In the committee of Ways and Means, the Minister stated ǹ. 500,000 what he expected to obtain from the East India Company for a renewal of their charter. The terms on which this renewal is to be granted, are not yet finally adjusted. But it is proposed, inter alia, that the Company should appropriate annually a certain tonnage of fhipping for the transporting of British goods to India, at a freight much below the rate that has been hitherto charged.

News has been received of the safe arrival of captain Bligh in the West Indies, with a large afsortment of plants of the bread fruit tree, and other vegetables from the southern hemisphere, in a state of high preservation. This is the first expedition we know of, (the present being considered as only the completion of captain Bligh's first voyage,) that has been fitted out by any European power for the sole purpose of augmenting the happiness and prosperity of mankind by a kind of traffic,-if a transporting of useful commodities from one part of the world to another deserves that name, in which the party who makes that transportation, is to have no profit. This kind of intercourse is, in fact, so unusual, that it has not as yet obtained an appropriated name. Our gracious sovereign has had the merit of planning and effecting it; and we hope he will live to see the happy effects that will result from it. May these be such as to induce many others to follow his example '

William, earl Mansfield, who for many years occupied the highest law department in this country, with great honour to himself, and satisfaction to the public, died at Caen Wood on the 20th instant, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. He is succeeded in his titles and great wealth by his nephew, lord viscount Stormont, now earl Mansfield.

MANUEL, who long made such a conspicuous figure in France, has been afsafsinated at Montagris, his native place, to which he had lately retired, on finding the very violent and sanguinary dispositions of the ruling party in Paris. The pretext was his refusing to be inrolled as a volunteer, having pleaded that he was exempted from that duty by the law, he being upwards of forty years of age.

It is also reported that Dumourier, on his arrival at Brussels, imprisoned the commifsioners of the National Convention. It is certain that other commifsioners are appointed to superintend the army in Belgium. The intrepid DANTON is one of that number. The proceedings of the commifsioners have been so arbitrary in different places, as to occasion great complaints. A deputation from Strasburgh was sent to the Convention to accuse the commifsioners, who have been in consequence of that recalled.

BOURNONVILLE having been re-elected minister at war, has agreed to hold that office till the month of May, at which time he says he means to go to fight the enemy on the frontiers.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17. 1793.

FOREIGN.

I a

FRANCE.

SINCE INCE our last, almost every day has produced events more disastrous to the ruling powers in France, than the former. Encouraged by the success of the combined armies in the Netherlands, the royalists have taken up arms in many parts in France; numberless fkirmishes have taken place in various parts of the kingdom, some that might be called battles, between the patriots and royalists, (for such are the names afsumed by the different contending parties,) without any decided advantage on either side, each party telling with exultation the numbers that have been put to death; but still the insurgents, as the royalists are called, seem to be increasing in numbers, and the National Convention are daily fatigued with applications from all quarters for additional supplies of troops to quell these insurgents. But the most formidable force of the royalists is at present in Brittany, where they have taken possession of all the strong posts; have got a train of artillery; and are said to be in arms to the amount of forty or fifty thousand. Great apprehensions are entertained lest they should be able to obtain possession of Brest, and by that means call in the afsistance of Britian; for the popular cry is there, vivent les Anglois vive le Roy, vive l' aristocratic.

So much are the ruling powers in France afraid that the English may profit by these internal commotions, that they have put a stop for near a fortnight past to all direct communication with England, so that full eight. days elapsed without the smallest intelligence from thence having been received in Britain; a communication, however, is now opened thither by means of the Dutch Netherlands, through which channel news will be transmitted as regularly as before, though a little more slowly; but circumstances have now occurred that render it probable the usual channel of conveyance by Dover and Calais will soon be opened.

Dumourier had, in our last chronicle, suffered a considerable defeat on the 18th last, near Tirlemont. The combined armies pursuing their victories, obtained another decisive victory on the 22d; and on the 23d the French army were once more worsted, though Dumourier still kept his forces together in retreating. Brufsels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Mons, and Ostend, succefsively fell into the hands of the Austrians; in all which places the French no sooner were gone than the inhabitants received the combined armies with the most extravagant emotions of joy as their deliverers. At Ostend, where the French had conveyed a great part of the plunder they had ob VOL. Xiv

b

tained in Brabant, intending to transport it by sea to Dunkirk, their design was frustrated by admiral Macbride, who commands a squadron of small vefsels at the Nore, and who immediately on learning this intention, sent a few frigates to intercept these vessels; no sooner did they appear before the town, than the French in that place thought proper to retreat; and the inhabitants having entreated the commanding officer to send afhore some troops to enable them to defend the place against any chance stragglers who might return for the purpose of pillage, a small number of marines were sent on fhore, and the British flag was hoisted on the walls, where it continued till a detachment of the Austrian army came up to relieve them.

Breda and Gertrudenburgh, though now entirely cut off from having any communication with the French armies, were still defended by the French garrisons in these places, until March 26. when having received orders from Dumourier to make the best terms of capitulation they could, both these places were delivered up to the Dutch by capitulation upon honourable terms; the troops being allowed to march out with the honours of war, and to be safely escorted by the Dutch till they reached the French territories. Some demurrage took place about the Brabant corps which had joined them, the Dutch general at first insisting that they should not be included in the capitulation; but at length he wisely agreed that they fhould.

Defeat of Custine.

During this time, Custine having assembled all the forces he could, attempted to make a diversion on that side, and did push forward a little towards Hefse Cafsel, having compelled an advanced party of Prussians to retire with lofs. But on the 1st of April he was attacked in force by the king of Prussia near Bingen, and obliged to retreat with considerable lofs. General Newingin, with fifty officers and 2000 men were taken prisoners. The Prussians have taken fifteen cannon, two standards, and a military chest containing 44,000 livres. The enemy have evacuated Worm and Opennheim, and have retired towards Landau. The Prussian army is at present employed in blockading Mentz.

Dumourier ever since his retreat from Brabant, has been evidently much difsatisfied with the conduct of the ruling powers in France, and in particular he disrelished the conduct of the Commissioners, whom he treated with very little ceremony. After his defeat on the 18th of March he wrote the following letter to the minister at war.

"CITIZEN MINISTER,

Tirlemont, March 19.

"It is with much grief that I give you an account of the fatal check which I have received. You will have seen by my letters of yesterday, that my presumptions in that respect were too well justified. On intelligence which I received of the danger of Namur, and of the approach of a body of nearly 10,000 men, who were directing their march towards Brufsels and Louvain,

I thought I could not save the public cause, but by disposting the enemy from their camp of Neervinden. I formed the plan of an attack on the left wing of the enemy; the centre division attacked towards Neervinden; and the left wing of our army, commanded by Miranda and Champmorin, attacked towards the village of The right and the centre had some succefs, though the infantry fell back twice, and were driven from the village of Neervinden; the attack on the left was unsuccessful. The retreat was made with confusion, even beyond Tirlemont, and perhaps much farther. Marthal Mielen, the Commandant of the artillery, was killed, and two general officers were wounded in this retreat, or rather flight. We have lost a number of men, and a great many cannon, three of which were twelve pounders. I was ignorant of this defeat; and I was intending to make an attack next morning to complete the victory, when being uneasy that I re ceived no accounts of Miranda, and hearing it whispered that he had retreated, I quitted the victorious part of the army on the approach of night, to get intelligence of the left. I was astonished on proceeding to Tirlemont, that I had fallen in with no corps of the army; I gave orders to Miranda to resume his post on the heights of Sainte-Marguerite, to cover the retreat. I send you, Citizen Minister, a letter from General Valence, who has been wounded, and who has just set out for Brussels.

"I am going to resume the camp at Louvaine, to cover Brussels and Malines. I cannot conceal from you that misfortune and disorganization are at their height. I dread the fatal effects of this retreat in a country the inhabitants of which we have incensed against us by plundering and want of discipline. I fhall do every thing in my power to save the army, which has fhewn much confidence in me. I refer myself to their opinion. I shall readily submit my conduct to the strictest examination, and I shall myself demand a court martial to try me for what I have done, happy if the sacrifice of my life can be useful to liberty. Whether I lose it in combating for my country, or in consequence of being tried by it, I fear neither the judgement of my fellow citizens, nor that of posterity.

"You may readily judge that our lofs has been considerable; it amounts at least to 2000 men, I must render justice to the bravest soldiers in the universe, but they want experienced officers. I propose that the present mode of electing them may be supprefsed. This mode does not produce talents; it commands no confidence, and does not obtain subordination.

(Signed) DUMOURIER."

In another letter of the 28th, addressed to Bournonville, he gave an account of the retreat of the body of the army under command of generals Neuilly and Ferrand, who, by the desertion of great numbers of volunteers, were obliged to evacuate the city of Mons, during the night of the capitulation of General Marasse, military Commander of Anvers, who by that method, though not the most honourable, yet indispensably necessary, saved a body of 10,000 men. He added, that Colonels St Clair and Thouvenot were attacked without means of defence-that our military convoys were detained at Bruges-that he has sent forces in order to liberate those convoysthat he has given orders to garrison St Omer, Cambrai, and all the places on the line from Dunkirk to Givet.

In these and other letters Dumourier describes the army as in a state of the greatest disorder, and not having provisions for more than ten days: He

says that the pretended succours of men from the departments of the north, consist only of old men and children, who, so far from being useful, serve only to increase the confusion and consume the provisions. He declares, that if order and discipline be not restored-that if ty authorities, each more absurd than the other, continue to direct all political and military operations, France is lost; he declares, that he, with a small number of brave men, would bury themselves under the ruins of their country. He affirms that it is impofsible for him to stop the progrefs of the enemy, who, without amusing themselves with sieges, may, with an army of 20,000 cavalry, lay waste and reduce to afhes all that part of the country which is in the neighbourhood of Paris. Dumourier concludes this melancholy representation of the state of affairs, with bestowing eulogiums on the clemency and moderation of the Austrians, which were entitled to the more praise, as from the example of cruelty and outrage which the French had exhibited, a very different conduct on their part might have been expected. I, (says he,) have always affirmed, and I repeat it, that a Republic can only be founded on virtue, and that freedom can be maintained only by order and wisdom.

These letters, conjoined with the news of successive defeats, and the retreat of the army, occasioned great discontents, and excited much distrust against Dumourier and his officers. An order was issued to bring General Miranda to answer at the bar of the National Convention. Which summons he immediately obeyed; but on the arrival of the Commissioners from Belgium, they represented the conduct of Dumourier in such terms as set the whole Convention in a blaze.

CAMBACERES gave an account of the proceedings of the Commifsioners of the Executive Power. Arrived at Valenciennes, they learned that General Dumourier was at Tournay. They repaired thither, and found him with Madame Sillery, with Pamela Egalite, and Valence. He was surrounded with deputations from the district of Cambrai. The interview was violent. Dumourier expressed himself in terms of invective against the Jacobins. "They will ruin France, (said he,) but I will save it, though they fhould call me a Cæsar, a Cromwell, a Monk." The Commifsioners carried the conversation no further. They departed, and returned next day, determined to dissemble, in order the better to discover the extent of his views. Encouraged by their overtures, Dumourier no longer kept any bounds. He said that the Convention were a herd of ruffians, whom he all equally held in abhorrence. That all the volunteers were poltroons; but all their efforts would be in vain. As for the rest, (added he,) there still remains a party-the Jacobins have only to cover with their bodies the survivors of the royal family, and to dismiss the Convention. If the queen and her children are threatened, I will march to Paris; it is my fixed intention; and the Convention will not exist three weeks longer." He then details a great many questions and answers in which Dumourier is represented as speaking of the Convention in terms of the highest contempt, and treating the Commifsioners with the most haughty insolence. The Convention instantly took fire at this, and proposed that Dumourier should be put under arrest; but before that time he had arranged matters with some of his officers, and carried his army back into France, where