Fortunate and alarming, in the midst of this general dissatisfaction, was, that it had arisen, in many, to such a degree of rancour at the authors and abettors of the war, that the attachment, which men naturally feel for their country, and its concerns, had given way to fentiments of the most violent hatred and hoftility to government. It was no longer a simple disapprobation of the war; it was a fervent defire that it might terminate to the difadvantage of this country, and that the French might prevail against the English. So extraordinary and unnatural an antipathy arose, however, from other causes befides the war with France: the perfuafion that no reforms would take place in the government, while it was able to maintain its ground against France, prompted the determined advocates of these reforms, to exprefs, with marked anxiety, their wishes for the success of this inveterate enemy to England. They feemed unconscious, or heedless, of the consequences that must neceffarily follow, were the French to fucceed in their defigns against this country, to that extent which they had projected, and which the generality of their well-wishers in England appeared to defire with no less fervour than themsolves. But the animofities, produced by internal divisions, had, in truth, taken fuch unhappy poffeffion of most men, that those who fought to reconcile them to moderation, became equally odious to both parties: no medium was allowed; whoever deplored the war, as pregnant with calamities that might have been avoided, was reputed a foe to his country; whoever pronounced it just, and neceffary, was deemed a confpirator against its liberty, and an abettor of arbitrary power. In this unfortunate disposition of mind the nation continued during the whole year 1795. The summer, in particular, was marked by a variety of tumults and riots. These were occafioned by the methods practised in the enlisting of men for the army: what with the general averseness of the common people to the war; what with the iniquity of the practice itself, those who were concerned in it became such objects of execration to the multitude, that their persons and dwellings were equally exposed to its resentment and fury. Several houses, either tenanted, or made use of, by those who are vulgarly known by the appellation of crimps, were demolished, and the owners put in danger of or stripped of their furniture, their lives. So great was the rage of the populace, that it was not without fome difficulty those riots were suppressed by the foldiery. Several of those who had been active in these disturbances were executed"; but the public highly disapproved the condemnation, to death, of imdividuals, guilty of no other offence than giving way to a sudden impulse of indignation at the violence offered to their fellow subjects. Such was the temper of the commonalty, previous to the meeting of parliament, about the close of October, 1795. A fermentation of the most alarming kind seemed to pervade the whole mafs of the people. The various associations of individuals, united for the purpose of obtaining a parliamentary reform, were, at this period, peculiarly noticed for their boldness and activity. That which was known by the name of the corresponding fo [B4] ciety, ciety, distinguished itself, by the refolute speeches of its principal members, at the several meetings that took place in the course of the year. That which was held near Copenhagen-house, in the neighbourhood of Islington, was the most remarkable. The numbers that attended, either through zeal in the cause, or through curiofity, were computed at about fifty thousand. Some very daring addresses were made to the multitude: the conduct of ministers was arraigned in the most unqualified language, and a remonstrance to the king, on the neceffity of peace, and of a reform in parliament, was universally agreed on. The proceedings, in these assemblies, were highly offenfive to ministry. As they confifted of individuals void of all hopes of rifing by interest or favour; and who, to a man, were inimical to the measures of government, they condemned them with a freedom of speech that knew no bounds. Often times too, those meetings were attended by persons of parts, who seized those opportunities of venting their difcontent at the system of the times, and of representing administration in the foulest colours, and imputing to them the most flagitious designs. Nor were there wanting, among the members of those societies, though almost entirely composed of the commonest classes, individuals, who, though deficient in education, had received talents from nature, which frequently shone through coarse and vulgar language. The avowed aim of the divers institutions of this nature was to oppose government, and to bring about the two great objects, at this time, in general contemplation; a peace with France, and a reform in parliament. Thefe two objects being incompatible with the views of ministry, the point at issue between these, and the various associations that were increasing in every part of the kingdom, was clearly this, that either the latter would overturn administration, or that aduninistration would overturn them. Prompted by this consideration, the principal heads of government had, it was rumoured, come to a determination, to take the first plaufible opportunity of putting an end to the meetings of these societies, which they represented as wholly made up of the lowest populace, ready to imbibe every notion offered to them by evil-designing men, and to break out into the most dangerous excesses of fedition. Under the pretext of instructing them in their rights, the disaffected availed themselves of their ignorance, to mifrepresent the conduct of government, and to excite them to hold it in hatred and contempt; but a circumstance, still more alarming, was, that among those who took such pains to inflame the paffions of the multitude, there were emissaries from France, who, though natives of Great Britrin, or Ireland, had thrown off all attachment to their country, and were become its most violent and rancorous enemies. The danger accruing from such characters was obvious; the difficulty of detecting individuals connected with our foes, enabled them to assume the appearance of patriotisin, and to delude, with facility, the majority of their hearers, into a perfuafion that they spoke and acted from principle, and had no other intention, than to expose abuses, and to induce the people, at large, to assert their rights. Such was the description, given by the adherents to government, of the the numerous affemblies, and associations, that had been instituted in oppofition, to its measures. It was not on the other hand denied, that the outrages, still adopted in most of the popular meetings, was an object that called for fuppreffion. The warmest friends to the principles inculcated by them, did not deny the impropriety of attacking the ruling powers with fuch acrimony of speech, and prognosticated, that, through want of moderation in their invectives, these meetings exposed themselves to certain dissolution, as the powerful adversaries they were continually provoking, would certainly labour to filence them, and probably find the means of doing it. To the agitation occafioned by political difputes, another was, at this period, fuperadded of a still more dangerous consequence. A scarcity prevailed throughout the kingdom, and was woefully felt by the poorer fort, feveral of whom perished for want. The means of procuring fustenance were narrowed from various caufes; but the difcontented attributed this evil to the war; and the sufferers, through defect of employment, were ready enough to believe those who represented all the calamities that afflicted the nation, as proceeding chiefly, if not folely, from that cause. This prepared them for the commiffion of those excesses, to which men are fo prone, when they find themselves aggrieved, and imagine they are punishing the authors of their griev ances. The state of the nation, from these various circumftances, appeared so critical, that it was judged necessary to call parliament together at an earlier period than usual. It met, accordingly, on the twenty-ninth of October, a day that will be long remembered, on account of the events that attended it, and of the confequences that followed them, and of which they were the immediate caufe. A report had been spread, that an immenfe multitude, of difcontented people, had agreed to take this opportunity of manifesting their sentiments to the king in perfon. This, of course, excited the curiofity of the public, and the park was crowded in a manner unprecedented fince the king's acceffion to the throne. In his way to the house of lords, which lay through the park, his coach was furrounded, on every fide, by persons of all descriptions, demanding peace, and the dismission of Mr. Pitt. Some voices were even heard exclaiming no king, and ftones were thrown at the state-coach as it drew near to the Horse-guards. In passing through Palace-yard, one of the windows was broken, it was faid, by a bullet, discharged from an air-gun. These outrages were repeated on the king's return from the house, and he narrowly escaped the fury of the populace, in his way back from St. James's Palace to Buckingham House. All reafonable people were deeply affected at this treatment of the king. They were duly sensible that it would produce effects highly difagreeable to the public, and, instead of answering the purposes propofed, by those who were fo mifled as to approve of it, that, on the contrary, it would tend to strengthen the hands of ministers, by enabling them to bring forward fuch restrictive meafures, as would confiderably abridge the freedom of speech and action, hitherto enjoyed by the people at large. The Mr. Sheridan was extremely severe in the reply which he made on this occafion. Among other invectives, he reproached minifters for their unskilful management in the West Indies, where the force employed was totally inadequate to the objects proposed, and numbers of the men had been loft through negligence, and want of medical affistance, in that unwholesome climate. He accused minifters of The speech from the throne, was, in the mean time, allowed to be as well appropriated to the circumstances of the time, as any that had been delivered fince the com mencement of the war. It mentioned the disappointment of the French in their attempts in Germany, and the internal dificulties under which they continued to labour. Their present fituation afforded a well-founded prefumption, that they would listen to equitable designing to restore despotism in and moderate terms of peace. In order to obtain such terms, it would be necessary to shew that Great Britain was able to maintain the conteft, till fuch a peace ensued, as accorded with its dignity and intereft. The other particulars of the speech referred to the preparations for a vigorous continuance of the war, the treaties concluded with foreign powers, the profperous fiate of commerce, and the means of providing against the present scarcity. Lord Dalkeith moved the address, and was seconded by Mr. Stuart: the latter gentleman dwelt chiefly on the exhaufted fituation of France, and the oppreffive methods it was reduced to adopt for the raifing of fupplies. The situation of this country was the reverfe: whatever money was demanded was inftantly found, without oppreffing the fubject; the confidence of monied men in government keeping pace with all its exigencies. Much had been faid of the conquest of Holland by the French, but they were obvioufly indebted much more to fortunate cafualties, than to their own prowefs, and could place little reliance on the attachment of the natives, who were now convinced of their imprudence, in trufting to the friendship of the French. France. He called upon them to act as Spain and Prussia had done, by treating with those persons whom the republican armies looked upon as entitled to their obedience. He advised minifters to beware of a connection with the house of Bourbon. It was through such connections that the Stuart's had been expelled. The Bourbons had invariably proved the enemies to Great Britain; and this enmity would revive, were they to be re-established on the throne of France. The rash, and fruitless, attempts to restore that family ought, therefore, to be totally relinquished, and government fhould declare itself willing to treat with the French republic. He was replied to by Mr. Jenkinfon, with the many arguments, fo frequently repeated, in juftification of minifterial meafures. He added, that the retention of the United Provinces, by the French, rendered all treating with them inadmiflible. It was necessary, therefore, to compel them to abandon this new conquest, or to make fuch acquifitions as might counter-balance it, and induce them to give up the poffeffion of that country. the members of the coalition acted with fidelity to the cause they had efpoufed, the French would, by this Had time, have been forced to abadon their lofty pretenfions. In answer to this, the profpect of affairs was represented, by general Tarleton, as very disadvantageous. The numerous army, with which the French had lately obliged the king of Spain to come into their own terms, would now be employed in the invasion of Italy, while our efforts against the French poffeffions, in the West Indies, would probably be frustrated, as they had been on the coast of France, through mifconduct on our fide, and the difficulty of the very attempt itself. It was vain to repeat exertions that had been so successively foiled. Minifters were no longer deserving of confidence; their evident incapacity required their immediate dismision, and the trial of new men, as well as of new measures. He was followed by Mr. Fox, who inveighed, with great animation, against the assertions made by ministry, as fallacious and delusive. Instead of the flattering description they had given of the situation of this country, the fact was, that one hundred millions had been added to the national debt, and four millions a year to the standing taxes. In lieu of reducing the enemy within his former bounds, he was master of all the Austrian territories on the west of the Rhine; nor was there any well-grounded hope of our recovering them. He was preparing to invade Italy with a great and victorious army. The scarcity that afflicted the kingdom had been foretold; but minifters disdained to listen to the warning, though enforced from the most respectable quarter. The propriety of persisting in the war was argued from the distress to which France was reduced by the depreciation of its paper currency: but was this an argument proper to be adduced by men acquainted with the transactions of the American war, and who must be conscious of the futility of pecuniary calculations, when people were determined to fuffer every hardship that human nature could bear, and to try every expedient that neceffity could suggest, rather than admit the idea of fubmiffion? It was time to abandon so hopeless a cause as that of the royal family of France. The opinions of fo mighty a nation were not to be fubdued by force of arms. When pressed to listen to pacific language, minifters alleged the incapacity of the French government to maintain the usual relations of harmony between different states: bat had such objections held good in the cause of Spain, Prussia, and even the king of Great Britain himself, in the quality of elector of Hanover. Had not this far-fetched and absurd obstacle vanished before the reasonableness of putting an end to the calamities of war? It was ridiculous to insist upon danger from treating with the French, because they had fubverted their former, and adopted a new conftitution: the permanence of a treaty depending on its equitableness, and correspon dence, with the reciprocal interests of the contracting parties. It was become nugatory to talk of our allies: we had, indeed, mercenaries in our pay, whom we could only retain by excessive bribes, and who were, every moment, hesitating, whether to accept of them, or of the terms proffered by our enemies, to detach them from this country. Adverting to the scarcity fo heavily complained of, Mr. Fox observed, that war, and its fatal concomitants, |