berations on this side of the water had an irresistible influence over those on the other? The question, before the British parliament and nation, was clear and unequivocal: it required neither explanation nor comment; were the Irish Roman Catholics to be freed from all disqualifications, on account of their religion, or were they still to remain subject to them? They had been led to expect this emancipation, and now it was withheld, in a manner almost amounting to a denial. What could ministry propose either by a delay or a refusal? the danger was nearly equal from both; and, in the present circumstances of affairs, there was little, if any, difference between the one and the other as probably the Irish would

soon see,

and take their measures according to the interpretation, of those who saw matters in this light. Impatience and indignation, at our tardiness in doing what they considered as no more than our duty, would provoke them as much as if we had determined never to do it; and we should lose, through an unseasonable hesitation, the opportunity of granting that with a good grace, which might afterwards

be extorted from us by the evil hour of necessity and compulsion.

Other speeches were made by the supporters and opposers of ad ministration, much in the same strain as the antecedent. After which, an end was put to the debate, by the order of the day being moved by Mr. Pitt, and carried by one hundred and eighty-eight, against forty-nine.

The

Such were the most interesting debates, during this session; which closed, on the 27th of June, with the customary formalities. speech from the throne contained, as usual, the king's acknowledgements to parliament for the ample supplies granted for the prosecution of the war: the liberal assistance given to extricate the prince of Wales from his embarrassments, and to settle an income upon him, was duly noticed; and it concluded with the hope of such a change in the government of France, as might. produce a disposition to maintain the accustomed relations of peace and amity; and with the promise to make the most effectual use of the force entrusted to government, for the attainment of these salutary purposes.

CHRONICLE

Ist.

JANUARY.

HIS day, a little before THIS twelve o'clock, two houses at the powder.mills belong. ing to Messrs. Pigou and Andrews, at Dartford, blew up, by which accident eleven men, employed in the same, unfortunately lost their lives. The explosion was so great, that it shook most of the buildings in the town, and the concussion was sensibly felt in many parts of the county of Suffolk. The scene on the spot was shocking beyond description, as the adjoining fields were covered with fragments of the buildings, consisting of large beams of timber shivered into thousands of splinters, sprinkled with blood, and interspersed with the mangled limbs of the unfortunate sufferers, many of which have been gathered up for interment, but not one of their heads has been yet found. How the accident happened, is at present, and probably ever will remain, unknown. The explosion took place a few minutes before twelve o'clock, when providentially the overseer and two boys had just left the works, and one of them was ringing the bell for dinner, or they could not have escaped the untimely fate of their companions. Mrs. Wilkes, the wife of the m2nager, standing at her own door, VOL. XXXVII.

about two hundred yards distance, was knocked down, but happily not materially hurt.

6th.

Captain Telford arrived at the Sierra Leone House, with dispatches from that colony, dated the 28th of November, by which it appears, that a French squadron, consisting of 'Experiment, a 50 gun ship, two frigates, two armed brigs, one of 18, the other of 12 guns, and two Guineamen (prizes), also stoutly armed, had, on the 28th of September, appeared off the settlement, which, as all resistance was thought likely to be ineffec. tual, immediately surrendered. The French, however, fired several shots into the town after the flag was struck, by which a woman and a girl were killed, and a man and three Women wounded. The French force having landed, proceeded to pillage the town, and then destroyed all the public build. ings, as well as the company's small vessels, the Thornton, Domingo, Venus, James, and Anna, then lying in the river, the na tives and some of the set lers being encouraged to partake of the plun der.. The company's ship the Harpy, of 400 tons, happening to arrive while the French squadron was in the river, was captured. Two other small vessels belonging to the company were afterwards captured

on the coast. The Harpy and her cargo were luckily insured. The French squadron remained about 15 days in the river. They also captured and pillaged the factory at Bance Island. When they were on the point of departing, they put on shore about 120 British sailors, most of them extremely sick, who had been taken from different ships captured on the coast, and having destroyed or carried off all the company's stores and provisions, except a supply of about three weeks for the sailors left on shore, they set sail to the southward. The distresses of the colony were extremely great on the eve of their departure, the season at that time being remarkably sickly, and all the medicines having been carried away or destroyed. Of the sailors who were landed, about 80 perished for want of proper accommodation, as well as medicine and sustenance. The Nova Scotian settiers, how. ever, suffered little. Though many of the company's servants suffered much in their health from ill-treatment and exposure, but only two or three of them have died. The governor and council mention, that their distresses had much abated a few weeks after the departure of the French squadron; that a vessel also had arrived from Eng. land, which had furnished them with many necessary articles, and that a sufficient supply of rice was then in the colony; that the health of the Company's servants was improving; and that at the time when they were stripped of their arms and ammunition, and every other necessary, no want of order had prevailed. They were in full expecta tion, that if the company should send them out the proper supplies,

the colony would recover this misfortune. The Nova Scotian settlers being all on the land, which proved more fruitful than was expected, they were able to support themselves, and they had a quantity of stock on their farms. The French squadron appears to have been piloted and assisted by some American slave traders.

A very great mob assembled 9th. in London road, leading from the Obelisk in St. George's fields to the Elephant and Castle, at Newington Butts, and, having intimation that a number of men were imprisoned by a certain description of crimps, attacked the house where these persons were confined, demolished their windows, and released 18 men, who were chained together by handcuffs and other iron ligaments. The Borough magistrates, on hearing of this outrage, immediately sent down their officers; and the acting recruiting serjeant being taken into custody, he was, after a short examination, committed to the New Gaol. The circumstances which led to the discovery of this imprisonment was that of kidnapping a pot-boy, who, before he was chained down, contrived to break a pane of glass in the drawing-room window (for the house was a private one, and ele. gantly furnished) from whence he cried out "murder!" This alarm. ed the neighbourhood, and, as it had been suspected by them that persons were illegally confined there, the doors and windows were scon demolished, and the prisoners liberated. This serjeant and his crew had two women of the town

genteelly dressed up, for the purpose of inveigling young men into the house, which they styled their

lodgings,

lodgings, where the deluded were instantly handcuffed; and about three or four o'clock in the morning sent off in coaches, hired for the purpose, to the country. Next day, several more youths, who were confined in other parts of the fields, were released by the magistrates, amidst the plaudits of a uusperous multitude of spectators. 12th. This evening a peace offi

cer, with a warrant from a magistrate, went to apprehend a footpad in one of the little public. houses which line the quays of the river Thames, in that part of the Borough called Bankside. On entering the tap, he immediately dis covered the delinquent he was in search of, dressed in a seaman's jacket and trowsers, and tippling with several other persons in the same dress. The officer immedi. ately advanced to seize him; but the fellow pulled out a pistol, and discharged it at the constable, who, feeling himself wounded, immediately went out of the tap, and walked about ten yards to a neigh. bouring house, which he entered, and sat himself down on a chair, and, without being able to utter a word, immediately expired. The desperado who committed this atrocious deed was, we are sorry to find, suffered to escape with his companions. The contents of the pistol had lodged in the constable's breast.

14th. The following decision

took place by ballot at the India House, in Leadenhall-street: "That no director be allowed trade to or from India in his private capacity, either directly or indirectly, either as principal or agent."

The ballot commenced at ten

o'clock in the morning, and closed at six in the evening. At half past eight o'clock, the chairman entered the general-court room, and declared the numbers to be as follow:

18th.

For the proposition 541 Against it

348

Majority 193

Twa delegates from Hol. land waited upon lord Grenville, with a remonstrance, respecting the detention of the Dutch East Indiamen and cargoes in British ports; the following is almost verbatim what passed on this occasion:

Lord Grenville" I would wish to be informed, gentlemen, in what capacity you wish to be received ?"

Delegate" As representatives of the sovereign people of Batavia."

Lord Grenville-"I know of no such delegating power, and there. fore must decline any further conference with you.”

19th.

About twelve o'clock, two vessels broke from their moorings a little below Londonbridge; the tide then running up, drove them against the bridge with such force, that one of them (a West Indiaman with three masts) making the centre arch, carried away all her masts close by the board, knock. ed down two of the lamps on the top of the bridge, bent the lampiron in an astonishing manner, and, with a crash that made the whole fabric shake, passed through the arch with incredible velocity, and drifted up the river with the tide to Blackfriars-bridge, which she also went through, but without any farther accident; and continued her course till she came above Somerset-house, where she drove on B 2

shore,

shore, and with some difficulty was moored. The crew, perceiving their danger, took to the boat a few minutes before she reached London. bridge, which, in all probability, saved some of their lives. The other vessel, striking against the starlings of one of the smaller arches, was prevented from going through, but from the shock must have been considerably damaged. She remained there till the turn of the tide, when she was got off, and, with the assistance of some boats, was towed into a place of safety. The above accident is supposed to have happened from the large pieces of ice brought up the river by the tide, cutting the cables by which the ships were moored.

The most dreadful fire 20th. ever remembered in Liver. pool happened on Sunday morning, the 18th inst. At five o'clock the Exchange (the noblest building of the kind, without exception, of any in the kingdom) was discovered to be on fire, the inside of which was entirely destroyed in less than two hours with the greatest difficulty the town records, regalia, mace, sword, &c, were preserved from the flames, though kept on the opposite side of the building from whence the fire broke out, so rapid was its progress. Several accidents hap. pened, and it is feared one man has perished. A little before five it was discovered by the Exchange keep er's wife, who, being troubled with an asthma, found inconvenience from the smoke that entered the bed-chamber she awoke her hus. band, and, on entering the assembly-room, found it in flames. alarm was instantly given, but too late to impede its progress: in less than one liour and a half the whole

The

roof fell in. Fortunately the wind was moderate, otherwise the house inhabited by Mr. Jones, silversmith, and Mr. Gore, printer, would have shared the same fate, notwithstanding a street of at least 25 yards breadth intervening. Amongst other matters destroyed are two elegant paintings, executed by Mr. Martin, and presented by him to the Corporation of Liverpool; one representing "The murder of Macduff's family," the other, "Cleopatra arming Anthony."

21st.

Seven men attempting to pass, on the ice, to a collier in the river, near Radcliffe-street, fell into the water, and were all drowned.

z3d. This morning two watch. men, belonging to the parish of Bloomsbury, were found frozen to death on their posts. They had been seen, a few hours before, regaling themselves with liquor, to enable them to encounter the severity of the weather, which, it is supposed, caused them to fall into a sleep, from which they never awoke.

The same day a man, who it is supposed had fallen overboard, floated through London bridge with the ice. Only his head and arms could be seen, and he was frozen to death.

A servant of Mess. Green 25th. and Ward, Ludgate-hill, was drowned near Putney, attempting to cross the river on the ice.

26th.

Between twelve and one o'clock, the Stadtholder of Holland, accompanied by the Princess Frederica Louisa Wilhelmina, his daughter, and Prince William George Frederic, his second son, arrived in London, and immediately proceeded to the house of the

Dutch