What the object of the war then was, has never been afcertained; what its conduct has been, we have feen to our misfortune and our lofs. The year 1795 concluded with little confolatory abroad, and with a general and torpid defpondency at home, as far as refpected the public affairs. The meeting of parliament was fixed for an unufually early period, the latter end of October; and previous to its affembling, fome meetings were held by the London Correfponding Society for the avowed purpose of petitioning the king and parliament in favour of peace and reform. As the meetings were held in the open fields, they were numerously attended, as was noticed in our last volume: and as the great majority of the people who compofed thefe meetings were certainly not members of that affo. ciation, and were drawn together by no ftronger motive than curiofity, when that paffion of the moment was gratified, they difperfed without any further confequences. A dreadful and oppreflive fearcity at this crifis pervaded the kingdom; feveral inftances occurred of perfons who perifhed through abfoJute want; and the poor were every where defpairing and defperate. To the calamitous war, and to the mifconduct of minifters, all the mifery under which the nation fuffered was (perhaps rafhly) attributed. From thefe circumstances we muft account for the daring and deteftable infults and outrages which were offered to his majefty on his way to and from the houfe of lords on the 29th of October. An effort was made by the adherents of mi niftry to connect thefe outrages with the meetings which had been previously held by the Corresponding Society; and, on the other hand, their advocates have retorted the accufation, and afcribed them to the emiffaries of the minifter. We must in juftice declare that neither of thefe opinions feems warranted by the depofitions at the bar of the houfe of lords, nor by the appearance of the multitude which was affembled on that occafion, the majority of whom confifted, as ufual, of women and children; and thefe were, in general, the most active and clamorous. His majefty proceeded from the palace to open the feffion of parliament, at the ufual hour, between two and three o'clock; and the crowd in St. James's park, which is always confiderable on these occafions, was certainly greater than ufual, though we conceive it must have been over-rated, when it was eftimated at 150,000 perfons. A fine day, and a rumour which had been circulated, with what view it is impoffible to afcertain, that a riot was likely to take place, contribut ed greatly to increafe the multitude of the fpectators. As the royal carriage paffed along the park, the predominant exclamations were, "Peace!-Peace!Give us bread!-No Pitt!-No famine!-No war!"-A few voices were heard to exclaim, "Down with George!" or words to that effect. In the park, and in the ftreets adjacent to Weftminster Hall, fome ftones and other things were thrown, nine of which, it is bility, exified in France; the blood of Louis would never have freamed from the fcaffold; and the people of England would not, in the short space of four years, have doubled the whole amount of their taxes. The propofal was afterwards renewed by MM Chauvelin and Maret, when our minifters began the ridiculous dispute about the opening of the Scheldt!!! afferted, afferted, ftruck the ftate coach; and one of them, which was fuIpected to have proceeded from a window in Margaret-ftreet, near the abbey, perforated one of the windows by a fmall circular aperture; and from thefe circumftances it was fuppofed by fome to have been a bullet difcharged from an air-gun, or from fome fimilar engine of deftruction; but no bullet was found; and whatever it was, it neither touched the king, nor the noblemen who attended him. As we have already intimated, this outrage was by fome confidered as a confpiracy on the part of the Correfponding Society; and on the other hand, the accufation was retorted on their adverfaries by the adherents of that fociety, who have afferted (though, we must believe, without reafon) that if there was a plot, it must have originated in a different quarter, and for very different purposes. They obferve, that, according to the unguarded admiffion of Mr. fecretary Dundas, the bills, which were immediately upon this event introduced into parlia ment for restricting the liberty of the prefs, and for preventing public meetings, had been in the contemplation of minifters ever fince the failure of the profecution of Hardy, &c. and that a fair opportunity was wanting to bring them forth. They remark, that in other countries fimilar outrages have been committed, not by the populace, but by perfons hired for particular views; that the attack on the late king of Portugal, which proved the destruction of the popular party there, was now generally confidered by hiftorians as the ftratagem of one of his min fters. They affert, that in the late outrage the royal carriage was accompanied by a particular fet of perfons who were the most clamorous, and had frequent opportunities of perfonally affaulting the king, but who on the contrary feemed ftudious to keep off the rest of the mob. They remark, in fine, as a moft extraor dinary and unprecedented fact, that not one of thofe who threw the ftones, or otherwife attacked the king, was brought to justice, though a reward of one thousand pounds was offered. These mutual recriminations we only state to fhew the violence and the artifices of the party; for, from various circumftances, we are of opinion that no confpiracy whatever exifted; and that the whole was a fudden ebullition of popular fury, exafperated by the misfortunes of the war, and by the evils of famine. As his majefty returned from the houfe through the park, though the gates of the Horfe Guards were shut to exclude the mob, yet even this precaution was not fufficient to prevent a renewal of the outrages; and another ftone was thrown at the carriage as it paffed oppofite to Spring Garden terrace. After the king had alighted at St. James's, the populace attacked the ftate carriage; and in its way through PallMall to the Mews, it was almoft demolished. It was a very fingular circumftance that his majesty was permitted to return from the house of lords without any additional guard or efcort. The hoftile difpofitions evinced by the populace ought certainly to have induced the minifters to have taken fome precaution, had they been actuated by a proper affection for their fovereign, who was expoied to infult only by their misconduct. No friend of monarchy, no man who admires and reveres the private virtes of his fovereign, could reflect without indignation, that the fame minifters who did not dare to venture their own perfons in the A 4 city city on a public festival without a large military efcort, faw with negligent unconcern, and with unfeeling apathy, their protector and their king return from St. James's amidst a misguided and enraged populace, with no other protection or attendant than two footmen behind his private carriage. In this unprotected itate, as foon as the carriage had turned out of the paved paffage that leads from the garden gate, the horfe-path under the garden wall was found filled with people, who obftructed the paffage for a fhort time, and in a moft daring manner infulted his majefty. Fortunately, however, fome of the life-guardfmen, who were mounted as returning from duty to the Horfe-Guards, being informed of the circumftances, rode back and relieved his majesty from this new danger and perplexity. During the whole of the day, it was obferved that the king appeared more deeply affected by the melancholy clamours that furrounded him, than by the coarfe and unworthy indignities which were offered. On his return, when the carriage was ftopt, he fhewed evident figns of agitation. His face was flushed, his eyes were momentarily turned from fide to fide, and his manner evinced the utmost perturbation. Four witneffes of what paffed in the courfe of the day, viz. Mr. Walford of Pall Mall, Mr. Stockdale of Piccadilly, one of his majesty's footmen, and Kennedy, belonging to the office of police in Bow-street, were feverally examined at the bar of the house of lords on the evening of the 29th; and a copy of the minutes of the evidence was communicated to the house of commons the following day. The evidence exhibited on this occafion went only to confirm the narrative which we have already given, and to criminate a man of the name of Kidd Wake, and three other perfons, who were apprehended on the occafion, but who appeared to have been no further guilty than in hiffing and halloo ing, and making ufe of fome indecent and feditious expreffions *. On the 31st of October, a proclamation was iffued, offering a reward * Mr. John Walford, of Pall Mall, called out on duty that day as a confiable, deposed, that, on entering Parliament-ftreet, he observed one man in particular among the crowd, very active; which he obferved to Mr. Stockdale, his brother conftable, at the time. This man was running by the fide of the coach, and exclaiming, "No war! Down with George!" And on their entrance into Palace Yard, he obferved fomething come with great velocity from the foot pavement as he thought; on which he obferved to Mr. Stockdale, "Good God! the glafs is broken! That must furely be a ball." His majesty then passed on to the houfe, and he obferved the man with the crowd perfectly quiet. Immediately on his majefty's coming out of the houfe, the crowd fet up a hooting and hifing. He did not obferve that man any more particularly, till he arrived in the Park; when he perceived him frequently to foop down, but whether he picked up any thing he could not fay; but at that time there were many ftones thrown from different quarters. Hearing the fame man make the fame exclamation again, he told him, if not quiet, he most affuredly thould take him into cuftody. He repeated the exclamation of "Down with George!" again; upon which he immediately feized him; and, under the protection of the horse guards, conducted him to the court yard of St. James's, where he left him. The other perfons examined faid little more than went to confirm the evidence of Mr. Walford. On the fame evening fome perfons, taken into cufiody upon fufpicion of having infulted his majefty, were examined at the office in Bow-fireet: The ward of one thousand pounds to any perfon or perfons, other than thofe actually concerned in doing any act by which his majesty's royal perfon was immediately endangered, who fhould give information fo that any of the authors or abettors in that outrage might be apprehended and brought to juftice. On the 4th day of November another proclamation was iffued. It began by announcing, that, immediately before the opening of the prefent feffion of parliament, a great number of perfons were collected in the 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 groundlefs jealoufy and difcontent, and to endanger the public peace; and that fuch proceedings were followed, on the day on which the feffion of parliament commenced, by acts of tumult and violence, and by The first was Kidd Wake (the perfon taken by Mr. Walford), aged twenty-feven, and a journeyman printer. Lemon Cafeby, a conftable, depofed, that he obferved the prifoner, foon after the carriage had entered the Park, hifs, groan, and call out, "No war!" vehemently and repeatedly. The witnefs endeavoured to fecure him, but fell down in the attempt; when he rofe, he obferved the prisoner again in the fame act; he kept his eyes-upon him as far the Horfe Guards, and there loft fight of him. After his majesty alighted at the house of ords, a Mr. Walford came up, and obferved to the witnefs and other peace officers, that be fhould know the man who broke the glafs of the coach, defcribing him to wear a green coat with a black collar. On the return of his majesty into the Park, near St. James's, he obferved the prifoner fcuffling with Mr. Walford, to whofe affitiance he went, and they fecured him; Mr. Walford not attending to identify his perfon, the defeription given by him to the witnefs, of the man who threw the tone in Parliament-fireet, could not be received in evidence. The prifoner faid he was in the fervice of Mr. Noble, a printer; was a married man; and by hifling and groaning at his majesty, he meant only to let the king fee "he was diffatisfed at the war." Three others were examined the fame evening with Kidd Wake; but the evidence did not affect them materially; all four, however, were committed to priton that evening for ⚫ further examination. On the next morning Kidd Wake was brought before the fitting magifirates for reexamination, when Mr. Walford, above-mentioned, came forward, and depofed, that as foon as he joined the proceffion as a conftable, he observed to Mr. Stockdale, his brother officer, how very particularly active the prifoner was in hifling, hooting, and calling out, "No war!" And as the proceffion was paffing through St. Margaret-irect, he faw fomeThing (mall go with great velocity again one of the coach windows, which made a fmall hole in the glass; and at this time the prifoner difappeared; but when the king arrived at the house of peers, he again obferved the prifoner in the front of the crowd; when fome other officers, remarking the prifoner's active conduct, proposed to take him into cufiody; but on confideration it was declined. When his majefty came out of the houfe, he loft fightof the prisoner till the proceflion had paffed through the Horfe Guards, when he obferved the prifoner, and about thirty more, clofe to the carriage, grinning at the king, groaning, and calling out, "No war! Down George!" But whether the prifoner faid down George, he could not positively fay. As the proceffion was paffing from the Horic Guards towards Carleton House gates, fix or feven ftones were flung at the carriage; and about the time the ftones were flung, he obferved the prifoner ftoop two or three times; but whether be flung any of the ones he would not pofitively fay. The witnefs remontrated with the pritoner upon the impropriety of his conduct, who paid no attention to the remonftrance, till at length patting along the Mall, the witnefs, with the amfiance of one of the horfe guards, fecured him. The prifoner, Kidd Wake, was re-committed for further exantination. He at length was brought to trial, and found guilty of hooting, groaning, and hitting at the king, for which he was fentenced to be confined for feveral years in the penitentiary houfe at Gloucefier, and to ftand in the pillory. daring and criminal outrages, to the immediate danger of his majesty's perfon. And further, that uneafinefs and anxiety had been raised in the minds of his majefty's faithful fubjects by rumours and apprehenfions that feditious and unlawful affemblies were intended to be held by evil-difpofed perfons; that it was therefore thought fit to enjoin and require all juftices of the peace, fheriffs, and all well-difpofed perfons throughout the kingdom, to ufe their utmost diligence to difcourage, prevent, and fupprefs all feditious and unlawful affemblies, and the diftribution of all feditious papers and publications. Thus the public mind was gradually prepared for a most important innovation on the British conftitution; an innovation, which, had it been carried to the extent that miniflers at firft intended, would have laid the Bill of Rights and Magna Charta itself proftrate in the duft, and would have nearly citablithed a military defpotifm in the place of thofe laws and cuftoms which have long been dear to Englifhmen; thofe laws and liberties for which our ancestors cheerfully fhed their blood; to preferve which, the unfortunate houfe of Stuart was expelled from the throne of their anceflors; and to defend which, the fceptre of thefe kingdoms was placed in the hands of the elector of Hanover. The reader will perceive that we allude to two bills which were at this crifis introduced into parliament by lord Grenville and Mr. Pitt, and which were paffed into laws, after vigorous debates, in the month of December 1795. The one was entitled, "An Act for the Safety and Prefervation of his Majefty's Perfon and Government against Treafonable and Seditious Practices and Attempts." And the other, "An Act for the more effectually preventing Seditious Meetings and Affemblies." Notwithstanding the outrages which had taken place during his majefty's progrefs to the houfe, the feffion of parliament was regularly opened in the ufual way, by a speech from the throne; but that ceremony was no fooner concluded, than the bar of the house of peers was abruptly ordered to be cleared, and their lordships went into a committee of privileges, in confequence of the circumftances which had attended his majefty's coming to the house. Their lordships having first ordered his majefty's fpeech to be taken into confideration the following day, lord Grenville flated, that his majefty had been grofsly infulted in his way to the house, his ftate coach damaged, and an aflault attempted on his royal perfon. The earl of Weftmoreland (mafter of the horfe) ftated to the house the particulars of the infult and outrage, as far as they had fallen within his knowledge; and lord Onflow (a lord of the bed-chamber) confirmed the report made by the earl of Westmoreland. The journals having been previoufly confulted for precedents, an addrefs was propofed; and this was to be followed by a conference with the other houfe, to defire their concurrence in the measure. After a fhort converfation among feveral of the peers, the marquis of Lanfdowne animadverted with severity and acrimony on the conduct of minifters, whom he difcredited and reprobated upon this occation. He believed, on his part, that it was no more than the counter-part of their own plot; the alarm bell to ter |