by giving foreign nations and tyrants time to breathe to mulet their people, provifion their magazines, and recruit their armies. Who is it that calls for peace? Brunswick, Cobourg, Pitt, Hood, and Ricardos. The deceit is too grofs, for it is our cowardly enemies themselves, who induftriously diffeminate this opinion, and who have the folly to hope it will prevail. Let our popular focieties feize every means of developing the crimes of the British government, and of proving that its minifter has familiarized national defpotifm, and in a pompous manner has fubftantiated the royal tyranny. It is the forms of this government, which you ought to deftroy.'

On Thursday, Jan. 23, the national convention decreed, That a falfe witnefs fhall incur the fame purishment which would have been incurred by the perion against whom his falfehood was directed.' On Sunday, Jan. 26, Barrere, in the name of the committee of public fafety, said, that in order to give effect to the very extraordinary exertions that were making in all the ports of the republic, it was fit that all mariners fhould be fubject to the fame requifition as other citizens. In confequence of this the affembly decreed, that all officers and others, not employed in the marine, but engaged on board merchant and trading hips, or otherwife employed in navigation, fhould be at the difpofition of the minifter of the

marine.

Barrere then called the convention to confider a most fruitful caufe of the evils which diftreffed the republic-it was the different idioms of language that prevailed in the heart of France; by this difference in language many parts of the country were not only left in ignorance of what was doing by the convention, but their meafures were mifreprefented. In this way the infurrection in La Vendee had been principally promoted, for the word lars was confounded with religion; and in this way alfo, the inhabitants of the departments on the Rhine had been accustomed to confider the Germans more as their brothers than the French; and in this way too the Bafques, a free but uninformed people, living in the lower Pyrenees, were deceived by their neighbours the Spaniards. The convention therefore decreed, that a teacher fhould be appointed in each district, not a minifter of any religious order, nor a member of any heretofore privileged body, who fhould explain to the people of both fexes, in

their native dialect, the proceedings of the convention, particularly thofe relating to agriculture and the rights of citizens, and alfo to inftruct them in pure French. Thefe teachers to be pointed out by the popular focieties in each diftri&t.

A deputation of Americans was admitted to the bar, and the orator demanded the pardon of Thomas Paine, that apoftle of liberty, who had been profcribed in England, and whofe arreft was a fpecies of triumph to all the tyrants on earth. His papers had been examined, and far from finding any dangerous propofitions, the committee had traced only the characters of that burning zeal for libertyof that eloquence of nature and philofophy

and of thofe principles of public morality, which had through life procured him the hatred of defpots and the love of his fellow-citizens. They demanded, there fore, with confidence, that Thomas Paine fhould be rettored to the fraternal embrace of his fellow-citizens, and they offer themfelves fureties for his conduct during the fhort time that he fhould remain in France.

We

The prefident, after a high compliment to the American people, faid, You demand from us Thomas Paine-you are anxious to re-conduct to your own fides the afferter of the Rights of man. muft applaud this generous devotion. Thomas Paine was born in Englandthat was enough to fubject him to the decree in the first instance, which our own fafety demanded by the revolutionary laws, The convention will take into confideration your demand.'

Another specimen of the extraordinary fentiments and language of the_prefent French rulers was exhibited by Barrere, on Saturday, February 1, in the following part of a report of the committee of public fafety on the war.

"Our land forces,' faid Barrere, in the name of the committee of public fafety, have made a glorious campaign; and our naval force will procure us an honourable peace. Peace has been talked of; you have been told that you mean to fubject the English people to your measures; that you intend to tranfport Paris to London. Why will you lavish fo much French blood? The confederate powers fue for peace. You wish to dethrone all kings-Do you wish it for the purpose of undoing the revolution, or, at least, in order to retard its beneficial confequences ? This is the common language of the mo derates!

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The

The committee prepare a terrible war, with the only view of obtaining a folid peace. You defire peace; the leagued kings do the fame; but mark at what price! A diplomatic agent in a neutral country faid the other day, The confederate powers are willing, provifionally, to acknowledge the French republic. (Burfts of laughter)-Well, let us provifionally deftroy all tyrannical governments. (Applauded.) Do you know what the coalefced kings are propofing to you? A ceffation of hoftilities for two years. (No ceflation of hoftilities!' was the general cry.) They offer you a two years armiftice, for the purpofe of eftablishing among you new Vendees; in order to recover their exhaufted ftrength; to carry off your merchandize; to infect the popular focieties by their agents; to ftir up new confpiracies among you; perfidiously to take from you your arms, your provifions, and to give you at lait fome royal fcoundrel for a mafter. This is the cellaton of hoftilities which is offered you; at the term of its expiration they will grant you peace, they fay; and this peace is to be ratified by the French people. Can it be forgotten, that a faction, whofe in tention it was to deftroy liberty by this means, made fimilar proposals?

The French people defire peace; but an honourable peace, a peace fuch as we fhall be ready to fign. The tyrants offer you peace, because they have neither money nor foldiers. A negociator faid lately in Swifferland, but fuppofe it was intended to talk of peace, to whom in France

LONDON

fhould an application of that kind be addreffed ?'-To whom? This is not difficult to be determined,' anfwered the national agent; we have a hundred thousand negociators at the army of the Rhine; a hundred thousand in the fouth; as many at the northern army.' (Burfts of applaufe)

Why fhould the French people not act as Rome did? Why should we not furround all kings with the famous circle of Popilius? If the British people with for peace, why do they not fpeedily detach themfelves from their infernal and defpotic government? Let them ceafe to behave like flaves, and we will grant them peace. The kings, we are told, demand peacebut what have these defpots hitherto done to obtain it ?-Have they ceased to-provoke the neutral governments against us, and to direct their perfidious manœuvres against a free people? Arms and gunpowder must alone procure us peace.'

On Sunday, Feb. 2, on the report of the fame committee is was decreed, that every captain or other officer of the navy, who fhall strike, and furrender a fhip of the line to the enemy, without having fought a force at least double her own, fhall be declared guilty of treason against their country.

The convention, wishing to be just as well as fevere, decreed, at the fame time, that the feamen who fhall capture an enemy's ship of one third greater force than their own, fhall get promotion, and also be otherwife rewarded. [To be continued.]

able

a current had fet us fome leagues to the weitward of our expectation; hauled our wind; but it blowing hard from the eattward, with a strong lee current, we could but just fetch to the weftward of the above cape. The wind and current continuing, we could not, till the evening of the 11th, get as far to windward as Cape Sepet: having that evening, a little before ten o'clock, found the hip would be able to fetch into Toulon if I wished it, I did not like to wait 'till morning, as we had been thrown to leeward, and having fo many men on board, I thought it my indifpenfable duty to get in as faft as poffible. At ten I ordered the hands to be turned up to bring the fhip to anchor, being then abreast of Cape Sepet, entering the Outer Harbour. Not having a pilot on board, or any perfon acquainted with the port, I placed two midshipmen to look out with night-glaffes for the fleet; but not difcovering any hips until we got near the entrance of the Inner Harbour, I fuppofe they had moored up there in the eastern gale; at the fame time feeing one veffel, with feveral other lights, which I imagined to be the fleet's. I entered the Inner Harbour under the topfails only; but find ing I could not weather a brig, which lay a little way above the point called the Grand Tour, I ordered the forefail and driver to be fet, to be ready to tack when we were the oth r fide the brig. Soon after the brig hailed us, but I could not make out in what language: I fuppofed they wanted to know what thip it was. I told them it was an English frigate called the Juno. They answered, viva; and after afking, in English and French, for fome time, what brig fhe was, and where the British admiral lay, they appeared not to understand me, but called out, as we paffed under their stern, luff, which made ine fuppofe there was fhoal water near. The helm was inftantly put a lee, but we found the fhip was on fhore, before the got head to wind. There being very little wind, and perfectly fmooth, I ordered the fails to be clewed up and handed at this time a boat went from the brig toward the town. Before the people were all off the yards, we found the ship went altern very fait, by a flaw of wind that came down the harbour: we hoilted the driver and mizen tay fail, keeping the fheets to windward to give her itern way as long as poffible, that the might get fur

ther from the fhoal. The inftant she lost her way, we let go the best bower anchor; when the tended head to wind, the after part of the keel was aground, and we could not move the rudder. I ordered the launch and cutter to be hoifted out, and to put the kedge anchor, with two hawfers, in them, to warp the ship further off. By the time the boats were out, a boat came along fide, after having been hailed, and we thought answered as if an officer had been in her; the people were all anxious to get out of her, two of which appeared to be the officers: one of them faid, he came to inform me, it was the regulation of the port, and the commanding officer's orders, that I must go into another branch of the harbour, to perform ten days quarantine. I kept asking him where lord Hood's fhip lay; but his not giving me any fatisfactory answer, and one of the midshipmen having at the fame inftant faid, They wear National Cockades,' I looked at one of their hats more ftedfaftly, and, by the moonlight, clearly diftinguished the three colours. Perceiving they were fufpected, and on my questioning them again about lord Hood, one of them replied, Soyez tranquille, les Anglois font de braves gens, nous les traitons bien; l'admiral Anglois eft forti il y a quelque tems. It may be more easily conceived than any words can expreis what I felt at the moment. The circumftance of our fituation, of course, was known throughout the fhip in an inftant; and faying we were all prifoners, the officers foon got near me, to know our fituation. At the fame time, a flaw of wind coming down the harbour, lieutenant Webley, the third lieutenant of the hip, faid to me,

I believe, fir, we fhall be able to fetch out, if we can get her under fail.' I immediately perceived we should have a chance of faving the fhip; at least, if we did not, we ought not to lose his majesty's fhip without fome contention. I ordered every perfon to their respective stations, and the Frenchmen to be sent below: they perceiving fome buffle, two or three of them began to draw their fabres; on which I ordered fome of the marines to take the half pikes, and force them below, which was foon done: I then ordered all the Maltefe between decks, that we might not have confufion with too many men. I believe, in an intant, fuch a change in people was never feen; every officer and

man

man was at his duty, and I do believe, within three minutes, every fail in the thip was fet, and the yards braced ready for calting. The fteady and active affiftance of lieut. Turner, and all the officers, prevented auy confusion from arifing in our critical fituation. As foon as the cable was tort, I ordered it to be cut, and had the good fortune to see the ship start from the fhore; the head-fails were filled: a favourable flaw of wind coming at the fame time, got good way on her, and we had then every profpect of getting out, if the forts did not difable us. To prevent our being retarded by the boats, I ordered them to be cut adrift, as alfo the French boat. The moment the brig faw us begin to loofe fails, we could plainly perceive the was getting her guns ready, and we alfo faw lights on all the batteries. When we had hot far enough for the brig's guns to bear on us, which was not more than three fhips lengths, the began to fire, alfo a fort a little on the ftзrboard bow, and foon after all of them, on both fides, as they could bring their guns to bear. As foon as the fails were well trimmed, I beat to quarters to get our guns ready, but not with an in

THE

tention of firing till we were fure of getting out. When we got a-breath of the center part of the land of Cape Sepet, I was afraid we thould have been obliged to make a tack, but as we drew near the shore, and were ready, the came up two points, and juft weathered the Cape. As we paffed very clofe along that fhore, the batteries kept up as brisk a fire as the wetness of the weather would admit. When I could afford to keep the ship a little from the wind, I ordered fome guns to be fired at a battery that had just opened abreast of us, which quieted them a little. We then ftopped firing till we could keep her away, with the wind abaft the beam, when, for a few minutes, we kept up a very brifk fire on the laft battery we had to pafs, and which I believe muft otherwife have done us great damage. At half past twelve, being out of reach of their fhot, the firing cealed; fortunately we had no person hurt. Some thot paffed through the fails, part of the standing and running rigging fhot away, and two French 36 pound fhot, that ftruck the hull, was all the damage we received.

ON Wednesday evening a new comedy, called LOVE'S FRAILTIES, or, Precept against Practice, was performed at Covent Garden Theatre, the characters of which were thus reprefented:

Mufcadel, Mr. Lewis; Sir Gregory Oldwort, Mr. Quick; Seymour, Mr. Holman; Craig Campbell, Mr. Munden; James, Mrs. Farley; Paulina, Mrs. Ef fen; Nannette Mrs. Mattocks; Laty Louifa Compton, Mrs. Fawcet, Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs. Platt; Lady Fancourt, Mrs. Pope,

This comedy is written by Mr. Holcroft. The main object of the fatire is, to hold up to ridicule that character fo common in life, a man profufling the utmoft purity of morals, and rigidly auftere upon those who do not exactly iquare their conduct by the precepts he has eternally in his mouth, although he is the flave of vicious pafhons in private, and lecherous in the extreme. Sir Gregory Oldwort is this hypocrite.

The plot exhibits the diftrefs of a man of family, driven to penury by the oppreflion of a brother, and obliged to turn painter, in order to provide fome maintemance for an only daughter, and his faith

SAM. HOOD.

ful fervant from Switzerland, who had lived with him twenty years, nurfed his child, attended his wife in her laft illness, and fhared in all his misfortunes. A brother and fifter of high birth are taken under fir Gregory's roof, on being deferted by their noble relations, when they loft their parents, but this is done by fir Gregory, not from motives of benevolence, but out of mere oftentation. The filter has privately married an officer in the army, and the brother has pledged his troth to Paulina, the daughter of the painter, who loves him with a mutual and equally aident paflion. Sir Gregory commands the latter to pay his addrefles to lady Fancourt, who, though he had given Mufcadel reafon to expect her hand, takes a violent hiking to Mr. Seymour, the brother, and hence a.ifes all the intereft created by the embarraffment of the two lovers. Lady Fancourt hearing of Mr. Seymour's attachment, goes to fee the painter's daughter, imagining that her high rank will awe her into a compliance with her wishes, and influence her to abandon all hopes of Mr. Seymour. She is charmed with the beau ty and elegance of Paulina's perfon, and ftill more by the excellence of her under

tanding,