godlike creature man shall then be free! crime shall no longer exist! truth shall shine forth in her unblushing naked purity, and the admiring world shall hail the radiant dawn of liberty! O Liberty! for thee have thousands bled! for thee the immortal Junius Brutus bared his gleaming steel, and pierced the purple heart of Antony!

Marriage, Mr. President, is an institution supported by despotism! I appeal to the soft glowing bosoms of that lovely sex whose resplen dent beauties now irradiate the gloom :-I appeal to them: Do they not groan under the most oppressive tyranny? Tyrants would convert the world into one vast bastile✶ and keep the inhabitants in eternal slavery.

'But, Sir, let me stop to glance upon certain arguments which have fallen from a certain reverend gentleman who last addressed you. Are we, to be told, Sir, at this enlightened era, the close of the eighteenth century, as your question aptly expresses it, are we to be told children's stories of Adams, and Eves, and apples, and devils, and crooked ribs? are we to have our senses frittered away with musty divinity? Believe me, fellow citizens, and my heart pants with rapture as I pronounce the word-believe me, fellow citizens, it is all a farce! The world never had a beginning! it will exist for ever! it is eternal! Truth shall triumph, and the whole human race shall yet be free! "The voice of reason, like the Joaring of the Nemean lion, shall issue even from the cavern's mouth! The holy blood of patriotism, streaming from the severing axe, shall carry with it the infant seeds of liberty, and men may perish!-but Truth shall be eternal!" +

Fellow citizens! I wish you not to consider my word as an oracle. Search for yourselves! Read Woollston, Bolingbroke, Tindal, Toulmin, Sinclair, ¶ and Paine! These are the authors who will illuminate your understanding and exalt your reason.

Was not the world a vast prison, and women born slaves ?' Vide Mary Wollstonecroft's Wrongs of Woman.' Again :---Marriage had bastilled me for life, ibid. If Mrs. W. had so shocking an opinion of the customs of our island, what must have been her sentiments on the treatment of the fair sex in Spain and many other countries?

Vide Proceedings of a General Meeting of the London Corresponding Society on the 29th of June, 1795.*

Author of several tracts controverting the miracles of Christ. :

Author of a treatise on the Eternity of the World.

¶ A madman; Author of a seditious and blasphemous pamphlet, called sthe Critic Philosopher, published about eight or nine years ago.

April.]

'A neighbouring enlightened nation, Mr. President, and I wish to God * that in many things + Britain would follow her glorious example-a neighbouring enlightened nation, Mr. President, has seen the absurdity of such institutions as marriage, and has ameliorated its bondage. The inhabitants of that happy country know, that when a lovely and beautiful woman, possessed of all the energies and sensibilities of nature, is chained to a man whose sentiments are different from her own, her state must be inexpressibly distressing. They know that such a state of cohabitation must dry up every source of sensibility, and leave the forlorn sufferer to languish out a life of mental torture. They are convinced of the absurdity and wickedness of it, and have accordingly applied a remedy, by granting a divorce when either party becomes dissatisfied with the other. This, Mr. President, is sound policy, unaided by the villainy of priestcraft. My intelligent auditors must be aware of the advantages resulting from such a mode of conduct. But this, Sir, is only the

Certain persons, who only believe in an eternal, unalterable system of 'nature,' are sometimes very apt to call upon the name of God. This is somewhat more of a burlesque than Mr. Erskine's frequent appeals to the Deity on the most trivial occasions. Vide Pursuits of Literature.'

† Perhaps he meant ALL.

I am far from thinking that a woman once married ought to consider the engagement as indissoluble (especially if there be no children to reward her for sacrificing her feelings) in case her husband neither merits her love nor esteem. Vide Mary Wollstonecroft's Wrongs of Woman.'

*Matrimony, till divorces could be more easily obtained, was, he declared, the most insufferable bondage. Ties of this nature could not bind minds governed by superior principles; and such beings were privileged to act above the dictates of laws they had no voice in framing, if they had sufficient strength of mind to endure the natural consequence.' Ibid.

* If I am unfortunately united to an unprincipled man, am I for ever to be shut out from fulfilling the duties of a wife and mother? [Certainly not!--- Mary knew better things I wish my country to approve of my conduct; but, if laws exist, made by the strong to oppress the weak, I appeal to my own sense of justice, and declare that I will not live with the individual who has violated every moral obligation which binds man to man.' Ibid.

These are very pretty sentiments for the perusal and study of the British fair! especially of those (and they form the majority of the sex) who do not possess all that energy and strength of mind which Mrs. W. so eloquently declaims upon. If every woman could boast that energy and strength of mind, Mrs. W's writings would have fallen short of those incalculable mischiefs which they have now produced. In come instances, perhaps, she did not mean any harm, but she certainly has done a great deal. But we trust the evil will prove its own antidote.

rising of that refulgent orb, whose glittering beams begin to illuminate our hemisphere. Soon shall it burst forth in all the glorious majesty of light, dispel the low'ring clouds of dark oppression, exhale the mephitic mists of slavery, and dissolve the icy bands of despotism! Its fiery rays shall penetrate the proud castles of aristocracy! and in their blazing ruins shall expire the dark demons of coercive violence! Methinks even now I see the hoary tyrants rushing from window to window, claiming protection from their long degraded vassals! One phrenzied wretch now leaps from the battlements into the surrounding flames! Another follows! and their bloated carcasses add fury to the fire; while the exulting populace sing lo peans to the fall of despotism!

'Happy, transporting moment! when tyranny shall no longer exist! when freedom shall be universal, and virtue be inherent in the race of man!'

The orator resumed his seat, attended by the most clamorous applause. I had listened with the greatest attention, and though I could not help admiring the sublimity of his expressions, from the beginning to the end of his speech I had not been able to comprehend a single sentence; but I at length consoled myself with the reflection, that to be admired, it is sometimes necessary to be unintelligible.

I observed that there was no use for flappers here, as in the royal court of Laputa; or, if there were, it must be for the opposite purpose, that of instructing people when to hold their tongues. A crowd of people now pressed forward to deliver their sentiments, but an indication from the chair suppressed their oratorical effusions. When the tumult had subsided, the Herculean animal who opened the discussion again arose, and began to animadvert on the arguments of the different speakers. He had not proceeded far before our Ciceronian started up, and by addressing the President, interrupted the closer of the question. Mr. President,' said he, the learned gentleman certainly misconstrues what I advanced.' Here a re-interruption took place, by the other insisting upon going on, and a violent altercation ensued. Sir, you are in the nightly habit of interrupting gentlemen upon their legs,' cried one. The confusion of tongues continued until I heard the words- It is a lie, Sir! The uproar then increased; some furious blows were given; the ladies screamed, and many a wounded hero lay sprawling on the floor. Being naturally of a peaceable disposition, I made the best of my way out, and returned home without hearing it decided whether marriage were a divine ordinance, a civil institution, or an invention of priestcraft. T. H.

OFFICIAL ACCOUNT

1

OF THE

LOSS OF THE PROSERPINE FRIGATE ;

WITH A SKETCH OF MR. GRENVILLE'S TRIP TO THE CONTINENT.

[COMMUNICATED BY CAPTAIN WALLIS.]

GREAT was the expectation of all ranks, with the exception of the promoters of peace with regicides, from the mission of Mr. Thomas Grenville to the Court of Berlin. It was indeed understood to be of the utmost importance. The propositions with which he was entrusted, and the arguments with which his personal knowledge and ability, and his official instructions, would support them, it was eagerly hoped, and sanguinely expected, would open the eyes of his Prussian Majesty to the necessity of a general confederacy, for the promotion of those objects which he had already shewn himself disposed to pursue. As it was seen that Prussia was desirous of the same end, Mr. Grenville's mission would, it was believed, convince him that combination afforded the only effectual means; that as both the King and States had avowed their purpose of opposing Jacobinical innovation and revolution, they would be convinced that, for successful opposition, they must join Turkey, Russia, the Emperor, and Britain, in repressing its ambitious supporters. Such were the sentiments entertained by patriotic and loyal Britons concerning the mission of Mr. Grenville to Berlin. From the momentous consequences which it would involve, they not only wished its success, but the speedy execution of the plans which, when successful, it would produce. It was therefore the general wish that Mr. Grenville might soon arrive at the end of his journey. The severity of the weather threw great obstacles in his way, which caused much uneasiness to the friends of the common cause, and afforded subject for rejoicing to its enemies.

Mr. Grenville sailed on the 21st of December, in the Champion frigate, from Yarmouth, with a fair wind, which carried the vessel one hundred and ninety-one knots in the first twenty-four hours. On the 23d they descried Heligoland at the entrance of the Elbe. About the same time the wind changed directly contrary; and after beating off and on for three days, a Prussian galliot hove in sighit, which had been driven out of the Weser by the ice which floated

108 SKETCH OF MR. GRENVILLE's TRIP TO THE CONTINENT.

down it, with the loss of her cables and anchors. The Coinmander informed the Captain of the Champion, that it was highly dangerous to approach the coast, which was surrounded with ice; and accordingly, it was determined to put back to Yarmouth, where Mr. Grenville landed on Saturday afternoon.

The severity of the storm rendering the entrance of the Elbe impracticable, Mr. Grenville was unavoidably detained in England. On the first relaxation, (which proved only to be temporary) Mr. Grenville betook himself to Yarmouth, and sailed from that port on the 29th of January, leaving his countrymen eagerly anxious for the issue of his mission. In a short time, however, another subject of concern respecting him and the ship's company presented itself. February 20th, Captain Hearne, of the Prince of Wales Packet, wrote from the Roads the following letter to Mr. Warmington, Agent for the Packets at Yarmouth:

'SIR,

Please to inform their Lordships, the Post Masters General, that on the 14th instant, the day after I sailed from Yarmouth, I was chaced by a frigate from eight o'clock in the morning until one in the afternoon, before she answered any private signal; the Texel bearing S. S. E. distant five leagues. The Packet was then beset with ice the whole day, and at night I was obliged to lower all sails down, until seven next morning. On the 15th instant we set sail again, and endeavoured to return, the ice being three leagues distant without us, the Packet making little way until eight at night. When the ice cleared away, I resolved, if possible, to make Heligoland, and at six in the morning of the 16th instant saw its light, bearing E. by N. the Packet then beset with ice, until ten in the forenoon, when I got the mails, and landed with very great difficulty. At four o'clock the boat returned on board, when we endeavoured to return; but there was so much ice that we were obliged to come to anchor, close under the shore at Heligoland, where we expected to have lost the Packet and all our lives, during the whole night. Next morning, the 17th instant, I went on shore, as no pilot would come on board to assist us, and to get all the information possible of the Proserpine frigate, which, the day before, they informed me, was lost. The information was as follows:

1

The Proserpine frigate arrived at Heligoland on the 2d instant, and taking on board a pilot named John Boack, proceeded to the Elbe, and came to anchor within the entrance. Two days after she was seen on shore, from Heligoland, in great distress, and the three days and