of Europe. I am in expectation of fpeedily receiving the account of the conclufion of the definitive treaty of peace, preliminaries ha ving been fome time fince agreed upon between thofe powers.

I have directed copies of the definitive treaty between the Emperor and the Porte to be laid before you, as well as fuch papers as are neceffary to fhew the terms of peace, which have been under difcuffion during the negotiation with the court of Petersburg.

I regret that I am not yet enabled to inform you of the termination of the war in India; but the fuccefs which has already attended the diftinguished bravery and exertions of the officers and troops under the able conduct of Lord Cornwallis, affords reasonable ground to hope that the war may fpeedily be brought to an honourable conclufion.

The friendly affurances which I receive from foreign powers, and the general ftate of affairs in Europe, appear to promife to my fubjects the continuance of their prefent tranquillity. Under thefe circumftances I am induced to think that some immediate reduction may fafely be made in our naval and military establishments; and my regard for the interefts of my fubjects renders me at all times defirous of availing myfelf of any favourable opportunity to diminish the public expences.

Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons, It will, I am perfuaded, give you great fatisfaction to learn, that the extraordinary expences incurred in the course of the laft year have, in a great measure, been already defrayed by the grants of the feflion. The ftate of our resources will, I truft, be found more than fufficient to provide for the remaining part of thefe expences, as well as for the current fervice of the year, the eftimates for which I have directed to be laid before you.

I entertain the pleafing hope, that the reductions which may be found practicable in the establishments, and the continued increafe of the revenue, will enable you, after making due provifion for the feveral branches of the public fervice, to enter upon a fyftem of gradually relieving my fubjects from fome part of the existing taxes, at the fame time giving additional efficacy to the plan for the reduction of the national debt, on the fuccefs of which our future esfe and fecurity effentially depend. With a view to this important object, let me alfo recommend it to you to turn your at tention to the confideration of fuch measures as the state of the funds and of public credit may render practicable and expedient towards a reduction in the rate of intereft of any of the annuities which are now redeemable.

My Lords, and Gentlemen, The continued and progreffive improvement in the internal fituation of the country will, I am confident, animate you in the pursuit of

every measure which may be conducive to the public intereft. It muft, at the fame time, operate as the ftrongeft encouragement to a fpirit of useful industry among all claffes of my fubjects; and, above all, muft confirm and increase their steady and zealous attachment to that conftitution which we have found, by long experience, to unite the inestimable bleifings of liberty and order, and to which, under the favour of Providence, all our other advantages are principally to be afcribed."

Lord Chefterfield moved the addrefs. The fpeech, he faid, had come home to every bofom; and it was but a juft return, to felicitate his Majefty on a fubject that must be pleafing to him, the late marriage between his Royal Highne's the Duke of York and a daughter of the illuftrious Houfe of Pruffia, as it tended to ftrengthen and perpetuate the Proteftant line, and to fecure a powerful ally to this country on the Continent. To make a fuitable provifion for their Highneffes mult be the concurrent with of the whole kingdom. From this head of congratulation, his Lordship pointed his obfervations to his Majesty's attention to the affairs abroad; placing the peace between the Emperor and the Ottoman Porte to the credit of the powerful mediation of the British court; as he did the moderate terms which the Turks had obtained from Ruffia, to the fame caufe. From these pacific meafures in Europe, his Lordship made a hafty tranfition to the fuccefs of the war in the Eaft Indics; which was fuch as, by the good conduct of the commander in chief, and the bravery of the officers and men, must foon bring the war in that country to a hap py conclufion.

Lord Mulgrave feconded the motion.

Viscount Stormont, having difclaimed all acrimonious oppofition, proceeded with a mafterly fpeech, and concluded the whole with a high encomium on the British confti. tution, which, he faid, was the wisest system ever formed by man. It gives as much liberty as is confiftent with the energy of the executive branch; and as much reftraint as is neceffary to preferve perfonal fafety and due order in fociety." When I came into pub. lic life," faid his Lordship, "the political pamphlets of the time, however they might be charged with the heat and violence of party, were agreed in extolling the radical branches of the conftitution, fo contrary to the fpirit of the prefent times, which, told, (for I have not read them), tend to unfettle the public mind; thofe, however, can do but little harm; for the English are a thinking people, and are more intelligent and fteady than most other people." Here his Lordship took occafion to quote from Bolingbroke his fenfe of the value of the British conftitution, where he recommends his readers to contemplate it in all its afpects, with the

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affurance that it will be found the more eftimable the more it is feen. And of this his Lordship faid he was fure; and that, if ever the time fhould come that the propagation of pernicious doctrines fhould agitate the public mind, their Lordships would rife as one man in defence of our excellent conftitution.

Lord Grenville rofe, not, he said, "to proroke hoftilities with the Noble Viscount; but the manly manner in which he has declared his fentiments on the prefent occafion demands my moft fincere acknowledgements; for tho' I agree with his Lordship, that there is no danger to be apprehended from those who are hoftile to the genuine fpirit of our wellbalanced fyftem, and who are employed in diffeminating doctrines of a licentious tendency; yet it is important to know, that, if ever there should come a time of ferious alarm, there is but one fpirit in this House; and that, by carrying up, as we now do, our unanimous attachment to the constitution to the throne, his Majefty will know, that he has, in us, united defenders of it in the hour of danger, against all innovations, however diftinguished."-The addrefs was then agreed to.

Is the Commons, Mr York moved the addrefs. He adverted to the Duke of York's marriage, and trufted fupport suitable to their rank would be granted. He went over the feveral other particulars of the fpeech, and dwelt with rapture on the flourishing state of the country.

Sir James Murray feconded the motion. Having taken notice of feveral parts of the peech, he particularly alluded to that which stated the terms recommended to the Porte for a peace with the Emprefs; and faid, they appeared to be, under all existing circumftances, a defirable event: he admitted that minifters had been defeated by unforeseen and untoward circumstances; but contended, nevertheless, that their object had been commendable, and the interference of this country in favour of the Porte would have been more fuccefsful had not an oppofition been raised against it. The Hon. Baronet confidered our affairs in India to be in the moft profperous ftate; and concluded by declaring, that, if the French could be juftified at all in overturning their conftitution, they must be juftified upon the ground of their conftitution, if they had had one, being essentially bad in many of its parts; but, if they were fo zeal ous in overturning a bad conftitution, it was impoffible for us to be too eager and zealous in exertions to maintain our conftitution, which every circumftance proved to be effentially good.

Mr Grey gloried in being one of that oppofition which had prevented a war, which adminiftration would otherwise have drawn the nation into. He said, it would afford him as much pleasure as any man to alleviate

the burdens of the people, was not his jealousy roused by the manner in which the re. commendation originated, and which appeared to him to have a tendency to diminish the confidence of the people in their reprefentatives, and to lead them from that House to the Crown for an alleviation of their burdens; nor did he believe a fingle precedent could be found of a fimilar recommendation. He objected to expreffing their fatisfaction for the fuccefs of the war in India, and moved an amendment to the following purport: "That the House, fully fenfible of the evils of a procraftinated war, which must be ruinous to the finances of the Company, cannot help exprefling their regret, that the profpects held out in the speech from the throne at the commencement of the laft feffion have not been realized; nevertheless, that their attachment to his Majefty, and their defire to fupport the honour of his crown, are undiminished."

Mr St John feconded the motion.

Mr Dundas faid, he should give the amendment his negative. The Hon. Gentleman, he said, must have forgotten the whole hiftory of the war, by declaring that no fucceffes had been gained by our armies in the Eaft; for the direct contrary was the fact. After enumerating our fucceffes in India, and arguing in defence of the able conduct of Earl Cornwallis, he concluded that part of his fpeech, by ftating, that Tippoo was now hemmed up in a clofe garrifon, in a narrow diftrict, in which he would not be able long to find provifion for himself and his forces. Alluding to the fear entertained by the Hon. Gentleman of danger froin the King's recommendation of a reduction of taxes, he obferved that it would in no degree excite alarmhe would not, however, examine for precedents, being weil convinced, that, if fuch a recommendation from the Crown was novel, the novelty would in no degree leffen the agreeable fenfation with which fuch a recommendation would be received.

Major Maitland fupported the amendment, and contended, that our fuccefles in India were only fhewn by retreats, and our victories by difgrace..

Gen. Smith coutended, that the war had been attended by the most brilliant fucceffes

that it had not been procraftinated—that it was juft and politic, and that he fincerely hoped peace might never be permitted until Tippoo was extirpated.

Mr Fox fupported the amendment; at the fame time he declared his fincerity of heart in congratulating his Majefty upon every felicity enjoyed by his auguft family, and acknowledged that many other parts of the fpecch and addrefs met his moft unqualified approbation. He entered fhortly into the preliminaries of peace between the Emprefs

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There was indeed, it must be confeffed, fomething in his manner and appearance which, at firft fight, created difguft, and prevented you from paying a proper attention to the excellent qualities of his mind.

The Count de Lacy, formerly Ambaffador from Spain to Petersburg, inform ed me at Hanover, that he led the Spanish army against the Portuguese at the time they were commanded by the Count de Buckebourg; the fingularity of whofe perfon and manners fo forcibly ftruck the minds of all the Spanish generals while they were reconnoitring the enemy with their telescopes, that they exclaimed with one voice," Are the Portuguese commanded by Don Quixotte?" The ambafador, howeyer, who poffeffed a very liberal mind, spoke with enthusiastic rapture of the good conduct of Buckebourg is Portugal, and praifed in the warmest terms the excellence of his mind and the greatnefs of bis character. His heroic countenance, his flowing hair, bis tall and meagre figure, and, above all, the extraordinary length of his vifage, might, in truth, bring back the recollection of the Knight of La Mancha: for certain it is, that at a distance he made a moft romantic appearance: on a nearer approach, however, a clofer view immediately convinced you of the contrary. The fire and animation of his features announced the elevation, fagacity, penetration, kindness, virtue, and ferenity of his foul. Sublime fentiments and he⚫ roic thoughts were as familiar and natural to his mind, as they were to the nobleft characters of Greece and Rome.

The Count was born in London, and his conduct was without doubt whim. fical and extraordinary. The anecdotes related to me by a German Prince (a relation of Count Guillaume) concerning him, are perhaps not generally known. He was fond of contending with the Englith in every thing. For instance, he laid a wager that be would ride a horfe from London to Edinburgh backwards, that is, with the horse's head towards Edinburgh, and the Count's face towards London; and in this manner he actually rode through feveral counties in England. He not only traverfed the greatest part of that kingdom on foot, but travelled in company with a German Prince through feveral of the counties in the character of a beggar. Being informed that part of the current of the Danube, above Re

genfberg, was fo ftrong and rapid that no one had ever dared to swim across it, he made the attempt, and fwam fo far, that it was with difficulty he faved his life. A great ftatefman and profound philofopher related to me at Hanover, that, during the war in which the Count commanded the artillery in the army of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick againft the French, he one day invited feveral Hanoverian officers to dine with him in his tent. When the company were in high fpirits and full of gaiety, feveral canon-balls flew in different directions about the tent. The French," exclaimed the officers," cannot be far off." -"No, no," replied the Count," the enemy, I affure you, are at a great diftance;" and he defired them to keep their feats. The firing toon afterwards recommenced; when one of the balls carrying away the top of the tent, the officers fuddenly rofe from their chairs, exclaiming, "The French are here."— "No," replied the Count," the French are not here; and therefore, Gentlemen, I defire you will again fit down, and rely upon my word." The balls continued to fly about; the officers, however, continued to eat and drink without apprebenfion, though not without whispering their conjectures to each other upon the fingularity of their entertainment. The Count at length rofe from the table, and addreffing himself to the company, faid, "Gentlemen, I was willing to convince you how well I can rely upon the officers of my artillery; for I ordered them to fire, during the time we continued at dinner, at the pinnacle of the tent; and they have executed my orders with great punctuality."

Reflecting minds will not be unthankful for thefe traits of the character of a man anxious to exercite himself and those under his cominand in every thing that appeared difficult or enterprizing. Being one day in company with the Count by the fide of a magazine of gunpowder which he had made under his bedchamber in Fort Wilhelmstein, I observed to him, that "I fhould not fleep very contentedly there during fome of the hot nights of fummer." The Count, however, convinced me, though I do not now recollect how, that the greatest danger and no danger is one and the fame thing. When I first saw this extraordinary man, which was in the company of an English and a Portuguefe officer, he entertained

me

me for two hours with a difcourfe upon the phyfiology of Haller, whose works he knew by heart. The enfuing morning, he infifted on my accompanying him in a little boat, which he rowed himself, to Fort Wilhelmftein, which, from plans he fhewed me of his own drawing, he had conftructed in the middle of the water, where not a foot of land was to be feen. One Sunday, upon the great parade at Pyrmont, furrounded by many thousand men who were occupied in drefs, dancing, and making love, he entertained me on the very fpot during the course of two hours, and with as much tranquillity as if we had been alone, by detailing all the arguments that have been ufed to prove the existence of God, pointing out their defective parts, and convincing me that he could furpass them all. To prevent my escape from this leffon, he held me faft all the time by the button of my coat. He fhewed me, at his feat at Buckebourg, a large folio volume in his own hand-writing, "On the art of defending a small town against a great power." The work was completely fi nifhed, and defigned as a prefent to the King of Portugal; but he did me the favour to read many paffages refpe&ing the fecurity of Swifferland. The Count confidered the Swifs invincible; and pointed out to me, not only all the important parts which they might occupy against an enemy, but thewed me roads which a cat would fcarcely be able to crawl through. I do not believe that any thing was ever written of higher importance to the interefts of any country than this work; for the manufcript contains ftri. king anfwers to all the objections that a Swifs himself could make. My friend M. Moyfe Mendelfohm, to whom the Count had read the preface to this work at Pyrmont, confidered it as a mafter piece, both for its correct language and fine philofophy; for the Count could write the French language with almott the fame eafe, elegance, and purity as Voltaire; while in the German he was aboured, perplexed, and diffufe. What adds to his praife is, that upon his return to Portugal, he had with him, for many years, two of the most acute mafters of Germany; first Abbt, and afterwards Herder. Thofe who fee with more penetrating eyes than mine, and have had more opportunities to make obfervations, are able to relate a variety of remarkable anecdotes concerning this

truly great and extraordinary man. I fhall only add one observation more refpecting his character, availing myself of the words of Shakespeare: The Count Guilhaume de Schaumbourg Lippe carries no dagger;

"He has a lean and hungry look”-but he's not dangerous; -he reads much;

He is a great obferver; and he looks Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays;

-he hears no music; Seldom he fmiles, and fmiles in such a fort, As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit That could be moved to smile at any thing." JULIUS CESAR, A&t 1. Scene 4.

Such was the character, always mifunderstood, of this folitary man. A character of this defcription may well smile when he perceives himself fcoffed at by the world; but what must be the shame and confufion of thofe partial judges, when they shall behold the monument which the great Mende!fohm has erected to his memory; or the judicious hiftory of his life which a young author is about to publish at Hanover; the profound fentiments, the noble ftyle, the truth and fincerity of which will be difcovered and acknowledged by impartial pofterity!

The men who laugh, as I have seen them laugh a thousand times at Buckebourg, on account of his long vifage, his flowing hair, his great hat, and little fword, may very well indulge their fmiles of fcorn, if, like the Count, they are philofophers and heroes. The Count de Buckebourg, however, never smiled at the world, or upon men, but with kindnefs. Without hatred, without mifanthropy, he enjoyed the tranquillity of his country-house, fituated in the bofom of a thick foreft, frequently alone, or with the virtuous woman whom he had chofen for his wife; and for whom, while living, he did not appear to entertain any extraordinary fonduefs; but when the died, his affection for her was fo great, that the lofs of her brought him almost to his grave.

ANECDOTES of the late KING of POR

TUGAL.

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