decifion belonged to the king, and that it was not the province of that houfe to interfere, unless on very great and important occafions; and fuch occafions could fearcely occur, except when the interpofition of the houfe ought to be accompanied with an advice to his majefty to choose new counfellors. For a more contradictory and abfurd propofition could not be conceived, than for that houfe to fay, "We place fo little confidence in your majefty's prefent advilers, that we think we ought, with a view to the future fa'ety of the country, to take on ourfelves the talk of giving your majesty advice; but, at the fame tune, we think your prefent minifters ought to continue in office." But Mr. Dundas, without refting the defence of adminiftration on the general maxim of the conftitution, to which he had now referred, relied on the circumftances of the cafe; and proceeded to flew, that, engaged as we were in an arduous conteft with fuch an enemy France, it would have been very unwife to feparate ourselves from fuch an ally as Auftria.

as

To what had been alleged by Mr. Dundas, refpecting the abfurdity of affuming the province, and yet approving the continuance of the prefent minifters in office, no reply was made either by Mr. Sheridan or Mr. Grey. Thus the debate was cut fhort: though the purpose of voting, for or against the motion, as ufual, feemed to remain unchanged; for, on a divifion of the houfe, there appeared for the motion, 3; against it, 156.

The defect or inconfiftency of Mr. Sherican's motion was completely avoided by Mr. T. Jones, who, in the fame fpirit, and for the fame

3

purpose, on the 4th of December, moved, in the houfe of commons, the difmiffal of his majefty's minifters directly, and point blank. After arraigning their conduct, and reprefenting the diftrefs and dangers in which this had involved the public, in his own peculiar manner, in which there appears to be a mixtare of bluntnefs, and a kind of ferio-comic buffoonery, not unimpreflive, he moved, “That an humble addrefs be prefented to his majefty, earneftly imploring his majefly, that, taking into his royal confideration the fufferings of his loyal and affectionate people, he will be gracioutly pleafed no longer to liften to the counfels of his prefent minifters, who, by their profufion and extravagance, have brought their country to the brink of famine and ruin; and who, by their incapacity, have fhewn themfelves unequal to conduct the war with effect, or enter into negotiations of peace with honour." This motion was fupported by Mr. Nicholls and Mr. Roblon; and nothing, on the minifterial fide of the house, was faid against it. On a divifion of the houfe, however, there appeared for the motion, 13; against it, 66.

In this, which, though fhort, was an integral feffion of parliament, eftimates were given in to the house of commons, refpecting the different branches of the public fervice, and fuitable fupplies were voted for three lunar months. For the fervice of the navy 120,000 men, including 22,696 marines, were granted, from the 1ft of January to the 1ft of April, 1801. A fum, in the language of parliament, not exceeding 656,000l. was granted for the payment of the faid men, for the period juft fpecified, at 17. 173. per

month;

month; 684,000l. was granted for victualling them, at the rate of 11. 18s. per man per month. For the army, there was voted the number of 58,528 effective men, commiffioned and non-commiffioned of ficers, including 5797 invalids, for guards and garrifons in Great Britain, Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney, to be employed from the 25th day of December, 1800, to the 24th day of March, 1801, both inclufive, being ninety days; and, for their maintenance, there was granted a fum not exceeding 506,2551. The fum of 501,4867. was granted for maintaining, for the fame period, his majesty's forces in the planta tions, including thofe ferving in Portugal, at Gibraltar, and in the Mediterranean; thofe ftationed at the Cape of Good Hope, and a corps of foot in New South Wales: 374,3501. for defraying the charge of the embodied militia of Great Britain, of the royal corps of miners of Cornwall and Devon, and of feveral corps of fencible infantry: 110,000. for defraying the charge of the increased rates of subsistence to be paid to innkeepers and others, on quartering foldiers; and the charge of an allowance to be made to the non-commiffioned officers and private men of his majesty's land forces in Great Britain, in lieu of fmallbeer: 127,500. for recruiting and contingencies for his majesty's land forces, of forage for the cavalry in barracks in Great Britain, and of extra feed for thofe in quarters: 145,000l. for defraying the charge of volunteer corps of cavalry and infantry in Great Britain: 171,2001. for defraying the expenfes expected to be incurred in the barrack-mafter-general's department: 150,000l. for defraying the charge of foreign

corps in the fervice of Great Britain: 205,0001. for defraying the ordinary establishment of the navy for three lunar months,, commencing the 1ft day of January, 1801: 20,0001. for defraying the expenfes of the extraordinary eftablishment of the navy for the fame period : 35,000l. for the maintenance of fick prifoners of war: 475,000l. for the expenfe of the tranfport fervice, and for the maintenance of prifoners of war in health: 457,0007. for the charge of the office of ordnance for land fervice: 35,000. for foreign. and other fecret fervices: 60,000l. for the relief of the fuffering clergy and laity of France, and American loyalifts: 80007. for defraying the expenfes of confining, maintaining, and employing convicts at home. All thefe fums for the expenfes of the different articles for the months of January, February, and March, 1801. As ways and means for railing this fupply, the land and malt taxes, with thofe on mum, cider, and perry, were continued from the 24th day of June, 1801, to the 24th day of June, 1802: certain duties on fugar, fnuff, and tobacco, were continued from the 25th day of March, 1801, to the 25th day of March, 1802; and the fum of four fhillings in the pound was to be raised within the face of one year, from the 25th day of March, 1801, upon penfions, offices, and perfonal eftates, in that part of Great Britain called England, Wales, and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

On the 31st of December, 1800, the ARMY RETURNS were presented to the house of commons by the From these it fecretary at war. appeared, that the number of men that had been raifed for the fervice of the army, fince the commence[D4]

ment

ment of the prefent war, as far as could be made up from the documents in the adjutant-general's of fice, 24th of December, 1800, was, in all, 208,888. That the number of men, for the fame period, who had been difcharged from the fervice of the army, on account of wounds, bodily infirmities, and other caufes, was, in all, 75,910. But

this number included not only thofe entirely difcharged from the fervice, but fuch as had been transferred from one regiment to another; both having been placed under the head of "difcharged men."

That the number of men killed in action, or who had died in the fervice of the army, fince the commencement of the prefent war, was

48,971.

That the number of effective men, rank and file, including invalids, militia, and foreign corps, as well as the regular and fencible troops, ferv ing, in the pay of Great Britain, on the 24th of December, 1800, was 168,082.

The army and navy fedition bill was continued till the 1ft of Auguft, 1807, the term at which its expiration had been fixed by the Irith parliament. The fufpenfion of habeas corpus was continued for fix weeks, from the ift of February, 1801, the date of its expiration. Before the legislature fhould come to a decifion, on the expediency of renewing it for any length of time, it was thought proper to wait the deliberations of the Irish parliament. The alien bill was continued until the period of fix months after the place. These three bills did not pafs without oppofition, particularly the continued fufpenfion of the habeas corpus law. On the last day of the year, the king, after giving

the royal fanction to the bills that were thought neceffary to be paffed, clofed the feflion of parliament.His majefty, "after returning his particular acknowledgments to both houfes of parliament, for the diftinguifhed indufiry and zeal with which they had applied themselves to the relief of the public diftrefs, obferved, that the time fixed for the commencement of the union of Great Britain and Ireland neceffarily terminated their proceedings on that important fubject; but he expreffed his perfuafion, that the confideration of it would be refumed with the fame zeal and temper on the first meeting of the parliament of the united kingdom. The detention of the property of his fubjects in the ports of Ruffia, contrary to the most folemn treaties, and the imprisonment of British failors in that country, had excited in him fentiments, in which, he was fure, that the parliament and all his fubjects would participate. He had already taken fuch fteps as that occafion indispenfably required; but, if it fhould become neceffary to maintain, against any combination, the honour and independence of the British empire, and thofe maritime rights and interefts, on which both our profperity and fecurity must always depend, he entertained no doubt, either of the fuccefs of thote means, which, in fuch an event, he should be enabled to exert, or of the determination of his parliament and his people to afford him a fupport, proportioned to the importance of the interefts to be maintained."

As the period had now arrived, when the whole frame of our government was to be diffolved, though inftantly renovated and enlarged on the former plan, and the first day of

the

the new year and century was to ufher in a new form, and a new title of government, his majefty, before he retired, ordered the chancellor to read a proclamation, declaring that the individuals, who compofed the expiring parliament, fhould be the members, on the part of Britain, of the parliament of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and that this imperial parliament fhould affemble on the 22d day of January, 1801. Immediately after leaving the houfe of lords, he held a grand council, in which fome arrangements required by that great event were fettled. A proclamation was iffued on the 1ft of January, 1801, the forty-firft year of his majefty's reign, declaring his majesty's pleasure concerning the royal ftyle and titles appertaining to the imperial crown of Great Britain and Ireland, and its dependencies, and alfo the enligns armorial, flags, and banners thereof. The roval ftyle and titles were to be expressed, in the Latin tongue, by these words: "GEORGIUS Tertius, Dei gratia, Britanniarum rex, fidei defenfor;" and, in the English tongue, "GEORGE the Third, by the grace of God, of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, king, defender of the faith." The arms or enfigns armorial of the united kingdom were ordered to be quarterly: firft and fourth, England; fecond, Scotland; third, Ireland.

There was to be borne therewith, on' an efcutcheon of pretence, the arms of his majefty's dominions in Germany, enfigned with the electoral bonnet. The ftandard of the united kingdom to be the fame quartering that was declared to be the arms or enfigns armorial of the said united kingdom, with the escutcheon of pretence thereon defcribed. The union flag to be azure, bearing the crofles of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. On the fame day, January 1, 1801, a royal proclamation declared the enfign or colours to be borne at fea in merchant-fhips belonging to any of his majefty's fubjects of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-land, and the dominions thereunto belonging. That the royal fhips might be clearly and eafily diftinguifhed from veffels belonging to any of the king's fubjects, an enfign, accurately defcribed, was appointed for all merchant-fhips or others not in his majefty's fervice. A new great feal was made, of courfe, in conformity with the alterations that had taken place in the royal titles and arms.

In honour of the union many promotions were made, and many new titles conferred, on noblemen of Ireland: a confiderable number of whom either received advancement of rank in their own order, or were created peers of the united kingdom.

HE parliament of the united Ireland, otherwile called the imperial parliament, was opened, by commiffion, on the 22d of January, 1801, when the lord chancellor acquainted the house of commons, that it was his majefty's pleature that they fhould immediately proceed to elect a fpeaker. The commons then withdrew, and elected their late fpeaker, Mr. Addington. This election was, on the next day, confirmed in the fame manner by the royal approbation. The king, however, did not meet the parliament till the 2d of February. In his fpeech from the throne, his majefty adverted to the happy accomplishment of the legiflative union of the two kingdoms; the unfortunate course of events on the continent; and the conduct proper to be obferved in confequence of it. The reprefentations which he had direct ed to be made to the court of Peterfburgh, respecting the outrages committed against the fhips, property, and perfons of his fubjects, had been treated with the utmost difrefpect; and the proceedings of which he had complained, had been aggravated by fubfequent as of in

juftice and violence. Under thefe

been concluded by that court with thofe of Copenhagen and Stockholm, the object of which, as avowed by one of the contracting parties, was, to renew their former engagements for re-establishing by force a new code of maritime law, inconfiftent with the rights, and hoftile to the interefts of this country. He had taken the earliest measures to repel the aggreffions of this hoftile confederacy; at the fame time, that he had given fuch affurances, as manifefted his difpofition to renew his ancient relations with thofe powers, whenever it could be done confiftently with the honour of his crown, and with a juft regard to the fafety of his fubjects. He expreffed his confidence, that both houses of parliament would afford him the most vigorous and effectual fupport in his firm determination to maintain to the utmost, against every attack, the naval rights and interests of his empire. From external relations, he paffed to the internal or domeftic ftate of the united kingdom. He expreffed his confidence, that their deliberations would be uniformly directed to the great ob

ject