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A German Officer felis bis Daughter. ng Smith, in the war 1767, befieged gari, a fortress on a fteep mountain, itscbliged to raife the fiege, after af having made two affaults, in the laft of he loft twenty-four grenadiers, befolders. This was the only place deyed by an European officer; his name Conftantin, a native of Andernac on 03, in the electorate of Cologn. He to India with Ficher's troop, in 1754; married a Portuguefe, by whom he had Beautiful daughter: he was ferjeant M. Hughel commanded the EuroArder's army. The officers difcothat, together with his wife, he was with the Nabob about felling his they regarded this tranfaction as s piece of bufinefs, that would al the Europeans in the army. M. he fent for him, to enquire concerning hat haid to his charge, which he denied. officer in the army offered to efthe girl; and the father received the fl with gratitude. M. Hughel, in faof the marriage, at the fame time prothe father: but that very night the fold their daughter to Ayder, for bufand rupees; and Ayder fent them he country of Benguelour. Conftanever fince that time lived at a diftance amy. After the brave defence of tres of Kifnagari, the inhabitants of country brought their most valuable and depofited them in the place for ofty; he opened the boxes and cabinets, out the richest property, to a vast aand efcaped to Goa; from whence to Bombay, and afterwards to Ayder's French furgeon affirms, girl has fince told him that the efherfelf fortunate in being fold to the as her father and mother might ade a more fhameful traffic with her,

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faid with them.

view between Agder and his mother of

defeat at Trinemalee by Gen. Smith. Take the intimacy betwen Ayder and huly, as well as his manner of conduct

39 ing himself with respect to his relations, it e will not be amifs to describe an interview he had with his mother about this time. This lady, who in quality of queen-mother has the right of commanding in the feraglio or palace, having received information of the check her fon had experienced, and which no doubt she fuppofed more confiderable than it really was, departed from Ayder Nagar to fee her fon in the army, notwithstanding the inconvenience of travelling an hundred and fifty leagues in the rainy feafon. She made long journies, and arrived at the camp in a been apprized of the queen's departure, was few days. When the Nabob, who had informed of her approach, he left the camp with his whole army, in Savari, or parade. The army met the head of the queen's retiwhich time they halted, and Ayder and his nue at a league diftance from the camp, at fon advanced alone on horfeback, till they had joined the palanquin of their mother, which both inclined as low as they could on their was clofe and covered with mullin. They horfes, and placing themselves on the right and left of the palanquin, the lady continued her journey guarded by her fon and grandson, and followed by the whole retinue of Ayder. She passed through the middle of Ayder's army, who faluted her as if she had been the prince himself. The retinue of Ayder's mother confifted of about two hundred ladies, mounted on horfes and oxen: they were enveloped in large pieces of thick muflin, which prevented even the fmaileft part of their clothes from being feen. They all went which was followed by eight garris or fmail before the palanquin of the queen-mother, Indian carriages, covered with fcarlet cloth, and drawn by large Perfian oxen. There were likewise ten elephants, and a number of camels and beasts of burthen. Some Evropean horsemen preceded the women, and marched on one fide. All the retinue was furrounded by about fix hundred lance men, having feathers and bells to their lances; and the retinue, were about four hundred in the horsemen, who preceded and followed

number.

ducted into her tent, Ayder enquired what It is faid, that when this lady was concould have induced her to make fo long a journey, especially at a time when the continual rains rendered the roads almost impracticable; and that fhe anfwered, "I was defirous, my fon, of feeing you bear the illfortune you have fuftained." The prince having replied, "That if heaven fhould put him to no greater trial,he fhould find no difficulty in fuporting it."-" Very well the, "replied the, "fince that is the cafe, I ve thanks to God; and snall immediately return,

that I may be no impediment to your operations." Two days after, this lady, having

with

wifhed her fon every kind of profperity, departed, accompanied by her fon and grandfon to the place where they had met her. A picturesque View of the Cataract of the Rhine at Lauffen, near Schaffhaufen in Swifferland. (From Mr. Coxe's Travels.) R. Coxe who travelled with Lord M Herbert, fon of the carl of Pembroke,

gives the following account of this tremendous cateract, which they visited in fummer 1776:

"Schaffhaufen, July 2ž.

THIS morning we fet out on horfeback, in order to see the fall of the Rhine at Lauffen, about a league from this place. Our road lay over the hills, which form the banks of the Rhine; from whence we had fome fine views of the town and caftle of Schaffhaufen: the environs are picturefque and agreeable; the river beautifully winding through the vale. Upon our arrival at Lauffen, a fmall village in the canton of Zurich, we difmounted and advancing to the edge of the precipice which overhangs the Rhine, we looked down perpendicularly upon the cataract, and faw the river tumbling over the fides of the rock with amazing violence and precipitation. From hence we defcended till we were fomewhat below the upper bed of the river, and flood clofe to the fall; fo that I could almost have touched it with my hand. Afcaffolding is erected in the very fpray of this tremendous cataract, and upon the mcft fublime point of view: the fea of foam tumbling down, the continual cloud of fpray fcattered around at a great diftance, and to a confiderable height-in fhort, the magnificence of the whole feenery far furpafled my moft fanguine expectations, and exceeds all defcription. Within about 100 feet, as it appeared to be, of the fcaffolding, there are two rocks in the middle of the fall, that prevent one from feeing its whole breadth from this point: the nearest of these was perforated by the continual action of the river; and the water forced itself through in an oblique direction, with inexpreffible fury, and a hollow found. After having continued fome time, contemplating in filent admiration the awful fublimity of this wonderful landscape, we defcended; and below the fall we crofied the river, which was exceedingly agitated.

Hitherto I had only viewed the cataract fideways; but here it opened by degrees, and difplayed another picture, which I enjoy ed at my leifure, as I fat myself down upon the oppofite bank. The moft ftriking objects were as follow:-on the fide we came from, a caftle, crected upon the very edge of the precipice, and overhanging the river; near it a church and fome cottages: on the fide here I was fitting, a clump of cottages

to the fall; in the back ground, rifing planted with vines, or tufted with

hanging woods; a beautiful little hamlet upon the fummit, fkirted with trees; the great body of water that seemed as it were to rush out from the bottom of the hills; the two their heads in the midft of the fall, and in the rocks above mentioned, boldly advancing very point of its fteepeft defcent; their tops covered with fhrubs, and dividing the cata

ract into three principal branches. The co

lour of the Rhine is extremely beautiful, being of a clear fea-green; and I could not but remark the fine effect of the tints of green, when blended with the white from its descent. There is a pleafing view from an iron foundery close to the river, which is dammed up in order to prevent its carrying away the works and neighbouring cottages: by means of this dam, a small portion of the river, in its fall, enters a trough, turns a mill, and forms a beautiful little filver current, gliding down the bare rock, and detached from the main cataract. Below the fall, the river widens confiderably into a more ample bafon; at the fall, the breadth, as well as I could judge by my eye, feemed to be about two hundred and fifty feet. As to its perpendi cular height, travellers differ: thofe who are given to exaggeration, reckon it an hundred feet high; but I fhould imagine abou fifty feet will be nearer the truth. I floor for fome time upon the brink of the cataract beheld in admiration, and listened in filence then croffing the river, remounted my horfe and returned to Schaffhausen.

Some writers have aflerted that the rive precipitates itself in one sheet of water; and as I before obferved, from a perpendicula height of a hundred feet. In former ag this account was probably agreeable to fact as it is imagined that the space between th two banks was once a level rock, and conf derably higher; that the river has infenfib! worn away and undermined thofe parts, c which it broke along with the utmoft violence for within the memory of several of the in habitants of this town, a large rock has gi en way, that has greatly altered the view Indeed I am convinced that the perpendic lar height of the fall becomes lefs and le every year, by the continual friction of large and rapid a body of water; and ha no doubt but that the two rocks which no rife in the midst of the river, will in time undermined and carried away. The rive for fome way before the fall, even near t bridge, dafhes upon a rocky bottom, ai renders the navigation impoffible for any ki of vellel. A few weeks ago a countrym of ours tried an experiment with a fm boat, which he contrived to have gent pufhed to the edge of the cataract: it f down entire to the bottom of the fall; w not out of fight for a few moments, and th rofe up again, dafhed into a thousand splinte

Jours

1785. Journals of the Proceedings of the fourth Seffion of the fifteenth Parliament of Great Britain.

HOUSE OF COMMON S.. (Continued from Dec. Mag. p. 731.)

T HIS feffion was opened on Tuesday the 11th of November, by a molt gracious fpeech of his majefty to both houses of parlia

ment.

In the house of lords the address was moved for by lord Scarborough, and feconded by lord Hampden. In the house of commons it was moved for by lord Upper Offory, and feconded by fir F. Ballet. In both houfes it paffed unanimouly; nor did any thing of moment occur, by way of debate, but what paffed in the houfe of commons, between Mr. W. Pitt and Mr. Fox. After the addrefs had been feconded, and fir J. Mawbey had laid a few words inveighing againit a celebrated coalition, Mr. W. Pitt rofe; and faid, that he intended to give his most hearty affirmative to the addrefs; and as there was not one exceptionable idea expreffed either in the fpeech er addrefs, he was of opinion that the unanimity fo often recommended from the throne, but fo seldom feen, would appear on this occafion, when be could, without any impeachment of his chanåter for confiftency, vote with every member of adminiftration, on the prefent queftion. To the frit part of the addrefs, which thanked his may for concluding the definitive treaties of peace, he must neceffarily give his affent, as thefe treaties were, according to the noble lord, in fub ftance the fame as the preliminary articles: he had therefore to congratulate his country, and at the fame time to felicitate himfelf, and those with whom he acted, that notwithstanding all the objections which had been stated to the preliminary treaties, the definitive treaties were avowedly little more than a tranfcript of them: he had therefore to rejoice, that by them the country had been rescued from the ruin that threatened it. He muft however obferve how fingular it was that the house should now be called upon to express their thanks for the fign ing of the definitive treaties, though they were in fubftance the fame with thofe very preliminary articles, for the figning of which that house had in the very last sessions refused to thank the crown: the address on that occafion was fubftantially the fame as that which was now propofed; it was then negatived; but it was now propofed to carry it. Gentlemen must see that he would of courfe vote for it; and the vote of this day would prove the panegyric of those minifters, to whom the house had, on a former occafion, refufed their thanks. He could not help obferving, that it was to him a matter of furprise that the figning of the definitive treaties had been fo long delayed; and the more fo, as they contained little different from the preliminary articles. Had any thing happened to justify the delay, he should like to hear of it; but if nothing had happened that neceffarily might occafion delay, he thought his majesty's prefent minifters talpable in having fo long delayed the figning of them. As to the affairs of India, no man could be more convinced than he was, of the neceffity Hb. Mag. Jan. 1785.

of attending them moft feriously, and without se moment's lofs of time. He hoped that minifters [ had thought maturely on that bufinefs; and that they would come to parliament with a well-di-b gefted plan, or rather fyftem of government, for the British poffeffions in that part of the world: e for they were now become the object of the greateft confideration in the empire, one only excepted, the itate of our finances ought to be the primary care of his majefty's minifters. ! Peace would be but of little avail to us, if the refpite it afforded from hoftilities and the expences of war, was not employed in endeavours to raise the finking fpirits of the nation, and prevent thofe frauds which make the revenue un

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productive. England could never expect to recover her fituation among the nations of Europe, unlefs her minifters, by a rigid attention to ceconomy, thould make her revenue at leaft equal to her expenditure: fomething more might be expected, a redundancy might be raised, which by being employed in extinguishing fome part of the national debt, would furnish us with means of carrying on with vigour a future war; an event, however, which he hoped was very remote. He recommended it to minifters to act with boldnefs; they must not conceal the ftate of affairs: the amount of the funded and unfunded debt fhould be laid before them; they should be made acquainted with their fituation; the people would then be convinced of the neceffity of fubmitting to new burdens, and would bear them chearfully, knowing that by no other means the public credit could be fupported. Every part of the fpeech and address had his moft cordial approbation; but he lamented that the fpeech, and the mover and feconder of the addrefs, were filent on one particular point, on which he might have expected to hear a great deal, the commercial treaty with America. During the laft feffions of parliament, and very foon after figning the preliminary articles, the late adminiftration had been frequently reproached for not having been able to conclude, in a very fhort space of time, a treaty, which to those who were not then in the cabinet, feemed to be a work of the greatest facility; and yet a confiderable part of that feffions, and the whole recefs had paffed away, and the commercial treaty, once pronounced fo very prac. ticable in its nature, was not fo much as mentioned in the speech. Ministers had sent to Paris a gentleman, of all others, as they themselves faid, the best qualified to treat on commercial matters; a gentleman not a little fanguine of fuccefs in his undertakings; certainly not of a defponding turn of mind; and yet this gentleman, after having exerted all the inexhaustible resources of his genius, has returned from Paris without bringing any commercial treaty with him. However, the nation had a right to expect, that, without delay, a complete commercial fyftem, fuited to the novelty of our fituation, fhould be laid before parliament. He was ac quainted with the difficulty of the business, and would not attribute the delay hitherto to any neglect on the part of the minifters, he was willing to afcribe it to the nature of the negociation; but he expected, however, that the bufinets, would foon be brought forward; not by piece · meal; but that one grand fyftem of comma F

1785.

gotiations should end without producing any new commercial arrangements, the treaty of Utrecht would in that cafe be completely annulled: the confequence therefore would be this, that Great Britain would be obliged to comply with all the requifitions of thete two courts, or elfe adopt one fde of this difagreeable alternative either to bve without any commercial intercourse between France and Spain, or to go to war with them, in order to procure advantageous terms of commerce. In either cafe this country muft fuffer; she must eicher confent to forego the benefits arifing from the treaty of Utrecht, which had always been deemed highly beneficial; or elfe run the risk of lofing all those bleffings by a new war, which we might expect to derive from the peace. By the delay that had intervened, all thefe difSculties had been removed; the treaty of Utrecht, and all others between France, Spain, and this country, have been unconditionally revived and renewed, fo that let the negociations for new commercial arrangements terminate as they may, England cannot be worfe off than the is. If the negociation should fucceed, fo much the better; fitfhould not, then she will find herself just where fne is, in the full enjoyment of the benefits of the treaty of Utrecht. If no other advantage had been derived from the delay, he thought it was well compenfated, and now that the business was concinded, he would not hesitate to fay, that, bound as he knew the public faith to have been by the preliminary articles, he would not have concluded the definitive treaties on the basis of them, if the minifters of the other belligerent powers had net thought proper to recede from the letter of them in these several inftances. He hoped that from all he had faid, the house would not think the delay had been ufelefs; and that they would acquit him of inconftency in condemning the preliminary articles in the last feffions; and yet calling upon gentlemen to vote for an addrefs that approved of definitive treaties, that were founded upon them. It was proper now to carry, into effect, what it might have been better for the nation had never been proposed; but having once been done, there was a neceffity to ratify it; and whatever the minifters who advised the figning of the preliminary articles might think to the contrary, he was bold to fay, that from a comparison of the loffes and advantages on both fides, between France and England, he was convinced that the minifters of the former power, bad, by making peace when they did, rendered their country as great a service as had ever been rendered by any statesman, to any country, at the end of any war. The right hon. member was furprised that no commercial treaty with America had been figned; but in fact there was no ground for furprife; the late admininitration had not been blamed, as the hon. member imagined, for not having produced a commercial fyitem to parliament; but for having, in the grit inftance, figned the provifional treaty, without having made any ftipulations in favour of British commerce; and in the next, for not having brought forward fome regulations adapted to the fituation of the moment, which fhould hold till a general system could be formed and adopted. For his part he was free to own, that he might have figned the definitive treaty

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with America fooner, if he had thought it neceffary; but having all along looked upon the provifional treaty as definitive and abfolute, when a particular event should happen, which has fince taken place, namely, the peace with France, he did not think any ratification neceffary. This was the language he held in his dispatches to our negociators; but as the other powers were of opinion, that they ought not to fign the definitive treaties, until the provifional articles fhould have been previoufly ratified, he gave way, because he did not think proper to defer the signature of the definitive treaties with the other powers, until America and England could have fettled the terms of a commercial treaty; and alfo, because he was of opinion, that the negociation might be better carried on in London or Philadelphia than, in Paris. The right hon. member wondered that the India bufinefs had been fo long postponed. On this point he was ready to take shame to himself, for the state of our affairs in the Eaft had for fome time been fuch, that they would ill brook any delay; the rapid changes of minifters for thefe last two years was the reason why nothing had hitherto been done. No one could fuppofe, that if the adminiftration of the noble' lord in the blue ribband had lasted, nothing would have been done relative to India; the enquiry fet on foot by that noble lord, and conducted by the committee of fecrecy, as well as by the fe lect committee, would, nay must have ended in fome plan for the better government of India, if his administration had not been fuddenly diffolved. The short adminiftration of the noble marquis left no time for entering upon that businets; and even the noble earl, who had been at the head of the late adminiftration, had not time to take any effectual measures to heal the wounds which former governors had given to India. The prefent adminiftration had come into office in April laft; they could not poffibly have brought in a bill, containing a complete system for the government of India, before the month of May, or perhaps June; and if they had brought it in, it could not have paffed that feffions, unlefs it had been protracted to the prefent moment; and as he found gentlemen very anxious to get into the country in July laft, there was at that time but little reafon to expect that there would have been fuch an attendance as the magnitude of the bufinefs would require. therefore was a feffions beyond which it would be impoffible to delay it; and he took the opportunity of the full house he now faw, to give notice that he would on Tuesday next bring the bufinefs of India before the houfe. He obferved, that if minifters even withed to keep back the business, it would of itfelf prefs forward for difcuffion. The house remembered well the decifion of the court of proprietors during the last feffions; and the difpatches of the directors, which Mr. fecretary Townshend ftopped, and would not fuffer to be fent to India. Something. of a fimilar affair had lately happened, and it was now become abfolutely neceffary that the legi lature should interfere, and put an end, by a folemn act, to the difficulties which at prefent exift in the government of the company: at pre-: fent all is anarchy in it; it would be the bufinafs of parliament to restore order and good gover

This