quainted with the government, finances, trade, and the other circumftances of thofe diftant poffef fions, have often proved an object of furprize to thofe who think, that unless the foreign fettlements of any nation are not unqueftionable, and beyond all difpute or doubt beneficial, they cannot be worth poffeffing. After iffuing, on the 7th of June, orders refpecting the navigable canals, aqueducts, and navigation of rivers, the King on the 15th came to the Houfe, and put an end to the feffion. CHAP XI. Obfervations on his Majesty's Speech on the Prorogation of Parliament. On the Main Subject on which it turned, the National Debt-Bill. Impolicy of the British Government, in not availing itself of its Novel and Military Preparations to mediare in Time, in the Questions at Ifue between the Rulers of France and of Germany. The Minifter wifely marking the Spirit of the Age, and the Current of Affair, feeks Popularity, by Endeavours to protect Public Credit, and opens new Channels of Commerce. Embassy to China. THE profpect of a general peace, announced in his Majefty's fpeech from the throne, on the 1ft of January, was fuppofed to justify military reductions, and thofe other meafures of relief to public credit, that were brought under the attention of the British parliament. As a ftrong oppofition, both in and out of parliament, had been made to the expenfive armaments to which the difputes with the courts of Petersburg and Madrid had given birth, in the preceding year, the miniftry were difpofed to dwell on the pacific afpect of affairs with apparent confidence. Thefe armaments had coft the nation a fum not less than 2,000,000l. and though the Spaniards had been obliged to relinquith their pretenfions to an exclufive right of making fettlements in Nootka Sound, Oczakow, which the British government had threatened to fecure by force to the Porte, was left in poffeflion of the imperious Emprefs of Ruffia. Mr. Pitt, therefore, in his ftatement of the finances for the cur rent year, very ingeniously endea voured to divert the public mind from fuch unpleafing retrofpects, by difplaying the profperous ftate of the revenue, and the grounds on which he hoped to lighten, and finally to remove the heavy incumbrance of the national debt. He declared, in the House of Commons, that the intricacy and myftery of finance no longer existed; and enforced, with the moft fplendid eloquence, the circumstances from which he concluded, that there would be a permanent furplus over the expenditure in the public re venue. Those reasons would have been fatisfactory, if the peaceable and happy millenium had actually commenced, as was in reality fup pofed by a very ingenious divine and philofopher, as we have already noticed; who is generally underflood to have affifted the minifter in his arithmetical calculations. But, while the bleffings of peace were thus announced, the political atmosphere foreboded a storm:-the ruins of the ancient government of France France were still in agitation. The French people, to the number of 3,000,000 were in arms, and without controul. The expatriated princes and nobles were rouzing foreign nations to become parties in their caufe; and all Europe was in a Itate either of anxious expectation, or real apprehenfion. There were other confiderations of general intereft, that were deeply involved in the origin and progrefs of the French revolution; and which precluded Great Britain from fecurity and peace; while the people of France were involved in arms, in confufion, and diftrefs. But, above all, the finews of the French revolution were drawn from the overthrow of that fyftem, or those laws of property and of nations which had hitherto fuftained the order of the political world. This circumftance was of itself too ftriking not to excite alarms in the breafts of all who had studied the commercial, as well as the political conftitution of Europe. The balance of power was, at all events, likely to be affected by the fall of one of its counterpoifes and pillars. It was therefore evident that, although the differences between the courts of London and Madrid had been fettled; and though the projects of ambition, which Catherine and Jofeph had concerted, were fufficiently counteracted, there was every reafon to dread that the duration of any lafting or general peace was incompatible with the circumftances of the times. For thefe reafons, it was hardly poffible to fuppofe that the minifter was fincere, or at leaft very ardent in his expectations of long continued peace; and it was obferved, by not a few men of fenfe and reflection, that he began to talk of military and naval reductions at the very moment when (and not fooner) it would have been found policy to equip both fleets and armies, had they been wanting, for giving due weight to a neceffary, decided, prompt, and timely interference in the affairs of the continent. And it was particularly regretted, that the British government did not avail itself of its military preparations at the time, as well as of its commanding influence, to mediate in the questions which were at iffue between the actual rulers of France and the German ftates, and to endeavour by all means, in concert with other powers, to reftrain within the limits of France the convulfions that had overthrown her monarchy, for the purpose, not of aggrandizement, but merely of felf-defence,-ac cording to the wife fyftem of the Emperor Leopold. The views of the British government, however, appear to have been wholly pacific fo late as the middle of June; as appears from his Majefty's fpeech from the throne, on the 15th of that month, to both Houfes of Parliament:-" I have obferved, with the utmost fatisfaction, the meafures which you have adopted for the diminution of the public burthens, while you have made additional provifion for the reduction of the prefent national debt; and established a permanent system for preventing the dangerous accumulation of debt in future." Majefty declared, in a very empha tic manner, that it would be his principal care to preferve to his people the uninterrupted bleffings of peace; which he had reafon to expect, from the affurances of a His peaceable peaceable difpofition towards this country, which he had received from all the neighbouring powers: and then prorogued the parliament to the 30th day of the enfuing Auguft. The marked praise bestowed by the fpeech from the throne on the bill for reducing the national debt, were fuppofed by fome to have been an expreffion of triumph, on the part of the minifter, over the Chancellor Thurlow, who always treated that favourite meafure, as well as fome other plans of adminiftration, with fevere animadverfion. Frequent bickerings had taken place between Mr. Pitt and Lord Thurlow for a long time; and on the prorogation of the parliament, as there was no immediate neceffity for his fervices in the House of Peers, the great feal of England was committed to the cuftody of three commiffioners, Sir James Eyre, Sir William Afliurft, and Sir John Wilfon. From the ufual fpirit, enterprize, and large capitals of our manufacturers and merchants, and from the peculiar circunftances of the times, the commerce of this country had for feveral years far exceeded the utmoft extent of its profperity in any former period. In one week, in the month of May, the actual increase of the revenue exceeded that of the correfponding week, in the preceding year, by the fum of 118,0341. 6s. It would be as abfurd to lay this extraordinary influx of national wealth to the account of the minifter for the time being, as it would be unjuft to charge him with thofe political convulfions on the continent that have involved us in public expences, in comparifon of which all the favings made by the national debt bill, if indeed any be made, are as a drop in the bucket. But the minifter, dexteroufly, and we do not fay improperly, availed himself of the fituation of affairs, and the commercial fpirit of the age, to acquire popularity, by appearing to direct the current on which he, in fact, with all the world was irresistibly borne: he failed with the tide and wind. When commerce and public credit were in a state of great elevation, the interference and management of the minifter appeared to vulgar apprehenfion to be their great fupport; and, from his exertions, very general expectations were entertained that they would both be raised still higher. He not only applied the furplus revenue for the diminution of the public debt, by the establishment of a finking fund, to be held facred and inviolable, for that fole and exclufive purpose, but stood forth as a friend and patron of various plans for the extension of com merce. Measures had been taken for establishing a trade in furs, and eventually in other articles on the northweft coaft of America. The feeds of future commerce had been fown in the islands in the South Seas; and new channels were about to be opened for the exportation of British manufactures in India. If a free commercial intercourfe could be fettled with China and Japan, the broad zone of British commerce would encircle and inveft the globe. There is at this day in the vast empire of China, as there was of old in Egypt, and other ancient ftates and kingdoms, a great jealoufy of foreigners, who are not admit In the ideal republic of Plato, it is a part of his fyftem to exclude all foreigners not profelyted by an early education in the laws of the state. VOL. XXXIV. N ted ted into the Chinese dominions, but under fuch reftrictions as preclude all thorough exploration, and render it extremely difficult to obtain a thorough acquaintance with the country and state of fociety. The courage and zeal, with other refpectable qualities and virtues of the catholic miffionaries, fent out from Rome by the College for Propagating Chriftian Faith, opened to the Portugueze an admiffion to a limited commerce with the coaft of China, above two hundred years ago. The miffionaries not only gained profelytes to their religion, but gave à favourable impreffion of the countries from whence they came; nor were they backward, by perfonal folicitations, to ferve the caufe of fuch of their countrymen, particularly thofe of the catholic faith, as were engaged in purfuits of commerce in any of the Chinese ports. And the Dutch, though profefling the doctrines of the proteftants, about the middle of the laft century acquired much favour at the court of Pekin, by affifting the firft Emperor of the Man-chow race of Tartars, to fubdne the pirate Cofhinga, whofe fleets infefted the eaftern coast of China: but the English had no opportunity of rendering themfelves acceptable by public fervices; nor had they any other means of fecuring refpect for their character, or protection for their trade. The English adventurers who first attempted to trade with China, under the aufpices of Queen Eliza beth, in the year 1599, were led into difputes, and hurried by the paffion and precipitation incident to uncultivated but brave feamen, to commit acts of hoftility against the natives. Thofe adventurers did not poffefs the advantage of having been preceded by any traveller from their own country, who might announce, at leaft, the name of his country to fome advantage; which continued to be fo little known, even after the English had begun to traffic at Canton, that they were long diftinguifhed only by a contemptuous appellation, importing literally, "The carroty-pated race." They were not avowed by any power; they did not appear to belong to any nation; and they were deceived and mifreprefented by the Portugueze and Spaniards, on whofe friendship they had confided. When the vaft increase of the English shipping at Canton, and their victories in India, and conqueft of the Philippine Iflands, in 1763, attracted, as they must have done, the attention of the court of Pekin, and excited a curiofity to know their hiftory,-theanfwers made to their enquires by the miflionaries, the only Europeans to whom they could be addreffed, partook, it may be fuppofed, of national and religious prejudices. Though individuals in China have been very confiderable gainers by foreign commerce, yet the body of the people is taught to believe that commerce with foreigners is admitted, not on the ground of deriving advantage from it, but agreeably to the precepts inculcated by Confucius and other moralifts, from the mere compaffion to strangers, who come from the diftant and inhofpitable regions, to feek for the comforts of life in the favoured land of China. The government of China, enter'taining fuch an opinion of foreign trade, rather fuffered than fought for it. One port only was left open for foreign fhips; and when the feafon came for their departure, him; the fervice of the Eaft India Company, who had acquired the language of the country, was punished by exprefs orders from Pekin, for having attempted to penetrate to that capital, for the purpofe of presenting, in obedience to his fuperiors, a memorial of grievances from the Britifh factory. But it was prefumed that better fucceís might attend an envoy of rank, invested with a royal commiffion, which commands refpect in every civilized fociety; and accordingly the late Colonel Cathcart, a gentleman of noble birth and diftinguished merit, in 1787, undertook to make the experiment; but the expedition was interrupted by his premature deceafe in the courfe of the voyage outward: an event, however, which, though it retarded, did not finally prevent the enter prize originally intended. every European was compelled to embark with them, or leave at least the Chinese territories; abandoning his factory and unfinished concerns, until the return of the fhips the following year. It was feldom, and with the utmost difficulty, that foreigners could, in any cafe obtain juftice. The English at Canton, efpecially, who were not in the poffeffion of any means of defend ing their own caufe on the fpot, were fubjected to much oppreffion, and even many perfonal infults. They did not, however, afcribe fuch treatment to the Emperor, nor even fuppofe that it was known to and therefore feveral of the Eaft India Company's agents, employed in the Chinese trade, fuggefted the propriety of an embally to His Imperial Majefty, to reprefent their grievances, in the hope that he might iffue orders for redress. The trade between the fubjects of the two countries amounted annually to feveral millions fterling; and might be extended to almoft an indefinite extent. Every motive of policy or commerce, it was fuppofed by the fanguine patrons of an embaffy to China, that led to the maintenance of minifters from Great Britain at European courts, and even in Turkey, might be applied with equal force to a fimilar effablishment, if practicable at Pekin. A fucceffion of British subjects refiding in a dignified ftation at Pekin, whofe cautious conduct and courteous manners would be calculated to gain the esteem of the upper and the refpect of the lower claffes of the Chinese, might by difPelling their prejudices, and concilating their good-will, produce the Confidence neceflary to an alliance. It was true, that a Britifli fubject in The conduct of the expedition, or the embaffy to China, was now entrusted to Lord Macartney, who had, at an early period of his life, been employed as envoy to the court of Petersburgh; and at different periods fince, held a government in one of the British West India islands, and that of Madras in the Eaft Indies. Sir George Staunton, who had been private fecretary to his Lordship, both in the Weft and Eaft Indies, was promoted to the station of his Britannic Majefty's fecretary of legation, and eventual fucceffor to the Ambassador. A fixty-four gun fhip, the Lion, was fixed on to carry the Ambaffador out and home. A military guard alfo was allowed, according to the manner of the eaft, to attend the Ambaffador; not numerous, but confifting of picked men from the infantry, as well as from the artillery, with light fieldN 2 pieces: |