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couragement of seamen and better manning his majesty's navy, to cases arising in consequence of hostilities commenced since the passing of the said act.

An act for enlarging the times appointed for the first meetings of commissioners and other persons for putting in execution certain acts of this session of parliament.

An act to amend the laws relating to the marking of bags and packets of hops.

An act to amend and enlarge the powers of an act of the 46th year of his present majesty, for consolidating and rendering more effectual the several acts for the purchase of buildings and further improvement of the streets and places near to Westminster-hall and the two houses of parliament.

An act for the more effectual administration of the office of a justice of the peace, and for the more effectual prevention of fe lonies within the district of Dublin metropolis.

An act to amend the acts relating to the duties of assessed taxes, and of the tax upon the profits of property, professions, trades, and offices, and to regulate the assessment and collection of the same.

An act for enabling the commissioners for the reduction of the

national debt to grant life annui. ties.

An act for the more effectual protection of oyster fisheries and the brood of oysters in England.

An act for enabling his majesty to grant annuities to the judges of the court of session, justiciary, and exchequer in Scotland, upon the resignation of their offices.

An act for granting to his ma. jesty a certain sum of money out of the consolidated fund of GreatBritain, and for applying certain monies therein mentioned for the service of the year 1808; and for further appropriating the supplies granted in this session of parlia

ment.

An act for repealing the stamp duties on deeds, law proceedings, and other written or printed in. struments, and the duties on legacies and successions to personal estates upon intestacies, now pay. able in Great-Britain; and for granting new duties in lieu thereof.

An act for enabling his majesty to establish a permanent local mili tia force in Scotland, under certain restrictions, for the defence of the realm.

An act concerning the adminis stration of justice in Scotland, and concerning appeals to the house of lords.

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STATE PAPERS.

THIS

His Majesty's Speech to both Houses of Parliament, Jan. 21. HIS day parliament assembled, pursuant to his majesty's proclamation, when the commissioners, appointed to open the session, read the following speech:

"My Lords and Gentlemen, "We have received his majesty's commands to assure you, that in calling you together at this important juncture of affairs, he enter. tains the most perfect conviction that he shall find in you the same determination with which his majesty himself is animated, to uphold the honour of his crown, and the just rights and interests of his people. We are commanded by his majesty to inform you, that no sooner had the result of the negociations at Tilsit confirmed the influence and, controul of France over the powers of the continent, than his majesty was apprised of the intention of the enemy to combine those powers in one general confederacy, to be directed either to the entire subjugation of this kingdom, or to the imposing upon his majesty an insecure and ignominious peace. That for this pur. pose, it was determined to force into hostility against his majesty,

Το

states which had hitherto been allowed by France to maintain or to purchase their neutrality; and to bring to bear against different points of his majesty's dominions the whole of the naval force of Europe, and specifically the fleets of Portugal and Denmark. place these fleets out of the power of such a confederacy became therefore the indispensable duty of his majesty. In the execution of this duty, so far as related to the Danish fleet, his majesty has commanded us to assure you that it

was

with the deepest reluctance that his majesty found himself com. pelled, after his earnest endeavours to open negociation with the Danish government had failed, to authorise his commanders to resort to the extremity of force, but that he has the greatest satisfaction in congra. tulating you upon the successful execution of this painful but necessary service.-We are further commanded to acquaint you, that the course which his majesty had to pursue with respect to Portugal was, happily, of a nature more congenial to his majesty's feelings. The timely and unreserved communication by the court of Lisbon, of the demands and designs of France,

while it confirmed to his majesty the authenticity of the advices which he had received from other quarters, entitled that court to his majesty's confidence, in the since. rity of the assurances by which that communication was accompanied. The fleet of Portugal was destined by France to be employed as an instrument of vengeance against Great Britain. That fleet has been secured from the grasp of France, and is now employed in conveying to its American domi. nions the hopes and fortunes of the Portuguese monarchy. His majesty implores the protection of Di. vine Providence upon that enter. prise, rejoicing in the preservation of a power so long the friend and ally of Great Britain, and in the prospect of its establishment in the new world with augmented strength and splendour. We have it in command from his majesty to inform you, that the determination of the enemy to excite hostilities be tween his majesty and his late allies, the emperors of Russia and Austria, and the king of Prussia, has been but too successful; and that the ministers from those powers have demanded and received their passports. This measure, on the part of Russia, has been attempted to be justified by a statement of wrongs and grievances which have no real foundation. The emperor of Russia had indeed proffered his mediation between his majesty and France. His majesty did not refuse that mediation; but he is confident you will feel the propriety of its not having been accepted until his majesty should have been enabled to ascertain that Russia was in a condition to mediate impartially, and until the prin

ciples of the basis on which France was ready to negociate, were made known to his majesty. No pretence of justification can be alleged for the hostile conduct of the emperor of Austria, or for that of his Prussian majesty. His majesty has not given the slightest ground of complaint to either of those sovereigns; nor even at the moment when they have respectively withdrawn their ministers, have they assigned to his majesty any distinct cause for that proceeding.-His majesty has directed that copies of the correspondence between his majesty's ambassadors and the minister for foreign affairs of his imperial majesty the emperor of Russia, during the negociations of Tîlsit, and the official note of the Russian minister at this court, containing the offer of his imperial majesty's mediation between his majesty and France, together with the answer returned to that note by his majesty's command; and also copies of the official notes presented by the Austrian minister at this court, and of the answers which his majesty commanded to be returned to them, should be laid before you. It is with concern that his majesty commands us to inform you, that, notwithstanding his earnest wishes to terminate the war in which he is engaged with the Ottoman Porte, his majesty's endeavours, unhappily for the Turkish empire, have been defeated by the machinations of France, not less the enemy of the Porte than of Great Britain. But while the in. fluence of France has been thus unfortunately successful in preventing the termination of existing hostilities, and in exciting new wars against this country; his majesty

commands

commands us to inform you, that the king of Sweden has resisted every attempt to induce him to abandon his alliance with Great Britain; and that his majesty entertains no doubt that you will feel with him the sacredness of the duty which the firmness and fidelity of the king of Sweden impose upon his majesty; and that you will con cur in enabling his majesty to dis. charge it in a manner worthy of this country. It remains for us, according to his majesty's com. mand, to state to you that the treaty of commerce and amity between his majesty and the United States of America, which was concluded and signed by commissioners duly authorised for that purpose, on the 31st of December, 1806, has not taken effect, in consequence of the refusal of the president of the United States to ratify that instrument. For an unauthorised act of force, committed against an American ship of war, his majesty did not hesitate to offer immediate and spontaneous reparation. But an attempt has been made by the Ame. rican government to connect with the question which has arisen out of this act, pretensions inconsistent with the maritime rights of Great Britain; such pretensions his majesty is determined never to admit. His majesty, nevertheless, hopes that the American government will be actuated by the same desire to preserve the relations of peace and friendship between the two countries which has ever influenced his majesty's conduct, and that any difficulties in the discussion now pending may be effectually removed.

His majesty has commanded us to state to you, that, in conse. quence of the decree by which

France declared the whole of his majesty's dominious to be in a state of blockade, and subjected to seizure and confiscation of the produce and manufactures of his king. dom, his majesty resorted, in the first instance, to a measure of miti gated retaliation; and that this measure having proved ineffectual for its object, his majesty has since found it necessary to adopt others of greater rigour, which, he commands us to state to you, will require the aid of parliament to give them complete and effectual opera. tion. His majesty has directed copies of the orders which he has issued with the advice of his privy council upon this subject to be laid before you; and he commands us to recommend them to your early attention.

"Gentlemen of the House of

Commons,

"His majesty has directed the estimates for the ensuing year to be laid before you, in the fullest confidence that your loyalty and public spirit will induce you to make such provisions for the public service as the urgency of affairs may require. His majesty has great satisfaction in informing you, that, notwithstanding the difficulties which the enemy has endea voured to impose upon the commerce of his subjects, and upon their intercourse with other nations, the resources of the country have continued in the last year to be so abundant, as to have produced, both from he permanent and temporary revenue, a receipt considerably larger than that of the preceding year. The satisfaction which his majesty feels assured you will derive, in common with his majesty, from this proof of the

solidity

solidity of these resources, cannot but be greatly increased, if, as his majesty confidently hopes, it shall be found possible to raise the ne. cessary supplies for the present year without any material addition to the public burthens.

"My Lords, and Gentlemen, "We are especially commanded to say to you, in the name of his majesty, that, if ever there was a just and national war, it is that which his majesty is now compelled to prosecute. This war is in its principle purely defensive. His majesty looks but to the attainment of a secure and honourable peace: but such a peace can only be nego tiated upon a footing of perfect equality. The eyes of Europe and of the world are fixed upon the British parliament. If, as his ma. jesty confidently trusts, you display

in this crisis of the fate of the coun.

try the characteristic spirit of the British nation, and face unappalled the unnatural combination which

is gathered around us, his majesty bids us to assure you of his firm persuasion, that, under the blessing of Divine Providence, the struggle will prove successful and glorious to Great Britain.-We are lastly commanded to assure you, that in this awful and momentous contest, you may rely on the firmness of his majesty, who has no cause but that of his people; and that his majesty reciprocally relies on the wisdom, the constancy, and the affectionate support of his parlia

ment."

Napoleon, and dated at the Thuilleries, Jan. 11, 1808. NAPOLEON, &c. upon the re

port of our minister of finances, seeing our decrees of the 23d November, and 11th December, 1807; with the concurrence of our council of state we have decreed and do decree as follows :-Art. 1. When a vessel shall enter into a French port, or in that of a coun. try occupied by our armies, any man of the crew, or a passenger, who shall declare to the principal of the custom-house, that the said ship comes from England or her colonies or countries occupied by English troops, or that it has been visited by an English vessel, shall receive a third part of the produce of the net sale of the ship and

declaration is exact.-Art. 2. The cargo, if it is known that his principal of the custom-house, who

shall receive the declaration men

tioned in the preceding article, commissary of police, who shall shall, in conjunction with the be called on for that purpose, and the two principal custom-house officers of the port, cause each of the crew and passengers to undergo, separately, the interroga ticle of our decree of the 23d Notory prescribed by the second arvember, 1807.-Art. 3. Any functionary or agent of government, who shall be convicted of of our decrees of the 23d of Nohaving favoured the contravention vember and 17th December, 1807, shall be prosecuted in the criminal court of the department of the Seine, which shall be formed into a special tribunal for this purpose, guilty

French Commercial Decree, signed and punished, if convicted, as if

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