594 
are thus favoured and endowed ; 
shall we, who are abundantly sup- 
plied with iron and steel, powder 
and lead; shall we, who have a fleet 
superior to the maritime force of all 
the world, and who are able to bring 
two millions of fighting men into 
the field; shall we yield up this 
dear and happy land, together with 
all the liberties and honours, to 
preserve which, our fathers so often 
dyed the land and sea with their 
blood ; shall we, thus, at once, dis- 
honour their graves, and stamp dis- 
grace and infamy on the brows of 
our children; and shall we too, 
make this base and dastardly sur- 
render to an enemy, whom, within 
these twelve years, our countrymen 
have defeated in every quarter of 
the world! No; we are not so mi- 
serably” fallen; we cannot, in so 
short a space of time, have become 
so detestably degenerate: we have 
the strength and the will to repel the 
hostility, to chastise the insolence of 
the foe. Mighty, indeed, must be 
our efforts, but mighty also is the 
meed. Singly engaged against the 
tyrants of the earth, Britain now 
attracts the eyes and the hearts of 
mankind; groaning nations look to 
her for deliverance ; justice, liberty, 
and religion, are inscribed on her 
banners; her success will be hailed 
with the shouts of the universe, 
while tears of admiration and grati- 
tude will bedew the heads of her 
,sons, who fall in the glorious con- 
test*, 
Trial of Colonel Marcus Despard. 
The commission appointed to try 
col. Despard, was opened before 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
lord chief justice Ellenborough, Mr. 
justice Le Blanc, Mr. justice Cham. 
bré, and Mr. Garon Thompson. The 
grand jury being sworn, lord Ellen- 
borough addressed and informed 
them that they were assembled for 
the purpose of entering upon trials 
for high treason and misprision of 
treason. He said that the statute of 
the 36th of the present reign parti- 
cularly applied to the case about to 
be considered : it provides, with pe- 
culiar care, for the safety of his 
majesty’s person. A statute of the 
37th of the present king was enacted 
to punish the seduéiion of any of his 
majesty’s forces from theirallegiance, 
or their incitement to rebellious mect- 
ings: and another statute, of thesame 
year, to prohibit the administering 
of unlawful oaths. ‘The law had 
guarded, with the most zealous anx- 
iety, against every attempt to in- 
jure the person of his majesty, and, 
therefore, the operations of the 
mind, the secret workings of male- 
volence, which indicate a disposi- 
tion hostile to the existence of the 
king, is, by law, equally regarded 
with the perpetration of the crime, 
and any attempt to subject the king’s, 
person to restraint, or to depose 
him from his authority, implied the 
most flagitious purpose of treason, 
and also that any consultation, a- 
greement, or resolution, to effect 
this design, although nothing was 
actually done, was yet demonstra- 
tive of treasonable intentions. 
The bill of indiétment being found, 
on Feb. 5, col. Despard was brought 
to the bar and arraigned. The indict- 
ment consisted of three counts, set- 
ting forth eight distinct and separate 
overt acts, 
The first stated, that the prisoner 
and 
* This admirable Philippic was published July, 1803, and s2nt round to the 
officiating minister of every parish in England. 
