preffion, we fully concur in the juft and benevolent fentiments manifefted in the declaration which your Majefty has graciously been pleased to communicate to us; and we have feen, with the utmoit fatisfaction, fo large a part of Europe united in a caufe of fuch general concern.

"We acknowledge, with pride and gratitude, the gracious manner in which your Majefty is pleased to exprefs your Majefty's fenfe of the unfhaken loyalty and firm attachment to the established Constitution and Government, which, notwithstanding the continued efforts employed to mislead and to feduce, have been fo generally prevalent among all ranks of your Majefty's Subjects. The zeal and alacrity of the Militia, and the diftinguished bravery difplayed on every occafion by your Majefty's Forces both by fea and land, have afforded eminent proofs of the fame fpirit which pervades and animates every clafs of the nation; and encouraged, as your Majefty's Forces have been, by the diftinguifhed example of your Majefty's illuftrious Progeny, and by the fenfe of the bleffings which it is the object of all our exertions to preferve, they have maintained the luftre of the British Name, and have fhewn themfelves worthy of the caufe in which they are employed.

"We intreat your Majefty to be perfuaded, that in all our deliberations, we fhall bear in mind the true grounds and origin of the War. We remember with juft indignation the attack made on your Majefty and your Majefty's Allies, grounded on principles which tend to deftroy all Property, to fubvert the Laws and Religion of every civilized Nation, and to introduce universally that wild and deftructive fyftem of rapine, anarchy, and impiety, the effects of which, as they have alrendy been manifefted in France, furnish a dreadful but ufeful leflon to the prefent age and to pofterity.

"We will, on our parts, perfevere with union and vigour in our exertions, fenfible that by difcontinuing or relaxing the prefent efforts, we could hardly procure even a fhort interval of delufive repofe, and could certainly never obtain either fecurity or peace. Deeply impreffed with the neceffity of defending all that is moft dear to us, and relying with confidence on the valour and refources of our country, on the combined efforts of fo large a part of Europe, and above all on the inconteftable juftice of our caufe, we will afford to your Majefty all poffible fupport in the just and neceflary fyftem in which your Majefty is embarked; and we truft that all claffes of his Majefty's Subjects will endeavour, by culti vating and practifing the principles of humanity, and the duties of religion, to merit the continuance of the Divine Favour and Protection, which have been fo eminently experienced by these kingdoms.

His Majesty's Moft Gracious Answer :

"MY LORDS,

"I return you my warmeft acknowledgments for this very dutiful and loyal Addrefs. The fentiments you exprefs refpecting the prefent important fituation of public affairs, and the zeal and union you have manifefted in fupport of thofe meafures, which can alone tend to maintain the deareft interefts of my People, and to fecure the tranquillity and independence of Europe, cannot fail of producing the happieft effects both at home and abroad. You may be affured that nothing fhall be wanting, on my part, to employ, with energy and vigour, in a caufe of fuch deep concern, thofe refources which I derive from the wifdom and firmness of my Parliament, and from the general attachment of my People to the Conftitution and Government of their Country, and to the interefts of Humanity, Order, and Religion, throughout all Europe."

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Wednesday, January 22.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice, that on Wednes-. day, the 5th of February, he purpofed bringing forward his Budget. Mr. Long moved the 27th of February thould be the laft day on which Private Petitions fhould be received, which was agreed to.

The Speaker and Mr. Pitt fixed the hours for private and public bufinefs the fame as they were last year.

New Writs were ordered to be iffued for the Boroughs of Seaford and Yarmouth, in the room of Mr. Serjeant and Sir John Jervis; the firft having vacated his feat by accepting the office of Clerk of the Ordnance, the other by accepting a Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds.-Adjourned

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Friday, January 24.

Received a Meffage from the Lords, informing the House, their Lordships will proceed further in the Trial of Mr. Haftings, on the 13th day of February.

Received feveral Private Petitions.

The Houfe, in a Committee, voted a Refolution on the King's Speech, that a Supply be granted to His Majefty; and the Report was ordered to be received on Monday, the 27th, to which Day the Houfe adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Monday, January 27.

Several private Petitions were prefented, and ordered to lie on the Table. We shall specify their nature and import when their refult is made known.

Mr. Haffey prefented a Petition from the Woolcombers of the City of New Sarum; it flated, that, by the Introduction of a Machine, by which the Work of Thirty Men could be performed by One, many of them were reduced to great Diftrefs from want of Employment in their Bufinefs, and prayed relief. Read, and ofdered to lie on the Table.

A fimilar Petition was prefented by Mr. Baring, from the Woolcombers of the City of Exeter.

Mr. Rofe prefented a Petition from the Inhabitants of the Borough of Seaforth, complaining of the undue Election of a Member to ferve in Parliament for the faid Borough; and on his Motion, the matter of the Petition was appointed to be taken into Confideration on Monday the 10th of March.

MR. HASTINGS'S TRIAL.

Mr. Burke moved the fame Lift of Managers as heretofore for conducting the Impeachment; and alfo that Mr. Speaker do attend in his Place, at Ten o'Clock on the Morning of Thursday, the 13th of February, to receive a Meffage from the Lords, and proceed to Weftminster-Hall, whatever may be the Number of Members prefent; which were agreed to.

Mr. Wigley gave notice, that on the fame day he would move for a Meffage to the Lords, requesting them to proceed de die in diem, till the Trial fhould be concluded.

AMERICAN INTERCOURSE.

On the Motion of Mr. Dudley Rider, the American Intercourfe Acts were appointed to be taken into Consideration on Wednesday the 29th.

SUPPLY.

Mr. Hobart brought up the Report of the Committee of Supply, which was read, and agreed to rem. con.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that an humble Address be prefented to His Majefty, praying that he would direct the Proper Officers to lay before the Houfe Accounts of the Ordina rics and Extraordinaries of the Navy and Army for the prefent Year. Agreed to, and fuch Members as were of the Privy Coun cil defired to prefent the fame.

CRIMINAL LAW OF SCOTLAND,

Mr. Adam obferved it was neceffary for him to fay a few words on a subject which he had given notice of in the laft Seffion of Parliament, as he was now under the neceffity of making fome alteration in the form of the motion which he had intended to make. The Houfe would recollect, that in the laft Seffion, near the conclufion of it, he gave notice that, early in this, he fhould bring forward a Motion relative to the Criminal Law of Scotland, under a Committee of the whole Houfe, on Courts of Justice, or under fome fuch form, for the purpose of affimilating the Criminal Law

of

of Scotland to the criminal Law of England. He had been induced to do so in the laft Seffion from the then recent decifion in the Houfe of Lords, that no appeal fhall be had to them from the decifion of the Court of Jufticiary in criminal cafes. Since that period certain trials in Scotland had taken place, that made the fubjest ftill more neceffary to be difcuffed, and made it advifeable, as he thought, for him to bring the queftion forward in a different form from that in which he intended originally to introduce it: at that time he intended to move for leave to bring in one Bill to give an appeal from the criminal Courts of Scotland to the Houfe of Lords, as from the different Courts in England, and to put the criminal laws, with regard to appeal, upon the fame footing in both countries. He intended alfo to provide in the fame Bill, that crimes and misdemeanours affecting the ftate fhould be put on the fame footing in both countries; that a grand Jury fhould be had in Scotland in the fame cafes as in England; to put the power of the Lord Advocate of Scotland on the fame footing as the office of the Attorney General of England; and fuch as had for their object the introduction of petit Juries in the inferior Courts of Criminal Jurifdiction, and the regulation of the punishments for contempt, and of the method in which witneffes were examined in both countries.

All of these things he intended to have been included in one Bill; but the late judgments of the Court of Scotland had made it necellary for him to alter his plan of proceeding in fome measure. He fhould ftate now the nature of the motion which at present he intended to bring forward. He fhould bring forward two Bills. The one relative to the queftion of appeal from the decifion of the Court of Jufticiary in Scotland; the other for affimilating the Criminal Law of the two countries. For that purpose, he should move a Committee of the whole Houfe, in the nature of a Committee on Courts of Juftice. But though he fhould bring that subject forward in that form; yet, in the courfe of agitating the Bill, it was by no means improbable that he, if nobody elfe fhould do fo, might move the Houfe, That it might be an inftruction to the Committee to infert a claufe, giving exprefsly the right of appeal in all criminal cafes that have happened in the Courts of Scotland in the year 1793, in order that it might be determined whether the late decifions of that Court, in fome recent cafes, were confiftent with law or not; and then, if the unfortunate perfons who are now enduring the judgment of the Court of Justiciary thought themselves aggrieved, fuch, for inftance, as Mr. Muir and Mr. Palmer, and others, it would give them an opportunity, if they faould think fit, to bring the matter upon which the whole of their cafe turned before the Lords, for a full difcuffion and final determination. This appeared to him highly neceffary after what had happened; for most unquestionably

unquestionably the public mind was agitated upon this fubject, and therefore it fhould now be difcuffed; and there would be no mode, in his opinion, fo proper as that which he proposed; and therefore it was, that in giving notice, he entered fo much upon the fubject, as well alfo as that he might not be accufed, when the difcution came on, of going beyond the Bill of which he had already given notice. Having itated the nature of the inftruction he should move to be given to the Committee, the Motion of leave to bring in the Bill he was ready to make either now, or, if the Honourable Gentlemen on the other fide of the Houfe thought proper, he would give notice, &c. of the day on which the motion fhould be made, and the fubject might be debated or the Bill brought in, and the difcuffion might be referved for the time of his moving for introduction to the Committee of the Houfe to admit the claufe for appeal, in all criminal cafes determined in the Courts of Scotland in the year 1793. The fubftance of the firft motion was, that Leave be given to bring in a Bill to give appeal in Criminal Cafes from the Courts of Scotland to the Houfe of Lords, in Matter of Law.

Mr. Secretary Dundas faid, that the matter and propofition had been clearly and candidly ftated by the Learned and Honourable Gentleman. He faid he fhould not argue the matter now, as he understood a future time would be appointed for the difcuffion of it. It had been obferved that a certain queftion, arifing out of a late judgment given in the northern part of this kingdom, had agitated the public mind; whenever that queftion came forward, he fhould be ready to take a part in the difcuffion. And that with regard to the fentences paffed by the High Court of Jufticiary, he was ready at any time to maintain their legality, and would render that point as evident as pofible to the Houfe. But he did not choofe to fuffer this ftage of the bufinefs to pafs without faying that the fentences alluded to were completely founded in law, and that every information to the contrary was entirely without foundation.

Mr. Fox faid he should have thought there could not be much objection to the mode of proceeding propofed by his Honourable Friend. The bringing in the Bill was to bring the fubject for ward for difcuffion. The clufes in it, or the whole tenour of the Bill, might or might not be proper. The fentence of the Court of Jufticiary might or might not be legal, might be judicious or otherwife. These were queftions which were independent of the legality of the fentence upon which the debate upon the motion for fpecial instruction to the Committee might arife, or might be intended to be moved for, and would come properly and regularly before the Houfe to be examined. It was poffible, for inftance, that thofe who might think thefe judgments perfectly legal,