take as the bafis the manifefto of the duke of Brunfwick; I fent it yefterday by an extraordinary courier to the national convention.

I have myfelf ordered it to be publifhed, according to the defire that you expreffed, and of the notice you gave me that you would publish it your felf.

Kellerman's army and mine know it already, and I only at prefent wait the orders of my fovereign, who is the French people, affembled in national convention by its reprefentatives, it becomes even impoffible for me to have the fatisfaction of feeing you as long as this manifefto remains. That which I wrote is a private memorial; what the duke of Brunfwick wrote is a public mani

nifefto.

This manifefto carries along with it menace and war; it therefore breaks afunder the thread of negociation.

It does not at all enter into the fenfe of that which has been talked of between us for the laft four days; it even destroys it completely; it is even contradictory to the converfation with which the duke of Brunfwick honoured adjutant-general Thouvenot.

Judge yourself, Sir, with impartiality: forget for a moment that you are a Pruffian; be neuter; what would you think of a nation that without having been vanquithed, fhould humble itfelf before a manifefto, and thould treat under the conditions of flavery, when it had declared itfeit republican? I forefee misfortunes for the whole world, and I figh at the thought. My opinion of the honeft man the king, of your eftimable nation and of yourself, make me fee with the greateft regret that negociation is inconfiftent with manifef

promoted the progrefs of knowlege, than the late proclamation, and the numerous rottten borough and corporation addreffes thereon. They have not only. ferved as advertisements, but they have excited a fpirit of enquiry into principles of government, and a defire to read the Rights of Man, in places where that fpirit and that work were before unknown.

The people of England, wearied and ftunned with parties, and alternately deceived by each, had almoft refigned the prerogative of thinking. Even curiolity had expired, and an univerfal languor had fpread itfelf over the land. The oppofition was vifibly no other than a contelt for power, whilft the mafs of the nation itood torpidly by as the prize.

In this hopeless ftate of things, the firft part of the Rights of Man made its appearance. It had to combat with a trange mixture of prejudice and indifference; it flood expofed to every fpecies of newspaper abufe; and befides this, it had to remove obstructions which Mr. Burke's rude and outrageous attack on the French revolution had artfully raised.

But how eafily does even the moft illiterate reader diftinguifh the spontaneous fenfations of the heart, from the laboured productions of the brain! Truth, whenever it can fully appear, is a thing fo naturally familiar to the mind, that an acquaintance commences at first fight. No artificial light yet difcovered, can difplay all the properties of day light; fo neither can the bestinvented fiction fill the mind with every conviction which truth begets.

To overthrow Mr. Burke's fallacious work was fcarcely the operation of a day. Even the phalanx of placemen and penfioners, who had given the tone to the multitude, by clamouring forth his political fame, became fuddenly filent; and the final event to himself has been, that as he rofe like a rocket, he fell like the ftick.

It feldom happens that the mind refts fatisfied with the fimple detection of error or impofition.-Once put into motion, that motion foon becomes accelerated. Where it had intended to ftop,

it difcovers new reafons to proced, and renews and continues the purfuit far beyond the limits it firft prescribed to itfelf. Thus it has happened to the people of England. From a detection of Mr. Burke's incoherent rhapfodies, and diftorted facts, they began an enquiry into the first principles of government, whilft himfelf, like an object left far behind, became invifible and forgotten.

Much as the first part of Rights of Man impreffed at its firft appearance, the progreffive mind foon difcovered that it did not go far enough. It detected errors-it expofed abfurdities-it fhook the fabric of political fuperftition it generated new ideas-but it did not produce a regular fyftem of principles in the room of thofe which it difplaced. And, if I may guess at the mind of the government party, they beheld it as an unexpected gale that would foon blow over, and they forbore, like failors in threatening weather, to whiftle, left they should encreafe the wind. Every thing on their part was profound fi

lence.

When the fecond part of "Rights of Man, combining principles and practice," was preparing to appear, they affected, for a while, to act with the fame policy as before; but finding their filence had no more influence in filling the progrefs of the work, than it would have in ftopping the progrefs of time, they changed their plan, and affected to treat it with clamorous contempt. The fpeech-making placemen and penfioners, and place-expectants, in both houfes of parliament, the Outs as well as the Ins, reprefented it as a filly, infignificant performance; as a work incapable of producing any effect; as fomething, which they were fure the good fenfe of the people would either defpife or indignantly fpurn; but fuch was the over-ftrained awkwardnefs with which they harangued and encouraged each other, that in the very act of declaring their confidence, they betrayed their fears.

Asmoft of the rotten borough addreffers are obfcured in holes and corners throughout the country, and to whom a new paper arrives as rarely as an almanack, they moit probably have not

the opportunity of knowing how this part of the farce [the original prelude to all the addreffes] has been acted. For their information I will fufpend a while the more ferious purpose of my letter, and entertain them with two or three fpeeches in the laft fefiion of parlia ment, which will ferve them for politics till parliament meets again.

You must know, gentlemen, that the fecond part of Rights of Man (the book againft which you have been prefenting addreffes, though it is moft probable that many of you did not know it) was to have come out precifely at the time that parliament laft met. It hap pened not to be published till a few days after. But as it was very well known that the book would fhortly appear, the parliamentary orators entered into a very cordial coalition to cry the book down, and they began their attack by crying up the bleffings of the conftitution.

Had it been your fate to have been there, you could not but have been moved at the heart-and-pocket-felt con gratulations that paffed between all the parties on this fubject of bleffings; for the Outs enjoy places and penfions, and finecures, as well as the Îns, and are as devoutly attached to the firm of the houfe.

One of the moft confpicuous of this motley group is the clerk of the court of king's bench, who calls himfelf lord Stormont.-He is alfo called juftice general of Scotland, and keeper of Scoon [an oppofition man] and he draws from the public, for thefe nominal offi ces, not lefs, as I am informed, than fix thousand pounds a year; and he is, moft probably, at the trouble of counting the money, and figning a receipt, to thew, perhaps, that he is qualified to be clerk as well as juftice. Heipoke as follows:"

"That we fhall all be unanimous, in expreffing our attachment to the conftitution of thefe realms, I am confident. -It is a fubject upon which there can be no divided opinion in this houfe. I do not pretend to be deep read in the knowledge of the conflitution, but I take upon me to fay, that from the extent of my. knowlege [for I have fo many thoufands

a year

a year for nothing] it appears to me, that from the period of the revolution, for it was by no means created then, it has been, both in theory and practice, the wifeft fyftem that ever was formed. I never was [he means he never was till now] a dealer in political cant., My life has not been occupied in that way: but the fpeculations of late years feem to have taken. a turn, for which I cannot account. When I came into public life, the political pamphlets of the time however they might be charged with the heat and violence of parties, were agreed in extolling the radical beauties of the conftitution itself. I remember [he means he has forgotten] a moft captivating eulogium on its charms by lord Bolingbroke, where he recommends his readers to contemplate it in all its afpects, with the affurance that it would be found more eftimable the more it was feen. I do not recollect his precife words, but I wish that men who write upon thefe fubjects would take this for their model, inftead of the political pamphlets, which, I am told, are now in circulation [fuch I fuppofe as Rights of Man]-pamphlets which I have not read, and whofe purport I know only by report [he means, perhaps, by the noife they make.] This, however, I am fure, that pamphlets tending to unfeule the public reverence for the conftitution, will have very little influence. They can do very little harm-for [by the bye, he is no dealer in political cant] the English are a fober thinking people, and are more intelligent, more folid, more feady in their opinions, than any people I ever had the fortune to fee. [This is pretty well laid on, though for a new beginner.] But if there fhould ever come a time when the propagation of thofe doctrines fhould agitate the public mind, I am fure, for every one of your lordships, that no attack will be made on the conftitution, from which it is truly faid we derive all our profperity without raifing every one of your lordships to its fupport. It will then be found that there is no difference among us, but that we are all determined to ftand or fall toge ther, in defence of that ineftimable fyftem"-of places and penfions.

After Stormont, on the oppofition fide,
Hib. Mag. Oct. 1792.

fat down, up rofe aonther noble lord! on the minifterial fide-Grenville-This man ought to be as ftrong in the back as a mule, or the fire of a mule, or it would crack with the weight of places and offices. He rofe, however, without feeling any incumbrance, fuil mafter of his weight; and thus faid this noble lord to the other noble lord!

"The patriotic and manly manner in which the noble lord has declared his fentiments on the fubject of the conftitution, demands my cordial approbati

on.

The noble vifcount has proved, that however we may differ on particular meafures, amidft all the jars and diffonance of parties, we are unanimous in principle. There is a perfect and entire confent [between us] in the love and maintenance of the conftitution as happily fubfifting. It muft undoubtedly give your lordships concern, to find, that the time is come! [Heigh-ho!] when there is propriety in thefe expreffions of regard to [O! O! O!] The Conftitu tion. And that there are men [confound-their-po-li-tics] who diffeminate doctrines holile to the genuine fpirit of our well balanced fyftem [it is certainly well balanced when both fides hold places and penfions at once. I agree with the noble viscount, that they have not [I hope] much fuccefs. I am convinced that there is no danger to be apprehended from their attempts; but it is truly important and confolatory [to us placemen, I fuppofe] to know, that if there fhould ever arife a ferious alarm, there is but one fpirit, one fenfe, [and that fenfe, I prefume, is not common fenfe] and one determination in this houfe"-which undoubtedly is to hold all their places and penfions as long as they can.

Both thofe fpeeches [excepting the parts enclofed in crotches, which are added for the purpose of illuftration] are copied verbatim from the Morning Chronicle of the 1ft of February laft, and when the fituation of the fpeakers is confidered, the one in the oppotition, and the other in the miniftry, and both of them living at the public expence, by finecure, or nominal places and offices, it required a very unblushing front to be able to deliver them. PP

Сия

Can thofe men feriously fuppofe any na tion to be fo completely blind as not to fee through them? Can Stormont imagine that the political cant, with which he has larded his harangue, will conceal the craft? Does he not know that there never was a cover large enough to hide itfelf? Or can Grenville believe, that his credit with the public increafes with his avarice for places?

But, if thefe orators will accept a fervice from me; in return for the allufions they have made to the Rights of Man, I will make a fpeech for either of them to deliver on the excellence of the conftitution, that fhall be as much to the purpose as what they have fpoken, or as Bolingbroke's captivating encomium. Here it is.

"That we fhall all be unanimous in expreffing our attachment to the conftitution, I am confident. It is, my lords incomprehenfibly good: but the great wonder of all is the wifdom; for it is, my lords, the wife ft fyftem that ever was formed.

"With refpect to us noble lords, though the world does not know it, it is very well known to us, that we have more wifdom than we know what to do with; and what is ftill better, my lords, we have it all in flock. I defy your lordships to prove, that a tittle of it has been ufed yet; and if we do but go on, my lords, with the frugality we have hitherto done, we fhall leave to our heirs and fucceffors, when we go out of the world, the whole ftock of wifdom, untouched, that we brought in; and there is no doubt but they will follow our example.

This, my lords, is one of the bleff ed effects of the hereditary fyftem; for we can never be without wifdom fo long as we keep it by us, and do not ufe it. But, my lords, as all this wifdom is hereditary property, for the fole benefit of us and our heirs, and as it is neceffary that the people fhould know where to get a fupply for their own ufe, the excellence of our conftitution has provided a king for this very purpose, and for no other. But, my lords, I perceive a defect to which the conftitution is fubject, and which I propofe to remedy by bringing a bill into parliament for that purpofe.

The conflitution, my lords, out of

delicacy, I prefume, has left it asa matter of choice to a king, whether he will be wife or not. It has not, I mean, my lords, infifted upon it as a conftitutional point, which I conceive, it ought to have done; for I pledge myself to your lordships to prove, and that with true patriotic boldness, that he has no choice in the matter-The bill, my lords, that I fhall bring in will be to declare, that the conftitution, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, does not invest the king with this choice; our ancestors were too wife to do that; and, in order to prevent any doubts that might otherwife arife, I fhall prepare my lords, an enacting claufe, to fix the wifdom of kings, by act of parliament; and then, my lords, our conftitution will be the wonder of the world!

Wifdom, my lords, is the one thing needful; but that there may be no mirtake in this matter, and that we may proceed confiflently with the true wifdom of the conflitution, I fhall propofe a certain criterion, whereby the exact quantity of wildom neceffary for a king may be known. (Here fhould be a cry of hear him! hear him!).

"It is recorded, my lords, in the ftatutes at large of the Jews," a book, my lords which I have not read and whofe purport I know only by report, but perhaps the bench of Bishops can recollect fomething about it, that Saul gave the moft convincing proofs of royal wifdom before he was made a king, for he was fent to feek his father's affes, and he could not find them.

"Here, my lords, we have, most happily for us, a cafe in point: This precedent ought to be established by act of parliament; and every king before he be crowned, fhould be fent to feek his father's affes, and if he cannot find them, he fhall be declared wife enough to be king, according to the true meaning of our excellent conftitution. All, therefore, my lords, that will be neceffary to be done, by the enacting claufe that I fhall bring in, will be to invest the king before hand with the quantity of wifdom neceffary for this purpote, left he fhould happen not to poffefs it; and this, my lords we can do without making ufe of any of our own.

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