of the fex. Thefe, my lords, are the fuppliants now kneeling before you, and imploring the protection of your wifdom and your juftice." Such perfonifications of abftracted ideas are neither unnatural nor uncommon among nations of extreme fenfibility and liveliness of imagination; but in this country, as was proved by this rhetorical peroration, they may ferve only to make people ftare, and to weaken any impreffions that may have been made by a lefs bold, and more folid kind of eloquence.

Lord Grenville faid, that with regard to the legal and religious points of the queftion, he would certainly refer to the opinions of those who make law and religion their study and their profeffion. He never knew his noble friend (lord Mulgrave) fo much out of his place as when he stood there contending, in legal conftruction, with a noble and learned judge, and in religious difputes with a right reverend prelate. He reminded him of the pedant who read lectures to Hannibal on the art of war. It had been urged that ladies, who were guilty of infidelity, had no other means of returning to the paths of virtue than by marrying the very perfons who had difhonourably feduced them. What then, lord Grenville asked, would be the fituation of the unhappy woman, whom her feducer, after gratifying himself, refused to marry? or what return was there for the woman who had been feduced by a married man? The only way in which fuch a feducer could make compenfation, as it was called, was, to contrive a divorce from his lawful wife, which would lead to multiplied tranfgreffions.

The motion for the third reading

of the bill, was now put and carried; but only by a fmall majority, the noncontents being 69, and the contents only 77. The bill being paffed in the house of peers, was read, on the twenty-fixth of May, a first time, in the house of commons; a fecond time, on the thirtieth of May; and, on the tenth of June, the order of the day moved for carrying it into a committee. In all thefe ftages it was ably fupported, though with much lefs zeal then in the house of peers, while it was opposed with not lefs of either ability or fpirit. Every one admitted the importance of the fubject, and regretted the preva lence of adultery as well as of diffipation and vice of all kinds: but fome confidered the restriction propofed in the bill as too severe; others that there was nothing that had happened, in the manners of the times, to make it neceffary; others that it was inadequate to its object, and would tend to increase the numbers of bad women, by ren dering them irreclaimable. Some of the members objected to it as transferring the right of punishing from the jury to the judges, arming them with new and formidable powers. Some objected to certain claufes in the bill, but difapproved of others. Though this was by no means a party queftion our readers may probably wish to have the opinion of Mr. Pitt, on the bill. He thought it merited difcufion, and might be rendered lefs unpalatable to those who, he doubted not, from laudable motives, opposed it, by various modifications. On the whole, he thought, the benefits would preponderate in favour of fociety and that whatever degree of feverity was inflicted on

the

the few, would operate beneficially for the whole. On the queftion, that the fpeaker leave the chair, the houfe divided when there appeared for the question 104, againft it 143 confequently the bill was loft.

This bill, the object of which was brought home to the bofoms of fo many individuals, in various ways, made, as might be expected, a greater noife, while it was under confideration, than any other bill that was brought in the courfe of this feffion before parliament.

Among the parliamentary acts of this year paffed without noife or debate, we cannot omit to notice the interference of the houfe of commons, on the motion of Mr. Abbot, for the better prefervation, arrangement, and more convenient ufe of the public records of the kingdom. On the eleventh of July, an addrefs to his majefty for that end was unanimoufly agreed on, and the expenfes of the measures adopted for accomplishing it were provided by the commons.

A bill of great importance to the commerce of this country, which had long been in contemplation, was paffed in the month of March. This was the act for improving the port of London, by the eftablifhment of wet docks at Wapping and other places.

Before we difmifs the parliamentary proceedings of this feffion it is neceflary to take notice of an accident which forced the attention, and greatly interefted the feelings, not only of both houfes of, parliament, but of the whole nation. As foon as his majefty had entered his box at the theatre of Drury Lane, on the fifteenth of May, a piftol was fired from the

and

pit, apparently at his person. The man who had fired it, whose name was Hadfield, was immediately dragged into the orchestra, carried behind the frenes. Being examined by a magistrate, he exhibited fome fymptoms of infanity; though fome of his anfwers were rational. The veneration and love that the nation bore to his majestys perfon was by this accident awakened into an enthufiaftic joy at his efcape. Even the fpirit of faction was loft in a general ftream of loyalty and exultation. Addreffes of congratulation on the king's efcape were prefented by both houles of parliament, the univerfities, the corporation of London, and, in a word, by all the other corporations, as well as the counties. Hadfield was tried in the court of King's Bench for high treafon. It was proved that he had been for fome years infane, chiefly in con feqence of wounds received in his head, when he acted as a ferjeant in the army, in 1794, in Holland. He was therefore acquitted, but not difcharged.

In confequence of what had been done by Hadfield, and of repeated inftances of the fury of infanity, being directed against a perfonage, whofe fafety was fo dear and important to the ftate, two additional claufes, by way of amendments, were added to the infanity-bill.

The lord chancellor, on the twenty-second of July, after adverting generally to the great and various danger to be apprehended from infane perfons, when fuffered to go at large, and obferving, that nothing in the infanity bill appeared to him effectually to remedy this evil, ftated, that the object of the first additional claufe, was to render

provifions, and fome chefts of filver; all which fupplies were received near Muzillac, by a body of ten thousand Chouans, who were provided with fixty or eighty waggons. The waggons when filled with the ftores and provifions were immediately buried in the earth.The troops, employed afterwards in efcorting thefe ftores, were attacked by a body of republican troops, infantry and cavalry, amounting to two thoufand. This body fet out from Vannes, and came up with the loyalifts about a mile and a half from St. Nelt. The engagement which enfued continued from the morning to four o'clock in the afternoon. The loyalifts fuffered the lofs of two hundred men, in dead and wounded, all of whom, however, they carried off, with the convoy, to Plendrem. The clofe of the day, and the want of provifions, obliged the republicans to fall back to Vannes. In the mean time, while the royalifts in their proclamations infifted on two principles, the restoration of their lawful king, and the defence of the country against the foldiers of Buonaparte. The chief conful, perfevering in measures of conciliation, abolished the oath of hatred to kings and monarchical go-, vernment, and fubftituted in its place a fimple declaration of fidelity to the conftitution. But the chief conful, perceiving the inefficacy of his conciliatory meatures, in which he had perfevered for two months, for the restoration of tranquillity and order in the weft, began to change that tone of moderation, which had hitherto characterized his government. On the eleventh of January, 1800, the confuls addreffed the inhabitants of the deVOL LII.

partments of the weft as follows:"Every thing that reafon could fuggeft, the government has done to reftore peace and tranquillity to your dwellings. After long forbearance, ftill farther time has been granted for repentance. A great number of citizens have been brought to a fenfe of their errors, and have rallied round the government, which, without fratred or revenge, without fear or fufpicion, protects all citizens alike, and punifhes thofe who defpife their duty. There no longer remain any in arms against France, except fome men without faith, as without country, fome perfidious inftruments of a foreign foe, or brigands, black with guilt, whom indulgence itfelf knows not how to pardon. The fafety of the ftate, and the fecurity of citizens require that fuch men fhould perifh by the fword, and fall under the axe of national juftice. A longer forbearance would be a triumph to the enemies of the republic.A valiant force only waits the fignal to difperfe and deftroy thefe brigands, if that fignal muft be given. National guards join the force of your arms to that of the troops of the line. If you know among you any partizans of the brigands arreft them. Let them no where find an afylum against the foldier who purfues them. And if there be any traitors who fhould dare to receive and defend them, let them perifh along with them! Inhabitants of the departments of the weft, on this last effort depends the tranquillity of your country, the fafety of your families, the fecurity of your properties. By the fame blow you will deftroy those wretches who ftrip you, and the enemy who purchafe and pay for their crimes." [M]

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