nance.

HE domestic events of the

by any peculiar brilliancy and luftre. A tranfaction that deferves to be mentioned, both as characteristic of the court and the metropolis, and as having for fome time occupied the attention of the public, is the proclamation that was made on the firft of June, for the encouragement of piety and virtue, and the preventing and punishing of vice, profaneness and immorality. This measure was faid to have originated in the inftigation of Mr. Wilberforce, member for the county of York, and has fome features of the fect of religionifts, the methodifts, of which that gentleman is an adherent. Whether the minifter were really influenced by the oftenfible motives of the proclamation, or whether it was merely a piece of compliance and courtship that he paid a man of confiderable intereft, we pretend not to decide.

The proclamation obferved with inexpreffible concern the rapid progrefs of impiety and licentioufnefs, and that deluge of profanenefs, immorality, and every kind of vice, which, to the fcandal of our holy religion, had broken in upon the nation. It expreffed the royal purpofe and refolution to dif ountenance every thing of that fort in all perfons, of whatever quality or degree, and particularly in fuch as were employed near the perfon of the king. It required all perfons of honour and authority to give an example of

ry other game on Sunday, either in public or private houses. It. commanded all perfons decently and reverently to attend the worship of God on that day, on pain of the higheft difpleasure of the king, and of being proceeded against with the utmoft poffible rigour by law. It enjoined all magiftrates to be vigi. lant in the difcovery, and profecution of perfons guilty of exceffive drinking, blafphemy, fwearing, profanation and lewdnefs; to fupprefs gaming and other loose and diforderly houfes, unlicenced places of entertainment, and loofe and licentious prints, books and publications. They were directed to prevent all perfons keeping taverns and other public houfes from receiving, or permitting guests to remain in their houfes during the time of divine fervice on Sunday. Commanders by fea and land were also enjoined, by their own good and virtuous lives and their authority, to prevent all officers, private foldiers and mariners from vice and debauchery, and to excite them to the practice of religion and virtue.

This proclamation was accompa nied by a circular letter from the fecretary of state to the several high fheriffs of England; and, in order to give it greater operation and efficacy, a voluntary affociation was entered into and published on the twenty-third of February 1788, confifting of the archbishop of Canterbu

гу

ry, nine dukes, one marquis, fourteen carls, twenty bithops, and a great number of perfons of rank and diftinction. A publication appeared about the fame period, entitled, "Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society," which was commonly afcribed to Mr. Wilberforce, but has fince been fuppofed to be written by Mifs Hannah More, and which excited confiderable attention. It is in the fpirit and nearly in the ftyle of the proclamation, and ftrongly urges perfons of rank to that ftrictness and severity of perfonal manners, which alone can produce a great revolution in the character of a nation.

But the attention of government was not entirely confined to the religious improvement of the people of England. In the autumn of the year 1787 the diffenfions of Holland had rifen to their ultimate crisis, and their event greatly depended upon the interpofition or forbearance of foreign nations. The principal ally of one party was the French; but they were too deeply engaged by their domeftic fituation to be able to attend to the balance of Europe. The friend of the other party was the king of Pruffia, and he was affifted by Great Britain. The particulars of the invafion do not belong to our domeftic hiftory. It is fufficient to obferve, that the Pruffian army under the duke of Brunswic, entered the territories of Holland on the thirteenth of September; and that, finding fcarcely any thing to refift their progrefs, they made themselves mafters of the ftates of Holland on the eighteenth, and obliged that affembly to adopt whatever refolutions were dictated to them at the point of the fword. France unable to forget its former rank in the icale, no

tified it's intention of affifting the Dutch two days before the ultimate event: but this notification produced nothing more than a mutual armament of the courts of London and Verfailles, which was difbanded by common confent on the twentyfeventh of October. It was upon this occafion, that a treaty was opened with the Landgrave of Heffe Caffel, and concluded on the twentyeighth of September, by which that prince engaged to furnifh to the king of Great Britain a body of twelve thousand men at four weeks notice, in confideration of a fubfidy of 36,000l. per annum. It is to be hoped, that this is the laft occafion, in which the authority of Britain will be employed on the fide of defpotifm, and a foreign ftate fhall prefume to arreft any power of Europe in its purfuit of liberty and a conftitution.

In confequence of this tranfaction it was found neceffary to affemble the parliament of Great Britain fomewhat earlier than is ufual in time. of peace; and, the feflion having commenced on the twenty-feventh of November, the two houfes were addreffed in a speech from the throne. The king remarked, that at the clofe of the last feffion he had informed them of the concern, with which he cbferved the difputes unhappily fubfifting in the republic of the United Provinces. Their situation foon afterwards became more critical and alarming; and the danger, which threatened their conftitution and independence, feemed likely in its confequences to affect the fecurity and interefts of his dominions. No endeavours were wanting on his part to contribute to the restoration of tranquillity and the maintenance of the lawful government; and he had thought it neceflary to explain his intention of counteracting all forci

ble interference on the part of France. Under these circumftances the king of Pruffia had demanded fatisfaction for the infult offered to the princefs of Orange, his fifter; and, the party which had ufurped the government being alarmed at his proceedings, and having applied to the moft Chriftian king for afliftance, that prince had notified to his majefty his intention of granting their requeft. On receiving this notification the king did not hesitatê to declare, that he could not remain a quiet fpectator; and he gave immediate orders for augmenting his forces both by fea and land. In the course of these tranfactions he had thought proper to conclude a fubfidiary treaty with the landgrave of Hefle Caffel. In the mean time the rapid fuccefs of the duke of Brunfwic, while it was the means of obtaining the reparation demanded by the king of Pruffia, enabled the provinces to deliver themfelves from the oppreffions under which they laboured. All fubjects of conteft being thus removed, an amicable explanation took place between the courts of London and Verfailles, and they had agreed to place their naval establishments upon the fame footing as in the beginning of the prefent year. The king obferved upon the zeal and unanimity, which upon this occafion had been thewn by all ranks of his subjects. He mentioned the war, which had broken out between Ruffia and the Porte; the convention he had made with the king of France upon the fubject of the Eaft Indies; and the neceffity there was of particular attention to the proper means of maintaining his diftant poffeffions in an adequate pofture of defence,

The addrefs in anfwer to the

fpeech from the throne was moved by the earl of Harrington. The language that was employed upon 6

this occafion was full of panegyric and exultation. The proceedings of adminiftration, in regard to the affairs of the United Provinces exhibited a glorious picture, as they proved that a love of justice was a primary confideration with us, that the national spirit retained its original ardour, and that, though the wounds of Great Britain were green, and fhe was ftill fuffering from the calamities of a war, in which she had fought, not for glory, but for exiftence, fhe was nevertheless able and willing to ftand forth the protector of the oppreffed and the injured. By fuch conduct this country had meritoriously repaid thofe exertions of our maritime neighbours, to which we had been indebted for the glori ous revolution. The bishop of Landaff alluded to his oppofition to the commercial treaty, and declared, that he was not lefs ready, to exprefs his full and decided approbation of the prefent measures, than he had been to condemn with great freedom and fincerity the proceedings of government on the former occafion. He entered into the metaphyfical queftion of the right we had, forcibly to interfere in fettling the internal difputes of an independent ftate. Was it the right, which every individual derived from nature of affifting thofe whom he faw opprefled with unjuft force? No: for to poffefs ourselves of this right, it was neceffary to take the queftion for granted, which by the adverse part was peremptorily denied. Was it the right of affifting a majority to recover their ancient conftitution? He did not know on which fide in the late controverfy the majority of the Dutch nation had been engaged. It was then upon the ground of felfprefervation: for, if France had gained Holland, we had been undone, This was mutually true of

both

both parties, and he thought that the republic had been infatuated in not perceiving, that she could never be fecured againft the machinations of continental defpotifm, but by the fhield of Great Britain. Lord Stormont delivered his fentiments upon the same side, though he was dif pofed to attribute very little merit to an administration, who had fuffered the stadtholder, to be driven from the Hague, to be divefted of his moft valuable rights, and to be nearly expatriated, before they took any fteps to relieve him. The fortunate event was owing to the interpofition of providence, to the delufion of the defeated party, and to the embarrassed fituation of France, upon which he enlarged, and refpecting which he expreffed his hope, that the fpirit of liberty, which had lately appeared, might become general.

In the house of commons the addrefs was moved by Mr. Dudley Ryder, eldest son of lord Harrowby. Mr. Fox obferved, that he muft contradict every political principle upon which he had hitherto acted, if he refufed his approbation to the principal object of the fpeech from the throne. He confidered it as a public avowal on the part of the fovereign, that thofe principles, which had not long fince been ftigmatifed as romantic, conftituted the fyftem, by which it was the true intereft of this country to be governed; that it was neceflary to fay to the nation, "Taxed as you are in your candles, your windows, and all the necef faries of life, labouring at prefent "under the heaviest burthens, you muft contribute fomething more, in confequence of your relative "fituation with the powers of the ❝continent, and for maintaining

the balance of Europe." Mr.

Fox remarked, that he had repeatedly been cenfured in the preceding feffion for enlarging on the perfidy and treacheroufness of France; but that his charges were weak indeed, compared with that contained in the fpeech from the throne. There it was explicitly declared, that France had fignified her intention of affifting the ufurpers of the legal government of the United Provinces, at the very time when she was in amity and alliance with the governinent itself. For himself he did not think it neceffary to enquire into the legality of the conftitution of a foreign state. It was fufficient for him to confider, which party was moft inclined to be friendly to Great Britain, and to renew the natural alliance with this country. He remarked that in the fpeech of the king it was exprefsly ftated, that the king of France had notified his intention of granting his affiftance to the malcontents in Holland; in the counter declaration the court of France afferted, that they had never entertained fuch an intention. He did not however hefitate which of the two authorities to prefer; and he was fatified, that no minifter would prefume to put any thing but truth into the mouth of the fovereign. He difapproved of the use of the word forcible, as qualifying the mention of the interference of France. It was well known, that he had long interfered in a very different mode; and, though he confidered indirect and concealed practices and the fomenting of factions and cabals as in a high degree illaudable and unworthy, yet, fo long as they were notoriously reforted to by other powers, it became the duty of British minifters to counteract them in the fame fecret way. He concluded with mentioning the

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