was their intention to propose, that the Prince of Wales should be sole Regent, and should be invested with all the regal powers, excepting only the conferring of peerages, and the granting offices for life; that this restriction, however, should only continue for a limited time, that is to say, until the period when the hope of his majesty's recovery might reasonably be abandoned, and this the evidence of the physicians shewed was about a year;-that till the expiration of that period, it was clearly desirable that nothing should be done which would tend to fetter his majesty, in case of his resuming his functions; and that to that single object, therefore, of preserving entire the regal power, in case the king should be restored to its exercise, were the restrictions directed. The custody of the king's person would be placed, he said, in the hands of her majesty; and no change would take place in the establishment of the royal household, until a year had expired. This course of proceeding was strongly resisted by the opposition generally, who maintained, that the only constitutional measure which Parliament could adopt, was to address the Prince of Wales to assume forthwith the office of Regent, and afterwards to bring in a bill imposing such temporary restrictions on the Regent's power as parliament might think it wise to propose. They intimated, however, their opinion, that the wise course would be to dispense with all restrictions, excepting those which related to the custody of the king's person. Lord Grenville and his friends; Mr. Cauning; and those gentlemen who are supposed to act in union with Lord Sidmouth; agreed with his majesty's ministers as to the expediency of proceeding by bill: but they seemed to wish for less of restriction than miuisters intended to propose. On a division, in the House of Commons, the numbers for proceeding by bill were 269; for proceeding by address, 147; being a majority of 112. The resolutions were subsequently communicated to the House of Lords, and their concurrence desired. In the House of Lords the resolutions were adopted by a majority of 100 to 74. We are disposed to think that the mode which parliament has adopted, of proceeding by bill, is preferable to that of proceeding by address; though in the latter case we should have the advantage of an carlier exercise of the royal functions. In the first place, the former course has the sanction of precedent; and where there is not some great and obvious advantage in departing from precedent, it is always best to adhere to it. Then, if restrictions be necessary on the power of the Regent, it is surely better that these should be discussed and settled before the Regent has acquired the means of influencing the deliberatious of parliament, and the right of putting a negative on their decisions. As a precedent, it is important that parliament should thus exercise the right of providing, under regulations prescribed by them, for the temporary suspension of the king's capacity for his office; and in proportion as there is less risk at the present moment, that the Regent's power would be abused, in that proportion does it become desirable that such a precedent should be established; because its adoption cannot be regarded as an invidious measure, founded on considerations of personal character; but as a wise measure of state policy founded on large and general views. What cause have we for congratulation, that, in this happy country, where the law rules supreme over the prince as well as the peasant, these ice and delicate questions, which in other times, and in other countries at the present time, would have armed the contending parties against each other, and kindled all the horrors of civil warfare, are discussed and arranged in parliament, as calmly and dispassionately as if it were a question of property in the Court of Chancery. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. Accounts have been received in the course of the present month, of the loss of no less than five of our frigates. Two of them, the Pallas, and the Nymphe, were wrecked. on the coast of Scotland during the late tempestuous weather. Three, the Sirius, Magicienne, and Nereide, were destroyed at the Isle of France, under circum stances peculiarly disastrous. A small island near port Sud-Est, called L'Isle de la. Passe, had been taken possession of by our frigates to facilitate the blockade of the Mauritius. While four of our frigates were stationed there, or in the neighbourhood, three French frigates, returning from a cruise with two captured Indiamen, the Windham and Ceylon, made their ap pearance, and attempted to force their way into Port Sud-Est, This the frigates and the Ceylon effected with difficulty. Windham was cut off and retaken. The commander of the British squadron resolved on attacking the French frigates where they lay at anchor. In putting this plan in execution, two English frigates, the Sirius and the Magicienne grounded, and the Iphige. nia, missing the channel, was prevented from The approaching the enemy by a sand bank. The Nereide alone had to sustain the fire of the frigates and of the batteries on shore, which she did until she was made a perfect wreck; and until every man on board, including her commander, Capt. Willoughby, was either killed or wounded, and the enemy's ships had all been driven on shore. The Nereide fell also on shore, and was taken possession of by the enemy; and it was found necessary to burn the Sirius and Magicienne, to prevent their falling into his hands. The crews escaped to L'Isle de la Passe, whither the Iphigenia also repaired, and where she was soon blockaded by three fresh French frigates from Port Louis, joined by a fourth from Port Sud-Est, which had been got off. It was feared that the want of provisions in L'Isle de la Passe, would force the Iphigenia to surrender before succours could possibly arrive; and this difficulty was much aggravated by the capture of a transport bound to the squadron with supplies. The Windham and Ceylon Indiamen were on their way from the Cape, with troops, destined to join the force collecting at the island of Rodriguez for the attack of the Isle of France; and those on board the Windham were unfortunately taken out by the French previous to her recapture. Our naval force in the Indian seas was large, and there is little doubt that the blockade of the Isle of France would soon be resumed: it is understood that the attempt to reduce it will not be prevented by this disaster. A squadron of 12 gun-brigs and 24 gunboats put to sea from the rivers Ems and Jade, with the view of attacking Heligoland; but being met by Lord George Stewart, with a frigate and uine gun-brigs and boats, they escaped into Varel, with the loss of only three of their gun-brigs, which were driven on shore. HIS MAJESTY'S ILLNESS. We are deeply concerned to inform our readers, that on the 24th instant the king experienced such an accession of fever as greatly alarmed his medical attendants. His pulse was for some time as high as 120. On the next day the fever had abated, and the pulse was reduced to 80. The latest account represents him to be in a quiet state, but does not indicate any very favourable change. We need hardly remind our readers, how much it is their duty, as Christians, to employ their prayers and intercessions on this melancholy occasion, that it would please the King of kings to restore to us our beloved Monarch; and if He in his wisdom should decree otherwise, that he would sanctify to the Royal sufferer; to his family, especially to his successor; and to the nation at large, the mournful dispensation. If any thing could have served more to endear to us the king for whom we have so long cherished an affection, it would be the circumstance which caused his present illness, we mean, his anguish on account of the protracted sufferings of an amiable and affectionate daughter. And here, if the feelings of our readers are in unison with our own, they will be gratified by our insertion of some observations on this subject, which were made by Mr. Stephen, at the close of a speech of his in the House of Commons, in which he was defending the government ed to propose a Regency. from the charge of having improperly delay "But," said Mr. Stephen, "how amiable is the origin of our present calamity! Who is there that does not sympathise in the feeling by which it has been caused? Who that does not recall the fine description of a living poet, whose images not only fire the imagination, but affect the heart:— Some feelings are to mortals given Upon a duteous daughter's head! It has been with us a subject of much posed on this occasion, and ordered to be regret, that the prayer which has been comused in churches, is so little worthy of holding know to whom its composition is to be attria place in our excellent Liturgy. We do not bated, but we are surprised, that, with such models before them as are to be found there and elsewhere, the framers of it could have contrived to introduce so much of false pathos, its spirit be compared, for instance, with that and so little of right christian feeling. Let for Queen Elizabeth, inserted in our volume for 1806, p. 4 i even to tears! I think I see the poor old parent tottering to the bed of his afflicted child-weeping over her agonies, watching over her progress-with faultering voice asking for hope in vain-with sad lamentation viewing the last beams of her departing spirit, hearing the last throb of her interrupted respiration, and at length with feeble hand receiving the fatal ring-the last token of the premature victim whose most anxious act was the consolation of her aged father's "The ruling passion strong in death”--- OBITUARY. of King, vicar of that parish and rector of On Tuesday, the 27th of November, died at Tutbury, Staffordshire, in the thirty-eighth year of his age, the Rev. Jonathan Stubbs, M. A. curate of Uttoxeter in the same county, His death was the consequence of a compound fracture in the leg, occasioned by his being thrown out of an open carriage, and terminating in a delirious fever. By this melancholy event the church of Christ has been deprived of a most valuable and excellent minister, whose loss is deeply felt, and whose memory will long be affectionately cherished in the parish, which for the last seven years has been the scene of his faithful and laborious services. On Sunday, December the 9th, a sermon on the occasion of his death was preached in the parish church of Uttoxeter, by the Rev. Mr. Cooper of Hamstall Ridware; and on the following Sunday another sermon, on the same occasion, was delivered by the Rev. Thomas Gisborne, in St. Werberg's church, at Derby; in which town Mr. Stubbs had for some years exercised his ministry previously to his removal to Uttoxeter. As both these sermons have been by desire committed to the press, we shall hope, in our review of them, to lay before our readers some interesting particulars concerning this faithful and ex-"Necrology." He married Frances-Elizaemplary servant of Christ. beth, third daughter of the late Sir Francis Bernard, Bart. governor of Massachussetts Bay. Died, October 30th, at Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire, aged 61, the Rev. Richard ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. SOPATER ; I. O. ; P. L. H. ; I. E. W.; G. B.; Nemo; T. C.; B.; D. Coates; Ingran; PHILOS; and PHILALEUTHES, have been received. G. S. FABER's different papers, and TUUM EST, will be inserted. Civis, we doubt not, has seen with pleasure that the Chief Magistrate of London has expressed his intention of suppressing the offensive practice mentioned in his paper,— viz. that of hawking newspapers about the streets on Sunday morning. The inquiries of M. H. inay be satisfied by applying to W. Jones, Esq. secretary of the Society for Improving the Condition of Chimney Sweepers; or to Mr. Smart, Ordnanc Whart, Westminster Bridge. The only reason we can give to a SERIOUS INQUIRER for the change of expression of which he complains, is, that we thought the one we have used more correct. year was as follows: Interest on debt 20,996,052 222,775 Charges of management•••••• 1,862,945 L.33,986,222 1,606,038 90,954 789,754 9,791,408 5,537,488 18,463,094 1808 22,646 2,324,819 157,105 1809 23,070 2,368,468 160,598 We conceive that the excess of the expenditure above the income, which appears on the face of these two statements, amounting to near six millions, is chiefly accounted for by the circumstance of the con version of Exchequer Bills into stock, which must be considered as having substantially the same effect as a creation of an additional loan for the same amount. It appears, then, on the face of 3,907,145 these accounts, that our income in 4,374,184 the last year, independently of loans, was about sixty-two millions, and that our expenditure in the same year, independently of about eleven millions applied to the reduction of debt, was about seventy four millions, making an excess in 4,971,527 our expenditure, above our income, 1,459,434 of about nine millions. Supposing, therefore, both our income from 84,977,248 Deduct loan, &c. for Ireland.. 2,949,960 present sources, and our expendi ture, to remain the same, a further sum of about nine millions per annum would be necessary to be levied in new taxes, in order to render the one equal to the other. We trust, however, that a large portion of this difference might be annihilated by the reduction of some chief branches of our expenditure. |