LON 
among the different denominations of proteftants in this 
country, kept up the ferment in the public mind. Both 
houfes were however pledged to a folenin deciuon of this 
often-agitated queftion ; and a loleinn decifion it next year 
received, we hope a final one. 
In the debates concerning lord Sidmouth’s motion of 
laft year to make alterations in the aft of toleration, it had 
been Hated that different decifions refpefting the meaning 
of certain claufes of that aft had been given by the juftices 
at the auarter-feffions of different counties. It was, there¬ 
fore, a laudable purpofe of government to introduce a le¬ 
gal expolition of them which might prevent any future 
difagreement.—On July 10, lord Caltlereagh moved the 
bringing in of a hill to repeal certain afts, and amend 
other afts, relating to religious worfhip and affemblies, 
and perfons teaching or preaching therein. He Hated 
that, in confequence of certain decifions at the quarter- 
feffions, doubts had arifen as to the queftion of qualifica¬ 
tion ; and that the ohjeft of this bill was to place the dif- 
fenters in the fituation in which they practically Hood 
previoully to fucli decifions. The bill was brought in and 
read. At the order of the day for the third reading, July 
20, Mr. W. Smith congratulated the houfe on the unani¬ 
mity with which it had hitherto paffed, as a favourable 
omen of the increafing liberality of the times. He thought 
it would remove the practical evils of which the difi’enters 
bad to complain, although it did not recognize their great 
principle, that the civil inagiftrate had no right to inter¬ 
fere in matters of religious opinion. It removed the ar¬ 
bitrary difcretion of rnagiftrates, and required no other 
oath than that of allegiance. As an aft of toleration, it 
was certainly the molt complete which had hitherto been 
paffed in this country. The honourable member con¬ 
cluded by moving a claufe “ to continue the exemptions 
now enjoyed 'ey the toleration-aft, without requiring a 
frefh oath.” 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer concurred with the 
honourable gentleman in his congratulations, which he 
was happy to confider as not arifing from indifference to 
religion, fince the fame parliament had diftinguifhed itfelf 
by its bountiful regards to the eftablilhed church; and he 
inftanced in the grants made to the parochial clergy, and 
the exemption of the fmaller livings from the land-tax. 
He gave the late Mr. Perceval the credit both of thofe 
meafures, and of the defign of the prefent bill.—Mr. 
Smith’s claufe was then brought up and agreed to ; and 
the bill was read a third time and paffed. 
The atrocious character of the war between England 
and France, in which fo many years had paffed without a 
cartel for the exchange of prifoners, appears to have in¬ 
duced, among the captives of the latter nation, a Itate of 
defpair, which fubverted all the cuftomary rules of honour, 
and rendered the parole, given for the purpofe of obtain¬ 
ing the indulgence of a lax detention, of no avail for re- 
ftraining individuals from attempts to elcape. The fre¬ 
quency of fuch attempts, and the ready aid afforded in 
confequence of bribery, at length excited the attention of 
government; and, on the 14th of July, lord Caltlereagh 
rofe in the houfe of commons to move a repeal of the ex- 
illing laws relating to the aid given in effecting the elcape 
of prifoners of war; and fabftituting a biii, by which the 
crime, iwftead of a mifderneancr, ihould be made a felony, 
punilhable by tranfportation. He faid, that, when it was 
known that prifoners of the higheft rank in the enemy’s 
army had effected their efcape by means of an organized 
fyltem for conveying them out of the country by a l’uc- 
ceflion of perfons, fo as to elude purfuit, the houfe would 
perceive the neceflity of providing agamic the danger. 
He then made a motion accordingly.—After Mr. Whit¬ 
bread had expreffed his hope that Home mealure would be 
adopted for an exchange of prifoners, and lord Caftle- 
reagh had affnred him that the fault did not reft w ith this 
government, leave was given to bring in the bill. Noop- 
pofition appears to have been made to its provifions; and 
it paired through the houle, and was fent up to the lords, 
Vol. XIII. No. 907. 
D O N. 
where the fecond reading of it was moved by lord Sid - 
mouth on the 23d of July.—His lordfhip remarked, that, 
from a lilt laid upon the table, it appeared, that within 
the 1 a It three years 464 officers on parole in this country 
had made their efcape ; whillt—a fplendid contrail—there 
was not a tingle inttance of an officer in our fervice hav¬ 
ing broken his parole. He dwelt upon the ferioufnefs of 
the crime of afiilting in thele efcapes, which an eminent 
judge had confidered as nearly approaching to that of 
high treafon; and he faid, that by the propoled bill it was 
only made a tranfportabie felony, the period of tranfpor- 
tation to be determined by the enormity of the offence. 
No debate enlued ; and the bill ffiortly after palled into a law. 
In the month of April, at the time when the French 
emperor was on the eve of a war with Ruffia, he thought 
proper to make overtures for a peace with England, and a 
correfpondence took place between the two governments 
on the fubjeft, which foon clofed without having pro¬ 
duced any effect. No notice of this circumftance was 
taken in parliament till the letters which paffed on the 
occalion had appeared in fame foreign papers.—On July 
17, lord Holland, in the houle of lords, requefted to know 
from lord Liverpool whether minifters were in poftellioti 
of any further information refpefting the overture from 
France than what had been pubiilhed in thole papers, and 
whether it was the intention of the executive government 
to take the fubjeft into their conlideration. Lord Liverpool 
did not hefitate to admit that the correfpondence pubiilhed 
was fubftanrially correft ; and he had no objection to pro¬ 
duce the papers if called for. [This was afterwards done.] 
He was perluaded that there were few in the country who 
would not agree, that, if the acknowledgment of Jofeph 
Bonaparte as king of Spain were made a necefiary preli¬ 
minary by the French government, no negotiation could 
be entered upon by this on fuch a balls. It had there¬ 
fore been thought requifite to call for an explicit declara¬ 
tion on that head in the firft inftance. No communication 
in reply had been received ; and there the matter relied. 
Tliis long leffion was terminated on the 30th of July, 
by the fpeech of the prince-regent, delivered by commil- 
fion. His R. H. after his acknowledgments for the zeal 
and affiduity evinced by both houfes of parliament in 
the difplay of their public duties, referred with warm ap¬ 
probation to the exertions made in the peninfula, and ex- 
preffed his confidence that the contelt in that quarter 
would be brought to an ifftie which would l'ecure the in¬ 
dependence of the two nations. He then adverted to the 
new war kindled in the north of Europe, as an additional 
proof of the little lecurity that can be derived from fub- 
mifiion to the tyranny and ufurpation of the French go¬ 
vernment ; and he trufted that they would approve of his 
affording to the powers that might be united in this con- 
teft, every degree of affiftance and co-operation confillent 
with his other engagements, and the interefts of the king¬ 
dom. He allured them that he viewed with lincere regret 
the hottile meafures which had been adopted by the 
United States of America, but was willing to hope that 
the accuffomed relations of peace and amity might yet be 
reltored ; Ihould his expedlations, however, be difap- 
pointed, he relied on the fupport of every clals of his ma- 
jelty’s lubjefts, to enable him to maintain a contelt in which 
the honour of the crown and the belt interefts of the 
country mult be involved. After the cuftomary thanks 
to the houle of commons for their liberal iupplies, and 
regrets for the additional burthens impofed on the people, 
his R. H. mentioned tiie great concern with which - he had 
obfei ved the fpirit of imubordination and outrage which 
had appeared in fome parts of the country ; and applauded 
the diligence employed by parliament in inveftigating its 
caufes, and the wile meafures taken for its fupprellion. 
He concluded with recommending to them individually 
the exertion of their powers for the prefervation of the 
public peace, and for promoting a fpirit of obedience to 
the laws, and attachment to the conftitution. 
As the minifters, at the time of the prorogation of par- 
4 - F iiameui. 
