minifters were not only acquiefced in, but generally popular? Had not the war been approved of by a vaft majority of the country, and profecuted, through all its various ftages, with the concurring and mott decifive approbation of parliament? Was it not to his majesty's minifters that the country was indebted for the prevention of that anarchy to which the language of thole who oppofed them fo ftrongly tended? When he confidered the prefent fituation of public affairs, and turned his thoughts to all the confequences likely to refult from a bafe and ferville compliance with the leading doctrines of the day, he fhould boldly tay, that his majefty's minifters would not tamely defert that honourable poft, which they had hitherto to happily filled, by directing a their efforts to the eafe, contentment, and happiness, of the people. He confefled, that, were the notion to be carried in the affirmative, it would impart to him the moft ferious concern and regret; not on his own perfonal account, but, that he would, thereby, be cut off from the beft opportunities of contributing his talents, fuch as they were, to the fecurity, intereft, and happiuefs, of his gracious mafter and his country. It would not, indeed, become him, he faid, to make any comparison between his own capacity and that of any of the noble lords who uniformly oppofed his majefty's minifters: but, on the ground of an active zeal for the real interefts of the state, and of a decided and unalterable refolution to oppofe, by the most unwearied exertions and the most vigorous efforts, thofe principles which ftruck at the very exiftence of the conflitution, he would be

bold to maintain, that he was fecond to none, As to a reform of parliament, the chief meafure propofed by noble lords in oppofition, he had ever oppofed that innovation, and even a temperate reform. He concluded by intreating their lordfhips to reflect, that, if they once opened the flood-gates of innovation, the torrent of anarchy would fpread fo forcibly and wide, that it would not be in the power of their lordips, by oppofing their feeble hands as a barrier to destruction, to prevent the conflitution from being overwhelmed in general ruin.

He

The duke of Leeds, with a dignified modefty and candour, expreffed, in delicate terms, a degree of diffatisfaction at the lofty tore of the fpeech the house had juft heard; at the fame time, that he did not with, at the prefent crifis, to urge all that might be advanced against the conduct of adminiftration. The abilities of the prefent minifters, he was ready to allow, nor would he fay that they had been intentionally wicked. could not help conceiving, however, that they had been peculiarly unfortunate, and therefore, he begged leave to fubmit to the re-confideration of the right honourable secretary, whether it would not be more delicate and decorous to leave the talk of praifing either their own talents or virtues, to others, than taking it, and that, he could not bat lay, on fo many occafions, particularly in that houfe, upon themselves. He could not help conceiving that the noble fecretary had, as it were, made the conftitution depend for prefervation, not fo much upon its own intrinfic merit, as upon the continuance of the prefent minifters

in office with which, the conftitution itself, according to their reprefentations, feemed to be, in fome degree, identified. For his part, he was convinced, it did not depend on any fet of men whatever. His grace entreated both fides of the houfe, in the most earnefl manner, to proceed calmly in the difcuffion of a queftion which involved confequences of the utmost importance. His grace difapproved of parliamentary reform at the prefent moment, and exprefled a with that the previous queftion were moved, but declined moving it.

Lord Grenville admitted, that others, perhaps, might be found of equal ability with the prefent minif ters, of whom, however, he did not conceive that he could be confidered as the panegyrift, when he did them no more than bare juftice. The ground of his oppofition to the prefent motion, as he had ftated before, was a ferious conviction that it was the object of fome noble lords, by overturning the prefent adminiftration, to bring about a revolution in the country.

The carl of Moira, for one, was not difpofed to afcribe to minifters that profperity which arofe from the progrefs of affairs, particularly of mechanical invention, and the energy of British merchants, whofe genius and enterprizing spirit would conftantly carry the country forward from one degree of profperity to another, if adminiftration did not put bars in their way. The noble fecretary of ftate had oppofed the motion left the conftitution fhould be overturned. But, faid lord Moira, "I fhall ever object to this mode of argument, as

it'identifies the prefent minifters with the conftitution, and tends to fink the confidence of the country in its own refources, and in the frame and form of its govenment. . With regard to Ireland, he hoped it was not yet too late to conciliate: but this could not be done by any half mafures.

The earl Spencer objected to the motion on the fame ground with lord Grenville; namely, that it connected its object with a change of meafures, which, he firmly believed, would prove ruinous to the country.

The earl of Darnley faid, the country dreaded the adoption, of fuch a motion, not knowing in whom to repofe confidence. An uniformity of oppotition to every mealure of adminiftration, whatever it might be, with other circumftances of a private as well as public nature, had induced a general fufpicion throughout the country, that the most active oppofitionifts had other views than the prefervation of the conftitution and interefts of the country.

The duke of Bedford, to the main arguments against his motion, made a fhort reply.

The lord chancellor faid, the only fair conftruction the motion could bear, was, that it aimed at an introduction of a new fiftem of government. Having read that part of the motion which related to the fituation of Ireland, he asked, whether it was to be imputed as a matter of crimination to minifters, that they did not attempt to interfere with the Irith legiflature, and to violate a folemn compact made with the people of that country. From the general tenour

of

of the motion, he inferred that its object was to promote a complete change of fyftem, under the pretext of forwarding a parliamentary reform; that it led to a fyftem wilder than even that of univerfal fuffrage: to disfranchife all corporations to empower the houfe of commons to uncreate their creators-and to deftroy the rights of the very men who made them members of parliament: ecclefiaftical corporations would go of courfe. Whatever partook of the nature of franchife property, or privilege, would be cut up by the root, and

the principle of an Agrarian law introduced in its flead.

The duke of Bedford obferved that there was a fallacy in comparing an elective franchife, a right poffeffed by individuals for the good of the whole, to private property. After this the houfe divided on his grace's motion. Contents 14, not contents 91.

The duke of Bedford then entered his proteft, which was adhered to by the lord Chedworth.

The fellion of parliament was concluded, by 'a fpeech from the throne, on the twentieth of July.

3d.

JANUARY.

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Confiderable change has taken place in the pofition of the ftones which form an extraordinary relic of the ancient fuperftitions of our countrymen. This is attributed to the rapid thaw which fucceeded a very hard froft. Some people employed at the plough, near Stonehenge, remarked that three of the large ftones had failen, and were apprized of the time of their fall by a very fenfible concuffion, or jarring, of the ground. Thefe ftones prove to be the western of thofe pairs, with their impofts, which have had the appellation of Trilithon; and had long deviated from its true perpendicular. There were, originally, five of these trilithons, two of which are even now still remaining in their ancient state. It is remark able, that no account has ever been recorded of the falling of the others; and, perhaps, no alteration has been made in the appearance of Stonehenge for three centuries prior to the present tremendous downfall. The impoft, which is the fmaileft of the three ftones, is fuppofed to weigh 20 tons. They all now lie proftrate on the ground, and have received no injury from their aerial feparation. They fell flat weftward, and levelled with the ground a ftone alfo of the fecond circle

VOL. XXXIX.

that stood in the line of their precipitation. From the lower ends of the fupporters being now expofed to view, their prior depth in the ground is fatisfactorily afcertained: it appears to have been about fix feet. The ends, however, having been cut oblique, neither of them was, on one fide, more than a foot and a half deep. Two only of the five trilithons, of which the adytum confifted, are now, therefore, in their original pofition. The de ftruction of any part of this grand oval we must particularly lament, as it was compofed of the most stupendous materials of the whole ftructure.---A fimilar change of weather occafioned the difclofure of a fubterraneous paffage at Old Sarum in 1795.

The new Emperor of Ruffia has iffued an order enjoining all foreigners in Petersburgh to wear cocked hats, their hair in bags, &c. and not to drive through the city with more than two horfes. With refpect to the mourning for the Emprefs, the four firft claffes of people muft furnish their fervants with fables, every coach must have the fame covering, and horfes, without diftinction of colour, be provided with black tails. The Emperor has alfo given orders that the penfion of Stanislaus, late king of Poland, fhall be paid with the utmost punctuality. This unfortunate Prince

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