1796.) - 
other aéts to that purpofe ; and allowing 
an unreftrained communication, in the 
fame manner as before the paffing of the 
above bills. 
Thefe meafures, fo contradi€tory to. 
former arrangements. have been adopted, 
it is fatd,; in confequence of an applica- 
tion from the Eatt India Company, to 
Mr. Dandas., Their warehoules were 
over-{tocked with goods, and the. de- 
mand for them fo triflng, that they 
found it neceflary to apply tor liberty to 
export them to Holiand, the only place 
in Europe where a profitable market 
could be found. It was at the fame time 
neceflary to authorife remirtances of 
money due to that country, fince it could 
not be expeéted that the Dutch would 
fend money to Great Britain, while there 
exifted a claufe in- the Traiterous Corre- 
fpondence Bill, forbidding any to ve paid 
in return. 
The moft diftrefling accounts have 
een lately received, of the terrible pef- 
cilence that continues the feourge of the 
Europeans in the Weft Indies. It {wept 
away, at St. Nicola Mole, three-fourths 
ef the oticers and feamen belonging to 
the different thips of war ; and the mor- 
tality among the land forces has been in 
a far greater proportion. The regiments 
have been reduced, from twenty to fifty 
men each; and the miferable remains of 
the army and navy at that place were 
carried off at the rate of twenty-five daily, 
on an average. As the whole ground 
which could be occ::pied there as a bury- 
ing place, was filled with the dead, the 
bodies were obliged to be funk’ with 
ballaft in the fea. The Swifture and 
Raifonable men of war, of 74 guns‘each, 
lowered upwards of 800 men over the 
fide; amongit thefe, in the latter thip 
alone, were thirty-two gentlemen from 
the quarter deck. Wery few inftances 
have occurred where any perfon feized 
with this moft dreadful malady recover- 
ed. The Britifh officers and men em- 
ployed upon the late ill-fated expedition 
to St Domingo, have generally fallen a 
facrifice to its attacks, and moft of the 
principal pofts on the ifland, which were 
Cee pots 
= 
taken by the Britith, have fince been re- - 
linquifhed, on account of the peftilential 
air of the climate. The remaining Britith 
forces are now confined to Cape St. Ni- 
colas, and Port-au-Prince. 
The Englifh navy have lately cap- 
tured, in various parts, feveral fhips of 
force of the enemy, the details of which, 
for want of room, we are obliged to defer 
till our next. 
Political Affairs.—France. 
661 
FRANCE. 
Since our laft, the executive directory 
of the French iepublic have paid the moft 
ferious attention to the deranged ftate of 
their finances, and have avowed, witha 
commendable openneis, the embarraff- 
ments under which they labour in that 
department. 
On the 26th of Augzft, Fermond 
made a report to the council of five hun- 
dred, on the ftate of the finances, the 
refources, and expenditure of the repub- 
lic. He eftimated the daily expences at 
three millions of livres, fo that by the 
22d ot December, the government will 
want for the expences of ‘the campaign, 
about 400 millions in money. It was 
fiaced, that the temination of the war in 
La Vendée, and other circumftances, had 
permitted the diminution of the expendi. 
ture a milliard yearly. _ 
The refources to the 22d Decemper, 
ee i Millions. 
Remain:ng of the forced loan = 349 
T.and tax = = - =) RO 
Pirfonal contributions - <a. Bie 
Other objeéts - - -~ . 7a 
Payment for the national domains 200 
Military contributions —- - 50 
* Bills on foreign countries - . 80 
Other objects ¢ = . = 20 
1094, 
It was farther ftated, that if thefe ré. 
fources fhould be reduced even to 86 
millions, there would then be double th, 
fum wanted. The revenues for the fift 
year, he added, would be 502 millions, 
which would be farther augmented by 
impofts upon the roads, tobacco, and othe 
articles of confumption and luxury. 
But in order to put the government ina 
condition to pay the expences of the war, 
the commiffion propofed two refolutions, 
which were agreed to by the council, 
The firft refolution, was to authcrife the 
direétory to fell a hundred millions of 
national domains in Belgium. ‘The fe- 
cond, to grant a frefh delay of a month 
for the payment of the direct contribu- 
tions; after which, perfons fhall not bé 
permitted to pay except In money, or 1m 
mandats at the current price. 
On the 23d of Anguft, the executive 
directory fent a fecret meffage to the 
council of five hundred, upon which the 
council formed itfelf into a clofe com- 
mittee, and ordexed all firangers to withe 
draw. This meffage (aiterwards pub- 
lifhed) expofed in the moft plaintive 
serms, the diftrefled Qate of the army, 
: 4P2 of 



