mnation.

ever, is prejudicial to the art, by encouraging ignorants and pretenders, whose conjectures are often as highly esteemed as those of more learned men, though the former result from the rashness of unreflecting minds, while the latter are founded on large and cautious induction. When the physician pronounces a doubtful judginent upon the operation of a medicine, or the event of an illness, the effect is evidently depressing to the patient, painful to his friends, and ultimately detrimental to the profession, by depreciating its value in public estiBut upon more minutely investigating the subject, it will probably appear, that there is really less of conjecture in the medical profession, than in either those of law or of divinity; that physicians and surgeons especially, are tenacious of facts, and proceed upon certain principles deduced from experience; and that their caution in pronouncing a decided opinion, arises, in a great degree, from a high notion of professional reputation, which must suffer when their predictions are not verified; knowing, as they do, that the feelings and minds of the patient frequently check the natural action of physical agents.

Hence, the utility of recording the particulars of their practice: although nothing new may occur to their notice, they may at least corroborate the observations of others, impress them more deeply and generally on the public mind, and obviate prejudices which militate against the adoption of useful remedies. The physicians, whose labors have been the most eminently serviceable, and whose writings are now the most regarded, have chiefly confined themselves to the statement of facts which they have

witnessed. Where this talent for ob. servation, has been blended with a powerful imagination, as in the late Dr. Darwin, we are not blinded by the splendor, nor prejudiced by the fallacy of his hypothesis, to overlook the real value of his practical remarks; we admire his ingenuity, but only accept his sober, unadorned, experience.

In detailing periodically an account of the diseases which occur in my own practice, an opportunity is afforded of noticing the influence of the seasons upon human health; of ascertaining the value of different modes of treatment; and, perhaps, sometimes of counteracting fallacious opinions. During the last months the weather has been temperate for the season; and diseases in general, have been neither frequent nor severe. Some complaints, indeed, occur with nearly equal severity at every period of the year, but others are matorially affected by variations of atmosphere with respect to heat and cold, to dryness, and moisture. Among these are pulmonic and catarrhal affections. Catarrhal fever has seldom appeared this winter; but many individuals have, as usual, been affected with cough and difficulty of breathing, in various degrees of violence. In elderly people, or those somewhat advanced beyond the middle period of life, this complaint often assumes a more dangerous form, is attended with copious secretion of viscid mucus in the bronchia, demands great attention, and must always be regarded as a dangerous complaint. The winter will probably not pass away without affording further occasion for enlarging on this subject.

SAMUEL FOTHERGILL, M.D. Leicester Square, Jan. 27th, 1812.

The WAR TAXES for 1810 produced 23,027,4441. 9s. 74; for 1811, 22,393,0531. 18s. 5 d.

The following letter, from Copenhagen, contains the particulars of some late melancholy wrecks of the royal navy." Advice has been received here of the English ship St. George, of 98 guns, Admiral Reynolds, and the Defence, of 74 guns, Captain David Atkins, having, on the morning of the 24th December, been stranded on the coast of the Barony of Ryssensteen, in the district of Ringhesbing. The crew of the first-named ship said to have consisted of 850 men, and that of the last 530 men, exclusive of officers. In half an hour after the Defence struck, she went entirely to pieces, and the whole of the crew were drowned, with the exception of five seamen and one marine, who saved themselves on pieces of the wreck. Accounts had been received from Limvig, stating that the St. George was entirely sunk, and only twelve men of her crew saved. The ship was only 600 yards from the shore!

The Hero, of 74 guns, was lost, under similar circumstances, off the Texel, and not a soul saved!

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, "We are commanded by his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, to express to you the deep sorrow which he feels in announcing to you the continuance of his Majesty's lamented indisposition, and the unhappy disappointment of those hopes of his Majesty's early recovery which had been cherished by the dutiful affection of his family, and the Joyal attachment of his people.

The Prince Regent has directed copies of the last report of her Majesty the Queen's Council to be laid before you, and he is satisfied that you will adopt such measures as the present melancholy exigency may appear to require.

In securing a suitable and ample provision for the support of his Majesty's Royal Dignity, and for the attendance upon his Majesty's sacred person during his illness, the Prince Regent rests assured, that you will also bear in mind the indispensable duty of continuing to preserve for his Majesty the facility of resuming the personal exercise of bis Royal authority in the happy event of his recovery, so earnestly desired by the wishes and the prayers of his family and his subjects.

"The Prince Regent directs us to signify to you the satisfaction with which his Royal Highness has observed, that the measures

which have been pursued for the defence and security of the Kingdom of Portugal, have proved completely effectual, and that on the several occasions in which the British or Portuguese troops had been engaged with the enemy, the reputation already acquired by them, has been fully maintained.

"The successful and brilliant enterprise which terminated in the surprise in Spanish Estremadura of a French corps by a detachment of the Allied Army, under LieutenantGeneral Hill, is highly creditable to that distinguished officer, and to the troops under his command, and has contributed materially to obstruct the designs of the enemy in that part of the Peninsula.

"The Prince Regent is assured, that while you reflect with pride and satisfaction on the conduct of his Majesty's troops, and of the Allies, in these various and important services, you will render justice to the consummate judgment and skill displayed by General Lord Viscount Wellington, in the direction of the campaign..

"In Spain the spirit of the people remains unsubdued, and the system of warfare so peculiarly adapted to the actual condition of the Spanish nation, has been recently extended and improved under the advantages which result from the operations of the Allied Armies on the frontier, and from the countenance and assistance of his Majesty's navy on the coast.

"Although the great exertions of the enemy have in some quarters been attended with success, his Royal Highness is persuaded you will admire the perseverance and gallantry manifested by the Spanish armies. Even in those provinces principally occupied by the French forces, new energy has arisen among the people, and the increase of the difficulty and danger has produced more connected efforts of general resistance.

"The Prince Regent, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, commands us to express his confident hope that you will enable him to continue to afford the most effectual aid and assistance in support of the contest which the brave nations of the Peninsula still maintain with such unabated zeal and resolution.

"His Royal Highness commands us to express his congratulations on the success of the British arms in the Island of Java.

The Prince Regent trusts that you will concur with his Royal Highness in approving the wisdom and ability with which this enterprise, as well as the capture of the islands of Bourbon and the Mauritius, has been conducted under the immediate direction of the Governor-General in India; and that you will applaud the decision, gallantry, and spirit,conspicuously displayed in the late operations of the brave army under the command of that distinguished officer Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, so powerfully and ably supported by his Majesty's naval forces.

"By

"By the completion of this system of operations, great additional security will have been given to the British commerce and possessions in the East Indies, and the colonial power of France will have been entirely extinguished.

"His Royal Highness thinks it expedient to recommend to your attention the propriety of providing such measures for the future government of the British possessions in India, as shall appear from experience, and upon mature deliberation, to be calculated to secure their internal prosperity, and to derive from those flourishing dominions the utmost degree of advantage to the commerce and revenue of the United Kingdom.

"We are commanded by the Prince Regent to acquaint you, that, while his Royal Highness regrets that various important subjects of difference with the Government of the United States of America still remain unadjusted, the difficulties which the affair of the Chesapeake frigate had occasioned have been finally removed; and we are directed to assure you, that in the further progress of the discussions with the United States, the Prince Regent will continue to employ such means of conciliation as may be consistent with the honor and dignity of his Majesty's Crown, and with the due maintenance of the maritime and commercial rights and interests of the British empire.

"GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS,

"His Royal Highness has directed the estimates for the service of the current year to be laid before you. He trusts that you will furnish him with such supplies as may be necessary to enable him to continue the contest in which his Majesty is engaged, with that spirit and exertion, which will afford the best prospect of its successful termination.

"His Royal Highness commands us to recommend that you should resume the consideration of the state of the finances of Ireland, which you had commenced in the last Session of Parliament. He has the satisfaction to inform you, that the improved receipt of the revenue of Ireland, in the last, as compared with the preceding year, confirms the belief, that the depression which that revenue had experienced, is to be attributed to accidental and temporary causes.

"MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, "The Prince Regent is satisfied that you entertain a just sense of the arduous duties which his Royal Highness has been called upon to fulfil, in consequence of his Majesty's continued indisposition.

"Under this severe calamity. His Royal Highness derives the greatest consolation from his reliance on your experienced wisdom, loyalty, and public spirit, to which in every difficulty he will resort with a firm confidence, that through your assistance and support he shall be enabled, under the blesngs of Divine Providence, successfully to

discharge the important functions of the high trust reposed in him; and, in the name and on the behalf of his beloved Father and revered Sovereign, to maintain unimpaired the prosperity and honor of the nation."

Sir FRANCIS BURDETT then moved the following Address:—

"We, his majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the Uuited Kingdom of Great Britain, in Parliament assem bled, return your Royal Highness the humble thanks of this House, for the most gracious speech delivered by the Lords Commissioners, by your Royal Highness's command.

"We assure your Royal Highness that we shall, without delay, take into our serious consideration all the matters to which your Royal Highness has been pleased to direct our attention, and endeavour to adopt such measures as are best calculated to meet the exigencies of the times.

"But we should deem it a failure in our duty, were we, on this solemn occasion, to omit expressing to your Royal Highness the remedy, which, in our opinion, is called for by the evils already experienced, and by the dangers which appear to be impending.

"We always hear with great satisfaction, though not with surprise, that our countrymen, whether by land or sea, maintain the character of their ancestors; but we cannot, at the same time, dismiss from our minds all consideration of the little effect with which their valour has been exerted.

"We lament to see nothing characteristic of that love of freedom for which this nation has been so highly renowned in the world. In looking through the history of the last eighteen years of war, we find the valour and resources of our country in no instance employed in the defence or restoration of freedom, but almost constantly in endeavours to prevent the oppressed from becoming free, or to re-plunge them into slavery, to re-harden the grasp of despotism, and to sharpen the hal:-blunted fangs of persecution, so that the British flag, formerly the dread of tyranny, appears, through this long and dis graceful period, to have waved only in hosti. lities to the liberties and happiness of mankind.

"From a line of conduct so, repugnant to justice, to the common sense, and common feeling of men, the natural results have en-, sued. In those distant regions, where ignorance and feebleness have rendered the people an easy prey to successive usurpation, we have uniformly been conquerors, and in overturning one despotism, have, for the purposes necessary for the maintenance of corruption, at home, uniformly erected another in its stead; while in all those countries, where men have obtained a knowledge of their rights, and have possessed courage to avenge themselves on their oppressors, we. have found few and treacherous friends, and many and implacable foes.

"The sovereigas, our allies, subl

not

less by that abuse of their power, which we have endeavoured to support, than by the arms of their and our enemy, have either been driven from their thrones, or have abandoned their cause, and disclaimed our connection, as the only means of retaining even a scanty portion of their former dominions, so that after having stirred up, in hostility to freedom, almost every sovereign of the Continent of Europe, after having expended hundreds of millions in the support of that formidable and unprincipled league, we were, at last, reduced to a contest alone with the Conqueror of that Continent, upon a spot which we have only assisted to desolate and ravage, defending sovereigns, who, not being able to rely on the affections of their subjects, have sought their personal safety in abdication or flight.

"To the regret of having seen the national resources exhausted in the prosecution of measures, so fraught at once with wickedness and folly, we have not, however, to add the shame of having seen the people of this kingdom voluntarily lend their aid to those measures; their sense of justice, and love of freedom, revolted at so inhuman a crusade, which at the outset they condemned, and against which many had the virtue openly to protest, well knowing that a war in other countries against Freedom, was in reality a war against the people of England themselves. To counteract the effect of an opinion so obviously just, a system of terror was resorted to, false alarms were excited, spies and informers were hired, constructive treasons were revived, and new-fangled treasons enacted, the safeguards of personal liberty were removed; fortresses, under the name of barracks, were established throughout the land, and the fame, and the person of every man, were placed at the absolute disposal of those who, calling themselves the servants of the king, were, in fact, the agents of that rapacious and haughty Oligarchy, who had long fattened on the miseries of the country, and who, in the progress of the principles of liberty, saw the seeds of a destruction of their ill-gotten power.

Under the operation of this system we have beheld much that remained of our liberties wholly swept away; we have seen practised, under the name of collecting a revenue and in the guise of legal proceedings, acts of oppression and insult, which our forefathers would have perished rather than endure. The dwellings, the books, the most private recesses and concerns of Englishmen, once so sacred, now are exposed to the intrusion and inquisitorial scrutiny of numberless mercenary agents, appointed and removeable at the pleasure of the crown. Financial rapacity breaks in between landlord and tenant, and in violation of every principle of property, the Crown is become co-proprietor in every man's estate, having a prior claim upon his temant; under the name of redeeming the landtax, there is a general confiscation of landed

property. While, in the form of a stampduty, it seizes the bequests of the dead in their passage to the living; so that at last there is no man in England who can be said to be the owner or proprietor of any thing, the Government having assumed a control and master-ship over property of every description.

There was a time in English history, when the exertions of an Empson and a Dudley, though under the sanction of an Act of Parliament, brought the principals to the block, and consigned their subaltern agents to public vengeance in the pillory. But now we have many Empsons and Dudleys in every county, who, under the name of surchargers, supervisors, &c. inflict amercements and fines-at their pleasure, the parties so amerced being denied not only an appeal to a jury, but even the aid of counsel or attorney, to speak in their defence before those fiscal tribunals, which, to the terror of the people, are established in every corner of the land.

"In exact proportion to the encrease of these exactions have we seen the encrease of the military force, and the multiplication of means calculated to divest the soldier of all fellow-feelings with the citizen. Cooped up in barracks and depots, flogged for the most trifling offences, he loses, by degrees, all regard for those rights of which he is deprived, all attachment for that Constitution out of the pale of which he is placed, and becomes the passive and unconscious instrument of tyrannical coercion. Mistrustful of the effect of English feeling, which it seems to have been feared English soldiers would still retain; many thousands of Germans and other foreign mercenaries have been introduced and placed on our military establishment, with privileges not possessed by the troops of our own country; whole districts of England, and large portions of the English army, have been put under the command of German officers; and the more effectually to estrange the people from the native soldiers, the latter have in many instances been compelled to assume a German garb; the Militia, heretofore regarded as the sole constitutional force of the country, upon the principle, that as men had most interest so they would be most stout in defending their liberties and properties, the militia having been long perverted from its legitimate purpose, has, at last, by the interchange of the English and Irish militias, been converted, with respect to the two countries, into the too convenient instrument of reciprocal oppression; and especially with regard to Ireland, where the just remonstrances and complaints of a generous, a gallant, and long-suffering people, have uniformly been met with repulsion and disdain.

"In the institution of the local militia, we behold all the severity of a military conscription, without its impartiality, and without a chance of its rewards; and in the as

sumed

sumed prerogative of calling upon the people to perform military duty under that system of discipline which is now in practice, we see every man in England, when commanded to take up arms in what is termed the defence of his country, liable to experience the degradation and torture of the lash.

"That a people formerly so proud of their liberties would be silent under such an accumulation of oppression, and that the communication of indignant feelings would not, in the end, produce resistance, was too much for even an insolent and obdurate oligarchy to expect-therefore the Press, never the last to suffer when freedom is assailed, has become, in proportion to the augmentation of there oppressions, more and more an object of jealousy and vengeance. And, after having seen the use that has been made of the unconstitutional assumption of power of the Attorney-General to file ex officio informa tions, to accuse, to arraign, to amerce, to hold to bail, to ruin, or to pardon, whomsoever he pleases; after having seen that his accuser, an officer of the crown, removeable at its pleasure, has also the power of demanding a jury, not taken out of an impartial pannel, but selected by another officer of the crown; having seen a judge, so eager to convict, as openly to anticipate guilt before hear ing the evidence in defence; after having seen the sentences in cases of political libel gradually become more and more severe, till they have far surpassed in severity those for the greater part of felonies, including long imprisonment, heavy fines, banishment to distant jails, and confinement in solitary cells, going to the almost certain ruin, and the probable death of the persecuted parties; having seen all this, and taking a view of the number of persons now suffering, we cannot, we confess, see much room for repeating the congratulation of our forefathers, upon the abolition of the cruel and accursed Court of the Star Chamber, which did, without jury, that which is now done by a jury chosen by an officer of the crown; an alteration which only serves to screen a corrupt political judge from bis due share of public odium, and to deprive the victim of that public compassion, which is always called forth in behalf of those who suffer from undisguised tyranny.

"To particularise the fatal effects of this course of misrule, would, if it were possible, be useless, they being too visible in the multiplied embarrassments and abject state of the country, whether in its affairs at home or abroad; but, to the great cause of all these evils, we cannot, without a shameful neglect of our duty, refrain from beseeching the attention of your Royal Highness, who will at opce perceive, that we allude to the want of a real representation of the people in the Commons House of Parliament. With a fair representation the people are never in danger, because, from whatever quarter they feel grievance approaching, here is their court of MONTHLY Mao., No, 223,

appeal, here their means of immediate redress: without such a representation the people can never be safe; they have no court of appeal, no friend in government, no means of redress or protection.

"To the want of such a representation, to the want of a House of Commons emanating from the people's choice and speaking their sentiments, we owe the eighteen years of war against France, lest the example should produce a reform of corruption and abuses at home.

"To the want of such a representation we owe the hundred of millions of debt, which have debased our currency, sapped the foun dations of covenants, annihilated confidence, and added new crimes to our already sanguinary criminal code.

To the want of such a representation we owe the unpunished rapacity of prize courts; the ruin of commerce and manufacture; the countless number of paupers, whose state, when contrasted with the luxury proceeding from public money lavished on placemen and pensioners, would be beyond human endurance, without the overawing aspect of military force.

"If any thing be yet wanting to work conviction of those truths, we implore your Royal Highness to cast your eyes over the continent of Europe. Not a sovereign has there been dethroned-not a state has there been overthrown, where the way of the con queror was not paved by corruption in the go vernment, and by the tyranny which corruption never fails sooner or later to call to its support.

"And when we see the same causes at work amongst ourselves when we hear the worst sort of corruption not only not denied, but unblushingly avowed and vindicated, upon the ground of its being as notorious as the sun at noun-day, it were presumption unparalleled to hope that similar effects will not follow.

"To put an end, therefore, to corruption and abuses, by a constitutional reformation of the Commons' House of Parliament, appears to us to be the only means of reconciling men to their government, of rekindling their zeal, of invigorating their exertions, and of insur ing the independence of the country, and the safety and stability of the throne."

This was negatived by 240 against 3, and a complimentary Address carried in its stead.

A Committee of the House of Commons having been appointed to examine the King's physicians, the following is the substance of the report.

Dr. M. Baillie said, that his majesty'a bodily health had been but little disordered; that the errors of his majesty's mind seem to be as strongly impressed upon it as during any part of his illness; but that within the last few weeks he has been able to relate anecdotes more distinctly than for two or three months before; that his majesty's recovery is highly