the revolters of every diftrict; and, in proportion as new bodies of our publick-fpirited and brave militia of Britain were poured into Ireland, the Rebels gave way in every quarter, and from maintaining the open field in military array, were contented to lurk in faft-. neffes among the mountains, and affume the character of banditti, whofe fell objects were univerfal rapine and midnight murder, where defencelefs innocence fuggefted the fafety of practifing either the one or the other. The inftant the Head of Rebellion was crushed, mercy and pardon were proclaimed to all who chofe to lay down their arms, and take advantage of the King's lenity; a measure as wife as it was benevolent, and not more temperate than it was fucceffful. In confequence of this politic proceeding, even the Chiefs of the Rebellion, thofe who had plannedand matured the revolt, made earneft application to Government to fave the life of a favourite inftrument of their defigns, and obtained his reprieve, on the condition of an ample confeffion of their treafons, and an engagement to leave the kingdom of Ireland for ever, when it should please Government to tranfport them to other countries. The clofing with this propofition reflected infinite credit on the new Lord Lieutenant (Lord Cornwallis) and his Government, and difplayed its moderation, prudence, and fagacity in as ftrong a light as it had before manifefted its firmnefs, its vigour, and its power in military exertions. A more important or more ufeful ftep never was taken under any circumstances of civil commotion that Hif tory has recorded. The doubts of mankind were by this means effectually removed, and those who, in the imprudence of Party zeal, had gone the length of de pofing in a Court of Juftice their confident opinion that one of the Leaders of the Irish Rebellion was fwayed by the fame motives of patriotifm, that they took credit for themfelves, were confounded by the conviction of their own rafhnefs. The military occurrences in Ireland, fince this públic confeffion of the Chiefs of the Rebels was made, have gradually tended

A 2

tended to enfeeble the efforts of the remaining revol+ ters; and the furrender of the detachment of French forces, who had landed in Galway under the command of Monf. Humbert, after a flight refiftance, indicated that approaching general fuppreffion of the infurrection, which was effectually completed on the fuccessful termination of the action fo gallantly fought off the north-western coafts of that kingdom, between Sir John Borlafe Warren and the French fquadron, the fhips of which were fully freighted with arms, ammunition, and troops, defigned to fupport that revolt, which the great nation, as they call themselves, had been induced to affist in fomenting.

Under these flattering circumftances, his Majefty has been enabled to meet his Parliament, and open the feffion with a speech, every line of which conveys an idea highly fatisfactory to the feelings of his loyal and affectionate fubjects, and that fatisfaction muft be encreased, when it is confidered, that the fpeech ftates a series of fucceffes of the utmost importance, and which cannot but reflect great honour on the national character. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that in both Houses of Parliament unanimity prevailed, and the members, who took part in the first day's debate, feemed to rival each other in the warmth of their acknowledgments, of the value of our recent victories at home and abroad. At the commencement of a feffion, in which measures of Finance of a nature altogether new, necefiarily comprehenfive, and of confiderable magnitude, will of courfe be brought forward, it is with the extremest regret, that we perceive any of the leading characters of the late oppofition, (which Lord Lanfdown faid,

had disappeared, and was reported to be dead and buried,") abfent from their pofts, and regardless of their parliamentary duty. We repeat the argument that we took the liberty of urging last year, when the fame circumftance first prefented itself to notice, and again affert, that wilfully to abfent himfelf from the fervice of his conftituents in the fenate, is highly unconftitutional,

unconftitutional, and an abfolute breach of publick truft in any member of either Houfe of Parliament; nor is the fhallow pretence of a conviction that he can do no good, or promote the interefts of the kingdom in general, or of his individual electors, by duly attending in his place, either in the Houfe of Lords or St. Stephen's Chapel, to be admitted as a juftifiable plea for fuch conduct. If the member for a county, a city, or a borough, chufes to arrogate to himfelf what properly belongs to his conftituents, the right of judging and deciding on the conduct of their reprefentatives, he ought to follow up his feceffion from Parliament with the refignation of his feat, and thus afford thofe who fent him to fill it, an opportunity of electing another in his ftead, more zealoufly attached to their interefts, and lefs bigotted to his own ill-founded opinion. Such a line of conduct would be a proof of political integrity eminently confiftent, and highly honourable to the individual who practifed it. The argument applies, certainly not in its particular detail, but in a general fenfe, to the noble Peers, if any there be, who may have taken a fimilar determination to abfent themfelves from attendance in the Houfe of Lords. Delegated by the conftitution itself, and holding under it as hereditary counfellors of the crown, the people have an undoubted right to the full benefit of their wisdom, and their unremitted attention to interests in their legislative capacity.

Having thus enforced the conftitutional objection to willful parliamentary feceffion, which appears to us to be unanswerable, we quit the irkfome task of political animadverfion on the conduct of a few great and defervedly diftinguished publick characters, and refume the more pleafant fubject of congratulation to our Readers, on the fingularly aufpicious and favourable complexion, that the affairs of Great Britain have affumed, in the fixth year of a war unprecedented in all its circumstances. Let men have differed ever fo widely upon the queftion of the justice

or

or the neceflity of the war on its commencement, that question can now only be looked back to as a matter of fruitless fpeculation, fince all muft agree, that this country has done, what may poffibly be deemed, more than enough to reftore peace and general tranquility; and that nothing can give repofe to Europe, and fecurity to its feveral powers, but an effectual check to the inordinate ambition of the French Republick, and its unbounded views of acquifition and aggrandizement. Confidering the war fingly as a British war, a more glorious conteft was never maintained by this country, though it had to contend with an enemy, who publicly fet the law of nations at defiance, and furnished itself with refources by means as unparalleled, as they were revolting and repugnant to every pofitive duty of government, and the eftablished notions that have prevailed in the civilized world for ages. But extraordinary as the means have been, which the French Republick have not fcrupled to refort to for fupplies, trom the very nature of them, it was impoffible that they should be permanent or lafting; and it has been lately feen, that having first exhaufted the greater part of its own wealth by every poffible method of general extortion and coercive robbery, the French have, by repeated requifitions and demands, equally unwarranted in pretext and prodigious in amount, fo far emptied the coffers of every ftate which has unfortunately fubmitted to become dependants on the Republick, and drained them of their riches, that they are now nearly reduced to a state of bankruptcy and ruin; and borne down by the preffure of fuch a melancholy fituation, are under the neceffity of living upon their former credit, and the hopes of better times.

How happy is it then for Great Britain that at this advanced period of the war, her condition prefents a picture the very reverse of that which has just been defcribed! Still rich in refources, flourishing in her commerce, triumphant in arms, and ftronger internally in confequence of a fuppreffed rebellion in a quar

ter

ter of the Empire moft intimately connected with her dearest interests; the ftands pre-eminent among nations, and has arrested the admiration and applaufe of all Europe by her prowess and fuccefs in a part of the world, where the British thunder was fcarcely ever heard before. Nor is the contrast between the fituation and circumftances of the two diftinguished Officers, who commanded lately, at fea and on shore, on the part of Great Britain and France, at the extremity of the Mediterranean, lefs fingularly ftriking. Buonaparte, the Conqueror of Italy, who was fent, as it appears, on the forlorn hope to Egypt, (where he and his army will probably perifh without having effected any one object fufficient to compenfate for the rifque, the danger, and the expence of fo Quixotelike an enterprife,) is either wandering in a hopeless ftate among the plains of Egypt, in the defarts of Arabia, or over the fands of Syria, and approximating a miferable termination to his fame and his exiftence; On the contrary, our Chriftian Hero, Lord Nelfon, (as he was emphatically called in the Houfe of Peers) may fay with the Roman Conqueror, "veni, vidi, vici," (for fuch is the true character of his Victory in the Bay of Beguires,) and has returned nearer home to receive the honours and prefents which awaited him, not merely from his own country, but from Foreign Powers, who have fhewn themfelves eager to exprefs their grateful fenfe of thofe eminent fervices, which cannot but produce a fenfible effect on the Politicks of Europe, and accelerate the wished for hour of general tranquillity and peace.

The great bufinefs of the Minifter in the prefent Seffion of Parliament must be in bringing forward fuch measures of Finance, as are most likely to prove efficient and productive, proportionate to the immenfe amount of the Public Expenditure. amount never known in our annals, but which a variety of complicated circumftances have combined to render indifpenfibly neceffary. It remains, there

An

fore,