£: 30,000 184,000 40,000 30,000 250,000 120,000 • wash 300,000 2,132,000 2,110,000 22,000 The Chancellor of the Exchequer then gave a general sketch of the produce of the permanent taxes, and calculated the average revenue, for the laft four years, at 13,885,000l. But the next statement of the Minifter was of a moft extraordi. nary nature: His Majefty's Minifters," faid he, "did not think it juftifiable to withhold, with dangerous caution, that fupply which might have truftrated the exertions of a perfevering and faithful ally." With this confideration, he added, that the fum of 1,200,00ol. had been allotted to the fervice of his Imperial Majefty, without the confent or advice of Parliament. the money that had been given to the Emperor fhould come before the House, he fhould oppofe it; and he hoped the House would refift, with him, fo violent an attack upon the Conftitution; and then he should know, whether he lived in a free country or not. The refolutions moved by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, were then put and carried, and the report ordered to be received the next day. On that day (Dec. 8th) Mr. HOBART brought up the Report of the Committee of Ways and Means, and moved, that the refolutions be read a first time. On the motion that the refolutions be read a fecond time, Mr. Fox rofe, and 22,000 faid, he had fome obfervations to make 12,000 128,000 on the degraded fituation of the House, with respect to the Executive Power. 150,000 A fervant of the Crown, in contempt of law, had fent 1,200,000l. to Germany; and, till the Houfe had folemnly pronounced on the Minifter's conduct, he fhould deem himfelf a traitor to his country, if he agreed to vote either a tion, Minifters had been guilty of a diman or a fhilling. In the cafe in quefrect breach of the Constitution. They had difpofed of money, not only without convening the Parliament, but without confulting it while actually fitting. Payments had been made fo late as November, 1796; and all this had been done, as if on purpofe to trow, that the power refided in the fervants of the Crown. Mr. Fox noticed it, as a circumftance not lefs fingular, tha the Houfe had yesterday, for the first time, been acquainted been publicly intimated by the Lord with the Spanish war, although it had Lieutenant of Ireland; though notice of granting letters of marque had appeared in the Gazette; and though the newfpapers were full of hoftilities. He then returned to the ufurpation of the functions of Parliament by the King's fervants; and afked, what figure this Parliament would make in hiftory, if it overlooked fo fatal a precedent? As to himfelf, he fhould oppofe the fecond reading of the refolutions; and, if fupported, would pledge himself to bring forward a motion, charging the Minifters with high crimes and mifdemeanors." After propofing a vote of credit, to the amount of three millions, he drew a fafcinating picture of the profperous ftate of this country, and obferved, that if the next quarter of the prefent year kept pace in improvement with the former, the commerce of 1796 would be found to exceed that of 1795 by no less a fum than four millions. The exports alone amounted to more than the fum of 30 millions. Mr. Fox and Mr. GREY, with power ful arguments, controverted feveral of the ftatements of the Minifter, and deduced, from the failure of his former affertions, ftrong probabilities of the groundless nature of thofe he had made that day, refpecting the profperous ftate of the coun.. ary, and of the finances. Mr. Fox avowed, that whenever the question for voting 66 Mr. PITT contended, that Minifters were juftified in what they had done, by the vote of credit, which was to enable his Majefty's Minifters to adopt fuch meafures as the exigencies of the public might require. Sir W. PULTNEY and Mr. GREY confidered ·3795.] Y Public Affairs.Great Britain. confidered the measure in question as criminal and unconftitutional, and the defence fet up as extremely weak. The Houfe then divided; for the refolution, 164; against it, 58. Majority, 106. On the 12th of December, Mr. Secretary DUNDAS brought down a Meffage from the King, containing a proposal relative to the immediate commencement of hoftilities with Spain. He alfo brought up a copy of the Declaration of War by the Spanish Court; and notified, that the answer to this declaration would be laid before the Houfe the next day. Accordingly, on the 13th of December, Mr. DUNDAS prefented the answer that had been drawn up by his Majefty's command, to the Declaration of War by Spain against this country. His Majefty's Meffage relative to the War with Spain, was then taken into confideration, and an addrefs was ordered to be prefented by fuch members of the House as were of the Privy Council. At this moment, the Legislative and Executive Powers of this country appeared to be at iffue--a great point was about to be tried; Whether the Executive Government could, of its own authority, difpofe of the public treafure, and apply the money of the people to fuch fervices as they may think proper, without the confent of the Legiflature, even during the fitting of Parliament ? On the 14th of December, a Common Hall of the Liverymen of the city of London was affembled, for the purpose of taking into confideration the conduct of Minifters in fending money to the Emperor, without the confent of Parlia- ment ; and a majority, of at least thirty to one of the Liverymen, gave a decided yote against the conduct of the Minifters in this inftance. Mr. Fox, in the Houfe of Commons, on the fame day, rofe to make his promifed motion, refpecting the conduct of his Majefty's fervants, in fending money to his Imperial Majefty, without the confent of Parliament. After an excellent introduction, on the true conftitutional mode of granting fums of money for votes of credit, and extraordinaries of the army and navy, he referred to the precedents of proceedings in the Houfe of Commons, collected by Mr. HATSELL; whence he pointed out, in numerous cafes, and from the cleareft deductions, that the measures of the Minifter, then under difcuffion, were fubverfive of the constitution of this country. 903 "When the Minifter," faid Mr. Fox, "determined, about a year ago, to furnish fupplies to the Prince of CONDE, why was not that circumftance ftated to this Houfe? It would be a miferable anfwer, indeed, to fay, that the amount of the expenditure could not be made out; for this fame answer might be given in many cafes of votes of credit, and extraordina ries of the army and navy. It appears, that fome of the money that has been applied, was applied fo long ago as December, 1795; fome was fent in February, 1796. From hence, it might be reasonable to fuppofe, that this money was paid out of the vote of credit of 1795; no fuch thing! the expence was paid, out of the vote of credit of 1796, which vote was not paffed till February laft." Mr. Fox then faid, that he had not calculated the exact amount of the money which was fent during the receis, but he knew that the fum of four hundred thou fand pounds had been iffued fince the meeting of Parliament. Why (added he) did the Minifter keep this from their knowledge? certainly, either to fix a precedent against the Constitution, or upon a conceited opinion that he was a better judge of the subject than the Parliament.' 66 Mr. Fox next made his motion; the purport of which was, that his Ma jefty's Minifters, in fending money for the fervice of the Emperor and the Prince of CONDE, without the confent, and during the fitting, of Parliament, have acted contrary to their duty, and the truft repofed in them, and have violated the principles of the Conftitution, and the privileges of this Houfe." Mr. PITT made a long defence, which he refted entirely upon a feries of precedents, which he produced, from the former proceedings of Parliament. Mr. SHERIDAN, in a fpeech replete with fentiment and wit, controverted the arguments of Mr. PITT, and showed, that out of all the precedents cited by him, not one of them applied either to the remittances of money previous to the paffing of the vote of credit, or to the circumftance of money being remitted during the actual fitting of Parliament. 81 On the divifion, the numbers were, 285 LIST of the MINORITY, for a direct Cenfure on Minifters, for advancing money to the Emperor, and the Prince of Condé, without the confent or knowledge of Parliament.-T. Anfon, Sir J. Aubrey, J. Baker, Sir C. Bam fyld fylde, G. Barclay, Sir F. Baring, C. G. Beauølerk, R. Biddulph, W. W. Bird, Hon. E. Bouverie, Hon. W. Bouverie, J. Brogden, J. R. Burch, F. Burdett, G. Byng, Lord G. Cavendith, Sir R. Clayton, E. Coke, T. W Coke, W. Colhoun, J. Courtnay, Sir C. Davers, Sir J. Dashwood, C. Dundas, Hon. L. Dundas, Hon. .T. Erskine, Gen. Fitzpatrick, Sir H. Fletcher, Hon. E. Foley, C. Fox, C. Grey, J. Green, J. Hare, J. Harriton, W. Huffey, N. Jefferys, J. Jekyl, J. C. Jervois, T Kemp, R. Payne Knight, F. Lawrence, Sir W. Lemon, J. Lemon, J. R. Lloyd, J. Martin, R. Milbanke, Sir H. Mildmay, Sir W. Milner, J. Nicholls, D. North, W. Northey, H. Peters, W. Plumer, G. Porter, Sir W. Pulteney, Sir J. Pulteney, H. Purfe, Hon. G. Rawdon, J. Richardfon, Lord J. Ruffel, Lord W. Ruffell, St. Andrew St. John, S. E. Scudamore, R. B. Sheridan, G. Shum, Sitwell Sitwell, Lord R. Spencer, Lord Stanley, C. Sturt, General Tarleton, M. A. Taylor, Lord J. Townshend, Hon. H Tufton, Hon. J. Tufton, Sir F. F. Vane, R. Vyner, S. Whitbread, Walwyn, C. C. Western. Tellers, Alder nian Combe, W. Smith. On the 16th of December general Fitzpatrick, in a pathetic fpeech of confider able length, defcribed the fufferings and imprisonment of M, de la Fayette, in one of the emperor's dungeons in Bohemia; and alfo the feverity impofed upon his wife, daughters, and companions. In or der to procure the release of this unfor tunate man, the general moved, "That an humble address be prefented to his ma jefty, reprefenting that the detcution of M. de la Fayette, and his fellow-fufferers, in the prifons of the emperor, is injurious to the character of the allies; and to the interefts of humanity; and intreating his majefty to take fuch measures for procuring their release, as to his royal wifdom may feem fit." This motion brought a long debate, in the course of which Mr. PITT declared that the imprisonment of that unfortunate gentleman was not influenced, directly or indirectly, by the government of this country; nor did he fee how we could interfere with the domeftic police of another power. The obfervations made by Mr. WYNDHAM, on this occafion, implied what Mr. PITT had apparently endeavoured to conceal, that the imprisonment of La Fayette was in confequence of the part he had taken in the American as well as the French revolution; and certainly went to overturn, virtually, Mr. PITT's argument against the propriety of one nation interfering in the domeftic concerns of another-Since La Fayette was now punished by the emperor for what he had done as the fubject of ans other ftate. It is unnecessary almoft te add, that the motion was negatived by a great majority. On the 17th of December, the Chancellor of the Exchequer brought up a that it would be of the greatest immeffage from his majefty, announcing, Portance to the cause of the allies that he Thould be enabled to continue fuch temporary advances for the fervice of the emperor as might enable him to profecute his military operations with vigour and effect at an early period. This meffage was taken into confide. ration by the houfe on the 19th of December, when Mr. PITT moved the addreis. This brought forward a long debate, in which the minifterial fide of the houfe went over their old ground of argument in favour of remitting money to the emperor, and enumerating the advantages which had already been derived from that measure. know what there was in the address that Mr. Fox, on this occafion, wished to could limit the iffue of the money to be houfe could know whether the money fent to the emperor, or by what means the had not been already iffued? His prinpal objection was, that the addrefs tended to carry on the farce and the delufion, and to propagate an opinion, that the controul or the appropriation of the fums houfe had not any thing to do with the that were voted. The addrefs was carried without a divifion. The fame day, in a committee of fup. exceeding 500,000l. fhould be granted to ply, Mr. PITT moved, that a fum, not his majefty, to be remitted from time to motion was agreed to. time to his imperial majesty, &c, and the Mr. DUNDAS, on the zoth of December, moved, "that as long as the Cape of Good Hope fhould be in his majesty's be allowed to make regulations refpectpoffeffion, his majefty, in council, fhould ing the commerce to and from that place.' tion, he faid, to hold that place upon It was not his majesty's intenftrict colonial laws, nor that fhips of other nations fhould be precluded from touching there, nor that they fhould be precluded from the fale and barter of the produce of their refpective countries, The motion having been agreed to, Mr, DUNDAS moved for leave to bring in a bill, to enable his majefty to make regula tions, for a limited time, for the trade to and from the Cape of Good Hope. Mr. 1796.] Public Affairs-France. Mr. DUNDAS next rofe to open the Eaft India budget, which he performed in a long and detailed account of the ftate of the company's finances. On the 20th of December, the committee of the houfe of commons upon the Southwark election, decided upon the petition of Mr. TIERNEY againft Mr. THELLUSSON's eligibility to become a reprefentative in parliament for that borough, after he had been found guilty of corruption by a former committee; and the chairman declared, that GEORGE. WOODFORD THELLUSSON, efq. was not eligible at the laft election to ferve in parliament for the Borough of Southwark. Thus the committee has afcertained and established this great conftitutional point, "That any member having been convicted of treating after the tefte of the writ, is ineligible.' FRANCE. In our account of the public affairs of France, in October laft, we left the French general Moreau furrounded with dangers and difficulties; he has, however, fince effected a retreat, which, in the judgment of military men, is confidered as one of the moft fplendid exploits of the prefent war. The Auftrians, by feveral movements, the 27th, 28th, and 29th of September, made themselves mafters of the highest parts of the mountains of the Black Foreft where the Danube takes its rife, as well as those rivulets which, running weftward to the Rhine, form the only affes whereby an army can defcend from thefe mountains to the Brifgau. General Moreau had now no other alternative than either to attack the Auftrians in arder to gain the Val-d'Enfers, which defcends into the Brifgau by the town of Fribourg, or to make his retreat by the foreft towns and the territory of Swifferland; and finding himfelf at the fame time clofely pursued by general La Tour, he determined, by a vigorous attack, to endeavour to give the latter a check, and,. by this means, gain time fufficient to effect his retreat, without any very confiderable lofs. On the 30th of September, therefore, he attacked the forces under general La Tour, in the neigh bourhood of Steinhaufen; an. obftinate engagement enfued, in which the French were repulfed,. not, however, without much lofs on the other fide; in par. ticular, a detachment of the prince of Condé's corps fuffered greatly.. 905 The Auftrian general, Petrafch, had taken poft between the fources of the Necker and the Danube, by which he more effectually covered the paffes of the Black Foreft, and his parties inceffantly harraffed the rear of the French. Preffed in this manner, general Moreau perceived the extreme danger to which his farther retreat was expofed, and he refolved to rifk a general action. Early on the 2d of October, the left wing of his army croffed the Danube at. Reidlingen, and repaffing it at Murdurkingen, turned and defeated the corps which La Tour had pofted betwixt the Feder See and the river. As foon as he was affured of the fuccefs of his left wing, he advanced to attack general La Tour in front, and the action was maintained during fix hours with the utmoft obftinacy. At length general La Tour, perceiving that his left flank was totally uncovered, and that his rear was menaced. by the progrefs of the French, was obliged to abandon his ground, and re tire behind the Rothambach. His re.. treat was covered by the corps of Condé. The fuccefs of the French on this occafion was very brilliant; though a re-> treating army, they took more than five thousand of their purfuers, and twenty pieces of cannon. General Moreau hav ing thus far fucceeded in his defign, recommenced his ma ch on the 5th of October, by the route of Stockach. On the 6th, two divifions of his army paffed the Danube, and on the 8th, he fixed his head quarters at Stockach. After fecuring the paffages over the Rhine,, the general himself arrived at Strafburg on the 16th of October; buc.. he foon after rejoined his army at Friburg, and on the 18th, he had his head quarters at Furg. Brilliant as this retreat was, the ac-. tivity of the Auftrians was not lefs confpicuous. As the French general evinced fome difpofitions to retain his pofition on the right fide of the Rhine, he was attacked by the forces under the archduke on the 24th of October, in the formidable pofition of Schlingen, and fuftained confiderable lofs. He retired after this action towards the Tête-de-pont near Hu ningen, and on the 26th, retreated across the Rhine at that place.. After general Moreau had effected, this famous retreat, the Auftrians laidfiege to the fort of Kehl. On the morning of the 22d of November, the French garrifon made a vigorous fortie, to re connoitre connoitre the line of circumvallation of the Auftrians. The whole line of the befiegers was forced, without a fhot being fired, and with the greateft bravery. The Auftrians abandoned all their artillery, which was inftantly fpiked; the French carried off ten pieces of cannon, and fix or seven hundred prifoners, among whom were thirty officers. Since this action, the Auftrians have been again defeated in an attempt to ftorm the fort. In the ftatement referred to above, we left general Wurmfer, and nearly all his forces, in Mantua; but not fo clofely invefted by the French as to prevent him from making feveral fuccefsful forties. His perilous fituation, however, and a hope to regain their loft territories in Italy, induced the court of Vienna to fend large reinforcements, under the command of general Alvinzy, to relieve general Wurmfer. On the 6th of November, as general Alvinzy was on the point of pushing forward his advanced guard, general Buonaparte, who had marched in the night, commenced a moft severe attack upon his whole line. The action began with general Proverra's corps, and night put an end to the affair, without either party having gained or loft any ground; but on the next morning, the French general withdrew his forces to another pofition. General Davidovitch had in the mean time made himself mafter of Trente. The Auftrian and French accounts of this action on the Brenta, differ materially as to each other's lofs, and each afligns the victory to their own party. Soon after this battle, general Alvinzy formed a junction with the columns of the Tyrol, and found himself at the head of 40,000 men. On the 15th of November, Buonaparte advanced near to the village of Arcola, to attack the Auftrians. It was neceffary to pass a bridge in poffeffion of the enemy, from which they kept up a terrible fire; the French troops proceeded feveral times to the charge to carry this bridge; but not having, in the first inftance, evinced the fame audacity as at the bridge of Lodi, they were repulfed in their reiterated attempts; and general Angereau, with the colours in his hand, advanced in vain at the head of a column to force Arcola. It being, however, of the last importance to obtain poffeffion of that place, general Buonaparte proceeded, with all his état-major, at the head of Angereau's divifion; after ex horting his troops to recollect, that they were the fame who had carried the bridge of Lodi; he perceived a moment of enthufiafm, and withing to profit from it, he threw himself off his horfe, feized a ftandard, darted at the head of the grenadiers, and ran to the bridge, exclaimihg, follow your general. The column was fhaken for a moment; the troops, however, were only thirty paces from the bridge, when the terrible fire of the Auftrians reached the column, and caufed it to fall back at the moment even when their antagonifts were about to fly. It was in this moment that feveral of the French generals were killed or wounded. The commander in chief, and his étatmajor, were at length overwhelmed; the general himself was thrown with his horfe into a marfh, from whence, under the fire of the enemy, he efcaped with difficulty; he mounted his horfe again, the coluinn rallied, and the Auftrians dared not to quit their trenches. Night came on, when general Guieux arrived at the village of Arcola, which he took, with a great number of prison ers. On the next morning, the Auftrians attacked the French at all points, but were repulfed by general Maffena's columns with great lofs. On the 17th of November, the contending armies fought again with great obftinacy; and the victory on the part of the French on that day was, according to their accounts, complete. The Auftrians abandoned ali their pofitions, and retreated in the night to Vicenza. In thefe different engagements, the Auftrians loft, in killed and wounded, ten thousand men, the French had a confiderable number killed, but their lofs in prifoners was much lefs; they had feven generals wounded, two mortally. It is neceffary to obferve in this place, that the Auftrians, in their account of thefe engagements, admit, in exprefs terms, the feverity of the conflicts, but contend for the victory. The French republic and his majesty the king of the Two Sicilies, have, through their plenipotentiaries, agreed to articles of peace, which were figned at Paris, on the 10th of October, 1796. The fubftance of thefe articles is, "That neither of the two powers shall furnish to the enemies of the other any fuccours of troops, fhips, arms, ftores, men, or money. That his majesty of the Two Sicilies fhall obferve the most 5 |