Annals of the Reign of King George the Third

King's Speech in Parliament. - Debates respecting suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act. Measures for augmenting the Navy. Imperial Loan. Financial Statements.

Motions for Negotiation de

· Acquittal of Mr.

feated. Slave Trade Abolition postponed. Hastings. - Debate on an extra allowance to the Army without participation of Parliament. Marriage of the Prince of Wales to the Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Arrangement respecting his debts. Discontents among the Roman Catholics of Ireland. Recall of Earl Fitzwilliam from the Vice-royalty, and its effects in both countries. Invasion of the United Provinces by the French, and disastrous retreat of the British Army. Retreat of the Stadtholder to England, and entire change of the Dutch Government under the influence of France. - Peace between the King of Prussia and the French Republic.-Treaty between Spain and France. Affairs of the Chouans and Vendeans, and Defeat of the Emigrants landed in Britany by an English Fleet. · Campaign on the Lower Rhine between the French and Austrians. Party Tumults and Insurrections in Paris. Death of the Dauphin, and deliverance of his Sister. → New French Constitution. Insurrection of the Sections of Paris, quelled by the Army under the conduct of Napoleon Buonaparte.The Convention resigns its Authority, and is succeeded by the new Legislature and the Directory. — Treaties between France and several other Powers. · Austrian Netherlands incorporated with France. Occurrences in the West Indies.'- Naval Affairs. Actions under

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Admiral Hotham and Lord Bridport. Reduction of the Cape of Good Hope. Domestic Transactions.

Popular Meetings. re-assembled.

Unpopularity of the War.

Insult offered to the King.
Royal Speech and Debates.

Parliament

Bills for the safety

and preservation of his Majesty's Person, and for the prevention of Seditious Meetings. Message concerning Negociation with France. -Party Violences at Geneva.

ON the opening of parliament, December 30th, 1794, the royal speech expressed a conviction of the necessity of persisting in a vigorous prosecution of the war, notwithstanding the reverses which had been experienced in the last campaign, and spoke of the state of France as exhibiting the progressive and rapid decay of its resources, and the instability of its violent and unnatural system. It took notice of the negociations for peace with France which the United Provinces had been led to enter into in consequence of their present difficulties; but observed that no real security could be derived to any established government from negociation under the present circumstances; and particularly that they could not be entered into on our part without sacrificing both our honour and our safety. From the topics touched upon in the speech may be inferred the train of argument which would be pursued in the debates consequent upon the usual motion in each house for the corresponding address; and although the unfavourable prospects of the war induced some members who had originally supported it to object to a resolution for its indefinite continuance, the majorities by which the addresses were voted were not materially diminished.

On January 5th a motion by Mr. Sheridan for a repeal of the act suspending the habeas corpus gave rise to a discussion of that measure; which was renewed when, after the motion was negatived, the attorneygeneral moved for a bill for continuing the suspension. The arguments on these discussions chiefly turned upon the fact whether or not the late trials had proved the existence of a conspiracy against the state, by which alone the suspension of a law so essential to British liberty could be vindicated. The motion was finally

carried in the House of Commons by 203 against 53. The debates in the House of Lords had a similar issue, but an animated protest against the bill was entered by

its opposers.

The necessity of making extraordinary exertions for carrying on the war, at a time when Great Britain and Austria alone continued efficient members of the confederacy, and the latter could not come to action without the aid of English money, rendered the business of supplies a difficult task to the minister. A plan for the augmentation of the navy was the first measure brought before the House, the service for the present year being calculated to require 85,000 seamen and 15,000 marines. For raising the deficient number expeditiously without pressing, Mr. Pitt proposed that a certain number of men should be furnished by each merchant ship on clearing out, in proportion to its tonnage; besides which, every parish in the kingdom was to contribute one man. This plan, with a few alterations, was adopted. On February 4th a message was brought to the House from his Majesty, signifying the necessity of a loan to the Emperor, of four millions, for enabling him to make the vigorous exertions for the common cause in the ensuing campaign which he was earnestly desirous of doing. In the discussion that followed, notice was first taken of the misapplication, by the King of Prussia, of the subsidy which had been granted to him, and which he had chiefly employed in promoting his unjust designs upon Poland; and it was argued that the conduct of the Austrian ministry did not justify placing a higher confidence in that court. On the other hand, Mr. Pitt, who admitted that the behaviour of Prussia had been highly censurable, endeavoured to point out an essential difference in the case of Austria, whose own interest was greatly at stake upon the issue of the war; and he moved for a compliance with the conditions proposed by that court. Mr. Fox spoke in opposition to the motion, which was carried by a great majority. The statement of expenditure for this year, laid before the House on February 23d, made the amount

27,145,000l. and the deficiencies of ways and means about 400,000l., for the making up of which a number of new taxes were imposed, with an abridgement of the privilege of franking. As a consolation for these additional burdens, the minister mentioned the extraordinary increase of the national commerce, which in the preceding year had exceeded that of the most flourishing period of

peace.

The opposition in both Houses during this session renewed their attempts to set on foot negotiations for peace, by a variety of motions, which produced debates too similar to those on the same topic in former sessions to require particular attention. The meliorated character of the French government, indeed, and the increased improbability of subverting it by force of arms, gave additional strength to the arguments against the war; but sanguine hopes of a change of fortune were held forth by the ministers; and the national spirit both in and out of parliament was still highly adverse to conciliation with such a foe. The motions were therefore defeated by great majorities.

Mr. Wilberforce on February 26th brought again before the House of Commons the subject of the slave trade, by a motion for its final abolition. It was opposed, as before, by the West India interest; and on a division, the motion was postponed for six months by a majority of 17.

The trial of Mr. Hastings, which had lasted seven years, was terminated on April 23d by the sentence of the House of Lords. The mode followed on this solemn occasion was to put each of the sixteen articles of the charge against him separately to a question of guilty or not guilty, to every one of the Lords present, beginning with the junior baron. The Lords were twenty-nine in number; and the general result was, that of two of the charges he was unanimously pronounced not guilty; of the others, the votes varied from three to six guilty, and the rest not guilty. The Chancellor then pronounced as follows: "Warren Hastings, you are acquitted of all the charges of impeachment brought against you by the

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Annals of the Reign of King George the Third: From Its Commencement ..., Volum 2