1798: ] 
care; unlefs you have a pledge fora 
reform, as your fecurity for the good 
which you intend, you are venturing into 
a country where men ofyour franknefs 
are not a match for the infidious arts 
which will be pra¢tifed againft you. 
You are invited only for the purpofe 
of putting an end to the war, 1n order 
that the fyftem which you ftifle tor the 
moment, may be re-eftablithed.’? After 
making cogent arguments en the Bill, . 
he concluded with drawing an affect- 
ing picture of the ftate of Ireland. 
Mr, Pitt replied to Mr. Fox and the 
other members of oppofition. On the 
gueftion that the Bill be now read a 
third time being put, the Houfe di- 
vided, 
Ayes 196—Noes 71—Majority 125.° 
The Bill was then fent to the Lords, 
where it was paffed, and received the 
Royal aifent by Cemmifliona few days 
afterwards. 
On the 11th of January, Mr. Dun- 
das prefented a meffage from the King, 
purporting that his Majefty had re- 
ceived various advices of preparation 
made in France, in purfuance of the 
defign repeatedly protefled, ofattempt- 
ing the invafion of thefe kingdoms, 
that he was firmly perfuaded that by 
the zeal, courage,’ and exertion of his 
fubjects, ftruggling for whatever was 
moft dear to them, fuch an enter- 
prife, if attempted, would terminate 
in the ruin and confufion of thofe who 
might be engaged init; but that he in 
anxious concern for the welfare of his 
people, felt it incumbent upon him to 
omit no fuitable precaution which 
might contribute to their defence. 
His Majefty, therefore, in purfuance 
ef the Act paifed for providing for the 
augmentation of the Militia, thought 
it nght to make this communication to 
the Commons, to the end that the faid 
Militia might be drawn out and ein- 
bedied, and to marchas occafion fhould 
require. ‘The Houfe of Commons on 
the 12th.of January, adjourned to the, 
$th of the following month. 
IRELAND. 
The melancholy detail of the fuffer- 
ings of Ireland has often been dwelt 
upon, and we believe generally for 
the laudable purpofe of rendering the 
deplorable fituation of that country as 
public as poffible, in order that per- 
fons in England, who have it in their 
betas to’relieve its misfortunes, might 
ave no opportunity of pleading ig+ 
norance of their exiitence, 
Treland....French Merchants Loan. 
67 
Some affidavits have been made rée 
{pecting the trial of the late Mr. Orr. 
Arthur fJohnfon and Archibald Thomp~ 
fon, two ef the Jury, who were im- 
panelled to try the deceafed, have 
{worn that fpirituous liquors were ine 
troduced into the Jury room, while - 
they were confidering the verdict, with 
which feveral of the Jury were in- 
toxicated ; that the deponent, Thomp- 
fon, was fo intimidated by one of the 
Jurors by threats, &c. as tobe induced 
to concur in a verdict contrary to his 
opinion. Another of the Jurors. de- 
pofed, that had he known, that. the 
confequence of returning a verdiét of 
guilty upon that occafion, would have 
been followed by the death of the ac- 
cufed, he fhould not have agreed te 
fuch verdict. 
FRAWCE. ; 
In a public fitting of the Directory 
on the 21{t of December, a deputation 
from the principal Bankers and Mer- 
chants of Paris, prefented an addrefs, 
in which they intreated the Directory 
to fend a meflage to the legiflative 
body, inviting them to open a loan for 
the purpofe of procuring a fpeedy and 
effectual means for making a defcent 
upon England. The Directory com, 
plied with the intreaties. of the depu- 
tdtion, and fent a meflage the fame 
day to the Council of Five Hundred, 
reque(fting them to adopt meafures for 
raifing a loan for the defired purpofe. 
After the addrefs and meffage were or, 
dered to be printed, Jean de Brie rofe, 
and afked ‘‘Who was the citizen that 
did not. burn to revenge the wrongs - 
done to France by the government whe 
created La Vendee, the Chovans, and 
the Chauffers, and who alone had pro- 
longed the evils of war? Yes! faid he, 
we will verify the. opinion of the 
Member of the Englith Parliaiment, 
who faid that the obftinate refittance 
of Pitt to peace, had only tended 
to. confolidate the Republic, Let Eng- 
land that has fo frequently difturbed 
the tranquility of our country, tremble 
in its turn jor its own fafety !”’ 
The Council referred the meflage to 
a Committee, and ordered a-report to 
be made as foon 45 poiflible, bons 
This project of invading England, 
and of ruining it by every poflible- 
means, was in the month of January 
the order of the day in France, and 
appeared to acquire new energy at 
every ftep; donations were pouring in 
from every quaiter, to defray the ex- 
K 2 _ ~pence 
