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a measure," as the speaker, in his speech to BOOK the lord-lieutenant at the close of the session, justly observed, "essential for effectuating in 1793. that kingdom a similar control over the application of the public money to that which had been long established in Great Britain."

On the other hand, the court was gratified by the passing of Alien and Traitorous Correspondence Bills, analogous to those of England; and yet more by an act of an extraordinary nature, "To prevent the election or appointment of assemblies, purporting to represent the people, or any description or number of the people, under pretence of preparing or presenting petitions, &c. to the king or either house of parliament, for alteration of matters established by law, or redress of alleged grievances in church or state." This act plainly indicated the apprehensions of government that the Catholics would not be permanently satisfied with the concessions now made to them; and the measure in question was adopted, in order to make it impracticable for them to meet in provincial or national convention. The policy, therefore, of the present session was not to extinguish discontent, but to allay it for the present, and to repress the external symptoms of this political distemperature in future.

The earl of Westmoreland, on proroguing the

BOOK parliament on the 16th August (1793), informed XIX. the two houses, "that the wisdom and libe1793. rality with which they had attended to his ma

Extraordi

nary prosecutions for

sedition in Scotland.

jesty's recommendation in favor of his Romancatholic subjects were highly pleasing to the king."-That the sentiments of the British cabinet were not, however, really favorable to the general interests of liberty too plainly appeared from the manner in which the powers of government were exercised at this time both in England and Scotland.

Notwithstanding the great predominance of the spirit of loyalty, and the numberless addresses of duty and allegiance transmitted from all parts of the united kingdom, and the perfect security of the government, a mean and merciless spirit of revenge displayed itself in the prosecution and punishment of very many petty offenders accused of the vague and indefinable crime of sedition-among whom were several printers and booksellers; so that it became extremely dangerous to publish any tract or pamphlet reflecting in any manner upon the measures of government, and the liberty of the press was silently and virtually annihilated.

The prosecutions in Scotland were of a nature more important and interesting. The spirit of political reform had diffused itself very widely in that kingdom, blended, as is too frequently the

XIX.

case, with the alloy of enthusiasm and theoretic BOOK extravagance. A numerous association of persons of this complexion, sent from various towns 1793. and districts, met this summer at Edinburgh, under the pompous title of a Convention of Delegates for obtaining Universal Suffrage and Annual Parliaments. This was no infraction of any known existing law; and a similar proceeding had taken place in England in the year 1780-a convention of delegates from different parts of the kingdom, for the purpose of obtaining a reform in parliament, having met in London repeatedly, not only without judicial or parliamentary animadversion, but with national approbation and applause-Mr. Pitt, now first minister, being himself a delegate to this convention.

The extreme indiscretion of the Scottish association appeared, however, very manifest, in their affected adoption of the modes and forms established in the National Assembly of France; and more especially in their habitual use of the obnoxious term "Citizen." But although these things indicated great puerility and want of judgment, it cannot be denied that many persons of great respectability, attending only or chiefly to the object in view, and regardless of these follies which they no doubt disapproved and despised, had accepted the office of dele

BOOK gates, and, with perfect rectitude of intention,

XIX.

1793.

Tyrannical sentence of

tion passed

entered as members into this association. On a sudden, and while the legality of this conventional assembly was yet unquestioned, divers of the delegates were apprehended (August, A. D. 1793) on a charge of sedition, and brought to trial before the High Court of Justiciary, by whom they were found guilty upon evidence which would in the English courts have been held totally inadmissible, and by the judges of that despotic tribunal sentenced to be transported beyond the seas for the term of fourteen years, to such place as his majesty should judge proper.

Of this number were, Mr. Muir, one of the transport Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh, Mr. Ger on Muir, ald, whose eloquent defence attracted much noSkirving, tice, Mr. Skirving, and Mr. Margarot, who were and Palmer. Soon afterwards with many circumstances of

Gerald,

Margarot,

relentless barbarity, conveyed in a government transport, with a crowd of felons of the vilest description, across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to the settlement of Botany-Bay. The same severe fate awaited Mr. Palmer, an English clergyman of unblemished moral character, whose zeal for the dissemination of unitarian principles in religion had induced him to fix his residence at Dundee, where he had opened a chapel and collected a congregation. Being a

XIX.

friend to political no less than religious liberty, BOOK this gentleman had been engaged in re-printing an address to the people of Scotland on the sub- 1793. ject of reform, containing many bold truths and some unguarded expressions; not, however, more censurable than might easily be found in thousands of papers, the political ephemera of the day, which have in England passed altogether unnoticed.

For this offence Mr. Palmer was tried by the Circuit-court of Justiciary, and sentenced to. seven years' transportation beyond the seas. The amiable qualities of the individuals who were condemned excited a general sympathy for their sufferings, and inspired into the breasts of thousands a perfect detestation of the man and the minister who had raised himself to power by his pretended zeal for the cause of parliamentary reform, and had now become the most implacable persecutor of those who still retained the principles which he had abandoned; preferring poverty, exile, and death, to the possession of riches and honors purchasable only at the price of an infamous and profligate apostasy. In relation to these trials, it was contended in vain, though with much strength of legal argument, that the crime charged upon these gentlemen was merely that of leasing-making, or public libel; the punishment for which, by the