1803.] State of Public Affairs in January, 1803: 79 
prehenfion which this report at firft pro- 
duced was foon allayed by the confidera- 
tion, that neither France’nor Spain were 
in a capacity to attempt any enterprize 
in that part of the worlds It was foon 
evident, that the whole muft have been the 
defperate effort of a few piratical adven- 
turers, who made a defcent on the ifland 
folely for the purpofe of plunder. 
The fituation of the French in St. Do- 
mingo becomes every «ay more defperates 
On the 2d of January General Le Clerc 
expired of a malignant fever, after an ill- 
nefs of ten days. He is fweceeded by 
General Rochambeau, a man of approved 
talents, who, when the lat. difpatches 
came away, was taking meafures for 
maintaining his poft, in the hope of. a re- 
inforcement {peedily arriving from France. 
But even of the poffibility of keeping the 
negroes at bay for that littie time, ftrong 
doubts were entertained by the beft-in- 
formed perfons in the French army. 
At Guadaloupe the French have been 
more fucceisful ; and if:we may depend 
upon the official ftarements, the rebellion 
there is nearly extinguifhed, cultivation 
reftored, and the colonial produce in fuch 
profufion, that it encumbers not onl; the 
warehoufes but even the ftreets. The 
exaggerated reprefentations in their. own 
favour, which the French government) is 
in the habit of receiving, or at leaft of 
publithing, may jaftly excite fome doubts 
concerning tne accuracy of thefe accounts; 
and fhould the infurgents in St. Domingo 
prove fuccelstul, there is but little proba- 
bility that the flame of refiftance will not 
be again revived ih Ghadaloupe. 
GREAT-BRITAIN.~ 
Before we enter upon the detail of our 
domettic affairs, we may, we truft, be in- 
dulged in a few words on the conduct of 
that body of men. in this country, who 
are known by the name of the Whig-party, 
and on their fupport of the prefent admi- 
niflration. In this defcription of men we 
do not include the decided Republicans, 
much lefs the de/perate of any faction ; nor 
do we mean exaétly what is called the Op- 
pofition, or Foxite party, in parliament : 
we mean that great body of men difperfed 
throughout the nation, who have thewn 
themielves on all occafions the friends of 
the Proteftant faith, the Proteftant fuc- 
ceflion, the friends of conftitutional liber- 
ty the enemies of tyranny, civil and eccle- 
hattical, under every form. It is cuftom- 
ary with the venal tribe, who wifh to pay 
their court ‘to every guiden idol who holds 
the reins of government, to reprefent this 
independent ‘body as fattious, diffatisfied, 
as endeavouring to trench continually on: 
the juft prerogative of the crown, and to 
abridge the powers entrufted to it by the, 
conftitution, to impede the meafures of 
adminifiration,. and, in their. hacknied 
phrateology, ‘* to clog the wheels of go- 
vernment.”’. The king or the minifter 
who liftens to “thefe infinuations will be 
his own enemy;and he will negleét the only 
party en whole fupport he might fecurely 
rely. Of fuch calumnies the beft refuta- 
tion is the fupport which Mr, Pitt ex- 
perienced on his firft acceffion to office, 
‘when the Whigs were difgutted with the 
famous Coalition; “and. that which hag 
fanctioned the meafures of the prefent oe 
miniftration, by whofe powerful and con- 
trouling voice the efforts of a tlrong but 
pernicious Oppofition have been rendered 
abortive. yaks SL with Tig 
It muft be obvious to any man who 
views the prefent political ftate-of this 
‘country, that the miniftry are weak in the 
parliament, but - ftrong in- the people. 
Within the parliament, the molt powerful 
interelts, the moft opulent families of the 
country, the borough-mongers, the loan- 
mongers, the contractors, all who gain by 
war, all who fatten on the diftreffes of the 
public, are combined againft them 5 with- 
out, the free voice of the Englith nation 
has ian@ioned their. proceedings, and 
their. adverfaries are afraid to {peak out 
their wifhes or intenttons., CS a 
WMhough we.approve of the conduct of 
the minifry in general, in one inftance we 
think it lefs deferving of commendation, 
it, would have deen not only becoming the 
dignity and courage ofthe Britifh nation, 
but the diétate alfo of found policy, to re- 
duce the eitablifhment. We cannot but 
cordially agree with Mr. Fox, that it 
would have been greater in a minifter, and 
would have truck more terror into our 
enemies, to have paid off fifty millions of 
the national debt, than to have maintained 
50,000 feamen.”’? It would at once have 
fhewn to Bonaparte, and fo the world, the 
refources of Britain. It would have 
fhewn, that the power of France was not 
capable of exciting an alarm in Britith 
hearts, and that fhe could not take us un- 
prepared: If, indeed, there is an excufe 
for the pragtice of impreffing feamen, it is 
that it faves a permanent expence to the 
nation :——-whilethat praétice exifts,we mult 
affert, there is no argument fora large 
naval eftablifhment; and while Great Bri- 
‘tain can man a large fleet ina fingle night, 
fhe inuft be invulnerable. In this inflance 
Mr. Addington appears to have been int 
fluenced rather by the clantours ‘of his ah 
Verlarics 
