ticular attention is the effects of the war; and these will also be most fatisfactorily collected from the debates of parliament. In this the inquirer must not fatisfy himself with afking, whether, if we had preserved our neutrality, our commerce was likely to remain undiminifhed? but, whether or not it was likely to have increased? He will not reft contented with fallacious statements concerning exports and imports, which include fupplies for fleets and armies; but he will look at the actual state of the country. He will, perhaps, fee the neceffaries of life almost doubled in price, and yet the national wealth actually diminished. He will compare the fituation of the country with its fituation during the calamitous American war; and he will find that the actual depreffion of

the funded property of the nation, in a comparison between these two periods, is now more than twenty per cent. He will find, that, in these four years of mifery and discomfiture, the public burthens are actually doubled. He will find a frightful deficit in the national finances; that the expenditure, even in the event of an immediate peace, must exceed the income by four millions a year; and that, in the event of another campaign, even that deficit must be immenfely increased †.

It is to this alarming difcovery we must awake from our dreams of conqueft and of glory. The evil is now hid from the eyes of an unreflecting multitude, by the glare and pomp of military arrangement, and by a falfe fpendour that only dazzles to deceive.-May heaven avert the awful confequences!

1

JANUARY.

"OM

N Wednesday laft, Mrs. Mary Reed, widow of Wil. liam Reed, efq. who died at Berkeley, in April, 1794, was fully committed to Gloucefter gaol, on fufpicion of having poifoned her hufband.

It appeared, on the examination, that, about two years ago, a fufpicion arofe, that captain Reed had poifon given to him in fome broth; that finding himself indifpofed, he went to lie down on the bed; that while he was there, the went up to fee him; that her brother followed with a broomftick, and ftruck him three violent blows over his head; that flie immediately called out murder, and her brother escaped. A medical gentleman being fent for, came and dreffed his head, and left him about fix in the evening, obferving that there was no danger of death from the wounds; but, at nine o'clock captain Reed expired. Mrs. Reed applied the fame evening for a coin to be made, and wifhed to have him buried the next day, faying, that as he died fuddenly he would not keep; which circumftance giving rife to a fufpicion, he was opened by a furgeon, and a fomething being found in his ftomach, which was

given to a dog, proved his imme❤ diate death. On this evidence, the coroner's jury fat on the body of captain Reed and gave a verdict of wilful murder.

The brother of Mrs. Reed abovementioned, was found dead about four days after the deceafe of captain Reed, and is fuppofed to have fhot himself with a blunderbufs found lying by him, his head being blown to pieces.

At the time this fhocking affair took place, Mrs. Reed was examined before the coroner's jury, and discharged for want of evidence. In a late trial of an action brought by Mrs. Reed agint the Royal Exchange affurance office, for the recovery of 2000l. the amount of a policy of affurance on. the life of captain Reed (who died, within a week after the execution of the policy) fome fufpicious circumftances arofe, which induced Mr. Mingay, her counsel, to fubmit to be nonfuited, rather than urge the trial farther, and occafioned Mrs. Reed to be apprehended a fecond time.

chancellor, the lord prefident of his majesty's council, his grace the duke of Leeds, his grace the duke of Devonshire, the earl of Cholmondeley, lord chamberlain, and the earl of Jersey, mafter of the horfe to his royal highness the prince of Wales, the right honourable lord Thurlow, and the ladies of her royal highness's bedchamber, were prefent.

12. In confequence of a difpute at the Opera house, on Saturday evening, between major Sweetman of the Independents, and capt. Watfon, of the 90th regiment, thefe gentlemen, attended by their feconds and furgeons, met yefterday morning near Cobham. The combatants were pofted by the feconds, at the diftance of ten yards; but major Sweetman who was fhort-fighted, complaining that he could not fee clearly, capt. Watfon called out to him to advance till he was fatisfied. He advanced to within four yards, when both parties fired together. Capt. Watfon's ball went in at major Sweetman's right breaft, and came out at his left. He fell, and inftantly expired. Capt. Watson was wounded in the upper part of the thigh, but is in a fair way of recovery, the ball having been extracted.

16. Yesterday came on a caufe of importance to all diffenting congregations throughout the kingdom. The proteftant diffenting chapel at Kenfington had been rated to the poor by the overfeers of that parish. The trustees of the chapel at firft paid the tax, but afterward objected, and apqealed to the parochial veftry meeting, when the rate was confirmed. From this decifion, the trustees of the chapel appealed to the former puarter feffions, but by motion of

the counfel for the parish, the appeal was adjourned over to the following quarter feffions, which was held yesterday. Meffrs. Sylvefter and Knowles were counsel for the appellants, and meflrs. Fielding and Conft for the refpondents. The refpondents' counfel argued, that wherever an erection took place, and covered a piece of land, as an object of value, it became taxable. to the fupport of the poor of that parish in which it was fituated: and that the trustees had an intereft and profit in, and were to be confidered as proprietors and occupiers of, this building, and as fuch were liable to be taxed.— The counfel for the appellants argued, that the trustees were merely nominally fuch, on behalf of the fubfcribers to the building of the chapel; that they had no peculiar intereft in, nor derived any benefit or profit there from; what the congregation paid, was by voluntary fubfcription, the whole of which 'went to the support of the officiating minifter, and the expenses of public worship. Evidence was adduced in proof of these facts, and the trustees offered to come forward and fwear that they never had received, and that they never would receive, the fmalleft reimbursement for the expenfes they had been at from the annual fubfcriptions, which were folely appropriated as above. The chairman, Mr. Mainwaring, remarked, that Mr. Fielding's pofition could not be admitted in the broad way he had ftated it; for many charitable foundations, churches, &c. were not liable to taxation; the trustees or governors of St. Luke's, &c. were not taxable, although it was customary for the nurfes to receive a fee on the admiffion of every patient; nor were churches