berations on this fide of the water had an irrefiftible influence over those on the other? The question, before the British parliament and nation, was clear and unequivocal: it required neither explanation nor comment; were the Irish Roman Catholics to be freed from all difqualifications, on account of their religion, or were they ftill to remain fubject to them? They had been led to expect this emancipation, and now it was withheld, in a manner almost amounting to a denial. What could miniftry propofe either by a delay or a refufal? the danger was nearly equal from both; and, in the prefent circumftances of affairs, there was little, if any, difference between the one and the other as probably the Irish would foon fee, and take their meafures according to the interpretation, of those who faw matters in this light. Impatience and indignation, at our tardinefs in doing what they confidered as no more than our duty, would provoke them as much as if we had determined never to do it; and we should lofe, through an unfeafonable hefitation, the opportunity of granting that with a good grace, which might afterwards : be extorted from us by the evil hour of neceffity and compulfion. 1 Other fpeeches were made by the fupporters and oppofers of adminiftration, much in the fame ftrain as the antecedent. After which, an end was put to the debate, by the order of the day being moved by Mr. Pitt, and carried by one hundred and eighty-eight, againft forty-nine. Such were the most interesting debates during this feffion; which closed, on the 27th of June, with the customary formalities. The fpeech from the throne contained, as ufual, the king's acknowledgements to parliament for the ample fupplies granted for the prosecution of the war: the liberal affiftance. given to extricate the prince of Wales from his embarrassments, and to fettle an income upon him, was duly noticed; and it concluded with the hope of fuch a change in the government of France, as might produce a difpofition to maintain the accustomed relations of peace and amity; and with the promife to make the moft effectual use of the force entrusted to government, for the attainment of thefe falutary purposes. ERRATA TO THE HISTORY OF EUROPE. Page 4, Col. 1, Line 6, from bottom, for it read if. S, from bottom, for 1793 reaa 1773. for Demourier read Dumourier. 9, from bottom, for taking rea i taken. 11, from bottom, for Lanjainais read Larjunais, and for Lare vaillere read Lareveille: e. CHRONICLE. CHRONICLE. JANUARY. tf. Twelve o'clock, HIS day, a little before two houfes at the powder-mills belonging to Meirs. Pigue and Andrews, at Dartford, blew up, by which accident eleven men, employed in the fame, unfortunately loft their lives. The explosion was fo great, that it hook most of the buildings in the town, and the concuflion was fenfibly felt in many parts of the county of Suffolk. The fcene on the fpot was fhocking beyond defcription, as the adjoining fields were covered with fragments of the buildings, confifting of large beams of timber hivered into thousands of splinters, fprinkled with blood, and interfperfed with the mangled Imbs of the unfortunate fufferers, many of which have been gathered up for interment, but not one of their heads has been yet found. How the accident happened, is at prefent, and probably ever will remain, unknown. The explofion took place a few minutes before twelve o'clock, when providentially the overfeer and two boys had jaft left the works, and one of them was ringing the bell for dinner, or they could not have efcaped the untimely fate of their companions. Mrs. Wilkes, the wife of the manager, ftanding at her own door, VOL. XXXVII. about two hundred yards diftance, was knocked down, but happily not materially hurt. 6th. Captain Telford arrived at the Sierra Leone Houfe, with difpatches from that colony, dated the 28th of November, by which it appears, that a French fquadron, confifting of L'Experiment, a 50 gun fhip, two frigates, two armed brigs, one of 18, the other of 12 guns, and two Guineamen (prizes), alfo floutly armed, had, on the 28th of September, appeared off the fettlement, which, as all refiftance. was thought likely to be ineffectual, immediately furrendered. The French, however, fired feveral fhots into the town after the flag was firuck, by which a woman and a girl were killed, and a man and three women wounded. The French force having landed, proceeded to pillage the town, and then deftroyed all the public buildings, as well as the Company's fmall veffels, the Thornton, Domingo, Venus, James, and Anna, then lying in the river, the natives and fome of the fettlers being encouraged to partake of the plunder. The Company's fhip the Harpy of 400 tons, happening to arrive while the French fquadron was in the river, was captured. Two other fmall veffels belonging to the Company were afterwards captured B оп on the coaft. The Harpy and her cargo were luckily infured. The French fquadron remained about 15 days in the river. They alfo captured and pillaged the factory at Bance Iiland. When they were on the point of departing, they put on fhore about 120 British failors, moft of them extremely fick, who had been taken from different thips captured on the coaft, and having destroyed or carried off all the Company's flores and provifions, except a fupply of about three weeks for the failors left on fhore, they fet fail to the fouthward. The diftreffes of the colony were extremely great on the eve of their departure, the feafon at that time being remarkably fickly, and all the medicines having been carried away or deftroyed. Of the failors who were landed, about 80 perithed for want of proper accommodation, as well as medicine and fuftenance. The Nova Scotian fettlers, however, fuffered little. Though many of the Company's fervants fuffered much in their health from ill-treatment and expofure, but only two or three of them have died. The Governor and Council mention, that their diftreffes had much abated a few weeks after the departure of the French fquadron; that a veffel alfo had arrived from England, which had furnished them with many neceffary articles, and that a fufficient fupply of rice was then in the colony; that the health of the Company's fervants was improving; and that at the time when they were firipped of their arms and ammunition, and every other neceflary, no want of order had prevailed. They were in full expectation, that if the Company thould Send them out the proper fupplies, the colony would recover this misfortune. The Nova Scotian settlers being all on the land, which proved more fruitful than was expected, they were able to fupport themfelves, and they had a quantity of ftock on their farms. The French fquadron appears to have been piloted and aflifted by fome American Slave Traders. A very great mob assembled 9th in London road, leading from the Obelisk in St. George's fields to the Elephant and Caftle, at Newington Butts, and, having intimation that a number of men were imprisoned by a certain defcription of crimps, attacked the house where thefe perfons were confined, demolished their windows, and releafed 18 men, who were chained together by handcuffs and other iron ligaments. The Borough magiftrates, on hearing of this outrage, inmediately fent down their officers; and the acting recruiting ferjeant being taken into cuftody, he was, after a fhort examination. committed to the New Gaol., The circumftances which led to the difcovery of this imprisonment was that of kidnappnig a pot-boy, who, before he was chained down, contrived to break a pane of glafs in the drawing-room window (for the houfe was a private one, and elegantly furnished) from whence he cried out "murder!" This alarmed the neighbourhood, and, as it had been fufpected by them that perfons were illegally confined there, the doors and windows were foon demolished, and the prifoners liberated. This ferjeant and his crew had two women of the town genteely dreffed up, for the purpose of inveigling young men into the houfe, which they ftyled their lodgings, lodgings, where the deluded were initantly handcuffed; and about three or four o'clock in the morning fent off in coaches, hired for the purpose, to the country. Next day, feveral more youths, who were confined in other parts of the fields, were releafed by the magiftrates, amidft the plaudits of a numerous multitude of spectators. This evening a peace offi12th. cer, with a warrant from a magiftrate, went to apprehend a footpad in one of the little publichoufes which line the quays of the river Thames, in that part of the Borough called Bankfide. On entering the tap, he immediately difcovered the delinquent he was in fearch of, dreffed in a feaman's jacket and trowfers, and tippling with feveral other perfons in the fame drefs. The officer immediately advanced to feize him; but the fellow pulled out a piftof, and dilcharged it at the conftable, who, feeling himself wounded, immediately went out of the tap, and walked about ten yards to a neighbouring houfe, which he entered, and fat himself down on a chair, and, without being able to utter a word, immediately expired. The defperado who committed this atro. cious deed was, we are forry to find, fuffered to efcape with his companions. The contents of the piftol had lodged in the conftable's breast. 14th. The following decifion took place by ballot at the India Houfe, in Leadenhall-street: "That no Director be allowed. to trade to or from India in his private capacity, either directly or indirectly, either as principal or agent.' o'clock in the morning, and closed at fix in the evening. At half paft eight o'clock, the Chairman entered the General-Court room, and declared the numbers to he as follow: 18th. For the propofition 541 348 Majority 193 Two Delegates from Holland waited upon Lord Grenville, with a remonftrance, refpecting the detention of the Dutch Eaft-Indiamen and cargoes in British ports; the following is almoft verbatim what paffed on this occafion: Lord Grenville- -"I would with to be informed, Gentlemen, in what capacity you with to be received?” Delegate-" As Reprefentatives of the Sovereign People of Fatavia." Lord Grenville-" I know of no fuch delegating power, and therefore must decline any further conference with you." 19th. About twelve o'clock, two veffels broke from their moorings a little below Londonbridge; the tide then running up, drove them against the bridge with fuch force, that one of them (a Weft Indiaman with three mafts) making the centre arch, carried away all her matts clofe by the board, knocked down two of the lamps on the top of the bridge, bent the lampiron in an afton thing manner, and, with a crash that made the whole fabric thake, paffed through the arch with incredible velocity, and drifted up the river with the tide to Blackfriars-bridge, which the alfo went through, but without any farther accident; and continued her courfe till fhe came above So The ballot commenced at ten merfet Houfe, where the drove on fhore, and with fome difficulty was moored. The crew, perceiving their danger, took to the boat a few minutes before the reached London bridge, which, in all probability, faved fome of their lives. The other veffel, ftriking against the ftarlings of one of the fmaller arches, was prevented from going through, but from the fhock muft have been confiderably damaged. She remained there till the turn of the tide, when he was got off, and, with the afliftance of fome boats, was towed into a place of safety. The above accident is fuppofed to have happened from the large pieces of ice brought up the river by the tide, cutting the cables by which the fhips were moored. The moft dreadful fire 20th. e er remembered in Liverpool happened on Sunday morning, the 18th inft. At five o'clock the Exchange (the noblest building of the kind, without exception, of any in the kingdom) was difcovered to be on fire, the infide of which was entirely deftroyed in lefs than two hours with the greatest difficulty, the town records, regalia, mace, fword, &c. were preferved from the flames, though kept on the oppofite fide of the building from whence the fire broke out, fo rapid was its progrefs. Several accidents happened, and it is feared one man has perithed. A little before five it was difcovered by the Exchange-keeper's wife, who, being troubled with an afthma, found inconvenience from the fmoke that entered the -chamber: the awoke her hufd, on entering the allemfound it in flames. The inflantly given, but too ede its progrefs: in lefs Lour and a half the whole roof fell in. Fortunately the wind was moderate, otherwife the house inhabited by Mr. Jones, filversmith, and Mr. Gore, printer, would have fhared the fame fate, notwithstanding a ftreet of at least 25 yards breadth intervening. Amongst other matters destroyed are two elegant paintings, executed by Mr. Martin, and prefented by him to the Corporation of Liverpool; one reprefenting "The murder of Macduff's family," the other, "Cleopatra arming Anthony." Seven men attempting to 2Tft. pafs, on the ice, to a collier, in the river, near Radcliff-ftreet fell into the water, and were all drowned. This morning two watch23d. men, belonging to the parish of Bloomsbury, were found frozen to death on their pofts. They had been feen, a few hours before, regaling themfelves with liquor, to enable them to encounter the feverity of the weather, which, it is fuppofed. caufed them to fall into a fleep, from which they never awoke. The fame day a man, who it is fuppofed had fallen overboard, floated through London-bridge with the ice. Only his head and arms could be feen, and he was frozen to death. A fervant of Meff. Green 25th. and Ward, Ludgate-hill, was drowned near Putney, attempting to crofs the river on the ice. Between twelve and one 26th. o'clock, the Stadtholder of Holland, accompanied by the Princefs Frederica Louifa Wilhelmina, his daughter, and Prince William George Frederic, his fecond fon, arrived in London, and immediate ly proceeded to the houfe of the Dutch |