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tered her ports, with whet she deemed contra•
band on board. We did the same under our Navi-
gation Laws, and under oar Hovering Ads. If a
ship laden, or even in ballast, having on hoard any
aeticle of another country, the import, of which we
had prohibited, was liable to seizure and confiscation.
Where distress of weather had forced her unavoid-
able entrance into one of our ports, there the cause
would be a sufficient excuse, and if clearly made
'out, would be accepted as sufficient to save her
from being condemned. His Lordship, in strong
terms, applauded the conduet of his Majesty's Minis-
ters in the cause of the negotiation, and reprobated
the' attacks daily made upon them. He said he knew
their ability, their integrity, and their good intention;
but-above all hedeprecated the agreeing to the Motion
of Adjournment, as the severest and most unjust
censure that could be passed, on them. It would be
a kind respite, on day-rule as it were, granted to
them, in order to send them out into the world
loaded with the foulest suspicion, and the heaviest
weight of accusation that could be passed upon
them. 'I he motions having been once made, he
implored the House, in justice and in fairness, to
'decide upon that before they separated ; and under
that hope, he said, he must give his negative to the
Motion of Adjournment.
Lord MELVILLE, in a very animated speech,
argued against the adjournment. He was sensible
that the objed of the motion, on the part of a Noble
Lord of great weight, was the dismissal of his Ma-
jesty's present Ministers ; but he thought they had
concluded themselves in a way to merit the confi-
dence of the country. From the opinion of the pub-
lic of the measures of his Majesty's Ministers, and
the exertions in consequence of that opinion depend-
ed at this time perhaps the existence of the country.
It was the duty of Parliament to put the country in
that state of defence which would ensure its safety,
and convince them their representatives were attend-
ing to their interest, and not scrambling who should
become the advisers of the Crown. Our enemies
were casting their eyes upon us to see what exertions
our armies were making, and what were the objects
to Which our fleets were ditteed. It was therefore
of the utmost importance that those who were the
advisers of public measures, should direct their at-
tention to what was of real advantage to the public,
instead of indulging in political warfare among them-
selves. It was their duty to prepare the country
fof the struggle in which it was likely to be engaged.
Those who had inferred the necessity of the removal
of his Mesty's Ministers, had not mentioned others
who wotid be more efficient. Was it then meant to
say, that during this contest there was to be a cessa-
tion of the fundions of Government ? Was it cer-

tain that their Lordships were agreed as to the
persons who ought to succeed the present Ministers,
should they be removed ? The noble Lord, after
adverting to those topics which have already been
the subjeift of much discussion, referred to the in.
tetest of this country with regard to the possession
of-the Cape of Good Hope. Ile condemned those
who bad treated the acquisition of that place with
levity ; he considered that it was the result of an un-
happy fatality ; it had been given out of our hands.
It was a most important position both in a naval and
commercial point of view, and one which England
never ought to suffer to be in the possession of an
enemy. We were in a situation in which, by the
chance of soar, we were very likely again to obtain
possession of it, and he hoped if we did so we
should retain it. T-6 vials( slanged upon the v itt icrus
subjeOs introduced in the course of the debate, he
concluded by urging the House not to adjourn the
question, but rathet to proceed to business more
intimately conne6ted with the security and defence
of the kingdom. He deprecated the waste of time
in discussions, which had no relation to the real in-
terests of the country, and which were only eaten-
lated to impress the common enemy with an idea
that we were not atuated by an union of sentiment
with regard to the justice and necessity of the war.
Lord HOBART rose, and in a firm and manly
tone pointed out the great injustice the .muse
would manifest in supporting the Motion of Ad-
journment. Could he on such an occasion be in-
fluenced by personal motives, he might consent to
such a Motion, because he was conscious it would
add much to the convenience of the House, as well
as to the convenience of Ministers, under the pre-
sent circumstances of the country.. No such Motions
as those moved that day by the Noble Earl were en-
tertained or brought into discussion, but there was
something of higher consequence to be taken into
consideration than the personal feelings of himself
or any other of his Majesty's servants—the charac-
ter of the Government existing as it did at pre-
sent. If the Ministers were to be censured and
disgraced under the present circumstances, it would
naturally follow, that they ought to be dismissed, or
the measures necessary to be pursued for the defence
of the country would be enfeebled and rendered
inefficient, and of little utility. Considering the ar-
duous and difficult task that Ministers had to per-
form ever since they came into office, undoubtedly
many of their ads might be highly questionable ;
hut so conscious was he, that the more their conduit
was examined the more it would be found that
every step they had taken had been taken with great
anxiety, with great caution, and with a most earnest
endeavour te avoid the depriving the country of the
eoetinuance of the blessings of peace. So con-
scious was he of this, and at the same time, that
their whole conduit would be scrupulously enqpired
into, that whenever enquiry had been talked of and
menaced, he had always declared that they wereready
to meet it. He had never said he was anxious to
court it;but prepared to meet it; now, therefore, mo-
tions of censure, amcnnting in substance to a desire of
the removal of Ministers, if the resolutions were
adopted, he earnestly entreated the House not to
vote the adjournment proposed, but to go on with
tne debate, and decide upon the resolutions, respeft-
ing which they. had already heard so much this day,
ale!, no doubt, would hear much ?mile. With re-
see4l to what had fallen from the Noble Viscount
opposite to him, relative to the Cape of Good Hope,
and what had fallen from him respedieg it in a:fur.
mer debate, he Mould repeat to the Noble Viscount
what he hart said in his absence, that be did not '
think kelf so highly respedinir the value of the
Capes as that Noble Viscount did.
[The very late hour at which the House roses-
will not pet net us to pursue the debate farther jai
detail ; we can only give a summary of the turn of.,
each succeeding Speaker's argument.]
Earl SPENCER strenuously supported the =ga-
metes of Earls Fitzwilliana and Cirlide, is support
of the resolutions, and mid, he pt.:frilly sexed with

Lord rllenborough and Lord Hobart, in deprecate
in the Motion of Adjnortutient.
I.ord CARYSFORT'cornplained at some length
of the conduEt of Nlinisters in suffering the Isle et
Ma to be taken possession of by France. He
ended with declaring, that he would support the re-
solutions moved by his Noble Friend, and oppose
the Motion of Adjournment.
Lord GRENVILLE, in an elaborate and able
speech of great length, went through the whole
conduel of Ministers, from the time oftheir signing
the Definitive Treaty to the Declaration of his
Majesty, prececind by the Message of the Bth of
March. He laid great stress upon the unconstitu-
tional condnet of the King's servants, in having
withheld all information of the state of affairs in
respect to the foreign relations in which the Crown
stood ever since the ratification of the Definitive
Treaty, and contended that it was plain, from
the dates of the several papers on the table, that
the greater part of the grievances stated to the
declaration occurred, and must have been known to
Ministers before that declaration was ratified, or
before the rising of the last Parliament or the pre-
sent ; and that- therefore it was evident that Minis-
ters had been guilty of a gross violation of the Con-
stitution, in not having, conformably to the praCtice
of all times, put into his Majesty's Speech, either at
the end of the lest or in his speech at the
commencement of the present, a communication
to Parliament of the injurious, oppressive, and
insulting conditet of the First Consul of rance
towards this country. Hu referred to the precedents
to be found in thereigns of King William, Queen Anne,
and in more modern speeches from the I hroee, in
which were every information relative to the proha-
bility of approaching war. His Lordship's speech
embraced a variety of important topics, all bearing
upon the question, and supporting, in. his'contem-
plation, the resolutions moved by his Noble Friend.
The LORD CHANCELLOR left the Woolsack,
and began a speech of great length with reminding
the anise. of the tendency of his argument, when
the Definitive Treaty was discussed. He had taken
the p.
the
delivered at Lisle as the ground of
.justi.
Eying the peace Ministers had obtained ; and though
he had never held it out as so satisfaCtory and ad-
vantageouS a peace as the country had a right to
wish for, but declared, that under the circumstances
of the country, a peace as good as they could ob-
tain and he owned he had hoped that it might
have proved a safe and a permanent peace. With
regard to the charge against Ministers on theground
of unconstitutional conduit, in not putting Into his
Majesty's speeches the information contended
for by the Noble Lords who supported the re-
solutions, he maintained that Ministers were, by
the Constitution, to exercise their discretions, whe-
ther it was thought by them proper to do so or
not, according to the situation of affairs then under
negotiation ; and he believed, the speech of his
Majesty to Parliament, at the time of the Russian
armament,- and at the commencement of the late
war, contained no such information. His Lord-
ship added a great deal more argument in defence
of the conduit that he in common with :the rest {)i-
his Majesty's Ministers had followed, and anxiously
deprecated. the agreeing to the Motion of Adjourn-
ment, as the greatest injustice, and the most inju-
rious of all censures tiro could be passed on the
King's servants.
Lord MULGRAVE and Lord GRENVILLF.
severally explained.
The Earl of NVARWICK and Lord GRANT-
LEY said a few words each.
The House divided on the Motion of Adjourn-
ment—
Not Contents for the Adjournment, 106
Contents,
Majority —BB
The previous question was moved on the first re-
solution_on which the House also divided—

Contents
Not Contents
Majority
Lord FITZWILLUM moved that the Lords
be summoned on Monday.--Ordeted.
Adjourned, at HALT PAST Foua o'clock this
morning, till Monday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
THURSDAY, JUNE Q.

A Bill was brought in by Sir Francis Bating for
the better regulation and further improvement of
the Port of London, which was read a first time.

The Report of the Convoy Bill was brought up.
General GASCOIGNE desired to know whether
the Bill was meant to extend to Ireland ; if it did
not, it was his intention to move a clause that it
should.
Mr. VANSUTART .answered that its provisi-
ons did extend to Ireland.
General GASCOIGNE expressed himself per-
feal v satisfied.
The report was agreed to, and the Bill ordered
to be read a third time to-morrow.

Markham's Divorce Bill was re:ld a third time,
and ordered to the Lords.
Mr. CANNING said, he rose in pursuance of
the notice he had given yesterday to submit a motion
to the House, relative to the Order of St. John of
Jerusalem, established at Malta. The motive by
which he was aatiated in requiring the produaion
of the papers he should call for, was the question
having been deemed of sufficient magnitude to in-
volve this Country and France in the horrors of
another war. He understood some objeaions were
entertained relative to two of the papers for which
he intended to move, and that only one out of the
three, with respc to which be bad given notice,
would be granted by his Majesty's Ministers. He,
however, considered it his duty to submit to the
House all the motions of which be had given notice,
in order that they might appear upon the records
of Parliament, and then his Majesty's Ministers
might ad with regard to them as they thought
proper.
The Honourable Member concluded by stating
his three motions. His first rnotien was, that an
humble address should be presented to his Majesty,
requesting that he would be graciously pleased to
order Copies of the Memorials delivered from the
Inhabitants of Malta, by the Maltese Deputies to his
Maj./oars Government, between the • of the
PrWimmaties of Peace and the of the De-
finitive Trusty, relative to the Dispositien of the I.
hAbitaras teetirds the Order of St. Joke of Jam-
The ,sett 11111001 411111 far Copies of the Non:-
tooth Cl Peetitilket/aWidtted by Lord CorheihNil


LONDON,
FRIDAY, June 3.

It is generally supposed, in the best informed cir-
cles, that France Intends to over-run ail Italy and
Germany.—The war with England is to be the pre-
text for this condua, France being determined to
enforce her new do&rine, that those Powers who are
not for her are against her.—lt is observable, that
in the course of the late discussions, the FIRST CON-
SUL takes various opportunities to declare his confi-
dence in Russia and Prussia, while Austria is never
mentioned. This evidently slims that he does not con-
skier the latter a friendly power, or that he affets to
regard her as unworthy of his notice. In either view
Austria has reason to fear an hostile spirit on the
part of the French Government. It is not there-
fore improbable, but that the French armies, os-
tensibly destined against Hanover, may contrive to
find a pretext for other business more essentially
conneaed with the interests of Austria. Mr. TIER-
HEY'S promotion to the place of Treasurer of the
Navy, in the room of Mr. BRAGGE, is said to be
only the forerunner of other ehangesin Administra-
tion. It is said, that Lord CASTLEREAGH and Mr.
STeetA are going out. We have not heard who
are to be their successors.
4.-16.---... --...-4
Yesterday morning his Maras r v and the Duke
of Cumseataso, attended by General GWYNNE,
rode tc) Kew.
In the evening their Wittily. bad o! concert
and a select party.
The intended marriage bet..veen. the Duke of
BEDIFORDandLayIy GzaRGINA GGEDoll,llexpeacd
to take place on Friday RE'apigl4t,
mis Our Plymouth Letter informs that seve-
e4 caprase4 French and detain arch ships.
were wockiNg iato tbe 14sg wlip t Oosoo his
letter.
'

._::1

LAW tari" ELLIGENCE.
COURT OF ? NG'S~
B,ENCff, WerrsitirsTEß, JUNE 2.
Silt*, before Lord ~,itttraeoaotiott and a Staid
jury.
A RIF V. orcnev.
This was an inquiry executed before the Lord
Chief Justice to assess damages. The Plaintiff, who
is the keeper of the Cold Bath-fields Prison, brought
the a4ion to recover a compensation for a slander-
ous and libellous report, made by the Defendant,
to the injury of his charilter, namely. that he was
a murderer, and had killed two persons named
Sheene and Johnson, who had been placed under hi
keeping in the prison, by starving them to death.
Judgment had been suffered to go by default, and
the question now at issue was, what damages the
Plaintiff was entitled to?
Mr. GA a Row, as Counsel for Aris, stated to the
Jury the high sense he entertained of the enormity
of the offence committed by the Defendant, who had
not only injured the Plaintiff in his charaiter, but
had rendered him criminal in the eyes of the law,
and subjeCt to an arraignment for murder. The
report which had been propagated was in itself of so
horrid a form, that the bare imputation of the same
was sufficient to occasion all who heard it to revolt

from the unfortunate objets of malice with all that
disgust which they could not avoid feeling. By the
died of the expressions alluded to, which had been
uttered (as it would be proved by evidence) without
the least foundation whatever, the life of the Plaintiff
WAS endangered, the minds of the public wereworked
u pon to a degree ofresentment,whic h appeared likely to
occasion the entire des t rat ion oftb epr ison ; and,if such
an attempt had been made, the first victim of unre-
strained fury would have been the unhappy objets of
this malicious libel. He had also suffered in the
opinion of those who had reposed confidence in him
in the execution of his office, was liable to have lost
his situation, and to have experienced more evils
than it was possible to enumerate. Under such cir-
cumstances, it was only considerable damages that
could atone ; and he trusted the Jury would fael
for the sufferings of the Plaintiff, and afford ade-
quate compensation.
The evidence adduced went to prove, that the
two men, who were reported to hare been starved
to death, James Johnson and Sheene, died by the visi-
tation of God. It appeared by the evidence or T.
Shelton, Esq. Coroner for London, that an i,squest,
composed of six of the prisoners bPlonging to the
prison, and six tradesmen, were summoned, and, in
the presence of the Plaintiff, a minute investigatioq
took place, relative to the occasion of th.ir deaths.
Dr. Roberts, and several surgeons, who attended
at the examination, observed no appearance to be-
lieve otherwise than they died by the visitation of
God.
A person, named Stamford, stated, that he met
the Defendant, after the inquest had taken place,
and, in a discourse upon that subjeft, the hirer said.
" the two men were murdered, and he could have

brought evidence to prove the fgt. if Mr. Shelton,
the Loroner, had permitted him." Mr. Stamford
told him, that e hatever passed between them a:
that time would not go any further ; but he advie,
ed the Defendant not to speak of Mr.. Shelton in
the way he did, as that gentleman would certainly
take notice of it; he, however persisted in saying
the men were murdered, and that the Plaintiff had
killed many others.
Jane Sheene, who was the Acifc of Sheene that
died, said she had known, that he had beer: subjed
to tits for long time previous to his death, and the
apothecary, who attended the prison, stated his
death to have taken place in consequence.
Mr. F.PRICINP. said, that many injuries had been
stated by his Learned Friend, which the Plaintiff
had not met with the Defendant had made an in,.
jurious operation ; but at the time the expressions
were used, the Defendant was perauailed he was
speaking the troth : it, however, had terned out to
be otherwise, and the Plaintiff was legally entitled
to damages ; but before the Jury determined upon
the extent of mil damages, they would consider
what injury had actually been sustained. The'Plein.
tiff had not suffered any of the losses alluded to by
Mr. Garrow ; he had not been brought to a trial,
he had not been deprived of his office ; all that had'
occurred to him was, the imputation of a crime
which he certainly had not been guilty of. The
poverty of the Defendant rendered it improblhle to
suppose he would be capable of paying great da,
magcs ; and the Jury would see, from the lowness
of his dircumstancec, that daraages, however small,
would prove to him a punishment adequate to his
offence. The Learned Counsel, theteeme, left it
with them, trusting that they would consider that
they had to decide upon the real losses which the
Plaintiff had suffered, and not the imaginary ones
Lord Eeexeeoitocou observed, that use Plaintiff
had been placed in a situation of terror and alarm,
in consequence of the report which had been circu-
lated by the Defendant. His life had also bcea in
a state of danger, as he was liable to he indided for
murder, in which case, if the crime had been
proved against him, he would have suffered death.
He must have expetienced, in conseqnerce of the
assertions to his prejudice, the greatest anxiety, from
the uncertain knowledge of what might be the
event. His Lordship summed up the evidence, and
stated, that there had not appeared any grounds on
which the Defendant appeared to be justified in
making use of the expressions which were the sub-
jet of the present inquiry. The persons who were
stated to have been murdered, were proved by the
evidence of the Coroner to have died by the visita-
tion of God. It was, therefore, obvious, that an
injury had been done to the Plaintiff, for which the
Jury 'alone could compensate, by giving such dam-
ages as they might consider just and satisfactory.
The Jury, after a short deliberation, gave their
verdid for the Plaintiff.—Damages 700 L
HENUTT V sil IP LEY.
This was an adion upon the statute of bribery, to
recover the penalty of 5001. for bribery, during an
elettion for the city of Durham.
Mr. ERSKINE said, that above all other statutes,
that on which this action was brought had a minor
consideration, as it wet intended to preserve to the
Constitution the happiness of free representation,
and the true voice of the people in the British Par!.
Lament. The circumstances of the case, he ob.
served, were as follows : During the late election
ft& the City of Durham, Michael Angelo Taylor,
Esq. of that city, became an eleetor, and was strange'
lzeestjenported by the interest of the gentlemen and
reddidg in the city, the whole of whom, with
Henry VdaTeMpest's family, were determined
to usf their e9ditavpurs to clad him, as he had been so
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