him to fay aye or no, and then adverɛed to the Journals in fupport of his declaration; as to the Duke, he himself, in his difpatches of that day, lamented the failure of his hopes on the matter.

General Fitzpatrick faid, he remembered Commiffioners being talked of to arrange differences with Ireland, but knew of them no otherwise than as mere. ly Commercial Commiffioners.

Mr Pitt perfevered in his original af fertion.

The Solicitor General, Mr Percival, Mr Douglas, and Doctor Lawrence followed, an at twelve o'clock the Houfe divided-for the motion 149; against it 19; majority 130.

14. On the queftion being put, that the Report on the Union with Ireland be brought up,

Mr Hobboufe faid, he felt no little difficulty in expreffing his fentiments on this fubject; and his duty now led him, being equally convinced of the danger of urging it at this or any other crifis, to give it his moft determined oppofition. He then adverted to the ruin that muft inevitably attend it. The Militia, who were compofed of Roman Catholics; the Yeomanry, who were chiefly the fame; the Reformifts (not the Rebel Reformifts); and the whole Catholic mass of the people would find their hopes dafhed by it, and all their expectations blafted; thofe hopes that led them to believe the day was not far off, that, with emancipation, their other natural and political rights would be, through the medium of their own King and their own conftitutional independence, granted to them. What shen must be the confequence, when, with this abandonment of their hopes, there is alfo to be a total annihilation of their independence, without a hope of ever retrieving it ?-Madnefs would fu perfede reafon, and rebellion be the refult. Having ftated at much length his oppofition to the Union on several speci al grounds, he concluded a long and argumentative fpeech with declaring, that as no good but infinite ill muft proceed from this projected Union, as an Englishman, and as an individual of the Empire, he would oppose it.

Lord G. Levifon fupported the meafure, as did Lor Temple.

Mr W. Bird oppofed the Union on commercial grounds as highly injurious to the Trade and Manufacture of this country.

Lord Morpeth, in a maiden fpeech, defended the Union as the only effential

means of aving Ireland and ferving the Empire.

Mr Banks obferved, that all he heard in fupport of this new fyftem only ferved to convince him the more of the danger of attempting it.

General Fitzpatrick recurred to fome of his obfervations relative to the fubje& of the Union fuppofed to have been in contemplation when he was Secretary to the Duke of Portland in Ireland, and again denied ali knowledge of the matter. This brought up

Mr Pitt, who undertook, as he faid himfelf, to rouze the General's memory, which brought on a short altercation be tween the two Hon. Members, which was ended by a cry of motion, when the Houfe divided-for the queftion 120; again! it 16; majority 104.

The Refolutions being then feverally agreed to, Mr Pitt moved that they fhould be communicated to the Lords, and that a conference fhould be had with their Lordships for that purpose; which being agreed to, it was ordered that Lord Temple do defire the fame.

15. Sir Philip Stephens moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the better regulating his Majefty's marine forces whilft on fhore.-Leave given.

18. Lord Temple informed the House, that he had fignified the request of that House to the Lords for a conference; that they had agreed to it, and appointed this evening.-A Committee was then appointed to manage the conference; which having returned,

Mr Secretary Dundas ftated, that they had communicated to the Lords' Committee the Refolutions of Thursday laft, and left them with their Lordships.

19. Mr Shaw Lefevre gave notice of his intention on Monday next to move for leave to bring in a Bill for altering the time allowed by law for killing of partridges. The purport of his Bill was, that partridges might be fhot on the ift of September, and the fport might be continued to the 14th of February in each year.

Mr Simeon moved for leave to bring in a Bill to permit the majority of parishioners paying to the poor-rates, "to elect and pay a falary to a perfon as affiftant to the Overfeers of the Poor.Leave given.

20. Mr Dundas faid, that as the force of the country increased by the vaft number of Volunteers, whofe ardour was as great as their loyalty was generous, and whofe zeal led them to tender their

fervices

fervices to all parts of the kingdom in cafes of neceffity, it was his duty, as far as he could, to ease the public burthen, and diminish individual trouble. There were three diftinct propofitions he should fubmit; the fir refpected Volunteer Corps. The Houfe would recollect, that by an Act of this Seffion they were called upon to ftate, whether, in cafe of invafion, they would extend their fervices to the Military District, and they were to give their anfwer by the 10th of February. But as many places were extremely distant, and as the inclemency of the weather had made communication extremely difficult, he fhould propofe to give them further time to make their offers. There was also another inaccuracy in that Act; for, in reciting feveral Acts of Parliament, it ftates an Act of 1797 instead of 1798.

The next propofition was refpecting the Militia. The Houfe would recolle, that he had stated the number of the militia to be 106,000 men. In point of fact, however, the number of militia now embodied amounted to 81,000 effective men. The general effect of the Bill he meant to propose would be, to prevent their being at prefent increafed beyond that number. The Bill would alfo contain fome regulations refpecting thofe regiments which had at prefent more than their regular number. The third Propofition related to the Provifional Cavalry. Many of them were now embodied, and very much advanced in difcipline. It was his wifh at present to relieve the country from raifing any more. In doing this he was far from giving up the principle on which the Provifional Cavalry Bill was founded; on the contrary, he thought it highly beneficial, when the exigencies of the State required that a great body of cavalry fhould be fpeedily called forth. But fince the Bill

for railing the Provifional Cavalry had paffed, another defcription of cavalry had very much increated, he_meant the_Volunteer and Yeomanry Cavalry. They only amounted to about 5000 men when the Provifional Cavalry Bill was brought forward, whereas at prefent they amounted to very near 30,000 men, as well difciplined, and as ufeful a body of cavalry as could exift. They were formed of perfons whofe fituation in life enabled them to fee and value the bleffings they enjoyed under the British Conftitution, and confequently they were the beft protectors this country could have, not only agaioft the domeftic enemies, who would again display themselves if it was not for the vigilance of Government, but against a foreign invader. He faid this not from any knowledge of his own, but from the opinions ftated by Officers of the different diftricts, who placed the greatest reliance upon them. Under thefe cir cumftances he thought it was not neceffary to call out a body of cavalry who at prefent were not. But he wished diftinctly to be understood as not in any manner giving up the principle of the Provifional Cavalry Bill; for, if necesfity required, he thought it ought to be reforted to again. These were the propofitions upon which he meant, with the permiffion of the Houfe, to found Bills. He should therefore move for leave to bring in a Bill for giving further time to the Volunteer Corps to fend in their offers of Service, and for other purposes therein mentioned, which was agreed to. He then moved for a Bill founded upon the fecond propofition refpecting the Militia, and concluded by moving that leave be given to bring in a Bill to repeal fuch Acts as relate to the Provifional Cavalry, and to substitute in lieu thereof other effective means.-Leave given. Adjourned.

Admiralty-Office, Feb. 19.

Copy of a letter from Capt. White to Lord Bridport, K. B.

Sylph, in Cawfand Bay, Feb. 14, 1799. MY LORD,

1

HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that on the 7th and 8th inft.

Thefe

Thefe veffels, being valuable, I thought proper to convoy them home, and with the former arrived here this evening; the latter parted company from us on Monday night, in a gale of wind, twelve leagues S. E. of the Lizard, but being an excellent veffel and in good hands, I expect her here every hour. I beg leave further to add, that on the 20 h January we re-took the floop Three Sifters. laden with butter, from Cork to Lisbon. This veffel has arrived at this port.

I have the honour to be, &c.
John C. White.

Admiralty-Office, Feb. 16.
Extract of a Letter from Capt. Keates, to
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Thompson,
Bart.
SIR.

Boadicea, at Sea, Feb. 20, 1799. I have the honour to inform you, that a French cutter privateer of 14 guns and 44 men, named Le Milan, was this day taken by the Boadicea and Atalante. I have ordered Capt. Griffith to fee the prize into port, and having landed the prifoners, to return and rejoin me upon my ftation. R. G. Keates.

Admiralty Office, March 5. Copy of a Letter from Rear Admiral Harvey, Commander in Chief of his Majesty's fhips at the Leeward islands, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated Prince of Wales, Fort Royal, Martinique, Jan.

22, 1799. SIR,

I inclofe you copies of letters from Capt. Fahie, of his Majefty's fhip Perdox, and from Cap. Dickfon, of La Victorieufe. The fpirited conduct of the captains, officers, and men, on both occafions, will manifeft to their Lordships their zeal and exertion for the King's fervice.

SIR,

I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.
Henry Harvey.

His Majesty's fhip La Perdrix,

Tortola, Dec. 13, 1798. I have the honour to acquaint you, that on the 7th inft. I fpoke, to the leeward of St Thomas's, an American, who informed me, that he had been boarded the preceding evening by a French fhip of war, feven leagues to the eastward of Virgin Gorda,

I ufed every exertion to get to windward of that island, but from the ftrong gales which prevailed, accompanied by frequent and heavy fqual's, I did not effect it until the roth. On the 11th, at

day-light, a fail was discovered from the maft-head in the S. E. which, by our glaffes was foon diftinguished to be a fhip, and evidently a cruizer.

Not a moment was loft in pursuing her, and after a chace of fixteen hours, I brought her to close action, which lafted forty-two minutes, when the ceafed firing and lay an unmanageable wreck on the water. She proved to be L'Armee d'Italie, a French private ship of war, mounting 14 9 and 4 12-pounder long guns, with 117 men, commanded by Citizen Colachy, eleven days from Guadaloupe, and had captured the Bittern brig and Concorde fchooner, of Martinique ; part of the crews of which veffels were on board.

It is impoffible for me, Sir, fufficiently to exprefs the high fenfe I have of the fteady and fpirited conduct of Lieutenants Edward Ottley and James Smith, and of Mr Mofes Crawford, the mafter: Mr Samuel Piguenet, the purfer, is allo intitled to my warmeft thanks, having volunteered the danger of the deck; in fhort, Sir, I cannot more forcibly acknowledge the merit of the officers and crew of his Majefty's fhip at large, than by faying their conduct was fuch as, even at the prefent day, to render them wor thy of the name of British Seamen; and I have the pleasure to add that but one man was wounded. The enemy's lofs is fix killed and five wounded. Our fails and rigging are much cut, but in other refpects we have not fuftained any mate rial injury. W. Chas. Fabie.

SIR,

Victorieufe, off the Islands Teftigos,
Dec. 6, 1798.

On the 29th of laft month I received intelligence of three privateers to leeward. I propofed to Col. Picton, as the only fure method of keping the trade open, to attack Rio Caribe and Gurupano. deftroy their forts, and bring off their guns, as the privateers would then have no fhelter, if chaced by us. He perfectly agreed with me, and ordered Major Laureil, with 40 of the Royal Rangers, to embark and proceed with me.

On the 2d I pushed down, in company with the Zephyr; and having reached Cape Three Points, we deftroyed the fchooner Proferpine, a Dutch privateer, of 2 guns and 13 men, from Caraçao, on a cruize. On the 3d, having teached within 8 miles of Rio Caribe, at two in the morning I landed the troops with a party of feamen, to attack the forts in the rear, while the brigs attacked in ་ frent

heads: but, in the kind Providence of God, no harm was done. It was to us a very folemn fcene indeed. A, country fhaken to the extent of perhaps 60 Englifh miles, in one direction, and about 20 probably in another. The huge Grampians around us reeling on their bafes, and ourselves in danger of being buried in the bowels of the Earth! The moft obftinate Atheift, and debauched Infidel would have trembled on the occafion. The Preacher was difcourfing on the power of Chrift, which shall be exerted in the Refurrection of the dead, as a proof that he is the Moft High God, and after he had repeated that fublime portion of holy writ, "The hour cometh, when the dead that are in their graves fhall hear the voice of the Son of God," he told his hearers, that that would be a fcene inexpreffibly grand, a fcene in which we muft all act our part, and the perfon who was the principal actor, was Divine. Immediately after this, the Earthquake began. A deep figh pervaded the au dience. Some apprehended the immediate diffolution of Nature. It was, to many of us, a lively anticipation of that dreadful day, when the Great White Throne fhall be placed in the Clouds, and One fhall fit on it, from whofe face Heaven and Earth fhall flee away, and there fhall be found no place for them!',

High Court of Justiciary.

March 27. The Court proceeded to the trial of Nicholas Kirby, accufed at the inftance of his Majefty's Advocate, of having on 26th July laft, ealled at the British Linen Company's Banking Office in Leith, and felonioufly pretended that he had a fum of money in the hands of Meffrs Hammerfley and Co. Bankers in London, and meant to draw the fame out of their hands, and did wickedly and feloniously write the following draft or bill:

'L. 700 Ster. Edinr. 26 July 98. Pay the Manager of British Linen * Compy, or order, at fight Seven hundred pounds Ster, value of them recd. which juft balances our act.

⚫ (Signed) N. Kirby' (Addreffed) Hammerfleys and Co. 76, Pall Mall, London.'

Which draft was fubfcribed by him with a view to defraud James Bell, clerk of faid Company, the faid N. Kirby having no money in the hands of Hammerfleys and Co. and that he did receive Aool. and a receipt for 300l.

A very long and able pleading took

place on the Relevaney, betwixt Mr Jeffrey on the part of the Prifoner, and Mr. Burnet for the Profecution.-The Court reftricted the Libel to an arbitrary pu nifhment.

It appeared from the evidence, that the prifoner had called before at the Of fice, and changed a rol. Bank Note, and afked if the Bank gave intereft for money, as he had fome lying at London, and it was as well to lodge it here where he could get intereft for it; that he afterwards drew the Bill above-mentioned, and got 400l. of it, leaving the pool. in the Bank. The Bill was returned protefted for non-payment, as Meffrs Hammerfleys knew nothing of the drawer. By this time the prifoner, who lived in a genteel manner at Marionville, near Edinburgh, and kept a gig, &c. had gone off with the 400l. He was traced by Mr Williamfon, the Meffenger, to LondonMr Williamfon arrefted him there, and recovered upward of 200l. of the money, that was upon him, and afterwards brought him to Edinburgh.

The exculpatory proof fhewed that the Prifoner was a man of genteel connections in the county of Cork, in Ireland, and had formerly fome little property, and was in the butter trade; that he lived in a genteel manner at Marionville and paid his accounts honourably.

The Solicitor General addreffed the Jury very ably on the part of the Crown, as did Mr G. J. Bell for the Prisoner Lord Efkgrove, the prefiding Judge, fummed up the evidence with his usual accuracy and candour.

The Jury returned their verdict next day, unanimously finding the prifoner Guilty. After the verdict was read, Mr Charles Mackintosh, W. S. Chancellor of the Jury, addreffed the Court in the following terms:-" My Lords-The Jury have unanimously found the prifoner guilty of the crimes laid to his charge. Your Lordships are fully mafters of the evidence that has been adduced, and if there are any alleviating circumftances in the cafe, the Jury are perfectly confident your Lordships will not overlook thefe circumftances in determining the extent of the punishment you will inflict upon the unfortunate gentleman now at your bar."

The Judges then delivered their opinions, pointing out the enormity of the offence, and pronounced the moft lenient fentence that, doing Juftice to the country would admit, which was, that the Prifoner fhould be transported beyond