lative to the Westminster convention in that and the following years he was speechless, being seized with a total want of recollection. With great difficulty, however, he at length was brought to recollect a meeting at the ThatchedHouse Tavern, in May 1782. Mr. Tooke asked him what that meeting was but a convention of delegates from different great towns and counties, fent by committees of thofe towns and counties, of England? He said he did not recollect how that meeting was compofed.---Mr. Tooke then asked whether he did not recollect that it had been objected in the house of commons, refpecting the petition actually prefented, that it came from perfons in a delegated capacity? He said he had no recollection of any such thing. ---Mr. Sheridan, being immediately afterwards examined, gave a perfectly clear and accurate account of the proceedings of that æra. He had met Mr. Tooke in 1780 at a convention, or meeting of delegates, from different parts, who were to confider the best means of procuring a parliamentary reform, and to act for those who deputed them. He was himself a delegate for Westminster. The matter, he faid, was notorious. Mr. Sheridan enumerated the places where these meetings were held---mentioning, in particular, Guildhall, the Thatched-Houfe Tavern, and the duke of Richmond's at Privy-Garden. Here Mr. Pitt begged leave to correct his evidence, and confeffed that he was prefent at fome meetings in Privy-Garden, where there were delegates from different countries ;-i. e. he confeffed that he was himself chargeable with the very fame act for which, now he had abandoned the cause of parliamentary reform, he was engaged in a most profligate and murderous attempt to exterminate thofe by the fword of juftice who still adhered to it under all difficulties and difcouragements.--The jury retired for a few minutes only previous to their returning a verdict of NOT GUILTY. involuntary burst of acclamation filled the court, which was

An

inftantly

inftantly re-echoed by the populace without, who, as on the former occafion, escorted the counsel to their chambers.

A feeble attempt was made to profecute this infamous business by proceeding to the trial of John Thelwall---a man whofe general character was to the last degree contemptible, but against whom nothing was proved excepting fome intemperate expreffions at the famous popular meeting at Chalk-Farm, and in his lecture-room, which were fupported only by the testimony of the fpies, Lynam and Taylor, whofe evidence was afterwards rendered nugatory, or worse, by that of two other witneffes. The jury, without hesitation, brought in a verdict of NOT GUILTY.

The conduct of the cabinet-minifters in this extraordinary bufinefs-their mode of investigating the tranfactions of the affociations in question, and of fecuring the requifite evidence of the feveral witneffes for the crown in these fucceffive trials---was fuch as fully to justify the memorable obfervation of Dr. Swift, who fays, " that thofe diligent enquiries into remote and problematical guilt, with a new power of enforcing them by chains and dungeons to every person whose face a minifter thinks fit to diflike, are not only oppofite to that maxim which declareth it better that ten guilty men fhould efcape than one innocent fuffer, but likewise leave a gate wide open to the whole tribe of informers, the most accurfed, prostitute, and abandoned race that God ever permitted to plague mankind."

Confidering the state of parties in the kingdom at this time, the acquittal of thefe perfons excited a much more general fenfation of fatisfaction than might previously have been expected. The truth is, that the selfish as well as the generous feelings were interested on this occafion; and, in the course of his pleadings, Mr. Erskine very happily quoted a remark of the celebrated Dr. Johnson on the acquittal of lord George Gordon :-" I am glad he was not convicted of this conftructive treafon; for, though I hate him, I love my country, and I love myfelf." Of all the wicked in

ventions

ventions of lawyers, the doctrine of constructive treason, by which unwary people may be convicted of a capital offence while unconscious of the violation of any law, is perhaps the worst. But Mr. Erskine, on this momentous occafion, fpoke like a man infpired, and at once redeemed the honor of his profeffion, and established the fafety of his country. Had the men arraigned upon such an accufation, supported by fuch evidence, been capitally convicted, and the fentence been carried into execution, it would moft unqueftionably have been an horrible murder, perpetrated in the forms and under the pretext of law. But the very fuppofition is a libel upon the glorious institution. of JURIES.

In the autumn of this year arrived in England, from his celebrated embaffy to the court of Pekin, lord Macartney. The principal object of his mission was to conclude a commercial treaty with the government of China, and to obtain, if poffible, an extenfion of privileges for the English merchants; more particularly to procure permiffion to land their commodities at fome port nearer to the capital than Canton. The ambaffador took his departure from England, at the latter end of September, 1792, in the Lion man of war of 64 guns, and in the month of July following he reached Jangangfoe-Bay in the Yellow Sea, which washes the north-eastern coaft of China, whence the ambaffador

The writer of this History has been at much pains to ascertain the intrinfic validity of the charge against these societies; not whether there was legal evidence of their intention when assembled in convention-fuch as had already been actually and harmlessly held both in Ireland and England-to ufurp the powers of government; for it is clear as the noon-day fun there was not; but whether any fuch fecret defig really exifted in any individuals, not proveable by the established rules of evidence. But even of this he has not been able to discover the lightest ground of fufpicion or fhadow of prefumption on the contrary, all circumstances concur to the forming of an opposite conclusion; though at a subsequent period, inflamed by the spirit of revenge, fome of the members of thefe affociations may, with too much probability, be supposed to have engaged in machinations highly dangerous and criminal.

baffador and his train were conveyed up the great river Tyenfing to the city of the fame name, in junks or barges, under the escort of a mandarin guard, who were watchful to prevent the leaft communication with the inhabitants, pitching their tents at night exactly oppofite the fpot where the junks lay at anchor. On the 11th of Auguft they arrived at Tyenfing, where they received refreshments and prefents, of no great value, on the part of the emperor, the famous Kien Long, who had already governed that vaft empire with uninterrupted success and reputation more than half a century. From Tyenfing they still proceeded in their voyage up the river to the city of Tong-tchew, within twelves miles of Pekin. After a fhort interval of reft at Tong-tchew, the ambaffador and his fecretary, fir George Stanton, fet out in palanquins provided for the purpose, which conveyed them to the metropolis—the train following in covered carriages. The emperor being at this season of the year ufually refident at Jehol, his fummer-palace in Tartary, beyond the great wall, orders were sent that the ambaffador should proceed thither. On the 7th of September he arrived at Jehol; and on the 14th his excellency was honored with his firft audience of the emperor, at five o'clock in the morning. The ambaffador had brought with him from England the most splendid and coftly prefents which were ever offered by one monarch to the acceptance of another; but it was observable that they were received with marked indifference, or rather haughtinefs; and care had been taken to paint in large Chinese characters, upon the flags pendent from the yachts and land-carriages, AMBASSADOR bearing TRIBUTE from the Country of ENGLAND.' And although the emperor himfelf behaved with decorum and politenefs to the ambaffador, he would enter into no treaty, he would grant no new privileges; and well aware, as was plainly intimated, of the nature and extent of the ufurpations of England in Hindostan, he would not suffer the king of Great Britain to fet

his cloven foot beyond the narrow fpell-bound circle of Canton.

Early in the month of October the emperor and his court, attended by the ambaffador and his train, returned to Pekin, within a very short time fubfequent to which his excellency had his last audience of his imperial majefty, who delivered to him a letter, in answer to that from the king of England, and alfo a POEM of his own compofing, inclosed in a roll covered with yellow filk. This was accompanied with several chefts of prefents; and the ambassador, who had made great preparations for paffing the winter in Pekin, was officially apprized that this was the fignal of departure. On the 9th of October his excellency and his fuite left Pekin with some precipitation, and proceeded to Tong-tchew, whence they were conveyed in junks, as before, through the interior of that immenfe empire, by a variety of rivers and canals from the northern to the fouthern extremity of China, reaching Canton in perfect fafety, after a variety of amusing adventures, Dec. 18, 1793, and in January following they embarked at Macao for England.

The information which the fecretary to the embaffy, in a narrative of this romantic expedition published by authority, has given us of the state of the Chinese empire is extremely curious and interefting. A few particulars will not probably be deemed too wide a digreffion from the more proper fubjects of the present history. It is remarked by the intelligent author, fir George Stanton, that regions out of Afia are scarcely referred to in the books of the Chinese, or noticed in their maps. The celebrated Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, vifited the court of Pekin in the thirteenth century. He makes no mention of the Chinese wall, but it appears that he entered China on the fide of Thibet, paffing through the provinces Shenfee and Shanfee. The prefent Tartar dynasty had continued, in 1793, during a course of four reigns, 149 years. Every fquare mile in