shire, had gradually spread over the extensive and populous tracts of the Lancashire and Cheshire cotton manufacture, and the clothing parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire. As very copious notices of these outrages are given in our Chronicle, in addition to those which appear in the debates of parliament on the bills introduced for their suppression, and the minute report from the secret committee of the House of Lords on the subject, we shall only briefly advert to them as a part of the domestic history of the year. The numbers and daring spirit of these rioters, the system of organization and deliberate plan under which they acted, and the weapons with which many of them were provided, rendered them truly formidable to the master-manufacturers and peaceable inhabitants of the disturbed districts, and excited serious apprehensions in the minds of many for the general safety of the kingdom. Indeed, if there was no exaggeration in the informations which gave rise to the reports made by the committees of parliament, designs were entertained among the leaders, of deep and dangerous import; and their undoubted seizure of fire-arms, and administrations of oaths of secrecy and confederacy, confirm in part the suspicions suggested. It was, however, ascertained that all these leaders were persons of the lowest ranks in society, who, though they had a considerable influence over their immediate followers, were utterly unable to frame or conduct any thing like a widelyextended insurrection against the government. If, therefore, there was any justness in the character

given in parliament of these disturbances, as being of a political nature, rather than the result of temporary distress and want of employment, the term must be understood, not as pointing to any particular meditated change in the constitution, but to a vague spirit of misrule and insubordination, possibly fostered by inflammatory writings inculcating levelling notions. It is, however, to be observed, that the existence or dispersion of such writings among the rioters is no part of the information contained in the reports to parliament.

It was found necessary, as these outrages increased, to station a large military force in the disturb ed counties, which on various occasions was called upon to act; but such interference seems always to have been kept within moderate bounds, and not to have exceeded the necessity of the occasion. The terrors of the law were also, after a due term of forbearance, called in to assist in repressing and punishing the violations of the public peace; and several of the most guilty paid the forfeit of their lives. at the assizes of the counties which were the scene of these disorders. By these means, together with the remedies adopted for the distresses of the labouring poor, and the prospect of increased employment, tranquillity was in great measure restored before the close of the year, in most quarters; yet occasional outrages still occurred, and it has not yet been thought safe to withdraw the strong hand of coercion.

The uncommonly high price of provisions, occasioned by many concurrent causes, and by no means relieved by the product of

the

fast harvest, has been the cause of petty riots in various parts of the kingdom, unconnected with the serious commotions above-mentioned, and which have required no extraordinary exertions for their suppression. It is observable that the metropolis did not participate in any of these popular tumults, though the frequency of burglaries and street robberies proved that a great number of lawless banditti were loose upon the public.

The catholics of Ireland have continued stedfast in the pursuit of that restoration to the full rights of citizens, which has long been the very natural object of their desires, and to which it will be very difficult to convince them by argument that they have not a well-founded claim. They have, however, during this year avoided any of those contests with government which, in the opinion of many, threw some discredit on their cause, and subjected them to the imputation of attempting to gain by intimidation, what they could not obtain by an appeal to justice. On the other hand, the government of that country, content with asserting the authority of the laws, has treated with great lenity those breaches of them which appeared to proceed rather from inconsiderate ardour, than a spirit of defiance.

After Mr. Kirwan, in the month of January, had been tried before the King's Bench at Dublin, for -acting as a delegate for one of the parishes of that city at a meeting of the catholics, and found guilty, the sentence pronounced upon him was only a fine of one mark, and the attorney-general entered a noli prosequi upon the others who lay under a similar charge.

On Feb. 28, the aggregate meeting of the catholics was held at Dublin, in which a petition to the Prince Regent was read and unanimously voted. It was presented to his Royal Highness in the month of April. This contains, in respectful, but firm and explicit, language, a statement of their grievances and their claims. It begins with copying that evil test of allegiance to the established government and its head, and of renunciation of all principles subversive of this allegiance, and disavowal of any designs hostile to the present church establishment, which they have taken, and are willing to take, on the sanction of a solemn oath, in lieu of spiritual tests to which their consciences will not suffer them to submit. It remarks, that for nearly the last twenty years the progress of religious freedom has been obstructed; and whilst other Christian nations have hastened to unbind the fetters on religious dissent, the Roman Catholics of Ireland have remained unrelieved. It refers to the numerous penal laws and incapacities still in force against them, and from which they seek relief. "Our object (they say) is avowed and direct-earnest, yet natural. It extends to an equal participation of the civil rights of the constitution of our countryequally with our fellow-subjects of all other religious persuasions : it extends no further." It frankly reminds his Royal Highness, that an equal degree of enthusiasm cannot be expected in the defence of their country from men who feel themselves excluded from a fair participation of the benefits of a good constitution, as from those who fully partake

partake of those blessings. On the whole, it may be regarded as perhaps the most concise, yet comprehensive, statement of the case of the petitioners that has appeared in an authentic shape. See State Papers.

The parliamentary debates will shew how often this important topic came under consideration in the two houses, and with what result. It was kept alive by a number of petitions to the legislature poured in from the catholics of the different Irish counties, and also by many from protestant bodies in that country, in support of the former; for it appears either that the protestants had lost their habitual fears and jealousies of their catholic neighbours, or that they were convinced, that between opposite dangers, the least was that that of conceding what it would be finally unsafe to efuse. Expectation seems to have kept the catholics in a state of moderation till after their cause had sustained two defeats in parliament, and they saw a ministry established which they had reason to suppose decidedly adverse to their cause; when they could not be prevented' from breaking out into a degree of intemperance. At an aggregate catholic meeting held at Dublin on June 18, a set of resolutions proposed by Lord Kileen was passed, in which, after declaring their determination of renewing their petitions to the legislature, they allude to disappointments proceeding from "the fatal witchery of an unworthy secret influence, spurning alike the sanctions of public and private virtue, the demands of personal gratitude, and the sacred obligations of plighted honour." The

general strain of these resolutions was in a similar style of angry censure levelled at a high mark; and arriving in England at the time when a new effort was made in their favour, it occasioned some embarrassment to their friends. The issue, however, of the subsequent motion for taking their case into consideration early in the next session of parliament, was a complete victory in the House of Commons, and as nearly as possible a drawn battle in the House of Lords

appearing to evince an approaching national decision in their favour. But either this prospect, or the known inclinations of the ministry, now began to animate the zeal of all in England, who, from motives of interest, or religious prepossessions, were foes to all concessions which trench upon the exclusive privileges of the establishment; and the remainder of the year passed in the active promoting of petitions against the catholic claims, from both the universities, from different clerical bodies, from counties, towns, and parishes; whilst a variety of publications, addressed to that batred of popery which has for some generations been a ruling passion among the different denominations of protestants in this country, kept op the ferment in the public mind.

As the ministers, at the time of the prorogation of parliament, appeared to be possessed of all the usual influence of government, and the Regent's terminating speech expressed full satisfaction in the measures which had been adopted by that assembly, the nation in general, notwithstanding some preceding rumours, did not seem to expect its speedy dissolution. None

of

of the late parliaments, indeed, had been suffered to live out their assigned period; but manifest causes for anticipation had existed in some instances, and in others, a year only had been retrenched from their term of existence; but the present parliament had nineteen months to run before its legal expiration. It was, therefore, to the general surprise, that by a proclamation issued from the Prince Regent, on Sept. 29, a dissolution of parliament was declared, with the announcement of writs for a new one returnable on the 24th of November next. As no public reason has been given for this step, conjecture has been left to imagine the most probable. It might be thought that the pledge given by the House of Commons of an early attention to the catholic claims, concurred in by a majority which seemed to augur a prevailing disposition to grant them, suggested to those who were adverse to the measure this effectual means of defeating it; but the ministers themselves differed on this topic; not to add, that such a change of sentiment in the Prince Regent is scarcely conceivable, as should induce him to give his sanction to a project for overthrowing attempts which he once undoubtedly favoured. Whatever were the immediate motives for ministers in advising this measure, it certainly displayed a confidence in their popularity with the nation at large, or, at least, in the powers in their hands for procuring such a return of representatives as would rather augment than diminish their influ

ence.

The remainder of the year was,

of course, occupied with all the bustle of a general election; but the shortness of the notice, joined to the circumstances of the time, seems to have abridged the usual proportion of contests, especially in the counties. For the same reason, few of those riots were heard of which have so often disgraced this period of popular licence. As far as the temper of the nation can be judged by the return of representatives, the cause of opposition had at least gained no ground by the events of the year. In the metropolis, and the towns of Bris-` tol and Liverpool, the candidates in that interest underwent a defeat. The case of the latter great commercial port was extremely remarkable. Though it had been peculiarly a sufferer from the operation of the orders in council," which had ruined its American trade, the election went in favour of one who, when a member of administration, had taken a great share in promoting those orders, to the rejection of the person who had been the principal instrument of their repeal-so little con- ' fidence can be placed even in men's apparent interests, when opposed by their political prejudices! It is true, the system of carrying on almost the only foreign commerce left in this country, that by licences, has a direct tendency to augment the influence of government over the mercantile interest; while the manufacturers in many branches ' are equally subjected to the same influence by means of contracts. The monied interest in the metropolis has always been notoriously at the disposal of every existing' administration.

CHAPTER

THE

THE attention of the French emperor has, during this year, been so much engaged by his continental projects, that the mighty pre parations he seemed to be making in the past year for contending with Great Britain on the ocean, produced no sensible addition to the power and enterprise of his navy, which for the most part lay quiet in port, and offered very few opportunities to the British commanders stationed in the European seas of gratifying that ardour for distinguishing themselves in their country's service by which they are so honourably characterized.

An account arrived at the admialty, in February, of the capture, on November 19, by the Eagle, Captain Rowley, of the French frigate La Corcyre, pierced for 40 guns, but mounting only twentysix eighteen pounders on the maindeck, and two six-pounders on the quarter-deck. She had a complement of 170 seamen, and 130 soldiers, was laden with wheat and military stores, and was bound from Trieste to Corfu. She had two companions, which escaped during the chace, that began off Fano, and terminated near Brin

disi. The action was short, as, ipdeed, the inequality of force would have rendered a protracted resistance only a fruitless waste of lives. No one was hurt on board the Eagle.

In the same sea, off Lissa, a very severe action was fought between three English and three French frigates, which did credit to the bravery and conduct of both parties, though success, as usual, remained to the English. The French squadron having been descried to the south of Lissa on November 28, the ships Alceste, Active, and Unité were warped out of the harbour of St. George, and on the morning of the 29th came in sight of the enemy off the island of Augusta. The French commodore formed in line, and for a short time stood towards his antagonists; but finding the English bearing upon him in close line under full sail, he bore away to the N.W. His rear ship separating, Captain Murray Maxwell, the British commodore, detached the Unité after her, and himself, in the Alceste, commenced action with the other two. On passing the rearmost to get at the commo

dore,