in parliament, one of the richest and most populous counties in Ireland. Such a man was by no means likely to suit Mr. Marsden, nor indeed, any safe politician. It is easy for a mean government to disgust a gentleman with office, and, therefore, it was easy for the present government to determine Sir John Stewart to resign. He did resign. This made room, and the friend of Mr. Marsden was recommended to the office. But, as the friend of Mr. Marsden would probably be called on for the performance of services which no Attorney General was ever yet called on to perform, so it was reasonable he should be paid in a way in which no Attorney General ever yet was paid. This however, required some invention. It was difficult to put an increase of £2,000 or £3,000 per annum on the civil list, because the civil list is limited, and the money is appropriated by parliament. But, Mr. Marsden, though dull, is not without invention where profit is concerned. A miser's wit is readily sharpened, when the cutler has a golden wheel. There is, in Ireland, a law office called "Counsel to "the Commissioners of Revenue." Its name speaks its purpose. For several years past two gentlemen of the bar have been generally employed in that department. Many intelligent persons have questioned the necessity of employing even two counsel in the office, and have considered a second as a mere addition of patronage, loading the public with a double and an useless expense. The appointments have, however, been acquiesced in. The office produces in fees, &c. about £2,000 per annum to each of the gentlemen. Now, Sir, let me open to you the honest contrivance of Mr. Marsden, Immediately on the appointment of his pliant friend to the office of AttorneyGeneral, an official letter came from the secretary of the Lord Lieutenant, addressed to the commissioners of the revenue, and directing them to place the. Attorney-General as a THIRD Counsel upon their books, and, upon the same footing as to all fees, as the two former counsel to the Commissioners had before been, whereby for Mr. Marsden's Attorney-General there are now THREE counsel to the Commissioners, and the public is burdened with an expenditure now trebled in amount. Will the fact be questioned? The letter now remains an official document in the Custom-house of Dublin. Let any member of Parliament move that the proper officer do lay it before the house. My credit with you, Sir, and the public, shall stand or fall by the production of that paper. But, it will be ask & T ed, why did Mr. Marsden resort to such a contrivance? I have already stated, that a great addition of salary could not be placed on the civil list for the Attorney General, but by act of Parliament, and so the job would, of course, be disclosed to the public. But the emoluments of the counsel to the Commissioners are paid out of the gross revenue, while it remains in the hands of the Collectors, before any payment is made by the Collectors into the Exchequer, and con sequently the charge never appears as an issue from the Exchequer, or among the expenses of Government: only the net revenue, after deducting the charges of management, is paid into the Exchequer. This job, therefore, is placed under the head of management, the gross amount of which, under the title of revenue incidents, alone appears. By this means the particulars of the charges are kept from public observa tion, as they are multifarious, complicated, and variable. But, to render this transaction more nefarious, it is, Sir, a complete pension without authority of Parliament, no duty whatsoever being performed for it. Will the assertion be denied? Let the proper officer lay before the House a list of the fees paid to the present Attorney-General since the letter was sent, and under its direction, and also an account of what reve nue trials the Attorney-General has ever attended, or what revenue cases he has ever returned with opinions upon them. I am sure this last paper will appear a blank.— But I shall weary you, Mr. Cobbett, (I am sure I have already wearied myself) before I shall have gone through one-tenth of the instances I could produce of this petty profligacy. Petty in its integral parts, but monstrous in its aggregate, and scandalous in its example.Thus you can account, Mr. Cobbett, why, upon an awful trial for high treason, an Attorney-General could be found, who would debase the dignity of his high office, running off at a tangent from the solemn issue before the court, and hunting out witnesses whose testimony should give him a pretence for pronouncing a pa negyric upon a miserable clerk. Thus it is a considerable kingdom, the right arm of the empire, upon a change of parties, is handed over to Lord Hardwicke in order to enable Mr. Addington, by the delivery, to procure some support in Parliament, and to enable Lord Hardwicke, by the possession, to provide for the poor re lations of his family. If these were not the objects, let it be stated what were the cir cumstances in the character, particular talent, particular knowledge, or general repu spring and summer in a minute and military examination of the country, where he was to act, and of the troops, which he was to command. Every one knows, that without a local knowledge of the country where he is to act, and a personal knowledge of the troops under his orders, the talents of an officer can avail but little and so far, Ge time and the summer season, became qualified for his station. But now, as there was a fault on the 23d of July, and that fault lay sometubere, some sacrifice must be made. The fault lay between Mr. Clarke, the Cotton-man, Mr. Marsden, the lerk, and General Fox-for as to poor Lord Hardwicke, he was safe at the Park, entirely removed both from political responsibility and from personal danger. That, then, is to be done, which one must expect would naturally be done by such men. General Fox is, at the moment previous to invasion, to be sacrificed, in order to preserve the military reputations of the Cotton-man and the Clerk; and Lord Cathcart is, we understand, to come in the place of General Fox. Now, without presuming to measure the military talents of Lord Cathcart, but sup posing them, as he has been selected by the same Government, to be equal to those of General Fox, he is to come to his command immediately previous to the probable moment of action, without knowledge of the country in which he is to act, or of the troops of which he is to have the command, and the officer is to be removed who has made both the subjects of his peculiar at tention. These are the results of a Go vernment of safe politicians. And so God bless you, Mr. Cobbett, and God protect us during the winter,- -I am yours, &c. tation of Lord Hardwicke, which marked his destination for Ireland. The imbecility of Lord Hardwicke is, however, propped up by the official habits of Mr. Wickham. But it became necessary for Mr. Wickham to attend his Irish flock while they were in England and I dare say, when they appeared, some political shepherd may have put the question-Dic mihi Damæta cujumneral Fox, by wisely employing his own pecus? Poor Lord Hardwicke, therefore, in this lonely wild, was left to his own devices, and he accordingly reposed himself in the bosom of Mr. Marsden, the Clerk. Such consequences followed as necessarily must follow such circumstances. In an awful hour of trial the King's revenue is wasted in ridiculous profusion, or appropriated, by mean hands, to pettty, but, therefore, not less infamous jobs. A country sore from civil broils," has become gangrened by unskilful treatment. Rebellion has broken out even in the capital. Eight months of preparation of arms and machinery of war has been proved by Government themselves on the trials for high treason, to have existed within two hundred yards of their own residence, not unknown, certainly, but as certainly not attended to. The 23d of July discovered to a gallant army that a safe politician government might reduce them to behold their officers slaughtered in their presence, without the possibility either of prevention or revenge. The 23d of July shewed to the respectable bench of judges, the heads of the law, their beloved and venerable chief abandoned in a dream of peace, in the midst of the capital, to the pikes of merciless ruffians :-in that capital, in the centre and fortress of which, with a garrison of four thousand men, and a large body of loyal yeomen, Mr. Marsden, the Clerk, then sat trembling; and from which capital his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant had, at five o'clock in the evening, very prudently taken his departure; had gone to his seat in the park; had doubled his guard there; and returned very gallantly the next morning to the city, escorted by a regiment of dragoons, to receive from the hands of Mr. Marsden, a list of the killed and wounded on the preceding day. " But, Sir, it were well if this were allI presume not to touch the feelings of a gallant officer, by making his character, either by praise or censure, the subject of anonymous, observation; but I must suppose General Fox to have been perfectly enal to his command, by his appointment to it. General Fox came over here early in the year, and very properly employed the JUVERNA. EDINBURGH MEETING. Sketch of subat took place at a Meeting of the Lieutenancy, the Heritors, and Justices of the Peace of the Courty of Edinburgh, beld in the Parliament-House in the City of Edinburgh, on Tuesday the 4th of October, 1803, bis Grace the Duke of Buccleugh Lord Lieutenant, in the Chair. HIS GRACE stated, that in pursuance of the resolutions of last meeting, he had writ ten to Mr. Yorke, the Secretary of State, communicating the sentiments of the county respecting the further enrolment of those volunteers who had offered their services; and to that letter he had received an answer, acquainting him, that Government had acquiesced in the measure that those volunteers should be raised and trained to the use of arms. MR. SHERIFF CLARK stated, that it was proper it should be made known, that the subscription which had been raised by the county was to be applied in providing all the necessaries requisite for this corps, in the same manner as those other corps whose services had been accepted by Government. This matter, which belonged principally to the Lieutenancy, being finished, LORD MEADOW BANK rose, and said, he felt his mind so powerfully impressed with the situation of public affairs at the present moment, that he could not refrain from delivering his sentiments; but although, said his Lordship, I am frequently in the habit. of speaking in public within these walls, yet the importance of the subject upon which I am now about to address your Grace, and this meeting is such, that I feel some hesitation in doing so, and am not without apprehension that I may not be able to deliver myself in terms suitable to the object I have in view, and so as to be understood by your Grace and the other gentlemen who compose this meeting His Lordship proceeded to observe, that it was with satisfaction he learnt that Government bad acquiesced with the views and sentiments of this county, by agreeing to allow the enrolment of those volunteers who had come forward with the offers of their services. He bad, bowever, observed a circular letter in the newspapers, in which it was stated, that the offers of service made by the people of the country bad far exceeded any expectations which Government had formed upon that subject, and that this was assigned as a reason why there was not a sufficiency of arms for all. But why the Government should not have expected this of the people excited bis surprize, especially when it was considered that the situation of the country was such that we were called upon to fight for the preserva tion of all that was dear to us, our liberties and independence as a free nation. At the present crisis, it was of the utmost consequence, that the people should be completely armed. It was of use that the enemy should know this, and also that they were armed with such instruments as the enemy had never been in the practice of using, such as pikes and spears. This would do much to intimidate the force of the invaders. It would alarm and appall them, and the dread of encountering such a species of defence would make them desist from so hazardous an attempt. But, passing from this, his Lordship said, what he had principally in view was to call the attention of this meeting to the present state of the maritime defence of the eastern coast, concerning which he could not help thinking there.. was such a degree of neglect manifested: as was highly blameable. He observed,: that to the southern part of the island, the most vigilant attention was very properly paid to guard the coast against every apprehension of invasion; but, with regard to this coast, all the means of defence which we had consisted in a forty-four gun frigate, and he was uncertain whether any thing more was to be added. He could not pretend himself to be a competent judge of the nature of the force best calculated for the defence of the Fitb of Forth, and the eastern coast of Scotland; but be bad conversed with gentlemen of high professional knowledge, and who were fully able to speak upon these sub-jects, and it was their opinion, that large_ fleets and beavy vessels were by no means adapted to this service. Smaller vessels," which could be easily conveyed from one point to another, were preferable, because they could not only be useful in defending against any attack, but in case of the enemy attempting to land men in boats, they could be brought to act against them with superior advantage. In this opinion be could state the Trinity House entirely acquiesced, and a THAT MEMORIAL ΤΟ EFFECT WAS TRANSMITTED TO GOVERNMENT, BACKED BY VERY HIGH AUTHORITY, BY AN AUTHORITY THAN WHOM THERE WAS NONE HIGHER OUT OF OFFICE. But noirvithstanding of this, no attention had been paid to it; and this appeared to him the more extraordinary, because at the present moment there were vessels in Leith barbour, the Greenlandmen, excellently adapted for that service, lying idle and laid up for the vinter.If, said his Lordship, we take into consideration the enemy we have now to contend with, the animosity he bears towards this country, the extent of coast he commands, the means of attack he has in his power, by the ally he has obtained in Holland, or rather I may say by the conquest and subjugation of Holland now under his controul, and by which he is enabled to act with tenfold energy, we shall find that the north-east coast requires more attention than Administration seem to be aware of.Occupied, as Lam, said his Lordship, in the duties of my station as a Judge, I have found myself unable to devote so much of my time as I could have wished, to attend to a matter of so high im portance as this; but there are times so peculiar in their circumstances as to require that even those important duties should give way to the higher considerations which may call for attention; and if ever there was a period which demanded this sacrifice, it is the present. I did, however, defer the ma ture consideration of this subject until the close of the session; but having since that time given to it all the deliberate attention of which I was capable, I feel myself called upon to state what occurs to my mind concerning it. When I look around me at present, I see this meeting composed of Judges, Professors in the University, and of other Gentlemen whose duties require that they should enjoy the most perfect tranquillity in discharging them. But I ask any man what tranquillity can they possess whilst this metropolis, and the whole eastern coast of Scotland, is suffered to remain in so defenceless a state? Can they go to bed with tranquil minds, who know not but the alarm of an enemy may arouse them in the morning? Is that the situation in which this country is to be allowed to remain? If so, how different is it from the opinion entertained by that great and eminent statesman, Mr. Pitt, whose name I can never mention but with the highest respect; he said, that the country ought to be kept in that state of preparation and defence that every man might, when he retires to rest, reeline his head upon his pillow with tranquillity.This city is the residence of the High Courts of Justice, the seat of the University, of the public banks, and the resort of gentlemen of rank and property; an attack made upon it could not fail of being attended with the most baneful consequences. The city of Glasgow also, where there is so much commercial capital, would feel the sad effects of the landing of an enemy here. The neigh bouring counties, and the whole coast, would likewise experience the dreadful consequences of such an event; and shall all this be left, as IT CERTAINLY IS AT PRESENT, OPEN TO THE ATTACKS OF OUR DECLARED ENEMY.Shall the whole attention of Government be paid to the south coast, and this left entirely defenceless? He could state, from the same authority to which he formerly alluded, one to whom upon a former occasion this country was indebted for Its salvation, that in order effectually to guard the eastern coast, there should be a sufficient force of vessels to cruize between Whitby, northward to Fifeness, as far as Peterbead, the rendezvous to be in the Frith of Forth. Thus, if a storm should compel them to leave their cruizing station, and the enemy, taking advantage of that, should come out of their harbours, these vessels would be ready to attack them when they came upon our coast. BUT THOUGH ALL THIS HAS BEEN REPRESENTED TO GOVERNMENT, NO STEP HAS YET BEEN TAKEN FOR OUR DEFENCE; A 44 GUN FRIGATE IS OUR ONLY MEANS OF SECURITY, AND SHE LIES AT ANCHOR IN LEITH ROADS.- -Such being the case, it is, said his Lordship, my opinion, that this county ought to present an address to our most gracious Sovereign, humbly and respectfully stating the defenceless state of the coast, and expressing our hopes that his Majesty would take it into his most gracious consideration. With this view I have drawn a few resolutions, which I beg leave to read to the meeting.-Hist Lordship here read the resolutions, which went at great length into a detail of the situation and defenceless state of the eastern coast of Scotland, and pointed out the different stations where it might be necessary to have an increased maritime force; as also the species of force best calculated for the purpose.After his Lordship had finished reading the resolutions, he observed, that in adopting the line of conduct he had now done, he was actuated only with a desire of procuring for the country that attention of ministers to its security which he thought they had shamefully neglected; heat the same time disclaimed all idea of faction, it was what he never approved of, and least of all would he wish to exhibit even the appearance of it upon the present occasion. It also, he said, became him to state, that whatever odium might attach to the observations he had now made, or to the resolutions he had submitted to their consi deration, that odium must fall all upon himself; for he was bound to declare, that he had not consulted with any person in or out of this meeting upon the subject, not even with those whose opinion upon matters of this kind he might sometimes be inclined to have. It was therefore to himself alone that the odium, whatever it shall be, must wholly attach. His Lordship having given in a copy of the resolutions to the Clerk, sat down. The resolutions having been read over by the Clerk, his Grace the DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH rose, and said, that he thought it proper for him to state, in the present stage of the business, that sOME TIME AGO, be, along with the Lord Provost of Edinburgh bad transmitted a memorial to Government, upon the situation of the defence of the Frith of Forth; that although NO ANSWER HAD YET BEEN RETURNED TO THEIR APPLICATION, it was probable that an answer might be received in a few days. This he thought it TA 64 1 was proper for him to inform the meeting of, in order to shew that so important an object had not been overlooked. LORD CHIEF BARON rose and said, that he had listened to the statement of the learned Judge, and also to the resolutions which he had offered to the meeting. He, however, felt himself inclined to recommend the adoption of a mode similar to that which had been resorted to by the last meeting of the county. Upon that occasion a motion was suggested by his learned friend, (Lord Hermand) something similar to that which was now proposed, respecting the enrolment of volunteers. He however took the liberty then of recommending, that before adopting that mode, application should be made to his Majesty's ministers to acquaint them of the sentiment of the county respecting the raising of these corps, and he was happy to observe that the desire of the county had been acquiesced in. He begged leave to recommend that the same line of procedure should be followed upon the present occasion, and he hoped the learned Judge would consent to withdraw his motion. He knew Mr. Yorke to be a gentleman of talents and of business, and he had no doubt that proper attention would be paid to any application on the part of the County The object of the motion was undoubtedly of great consequence to the safety of the coast, and of the metropolis, and would certainly meet his approbation; but the resolutions, from the little attention he had been enabled to give them, appeared to him to go rather too much into detail, and before he could give them his support, he thought they might require some alterations. As, however, the Government had evinced so much readiness to acquiesce with the sentiments of the county upon the late occasion, he thought that the same measures should be adopted in this, the more especially as his Grace the Lord Lieutenant had just informed the meeting that a memorial upon that subject had been drawn up and transmitted by him, in conjunction with the Lord Provost of the city. He would therefore request the learned Judge to withdraw his motion for the present, and in place of those resolutions, to substitute a general resolution of the following purport, viz."That his Grace the DUKE GF BUCCLEUGH "having informed them that he, in con"junction with the Lord Provost of Edin burgh, bad transmitted to his Majesty's “ministers a memorial, stating the import"ance of speedy appointing a stronger maritime force for the defence, of this coast, the meeting UNANIMOUSLY agree in "the necessity there was for making such a "representation, and in hoping it would be "productive of the desired effect;"→→ which passed unanimously, and the meeting adjourned. PUBLIC PAPER. Official Declaration of Neutrality of the Court of Portugal, made by the Court of Lisbon, on the 14th of June, 1803, signed by the Prince Regent. It having been the constant object of my pa. ternal wishes and royal dispositions to invariably maintain the pacific relation, subsisting between me and those powers to which I am allied and in amity; and resolving in the present circumstances of Europe to establish those principles which ought to regulate the inviolable system of neutrality which I propose to observe, in case (which God avert) a war should be com menced between powers who are my friends and allies, and having in view how much it is for the benefit of humanity and tranquillity of my dominions and subjects, to remove all and every dispute which might result from a want of know. ledge of the regulations tending to obtain the ends which I propose. I am pleased to declare that the cruizers of the Belligerent powers shall not be admitted into peres of my estates and dól minions, nor the prizes made by them or by men of war, frigates, or any other ships of war, what soever, without any other exception but that by which the laws of nations rendered hospitality indispensible with this condition, notwithstanding, that in the same ports the sale or unloading of said prizes will not be permitted should they be brought in under the above-mentioned clause, nor shall they be permitted to delay longer than is necessary to avoid the danger or to receive those innocent helps which may be necessary thus re-establishing and putting in full force the observance of the decree of the 30th of Aug. of 1780, by which this subject was determined. Let the Council of War thus understand and have it executed, expediting immediately the necessary orders to the governors and commanders of provinces, fortifications, and maritime-parts, in conformity to this decree. FOREIGN OFFICIAL PAPERS. REPORT of the Minister of WAR to the CONSULS of the FRENCH REPUBLIC, vélative to the CAPTURED FRENCH STANDARDS FOUND AT HANOVER, Dated Paris, 5 Vendémiaire, An. vat CITIZEN CONSULS General Mortier has sent to Paris nineteen pair of colours and sixteen standards, taken at different periods by the Hanoverian troops from the French, and laid up in the grand arsenal of Hanover.The greater part of these trophies, torn, stained with blood, and consisting only of tatters, shew how dearly the enemy must have paid for them. A standard representing on both sid.'s a sun, had been taken on the 11th September, 1759, at the battle of Malplaquet, when the army of the allies, superior în numbers and commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and the Prince Eugene, obtained over the French, led1 pnted. A single tri-colour standard, with the on by Villars and Bouffleurs, a victory so long dismotto "Liberty or Death" had belonged to a republican battalion at the commencement of the |