millions of debt for twenty-two millions actually paid into the public Exchequer.

Though a meffage had early in the year been fent from the king to the two houses, ftating the preparations making by the enemy for the invasion of these kingdoms, and foliciting the attention of parliament to the fubject, it was fome time before any regular plan could be matured for the national defence. At length, Mr. Dundas moved for the introduction of a bill, to enable his majefty to call out a certain portion of the fupplementary militia; and, after an interval of fome weeks, for a fecond bill, to enable his majesty to take measures for the more effectual fecurity of these realms, and to indemnify perfons who might suffer injury in their property by the operation of fuch measures. This bill, which contained a great variety of regulations, proper and neceffary to be adopted in case of actual invasion, was received with very general approbation.

A third bill was brought into the houfe by Mr. Secretary Dundas, to revive the fufpenfion of the Habeas-Corpus Act, which, when a rebellion was impending in one kingdom, and an invasion in the other, could not be objected to. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, upon this occafion, declared, that at no former period of the war were the preparations of the enemy for a defcent upon this country fo ripe, fo extenfive, or fo truiy alarming, as at the prefent crifis. The French government, freed from the perplexities and struggles in which it had been involved, by the military exertions of the continental powers, was now at liberty to employ its troops directly against us. Some difference of opinion took place refpecting the duration of the fufpenfion, but it was at length fixed for the 1st of February.

The alarm of invafion not only continuing, but increafing, and the French having by this time affembled a vast force on the oppofite fide of the channel, the chancellor of the Exchequer, on the 25th of May, moved for a bill for the more effectual manning of the navy. The chief object he

had in view was the temporary fufpenfion of protections, and it was his wish that the bill fhould that day pass through its different stages in that house, and be fent up to the lords for their concurrence. Mr. Tierney expreffed his belief that the augmentation of the navy might be provided for in the usual way. No arguments had been offered to prove the propriety of fuch an extraordinary deviation from the common practice of that houfe; nor was he prepared to give three or four votes without fome deliberation and reflection in favor of a bill which, like all the other meafures of ministry, he confidered as decidedly hoftile to the liberty of the fubject.

Mr. Pitt rose in great warmth, and faid, "that if every measure adopted against the defigns of France was to be confidered as hostile to the liberties of this country, then indeed his idea of liberty differed widely from that of the honorable gentleman. Were the prefent bill not paffed in a day, it was obvious that those whom it concerned might elude its effects: but if the measure was neceffary, and that a previous notice would render it inefficient, how could the honorable gentleman's oppofition to it be accounted for, but from a defire to obftruct the defence of the country?"Mr. Tierney now rofe, and called the chancellor of the Exchequer to order: and the Speaker interpofing, with that dignified impartiality which has ever marked his conduct, observed, that whatever had a tendency to throw fufpicion on the sentiments of a member, if conveyed in language that clearly marked fuch intention, was certainly irregular. This the house would judge of, but they would wait to hear the honorable gentleman's explanation. Mr. Pitt replied, "that if the house waited for his explanation, he feared it must wait a long time. He fubmitted what he had faid to the judgment of the house, and would not depart from any thing he had advanced, by either retracting or explaining them."-This peremptory refufal to explain a most unparliamentary and injurious expreffion, a refufal no

lefs

less disrespectful and infolent to the house than unjust to Mr. Tierney, occafioned a fudden filence; and no person having the prefence of mind to move a refolution of cenfure upon the minifter, Mr. Tierney immediately left the house. The confequence was, that a challenge was fent from that gentleman to Mr. Pitt, and a duel fought between them on the enfuing Sunday; when two cases of pistols being difcharged without effect, Mr. Pitt firing the laft of his in the air, the matter was accommodated by the refpective feconds.

The bill in question having paffed through all its ftages, the chancellor of the Exchequer propofed that it should commence from the 24th of May, inftant. This was objected to by Mr. Wigley, who, with good reason, thought it a most unjustifiable thing in itself, as well as dangerous in precedent, to make any law which should operate in an ex-postfacto manner. The objection nevertheless was overruled, and the bill, with its odious appendage, finally paffed into an act on the same day. Certainly, in every country, ex-postfacto laws are the most iniquitous, and, in a free country, the most hateful and heterogeneous of things. Whence! from what legitimate fource, is this power derived, of subjecting men to the operation of laws before those laws begin to exift, by an infernal device thus binding their victims in an invisible necromantic chain?

In the courfe of the feflion Mr. Wilberforce again renewed his unfortunate motion for the Abolition of the Slave-Trade. It was supported in two very eloquent fpeeches, each excellent in its way, by Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox; the latter of whom, influenced by his native generofity and humanity, would not absent himself from this difcuffion. "The great plea," Mr. Pitt remarked," for the continuance of the flave-trade was the neceffity of a free importation, in order to enable the planter to bring his wafte lands into cultivation. To what did this reasoning tend? In the last hundred years the cultivation of land in

Jamaica

Jamaica had increased, until about one-third of the island had been cleared. For this 250,000 flaves had not more than fufficed. Of confequence, for the cultivation of the remaining two-thirds, half a million more flaves would be neceffary. This is the number which must be imported, with all the frightful waste of mortality with which, as experience had fatally evinced, fuch importation would be attended. And as a corresponding length of time would be requifite for the converfion of the lands now waste as for those in actual cultivation, the period of the final abolition would be protracted for the term of two hundred years. The intereft of the Weft-India islands themselves, nay, the fafety of thofe iflands, which the motion before the house was said by fome to endanger, absolutely required and demanded the immediate abolition of this commerce, It had been faid, that, as this trade was encouraged by the legislature, the abolition would be unjust toward those who had acted upon the faith of the exifting laws. But was it not known to those who made the objection, that the legiflature often bestowed encouragement upon branches of commerce which in different circumstances it was deemed prudent to withdraw? No partial inconvenience," Mr. Pitt truly and nobly affirmed, "ought to weigh against the indifputed principle of justice, and against the general interefts and fafety of the islands themselves, which it was the duty of that house to guard, whether it was or was not understood by the parties concerned in the difcuffion."

fhould

Mr. Fox, in a high ftrain of eloquence, declared it to be a matter of fhame and lamentation that the country be fo degenerate from every fenfe of virtue, so funk in hypocrify, that, however convinced of the enormity of the wickedness, they had not yet abandoned that course which they agreed fo unanimously to condemn. It had been alledged, that we ought not to judge of this commerce from But fuch is the cruelty of the individuals engaged in it. the nature of man, that the idea of poffeffing unlimited authority, so far from infpiring tenderness, produces contempt

of

of the object as worthlefs. If man had not been cruel, flavery itself could not have had existence. He would not, for one, trust to any local regulations of the colonial legislatures. as had been recommended, but would vote for a direct and immediate abolition of a trade which the house had already condemned as inconfiftent with juftice and morality, and which, he agreed with the minister, was equally incompatible with good policy and the permanent fafety of our Weft-India poffeffions. Upon this occafion, the house, momentarily impressed with a sense of moral and political duty, was almost perfuaded to be juft, the motion being negatived by a majority of four voices only, in a house of 175 members.

The proceedings in parliament during the whole of this feffion were of a very momentous nature. On the 22d of March the duke of Bedford, at the clofe of a very able speech, moved an address to the throne, humbly stating to his majesty the urgent and indispensable neceffity which exifted of employing other ministers, and adopting other councils---" Inftructed as we are"---fuch is the language of this excellent addrefs---" by a long series of events, and corrected by experience, we are bound by our duty, and compelled by neceffity, to submit to his majesty our humble opinion, that the fituation of the country is too critical, and the dangers that surrounded it are too ferious, to admit of any further trial of the fame councils which have conftantly failed, or of the fame perfons for whofe continuance in office, notwithstanding the heavy and unanswered charges which have been brought against them, even themselves have nothing to plead but a feeble unavailing rectitude of intention, conftantly overpowered by the fuperior policy and vigor of the enemy, or a pretended apprehenfion, equally falfe and malignant, of the designs of those whom his majesty might appoint to fucceed them in the adminif tration of public affairs."-In the courfe of his fpeech, this diftinguished nobleman took an occafion to declare that he held a parliamentary reform to be cffential to

the