S ANNUAL RE,G'J;ST£R, 1794. 



not an exoibitantcalculation to sup- 

 pose, that, with theloss sustained by 

 thehundredsof individuals by whom 

 it was inhabited, the whole damage 

 mayamount totwo milliotissteiling. 

 It is some consolation, in so great a 

 disaster, that ihe royal library, con- 

 sistirg of between two and three 

 hundred thousand volunjes, whicli 

 stood detached from the principal 

 pile, has been fortunately saved. — 

 During the whole of this distressful 

 scene, the garrison and the citizens 

 •were under arms, and every etlort 

 was made, both by the military and 

 the sailors, to prevent disorder and 

 pillage. His Danishmajestyislodged 

 for the presejit iu an apaitmentat 

 count Jiernstorff's, and the rest of 

 the royal family are dispersed in dif- 

 ferent quarters of the town, where 

 they will remain till houses proper 

 for their reception can be got ready. 



4th. The right honourable W. B. 

 Ponsonby introduced his promised 

 bill onthesubject of aparliamentary 

 reform in the Irish commons, on 

 which a debate took place. At 

 twelve the house divided, on the 

 motion of sir Hercules Langrislic, 

 that the bill be read the second time 

 the 1st of August — Ayesl4'2 — Noes 

 44 — Majority against the bill9S. 



loth. Edinburgh. This day came 

 on the trial of Joseph Gerald, esq. 

 late ofBloomsbury-square, London. 

 Theaccusation.atthe instanceot the 

 lord-advocate of Scotland, charged 

 him with being a member of a sedi- 

 tious association, called "The Bri- 

 tish convention," which met at 

 Edinburgh in November and De- 

 cember last ; and that, on the ilst 

 pnd 28th of November, he ir.ade ad- 

 dres-es of a seditious natuie to ijie 

 inembersof thcsaidc(-hvention. The 

 i::dictment also chargedMr. Gera'd 

 with being preseiuin the convention 



when the magislrates and shevift 

 went to disperse the members. — 

 When the court met, before the li-. 

 bel was read over, Mr. Gerald ob- 

 jected to the lord justice Clerk sit- 

 ting on the bench. Upon this, his 

 lordship rose, and lord Henderland 

 tucik the chair. Mr. Gerald iha» 

 prt;;ented a written minute, con- 

 taining the spccitic objections to his, 

 lordship's sitting on the b.nch, and 

 the facts which he otl'ered to prove 

 in support of theseobjections : they 

 were, that his lordship h.id pre- 

 jud j;ed his cause, inasmuch as, some 

 time since, when in the house of 

 Mr. Rothead of Innerleith. htsaid^, 

 " What would they think of seiid-. 

 ing Margarot to Botany-Bay, and 

 giving him a whipping also .'" — 

 This minute he desired mia;ht be 

 entered on the records of the court. 

 Their lordships in general were of 

 opinion that the objection was not 

 Will founded, for the words alluded 

 to were merely part of a conversa- 

 tion at talile ; and could ?iny man 

 suppose that such language could 

 have any influence upon a judicial 

 procedure ? Would it be proper to 

 give force to sucli a charge, foundetl 

 on a few loose words, and not at all 

 connected with the proceedings of 

 the court, nor delivered in the ca- 

 pacity of a judge ? If such objec- 

 tions were to be tol^^rated, diey 

 migiitbeattendedwilli the most dan- 

 gerous conbcqucnces. It was throw 

 mgan indignity upon the court, and 

 wasintendt-dasafuul aspersion upon 

 tnc character oftiiat respectable and 

 learned judge who was vice-presi- 

 dent of the court, and who added 

 houL'Ur to the bench. Suppose that 

 such words really had bt?;n spoken, 

 how could they (end to prejudice 

 llie cause of Mr. Gerald, when it 

 remained \vith a jury to try liim ? 



i 



