the real queftion now before the houfe was, "did not the preffure of the moment call for fome remedy?" Mr. Pitt then went on to fhew the neceffity of extending the power of the civil magiftrate to difperfe public meetings, public lectures, &c. and moved for leave to be given to bring in a bill for more effectually preventing feditious meetings and affemblies." Mr. Fox, after expreffing a juft horror at the attempt which had been made against his Majesty, while he could not reftrain his indignation at what had happened, even on that day, but this fenfation was exceeded by what he had heard that night.-After fome farcaftic obfervations refpecting "Mansfield's Act," he broke out into an exclamation," Behold (faid he) the ftate of a free Englishman! Before he can difcufs any topic which involves his liberties or his rights, he is to fend to a magiftrate, who is to attend the difcuffionthat magiflrate cannot prevent the meeting; but he can prevent the fpeaking, becaufe he can alledge that what is faid has a tendency to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the realm."-After many pointed remarks, Mr. Fox added, "fuppofe, for a moment, that the only object which the authors of this measure had in view, be to prevent a revolution in this country; how could they think to avoid fuch an evil by proceeding upon a plan which has no refpect for the liberties of the people, no esteem for the experience to be derived from a perufal of our hiftory? Good God! Sir, (exclaimed Mr. Fox) I have feen and I have heard of revolutions in different ftates; but they were not owing to the freedom of popular opinions, nor to the facility of popular meetings; they were owing to the very reverse of thefe; therefore we ought to put ourfelves in a state as different from them as poffible, &c. Sir William Pulteny, Mr. Stanley, Mr. Halhed, Mr. Curwen, Mr. Wilberforce, &c. all expreffed their high regard for his Majefty's virtues as a man, and chief magiftrate; but refpecting the bill, their opinions were various, and fometimes oppofite. The The house then divided on the motion of the chan- On the rith of November, the bill for the fafety and As, however, the arguments employed on both 'fides The Earl of Lauderdale and the Duke of Bedford The house divided: Contents, 45.-Noncontents, 3. Upon the third reading of the bill, and the question VOL. II. C A pro- A proteft against the paffing of this bill was entered, and figned BEDFORD, While the bills were thus warmly difcuffed in both houfes of parliament, the oppofition without doors was the most fteady and fyftematic that perhaps was ever manifested to any public measure; and, if we confider the immenfe force of influence which was wielded at this period by the minifter, we ought rather to wonder at the fpirit and magnanimity which was difplayed by the people, than to be furprized at the efforts which the partizans of adminiftration was enabled to make in their favour. We fhall juft notice that the Whig Club of England met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, on the 11th of November. This meeting was uncommonly nume It confifted of all the members of both houses of parliament belonging to the Club, the Duke of Bedford in the chair. At this meeting they entered into ftrong refolutions to defend with their lives and properties the liberty of Englishmen-" That it was highly expedient, that meetings of the people in their refpective diftricts, fhould he immediately called to confider this important fubject, and for the purpofe of petitioning parliament against the faid bill, or any other meafure which might tend to infringe the juft rights of the people of Great Britain." The members of the Correfponding Society, and a vaft body of the populace affembled on the 12th of November in a field near Copenhagen house. A petition to parliament against paffing the bill, was, with other refolutions, unanimoufly agreed to. The meeting difperfed in a peaceable manner. The example of the Whig Club was immediately followed by the livery of London, the electors of Westminster, the freeholders of Middlesex; and by feveral counties, and by almoft every confiderable town in the kingdom wherever a meeting was publicly called, the decifion was almoft unanimous. In the mean time, the affociations against republicans and levellers, known by the appellation of Mr Reeves's Society, met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, and agreed to address his Majefty, highly approving of the measures that had been taken, and of the two bills impending in parliament. To this fimilar petitions were obtained in fupport of the bills. The utmost exertions of the minifterial party could, however, only procure 64 petitions, while those of the oppofition amounted to the number of 94. The number of fignatures to the latter, the popular 'petitions, was 131,284, while those in favour of the minifter were no more than 29,922. The minifter, however, was not checked in his headlong career by the voice of the people, and a confiding majority in both houfes of parliament went cheerfully through their labour of dilapidating that fabric, cemented by the blood of their ancestors. A meffage from the Lords informed the Commons on the 16th of November that their Lordships had paffed an act for the fafety and preservation of his Majefty from treasonable acts, and defired the concurrence of the Commons in the fame. The chancellor of the exchequer moved" that this act be read a first time." This motion was carried by 170 against 26. Upon the motion for a fecond reading of the bill the houfe again divided. Ayes 151, Noes 25. Upon the whole both were paffed, but with very material alterations. The general out-cry which was raised against them throughout the nation produced thefe falutary effects in the minds of adminiftration. The preceding pages reprefent the infult done to his Majelty in his pailing from the palace to open the feifion of parliament, and the juft indignation fhewn by both houfes at the atrocity of the attempt upon his per C 2 fon fon on that occafion, and the refolutions against fimilar acts of treason. The fpeech from the throne opened by ftating his Majefty's fatisfaction that the general fituation of affairs, notwithstanding many events unfa vourable to the common caufe, was materially improved. The French had in Italy been driven back, and were checked on the fide of Germany. Their fucceffes, and the treaties of peace they had entered into, were far from compenfating the evils they fuffered from the continuance of the war, and, the unparallelled-embarraffment and diftrefs of their internal fituation appeared to have produced in them an impreffion, that their only relief must result from peace and a fettled government. The crifis in which they now were, must probably produce confequences important to the interests of Europe. If this crifis terminated in any thing affording a reafonable expectation of fecurity in any treaty, the appear ance of a difpofition to treat for peace, on juft and fuitable terms, would, his Majefty added, be met, on his part, with an earnest defire to give it the speedieft effect. The acceleration of this defirable end, required, however, that we thould prove our ability to profecute the war, till we could conclude it in a peace fuited to the juftice of our caufe, and the fituation of the enemy. To this end, the moft vigorous naval preparations were making for fecuring our fuperiority, and carrying on our exertions in the West Indies. The hoftilities committed by the United Provinces, his Majesty observed, had obliged him to treat them as at war with the country. The northern fleet had received the most active affistance from the Emprefs of Ruffia. Treaties of alliance had been entered into with the two imperial courts; and the American treaty of commerce had beer exchanged. The commons were informed, that, further additions to the heavy burdens which had been unavoidably impofed on the people," would be neceffary. But this preflure would be alleviated by the flourishing ftate of the commerce and manufactures, and our expences being leffened by the prefent circumftances of the war. ་་ The |