evafive or dilatory answer, will be confidered as a declaration of war.

4. The king fhall be invited to adopt the most efficacious measures to put the troops in a state to take the field upon the firft orders they may receive.

The next day, the deputation appointed to carry the meffage decreed yesterday to the king, reported that his majesty anfwered, he would take it into ferious confideration; and, on the following day, the minifter of juftice informed the affembly, that, the king had ordered the decree, refpecting his brother's forfeiture of the regency to be executed.

The proceedings of the affembly, on the 25th, produced, on Saturday the 28th, the following

LETTER from the KING.

Paris, Jan. 28.

• Gentlemen, 'I have examined the invitation, in the form of a decree, which you prefented to me on the 25th inftant. You know that, by the conftitution, it belongs to me alone, to entertain political connexions abroad; to conduct negociations; and that the legiflative body cannot deliberate on war, but on my formal and neceffary propofition. Undoubtedly, you may require of me to take into confideration whatever interests the safety and the dignity of the nation; but the form you have adopted is open to important obfervations. I fhall not enter into them at present. The gravity of circumstances obliges me to attend more to maintaining the harmony of our fentiments, than to difcuffing my conftitutional rights.

I must therefore acquaint you, that I have demanded of the emperor, more than fifteen days ago, a pofitive explanation on the principal articles which are the object of your invitation. I have obferved toward him the refpect which powers mutually owe to one another. If we are to have war, let us not have to reproach curfelves with having provoked it by any wrong on our part. This certainty alone can aid us to fupport the unavoidable evils it muft bring with it.

I feel that it is glorious for me to Speak in the name of a nation which difplays fo high a degree of courage, and I know how to make the most of this incalculable means of force; but what more fincere proof of my attachment to the conftitution can I give, than to employ as much circumfpection in the negociations

that tend to peace, as celerity in the pre parations, which will enable us, if neceffary, to take the field in fix weeks. The most unquiet diftruft can find nothing in this conduct but the conciliation of all my duties. Humanity, and I remind the affembly of it, forbids mixing any emotion of enthufiafm in our decifion on war. Such a decifion ought to be an act most maturely confidered, for it is to pronounce, in the nanie of our country, that her intereft requires of us the facrifice of a great number of her children. I am watchful, in the mean time, for the honour and the fecurity of the nation; and I shall accelerate, with all my power, the moment of acquainting the national affembly, whether we may depend upon peace, or whether I must propofe war. (Signed) LOUIS. (Underfigned) M. L. F. DUPORT.'

This letter was liftened to with the utmost filence; and the affembly, without no ticing it, proceeded to other bufinefs. The next day, M. Rouyer, after fome remarks on the king's letter, propofed that a mesfage fhould be fent to him, defiring an explanation of the points in which he conceived the invitation to which it related to be unconftitutional; and representing, that the affembly had feen with concern his minifters raise objections to a measure, the object of which was fo laudable. But M. Mouyffet reprefented the impropriety of engaging in a dispute with the king. If his minifters had given him improper advice, that would be a queftion for dif cuffion of another kind. The affembly, on this representation, passed to the order of the day.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Diplomatic committee reported on the emperor's ratification of the conclufion of the imperial diet, for maintaining the rights of the German princes of Lorraine and Alface; that in the original act of ceffion to France, the rights in queftion were referved with the exprefs provifo, that the refervation thould not derogate from the rights of fovereignty granted to France by the preceding articles; that this was further proved by the treaties of Munfter, Wetphalia, and Nimeguen; and that France could not fuffer it to be called in question, That different opinions were entertained in Germany on the emperor's ratification of the conclufum of the diet; and that it ought not to be confidered, in the first inftance, as an act of hoftility, fince during the difcuffion, he had been an advocate

for

for paciñe measures. They therefore propofed,

That purfuant to former decrees, the laws for abolishing the feudal fyftem fhould be fully and completely executed with refpect to Lorraine and Alface; and that the king should be charged to follow up the negociations for indemnifications to the German princes by all means compatible with justice, and the French confti

tution.

The next day, the minifter for foreign affairs informed the affembly, that the French envoys were received in a becoming manner at the court of Madrid; that an affurance was received from count Florida Blanca, that Spain would never make war on France but in case of a pofitive attack; and that the removal of certain French citizens from Tournay, which had been the fubject of a complaint, was on account of their refufal to comply with certain regulations which the law required.

On Monday, Feb. 6. M. Thuriot informed the affembly, that the commiffioners appointed to prefent the decrees to the king for fanction, had yefterday a difpute with the ministers about the formality of their reception at the palace, and returned without prefenting the decrees which they had carried up.

On this fubject was read the following

LETTER from the ĶING.

'Gentlemen,

Paris, Feb. 6. A difficulty has occurred refpecting the manner in which the commiffioners of the national affembly, appointed to bring me its decrees, ought to be received. I have hitherto caufed the form to be obferved which was conftantly followed in my communications with the conftituting affembly; and I thought it proper to mark, by a diftition, the occations to which the legislative body itself thinks it neceffary to give a greater degree of folemnity, by the number of deputies fent to me.

In confequence I have caufed the two folding doors to be opened to deputations of fixty members, and I have alfo ordered them to be opened to deputations of twentyfour, when the national affembly fhall think proper to fend them.

The commiffioners who came to me on Tuesday to prefent decrees, defired that the two doors might be opened; but these commiffioners not having infifted on the point, after the obfervations made to them, I paid no farther attention to it. I was

informed, that they had mentioned it to the national affembly, and that it had been referred to a committee.

Attaching no importance to a thing of this nature, I refolved to wait till the national affembly prefented me its wishes on the fubject, if it fhould be thought worth attention; but I was surprised that before this was done, the commiffioners, who came yesterday to prefent decrees for fanction, fhould have retired, because, till the affembly explained itself, I thought it my duty to maintain the ufage invariably obferved till that day. The affembly will undoubtedly think it of importance, that the neceffary communications between it and me should never be interrupted, and will certainly haften to concert mealures with me to that effect.

(Signed) LOUIS. (Underligned) M. L. F. DUPORT."

The affair was referred to the committee of legiflation, with orders to report on it during the fitting. The committee propofed, and the affembly decreed, that the prefident fhould write a letter to inform the king, that the wish of the affembly was the punctual obfervance of the decree of June 17, 1791, and that all deputations fhould be received in the fame manner. It was alfo decreed, that the king's letter fhould ferve as a model for that of the prefident.

The next day, M. Condorcet, the prefident of the affembly, announced, that during the fitting, he had fent the following letter to the king, by the Huiffier:

The national affembly, fire,, charges me to make known to you its decifion, given in the fitting of yesterday. The affembly has refolved upon the execution of the law of the 17th of June 1791; and thinks, that no diftinction is to be made between the deputations, who are invested with the fame character, of whatever number they may be compofed. The national affembly is perfuaded of your intention to preferve the harmony which ought to reign between it and you.'

The king's answer to this was, that he would receive the commiffioners to-morrow, and would appoint his hour.

On the next day, no meilage was received from the king, but the commilion ers went to the Thuilleries, to prefent their decree; and the two folding doors of the hall of council were opened to them. The king addrelled them as follows:

Gen

'Gentlemen,

Objects much more interesting to the fafety of France, call too importunately for the whole attention of the national affembly, and of myself, to fuffer me to be any longer occupied with questions of ce

remony. I wait till another period to regulate, in concert with the affembly, thofe cafes, which have not been provided for by the conftitution, and by the law of the 17th of June.'

[To be continued.}

ON Tuesday, Jan. 31, the prefent feffions of parliament was opened by the following fpeech from the-throne:

My lords and gentlemen,

The many proofs which you have given of your affectionate attachment to my perfon and family, leave me no doubt of your participating in the fatisfaction which I derive from the happy event of the marriage which has been celebrated between my fon, the duke of York, and the eldest daughter of my good brother and ally the king of Pruffia: and I am perfuaded that I may expect your chearful concurrence in enabling me to make a fuitable provifion for their eftablishment.

Since I laft met you in parliament, a definitive treaty has been concluded under my mediation and that of my allies, the king of Pruffia and the states general of the United Provinces, between the emperor and the Ottoman Porte, on principles which appear the beft calculated to prevent future difputes between thofe powers.

Our intervention has also been employed, with a view to promote a pacification between the emprefs of Ruffia and the Porte; and conditions have been agreed upon between us and the former of thofe powers, which we undertook to recommend to the Porte, as the re-establishment of peace on fuch terms appeared to be, under all the exifting circumstances, a defirable event for the general interefts of Europe. I am in expectation of fpeedily receiving the account of the conclufion of the definitive treaty of peace, preliminaries having been fome time fince agreed upon between those powers.

I have directed copies of the definitive treaty, between the emperor and the Porte, to be laid before you, as well as fuch papers as are neceffary to fhew the terms of peace, which have been under difcuffion during the negociation with the court of Peterburgh.

I regret that I am not yet enabled to inform you of the termination of the war

'Gentlemen of the house of commons, It will, I am perfuaded, give you great fatisfaction to learn, that the extraordinary expences incurred in the course of the last year, have, in a great measure, been already defrayed by the grants of the feffion. The fate of our refources will, I truft, be found more than fufficient to provide for the remaining part of thefe expences, as well as for the current fervice of the year, the estimates for which I have directed to be laid before you.

I entertain the pleafing hope, that the reductions which may be found practicable in the establishments, and the continued increase of the revenue, will enable you, after making due provifion for the feveral branches of the public fervice, to enter upon a fyftem of gradually relieving my fubjects from fome part of the existing taxes, at the fame time giving additional efficacy to the plan for the reduction of the national debt, on the fuccefs of which our future eafe and fecurity effentially depend.

With a view to this important object, let me alfo recommend it to you to turn your attention to the confideration of fuch meafures as the state of the funds and of public

public credit may render practicable and expedient toward a reduction in the rate of intereft of any of the annuities which are now redeemable.

My lords and gentlemen,

The continued and progreffive improvement in the internal fituation of the country will, I am confident, animate you in the purfuit of every measure which may be conducive to the public interest. It muft, at the fame time, operate as the ftrongest encouragement to a spirit of ufeful industry among all claffes of my fubjects; and above all, must confirm and encrease their steady and zealous attachment to that conftitution which we have found by long experience to unite the ineftimable bleffings of liberty and order, and to which, under the favour of Providence, all our other advantages are principally to be afcribed.'

The addrefs was moved by lord Chefterfield, and feconded by lord Mulgrave. Lord Stormont made a few animadverfions on fome of the political measures alluded to in the fpeech; but what merited our particular attention, were his obfervations on the concluding part of it: As to the conftitution,' he faid, he could not help obferving, on his outfet in politics, that in the pamphlets which were written in those days, on whatever fide written, there was one point in which they feemed emulous of excelling each other, and that was in extolling the conftitution. He had ftudied that conftitution with as much attention as any in that houfe; he had marked the outlines, the leading principles, and the energy of its fprings; and from the whole he could fay, that it was the most perfect fyftem of civil liberty that the united wildom of man could boaft; and, by far, fuperior to any that he ever underflood either in ancient or inodern times. This was his invariable opinion of it. Lord Bolingbroke, whofe excellence as a political writer flood in no need of panegyric, admired it, even to a degree of rapture, and recommended it to the admiration of pofterity. Examine it again and again,' faid that noble writer; it with the mind's eye, and you will find no human inftitution fo perfect. He was forry to find that a few writers of the prefent day, detailing their theoretic opinions, feemed to depart from the broad path of thofe that went before them; but the contagion was not likely to go far; the people of this country were fober and steady,

'view

and poffeffed a portion of underftanding beyond any that he had ever met with in any other country. He was fenfible, however, thofe opinions might be diffeminated : in the walls of that houfe they could take no root there the conttitution would find fteady friends; friends, to a man, who would be, emulous to rife and to fall with it.

Lord Grenville rofe merely to exprefs the fatisfaction he felt on hearing the declaration of the noble vifcount; a declaration extremely proper, at a time when the love of novelty in fome induced them to hold out vifions to the public; but he hoped few would be found to quit the fubftance, to purfue a bubble that would melt into air. Experience had evinced the wif dom of the prefent conftitution, and he truked that the houfe would fupport it with that firmness, which would enable themselves, and their pofterity, to enjoy the purest felicity.

The addrefs was then put and carried unanimoufly.

In the house of commons, the fame day, the addrefs was moved by Mr. Yorke, and feconded by fir James Murray; each expatiating, in the ufual ftrain of echo, on the various particulars of the fpeech. The latter, tending to that part of the fpeech, which tated the terms recommended to the Porte for a peace with the empress, faid, they appeared to be, under all exifting circumftances, a defirable event. He admitted, that minifters had been defeated in their intentions by unforeseen and untoward circumftances; but, nevertheless, their object had been commendable. He noticed the increase of our strength by our alliance with Pruffia, and our fitua tion with refpect to other powers. fhewed, that it was neither the object of England or Pruffia to interfere for the purpofe of conqueft, but ther exertions had been forwarded for felf-prefervation. The popular voice had certainly been loud for an accommodation with Ruffia; but he juftified the interference of this country in favour of the Porte; which interference, he faid, would have been more fuccefsful, had not an oppofition been raised to it. He

He

confidered our affairs in India to be in the

moft profperous ftate, and that from an experience of the past, we had a right to form the most favourable expectations of

the future.

He rejoiced in the general profperity of the empire, and attributed it to that liberty and order fo well held cut in the fpeech as neceffary to be combined. He concluded by noticing the laft

para

paragraph of the fpeech, in which he introduced the revolution of France, by declaring that if the French could be juftified at all in overturning their conftitution, they must be justified upon the ground of their conftitution, if they had had one, being effentially bad in many of its parts; but, if they were fo zealous in overturning a bad conftitution, it was impoffible for us to be too eager and zealous in exertions to maintain that conftitution, which, every circumftance proved to be effentially good.

Mr. Gray rofe to move an amendment. He agreed with every gentleman in the houfe, very cordially in their congratulations on the first part of the addrefs, and in their fentiments upon the laft; but lamented that any thing had been introduced in the fpeech or the address, that rendered it impoffible for him to unite in that unanimous vote fo earneftly hoped for. He faid the houfe was not yet in poffeffion of information upon the preliminary articles between Ruffia and the Porte; but upon that he would not then dwell, as a day must come when that fubject would meet a very ferious difcuffion, and the question be brought to a decifion, however averfe to fuch decifion either the minifters might be, who were defirous to screen their grofs mifconduct, or however defirous thofe gentlemen might be, who fupported them in the unwife and unjuft interference. If oppofition had in effect, by their oppofition, as had been implied, prevented the war, into which administration would otherwife have involved the nation, he gloried in being an individual of that oppofition, which had rendered fuch an effential fervice to their country. Previous to his entering upon that part of the fpeech relative to the affairs of India, he defired the clerk to read part of his majetty's fpeech on opening the former fellion of parliament, and in which his majefty exproffed a hope of the fpeedy and honourable termination of the war in India. He then faid, that it appeared to him to be a very extraordinary circumftance, indeed, that they fhould now be called upon to vote a congratulation upon the fuccefs of our aims in India, at a moment when we were in the fame fituation of uncertainty as at the time of the former fpeech. Not being yet in poffeffion of the recent infermation from India, we had nothing to judge by but the papers before received, and by them it would be found that, inftead of fucceffes to our arms, the main object of our campaign had been defeated; two of our armies had retreated precipitately,

leaving their guns behind them, and one [general Abercromby] leaving ever. the camp hofpital and fick to the mercy of him they had termed ferocious. Instead of a conclufion to the war, we only faw the profpect of another campaign, of a certain lofs, but uncertain fuccefs. It was his intention, therefore, to move to omit that part of the addrefs mentioning the fucceffes of our arms under the able conduct of lord Cornwallis; for with no fuch ability was he yet acquainted. He approved of every other part of the addrefs, and particularly of the intended reduction of our navy and army, which reduction he hoped might be effectual, and not merely a meafure to catch at popularity. He admitted the profperity of the empire, and the great influx of wealth into the nation, but would not admit either to be advanced as an argument to cover the mifconduct of minifters. It would afford him as much pleafure as any man to alleviate the burdens of the people; and he fhould therefore rejoice in the holding out fuch a prospect, were not his jealousy roused by the manner in which the recommendation origi nated. It was the privilege of that house to originate all taxes, and it was alfo their privilege to originate every repeal or relief. The recommendation coming from the crown, appeared to him to have a tendency to diminish the confidence of the people in their reprefentatives, and to lead the people from that house to the crown for an alleviation of their burdens. argued upon the difagreeable fituation to which the houfe was expofed by fuch a recommendation, fhould they, on examination, difcover that no taxes could be prudently taken off. He exculpated minifters from any improper intention, and faid his jealoufy might have been unneceffary; but conceiving it in the light he did, he thought it his duty to ftate it, and the more efpecially on account of its novelty; for he did not believe a fingle. precedent could be fhewn of a fimilar recommendation. He took notice of an omiffion in the speech relative to the completion of the Spanifh convention, and was defous of fome explanation on the subject. He concluded by moving his amendment, to the following purport: That the houfe, fenfible that the evils of a procrastinated war must be ruinous to the finances of the

He

company, cannot help expreffing their regret, that the profpects held out in the fpeech from the throne, at the commencement of the laft feffion, have not been realized; nevertheless, that their attachment

to