HISTORY OF EUROPE: 
fortunate and alarming, in the midst 
of this general dissatisfaction, was, 
that it had arisen, in many, to such 
a degree of rancour at the authors 
and abettors of the war, that the 
attachment, which men_ naturally 
feel for their country, and its con- 
cerns, had given way to sentiments 
of the most violent hatred and hos- 
tility to government. It was no 
longer a simple disapprobation of 
the war; it wasa fervent desire that 
it might terminate to the disadvan- 
tage of this country, and that the 
French might prevail against the 
English. So extraordinary and un- 
natural an antipathy arose, however, 
from other causes besides the war 
with France: the persuasion that no 
reforms would take place in the go- 
vernment, while it was able to main- 
tain its ground against France, 
prompted the determined advocates 
of these reforms to express, with 
marked anxiety, their wishes for the 
success of this inveterate enemy to 
England. They seemed uncon- 
scious, or heedless, of the conse-~ 
quences that must necessarily fol- 
low, were the French to succeed in 
their designs against this country, to 
that extent which they had projec- 
ted, and which the generality of 
their well-wishers in England ap- 
peared to desire with no less fervour 
than themselves. 
But the animosities, produced by 
internal divisions, had, in truth, taken 
such unhappy possession of most 
men, that those who sought to re- 
concile them to moderation, became 
equally odiovs to both parties : no 
medium was allowed ; whoever de- 
plored the war, as pregnant with ca- 
lamities that might have been avoid- 
ed, was reputed a foe to his coun- 
try; whoever pronounced it just, and 
hecessary, was deemed a conspirator 
[7 
against its liberty, and an abettor 
of arbitrary power. 
In this unfortunate disposition of 
mind the nation continued during 
the whole year 1795. The summer, 
in particular, was marked by a va- 
riety of tumults and riots. These 
were occasioned by the methods 
practised in the enlisting of men for 
the army : what with the general 
averseness of the common people to 
the war; what with the iniquity of 
the practice itself, those who were 
concerned in it became such objects 
of execration to the multitude, that 
their persons and dwellings were 
equally exposed to its resentment 
and fury. Several houses, either 
tenanted, or made use of, by those 
who are vulgarly known by the ap- 
pellation of crimps, were demo-- 
lished, or stripped of their furniture, 
and the owners put in danger of 
their lives. So great was the rage of 
the populace, that it was not with- 
out some difficulty those riots were 
suppressed by the soldiery. Several 
of those who had been active in 
these disturbances were executed ; 
but the public highly disapproved 
the condemnation, to death, of indi- 
viduals, guilty of no other offence 
than giving way to a sudden im- 
pulse of indignation at the violence 
offered to their fellow subjects. 
Such was the temper of the com- 
monalty, previous to the meeting 
of parliament, about the close of 
October, 1795. A fermentation of 
the most alarming kind seemed to 
pervade the whole mass of the peo~ 
ple. The various associations of 
individuals, united for the purpose 
of obtaining a parliamentary reform, 
were, at this period, peculiarly no- 
ticed for their boldness and activity. 
That which was known by the name 
of the corresponding society, dis 
[B44] tinguished 
