bers of that Houfe, whofe peculiar duty it was to point them out, either for redrefs or punishment, than from any other defcription of men. Mr. Marham and Mr. Fox contended, that it was the right of the fubject to petition parliament; and that right implied a duty in parliament to receive the petitions. The perfons beft qualified to bring charges were thofe who beft knew how to fubftantiate them; and therefore perfons out of the house, who were in that predicament, were much fitter for bringing fuch complaints than members, who could be made acquainted with them only at fecond-hand. Mr. Pitt admitted, that the fubje&t had a right to petition parliament on every fubject on which it could give or procure redrefs, provided the petition was' couched in refpeclful language. In this refpect no obj Etion lay against the petition then under confideration; and therefore, though it was rather extraordinary that the petitioners had not complained fooner of an influence which they faid had exifted for 30 years, he was of opinion it ought to be received. The petition was accordingly read, and ordered to lie upon the table. Sir Gilbert Elliot then rofe to bring the impeachment of Sir Elijah Impey before the Houfe; whom he affared, that he was not on this occafion actuated by any perfonal malevolence towards that gen tleman, whom he had never feen; and that nothing had ever happened between them or their friends which could raife in his breaft the leaft refentiment against him. As a proof that he did not under take the difagreeable office of an accufer from party motives, he fhewed that the inquiry into that gentleman's conduct had commenced long before the party with which he was at prefent connected had exiftence; and long before the Right Hon. Gent. now at the head of the Miniftry, was of age fufficient to have a feat in Parliament. He next obferved, that this was not the first time the houfe had heard of Sir Elijah Impey as a perfon ac cufed. He had been appointed in the year 1774 to prefide over the Supreme Court of Judicature in Bengal, and the next year complaints had been fent home against him. In 1776 thefe complaints affumed the form of regular accufations; and, his conduct going on progreffively from bad to worfe, the Houle of Commons had been obliged, after many grave deliberations and long inquiries, to addrefs the throne to recall him, that he might anfwer for his mifde ds. The extenfion of his jurifdiction, his attempting to establish that jurifdiction by force, his accepting of a place during pleafure from the Governor General, and his going about with him in a fhameful and difgraceful manner, taking affidavits, were among the charges which he had to bring against him. He had been fent out by the appointment of the Crown, that, by being independent of the Company, he might be the lefs tempted to connive at the tyrannical proceedings of its fervants; and confequently more at liberty to protect the helpless natives from the rapacity of their rulers. But, unmindful of his duty to the Crown, to his country, and to those natives whofe guardian he ought to have been, he accepted of a place from the Governor General, with a great falary, and during pleafure, though the act of parl. had ftrictly declared that he should hold nothing under the Company. From that moment he had ceafed to be a check upon their fervants, and a shield to the oppreffed natives: on the contrary, he became, to the degradation of the power he reprefented, of the country whence he came, of the profeffion to which he belonged, the tool of the Governor General, and a fanion to his oppreffions: his pliancy could go any length, even to robbery and murder. - He faid it would give him much greater pleasure if he could at this moment, with propriety, move for the thanks of the houfe to Sir E. Impey, for the upright difcharge of his duty in India. Such a motion would be highly gratifying to his own natural difpofition, if he had any grounds for it. But, as he had not, he should be culpable in a great degree if, through mistaken tenderness for a perfon who did not deferve pity, he hould endeavour to fcreen crimes of fuch enormity from punishment. It would alfo be cruelty in the extreme to millions of poor Afiaticks whom he had plundered and oppreffed, and whofe pofterity would be expofed to fimilar grievances, fhould parliament fuffer Sir E. Impey to go unpunished. To thofe poor Indians, our fellow fubjects, we owed protection and juftice; and in order to obtain that for them to which they are fo juftly entitled, he would now raife his voice, and impeach Sir E. Im. pey of high crimes and mifdemeanors; he impeached him of palpable robbery; he impeached him of deliberate murder, in the execution of Nundcomar, whom he had put to death, not for the purpose of punishing the crimes of dat unfortu nate Fate man, but in order to conceal, thofe of another (Mr. Haftings), and to fhield him from juftice. He then delivered in the charges, which were fix in number, and, being very voluminous, were read only pro forma. The house ordered that they fhould be printed for the ufe of the members, and on Monday next referred to a committee of the whole house. A new writ was ordered to be iffued for the election of a member for Bletchingley, in the room of John Nichols, Efq; who had accepted of the Chilternhundreds. Adjourned. Thursday, December 13. This day the houfe was fo thin, that there was barely a fufficient number of members' prefent to enable the Speaker to take the chair. ⚫ After a fhort fitting, in which private bufinefs only was tranfacted, it adjourn= ed to Monday, December 17. John Robinfon, Efq; having vacated his feat for Harwich, by his acceptance of the place of Surveyor General of his Majefty's Forefts, a new writ was ordered for the election of a member for that borough. The house attended his Majefty at the bar of the House of Peers, to hear the royal affent given to the land and malt tax bills. On the return of the house, Mr. Ald. Watfon moved, that four gentlemen, whom he named, fhould be ordered to attend the houfe on the ift of Feb. next, to give evidence in the cafe of the petition from the London diftill ers. Mr. Sheridan obferved, that as the ordnance estimates had been hurried through the houfe laft week after a long debate upon the propofed augmentation of the army, gentlemen had not had time fully to confider them, and fill lefs to debate them. He hoped, therefore, that though thofe eftimates had paffed the houfe, it would not be thought that he was agitating unneceffarily, and without an object, a queftion of fo much moment as the adminiftration of the ordnance de partment of the executive government. He then held in his hand a paper figned by the prefent Mafter General of the ordnance, which had fuggefted to him a number of motions that he intended to fubmit to the confideration of the house. This paper had been laid upon the table fome few years ago, and was now recorded in the journals. In this paper it was laid down as a rule which ought ever to be observed as a check upon the Board of ordnance, that an account of the application and expenditure of all fums of money voted for that fervice fhould be laid before the houfe every feffion of parliament. This rule, however, had not been complied with. He would therefore move, that an account of the expenditure of all fums of money, voted the last four years for the ordnance, fhould be forthwith laid before the house. Another point, on which it was his intention to make a motion, was the agreement for the purchase of the powdermills of Waltham Abbey; the price of this purchafe was fixed at ten thousand pounds: but his objection was not to the price; it was to the inconvenience that would refult to the public from a monopoly in the article, that he objected; and to the patronage that would follow the purchale, and the fpirit of jobbing, to which it would open a door. The no There was another matter that called for the ferious confideration of parlia ment, which he would take the liberty of explaining. Soon after the war, when there was an idea of reducing a part of the royal regiment of artillery, the noble duke, who was then, and is now, at the head of the ordnance, propofed an expedient in the room of fuch a reduction, which, though it would prevent the difbanding of any men from that regiment, would be an improvement to the fervice, and effect a faving of between 12,000, and 15,000l. a year. ble duke was left at liberty to adopt his expedient, and the public had now a right to enquire whether or not it had produced the promifed faving. The plan, according to the paper in his hand, was this; a certain number of men from the regiment of artillery were to be employed in the laboratory as military artificers, at is. 6.f. a day, in the room of thofe artificers who received 35. a day, for their labour. For his own part, he difliked the principle of the plan, from an idea that it would be injurious to the fervice by fpoiling the foldiers without furnishing the laboratory with good workmen; for it was not to be fuppofed that artificers of merit would enlift at half the wages which they received without being fubjected to military law: thus the evil confequences of the plan would be, that we fhould have foldiers without difcipline, and artificers without kill. This fubject, which at all times deferved in quiry, called for it ftill more at a time when the noble duke had obtained the fanction fanction of the Crown for raifing a corps of military artificers, which could not be wanted had the above plan proved fuccefsful. A motion had been made laft week for the production of the warrant under which the corps of 600 artificers was to be raised; the motion had indeed been rejected, but he hoped that minifters would fee the impropriety of perfevering in a refolution to with-hold it. There was alfo another circumftance which he would take the liberty to mention, that is, the new fortifications in the W. Indies, which he thought the house ought not to countenance, unlefs proper eftimates of the probable expence were previously laid upon the table. After thefe obfervations, he made feven motions to the following effect. That an eftimate be laid before the houfe of the expence of erecting new fortifications in the W. Indies, together with the particular fum intended to be expended in each ifland for that purpose, and the number of troops neceffary to man them. Alfo an account of the fums voted for the ordnance department during the laft four years. That a copy of the agreement for the purchafe of the powder-mills at Waltham Abbey, be laid before the house. That an account of the men employed in the royal powder-mills at Feverfham, with an account of the quantity of powder manufactured there during the laft year, be laid before the houfe. That a copy of the king's warrant, and the Mafter General's inftructions for raifing a new corps of 600 military artificers, be laid before the houfe. That an account be laid before the houfe of the number of men belonging to the royal regiment of artillery employed in the laboratory at Woolwich. And, laftly, an account of the expences of the works raifed, and to be railed, at Fort Cumberland. Mr. Pitt faid, that most of thefe motions were, in his opinion, unobjectionable. He would readily confent to that which related to Fort Cumberland, as it would produce a complete refutation of all that had been reported relative to the works at that place. The purchafe of the mills at Waltham he approved of, as it would afford an opportunity of mak-. ing experiments in the manufacture of our gunpowder, which had been found, during the latt war, greatly inferior in ftrength to that of the enemy. The production of the king's warrant for railing the 600 men he would vote for now, bę cause he saw it was moved for with a fe rious view; when he voted against it last Monday, it was because the motion was made in fo ludicrous a manner, that he thought the Gent. [Mr. Courtenay] did not with that it fhould be carried. With refpect to the motion relative to the expences of the fortifications in the W. Indies, he must object to it, because in truth no accurate eftimate had as yet been made of them, but he believed they would amount to between 180,ocol. and 200,000/. This motion Mr. Sheridan begged leave to withdraw, as he found that the estimate which it called for did not exift. All the others paffed without oppofi tion. Sir Gilbert Elliot, refuming the fubject of Sir E. Impey's impeachment, obferved, that, after what he had faid in opening this bufinefs to the house, it would not be neceffary to fay much at prefent upon the fubject. He should only remark, therefore, that he had the belt authority to fupport the feveral charges. His authorities were, the majority of the Supreme Council at Bengal, and of the Court of Directors, together with two acts of parliament, and the impeachment of Warren Haftings for his conduct at Benares. Upon the whole, he trufted that gentlemen would agree with him that there were in the charges, if not matter of evidence, allegations fufficiently grave and important to justify the houfe in fetting on foot an inquiry into the grounds of thefe charges. He concluded by moving, that they should be referred to a committee of the whole houfe on the 4th of February next. Mr. Pitt faid, he approved of the mode of proceeding propofed by the Hon. Baronet; for though he might think that the charges were of a nature fufficiently heavy to warrant inquiry,the houfe might not know it; it was there fore much more proper that the investi gation fhould be made by the house at large, than by a private committee. He fhould on this account vote for the motion, defiring, however, that it might not be understood, that thofe who should vote for the prefent queftion were pledged to find the criminality alledged in every charge. The Speaker then put the question on Sir Gilbert's motion, which was carried without oppofition; after which the houfe adjourned to Thursday the 31st of January, 1788. (To be continued.) 37. Let 37. Letters to and from the late Samuel Johnfon, LL.D. To which are added, Some Poems never before printed. Published from the Original MSS. in ber Poffeffion, by Hefter Lynch Piozzi. In Two Volumes. 8vo. ITTLE did Johnfon imagine, when he first took up his pen in our volumes, how many pages of this and every other publication of the times would be filled with him, and his writings of different forts, immediately after his death. The monied man inquires whether his deceafed neighbour cut up well; that is, died rich. We book-makers of the prefent day ought to acknowledge that Johnfon cut up well, and died as rich a Jew. Thefe two volumes by Mrs. Piozzi, containing, principally, Letters from Johnson, will form by no means the pooreft treat which the publick have had in consequence of Johnson's death. We cannot fay that we think there is any thing unjuftifiable, as fome seem to imagine, in fuch a publication as this. Johnfon himfelf would have antivered thofe who think it unjuftifiable, in fome fuch way as this, perhaps : "No, Sir; I cannot fee any harm in "the bufinets. Do the Letters deduct "from the man's good fame? Do they "prove him to be in any respect lefs a "man of virtue, or more a fool? No "Sir. Then where is the hart? "has written to women as wife men He "write when they write to women; and "he has written to children as wife men "write when they write to children. 66 66 "Sir, a laurel has its fmall branches as well as its large ongs. Sir, when you come to be a great man, you will "know that fuch trifies as thefe go to "make up a great man's fame. And great men are never ignorant what "will probably become of fuch trifles. "In thefe latter ages of printing, the "odds have always been, that good or "bad judgement will give them to the "puolick. It is a tax which great men 66 pay for fame. Nor is it hard upon "them; fince every thing happens to "them with their eyes open. He who "has written volumes, and volumes "which the publick have approved, if "he do not always think of the publick "when he writes a letter even to a little "Mifs, at least must be fenfible of the rifk "he runs that the letter will, tome time or other, be made public. He, tu thort, "who has penned volumes to be print"ed, will not thank you, charitable Sir, GENT. MAG. March, 1758. "for fuppofing that he is afraid you "fhould print his Letters, which, how"ever private, a profeffed author writes "with care No, Sir; in his haftieft "ketches Reynolds always paints for "eternity, and looks to their being feen "hereafter. Depend upon it, Sir, that "if ever you fhould be able to sketch "like Reynolds, or to write common "letters like this man, you and the pub"lick will become acquainted." talked of fuch a publication as this.Thus, perhaps, would Johnfon have Mrs. Piozzi, in her Preface, which is elegantly characteristic and female, talks thus: "None but domeftic and familiar events can be expected from a private correfpond-. ence; no reflections but fuch as they excite disgusted by the infipidity with which this, can be found there; yet whoever turns away turally and almoft neceffarily begin-will here and I fuppofe every correfpondence must nabe likely to lofe fome genuine pleasure, and fome ufeful knowledge of what our heroic Milton was himself contented to reípect, as "That which before thee lies in daily life.' And, fhould I be charged with obtruding trifles on the publick, I might reply, that the meaneft animals preferved in amber become tural hiftory; that the fifh found in Monte of value to those who form collections of naBolca ferve as proofs of facred writ; and that the cart-wheel ftuck in the rock of Ti volt is now found ufeful in computing the ro tation of the earth." For our own parts, we fhall always cry out, with Pope and Piozzi, 66 Pretty in amber to obferve," &c. Nor will we ever, with the poet, in the conclufion of the paffage, "wonder how the devil they got there." If we may be allowed to defcend from the cabinet of natural hiftory, and take a turn in the garden, we will tay, that fince this great over-fhadowing laurel was originally planted in our garden, when only a little flip, we conceive we have now good right to cut flips ourfelves from any of the branches we pleafe, and plant them about our own grounds. The Gentleman's Magazine would little defurve the countenance with which the publick has honoured it for more than half a century, if it did not feel proud of having formerly afforded Johnton an opportunity of making himfelf known.1 This being the cafe, we fhall, with lefs fcruple, afford our readers gratifica tion tion by extracting regularly from thefe two volumes, in this and future Magazines, fo as to make our readers thoroughly acquainted with Johnfon in the character of a familiar letter-writer. The following is the first letter which Mrs. Thrale ever received from Dr. Johnson. It is dangerous meddling with the age of women who have nothing elfe to boaft but their youth. As Mrs. Piozzi is not one of these, and as fhe lets us fee her age in many parts of thefe volumes, we trust that we fhall commit no fin against gallantry if we inform our readers, that Mrs. Thrale feems to have been at this time about twenty-five. Johnfon, who was born in the year nine, was, of courfe, about fifty-fix. With the following letter, as it was the firft of this new correfpond ence, we may imagine he would not have taken much more pains had he been writing it for the prefs: "Madam, London, Aug. 13, 1765. "If you have really fo good an opinion of me as you exprefs, it will not be neceffary to inform you, how unwillingly I mifs the opportunity of coming to Brighthelmitone in Mr. Thrale's company; or, fince I cannot do what I wish firft, how eagerly I thall catch the fecond degree of pleasure, by coming to you and him, as foon as I can difinifs my work from my hands. "I am afraid to make promifes even to myfelf; but I hope that the week after the next will be the end of my prefent bufinefs. When bufinefs is done, what remains but pleafure? and where fhould pleafure be fought, but under Mrs. Thrale's influence? "Do not blare me for a delay by which I must fuffer fo much, and by which I fuffer alone. If you cannot think i am good, pray think I am mending; and that in time I may deserve to be, dear Madam, your most obedient and moft humble fervant, 38. A Sermon, written by the late Samuel John fon, DL.D. for the Funeral of bis Wife. Pubfbed by the Rev. Samuel Hayes, A.M. Ufber of Westminster School. 8vo. THE public curiofity has long been awakened on the fubject of Johnson's Sermons; and on this Sermon more particularly than on others. That curiofity will now be fully gratified; and lamentably depraved must be the man who can read the following lines without being delighted and improved: "To bring life and immortality to light, to give fuch proofs of our future existence as may influence the most narrow mind, and fill the most capacious intellect, to open profpects beyond the grave, in which the thought may expatiate without obftruction, and to fupply a refuge and support to the mind, the peculiar excellence of the Gospel of amidit all the miferies of decaying nature, is Chrift. Without this heavenly inftructor, he who feels himself finking under the weight of years, or melting away by the flow wafte of a lingering difeafe, has no other remedy than obdurate patience, a gloomy refignation to that which cannot be avoided; and he who follows his friend, or whoever there is yet dearer than a friend, to the grave, can have no other confolation than that which he derives from the general mifery; the reflec tion, that he fuffers only what the rest of mankind muft fuffer; a poor confideration, which rather awes us to filence, than foothes us to quiet, and which does not abate the fenfe of our calamity, though it may fometimes make us afhamed to complain. "But, fo much is our condition improved by the Gospel, fo much is the fting of death rebated, that we may now be invited to the contemplation of our mortality as to a pleafing employment of the mind, to an exercise delightful and recreative, not only when ca lamity and perfecution drive us out from he atfemblies of men, and forrow and woe re prefent the grave as a refuge and an afylum, but even in the hours of the highest earthly profperity, when our cup is full, and when we have laid up ftores for ourfelves; for, in him who believes the promife of the Saviour of the World, it can cause no disturbance to remember, that this night his foul may be required of him; and he who fuffers one of the fharpeft evils which this life can fhew, lately been feparated from the person whom amidst all its varieties of mifery; he that has a long participation of good and evil had en deared to him; he who has feen kindness fnatched from his arms, and fidelity torn from his bofom; he whofe ear is no more to be delighted with tender instruction, and whofe virtue fhall be no more awakened by the feasonable whispers of mild reproof, may yet look, without horror, on the tomb which inclofes the remains of what he loved and honoured |