duct him a prisoner to their bar, and, on any resistance on the part of Du mourier, to have him assassinated on the road :-" But (adds the writer,) "I have been before hand with them, in securng these commissioners and their deputies as MY prisoners." These he has sent under a strong escort to the Prince de Coburg, after having put seals on their papers, &c.

"M. Dumourier transmitted me at the same time the inclosed list of the prisoners, and concludes by saying, "That he was that instant about to move with this trusty part of his army, in order to destroy all those who may further oppose themselves to the public good of France, and to give to that distracted kingdom permanent peace and tranquillity.'

"I have the honour to be your Excellency's, &c.

CLAIRFAIT."

List of prisoners referred to above: Bournonville, a General in the army, and War Minister. Memoire, a captain of Hufsars, his aid-du-camp. Villemure, Secretary Commissioner of the War Office, Camus,-Lamarque,Quinette, Henri Brucal, ditto.-Faucard, Secretary of the Commifsion. These prisoners have been since lodged in the citadel of Maistrecht.

It is believed that Dumourier marched directly for Paris, and that Valenciennes and Lille are put into the possession of the Austrians, who are said to wait there in readiness to act as occasion fhall seem to require.

It has been confidently reported that Dumourier was fired upon by some unknown person among his own troops, and narrowly escaped being shot, on which he went off with a single regiment of horse, as was supposed, to join the Austrian army. It now appears that he joined the Austrians at Mons, accompanied with young EGALITE, who has now afsumed the title of the duke of Chartres. Dumourier, though deserted by his own army, proposes still to raise another army of royalists in France: but whether he may not here also be disappointed a little time will show.

A better idea may be obtained of the present state of mens minds, and the actual state of things in Paris from the proceedings of the Convention, and Clubs, than from any accounts transmitted by individuals. The following particulars are selected with that view; and exhibit a most striking picture of the horrible state of desperation that there prevails.

National Convention-March 30th.

DANTON" The patriots are opprefsed by the aristocracy. It is meant to murder them, by making the people believe that they have been tampering in Dumourier's plot. (He was interrupted by a vehement agitation in the Conventica, and afterwards proceeded)-You reproach me, you who sit on the mountain, with not exerting all the energy of character which nature hath bestowed upon me. You accuse me of weakness. Very well! I confefs my error, and I proclaim before all France that those who through stupidity or weaknefs meant to withdraw the tyrant from the sword of the law, are the same men who indulge in the insolent practice of calumny. I am reproached with not repairing to the Committee at the moment of my return from Belgium-How could I?--Overpowered with fatigue, after pafsing several nights without rest, was it not natural to yield to this first call? Scarcely had I obtained a few hours of repose, when I repaired to the Committee, and I call to witness all who were present what were my first words.

Dumourier must be watched. Dumourier is a traitor. Dumour!er has said that the Convention consists of four hundred fools, led by three hundred ruffians

""

"But Dumourier wishes for a king, and Danton is suspected of having been his partner in this audacious, this criminal idea -Danton, who, if I may say so, led the tyrant to the scaffold. But let us cease to impute to innocence a crime, of which those only who had the wickednefs to keep terms with Louis can alone be reasonably suspected, --those who endeavoured to exasperate Dumourier against the popular societies-those who wished to punish the Civism of Paris, by arming the departments against it--those who at clandestine suppers concerted plans of conspiracy with him. I defy the traitor to produce a single line of mine that can compromise me with him. If he can, let my head pay the forfeit." He concluded with proposing to levy fifty thousand men for the protection of Paris; and that the commifsion above decreed fhould take cognizance of all the deputies since the opening of the Convention, and of all publications against the unity of the Republic, &c.

OSSELIN, from the Committee of Surveillance, announced that a great number of deserters were flocking to Paris. He read a declaration of the Commandant of the light cavalry of Calvados, denouncing Dumourier and his aid du camp Baptiste, formerly his valet de chambre. The Convention passed a decree for apprehending at the barriers of Paris all military men who should not produce leave of absence.

Decree that Baptiste be put under arrest.
Commune of Paris.

On the 25th of March, Chaumet informed the Council General of the Commune that the prisoners in the Temple being asked if they had any complaint to make against the persons who attended them, said that they had great reason to be satisfied with the conduct of the Commifsioners in the Tower; and that they wished only for a door of communication between their apartments. A person was appointed to examine whether or not this request could be granted. On the 26th, one of the Commissioners accused his colleagues of conversing familiarly with the prisoners; and on the 1st of April, the Council General ordered that none of the Commissioners at the Temple should hold familar conversation with the prisoners, nor execute any commission for them; that two Commifsioners should be constantly with them; that no Commifsioner should read or receive any letters from them, which had not been previously read to the Council of the Temple; and that when the prisoners should walk on the platform of the tower, they should always be accompanied by three Commifsioners and the Commandant of the post.

The clubs now exercise both the legislative and executive functions of government, and while they dictate to the deliberations of the Convention, ifsue their mandates with all the imperiousness of constituted authorities. In the club of the CORDELIERS, it was resolved on the 26th of March that DuMOURIER and the other commanders of the army should be brought to Paris in order to be tried; " and if, (cried some of those present,) they escape the tribunal, they shall not escape us.

Sitting of the Facins -March 25.

A violent debate arose on the question, Whether the Society ought not to send Commifsioners chosen from its own members to accompany those of the Convention into the departments?

BENTABOLE Communicated to the Society the bad news received from Belgium; 800 million of expences, and 150,000 men conducted to slaughter. These are the fruits of all our conquest in the Netherlands.

An administrator of the department of Deaux Severes, after mention ing the troubles by which the territories of the Republic are desolated, cried out, "Rise! your enemies are in the midst of you-crush them, or they will crush you! The people can only save themselves. Let them then-it is time !-Remember the 10th of August-March! You have not a moment to lose."

HERBERT." The counter revolution is in the Convention. Your Legis. lators are your tyrants-they are in concert with the Generals and the Executive power. Let the people then rise. The Convention, instead of saving, mean to betray us." [Several voices from the out, No more quarter-let us rise and strike!]

galleries here cried

Let the Mountain

Another member.-Let us proceed to the Convention be in force, and let them say to the people, here are your friends-there are your tyrants. This insurrection must be the last, for such fhocks exhaust the machine; the blood of your enemies must run in large streams. same hour, on the same day, in all the towns, in all the villages, all the hamlets, and all the cottages throughout the kingdom, the heads of conspirators must roll in the dust."-Applauded with much transport.

At the

March 27.

ROBERSPIERRE.-". The only means of saving ourselves are to declare war against our enemies, as they have declared war against us. Let us remember the 10th of August. Let us not go to afk the Convention whether it will save us-Yes, it will, but we must second it. I propose then, that all foreigners be banished-all the agents of the cabinets of Vienna and Berlin-all suspected persons.-You will ask me how they are to be discovered? Let a Revolutionary Committee, composed of warm patriots, be established in each Section. Banifh from these Sections all the ci-devant nobles, priests, &c."--Applauded.

Several members proposed different measures of general safety, but all agreed on the necefsity of a new insurrection.

BOISSEL." As the law is not executed, the people must do justice to themselves."

March 31.

can.

MARAT." Act with energy and courage. Behave like a true republiDo as I fhall do. If the enemy enter France, I shall draw my poignard and fall upon the traitors. [Here Marat drawing a dagger from his bosom, brandished it in his hand.] I am determined to die rather than bend the knee. The despair of liberty will give me death. I propose that a considerable number of such arms fhall be manufactured and given to all citizens of known patriotism, who are not aquainted with military evolutiLet us set on foot a subscription for this purpose. I myself fhall make the first sacrifice to it."This was adopted, and the subscription agreed

ons.

to.

April 1.

ROBERSPERRE

made a long speech on the conduct of Dumourier, and mentioned the dangers to which liberty was exposed; but which, however, he observed, would appear more glorious after the severe proofs to which it had been put. "Some speak of giving you a king, (said he,) but it is not known that the fairest laurels which bind your brows, were plucked from the grave of the last of the Capets? and certainly no one will tear from you that mark. triumph, but with your lives."- He concluded with moving, that all the members of the family of Capet, as well as all the ci-devant nobles and priests, fhould be expelled.--Adopted.

1

MISCELLANEOUS.

Ir now appears that the French squadron returned to Brest on the 2d

inst, after having suffered considerable damage in a storm, without having made a single capture, or effected any of the other objects intended by it.

Admiral Goodal has captured and carried into Gibraltar above a dozen of vessels, nearly half of them French West Indiamen of great value.

Our cruisers continue to be successful in picking up privateers,-almost the only French vefsels that are to be found in the narrow seas. Captain Cochrane of the Hinde brought in no less than four of these to Portsmouth at one time.

Nothing remarkable has occurred in parliament since our last, unless it be the debates on the alien bill, which has been opposed with much energy in all its stages. It has at length got through the House of Commons with several amendments.

The negociation with the East India Company respecting a renewal of their charter is not yet términated. It seems at present as if the plan proposed by Mr Dundas would be agreed to.

Spain seems now to be determined to prosecute the war against France. A powerful army has already begun to march into the southern provinces of that kingdom. If our accounts can be relied on, the common people in Spain are much exasperated against the French, and treat them with great

harshness.

Sweden has fitted out a fleet of considerable strength to cruise in the Baltic, for the purpose, it is said, of protecting her own trade. An ambassador has been dispatched from France, with the avowed intention of inducing that nation to act with them. If the cautious regent fhall decline to do this, it is said the French mean to confiscate all the Swedish vessels in the ports of France.

Congress at Antwerp.

A congress was held at Antwerp, on the 8th inst. which was composed of the following persons.

The prince of Orange and his two sons,

The Dutch Pensionary Van der Speigel,

His royal highness the Duke of York,
Lord Auckland,

His royal highness the prince de Saxe Cobourg
Count Metternich,

The count de Staremberg,

The count Mercy d'Argenteau,

The Prussian, Spanish, and Neapolitan ministers, resident at the Hague. The object was to settle a general plan for the prosecution of the war; and, as Dumourier's defection had produced no material alterations, to deter

VOL. XIV.

mine whether the combined armies fhould again attempt the invasion of France, or confining the French within their own frontier, and cutting them off from external communication, leave the restoration of monarchy to the efforts of the royalists within the kingdom, and the natural progress of discontent arising from distress among the people.

The ill success of the campaign of last year had taught the Austrians and Prufsians the difficulties that must attend entering France; and produced declarations, that it was not their intention to dictate a form of government for the French, but to prevent the effects of those licentious principles which tended to the subversion of every established go

vernment.

By the congrefs, however, it was resolved to commence a plan of active operations against France, and instead of the chimerical project of marching directly to Paris, to besiege at once as many as pofsible of the strong places on the frontier, which will block up or call off the greatest part of the republican troops from the interior of the kingdom, and leave the royalists within it without much opposition. If these places fall, they will be immediately occupied by the troops of the combined powers, and serve as points to act from according to circumstances, while the fleets of England, Holland, and Spain are to form a chain of cruisers round the coast, ready to favour the royalists wherever they appear, and to cut off all supplies by sea, as the armies will do by land.

We know for certain, that the preparations for embarking our cavalry and other regiments destined for foreign service, were suspended on Monday, but these orders have been recalled, and the most vigorous exertions are now making to get ready their accoutrements, and the transports in which they are to embark. A descent on the French coast is supposed to be meditated.

The cefsation of hostilities with the French is of course broken off. General Valence, who had availed himself of it, had gone to Antwerp, where he is now, to recover of his wounds.

Support of the private credit.

The inconveniencies to mercantile people and manufacturers arising from the want of credit continue to increase, and many bankruptcies in consequence of that have already taken place, and seem to threaten more. The magistrates of Liverpool have applied to parliament for an act to authorise them, under certain limitations, to support the credit of the banking houses there. And at Newcastle the inhabitants at large have adopted a measure equally liberal and salutary for supporting the credit of the banking houses there, which ought to be preserved to posterity as an honourable and charac teristical trait of the spirit of the times.

A general meeting of the gentlemen, merchants, tradesmen, and inhabitants of Newcastle having been summoned on the 9th of April, to deliberate on the most effectual means of supporting the credit of the banking houses there on the present excessive run upon them; a committee of fifteen was appointed to inform themselves of the selection of the banks, and to report to the meeting. The following was the result.