prefent circumstances demanded. He confidered, alfo, the exifting laws as fully fufficient for the cafe in agitation, without encumbring the penal code with odious additions. It was already, he observed, amply fevere. Of thirty-fix articles of war, near the half, feventeen, contained penalties and punishments of various kinds. Whatever propriety there might be in the obfervations of thefe two gentlemen, the alarm and refentment of the majority, at the manner in which the feamen of the fleet at the Nore had enforced their demands, led them to adopt the coercive measures rec mmended by minifters. Fortunately for thefe, the divifions they had found means to create among the mutineers operated more powerfully towards their reduction than any other caufe. Had they remained firmly united, government muft have finally complied with moft of their requifitions, efpecially with that which related to a more equal diftribution of prizemoney. This demand appeared, to the generality of men, founded upon the ftricteft equity. Had they confined their petition to this particular, it was thought, at the time, that they would have been feconded by the feamen of the whole navy. By demanding too much, they deprived themfelves of that unanimous concurrence which they had expected. They not only incurred the difapprobation of their fellowfeamen, but forfeited the countenance of their other fellow-fubjects, who, though convinced that they were entitled to better treatment in the article of prizes than they had hitherto experienced, were not inclined to abet them in this particular, while they accompanied it with requifitions, the propriety and fea fonableness of which were quef tioned by their warmest advocates. The fuppreffion of the mutiny at the Nore was truly a critical occurence. The number of fhips of the line, and of refolute and experienced feamen that manned them, and in whofe poffeffion they were, prefented the most formidable object of alarm. The combination of the hips companies at Portfimouth and Flymouth, offered nothing dangerous in comparison of that which took place at the Nore: the demands of the former were firictly juftifiable, and no inconvenience could arife from complying with them; but thofe of the latter aimed at innovations equally dangerous and mortifying to perfons in authority, and would have occafioned effential alterations in the difcipline and management of the navy. A variety of opinions went forth of the real caufes of both thefe mutinies; but, the firft may be, without hefitation, afcribed to the popular maxims, prevailing every where, of the right, inherent in all men, to require an equitable treal, ment, and, if denied them, to chtain it by force, if other means appeared infufficient. The inequi table treatment of the common failors in the navy was undeniable: it was a fubject of ordinary dif courfe, and the withes of the impartial public were daily expreffed for a redrefs of their grievances. Nor did the famen, in the petitions they prefented, and by their conduct and demeanour towards their of ficers, in the courfe of the whole tranfactions, commit any act of infolence and difrefpect. The utmost freedom they took was, to divest of their authority thofe whom they confidered as inimical to the interefts and claims of the common men, or fuch as had exceeded the bounds of due moderation in the exercife of their command, and rendered themselves obnoxious, by the unneceffary feverity and the harfhnefs of their behaviour. The readiness with which the whole multitude of the malcontents returned to their wonted fubmiffion, the moment they became fatisfied that their petitions would be granted, evinced the fincerity of their profeffions of loyalty, and that they harboured no other views than of fecuring better ufage than they had met with heretofore. But the infurrection at the Nore was attended with far more menacing circumstances. The demands of the mutineers feemed, in fome inftances, to be framed with an expectation to be refused, and the behaviour of their agents appeared calculated to excite the refentment of their fuperiors, and to fet them at defiance. They proceeded to acts of violence totally unneceffary and unjustifiable, and which amounted, in fact, to the commiffion of hof tilities against their fellow-fubjects. Taking thefe various particulars into confideration, fome perfons ftrongly fufpected, that there were, among the mutineers, individuals who acted the part of emiffaries from the enemy, and ftrove to pufh them on to extremities. Certain it is, that, when the intelligence of the mutiny at Portsmouth arrived at Paris, it excited great fatisfaction in the republican party. Sanguine hopes were immediately conceived, that it might prove the prelude of more ferious infurrections: at all events, the desertion of the British navy was an incident that prognof ticated, in the imagination of the French, all kinds of difafters to this country. Deprived of this indifpenfible fupport, at a period when it was more than ever needed, Great Britain would lofe, at once, its influence in the affairs of Europe, and fink into a flate of abfolute infignificance. That awe, in which it had kept furrounding nations, would vanish; none of them would any longer either dread its power or court its alliance: its very political existence, as an independent country, would become precarious, and nothing, in fhort, of its former ftrength and importance would re main. Such were the fubjects of exultation, throughout France, on this critical occafion. They did not subfide on the pacification effected by the prudent conceffions of government. It was ftill hoped, in France, that caufes of a fimilar nature to thofe that had produced the first mutiny, might give birth to a fecond. As, unfortunately for this country, they were not difappointed in their expectations, which had been loud, and expreffed with much confidence, numbers were led to believe, that they had not been inactive in creating them. The advantages that muft obyioufly have refulted to the French republic, by fomenting difcords of fo fatal a tendency to this country, were undeniable.' This induced people to think, that, conformably to the fyftem which they had purfued fo fuccefsfully in other coun tries, they would have exerted their noted talents for intrigue in encouraging and extending the va riances that had arifen here. But, however inviting the opportunity that feemed to offer, it has not been difcovered, on the acuteft examination, that they had any direct hand in the last mutiny any more than in the firft: though, doubtlefs, they heartily rejoiced in both, and would, had they been able, have acted in the manner imputed to them by thofe who indulged their fufpicions, For the combinations at Port mouth and Plymouth there certainly was not only a plaufible pretext, but, in truth, too much reafon: but for that at Sheerness, which may be called the third, and moft formidable, mutiny among the feamen, it was not im pelled by neceffity, or provoked by unjuft aggreffion or neglect. It was impatient of authority, factious, feditious, progreffive in its demands, intent on civil difcord and convulfion: it was, in a word, combined with the fame fpirit on fhore which the mutineers at Portsmouth and Plymouth had railed to an unusual pitch of daring infolence. It was not the genuine fpirit of the true English failors; but that of malcontent incendiaries: * finally, it was the moft emphatic proof that had yet been given to our nation of the influence At this time, the character of a British feaman had fallen very much in the public eftimation. It was on this account, that a periodical writer, profeffedly unconnected with any party (and whofe profeffions are, in truth, realized, by the thrufts he made very often at all parties) published the following Character of an English Sailor, which was copied into almost every newspaper and magazine in Great Britain and Ireland: "Having thus reprobated the mutiny at the Nore, we may be allowed to exhibit a true portrait of what an English feaman was, and, we hope, ftill is, or with good treatment ftill likely to be. Such a portrait, if contemplated with candour, will tend to awaken in all Britons a love of failors, and in failors a love of Britain. "A British failor is thoughtlefs, and inattentive to what concerns his own happiness; but not indifferent either to the intereft of his country, the glory of the navy, or the renown of the individual fhip to which he belongs. He is cheerfully active, and prompt in the execution of his duty; patient of fatigue, as well as of the viciffitudes of weather and climate; fteady and collected at his post, in the hour of danger; obedient, refpectful, and attached, to the officer worthy to command him; faithful and true to his king and country. He has an open, honeft, and faithful, heart; he is courageous in action, and humane in victory; he is the life and foul of our commerce, the guardian. and bulwark of the nation: yet, these men, the pride and the fatety of their country, are, for the most part, preffed into the fervice, and too much expofed, when in it, to neglect, to mifery, and to diftrefs. They are exposed to an imperious, harsh, and illnatured, mode of difpenfing orders and carrying on duty, which fometimes drives generous fpirits to defpondency and defpair: they are-but it is not our business to enumerate grievances; we would only obferve, that for the eccentricities and ebullitions of feamen, especially, when, through the improvidence of government, they are contaminated by a mixture of the outcafts of the earth, there is fome degree of excuse and indulgence. An univerfal venality and corruption, the natural offspring of luxury, has feized on all ranks at land; the greateft eftates, united with the highest honours, have not exempted the greater part, by far, of our nobility, and, among thefe, even fome of good private characters, from the imputation of felfifhnefs, and a total difregard of the commonwealth; intrigue and effrontery are prominent in the conduct of our politi cians at land; but many, nay most of these are lawyers and cautious, the failors feek redrefs of grievances in their own way; full of danger Quorfum hæc tam putida tendunt ? not to excufe mutiny, but to admonith the executive and judicial powers to temper authority, frengthened by the fuppreffion of rebellion, with a recollection of what is due to the failors, and alfo of what is prudent and fife for government. "The statesman ought to attend, not only to what is morally juft, but to what is pos litically expedient. As cafes are more numerous than laws, it becomes the legislator influence of French opinion and example, and the rapid progrefs of popular claims and combinations. The fuppreffion of this rebellion illuftrated the prudence and vigour of administration more than any other of their tranfactions at home or abroad had ever done. On the other hand, the fyftematic order and moderation of the failors, and the cheerful return to obedience, of at least the great body of feamen, their claims being granted, illuftrate the mighty advantages of a free government, in which men can af fume the manly air of freedom, without abandoning themfelves to the licentiouinefs and phrenzy of flaves broken loofe from bondage. From this event, it was faid, by many candid perfons, far removed from enthufiafm of any kind, that there might not improbably be much lefs danger in complying with the numerous petitions, which had been prefented, in the courfe of 1797, for a parliamentary reform, than was generally apprehended. It is not often that governments anticipate the juft complaints of the people, or any clafs of the people, by unconftrained acts of juftice. It is not, commonly, until fome intolerable grievance be on the point of an explosion, that muft endanger the ftability of their own power that they do much for the relief of human mifery. The mutiny in the fleet would scarcely, perhaps, have fufficed, to have turned the attention of our miniftry to the miferable pittance to which the gradual depreciation in the value of money had reduced the pay of the foldiers, that is, from privates to ferjeants inclufive, if a difpofition to claim a redrefs of this great evil had not become quite apparent in the whole army, particularly in the corps ftationed in the near vicinity of London, and in other populous cities and towns; and if the interefts and claims of the army had not been taken care of by the commander-in-chief, his royal highness the duke of York.* to mount up from the particular circumftances of particular fituations, to general principles, common to all. What is the effect of punishment? Is it the fame in all cafes? No: but different in different cafes. When men are confcious of guilt, even a few examples of punishment ftrike terror. Where no fuch confcioufnefs exifts, whether from truth, error, or infenfibility of difpofition, even multiplied examples of feverity. ferve only to heighten the refolution, and add fuel to the flame of martyrdom. "In confcious virtue men are bold."* "Grief is bold, and makes its owners ftout." † "Let not our design be misunderstood-we mean not to extenuate the guilt of the leading mutineers: but let the nature and the evidence of their crime be made plain to the whole world; and let every allowance be made to the unfufpicious credulity of failors, who may, possibly, have been feduced to efpouse a had, under the idea of its being a juft and honourable, cause. If delegates were to be punished, quoad delegates, this might occafion difapprobation, perhaps, and alarm! But the overt-acts of rebellion, and particularly the efforts to carry the British fhips of war into the ports of France, may with fafety, and ought, in justice and found policy, to be punished.” The industry of journalists is feldom more happily directed than it was, at fuch a time, In the publication of this paper. *Aftatement of the former, and the advanced pay of the foldiers will be found among the State-Papers in this volume, page 252. * Addifon. + Shakspearej CHAP. CHAP. XIII.' State of Ireland, in its Relations, external and internal, a Subject in Debate in both Houses of Parliament.-Motion, by Mr. Whitbread, in the Houfe of Commons, relative to the Invafion of Ireland.-Negatived. Motion relative to the internal State and Difcontents of Ireland, in the House of Peers, by the Earl of Moira.-Negatived.-Motion on the fame Subject̃ in the House of Commons, by Mr. Fox.-Negatived. T the fame time that the oppo Afition party in parliament ar raigned the conduct of government, refpecting events, ftill pregnant with danger, they condemned it, not lefs feverely, refpecting an event, the danger of which was happily paft. This was the attempt to invade Ireland, of which we have given fome account in our laft volume, and which was fruftrated, it was alleged, through phyfical accidents, and the folly of the enemy, rather than any prudence and providence in the British councils. It is proper to observe, in this place, that, on the third of March, the thanks of the houfe of commons were voted to admiral fir John Jervis, for his gallant and meritorious exertions, on the fourteenth of February laft; and allo to the viceadmiral, captains, and officers of the fleet under his command, for their gallant conduct and bravery on that most glorious occafion. The fervices of the feamen, marines, and foldiers, were also approved and acknowledged. On the fame day, after thefe votes were paffed, Mr. Whitbread rofe, and addreffing himself to the fpeaker, faid, "No man in this houfe, fir, or in this country, can have a higher opinion than I have, of the courage, the gallantry, the fkill, and ability of the gallant admiral, and the officers and feamen acting under him, who have atchieved of action fo eminently glorious. No man can be more defirous of conferring on him and them every praite, and every exalted diftinction which fuch brilliant conduct deferves. At the fame time, fir, that I fay this, I muft beg leave to obferve, that fuch glorious annals of the events are by no means unprecedented in the British navy. However, fir, willing and defirous as I am to allow to this gallant action every poffible degree of merit, and every praife which the most enthufiaftic admirer of extraordinary victories can with for or defire, I muit beg leave to call the attention of the houfe to the circumftances which have just been related to us, concerning the fituation and number of fhips with which this gallant admiral has acquired fo great, fo brilliant, and fo decifive a fuperiority. The inequality of fhips on our part, under the command of fir John Jervis, is very great, almost, fir, in a pro |