Mrs. Wadman had told it, with all its circumftances,, to Mrs. Bridget twenty-four hours before; and was at that very moment fitting in council with her, touching fome flight mifgivings with regard to the iffue of the affair, which the Devil, who never lies dead in a ditch, had put into her head before he would allow half time, to get quietly through her, te Deum I am terrible afraid, faid widow Wadman, in cafe I fhould marry hin, Bridget-that the poor captain will not enjoy his health, with the monftrous wound upon his groin -It may not, Madam, be fo very large, replied Bridget, as you think and I believe befides, added she,--that 'tis dried up I could like to know-merely for his fake, faid Mrs. Wadman We'll know the long and the broad we'll march up boldly, as if 'twas to the I with, I may but manage it right; faid I fuppofe fo, quoth my uncle Toby. Account of a Dreadful Inundation of the Sea at Ingeram, on the Coaft of Coromandel, in the Eafi-Indies. of it in ten days-anfwered Mrs. Bridget, In a Letter from Mr. William Parfons to Alexfor whilft the captain is paying his addrefes to you I'm confident Mr. Trim wil be for making love to me- to get and I'll let added Bridget The measures were taken at once-and my uncle Toby and the corporal went on with theirs. Now, quoth the corporal, fetting his left hand akimbo, and giving fuch a flourish with his right, as juft promifed fuccefs-and no -if your honour will give me leave to lay down the plan of this attack more -Thou wilt please me by it, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, exceedingly, and as I foresee thou must act in it as my aid de camp, here's a crown, corporal, to begin with, to fteep thy commiffion. Then an' pleafe your honour, faid the corporal, (making a bow firft for his commiflion)- -we will begin with getting your honour's laced cloaths out of the great campaign trunk, to be well aired, and have the blue and gold taken up at the fleeves-and I'll put your white ramillie wig fresh into pipes- and fend for a taylor, to have your honour's thin fcarlet breeches turnedI had better take the red plufh ones, quoth my uncle Toby- -They will be too clumiy faid the corporal, -Thou wilt get a brush and a little chalk to my fword-Twill be only in your honour's way, replied Trim. new fet But your honour's two razors fhall be -and I will get my Monterocap furbished up, and put on poor lieutenant Le Fever's regimental coat, which your honour gave me to wear for his fakeand as foon as your honour is clsan fhaved and has got your clean fhirt on, with your blue and gold, or your fine fearletfometimes one and fometimes t'other every thing is ready for the attack ander Dalrymple, Efq. Ingeram, June 7, 1787. My dear Friend, Ytial account of the late calamity we OU with to have a juft and circumftan have fuftained. It is no wonder the accounts you have seen, should be incoherent and imperfect; for while the misfortune was recent, our minds were distracted with a thoufand fears and apprehenfions for the confequences: indeed people lefs alarmed and lefs gloomy than ourselves might have admitted the apprehenfions of peftilence and famine; the former, from the air being tainted from fome thousands of putrid carcafes both of men and cattle; and the latter, from the country around us being deftroyed as well as our ftock of provifions and the fruit of the earth. From the 17th of May, it blew hard from the N. E. but as bad weather is unusual at fuch a season, we did not apprehend that it would become more ferious; but on the 19th at night increased to a hard gale; and on the 20th in the morning blew a dreadful hurricane, infomuch that our houfes were prefent-ly untiled, our doors and windows beat in, and part of the wall of our inclofures blown down. Alittle before eleven it came with violence from the fea, and I presently perceived a multitude of the inhabitants crowding towards my house, crying out that the fea was coming in upon us. I caft my eyes in that direction, and faw it approaching with great rapidity, bearing much the fame appearance as the bar in Bengal river. As my houfe was fituated very low, I did not hefitate to abandon it, directing my fteps toward the old Factory, in order to avail myfelf of the Terrace; for in that dreadful moment I could not fo far reflect upon caufes or e effects, as to account for the phenomenon, or to fet Bounds to its encreafe. 1 had indeed heard of of a tradition among the natives, that about a century ago the fea ran as high as the tallest Palmira trees, which I have ever difregarded as fabulous, till the prefent unufual appearance called it more forcibly to my mind. In my way to the old Factory, I ftop ped at the door of Mr. Boure's houfe, to apprize the reft of the gentlemen of their danger, and the measures I had concerted for my fafety: they accordingly joined me; but before we attained the place of our deftination, we were nearly intercepted by the torrent of water. As the house is built on a high spot, and pretty well elevated from the ground, the water never, ran above a foot on the first floor, fo we had no occafion to bave recourse to the Terrace. Between one and two o'clock the water began to fubfide a little, and continued gradually decreating till the body of it had retired; leaving all the low places, tanks, and wells full of falt water. I think the fea muft have risen fifteen feet above its natural level. About the time of the water fubfiding, the wind favoured it by coming round to the Southward, from which point it blew the hardeft. As the Factory-house was in a very ruinous ftate, and fhook exceedingly at every guft, we were very anxious to get back to Mr. Boure's house. I attempted it twice, but found I had neither power nor ftrength to combat the force of the wind, getting back with the greatest difficulty to my former ftation. About five o'clock, during a fhort lull, we happily effected our remove. It blew very hard the greateft part of the night: at midnight it veered to the weftward, and was fo cold, that I thought we fhould have perifhed as we reclined in our chairs. The gale broke up towards the morning. I fhall not attempt to defcribe to you the scene that prefented itself to our view, when day-light appeared: it was dreary and horrible beyond defcription. The trees were all blighted by the falt water, and the face of the country covered with falt mud; yet it had more the appearance of having fuffered by a blast of hot wind, or by the eruption of volcanos, than by an inundation of water, fuch an effect had it in deftroying the herbage and foliage of every defcription. Our houfes were found full of the inhabitants, who had taken refuge therein, ftripped of doors and windows, and quite open to the weather at top; the godowns moftly carried away, and feveral fubftantial tiled houfes fo completely levelled, as fcarcely to afford a mark of their ever exifting: but our fufferings were light, when compared with thofe of Coringa, and the reft of the villages near the fea. At Coringa, out of four thousand inhabitants, it is faid no more than twenty were faved, and those mostly on Mrs. Corfar's Terrace, and on the beams of Captain Webster's houfe. Mr. Gideon Firth, Mr. George Day, and the Portugueze Padre were, I believe, the only Europeans that were drowned. At firft the fea rofe gradually, and as it came in with the tide the people were not much alarmed; but when they found it fill encrease fo as to render their fituation dangerous, they mounted on the top of their Cadjan-houfes, till the fea, impelled by a ftrong eafterly wind, rushed in upon them moft furioufly, when all the houfes at the fame awful moment gave way, and nearly four thousand fouls were launched into eternity. This tremendous fcene was visible from Mrs. Corfar's Terrace, over which the fea fometimes broke, and they were frequently in great danger from the drifting of veffels and other heavy bodies, which muft inevitably have brought down the house, had they come in contact. At the Dutch village of Jaggernaicporan, I hear the diftrefs was very great, and that about a thousand lives were loft; many of the villages in the low country between Coringa and Jaggernaickporan were totally deftroyed, and the inundation carried its dreadful effects as far to the northward as Apparah; but I do not hear that many lives were loft at that place. The inundation penetrated inland about ten Cofs from the fea in a direct line; but did little more damage to the weftward of us than deftroying the vegegation. It would be very difficult to afcertain with any precifion, the number of lives loft in this dreadful vifitation; the most intelligent people I have conferred with on the fubject, ftate the lofs at from ten to twenty thousand fouls. This is rather an indefinite computation; but I think, if the medium be taken, it will then rather exceed than fall fhort of the real lofs. They compute that a lack of cattle were drowned, and from the vaft numbers I saw dead at Nellapilla, I can eafily credit their affertion. For two or three days after the calamity, fuch was the languor of the inhabitants, that not a Cooley or workman was to be procured at any price; it required our utmoft exertion to get the dead bodies and the dead cattle buried with all poffible speed, to prevent the air being impreg nated with putrid effluvia. This, to be fure, was a talk we could not fully execute, except juft in the villages. However, no bad effects have enfued, which I impute to the continual land winds that have blown ftrongly for fome time paft. Thefe have the property of drying up the juices of dead bodies and preventing putrefaction, which must neceffarily have been the confequence in a damp air. It is extraordinary, that the vast tract of low ground on the fouth-fide of Guadavery, from Gotenby to Bundarmalanka, fuffered very little from the inundation, and scarcely a perfon perished. This country lies fo exceedingly low, as to be flooded in many places by the common fpring-tides, and a great deal of it is in confequence covered with falt jungle. It is probable they owe their fafety to thofe fall islands at the mouth of the Guadavery as well as Point Guadavery itself, which muft have both contributed to break the force of the fea. When we had recovered from our confternition on the 2 ft, we began to confider how we should be able to exill in fuch a field of defolation, as our wells were filled with falt water, our provifions deftroyed, and we found by digging in different places that no fweet water was to be procured; when it was difcòvered that Providence had fo far interfered in our favour, as to bring down the freshe's at a very early and unufual feafon. From what accounts we could haftily gather, we were apprehenfive that the flores of rice were either much damaged or totally deftroyed, as the rice godowns and gomarks are generally fe cured against an accident lefs formidable than this. However, the event has happily falli fied our furmifes, and proved our informati on fallacious, for rice has hitherto been plentiful and not dear. The generous fupplies that have been fent us from the Prefidenty, will I truft fecure us from ferious want Our markets have not yet been attended by a perfon with an article for fale; but this is not to be wondered at, as our fupplies were generally furnished by the village at no great diftance inland; and thefe countries have been drenched fufficiently in falt water to deroy their produce. The fishermen, á most nfeful body of people, inhabiting chiefly by the fea-fide, have been almoft totally extirpated, and we are thereby deprived of a very material part of our fubfiftence. Time alone can reftore us to the comforts we have loft, and we have reafon to be thankful that things have not turned out fo bad as we apprehended. I have tired myfelf in attempting this narration, and I fear I have almoft tired you in the perufal of it. A great deal more might be faid upon the fubject in a Howrey garb: if it yields a moment's amufement to my friend, my end is fully answered. The greateft part of this intelligence you have already had in detail, but it is your delire I fhould bring it to one point of view. It is haftily written and very inaccurate; but you will remember I was in a good deal of pain at the time of writing it, from an infianmation in my legs, fo had not fufficient eafe or leifure to correct or tranfcribe it. Your's affectionately, (Signed) WILLIAM PARSONS. Part of a Letter from the Countess of Barre to her Brother, on his embracing a Military Life: N the first place, my dear brother, I fhould fancy, if I were in your fituation, that I ought to be very humble; and though the king's favours do honour to his greatest fubjects, I should, in this fenfe, be very proud of them: yet for fuch favours I should likewife fhew a regard to my whole country, and behave fo that all my conduct should be a kind of expreffion of my gratitude. fettled courage; no airs, no pretensions; I Secondly, I would have a prudent and would yield when I could fubmit with decency; I would even conceal my ftrengths and would be more defirous to gain respect than to force it. Thirdly, I would chufe rather to be efteemed than beloved; to be an officer of reputation than a fine gentleman; and I would endeavour to acquire, by my talents, that merit which the French too often feck by perfonal complacencies, or, if I may he allowed the expreffion, by amability. Fourthly, I fhould avoid the tender paffions: I am of opinion, that they are at leaft an interruption of our duty. However, as it is not to be expected that you Thould adhere ftrictly to this precept, I would endeavour to have a tafle only for refpectable objects; that is the only way of refloring on one fide, what love makes fevere virtue lofe on the other. I was going, my dear brother, to add fifthly, but the fear of making a fermon topt me; and, befides, I am perfuaded, that great courage needs but fhort leffons. Death preferred to Difbonour. N the hall of the council houfe at Padua, Marchionefs d'Obizzi, who, when a gentleman of Padua, in the abfence of her husband, had clandeftinely conveyed himself into her bed-chamber, chofe rather to be ftabbed by the ravifher, who was enraged at the refiftance fhe made, than violate the honour of the marriage-bed. Befides other proofs against this execrable assassin, one fhirt fleeve-button, exactly refembling that which he wore in the other fleeve, was found in the lady's bed. The Marchionefs's only fon, then but five years of age, whom the aflaflin removed out of the bed before he made any attempt on her chaftity, was likewife produced as an evidence against him: but by reafon of his tender age, his depofitions were not thought fufficient to convict the villain. He food the torture feveral times, but his life could not be touched. After fifteen years impri fonment, his friends procured him his liberty, which he did not long enjoy; for the abovementioned fon of the unfortunate Marchionefs fhot hin through the head after his enlargement, and thus revenged the barbarity committed against his mother. The The Political Hiftory of Europe for 1784 and THIS 1785. (Continued from page 208.) HIS event was the celebrated coalition; and it was on this occafion that the charge of taction and violence, was firft brought forward against that Houte of Commons. There certainly can be no doubt, but that in confequence of this junction both the House of Commons was enabled to effectuate the removal of the Minif ter whose misconduct they had just condemned; pay farther, perhaps to limit the King, in the choice of new Minifters, to certain individual objects; and this, in the language of many, who, though violent affertors of the authority of the Commons on a fimilar occafion, but ten months before, profeffed, on the prefent, an ancommon.zeal for the prerogative of the crown, reprefented as orcing the King's clofet, scampling on the monarchy, and taking the fceptre out of his Majesty's hands: but, on the other fide, these effects were laid to be the natural and inevitable confequences of that fyftem of policy, and those established maxims of the conftitution, which had invariably, and fo happily, prevailed ever fince the acceffion of the prelent family to the throne, and by which the jarring theoretic rights of the several branches of the legislature could alone be fasely adjusted. However this may be, there was no attempt at that moment to affert the prerogatives of the crown any further than in debate; and the Leaders of the coalition consequently fucceeded, according to established practice, to the offices of their vanquished adversaries. We have already related the grounds on which his Majefty difmiffed this Miniftry (the fourth within the year) from his fervice; the appointment of a £fth Ministry, the high offence which feveral circumftances attending abole two meafures gave to the House of Commons, and their addrettes to his Majesty thereupon, for the se raoval of his new Minifters. Some advantageSus ground, which was at that time in poffeffion of the court, made it a favourable opportunity for attempting to refift the practice of difmiffing a Miniller at the requifition of the Commons, which, if not actually trenching on the preroga Love, was confidered as too deeply affecting the perfonal confequence of the Sovereign. On the two former occafions, charges of a criminal nafase either were or were ready to be brought forward against the Minicer, whofe removal was fought after; and it is probable, that the ready compliance, at those times, with the wishes of the Commons, was chiefly owing to their fears of provoking an hoftile, enquiry into their conduft. On the prefent, the Minister was new in his office, and confequently unimpeachable as to bisconduct therein; and, the King was therefore adviled, in answer to the requifitions of his parbament, to call for the specific charges, which were the grounds of thofe requifitions, as an effential part of the proceeding; lagaciously fore feeing, that if this principle was once admitted, it would often throw infuperable difficulties in the way of all fuch parliamentary proceedings. The tranfactions of the last year furnished two Geat. Mag. May, 1788. ftrong proofs of the truth of this fpeculation.— It might well be doubted, for inftance, whether the House of Commons could have been brought to adopt a charge against the Minifter of the American war, in which they fo long and fo heartily fupported him, notwithstanding they were convinced that his removal was a measure neceffary for the falvation of the country; and, again, whether the maker of the late peace could have been formally charged and tried for that act, without endangering the public faith? The House of Commons continuing fixed and unfhaken in the support of what they deemed their privileges and authority, recourfe was bad to the last expedient which remained, that of a diffolution; the consequences of which we now proceed to lay before our readers. The advantages which the miniferial party poflefs over their opponents, upon a premature diffolution of parliament, from their knowledge of the precife time when the writs for the new elections will be iffued, are known to be at all times very confiderable; but, on the present occafion, a variety of circumstances concurred, which tended to throw great additional weight into the fame fcale. During the three preced ag months, the majority in the House of Commons feemed more anxious to prevent a diffolution, than to provide for their individual fecurity in cafe fuch an event fhould take place. They appear to have coofined their views fo entirely to the objects for which they were contending in parliament, as to have totally neglected both their general interests in the nation, and their particular connections as representatives. They beheld addresses pour in from every quarter, without any, or at best but feeble and ill-concerted attempts either to oppofe them in their progrefs, or invalidate them by counter-petitions. Thus, whatever motion there was in the country, being all on one fide, and in one direction, it appeared to be more ge neral than perhaps it really was. It acquired, neverthelef, by degrees, great ftrength and force, and not only drew within its vortex every thing that was light and afloat, but carried away even those whofe principles were imagined to be more deeply rooted. No ties, no attachments were able to hold against it. Friendship, gratitude, and even dependency, gave way. Several inftances occurred, during the general elections, in which the agents and fervants of great mea were found acting openly and avowedly against the party of their employers. To thefe obfervations it must be added, that the object, upon which the contest between the Haufe of Commons and the court first broke out, and the points which came afterwards to be difputed between them, were not of a kind fufficiently popular to make their own way amongst the people at large. The ftate of the British empire in the caft was not at all felt, and but little heard of or understood by them. The privileges of the Houfe of Commons, though the foundation of the liberties of the people, do not appear at first fight to have a necellary connection with them; and fome pains had been taken, during the prefent reign, to render them odious, by fetting them up in oppofition Kk the people. Perhaps nothing requires greater management and address, than the ule of dele gated authority. As fear, is the paffion excited by inherent power, so are envy and jealousy by that which is delegated. We cannot give away any power, even though we are not able to ex ercile it ourselves, without regarding the perfon who receives it in the fame difagreable ligh that the miler does his heir. On the other hand, adminiftration poffeffed many great and peculiar advantages. Being ealed, by the prevalence of their adverfaries in parliament, of a confiderable part of the burthen of their public duty, they found themselves at 1ufficient leifure to prepare for an event, at all time within their power, and which was fo cautiously concealed as to have drawn on the Minifter the impuration of a breach of faith.Indeed the novel y of the measure itself, the dangerous confequences that might arife from it, the answer received from the King relative to the affairs of India, the affurance conveyed to the Houle from Mr. Pitt, the appointment of a committee to examine papers from the India house, which took place, with the approbation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but a few days before the diffolution, kept the minds of their opponents at leaft in a flate of inactive fufpence, which caufed the diffolution at length to burst upon them totally and univerfally unprepared. Thefe advantages were not neglected, and power, activity, and popularity, were exerted on a field neglected and almoft defeited by the adverlary. The event proved such as it was natural to expect. Upwards of one hundred and fixty members lost their feats, and of thefe al moft the whole number were the friends of the. late adminiftration. So complete a rout of what was looked upon as one of the ftrongest and molt powerful parties that ever .exifted in Great Britain, is icarcely to be credited. Amongst the interefts which on, this occafion joined the court, that of the diffenters, and of the Eat India company and its fervants, were the most confiderable. On the 18th of May, both Houfes being af. fambled with the uiual formalities, the Houfe of Commons proceeded to the choice of a Speaker, when Mr. Cornwall was again placed in the chair The day following, his Majelty in a fpeech from the throne declared the caules of his calling the parliament. He affured them of the fatisfaction he had in meeting them, after recurring, in fo important a moment, to the fenfe of his people; and of his reliance, that they were animated by the fame fentiments of loyalty and attachment to the conit tution, which had been to fully manifefted throughout the kingdom He then directed their attention to the maintenance of, the public credit, to the fupport of the eltabi hed revenue, and to the affairs of the East India compapy and, after warning them against adopting any meatures for the regulation of thele all, which might affect the conftitution and our dearest interests at home, concluded with expreffing his inclinations to support and maintain in their just balance the rights and privileges of every branch of the legislature *. The ftrong expreffions, inferted in the addreffes, of fatisfaction and gratitude to his Majesty for having diffolved the late parliament, occafioned a short debate. The neceffity of having recourse to that measure, in order to fettle a firm and conftitutional adminiftration, was ftrenuously urged on the one fide; and, on the other, this neceflity was as ftrenuously denied, unless it could be proved that the existence of the prefent adminiftration was indifpenfably neceffary either to the safety or the conflitution of the country. With refped to the fenfe of the people, which it was faid had appeared to be decifively in favour of the pretent adminiftration, fome of those members, who had formerly taken an active part with Mr. Pitt in the attempt to introduce a more equal reprefentation in parliament, demanded on what grounds he could pretend that the genuine fenfe of the people had been collected in the new elections, fince he had himself enforced the seceffity of a reformation, on the very fuppofition that the people, as the law then flood, had little or nothing to do with them. An amendment was propofed, to leave out fuch parts of the address as related to the abovementioned point, but was rejected by a majority of 168. On the 14th of June, the attention of the house was again called to this important fubject by Mr. Burke, in a speech of great length, in which he examined with great freedom the dangerous principles upon which that act of power was both executed and defended by government. He remarked, that the question might not appear at that time of very great confequence to fome gentlemen; but to him it appeared of the utmolt magnitude and importance; and he was not ashamed to confefs, that his whole mind and foul were full of it. A parliament had been fentenced, condemned, and executed, and no notice had yet been taken of to great and extraordinary an event! if the meaneft fubject in the land had died fuddenly or by violent means, an inqueft would have taken cognizance of the cafe, and enquired into the causes of his death: but the parliament of Great Britain had been NOT E. * Before the motion was made for an address, Mr. Lee, in a long speech, flated to the House the conduct of the high bailiff of Westminster, who had neglected making a return to the writ of election, on pretence of not having finished the fcrutiny into the legality of the votes, and concluded with moving a refolution, declaring it to be "bis duty to return two eitizens to ferve for the faid city." This motion, after a long debate, was negatived by a majority of 283 to 136 As this remarkable caule, though frequently agitated during the first feffions of this parliament, was not brought to a conclufion till the fecond, we shall refer the reader to that pe ried of our hiftory for a full account of the arguments and proceedings thereon. put |
