engagement to adhere to the prohibitive system against England, during the present maritime war.

8. The present treaty of alliance shall not be rendered public nor communicated to any cabinet, but in concert between the two high parties.

It shall be ratified and the ratifications exchanged at Vienna in a fortnight, or sooner, if possible. (Signed) H. B. Duke of BASSANO. Prince CHARLES of Schwartzenburg. Done and signed at Paris, March 14, 1812.

MILITARY DISCIPLINE.

CIRCULAR.

Horse Guards, March 25, 1812. Sir,-The commander in chief judges it expedient to transmit to you, with the enclosed documents, a few observations on the salutary effects, with which it is reasonable to hope that an occasional recurrence to the powers, with which you are thereby vested, will be attended; amongst which the most obvious advantage is that of limiting the operation of regimental courtsmartial strictly to the purposes for which they are designed by the legislature, viz. for inquiring into such disputes and criminal matters as may come before them, and for inflicting corporal or other punishments for small offences; and in order to prevent the possibility of any misunderstanding on this important point, it is his royal highness's command, that on no pretence whatever shall the award of à regimental court-martial hereafter exceed

The commander in chief has commanded me to take this oppoгtunity of stating, that there is no point on which his royal highness

is more decided in his opinion, than that when officers are earnest and zealous in the discharge of their duty, and competent to their respective stations, a frequent recurrence to punishment will not be necessary.

The commander in chief is confident, the officers of the army are universally actuated by a spirit of justice, and impressed with those sentiments of kindness and regard towards their men, which they on so many occasions have proved themselves to deserve; but his royal highness has reason to apprehend, that, in many instances, sufficient attention has not been paid to the prevention of crimes. The timely interference of the officer, his personal intercourse and acquaintance with his men (which are sure to be repaid by the soldiers' confidence and attachment), and above all, his personal example, are the only efficacious means of preventing military offences; and the commander in chief has no hesitation in declaring, that the maintenance of strict discipline without severity of punishment, and the support and encouragement of an ardent and military spirit in a corps without licentiousness, are the criterions by which his royal highness will be very much guided in forming his opinion of the talents, abilities, and merit of the officers to whom the command of the different regiments and corps of the army is confided.

-I have the honour to be, sir, your very obedient humble servant.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED:

The humble petition of the undersigned, being protestant

dissenting ministers* of the three denominations, residing in and about the cities of London and Westminster, Sheweth, That your petitioners conceiving the right of worshipping God according to the dictates of their own consciences to be derived ́from the Author of their being, and coufirmed by the Founder of their Christian faith, and therefore not to be subject to the control of human authority, cannot but regard with deep concern those statutes which restrain and limit the exercise of this right, and impose conditions and penalties that seem to them as unjust in their principle, as they are injurious to the vital interests of true religion.

That your petitioners consider those statutes as originally designed to guard against evils which no longer exist, and as expressive of sentiments with regard to the nature and extent of religious liberty which no longer prevail-at a period when the subjects of the British empire, however they may differ with regard to the principles of their religion and their mode of professing it, concur in a cordial attachment to the family on the throne, and when enlightened views of religious liberty, and a corresponding liberality of spirit, have been diffused among religious professors of all denominations.

That your petitioners, expressing their lively gratitude for the concessions made to their religious rights in the course of the present reign, earnestly but respectfully pray that every remaining penal statute, which extends its operation to the province of religion, may be repealed, and that whilst they conduct themselves as loyal, obedient, and peaceable

subjects