A drove of grunting pigs before
Fill'd up the narrow way;
Dafh thro' the midft the horses drove,
And made a rueful day :

For fome were trampled under foot,

Some crush'd beneath the wheel; Lord! how the drivers curs'd and swore, And how the pigs did squeal!

A farmer's wife on old blind Ball,

Went flowly on the road, With butter, eggs, and cheese and cream, In two large panniers flow'd.

Ere Ball could ftride the rut, amain

The gig came thund'ring on,
Crash went the pannier, and the dame
And Ball lay overthrown.

Now thro' the town the mettled pair

Ran rattling o'er the ftones; They drove the crowd from fide to fide, And fhook poor Jehu's bones. When lo! directly in their courfe

A monftrous form appear'd;

A fhaggy bear that stalk'd and roar'd,
On hinder legs uproar'd.

Sideways they started at the fight,

And whilk'd the gig half-round, Then cross the crowded market-place They flew with furious bound.

First o'er a heap of crock'ry ware

The rapid car they whirl'd;
And jugs, and mugs, and pots, and pans,
In fragments wide were huri'd.

A booth ftood near with tempting cakes
And groc'ry richly fraught;
All Birmingham on t'other fide
The dazzled optics caught

With active fpring the nimble iteeds
Rufh'd thro' the pafs between,

And fcarcely touch'd; the car behind
Got thro' not quite to clean.

For while one wheel one ftall engag'de
Its fellow took the other:

Dire was the clafh; down fell the booths, And made a dreadful pother.

Nuts, oranges, and gingerbread,

And figs here roll'd around;
And fciffars, knives, and thimbles there
Beftrew'd the glitt'ring ground.

The fall of boards, the fhouts and cries
Urg'd on the horses faster ;
And as they flew, at ev'ry step

They caus'd fome new difafter.

Here lay o'erturn'd in woeful plight
A pedlar and his pack;
There, in a fhowman's broken box,
All London went to wrack.

But now the fates decreed to ftop
The ruin of the day,

And make the gig and driver too
A heavy reck'ning pay.

A ditch there lay both broad and deep,
Where fireams as black as Styx.
From every quarter of the town
Their muddy currents mix.

Down to its brink in heedlefs haste,
The frantic horfes flew,
And in the midft, with fudden jerk,
Their burthen overthrew.

The proftrate gig with defp'rate forée
They foon pull'd out again,
And at their heels, in ruin dire,
Drag'd lumb'ring o'er the plain.

Here lay a wheel, the axle there,

The body there remain'd;
Till fever'd limb from limb, the car

Nor name nor shape retain'd.

But Jehu muft net he forgot,

Left floundering in the flood,

With cloathes all drench'd and mouth and eyes

Beplafter'd o'er with mud.

In piteous cafe he waded thro'

And gain'd the flipp'ry fide, Wheregrinning crowds were gather'd round To mock his fallen pride.

They led him to a neighb'ring pump
To clear his difmal face,
Whence cold and heartlefs home he flunk,
Involv'd in fore difgrace.

And many a bill for damage done

His father had to pay.
Take warning, youthful drivers all!
From Jehu's fir effay.

THE

"Citizen Minifter, I Fort were a Date my letter from Fort Vauban. tively preparing to fubject it by force, the enemy abandoned it for fear; this happened laft night. We have witneffed the explosions occafioned by the numerous mines which cowardice and rafcality dug under this fort. We fhall foon have repaired this important poft, into which I immediately fent a fufficient number of troops. The brave army of the Rhine no longer beholds flaves occupying the territories confided to its defence; the glory of crufhing tyrants is referved for the brave Sans Culottes. Vive la Repuplique!

23. On the propofition of Thuriot, the queftion, whether perjury in civil caufes ought not to be punished with death? is referred to the Committee of Legiflation.

24. Decreed-That the linen of the fuppreffed churches fhall be applied to the service of the military hofpitals-That the makers of paper thall put their names, and the name of their manufactories, on every piece of paper they make, under the penalty of 3000 livres, and confifcation of the paper not fo marked-That in every transport ship employed by the Republic, there fhall be a Captain and two Commiffioned Officers-That the Epifcopal houfe of Paris fhall be occupied as an Infirmary for the prisoners of the Conciergerie.

26. Barrere, in the name of the Committee of Public Welfare, reprefented, that the preparations making in all the harbours of the Republic, to give the moft formidable importance to the navy of the French Republic, could not be effected without collecting the feamen by putting them in a ftate of requifition.

The Convention decreed, that all the mates, captains, and others, who served as officers on board of merchantmen, and all feamen, fhall be at the difposal of the

Minifter of Marine.

A deputation of Americans appeared at the bar, and requested the liberation of Thomas Paine, that he might return to America. Referred to the Committee of Public Welfare.

Later

27. Letter from the Representative of the people at St Maloes.-Jan. 21. "My laft announced the capture of feven prizes, by our fquadron of Cancale, cruizing in the channel. dispatches, addreffed to me from Cherbourg, ftate, that nine fhips, freighted, among other articles, with fugar, coffee, tons, have already entered that harbour brandy, falt meats, bale goods, and cotadd to the former. This is not all; the -we have therefore two prizes more to fame letter declared, that the number of the fhips captured amounted to fourteen

we have therefore five more to add, If, as it appears, this calculation continues. to increase, both in the Mediterranean

and the Channel, we shall foon find the English commerce entirely ruined, and the nation will rife against the Algebra of government. Lecarpentier."

its

29. Saint Andre faid, he had new fucceffes to announce. Breard and himself had ordered a squadron of three ships of the line and fome frigates to cruise off the coaft of Ireland. They had returned to Breft on the 23d of January after having made 15 prizes, of which 12 were already come into port, viz. four English veffels, three American veffels, and five Swedish and Dutch veffels, all bound for England, loaded with grain, tobacco, fugar, coffee, cotton, &c.

Ruhl and Bourdon with great violence denounced the Minifter at War (who they denominated an execrable minifter) for neglect of duty, and feveral refolu

tions were paffed againft him with loud applaufe.

A member alfo denounced the Minifter of Marine, and he was ordered to come, and give an account of his conduct during the fitting. He appeared accordingly, and was defended by Barrere, and acquitted of the charges againft him.

Letter from Sans-Nom, (Marseilles.) "Jan. 19. The Revolutionary Tribunal of this city is actively employed, and the heads of feveral confpirators fall daily. The Reprefentatives of the people are employed in regenerating the public ipirit, and in terrifying those who might be tempted to partake in new confpiracies. They have refolved, that henceforth the name of Marfeilles fhall be changed, and that the National Convention fhall be intreated to beftow on it another. In the mean time it fhall remain Sans-nom, (without name) and shall bear that denomination. The buildings in which the affemblies of the fections and of the General Committee were held, shall be razed, and a gallows, which fhall perpetuate the remembrance of their revolt, be erected on the ground they oceupied. The furniture fhall be fold-the plate fent to the mint."

Feb. 3. Deputies, Men of Colour, were admitted from St Domingo, and placed themselves on the Mountain-Among them was a Negro: on the motion of La Croix, they were fignalized with the fraternal kifs, amidst the loudeft applaufe. The Prefident began with kiffing the Negro. The Deputies gave an account of the troubles of that Colony. The Convention then, on the motion of La Croix, decreed, that Slavery is Abolished in all the French Colonies, and all Men of Colour, Negroes, Blacks, &c. are Free, and French Citizens.

Here all the Members of the Convention rofe up, and ran eagerly and embraced the Deputies, and several Negroes, both male and female, who were prefent.

The Convention decreed, that the Committee of Safety fhould take meafures to fend the decree by faft failing ships to their Colonies, and to all foreign Colonies.

The President declared, that the French nation would never reft till they had devoured proud Albion, and plunged Pitt and his accomplices, in the ocean-till .they planted liberty on the banks of the Thames, and caufed the Marseilloife hymn to be fung on the streets. of London. Loud Applaufé:

II. Barrere read letters from Francaf tel and General Turreau, announcing fome checks received in the neighbourhood of St Fulgent. The Repub ican columns had been repulfed by a body of 4000 rebels, but a great number of the latter had been killed, General Turreau had evacuated Cholet, an advantageous poft; but he had established his headquarters at Nantes, and made the neceffary difpofition for repairing the difafter. At the Western Pyrence, continued e victory is the order of the day. Applauded.

The Representatives of the People with the Army at the Weflern Pyrennees to the Convention.

"Long live the Republic!-ChauvinsDragoons.

Pluviofe 17-(Feb.5.) "This n.orning we were attacked by five columns of Spanifh troops, compofed of about 15,000. men. Their intention was to fire the barracks of the Sans-Culottes, and to penetrate into the interior; but we have vanquished, and forced the Spanish Ge-. neral to retreat, after having lot about 1230 men, Our lofs confifts in 89 killed, and 150 wounded. The battle lafted eight hours. This is one of the most glorious days of the Republic. The French, attacked on all points, have tri-, umphed every where."

13. A Deputation from the forty-. eight Sections of Paris appeared at the bar.

“We are,” said the spokesman, “to declare to you, that, in rejecting with indignation the ridiculous propofition for acknowledging the Republic provifionally, and making a truce with our enemies for two years, the Convention has defer-. ved well of its country. Where, and from what circumftances, have our enemies difcovered that we had occafion for a fufpenfion of arms? Is it at the moment when 800,000 of our animated youth have incorporated themselves with troops who have hitherto been victorious? Is it at the moment when every cellar in France is converted into a lye-tub, for extracting falt-petre to exterminate them? We congratulate the Convention on the philanthropic decree which gives liberty to the blacks. This decree, which does honour to reafon, to juftice, to humanity, alone was wanting to its glory."

22.-War in La Vendee.

Carrier, returned from his miffion into the rebellious Departments, made a general report on the unhappy war of La Vendee.

"We

"We were long unacquainted (faid he) with the number of the banditti. When the patriots encountered at Saumur, or any other place, ten, twenty, or thirty thoufand, they imagined it was the whole; but they were grofsly deceived; fince there were 16 diftricts in full revolt, and the inhabitants of the whole country, between the Loire and the fea, from Painbœuf to Saumur, a space of more than forty fquare leagues, in arms.

The rebels were divided into feveral columns. Whenever they wanted reinforcements, they founded the alarm bell, and fet the mills a-going, whofe fails ferved for fignals, and immediately a vaft force was collected. In this large tract of country, every inhabitant was provided with a gun and a fabre, with which be armed himself on the firft fignal. When the danger or the alarm was over, theyreturned totheir occupations, and the cultivation of their lands, fo that the whole of the country in revolt is fown, and promifes a rich harveft; but it is only by Republicans that it will he reaped."

Carrier then recites the different victories gained over the rebels, in which, he fays, they killed one hundred thoufand men, women, and children! He then adds,

"There is now no longer any collected force, befides that of Stoffel, compofed of 800 men, and that of Chanette, which is computed to be 3000. Do not, however, imagine, that those are the only banditti ; there are more in the forefts, on the mountains, and in other hiding-places, to the number, according to the more accurate calculation, of 20,000

men.

er,

minated. A country full of forefts, and covered with high brushwood, affords innumerable retreats to the rebels. At the battle of Montagne, 40,000 of the banditti were concealed behind fome of this brufhwood, and we paffed without perceiving them.'

Barrere made a report on the fcarcity of provisions:

"You muft fruftrate the efforts of our enemies refpecting the victualling of our armies.

"We are not becoming political Capuchins to order a religious faft; but we all know that there is in nature a period when the animals, which ferve for our food must be diftributed with caution; it is fufficient to point out to patriots a meafure which the providing for fourteen armies renders neceffary.

"Let the rich give up the fuperfluities of their fumptuous tables, where luxury and vanity alone are fed. Let them ceafe to confume in one day the food of many months. Let us all impofe on ourfelves fome civic privations! Let us fupprefs all delicacies calculated for voluptuoufnefs, and not for Republicans." (Applauded.)

Legendre;—" Decree a political lent; or I affirm to you, it will be impoffible to provide for your armies,-The rebels of La Vendee have deftroyed all the cattle which came from thofe parts, and you cannot obtain them from foreign coun tries."

A Secretary presented the substance of Eight Hundred Addreffes from various Communes.

TURKEY.

"Away then," continued the Report"with that falfe humanity, with which they would fain inspire you. In that country all are equally criminal, and ought to fall under the axe of the Republicans and the law! The women, would you believe it? are our moft ferocious enemies. At Chollet, when our troops began to give way, and the rebels were thought victorious, the women with knives in their hands fell upon our brave defenders, whom they maffacred without pity. Children of 12 years alfo carry arms againft us; children of more tender age ferve as fpies for the rebels; and whenever our foldiers are found alone, they are aflaffinated. Judge from this, whether we ought to ufe clemency, and who those are that speak to you of pity! "Do not believe that this war is ter

for ever deprived itself of a refource which might have been of the greateft utility. If it is refufed on the present occafion, war is unavoidable.

DENMARK.

Copenhagen, March 1. On Wednesday evening, about five o'clock, a dreadful fire broke out in the Royal Palace of Chriftianfburg, which communicating from the Hereditary Prince's apartments, where it began, to the reft of the building, in the space of feven or eight hours reduced the whole to a heap of afhes. The Royal Family have happily escaped without accident, but the greater part of their valuable effects have been a prey to the flames. It is not yet known what number of lives have been loft, but it is to be hoped, confidering the rapidity of the conflagration, which was increased by a very ftrong wind, that the number is mot great. This palace, one of the most commodious and moft fumptuoufly fini fhed in Europe, was built in the reign of Chriftian VI. and is faid to have coft (in building only) confiderably above a million fierling: It feems therefore not an exorbitant calculation to fuppofe, that, with the lofs fuftained by hundreds of individuals by whom it was inhabited, the whole damage may amount to two millions fterling. It is fome confolation, in fo great a difafter, that the royal library, confifting of between two and three hundred thousand volumes, which flood detached from the principal pile, has been fortunately faved. During the whole of this distressful fcene the garrifon and the citizens were under arms, and every effort was made, both by the military and the failors, to prevent diforder and 'pillage.

His Danish Majefty is lodged for the prefent in an apartment at Count Bernftorff's, and the reft of the Royal Family are difperfed in different quarters of the town, where they will remain till houfes proper for their reception can be got ready.

BOTANY BAY.

pectation. They have fish in great plenty. The convicts are well clothed, &c. fresh pork fold at 8d. and 9d. per b. a good fowl at 38. the few cows they have are all with calf; fheep and goats increase faft. Barrington is head-conftable, and renders himself very ufeful by his good conduct and attention to his duty.

Domestic Intelligence.

Proceedings of the Fourth Seffion of the Seventeenth Parliament of Great Bri tain.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Jan. 21. Lord Stair rofe for the purpofe of moving an humble addrefs to his Majefty, thanking him for his moft gracious fpeech. His Lordship declared, that he felt it his duty to fupport the meafures which had been adopted by his Majefty and minifters, in the profecution of the war. The laft campaign had, he infifted, been attended with the moft fig. nal advantages; we had faved the provinces of Holland, and had recovered the Netherlands from the common enemy→→ we had retaken Mentz, had freed Savoy, had taken many ftrong holds, among the reft Valenciennes, which the National Convention had called the Key of Paris, and had obtained repeated and fignal victories; we had obtained poffeffion of Toulon, and thereby greatly oppreffed the French and in our evacuation of the place, had so much reduced the naval force of our enemies, that they would be unable for many years to reinftate it. His Lordship then took a view of the exceffes of the French; he painted in very glowing colours the cruelties practifed at Lyons, in La Vendee, &c. and afferted, that upwards of two hundred miles of the finest and moft fertile country in Europe had been laid wafte, and the wretched inhabitants deftroyed, or driven to feek fhelter in thofe retreats wherein they muft perish. Their refources for this war had been plunder their revenue was little, in many districts the impofts were not paid at all, and in most but little attended to their only means of carrying on the war then was by murder and rapine. He declared, that he, as anxiously as any man, wifhed to fee peace ́reftored,which could only be done with a probability of its being lafting with men whe could be depended on; and fuch he infifted the prefent ruling powers of France are not. He concluded by moving the addrefs, which was, as usual, an echo of the fpeech.

Lord