Nor fiend-like deeds deform the vernal But reafon vainly would this depth explore,

MEMORY OF JOHN COURTENAY, With fparkling eyes ftill playful at my fide;

Extract of one of his letters from Portsmouth, April 20. 1794. For the idea of being a fervice to, and, again feeing those who are fo dear to me, is the most lively and pleafing fenfation I can ever have."

The Republicau and Nuns Song, published in the Poetical Epiftles from France,

*

Their fervid courage won thee early praife,

And, wing'd with pleasure, flew our happy days:

Never did Nature's bounteous hand impart

A nobler fpirit, or a gentler heart.

How dear to all!-by focial love refin'd,
No selfish paffion warp'd his generous mind!
When from my breaft a figh reluctant ftole,
That spoke the boding forrows of my foul;
He grasp'd my hand, the parting moment
nigh,

A filial tear yet starting from his eye,
And fweetly ftrove the prefcient gloom to
chear,

Thefe words for ever vibrate on my ear:
Ah why repine! the palm of honour won,
"Defcends a bright incentive to thy fon,
"To spurn at wealth in India's tempting

clime,

"If ftain'd by bribes, if fullied by a crime, "O let my voice each anxious care difpel, "I'll foon return to those I love fo well."

That promis'd bliss-that vital beam is paft,

Hope's genial fhoots all wither'd at one
blaft:

He'll ne'er return, in fhining talents bleft,
With duteous zeal to glad a parent's breast,
Midft focial joy, in festive pleasure gay,
A fudden corfe t, the blooming victim lay;
While here forlorn I yet exift to tell,
How in the glow of youth my darling fell.
Life's clofing fcenes no confolation lend,
I've lost my fweet companion and my
friend,

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE SEVENTEENTH

PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN,

HOUSE OF LORDS, Nov. 4.

Majefty, relative to the outrages committed against his perfon on Thursday

LORD MANSFIELD brought up co- laft, and of a Proclamation published this

pies of a Proclamation iffued by his day, viz.

Ed. Mag. Feb. 1796.

T

"GEORGE

A very young foldier at the door of the National Convention menaced him with his pointed bayonet, which he inftantly feized, and wrefted the piece out of his hands. One of the Members was fortunately a witnefs of the tranfaction, and, after reprimanding the centinel, introduced my fon into the Convention, and told me the fact, with high eulogiums on his fpirit.

Capt. Gray, to R. J. Efq." In anfwer to your note of yesterday, I am compelled to the painful task of communicating the melancholy account of Mr C's death. At a ball on the 14th of December, being over-heated with dancing, he imprudently drank a glass of lemonade, which proved almost inftantly fatal.

Extract of a letter: Cambridge, Feb. 10 1792: I am more obliged to you than I can exprefs: grateful I am to my father, and ever thall remain paffion may at times have led me aftray, yet ftill did I ever remember his kindness and affection, admire his talents, refpect him as a parent, love him as a protector, a companion, and a friend."

Mr Fox, with generous and confoling attention, and with that fympathifing friendhip which diftinguishes him, gave me the Arft intimation of this fatal event.

"GEORGE R.

the advice aforefaid, to enjoin and res quire, and we do hereby enjoin and require all Juftices of the Peace, Sheriffs, Mayors, Bailiffs, Conftables, and all o ther our loving fubjects throughout our kingdom, to be in like manner aiding and affiiting in bringing to justice all perfons diftributing fuch feditious and treafonable papers as aforefaid.

"Given at our Court at Saint James's, the fourth day of November one thousand feven hundred and ninety five, in the thirty-fixth year of our reign.

"GOD SAVE THE KING." Both the Proclamations were ordered to lie upon the table.

Lord Grenville gave notice, that, on Friday next, he would bring forward a Bill for the better fecuring his Majefly's Perfon and Government, when the Proclamations fhould come to be difcuffed; and moved that their Lordships be fummoned to attend upon that day. Ordered.

Earl Spencer, after adverting to the brilliant victory obtained by Lord Bridport on the 23d of June laft, over the French Fleet off L'Orient, moved the Thanks of the Houfe to Admiral Lord Bridport, Sir Alan Gardiner, Lord Hugh Seymour, with the Officers, &c. under their command, precifely in the fame terms as the Motion made by Mr Dundas to this purpofe in the Houfe of Commons on the preceding Monday, which was agreed to nem. con.

"WHEREAS it hath been reprefented to us, That, immediately before the opening of the prefent Seffion of Parlia ment, a great number of perfons were collected in fields in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, by advertisements and hand-bills; and that divers inflammatory difcourfes were delivered to the perfons fo collected, and divers proceedings were had, tending to create groundless jealousy and difcontent, and to endanger the public peace, and the quiet and fafety of our faithful fubjects: And whereas it hath been alfo reprefented to us, That divers feditious and treasonable papers have been lately diftributed, tending to excite evil difpofed perfons to acts endangering our Royal Perfon: And whereas fuch proceedings have been followed, on the day on which the prefent Seffion of Par liament commenced, by acts of tumult and violence, and by daring and highly criminal outrages, in direct violation of the public peace, to the immediate danger of our Royal Perfon, and to the interruption of our paffage to and from our Parliament: And whereas great uneafinefs and anxiety hath been produced in the minds of our faithful fubjects, by rumours and apprehenfions that feditious and unlawful affemblies are intended to be held by evil difpofed perfons, and that fuch other criminal practces as aforefaid are intended to be repeated: We there fore have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to enjoin and require, and we do hereby enjoin and require, all Juftices of the Peace, Sheriffs, Mayors, Bailiffs, Conftables, and all other our loving fubjects throughout our kingdom, to ule the utmoft diligence to difcourage, prevent, and fupprefs, all feditious and unlawful affem blies: And we do fpecially enjoin and command all our loving fubjects, who fhall have caufe to fufpect that any fuch affemblies are intended to be held in any part of our kingdom, to give the earliest information thereof to the Magiftrates of the feverai diftricts within which it fhall be fufpected that the fame are intended to be held; and if fuch affemblies fhall, nevertheless, in any cafe, be actually held, to be aiding and affifting, on being re quired thereto by the Civil Magiftrate, November 6. Lord Grenville rofe, in caufing perfons delivering inflamma- and called the attention of their Lordtory difcourfes in fuch affemblies, and c-fhips to a question of the utmoft importther principal actors therein, to be forthwith apprehended, in order that they may be dealt with according to law. And we have also, thought fit, by and with

Lord Romney faid, there was another gallant Officer, whofe whole life had been meritorioufly employed in the fervice of his Country; he meant Admiral Cornwallis; he wished to know whether there were any intentions on the part of Noble Lords in office to honour that Officer with their thanks alfo.

Lord Spencer alfo moved, "That the Thanks of this Houfe fhould be returned to Admiral Cornwallis for his diftinguifhed ability in the conduct of the fquadron under his command, and his determined bravery in an action with a fuperior fleet of the enemy upon the 15th of June laft;" which was agreed to nem. con.

Safety of his Majefty's Perfon and Govern

ment.

ance; and which he, as one of his Majefly's Minifters, or as a Peer of that Houfe, would be criminal in not duly confidering. Noble Lords would fee that

their own Representatives, or his Majef ty's Minifters. He heard with furprise one of the provifions of the Bill, namely, that it fhould not affect the free debating, &c. of Members of Parliament. By this, he faid, it was evident, that Englishmen were deprived of their great boast.

be alluded to the Proclamations iffued in confequence of an attack on his Majefly, and of a meeting held in the vicinity of the metropolis, which had been chiefly and primarily the cause of the daring outrage he had just mentioned. On thefe Proclamations he intended to ground the motion he had to fubmit, namely, to bring Lord Grenville rofe in reply, and in a Bill to prevent affemblies of an in- faid, that the Noble Earl had given an flammatory nature, where papers are cir- unfair turn to what fell from the culated, and speeches made, calculated to Noble Lord on the Woolfack on a forirritate the minds of his Majefty's fnb- mer night. His Lordship did not fay jects against his Perfon and Government, that every difpofition to treason, that, In introducing fuch a Bill, he obferved, all feditious defigns were fuppreffed he did not depart from the ufage of our and prevented; he (Lord Grenville) ancestors; who, in times of public dan- only congratulated that House on being ger, when the life of the Monarch was able to fit and deliberate, long afterput in jeopardy, were obliged to pass the enemies of order and civilization laws to prevent treasonable acts. In had menaced their deftruction. Lord framing the provifions of the Bill, he Grenville did not accufe the great had followed particularly the Act paffed body of the people of difloyalty-no, in the reign of Queen Elifabeth, and the he difclaimed fuch an affertion: he only Commencement of the reign of King meant, that there were fome men of inCharles the Second; and though there formation and talents in the country, might be found fome Noble Lord who who endeavoured to poifon the minds would object to the measure, he was a of fuch as had not the fame advantages. ware that he had not deviated in the of education with themfelves. To ftop leaft from the spirit of former times. the current of this infidious poison, he propofed the Bill in queftion; and he trufted it would be found adequate to his hopes. He denied that people were prevented by the Bill from meeting to gether in a legal, peaceable, and conftitutional manner, In fact, it went to preferve to Englishmen the bleffings of their invaluable Conftitution, and not to deprive them of it,

If then men, in contempt of every thing legal and conftitutional, dared thus publicly to vilify the Monarch and Monarchy itself, furely the energy and interpofition of Parliament were loudly called for to flop the tide of anarchy and confufion.

If the progrefs of fuch abominable wickedness were not prevented, where might the wicked difturbers ftop? Was it not evident, that they were travelling, and that not fecretly, to what ir fhocked the human imagination to conceive?They were ftriking, he contended, at the root of all that was moft dear to us they were fapping the basis of our glorious Conftitution. He fhould not, at. present, speak more at large, but merely move that the Bill be now read a first time, and printed, and read a fecond time on Tuesday.

The motion was agreed to,
Adjourned to

Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Lord Grenville rofe to move for the fecond reading of the Bill for the better fecuring his Majefty's Person and Government. On a former night, he said, he had ftated all the grounds upon which he thought the prefent measure neceffary, He had then fully stated to their Lordships thofe facts which, in his opinion, loudly called for the meafure he then propofed, The Bill, he obferved, was divided into two parts. The first, as relating to the doctrine of Treafon, and the other as to the publi cation of Seditious Writings. The compaffing the death of the King was already Treafon by the exifting Law; and their Lordships would find, by this Bill, that not only any attempt on the Life of their Sovereign was Treafon, but also any attempt to wound, maim, or otherwife do him any corporeal harm. It was hereby declared Treafon alfo, to T4

Lord Lauderdale faid, that after what fell from the Noble Lord on the Woolfack a few nights fince, he little expected that fuch a fevere measure would be urged. He heard the Noble and Learned Lord fay, that feditions and treafons were hape pily furpreffed, and immediately after, was furprised by the introduction of a Bill, that went, he contended, to annihilate the liberty of Englishmen. After the paffing of this Bill, he observed, people could not meet to deliberate on any public bufinefs-on the conduct of

arempt