Newspaper Page Text
forpjity *• thqir direSions, a fjjnnion Ifiad |
been fcnt to every Peer diftintxly. Apologies
were then admitted for such as through ill
ness or other unavoidable canfes were abfeut.
The Lord President (Lord Camden) then
briefly dated, that on the last meeting of the*’
House he had moved an adjournment, uuder
the flattering hope, that before the present pe
riod his Majesty might be fudicieiitly recover
ed to come down himfelf, and open the ses
sion in a regular manner : That his Majesty
having, however, remained for near seven
weeks in the fame lamentable condition, the
Privy Council had judged it exp.edieut to meet
and examine the .phycifians attending as to
the nature of his Majefly’s complaint, a copy
of which examination he begged leave to
submit to tficif Lordfljips. He then moved
that the fame be read by the'Cleft, which
Wis agieedto.
When the minutes of the examination be
fore the Privy Council had beeu read, Lord
Camden moved, that it be taken into consi
deration on Monday ; to which day the House
adjourned.
HOUSE of COMMON S.
This diy the Honfc of Commons met pur
suant to their adjournment from the 20th of
last month.
Public anxiety bad been wound up to such a
pitch, that the avenues to the House were
crowded at a very early hour.
It was with extreme difficulty that thecon
ftable could keep open a free' palfage for the
Members, who, as well on account of the
call of the House, that flood as the only or
<der of the day, as of the important business
which it was imagined would have been taken'
into confidetation immediately after it, at
tended in greater numbers than perhaps ever
were seen at one time in St. Stephen’s Chapei,
there being 470 Members present.-
According to the rules of the K'oufe, no
Granger can be admitted into the gallery on a
day when the Members are to be called over,
and the order for the call has been fulfilled or
adjourned. This circumstance prevented our
admiflion, and deprived us of the means of
gratifying the eager curiosity of our readers
by a full and accurate account of what passed
in the House on this great occafiott. We
were therefore under the necefiity of applying
tbfoine Members for information, who were
so obliging as to furiiifli us with the following
particulars :
About four o'clock,, the Speaker having
taken the chair,*
The Chancellor of the. Exchequer preffcnted
to the House a report of the examination of
tht King’s phyficiahs taken yesterday upon
oath, by his Privy Council, relative to the
tf&tc of his Majefly’s health;
This report was, by order, immediately
read at the table by the Clerk, and was infub
flancc as follows :
Dr. Warren’s opinion, as deduced from the
queflions put to him, by the Privy Council,
was, that hfis Majesty was at prefenfincapable
of attending to public business ; that there was
gteat probabil ty that his Majesty would in
time be able to reftimckis'fliare in the govern
ment of the country j but 1 that- be could not
fay when such an event was to be ex peeled.
His opinion was founded on personal experi
ence, and confutation with other phvficians.
Sir George Baker, Sir Lucas Fepys* and
Dr. Reynolds, were feveraiiy of the fame
opinion.
Dt. Addington was still more fatiguine in
Hit-hopes of his Majesty’s recovery, as he
had seldom or ever known cases attended
hr such fy mptoms as he had difeovered
in his Majesty fail of a happy termina
tion.
ihe . hancellor of the Exchequer then
moved., that the laid report be taken into con
fidcraticm c« Monday next. At the fame
time he gave notice, that 011 that day he would
move that a committee Ihould be appointed to
fearcb- for precedents in any degree applicable
to the present melancholy state of public af
fairs, and report them to the House.
1 he awful magnitude, he said, of the pre
fem crib*, called for the moftfoious delibe
rauon, and the House could nor, in his opini
on, proccc.i with too much folcn.nity, or he
too rauutnu in ns determination, in a huliuefs
, lucli til'mi,can .i* was that which mult ihurt
\y he brought Wefmc them.
Ihe quell mu was then pm on the mo.ion,
jud it was agmd mm, i;».p tepett
flioulJ be taken into coufideration on Monday
next.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer next
moved, that the order of the day for calling
over the House on this day ihould be discharg
ed, and a new order made for calling it over
on Thursday next. This motion pafled with
out any opposition.
He then moved that the House would, at
its riling, adjourn to Monday next.
Mr. Viner took this opportunity to make
• a short-remark upon the report that had been
delivered in by Mr. Pitt. He lincerely la
mented the melancholy occalion that had
made it necessary; and he believed every
: man in the country was truly concerned' at
the cause of it. Having premised this obser
vation, he said that a report taken by the
. Privy Council was undoubtedly entitled' to
great weight; but lie doubted whether it
timed tire dignity- of Parliament that such a
report Ihould be made the ground work of
. a parliamentary proceeding. He quetfionea
whether the House could or ought to take ihe
• report''»£ the Council as the guide of its con
dud ; he was rather inclined to think that it
ought; to order the attendance of his Majelty’s
physicians, and hear them examined at' the
bar, before any final measure Ihould be pro
posed or adopted. This, however, he said,
he threw out only as his private opinion; the
House would-judge foritfelf.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that
nothing could be farther from his intention
than to pieclude any measure which the House
might in its wil'dom think it necefi’ary to adopt
for the purpose of procuring the most ample
information : He was of.' opimon,.however,
that, when gentlemen woiJld confider the de
licacy of the fubjed, and the dignity of the
i great Personage to whafe ftatc of health the
report referred, they would think with him,
that the mode pursued by the Privy Council
was precisely that which ought to have been
adopted, and which Parliament might, with
out furfering the least infringement of its dig
nity, pursue. Gentlemen would also ob
serve, that the examination of the physicians,
by the Privy Council; had been taken upon
oath, which could not be the case if they
were to be examined at the bar of the Moure,
as the House of Commons had not power to
ad mini Her an oath to a withefS.
Mr. Fox exprelled his entire acquiefeence
in, and approbation of, the ftepa that had
been taken in the* melancholy business; he,
howeVer; had his doubts, as well as the Ho
norable Member who spoke lift but one, whe
ther gentlemen ought in duty to rest fatisfied
without the personal examination of those
physicians, on whofc testimonies they were to
found confeqtiences of the Urmofrimportanee.
1 hey would, no doubt, all feel it neccflary to
ad with every possible delicacy in the course
of their proceedings ; but, at the fame time,
if delicacy and their duty ihould .happen to
clalb, the one ought not to be facrificed to
the other.
The question was at last put, and carried
mm. con.
After the motion had been thus diipofed
of,
The Speaker exprelTedhis doubts, whether,
during the inefficiency of one branch of the
Legifiature, he was competent to ifTue writs
: filling up the vacancies that Ihould happen
in the repr©f e ntation of the people in that
House,
It was the present vacancy in the borough
of Colchefter, oocafioned by the death of Sir
Edmund Affleck, that firit suggested to him
the grounds of those doubts.
Mr. Pitt was decided in opinion, that thV
nq-ad could'take-place which required the
joint concurrence of the different branches of
the Legifiature, yet each- of-then* in its se
parate capacity was fully competent to the
exercise of : those powers which concerned its
own orders and jurildklions.
A motion was at lalt made, that this House
do now adjourn } it pafTed without opposition
and put an end to the couverfation.
The divifious among the thiee different
ranks of people in France are growing every
day more alarming and violent, and we fear
• will fflortly amount to a civil commotion,
VVc (hall at fume leisure opportunity resume
the difeourfe on the present fituatiou of
Fiance,
The Daniili force* have totally abandoned
Sweden, But fume difference ha* occurred
between the Prince of Hole and the King of
Sweden, from the former** having insisted
that the lum of 100,000 dollars ihould be
paid the King of Denmark as a contribution
in the space of four mouth*'.
As a security for the payment of this ftne,
the Prince took with him from Undenuilid
three of the principal merchants as hodages.
But it is much doubted whether the money
will ever be paid.
This contribution, as well as some others
which the Prince of HeiVe endeavoured to ex
ad on the Swedifli territories, had nearly re
kindled the flames of war.
The King of Sweden opposed this condud
in the warmest manner, and lent an officer to
. the Danith camp with the following formal
declaration:
“ That, if the Prince of HeiTe persisted in.
bis design to levy contributions in his Bates,
4 he fliould immediately dillblve the armiflice
agreed 1 on; nor ihould he abandon his fub
jeds to f ch oppreffious without affording
them his afliflaiice.’*
To this declaration the Prince of Hesse re
plied, “ that he ihould refer thole differences
to be fettled by the mediating powers.”
The King of-Sweden acquiesced to this
proposition, and thus the matter is terminated
for the prelent.
N:nv Arrangements in the French Minifry.
M. de Brienne has at length resigned the
War Department in France. M. de Puyfe
guar, as we-loug since dated, is his successor.
He comes into the cabinet aided by the pow
erful interest of the House of Conde.
The Comte de St. Pried, late Ambassador
at the Hague', ia to-be the new Secretary- of
State in France for foreign affairs.
M. de Mbntmorin, who now holds that fi
tnation, is gaing to Condantinople, it is said,
for the purpose of v negotiating peace* between*
the Emperor and the Turks.-
It is certain the former is mod heartily sick
os the war.
On the other hand, Ml de Choifcul is al
ready on his route to Vienna, charged, as is
reported, on a similar comnriffion.
When Marflial Biron died, two millions
five hundred thousand livres- were found iu
his cabinet.
Q_.U E-* B E C K, December 1.
By a letter from Lake Ontario to a gentle-,
man in this town we learn, tha', on Sunday
the 2d of November, Mr. mate
of his Majefly’s veffsl Limnade, cut his wife’s
throat, and then his own. Jealousy, aided
by liquor, is tiippofed to have been thecaufe
of this ralli action. He expired immediate
ly, but it is expeaed-Mrs. Fitfimons will re
' cover.
BOSTON, January 16.
On Friday lad the Honorable the House of-
Representatives granted the Aim of idol, to
his Honor Benjamin Lincoln, Esq.
A meflage was received from the Gover
nor, informing the Legillature, that, agree
ably to a resolve of the General Court, all the
copper in the Mint has been coined into Cents, .
and that the Mader Workman, Infpe&or,
and other persons employed therein, aredii
charged.
N E W • Y O R K, February 5.
The brig Revolution, Capt. Kean, is ar
•; rived in the river Delaware from Eatavia,
in the Ead Indies, after four months passage.
Ext rad of a letter from Bata-via, July 1 4,..
1788.
“0“ the 1 2th of Juue we fpuke Captain
Barry, in the freight of Sunda, all well on
board -
“ The Dl, tch and are at present
much engaged in war throughout the Chinese
ffcas ; two of their European Tndiamen have
been captured this season, one of whom has
been since retaken in an engagement 7/ith fri
gates on that dation.
“ This is the mod dedruefive part of the
globe to foreigners, owing to its low filiation
and impurity of its waters; there are few
that visit this port without experiencing the
effefls of both.
“ Since we left China, in January
there has been a- civil war throughout that
empire,, which dill continues; in consequence
of which a famine, then hut partial, is noyv
become general.’ 1
On the I.ih nil. the (hip Fed.ralift, C«(.
p.l», failed hum Mtrtut'iHuuh lurch* till-
JiuLei* • -