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years, for the purposes of hoftility to Tippoo, and the partition of his territory. He attemped to prove, that the purchase of Jacottah was with the view of eftablishing an offenfive poft against Tippoo; that the war had been procraftinated, and that the confequent ruin of our finances was inevitable. The expences of the war he afferted to have been in part defrayed by the fe zure of the property of one prince, to carry on war against another. We had commenced the attack of an enemy, by ftripping a friend; we had facrificed the nabob of Arcot to our views against Tippoo; for fuch conduct he was defirous of hearing fome reafon advanced; fome neceflity fhewn for making the nabob a beggar in his own dominions. He confidered this to be an act of the blackett dye. His opinion of the progress of the war was the fame with what he had on a former debate stated to have been; armies and ammunition we had in abundance, but we wanted provifions, and that difficulty would be increased in the fecond attempt to take Seringapatam, as there neither would be new cultivations, for new hoards of grain, for lord Cornwallis to avail himself of. He dwelt upon the proverbial faithleffness of the Mahrattas, and deprecated as highly impolitic our alliance with them. The extirpation of Tippoo would in no degree whatever better us; it might add to the extent of our territory, and to the apparent increase of our revenue, but our expence and our danger would be increased. He concluded by moving feveral refolutions, condemning the war; the two firft of which were, That it appears to the houfe that the letter from earl Cornwallis to the Nizam was meant to have, and has had, the full effect of a treaty, executed in due form;' and That Tippoo Sultan had not, up to the time of the fignature of that letter, given any offence to the British government, or conducted himself in any manner warranting the commencement of hoftilities against him.'

Mr. Powys, after an exordium in favour of lord Cornwallis, as a perfon of fuch plainnefs and fincerity in all his tranfactions that he was incapable of any kind of crooked policy, faid, that inftead of feeing any thing deferving difapprobation in the conduct of the noble lord, he confidered that conduct to be meriting the highest approbation. The war arofe, not from the inclination of his lordship, but from cruel neceffity. The apparent deterMination of Tippoo had long been for hof

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tility, and the letter from his lordflip to the Nizam, to counteract fuch hoftility, inftead of meriting the epithets of duplicity and juggle, was founded on the trueft policy. That his lordip was inclined to peace, and paid every due attention to the refolutions of that houfe for its maintenance, the letter was ftrong evidence; for in one part of it his lordship expreffed himfelf, that Unless juft caufe should be given for entering into new treaties, the laws of my country, the injunctions of the king and commons of England, as well as the faith and honour of the English, prohibit me from entering into any negotia tions to make new treaties.' In every tranfaction of the noble lord's, which had been brought forward for cenfure, he saw grounds fufficient for the most honourable exculpation.

Lord Mornington faid, that upon a former day, when motions cemfuring, as the prefent did, the commencement and progrefs of the war, the difcuffion was confidered to tend to confequences extremely mischievous, to the forming unjust impres fions on the minds of our allies, and to difcourage our general to counteract those effects, the houfe was not content with merely negativing the propofed cenfure, but voted a declaration of approbation of the conduct of lord Cornwallis, as a means to counteract the mischiefs which might other wife have been expected, from the infinuations thrown out, of the injuftice of the 'war, and of the impolicy in proceeding with it. The declaration of the house in fupport of the war, he understood from India, had been attended with the best effects; it was not then to be thought that the house would, when no fubftantial ground was taken, and no new fact advanced, countenance any motion calculated to deftroy their former determination. His Lordship then took a review of the commencement and progrefs of the war, the former of which he contended to have been jutt, and indifpenfably neceffary; and the latter fuccefsful and glorious to the British arms. He concluded by faying, that if peace, as was extremely probable, was by this time effected, the motions were nugatory; if peace was not effected, they might be pernicious.

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General Smith contended, that there was nothing offenfive in the noble lord's letter; that the conduct of Tippoo had been, from his acceffion to the Mysore government, marked with a rooted hatred to the British; and that for the last four years,

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his conduct had been evidently hoftile: he wifhed gentlemen to recollect the embaffy to France, where, as was generally known, a treaty had been agitated for the extirpation of the British from India. The hon. general faid, he considered the attack made by Tippoo on the Travancore lines, to have been a fortunate circumstance for this country, for in a very short time, by the works he was carrying on, but which he had not finished, he would not only have been an over-match for us, but for the formidable league by which he is now borne down. The conduct of lord Cornwallis in commencing the war on account of this attack, he confidered not only as juft, but as a mafter-piece of policy; and fo far from being ready to cenfure his lordship by agreeing to the motions before the house, he was ready to declare that there did not appear in the whole of his lordship's conduct in India, a fingle act derogatory to the good faith, to the honour, or the dignity of his country.

Mr. Anftruther spoke on the injuftice of being prevented from freely examining the fubject, merely in compliment to the perfonal character of Lord Cornwallis. He thought it did not become gentlemen on the other fide of the house to lay, that they were fhaking the faith of our alliances, when it had already been fufficiently fhaken by the declarations in the gazettes of the cowardice of the Nizam,

Colonel Phipps, by the aid of his profeffional knowledge, threw great light on our military operations in India. He concluded, by moving amendments to fome of the refolutions, and said that he should negative the others.

The question having been put on colonel Phipp's amendment of the third refolution, the house divided upon the fame, Ayes for the amendment Noes

Majority

152

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On Friday, March 16, Mr. Burton, pursuant to the notice he had given on a former day, rofe to make a motion for the more effectual administration of the duties of justices of the peace in Middlefex. Gentlemen, he faid, from their own obfervation, must be acquainted with the bleffings which arofe in the country, from the fair adminiftration of the important office of a justice of peace: In Londen, however, the cafe was very different, and excepting the office in Bow-treet, and the adminiftration of magiftracy in the city, where the

refpectable body of magiftrates confidered it an addition to their dignity, and not as a difparagement, to ferve their country as juftices of the peace, the bleffings were not experienced. The causes were too notorious to need mention. The two principal were those of a deficiency of offices in the metropolis, and the abuse of the office. Thofe who were robbed of trifles, or flightly injured in their perfons, if at a confide-, rable diftance from Bow-ftreet, put up with their injuries, rather than involve themfelves in the trouble of the profecution of the offenders; the confequence of which was, that finall offences paffed unpunished, and gave rife to greater, until thofe who committed them received a final punifhment. The abufe of the office of a justice of peace was also as well known, as the deficiency of proper offices; it was grofsly abufed by men who made it a trade: his object was to propose a remedy. to cure both the deficiency and the abuse; and the mode he fhould fubmit would be by a law, directing fit, that five offices fhould always be open to tranfact business; and, 2dly, that no fees fhould be received for bufinefs tranfacted within the diftricts of thofe offices. He fhould propofe that three juftices be appointed to each office; that one of thofe three fhould always be on the spot from nine in the morning until a late hour in the evening; that two thould always be prefent in the principal part of the day, one of whom to be a magistrate of the office, the other might be any gentleman in the commiffion for Middlefex. due fees to be accounted for into the receipt of his majesty's exchequer, for the purpose of conftituting a fund, out of which the falaries of the juftices, and the other expences of the establishment, were to be de frayed. The confequence of thus rendering it impoffible that a juftice of the peace fhould be interested in levying a fine, or in the amount of the fine, would be the pla cing him in a fituation in which he could have no intereft but in the upright discharge of his duty. To provide, however, against the poffibility of the fees not amounting to a fufficient fum to defray the expences and falaries, it was his intention to propofe a claufe for the payment of the remainder out of the confolidated fund.

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These were the outlines of his plan, in which, however, he had omitted the mention of another appointment, which might be found neceffary, a treasurer, to receive all fees for the receipt of the exchequer, and to pay the expences of falaries and efta

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tleman's speech, in which he had stated that he had no intention to alter the law; but if fuch alteration was neceffary, and if it fhould be found expedient to clothe magiftrates with more power than they now did poffefs, fuch additional power, Mr. Dundas faid, he most certainly would readily vote for. He here took notice of the alarming increase of pickpockets, and their increafed impudence, which had arifen to fuch an height that no perfon could walk the streets in fafety. If, in the progress of the bill, he could devise any clause to enable magiftrates to take more effectual meafures than they now could, against fuch perfons as he had defcribed, he hoped the houfe would give it the most serious confideration. It was the duty of minifters to look to every thing that might promote the welfare of the ftate; if, therefore, it should appear that the fecurity of the people, and the morals of any clafs, could be advanced by giving more effectual power to juftices of the peace, fuch a meafure could not be adopted with more propriety than in a bill which went to the reform of magiftracy.

blishments. It had been propofed, he faid, for the purpose of removing all idea of patronage, to leave the different appointments that must take place to carry his plan into execution, to the lord chancellor, the two chief juftices, the chief baron, and other perfons of that defeription; but to this mode he had an objection, not thinking that in a refponfibility fo generally fpread, there could be equal fecurity that proper perfons fhould be appointed, as in a refponfibility more confined. He thought, there fore, that it would be the best for the appointment to reft in one perfon, where it now refted, namely, in the king, and that his majefty's advifer fhould be one known and refponfible perfon, the head of the law. In propofing the fituation of the offices, he faid they would be fo placed, that no part of their diftricts would be at a greater diffance than that of half a mile.-Two confequences would arife from the eftablishment of fuch a plan as he had ftated, publicity and competition; their publicity would enable all the world to judge whether the magiftrates acted uprightly; and the competition arifing from that publicity, would not be a competition for the gain of lucre, which was the competition of the prefent interlopers into magiftracy, but it would be a competition for fkill, impartiality, and integrity. His plan was not calculated to benefit the rich, but to ferve the poor, who would thereby have places of refort to obtain redrefs, and not, as now was too frequently the cafe, in their applications for redrefs and juftice, find extortion and oppreffion.-His propofitions would not operate to a change of the prefent law, but would leave it exactly as before, for no magiftrates would be prevented from fervng the public-fees alone would be relinquifhed; thofe gentlemen who were defirous to act would have an opportunity of acting ferviceably in conjunction with the magiftrates of the office, over whom their prefence might operate as a check. He would trouble the houfe no further, than by moving, That leave be given to bring in a bill for the more effectual adminiftration of the office of justice of peace in fuch parts of Middlefex, as lie in and about the metropolis.'

Mr. fecretary Dundas faid, it was with great pleature he rofe to fecond the motion of the hon. and learned gentleman. He obferved upon that part of the hon. gen,

Mr. Mainwaring was defirous of hearing from the right hon. fecretary, what that defect of the law was, with respect to the punishment of pickpockets; he was of opinion, that to remedy fuch defects, if defects there were, would be better proceeded in by going into a committee on the laws againft pickpockets, than by the propofition of a claufe in the bill intended to be brought in.

Mr. fecretary Dundas faid, he had not propofed a committee, becaufe fuch a propofition might have tended to retard the bill of the hon. gentleman, which every man muft feel to be neceffary, and with to be expedited; for his own part, he would not attempt to introduce into it any debateable matter; but if any measure itruck him in the progrefs of the bill, calculated for the purpofe he had before ftated, he fhould fubmit it to the confideration of the houfe, and give his reafons in support the meafure.

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The question was then put and unanimoufly agreed to, and Mr. Burton, Mr. Mainwaring, Mr. fecretary Dundas, the attorney and folicitor general, Mr. Elliott, Mr. H. Brown, and fir George Howard, were ordered to prepare and bring in the bill.

[ To be continued. ]

A F

AFFAIRS OF FRANCE,
Continued from page 142;

IN the national affembly, on Monday, February 6, an act of accufation was paffed against the emigrant princes, M. de Calonne, M. de Laqueuile the elder, and M. de Riquetti, late viscount de Mirabeau.

On Saturday, February 11, the guard placed at one of the doors of the gallery of the national affembly, was infulted, and forced by the crowd, who contended, that the conftitution abolished privileges, and confecrated equality, and that, therefore, they had an equal right to be there as any perfons for whom the feats had been defigned. The mob, after having difperfed the centinels, mounted the gallery, of which they took poffeffion.

A legiflator was defirous that this act of violence should be taken into confideration by the legislature; but the mob, far from teftifying either fear or repentance, overwhelmed the speaker with hiffes and groans.

M. Roullier then attempted to speak; but, notwithstanding his popularity, met the fame fate as the former member.

The prefident then spoke, but with as little fuccefs; his prohibitions to the mob from difturbing the legislative body were openly despised.

On a propofal being made to drive the rioters from the tribunes, they became more tumultuous and disrespectful than ever.

Fortunately, an extraordinary deputation from the municipality of Avignon having been introduced to the bar, requefted to be heard. Hereupon, not only the legislators, but the rioters, became curious to hear what was to be faid. Silence was of course restored.

Before the municipal officers of Avignon were permitted to speak, the affembly, by a formal decree, enjoined the committee of inspection to prefent a plan on the means to prevent, in future, the guard from being forced, and the reprefentatives of the people from being infulted, even - when affembled in their fanctuary.

Reports having ftrongly prevailed in the capital, that the king was meditating a fecond departure, his majefty, on the 17th of February, fent the following letter to the mayor and municipality of Paris.

• Gentlemen,

you the reports which are spread about my pretended leaving Paris; I thought that what I mentioned of it would have been fufficient for difcrediting these reports; but as evil-minded people continue to propagate them, in order to alarm the inhabitants of Paris, and to calumniate my intentions, I will explain myfelf clearly on my way of thinking.

'I know the duties which the conftitu tion impofes upon me, I will always fulfil them; but I alfo know the rights it gives me, and I will never refuse myself the power of making use of them. Nothing keeps me at Paris but my will of being there, as I think my prefence neceffary, and I declare, that I will and fhall remain there; and whenever I fhall have reasons to leave it, I fhall not difguise them.

I have to add, that if a perfon is not quite deprived of the use of his fenfes, or incurably perverfe, he cannot entertain the leaft doubt of my inviolable attachment to the welfare of the nation, and the inhabitants of Paris.

(Signed)

LOUIS.'

The municipality ordered the letter to be printed and pofted up, and appointed a deputation to exprefs to his majefty their deep fenfibility of this new affurance of his attachment to the happiness of the nation.

Trial by jury is now eftablished in Paris, and will be fo in the rest of the kingdom, as fast as the neceffary arrange

ments can be made.

On Sunday, Feb. 12, the committee of inspection informed the affembly, that to prevent fuch disorders as had taken place on Saturday evening, the nation alguard of Paris had offered to mount a guard of artillery at the entrance of the hall, and that two pieces of cannon, with matches lighted, were now planted there.

M. Lambert obferving, that a motion for granting the honours of the Pantheon to the illuftrious author of the Spirit of Laws, had been referred to the committee of public inftruction, proposed that the fame honours fhould be granted to the memory of Louis XII and Henry IV, as the only French kings who had truly fhewn themfelves the fathers of their people; and that no monument fhould be erected in honour of any man during his life. This was referred to the fame com

! I have already mentioned to fome of mittee,

On

On Wednesday, Feb. 29, the answer of prince Kaunitz to the king's late representations respecting the conduct of the emperor, was communicated to the emperor; it is in fubftance as follows:

Vienna, Feb. 17, 1792.

I anfwer, in the name of the emperor my mafter, to the explanations required by the court of France. The request refted on two points; the first relative to the orders iffued to general Bender to prepare for war. This armament was merely defenfive; it had no other object but to protect the electorate of Treves from an invafion. The fecond point related to the emperor's alliance with the king of Prussia and other powers. Though it be mifnamed a league, nothing can be more juft, than the treaty by which the kings declared, in the month of June 1791, that they would fupport the cause of his most Chriftian majefty against his rebel oppreffors. Nothing but the king's perfect ftate

of freedom could have difarmed his avengers; but should rebellion break out anew, the confederacy of kings would have its effect. [When this laft paffage was read, a member exclaimed, that the emperor was very infolent; another called for the order of the day; a third vociferated War! War! War! and M. Taillefer faid, in a very audible voice, The emperor is a curfed comical fellow.'] After having threatened thole who would dare infult the king, queen, or any of the royal family, he proceeded to the popular focieties, and faid, the violence and influence of the republican party, condemned by the principles of the constitution, are noticed with forrow by all thofe who wish well to France-the Jacobins are the inftigators of that faction-[Here M. Taillefer interrupted-fo, fo, the cloven-foot appears-another gentleman called out for the author of the farce; a third contended, that Leopold was a member of the Feuillant club]-by their manœuvres they feek to undermine the government, to expofe the monarch to contempt; and, through their baneful influence, the law givers iffued the incompetent decree of the 25th of January, as if the king's rights were fubordinate to the caprice of a national affembly.'

This anfwer was referred to the diplomatic committee; before whom it lay a

confiderable time.

The national affembly had intimated to the king, that M. Bertrand, the marine minifter, had loft the confidence of the

nation; but, inftead of difmiffing him as was expected, his majesty sent a letter to the affembly, announcing his having difmiffed M. de Narbonne, the war minifter. As this gentleman poffeffed the confidence of the affembly, the conduct of the cabinet at the Thuilleries (which was fuppofed to have acted under the Auftrian party, yet unacquainted with the death of the emperor) underwent some fevere animadverfions. In the midft of one of these difcuffions on the fubject, the following letter was announced from the king:

'Gentlemen,

'I have examined the obfervations which

the zeal and folicitude of the national affembly have induced it to address to me upon the conduct of the minister of the marine. I fhall always receive with pleafure thofe communications which it thinks useful to make. The obfervations which have been sent me from the affembly appear to me abfolutely to come within the number of thofe fubjects upon which it had declared itself incompetent to deliberate. I at that time gave an account of thofe anfwers which M. Bertrand had presented against thefe various complaints, and my judgment coincided with the affembly. Since that time, no well-founded complaint has been made relative to the different departments of his adminiftration, and all communications from the colonies, from commercial bodies, and from the naval departments, prefent teftimonies of his zeal and useful fervices. In a word, as he has been reproached with no breach of the law, I fhould think myfelf unjuft, were I to withdraw my confidence from him. To conclude, minifters know well, that the only way to obtain and preferve my confidence, is to cause the laws to be executed with energy and fidelity. (Signed) LOUIS. (Counterfigned) M. L. DUPORT,

A long and animated debate followed, in which it was infifted, that the executive power had been abused. In the interior it. was converted into an engine for ariftocratical views, and on the frontiers it feemed to have been delegated on one hand to the emperor and the king of Pruffia, and on the other to the king of Spain. Minifters, it was afferted, had been doing every thing in their power to deftroy the commonwealth fince the 21ft of june; that they had been guilty of treafon, and ought to pay the forfeit with their heads.

The

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