for Newry, in the room of Robert Scott, Efq; deceased.

The four bills read a fecond time yef terday, were this day feverally committed, and ordered to be engroffed.

On Friday, Dec. 24. The above four bills were read a third time, passed, and fent up to the lords.

The tontine and stamp bills, returned from England, were read a first time, and a committee appointed to compare the tranfmiffes with the heads fent over. The Dundalk road bill was reported and fent to the Lord Lieutenant.

On Saturday Dec. 25. The tontine and ftamp bills were read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed.

Mr. George Hamilton, Mr. Dennis Daly, and Mr. James Brown, were ordered to prepare "heads of a bill for the better regulation of the profeffion and practice of furgery in this kingdom.

Mr. Barry Barry prefented heads of a bill for difabling any perfon from being chosen a member, or from fitting or voting in the house of commons, who had any penfion from the crown," which were read and committed.

A bill (from the lords) intitled" an act for explaining an act, intitled an act for vefting part of the fettled eftate of the right hon. John, lord Eyre, baron of Eyrecourt, in trustees and their heirs to be fold, in lieu and inftead of other part of the faid fettled eftate, and for other purposes," was read a first time.

The Lord Lieutenant then fent for the houfe to the house of peers, where he gave the royal affent to the following public bills.

1. An act for granting unto his majef ty, an additional duty on beer, ale, ftrong waters, wine, tobacco, hydes, and other goods and merchandizes, therein mentioned; and for prohibiting the importation of all gold and silver lace, and of all cambricks and lawns, except of the manufacture of Great Britain.

2. An act for granting unto his majefty the feveral duties, rates, impofitions and taxes, therein particulary expreffed, to be applied to pay an intereft at the rate of four per cent, per annum, for fuch part of the feveral principal fums formerly borrowed as thall remain unpaid on the twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand feven hundred and feventy-three, and to apply the furplus of the faid duty in fuch manner and for fuch purpofes as fall be directed by parliament,

3. An act for granting to his majefty an additional duty upon the feveral goods and merchandizes therein mentioned.

4. An act, to repeal an act entitled, an act for the more effectual punishing wicked and diforderly persons, who have committed or fhall commit violences and do injuries to the perfons or properties of any of his majesty's fubjects in the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, city and county of Londonderry and county of Tyrone or any of them, or who fhall deliver or publish threatening letters, or who refift or oppofe the levying the public taxes in the faid counties or any of them, and for the more effectual bringing to justice certain offenders therein mentioned.

On prefenting the three money bills, the fpeaker made the following speech, for which, on his return to the houfe, the thanks thereof were voted to him, and it was ordered to be entered on the journals.

May it please your Excellency, "The commons have exerted their utmost efforts to anfwer your excellency's expectations, not only in providing for the difcharge of an arrear of 265,000 1. but alfo in making an addition to the revenue of near 100,000 1. a year. Difficult as this task appeared in a kingdom fo deftitute of refources as this is, it yet was undertaken with chearfulness and profecuted with vigor; but if the means they have employed fhall prove inadequate to the liberality of their intentions, it must be imputed to the inability of the kingdom, not to any difinclination or unwillingness in them to make ample provifion for his majesty's fervice, to which they have facrificed their most favourite objects. The moderation and temper, with which all their proceedings have been conducted during the courfe of this feffion, afford the cleareft proof, not only of their gratitude for his majefty's gracious attention and condefcention to their wishes, but alfo of the juft fenfe they entertain of your excellency's effectual interceffion in their favour, to which they attribute those measures of economy, which have been lately adopted, and which they doubt not will be continued; and they have the fulleft confidence that the fame humane and benevolent difpofition will induce your excellency to reprefent to his majesty in the ftrongeft light, not only their duty and affection to him, but alfo the ftate

and

SCENE, BATH and its ENVIRONS. ISS Lydia Languifn, a young la

ed by Captain Abfolute, the fon of Sir Anthony, under the fictitious title of Enfign Beverley, a character he conceives better fuited to her flighty difpofition far elopements, &c. than his real one, which might prove a bar to their union. Two thirds of her fortune, however, are fettled upon another branch of the family if the marries without the confent of her aunt Malaprop; which caufes no fmall hefitation on the part of the Captain with refpect to an expedition to Scotland.

In this fituation the lovers are found at Bath, when Sir Anthony unexpectedly arrives, with a flight fit of the gout, who is furprized to find his fon there; however he prefently informs the Captain, that he has a wife in his eye for him, and infifts on his affent, without fo much as his feeing the lady. This he pofitively refufes, and his father leaves him with threats to difinherit him.

The Captain foon difcovering that the choice his father had made for him, was no other than that he had made for himfelf, pleads his penitence for his past of fence, and promifes to obey him, be the lady whom or what fhe may. In confequence of this he is introduced by Sir Anthony, to Mrs. Malaprop, as Captain Abfolute, in order to be prefented to her niece as her admirer: the old lady, in a tete-a-tete with the Captain, informs him of a young illiterate Enfign, to whom Lydia was a little partial, but there was

no great danger now, as fhe had discovered the plot by a letter fhe had intercepted, which he begs him to read, in which the old lady is finely abused.

Lydia being now called down, is much aftonished at finding her Beverley in Captain Abfolute; he tells her, however,

that he affumed the name of the latter, only to gain admiffion to her, with which fhe is perfectly fatisfied; however, on his father's entrance, the deceit is difco vered, and the confequence is, that Lydia's romantic hopes of an elopement, &c. being all cut off, fhe treats the idea of this union, by general confent, with great indifferen e, and they part with no very favourable impreffions of each other.

Acres arrives likewife at this time at Bath, on a vifit of courtship to this fame lady: but he is refufed admittance. He is waited upon by Sir Lucius O'Trigger, to whom he relates his grievance. Sir Lucius immediately recommends him to

Acres confents, by writing a challenge, and fending it to the lover of Mifs Languifh on the South Parade, infifting on his meeting him in King's Mead." Sir Lucius himself, through the artifice of Lucy, Lydia's maid, is made to believe that her miftrefs was dying for him, from a letter fhe carried to him written by the old aunt, who, it seems, fell in love with this gigantic fortune-hunter. In confequence of his fuppofed preten fions to Lydia, he defignedly quarrels with the Captain, whom he meets on the North Parade, fupponing him his rival, and infifts upon his meeting him at King's Mead, where he has a little affair of the fame nature upon his hands.

Acres's fervant foon after the parting of thefe gentlemen, arrives with his mafter's chailenge, and fuppofing Sir Lucius to be the rival, delivers it to him, who mistaking it for a note from the Captain, polts away to the field. By the time the combatants are fuppofed to have arrived at their ground, David alarms the whole town, where Mrs. Malaprop, Lydia, Sir Anthony (Falkland and Julia Melville who compose fomething of an under plot in the piece) with conitables, &c. foon after arrive and prevent the fatal effects of a duci, by a general eclairciticment.

This Comedy, faid to be written by Mr. Sheridan, jun. feems to be the haf ty compofition of a young man of more genius than prefent knowledge of the Engif

English drama; hence thofe defects in the main pillars, which are the only fupports of a dramatic compofition.

The fable is not the moit natural or intelligible, nor have the characters any great claim to novelty.-Sir Lucius O'Trigger and Sir Anthony Abfolute, indifferent as they are, were moft barbaroufly handled by the inattention of the performers, neither of them being perfect in one fentence of their parts. The dialogue, in many fcenes, was natural and pleafing; in one or two, far fuperior to that of the modern race of comic writers; the situation between Capt. Abfolute and Mrs. Malaprop was well conceived and wrought up. We think the writer has here and there miftaken ribaldry for humour, at which the audience feemed difpleafed. A prologue by Mr. Lee, in the character of a ferjeant at Law, and Mr. Quick as an attorney, who brings the former a fee to plead for the bard, though novel, was not much relifhed. The epilogue, however, made amends, as it is one of the most harmonious, pretty pieces of the kind that has been heard for fome time. There were three new scenes; one of which, a perfpective view through the South Parade at Bath, to the late Mr. Allen's villa, was univerfally admired.

The Speech of the Right Hon. the Earl of Chatham, in the House of Lords, on Friday the 20th of January, 1775, on the following Motion made by his Lordfhip.

"THA

HAT an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majesty, moft humble to advise, and befeech his Majefty, that, in order to open the way towards an happy fettlement of the dangerous troubles in America, by beginning to allay ferments, and foften animofities there; and above all, for preventing, in the mean time, any fud den and fatal catastrophe at Bolton, now fuffering under the daily irritation of an army before their eyes, pofted in their town. It may gracioufly please his Majefty, that immediate orders may be difpatched to general Gage for removing his Majefly's forces from the town of Bofton, as foon as the rigour of the feafon, and other circumftances indifpenfable to the fafety and accommodation of the faid troops, may render the fame practicable."

in fo late a period of this business☀; papers, I am fure, the contents of which are already known, not only to every noble lord in this houfe, but almoft to every perfon in this kingdom, who has made American affairs in the leaft an object of enquiry; yet now, in the very tail of this bufinefs, when measures fhould be long fince determined on, we are furnished with an empty parade of parchments-to tell us what? why, what all the world knew before---that the Americans, fore under injuries, and irritated by wrongs, ftript of their inborn rights and dearest privileges, have refifted, and entered into affociations for the prefervation of that bleffing to which life and property are but fecondary confiderations.

Give me leave to ask you, my Lords, how these affociations have been formed? has the tide of corruption yet flowed in upon their elections have thofe delegates been fuborned? or have great intereft, great power, or great threats been ufed (as is too much the cafe in this our boafted mother country) to crayon out what conduct they fhould adopt? no--nothing like this has appeared; the electors feem to be prompted by no other motive than that glorious, and exalted one, the prefervation of their common liberties; and under this idea they have been induced to appoint men competent to fo great an undertaking; men of tried and found principles, embarked in the fame great caufe, and, from fimilar fentiments, taught to pity the miferies of the whole.

Invefted then with this right (the choice of a free people) thefe delegates have deliberated with prudence, wifdom, and fpirit; and, in confequence of thefe deliberations, have addressed the justice, and honour of this country. This is their fault---this is their crime; petitioning for that, without which a free people cannot poffibly exifl---yet, for asking this boon, the unalienable privilege of Englishmen, are they reprobated, and ftigmatized with the epithets of ingrates --traitors---and rebels.

Had the early fituation of the people of Bofton been attended to, my Lords, it would not have come to this---but the infant complaints of Bofton were literally treated like the capricious fqualls of a child, who, it was faid, did not know

NOT E.

My Lords,

whether

whether it was aggrieved, or not.---But full well, my Lords, I knew, at that time, that this child, if not redressed, would foon affume the courage and voice of a man. The Bostonians did not then complain upon a flight, or temporary evil; but on an evil which fapped the very vitals of their conftitution, and reduced all the great bleffings of life to chance, equivocation, and infecurity. Full well I knew, that the fons of ancestors, born under the fame free conftitution, and once breathing the fame liberal air of Englishmen,---ancestors, who even quitted this land of liberty, the moment it became a land of Oppreffion, and, in resistance to bigotted councils, and oppreffive measures, tore themselves from their dearest connexions; I fay, my Lords, full well I knew that the offspring of fuch ancestors would refift upon the fame principles, and on the fame occafions.

It has, however, gone abroad, that the refolutions, and petitions, of the Congrefs are not the real refolutions and petitions of the fober, refpectable, and difpaffionate; but the very dregs and refuse of the people; and to circulate this report the better, letters are handed about from fome very respectable merchants, (as they are called) from the different provinces. But well I know how to describe such merchants---little paltry,peddling fellows, venders of two-penny wares, and falfehoods, who, under the idea of trade, fell every thing in their power---Honour, Truft, and Confcience.

Thefe fellows (for fuch is the lot of humanity) are ever to be found in all countries---and are always in the greatest plenty when their country is at takewho, without ever regarding confequences, and that general ruin might enfue, prefs forward to the goal of lucre, and cut out the shortest patfage to their own interefts.

·

Yet these are the men, who are held out to us to take a true state of the country from; Men who are, upon the most illiberal principles, children of the world, and have no fixed refidence---no lafting attachments but to the fhrine of Mammon, ---But it is not fuch ever fpeak the voice of a people-it is the proprietors, and tillers of the ground-men who have a permanent-natural right in the place and who, from being nurfed in the bofom of cultivation, form strong and honourable attachments to their country-it is to thefe credit and authority are to be February, 1775.

given, and from these our best informations are to be drawn.

Much, my Lords, has been faid about the authority of parliament in these cafes, and when men are driven for want of argument, they fly to this as their last refource-" acts of parliament (fay their advocates) are facred, and fhould be implicitly fubmitted to-for if the supreme power does not lodge fomewhere operatively, and effectually, there must be an end of all legiflation."-But, my Lords, they who argue, or rather dogmatize in this manner, do not fee the whole of this question on great, wife, and liberal grounds; for in all free ftates the conftitution is fixed, and all legislative power, and authority, wherever placed either in collective bodies, or individually, must derive under that conftitution that framed them.-Acts of legislation, therefore, however strong and effective they may be, when they are framed in the fpirit of this conftitution, yet when they refift-they attack their own foundation: for it is the conflitution, and it alone, that limits both fovereignty, and allegiance.

This doctrine, my Lords, is no tem→ porary doctrine, taken up on particular purposes, it is involved in no metaphyfical doubts, and intricacies-but clear, precife, and determined. It is recorded in all our law books-it is written in the great volume of nature-it is the effential, unaltered right of Englishmen-it accords with all the principles of justice, and civil policy, which neither armed force on the one fide, nor submission on the other, can upon any occafion whatever eradicate.

It was this doctrine that was the great guide and spirit to the framers of the bill of rights at the period of the glorious revolution-men of the greatest accuracy, wisdom, and honesty; and who without any difparagement to the prefent dayfew fuch counsellors are now to be seen

Recollect, my Lords, for a moment, the arguments used by these men—and fee how wife, liberal, and constitutional they were; turn them to their opponents; and how flimfy, thin, and unprovided they appear! if then we applaud our ancellors for obtaining fuch liberties for us, at a time when all the rights of Englishmen were trampled upon, and defpotifm had trodden down the lawsfurely we cannot, in reafon, deny that portion of liberty (fo hardly and honourably obtained) to our own brethrenbrethren by the fame common parent, M

and