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the vessel, and officers were sent on board, when the master entered a formal protest againt the proceeding. The emperor soon after presented a statement of his claims to the Dutch ministers at Brussels as an ultimatum, among which were the free navigation of the Scheldt from Antwerp to the sea, the demolition of all the Dutch forts erected to command the river, and an uninterrupted commerce in the East and West Indies. Discussions of considerable length were now entered into, and the States displayed a disposition to make some concessions; when, to render the experiment on the Scheldt complete, an imperial brig was sent down in October with orders to proceed to the sea without submitting to any detention or examination whatever. The result was, that a broadside was fired into her by a Dutch armed cutter, with a threat of sending her to the bottom if she did not immediately bring to, with which she was obliged to comply. On the intelligence of this transaction, the imperial ambassador was recalled from the Hague, the negociations at Brussels were broken off, and a large Austrian army was placed under orders to march for the Netherlands. The French court now seriously interfered to prevent hostilities, and intimated that it would be under the necessity of assembling troops on the frontier, if the emperor persisted in the design of using force. The Dutch on their part made active preparations, and in November a dyke near Lillo was broken down, and the adjacent tract was laid under water. In this state affairs were left, when the severity of winter had suspended farther operations. The Austrian dominions in Transylvania and Wallachia were at this time in a state of disorder, from a revolt of the peasants, who assembled in great numbers, attacked the nobility in their castles, many of whom they massacred with their whole families, and committed ravages and cruelties of every kind.

In the early part of this year, the Prince Royal of Denmark, having attained his 17th year, was declared major, and took his seat at the council board. This occurrence was immediately followed by a total change

in the Danish ministry, which had before consisted almost entirely of the adherents of the queen-dowager and her son. The counts Rosencrantz and Bernstorff were recalled from exile, and placed at the head of a new administration, and a new plan of government was framed, to which the signature of the incapable King was obtained. This court revolution was effected without the least disturbance, and great moderation was shewn by the new possessors of power towards their predecessors. The queen-dowager retired to a castle which had been conferred on her in Holstein.

In the month of June a volcanic eruption broke out in Iceland, more extensive and dreadful in its ravages than that island had ever before experienced, and perhaps unparalleled in Europe with respect to the quantity of lava and other matter which was ejected from the bowels of the earth. It continued its devastations to the month of May in the following year.

A. D. 1785.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 25 & 26.
PARLIAMENT 1 & 2.

Parliament.-Westminster Election.

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Debts of the Nabob of Arcot. - Mr. Pitt's Proposal for Parliamentary Reform. Commercial Intercourse between Great Britain and Ireland. National Congress for Reform in Ireland.- Non-importation Agreements. Emperor Joseph's Project for the Exchange of the Low Countries for Bavaria. - His Settlement with the Dutch. Treaty between Holland and France. Proceedings against the Stadtholder. War between Russia and the Tartars. Inundations in Germany.

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THE session of parliament after the recess re-opened on January 25th, by a speech from the throne, in which the object particularly recommended to consideration was the commercial intercourse between Great Britain and Ireland. One of the first subjects brought under discussion in the House of Commons was the scrutiny which had been demanded by Sir Cecil Wray, against the majority of votes obtained by Mr. Fox at the last election for Westminster. The legality of this scrutiny had been strongly contested by the opposition immediately after the meeting of the new parliament, but had been supported by the ministry, and the high bailiff of Westminster had been ordered to proceed in it with all practicable dispatch. After its continuance during eight months at a vast expence, not quite two out of the seven parishes in that city had been gone through; and it was calculated that at this rate it would take more than two years longer to finish the scrutiny. A petition from several of the electors brought the matter again before the House in February, and various motions were made by each party

respecting it. In the debates some severe personal altercation took place between Mr. Fox and Mr. Pitt, the former representing himself as ungenerously made the victim of the minister's persecuting resentment; the latter reproaching Mr. F. as wishing to recover that esteem with the public which he had forfeited by his detestable politics. In conclusion, after the ministry had carried some questions, they were defeated by a majority of 162 to 124, and the scrutiny was terminated on the next day by the return of Lord Hood and Mr. Fox. An action was afterwards brought by Mr. Fox against the high bailiff for not returning him after the election, and 20007. damages were awarded to him.

The debts of the nabob of Arcot had long been a subject of investigation by the East India Company, and had obtained notice in the regulating bills both of Mr. Fox and Mr. Pitt. In pursuance of the directions in the latter, the court of directors had prepared orders to be sent to the council at Madras, in which they were enjoined to proceed to a more complete investigation of the nature and origin of these debts. The board of controul, to which these orders were communicated, rejected them, and caused a new letter to be drawn up, by which the claims of the creditors were established, with a few limitations, and a fund for their payment was assigned out of the revenues of the Carnatic. In consequence of this proceeding, a motion was made in the House of Lords by the Earl of Carlisle, on February 18th, for copies or extracts of all letters or orders issued by the court of directors, in pursuance of the injunctions contained in two clauses of the regulating act, to be laid before the House. A debate ensued, in which the propriety of the interference by the board of controul in this instance was warmly canvassed. The motion was, however, rejected without a division. A similar motion was made in the House of Commons, where a still more strict scrutiny was entered into, of the nature of the nabob's debts, and the right of the board of controul to act as it had done. On this occasion

Mr. Burke particularly distinguished himself by his eloquence, and the extent of his information. The motion was lost on a division, by 164 to 69.

Mr. Pitt, who stood deeply pledged to the advocates of parliamentary reform to use his endeavours both "as a man and a minister" for promoting their cause, on April 18th, after an introductory speech of considerable length, made a motion for leave to bring in a bill " to amend the representation of the people of England in parliament." The plan which he proposed was to transfer the right of electing representatives from 36 decayed or decaying boroughs, to the counties, and the principal unrepresented towns, giving a pecuniary compensation to the owners and holders of the disfranchised boroughs; and to extend the right of voting for knights of the shire to copy-holders. The scheme of compensation was not approved even by some of the friends to the system in general, and, after a long debate on the motion, attended with much personality, it was negatived by 248 against 174.

Much time, during this session of parliament, was occupied with the discussion of propositions for adjusting the commercial intercourse between Great Britain and Ireland. A plan for this purpose, which had been framed in a conference between the British cabinet and commissioners deputed from the sister kingdom, was laid before the Irish House of Commons in February, and a set of resolutions was formed upon them; which, having passed both Houses, was transmitted to England as the base of the agreement. Mr. Pitt then introduced the business in the English House of Commons with a review of the past concessions to Ireland; and proceeding to those which were now proposed, observed that they might be reduced to two heads: 1. The importation of the produce of our colonies in the West Indies and America through Ireland into Great Britain: 2. A mutual exchange between the two countries of their respective productions and manufactures upon equal terms. With regard to the first, he acknowledged that it seemed to militate against the

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