The accounts which were in this month published by the National Convention were very unfavourable to the caufe of the Royalifts. But as no credit was to be given to this horde of liars and affaffins, it might have been an additional inducement to their enemies, to act upon the contrary fuppofition of their fuccefs. Although fome of their accounts have certainly been exaggerated, yet unfortunately for this country, too much truth of our fufferings and difgraces and of their own fuccefs has been first announced from their Affembly. From hence we learnt the condemnation by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and the execution of Briffot and his whole party in thirty-feven minutes, which fufficed to ftrike off the heads of thefe criminals, and to dig a grave for fæderalism; this was the crime for which they were condemned; and that the infamous monster of baseness and iniquity Egalité fuffered fome days after for the fame cause; that the Republicans had discovered and defeated a plot for delivering up Strasburg to the combined forces; and that after having executed feveral hundreds for being concerned in it, they had raised the fiege of Landau, and gained very fignal advantages over the combined armies of the Rhine. СНАР CHAPTER XXI. DECEMBER, 1793. CONTENTS, Mr. Muir and Mr. Palmer fentenced to be transported for feditious practices in attempting to bring about a Reform in Parliament—Accufation and acquittal of Mr. Hamilton Rowan-Trial and acquittal of the Proprietors of the Morning Chronicle-Convention at Edinburgh-Heads of them arrested-Part of St. Domingo furrendered by the Royalists in the name of Louis XVII.-Plot of Strafburg discovered-At- tempt to entangle Switzerland in the general Confe- deracy-America preferves her neutrality-Turkish NOTWIT OTWITHSTANDING the many and 7 exertion at home to procure a Parliamentary Reform was kept up and enforced by examples of unprecedented rigour. This favourite object feems to have been lately purfued with more regularity and perfeverance by its advocates in Scotland, than in any other part of the British Empire. Mr. Muir was the first person found guilty of fedition for the part he had taken at different meetings convened for the purpose of bringing about this reform: he was fentenced by the Court to be tranfported beyond the feas to fuch place as his Majefty with the advice of his Privy Council fhould judge proper, for the space of fourteen years. Mr. Palmer was alfo condemned to be tranfported for feven years, for a fimilar offence. The feverity of these sentences, which it is to be prefumed were intended to deter people from pursuing the fame object, did not produce the effect which was intended or expected. Mr. Muir was conveyed in the dead of the night on board a King's fhip in Leith Roads. Moft of the focieties in that part of the Kingdom immediately published declarations of their refolutions to perfevere in their peaceable endeavours to procure a reform of the abufes of which they complained. The amiable qualities of the individuals who were condemned, excited a general fympathy for their fufferings; and the general predilection for the opinions upon Parlia mentary Reform, to which they were looked upon B b as as martyrs, provoked difcuffions upon the very queftion. Meffrs. Muir and Palmer have been fome time confined in chains with the common felons on board the hulks at Woolwich. An attempt was made in a moft extraordinary manner to draw Mr. Hamilton Rowan of Ireland into a like fentence: he had fcarcely arrived at Edinburgh when he was apprehended as a fedious perfon and taken before the Sheriff, where he underwent a very minute and inquifitorial exami nation. The petition of the Procurator Fifcal to the Sheriff for the warrant to arreft him, fet forth that meetings had been called and holden in that country for the avowed purpose of overturning the Constitution, and that Mr. H. Rowan, being Secretary of the United Irishmen in Dublin, had fent over an addrefs from them to the perfons ftyling themselves the Convention of the Friends of the People in Scotland, and this with a wicked and malevolent intention of forwarding the most feditious purposes. Nothing feditious being proved against Mr. H. Rowan, he was difmiffed upon giving bail to the amount of 3,000 merks. The acquittal of Mr. H. Rowan put a stop for fome fhort time to the frequency of accufations and informations in Scotland against perfons for being friends and well-wishers to a Parliamentary Reform. In England however the fpirit of information and profecution which had been blown * into fuch an unconftitutional flame by Mr. Reeve's affociators, received a móst powerful and timely check in the good sense, uprightness and firmness of an English Jury. The Attorney General had filed an information against Mr. Lambert and others for printing and publishing a seditious libel in the Morning Chronicle, which confifted of a bare infertion without any comment of the proceedings and refolutions of a fociety for political information holden at Derby in July 1792. After a trial of many hours the Jury at feven o'clock in the evening went to Lord Kenyon's house with a special verdict Guilty of publishing, but with no malicious intent. His Lordship telling them that he could not record this verdict, the Jury withdrew, and at five o'clock in the morning returned with a general verdict Not guilty. It is faid that Mr. Reeves the affociator was a very anxious attendant upon this trial, and was heard in court to have declared, that no defeat of the combined armies, no loss of fleets could be so prejudicial to the system of this affociation, as the acquittal of the defendants. This was the first prosecution ever brought against the proprietors of this instructive, *It is impoffible to speak in too flattering terms of the sensible, eloquent and conftitutional speech which Mr. Erskine made on the 22d of last January, at the Meeting of the Friends to the Liberty of the Prefs, when they met to protest against Mr. Reeves's and fuch Affociations for the general purpose of information and profecution. |