fears of violence could alone have forced a majority to pronounce that the royal power was fufpended, and that a national convention fhould be called. M. Condorcet's able memoir on this fubject may be recommended as the best apology which can be offered. But it will be difficult to apologize for the extreme degradation of the royal family, equally unge herous and impolitic; for dreadful are the effects of deep commiferation.

Meanwhile the armies, and the people at large, approve the democratic measures. Fayette has found himfelf forced to retire; and has, with fome of its officers, been taken by the Auftrians, in attempting to gain Holland, or fome other neutral country. The Auftrian and Pruffian armies, now in full force, and who, as is fuppofed, delayed their march till the harveft was fecured, the deftruction of which would have prevented their own fubfiftence, have at length begun to penetrate France, and the campaign will apparently be brought to a speedy decifion.

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

Mr. Fox's bill concerning Fibels has at length received the fanétion of both houfes of parliament, and has paffed into a law. But the object which has attracted the chief attention, fince our laft ftatement, is the royal proclamation against feditious writings, perhaps a measure not unneceffary to the public tranquillity. Different focieties of ignorant tradefmen had taken upon them to publifh papers, propofing alterations. deftructive to all government, fuch as an equal divifion of lands, and the like: extravagances which induced fome fenfible people to fuppofe that these were not unufual ftratagems of government, to throw cdium on a caufe, by blending it with abfurdity. But whether thefe feditious pieces were written by the friends or enemies of government, their exiftence we can avouch from ocular infpection. The writings of Mr. Paine had however attracted more general attention; the royal proclamation was, in the country, understood as an inquifitorial act against them, and with the ufual confequences; for in remote villages, where hardly two copies of the Rights of Man had before been fold, hundreds were now called for, and greedily bought up; the coaches which brought up the addreffers, carrying down cargoes of Paine's prohibited works. The proclamation however had certainly the intended effects: it excited numerous addreffes, teftifying the loyalty of the Rr 4

peo

people it awed the democratic focieties, whofe cowardice
thus appeared to be in exact proportion to their violence
and it warned the more quiet members of fociety against the
danger of lending their names to feditious clubs and papers.

M. Chauvelin, the French minifter at our court, having
requested its interference with our allies, to prevent their
affifting the enemies of France, an answer was returned,
bearing that we could not ufe fuch freedom with indepen-
dent states.

A fmall fleet of evolution performed a cruife. The camp
and martial performances at Bagfhot were underflood to be
an appendage to the proclamation.

An object of greater glory and utility is the embaffy to
China, for the extenfion of our Eaft India trade. As this de-
fign feems to be carried on upon the national expence, it would
appear to follow that the Indian monopoly is about to be
broken.

The numerous riots at Birmingham, which afford matter of
furprize, apparently arise from the variety of religious fects in
that place; the mutual enmity of which is heightened by their
clofe contact, and by the ignorance of their devotees, em-
ployed in intervals of hard labour, and debauched idlenefs.

Mr. Dundas's opofition to the bill concerning the Scottish
burghs, and his reputed enmity to the rights of the people,
provoked a riot at Edinburgh, in which his effigy was burnt,
and one or two lives were loft, before the populace could be
difperfed.

Sept. 1. 1792.

INDEX.

239 Dialogue occafioned by the late appli
cation to parliament for the repeal
of certain penal laws against antitri-
nitarians,
Difcourfes on various fubje&s, delivered
in the island of Barbadoes, 278