teftant fectaries had overturned the constitution of the church of England; and, the fame fpirit continuing, it was forced from the legiflature to check the dangerous fpirit of thofe fectaries, and to exclude them from corporations, thereby to prevent them from refuming their former powers. The opinion of king William on this fubject was well known; there was a letter extant from the prince of Orange to Mr. Stuart, in which the prince faid, he agreed to almoft every thing propofed in favour of the Diffenters, except the repeal of the Teft and Corporation Acts, which he thought neceffary, as people in power fhould always be of the fame opinion with the established religion of the country. The toleration obtained by the Diffenters at the revolution, was an exemption from recufancy, by a repeal of all acts against recufants. They were only excluded (by the Teft and Corporation Acts) from that which they could not enjoy without participating in the power of the church. What was perfecution was exploded, and what was deemed neceffary maintained; thus drawing a line between perfecution and neceffary defence. An exclufion from offices had been falfely deemed a deprivation of natural rights, and a degradation of honour; it was in the power of every government to prefcribe the perfons to fill offices of truft, and to make what restrictions it thought proper. Hence, exclu fion from places by the legiflature who had a control over the whole was no deprivation of rights. The affertion of a contrary doctrine tended to confound the conftitution of the country, by fuppofing that there was fome part of the executive power not under the control of the legiflature.

The truth of thefe pofitions appearing evident to the majority of

the houfe, the motion for the repeal was rejected.

The minifter's budget for this year demands our particular attention, not only as a matter effentially connected with the intereft and welfare of the state, but as an object which has incurred a confiderable degree of animadverfion and cenfure, from being grofsly mifunder. ftood. The loan of a million in á time of profound peace, when the finances, too, were reprefented (and justly) as being in a moft flourishing ftate, was confidered by the generality of the public as an alarming circumftance, and was eagerly feized by the enemies of the minifter as a pregnant topic of abufe, which has been induftrioufly propagated with all the deformities of ftudied mifreprefentation. A very plain and brief expofition of the cafe will, however, prove fufficient to refcue it from that obloquy and difgrace in which faction and interest have been ftudious to involve it.

It is well known that, in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-fix, a committee was appointed to investigate the state of the finances; whofe firft enquiry had been, Whether we could pay the extraordinary expences which must accrue, before we should arrive at a regular peace establishment, without a loan? And next, whether the revenue would anfwer to the fum ftated by the committee of accounts as neceffary to pay the intereft of the public debt, and to have an annual furplus of one million towards its liquidation? From one thousand feven hundred and eighty-fix, no money had been raifed by loan; the navy debt fince that period had only encreased half a million, and it was now propofed to raife one million; though, fince that time, we had paid three millions and a half above the average peace establishment. We

had

ment last year; which fums, when combined, were equal to the additional navy debt incurred, and the million now borrowed. So that although, in three years, three millions and an half had been paid above the calculation of the committee, and three millions feven hundred and fifty thoufand pounds for the reduction of the national debt (with which four millions of debt had been actually paid), and one hundred and twenty thousand pounds brought annually to the finking. fund, had it not been for thofe unforeseen expences, we should not only have been able to provide for the extraordinary million wanted this year, without any additional burthen on the people, but we fhould not even have wanted a fubftitute for the shop-tax (recently repealed). Hence it is apparent, that those who had entertained the most fanguine hopes of the national profperity, had not been deceived, and that the calculations of the committee had been verified to a degree of accuracy, feldom to be expected in fimilar cafes. Thus we fee this long-contefted million, clearly and rationally accounted for; and the loan juftified, as refulting from occurrences which no human penetration could forefee, nor policy prevent. One fourth of the fum had been expended on thofe vigorous preparations for war, in the preceding year, which had not only enfured to us a continuation of the bleffings of peace, but which had exalted us, as a nation, in the eyes

fum is to be repaid with interest. The debts of the prince of Wales amounted to nearly another fourth, of the whole. Thefe, furely, are articles of expenditure which no minifter could be expected to forefee, and which are not likely again to occur; at least, the two firft: with refpect to the laft, we fhall only obferve, that it ill became the friends and confidents of the prince to op pofe that loan, which had, in part, been rendered neceffary by the debts of their patron;-debts which themfelves had doubtless contributed to augment.

During this feffion of parliament, another fubject of fuperior importance was difcuffed;-fuperior, inaf much as the natural rights of humanity are fuperior to the political interefts of a nation. Our readers will eafily conceive that we allude to the flave trade; that hameful traffic of human flesh, equally dif graceful to the individuals who fupport, and to the kingdoms which tolerate it. In order to exhibit the infamy of this commerce in its proper light, and confequently to juftify the proceedings of parliament on the fubject, it will be neceffary to ftate briefly, the mode of obtain ing flaves, and the manner of treating them when obtained. Africa is a country divided into many kingdoms, fubject to different forms of government, and a variety of laws; in fome parts the princes are defpotic, and in others they rule by law maintained to a certain de

as the goods and property of the monarch, and, as fuch, liable to be plundered in the fame manner as perfonal property in other abfolute countries. The kings and princes of this unfortunate country, attached, like men of all ranks and of all climes, to objects of novelty, are naturally fond of those commodities with which our traders tempt them; and in order to obtain them by the captivity and fale of their country men, they wage war on each other; and when a pretext for hoftilities with their neighbours is wanting, they turn their deftructive arms against their fubjects, and ravage their own domains. In their courts of law, ignorance is frequently deemed a fufficient plea for condemnation; and to procure an adequate number of flaves, thousands are kidnapped, torn from their families and their country, and configned to flavery. Thefe are facts recorded in every hiftory of Africa, and verified by the report of the privy-council. The African princes do not engage in war, like thofe of Europe, for glory or ambition; they engage in war for the purpose of obtaining what we have rendered objects of neceffity to them. As a damning inftance of the cruelty, the bafenefs, the villainy of thofe who carry on this inhuman traffic, the infamous tragedy of Calabar has been fuccefsfully exhibited; there, two large African villages, being exhausted by a tedious war, at length entered into a treaty of peace, which was to have been ratified by intermarriages; but our people interfered, and, feeing, that a ceffation of hoftilities would neceffarily im pede the progrefs of their trade, by their infernal machinations, they again fowed the feeds of diffention between the rival villages, fet one. against the other, fought alternately for each, and maffacred or enflaved

every inhabitant of both. Shock ing as this tranfaction may appear, there is not a fingle hiftory of Africa but abounds with occurrences equal ly atrocious, and authenticated be yond the reach of confutation.

The fupporters of this trade have, by their conduct, placed the inha bitants of Africa in a worfe ftate than that of the most barbarous and favage nation; they have deftroyed what ought to prove the bond of union and fafety; they have rendered the whole country one general fcene of difcord and anarchy; they have fet kings against their fubjects; fubjects against each other; have rendered every private fas mily miferable, and created one general fcene of difunion and des fpair. Nor do the fufferings of the wretched Africans ceafe when fepa rated from every object of their affections: to afford any adequate idea of their conveyance, is fcarcely poffible; fo much mifery is con denfed in fo finall a space, fo much affliction added to mifery, that it appears to be an attempt, by bodily fuffering, to deprive them of the feelings of their minds. Six hun dred linked together, vainly trying to get rid of each other, and cram med in a clofe veffel, with every object that is naufeous and difguft ing; with peftilence, disease, and defpair; in fuch a fituation as to render any addition of mifery im poffible. Yet has this mode of con‐ veyance, dreadful as it is, been defcribed, by feveral witneffes from Liverpool, not only as comfortable, but luxurious. A Mr. Norris has afferted, that "the flaves are fumigated with frankincenfe and limewater; that inftruments of mufic are employed to amufe them; the fong and the dance are promoted; the women are employed in weaving fanciful ornaments for their hair games of chance are encouraged

can be afcribed to prejudice or faf cination? We must acknowledge our credulity inadequate to fo difficult a task. The fact is a fact eftablifhed by the corroborating teftimony of men of the most undoubted veracity that, instead of apart ments for thofe poor wretches, inftead of those comfortable conve. niences above described, they are placed in niches, and along the decks, in fuch a manner as to render it impoffible for any one to pafs among them, however careful he might be, without treading upon them. And fir George Yonge has testified, that in a flave fhip, which he went on board, and which had not completed her cargo by two hundred and fifty, instead of the grateful odour of frankincenfe being perceptible to the noftrils, the ftench was intolerable; the allow ance of water was fo deficient, that the flaves were frequently found gafping for life, and almoft fuffocated; and the pulfe which they were favoured with, as a luxury of their own country, was abfolutely English horfe-beans. The fong and dance are, indeed, promoted;-but how?-By fevere whipping, when the poor wretches will not take voluntary exercife; their dances and their fongs afford them fo much merriment, that the moment they ceafe to be promoted, tears, fighs, and melancholy fucceed.-Such, indeed, is the felicity, fuch the eafe, which the captive Africans enjoy, that, from the time of their

abominable traffic. No commercial interefts, no national emoluments, fhould, for a moment, be put in competition with the rights of humanity, which fhould ever be holden facred and inviolate. The policy and expediency of an abolition, is not, therefore, worthy a debate. Should even the lofs of all our iflands, be the certain and immediate confequence of fuch a step, what honeft man but would give it his warmeft approbation? Who would not fooner forego the luxuries of fugar and rum,,than procure them by rapine, by treachery, and murder?-Happily, this important question is not viewed in a political light; the leaders of either party→→ to their honour be it spoken !-confider it as a common cause, and join, with a fincere and honeft warmth, in promoting the full and unqualified abolition of a trade, which is conducted on principles fo base and impious. Should they fucceed in their virtuous endeavours, it will form a glorious epoch in our national hiftory; and furely the most fanguine hopes of fuccefs may be formed, when we confider, that the cause of humanity is ever the cause of justice.

When we confider, with attention, the proceedings of parliament, during this memorable feffion, we fhall find ample fubject for congratulation. In the debates on the Regency, we fee the true principles of the conftitution defined with accuracy, and maintained with vigour. The negative paffed on the