As Daphne's plant unchang'd can meet The light'nings blasting glare; Nor fhall the wretch, whose heart forlorn Feels aching guilt's corroding thorn, Each future hope forego; Though Memory fhrinking and aghaft, Turns from the record of the past, And owns that former guilt produc'd each present woe. Though all around the horizon lours, Though fummer friends no more with flowers Bedeck his falling fhrine; Though confcience, faint and liftlefs long, Now rifes like a giant strong, And thunders in his ear the threats of wrath divine. Still weeping by the finner's fide, She lulls regret, the humbles pride, The fiends of desperation fly The clear effulgence of her eye, 'The heart in which thine ardour glows, Directed by thy light divine, To griefs, which while they pain, refine, To griefs which quickly end in blifs without alloy. Such blifs the generous patron fhares, He vindicates his right; Such blifs is o'er their bofom shed, Nor only with the affluent train, Doft thou thy bleffings fhare; If feated in life's humbleft vale, Or pagan wisdom scan : of man. When Science dims her borrow'd fires, When Faith in certainty expires, When prophefy fhall fail; Uninjur'd thou furviv'st alone, As night's dire fhades avoid the radiant While all the harps of heaven thy glorious O folar ftar. ODE TO CHARITY. [From the Same. ] H Charity! thou radiant beam, Beft fymbol of the power who reigns cry. triumphs hail. And dreft in no fantaflic guise, Ah! would the fair thefe truths difcern, Whether thou fport'ft upon the waves, The care of Britain's warlike ifle is given, While round her cliffs old ocean raves, Whether thou guid it the form of night Or rul'it the lightning's rapid flight; Before thy face white terrors fly, Blackening with gloomy clouds the sky, Behind thee fear and dire difmay, And mark thy dreadful way: What fhall thy near approach withstand, When vengeance arms thy red right hand? When (every wheel ififtin&t with war) Forth iffues thy impetuous car, Which, whirling rapid thro' the skies, (From motion kindling as it flies) Streaming, like meteor, to the troubled air,' On angry pinions, fiery dragons bear, This fpirited ode was written in the year 1778, when this nation was threatened (as at prefent) with an invalion. Behold! Behold! with joy thy native plains, (Let Freedom found from every ftring) And trace her birth from the great fource of light. Genius of Britain! view the plains Pallid Fear her vain alarms Idly fpreadWhile Glory warms Th' intrepid foul with her celestial charms, The standard rears, and calls to arms. Ye fons of Britain hear ! From her refulgent sphere Of heroes, and of demi-gods; Gallia's pale Genius stands aghaft, But dare not feek the adverse land PROCEEDINGS of the Fourth SESSION of the Seventeenth Parliament of Great Britain. Continued from page 145. ON Friday, Feb. 7. Mr. Wilberforce moved that a bill to prevent our fupplying foreign poffeffions with flaves imported in British bottoms, be referred to a committee. On a divifion, the numbers were for the motion 63, against it 40. On Monday, Feb. 10. Mr. Grey rofe to move, That the employment of foreigners in fervices of military truft, or bringing foreign troops into this kingdom, without the confent of parliament, is contrary to law.-As this fubject gave rife to debates at a fubfequent period, we fhall only obferve here, that Mr. ferjeant Adair (confidering it as a fubject too delicate for difcuffion) moved the previous question, which was carried by 184 to 35. In the houfe of peers, on Friday, Feb. 14, the earl of Moira rofe to take notice of fome obfervations that had been thrown out by an honourable gentleman (major Maitland) in another house, on the expedition which he had the honour to command. His lordship explained the general outlines of the expedition, the views of his majelty's minilters, and the communications which had taken place with the royalists on the fubject. He had been fent for by his majetty's minifters on the 17th of October, and informed by them of the fuccours with which it was intended the royalifts fhould be furnished. He did not hesitate to undertake the expedition propoled, nor did he decline that refponbility which he considered as attached to it. The soyalifts had demanded a cer tain force to co-operate with them, and minifters had appointed a much greater force than they had requested: it only remained, that a point of junction should be fixed; and before that could be effected, fome fignals were agreed upon, and fome frigates fent to repeat thofe fignals but they were not answered by the royalifts. On the 10th of November, fome perfons were fent to concert measures with them, and a different spot for landing was fixed upon. The royalifts had required artillery and artillery men, as they had scarce any one who understood the ufe of cannon. His lordfhip had reprefented to ministers, who had entrusted him with a discretionary power on this expedition, the necessity of bringing fome perfons from Flanders, who were acquainted with the management of artillery; and as he hoped to have formed an immediate junction with the royalitts, he had appointed two French officers, of great merit, his aides-du-camp, and another as his fecretary; because he conceived, the junction once made, his little army was not to be grafted into that of the royalifts, but was to form a part of that which he had the honour to command. In thefe circumftances, he thought himself justified in making the appoint ments on which fuch animadverfions had been made. After having brought offcers at a great expence from Flanders, he could not act otherwife; but if it should be thought that he had done wrong, he was willing that the whole expence attend, ing that measure should be deducted out of of the appointments which were attached to the command with which he had been honoured. He could not make known the names of the officers, because they had children and friends in France, to whom fuch a publicity might be fatal. But, faid his lordship, whatever difference of opinion men may entertain of the French revolution, God knows they have fuffered enough. It is now a common caufe, and it is alfo the caufe of humanity. He concluded by saying, that he took the whole refponfibility upon himself, because his majefty's minifters had fully approved of the appointments he had recommended to them. Lord Lauderdale rofe to justify the notice that had been taken in the house of commons of these appointments. Had minifters been as candid and explicit as the noble lord, it would have been deemed fatisfactory; but they had obferved a fullen filence, and had not even deigned to give the least explanation on the fubject. No one had ever doubted of the propriety of the appointments, and of the purity of the noble lord's intentions in making them; but their illegality was evident; and as the other house particularly had been ever jealous, and laudably fo, on that head, he thought the honourable gentleman alluded to was juftified in what he had done. Lord Grenville faid, that what had fallen from the last speaker did not deferve any notice. After the open, candid, and manly manner in which lord Moira had expressed himself, he could have little to add: he would only differ in one thing from that noble lord, that his majefty's minifters, after having fo fully approved of what his lordship had done, would fhare the refponfibility with him. In the houfe of lords, on Monday, February 17, the marquis of Lansdowne begged leave to trouble their lordships with fome obfervations previous to his propofed motion for concluding a peace with the French nation. He regretted that a motion fo neceffary, and fo juft, neither actuated by perfonal intereft, nor influenced by party, had not been adopted, as it ought, by his majesty's minifters. He had long regarded the war and all its circumftances, profpects, and effects, in the most impartial manner, and did not belitate to pronounce it unjuft, impolitic, and fatal. Whatever was the neceffity urged at the onfet, nothing but danger occurred in the purfuit. The allies had followed measures hitherto unexampled, and they had gained nothing by them. Two campaigns had elapfed, and nothing effectual had been yet obtained: a third was approaching, and nothing effectual could be hoped for. It might be urged in fupport of the neceffity of our joining the league, that the French were poffeffed at that time of the Low Countries, and threatened the immediate invafion of Holland; and that by our interference Holland had been refcued, and the French fubdued in turn. This, however, was not decifive. He reminded their lordships, that it was merely the casual and precarious chance of war; that by a battle the Netherlands were loft, by a battle restored, and by a battle might be conquered again. He was aware alfo, that a foreign officer and engineer, general Mark, of extreme fcience and erudition, and of acknowledged skill in military tactics, had arrived in this country, to propose a new plan of operations, from which the moft profperous fuccefs might be augured. Not to difcredit the counfel of this scientific gentleman, nor to infinuate any mifapprehenfion of the utility of his plans in particular, he would be bold to declare, that he difapproved of any reference to one individual for the advantages of war; nor would he depend on any fingle perfon, however boafted his abilities, for the probability of fuccess in an action so complex and uncertain. The fyftem which had been adopted from the commencement of hoftilities was extraordinary, dangerous, and unexampled. He meant the invasion of France. To open an inroad to the heart of France, was not only wild and impolitic, but directly contrary to common fenfe, and to the opinions of almost every general or author, ancient or modern. He did not speak abstractedly on the fubject: his opinions were neither fpeculative nor ungrounded. He had confulted the best authorities, and conferred with the ableft military men; and he had the moft indifputable teftimony, that of fact. What was the first object of the allies? To march their armies through Champagne. This expedient was ineffectual. What was the next object? To enter France by Lifle. This was alfo ineffectual. Then they attempted Dunkirk. This was equally ineffectual; and thus might they perfift, to their own ruin and difgrace, and ftill the project be vain. Did not the duke of Marlborough foretell the futility of attempting to pass the frontiers? Confult every officer or author from marfhal Schomberg to general Lloyd, who was, was, he believed, the last that had written on that fubject, and they have all maintained that it would be obftinate, extravagant, and expensive, to meditate fuch a fcheme, or endeavour to carry fuch a project into execution. Their affertions were exemplified in the operations of the two laft campaigns. Already lavish of money and blood to no purpose, he feared, in a future campaign, the arms of the allies would be attended with the fame unfortunate success. Thirteen millions were now voted for the fervice of the war, and instead of making a strict examination into the papers and treaties on the table, inftead of weighing the advantages and difadvantages of the war, and determining upon the policy of its continuance, he was forry to obferve, that they had only quoted paffages from a pamphlet upon the intentions of the French republic, and made an examination into fome of the characters of its paft and prefent rulers. It should be recollected, that the defigns and intentions of to-day, may be fruftrated or refigned to-morrow, and that rulers follow each other in quick fucceffion, as various in character as different in principle. What occafion was there for any abftract reafoning on Briffot's pamphlet? His party was no longer in power, nor did any part of his fyftem exift. But the nation till remained firm and emboldened, defperate and refolved. Inftead of fubmitting, as had been prefuppofed, to the offers of the allied armies that advanced against them, they oppofed augmented numbers, and flung the gauntlet of defiance. Seven years would foon elapfe, in which, according to the relations of hiftory and the experience of other nations, we should find fresh legions haftening to the combat. At the clofe of every feven years, upon a fair and established calculation, a new generation fucceeds, able to bear arms and dictate laws. What then was to be expected, but that the war might be carried on till the children, who at the commencement of the war were initiated in the fentiments of their fathers, and the fame ardent love of liberty and their country, fhould follow their example, and move with greater and accelerated force. No perfon could deny, however violent his deteftation of the French and of the French go. vernment, but that the noblest actions had already been performed, and exploits that reflected immortal honour on the agents and their country. Regard the undaunted courage, hardihood, and patriotifm of the French foldi ers: regard the activity, patience, and fcience of their generals. Men of obfcure origin prefumed to rush forward; by perfeverance and practice, difplayed capacities that aftonished mankind; and triumphed over heroes, redoubted for birth, education, rank, experience, and knowledge. Although the convention might be abhorred, yet these inftances of intre. pidity and valour certainly deferved commendation, and proved that our prejudice against individuals should not extend unjuftly to a whole people. When he predicted what might happen from what had happened; when he selected, compared, reafoned and deduced, he could declare that, in his opinion, the French prevailing fyftem was a system of action and reaction, of production and re-production; though perpetually flying off in particles, yet never exhaufted; though continually diminishing, continually renewed. He proceeded to the examination of the treaties on the table-treaties which furprifed him, as they were devoid of any fixed principle, and deftitute of any bene ficial compact. Pruffia was the first that attrated his notice. With Pruffia there was no other natural alliance that had ever before exifted, or feemed requifite, than the peace and fafety of Germany.-Whenever any part of Germany was attacked by the reft, the king of Pruffia reftricted the invader, and preferved the balance of power. He took a retrofpect of the policy that formerly fubfifted in the courts of Vienna and Berlin, and reflected on the wars between Jofeph the second and Frederic_the Great. He then compared the conduct of the ancient government with that of the prefent. Behold, faid he, the jealousy of the two courts is removed, and an alliance formed, which, for its oftenfible argument, is made to refer to the restitution of peace and monarchy in France, but which, it is to be fufpected, fecretly aims at an extended and almost illimitable au thority. Auftria was the next diftinguished, for a cabinet the most fyftematic and ambitious of any in Europe. For a feries of years, though emperors of different families, habits and complexions, had fucceeded to the fceptre; though her armies had triumphed or retreated, and though her generals had continually been changed; the same counfel, had invariably been given, and the fame plans purfued. The real object of Auftria was the aggrandifement of power, and that aggrandifement which the other ftates |