NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

Paper Currency.

The French Assembly have at laft had recourse to the defperate remedy of Paper Currency.

They have taken poffeffion of the eftates of the Church, and have agreed to create a paper money, called Affignats, to give credit to which, the estates of the clergy are to be fold for the due payment of the intereft, and in time of the principal.

The following are the articles of this extraordinary decree :

1. The debts of the Clergy are to be reputed National, and the Treafury is to pay the intereft and the capital. 2. The ecclefiaftic eftates are freed from all mortgages to which they were fubject, and the mortgagees cannot oppose the fale of them. 3. The affignates fhall be current as money in every part of the kingdom. 4. The affignates fhall carry intereft at 3 per cent. and as foon as the Treafury fhall receive a million from the fales of thefe new acquired eftates, or from the patriotic contributions, a certain number of the affignats fhall be paid off, the preference to be determined by lot. 5, and 6. The affignats fhall be for 1000, 300, and 200 livres, the intereft to be calculated and added to the principal daily. 7. In cafes where any odd money is required to complete a payment, it is incumbent on the debtor to furnish it. 8. The affignates to be numbered, and the daily intereft fpecified in the margin. Till the eftates are fold, the revenues to be applied to the payment of the intereft of the affignats. 10. The affignats fhall be confidered as mortgages and privileged debts. 11. Four hundred millions of the affignats fhall fifi ferve to acquit the debt due to the Caiffe d'Efcompte; then to extinguish the anticipation, and afterwards to advance fix months of the annuities in arrear.. 12. Poffeffors of the Caffe fhall change them at the Treafury for affignats, which bear intereft from the 15th of April. 13. The intereft payable to the Caiff fhall ceafe from the 15th of April.

9.

By this decree the Clergy are in future to be paid certain annual fums for their labours. Much diffatisfaction, however, is expected to arife, nor is it fuppofed that the want of fpecie will be effectually relieved by this money.

We recollect that Louis XIV. when in want of money, called in the gold coin, and ftamped an additional value on

it by an edict-but an edict can never make that pafs for fomething which is really worth nothing. PARIS, March 26.

People in general seem greatly discontented at, the Convent Lands being converted into City Paper. They are yet fo blind as not to fee how City Bills promote the circulation of real money more than thofe of the Caiffe d'Efcompte, which, though from the artifices of interested people they are now at a difcount of five per cent. are founded on a better bafis than any fecurity the city can give.

We have had frequent occafion to remark the very vague manner in which all the operations of the Assembly were carried on.

On Wednesday, without any previous notice, the committee made their report concerning the organization of the judicatory power. The principal debate which arofe on this fubject, turned on this queftion, Whether the ancient tri bunals fhould be totally deftroyed or only reformed? Decided, that "the Judicial Order fhould be re-constituted entirely."-Then all the Ancient Parliaments of the kingdom are totally diffol ved.

Yefterday the King fent the followng letter to the president of the Affembly

"I am furprifed, Sir, that the Assembly has not taken into deliberation the proposals which have been made from me by the first minifter of finance, for eftablishing a commiffion of treafury, the members of which I mean to take from among the members of the Affembly. I

think this difcuffion as ufeful as urgent; and I demand that this object may be prefented to the deliberation of the Affembly."

The king's late letter to the Affembly has not been very favourably received. The propofal made by his Majefty, for chufing Commiffioners of the Treasury from among the Members of the Affembly has been objected to for two reafons:First, That no propofal of this kind can be received directly from the Executive Power the motion muft be made by a Member of the Affembly:-Secondly, That it is contrary to one of the establish ed principles of the Conftitution to permit any Member to hold any place whatever under Government. It was accordingly voted, that the Assembly perfifts i s preceding decrees, which

n its

exclude

nopoly of the English and Dutch Eaft India Companies. The particulars by which the practicability of this scheme was made out are too many to enumerate; but, on the whole, the memoir made a confiderable impreffion on the Affembly, and produced the mixed fentiments of applaufe towards the author of the scheme, and regret at its publication.

The final divifion refpecting the abolition of the French East India Company, took place on Saturday laft at ten o'clock at night, when it was agreed to put the queftion in the terms propofed by Mr Roederer:

"Shall the Commerce of India beyond the e Cape of Good Hope be free, or fubject to any exclufive privilege whatever?" On a divifion, the following decree was adopted by a great majority :

The National Affembly decree, that the Commerce of India, beyond the Cape of Good Hope, is free to all French

men.

April 15.

On Tuesday laft the great queftion that the Romish religion be the only one publicly tolerated in France, came on for decifion in the National Affembly. By eight in the morning the people had affembled round the Thuilleries, and in all the avenues leading to the Chamber, so that the Members could fcarce get to their places. A double guard was therefore pofted every where, and notice given through Paris for all the National troops to keep themselves in readiness.

About nine the debate began. It is much easier to conceive than defcribe the vehemence with which it was carried on. At length, about five o'clock, it was agreed to withdraw the motion, in order to prevent the confequences that seemed to threaten.

The Members then found it as difficult to go out as it had been to get in. The leaders of the Ariftocratic party were every where infulted. The Abbe Mauri, in particular, was forced to take refuge in a neighbouring house, from whence he efcaped difguifed as a grenadier of the National Guard. In the evening it is fuppofed there were more than one hundred thoufand perfons in the gar dens of the Thuilleries, and those of the Palais were entirely full; but happily no mifchief enfued. The conduct of the Marquis de la Fayette on the occafion was fingularly commendable.

ENGLAND.

HOUSE of LORDS.—March 22.

Scotch Appeals.

Counfel were called to the Bar, James Rocheid, Efq; appellant, and Sir David Kinloch, Bart. and others, refpondents.

The Lord Advocate was heard in reply; after which the Lord Chancellor left the wool-fack, and in a speech of confiderable length, gave his reafons for difagreeing with the judgment of the Court of Seffion. His Lordfhip observed, that Lady Kinloch's intail of 1744 was not framed according to the law of defcents in Scotland, fo as to tie up her heirs in all events, but only in a certain event; and therefore judgment went in favour of the appellant Rocheid, and the interlocutor of the Court of Seffion was reversed.

The Lord Provoft and Magiftrates of Edinburgh appellants, and the College of Juftice refpondents.

poor

This is a very curious cafe refpecting the laws of the City of Edinburgh. The College of Juftice, confifting of all the Judges, Clerks, Agents, Advocates, and all other Practifers of the Law, who form a very confiderable proportion of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, claim a right of exemption from poor-rates, and all other parochial and civil burthens and affeffments within that city. The Magiftrates have repeatedly called this claim into queftion; and in order that the quetion of right might be fairly tried, on the 10th of May 1786 an act of Council was paffed, which levied two per cent. upon the rents, &c. The College infift that their privileges are antecedent to the eftablishment of the poor laws, viz. by John Duke of Albany, who was Regent during the minority of James V. by virtue of a bull of Clement VII.

The Lord Advocate was heard for upwards of two hours in favour of the Magiftrates, when Counfel were directed to withdraw, and the further pleading poftponed to this day.

emption from parochial rates in 1579, they could not be confidered legal objects of parochial taxation, Sir John Scott argued, that in 1690 a tax act was paffed, called Hearth Money, to be paid by the inhabitants of houses, and that the members of the College always fubmitted to the payment of this tax. He brought a much stronger example on the ftat. Ift of Geo. I. by which householders are liable to make good all damages in the diftrict which happen to houfes or buildings by mobs. An outrageous mob, in the memorable year 1780, deftroyed a building, faid to be intended for a Popish Chapel, and all the members of the College, advocates, clerks, writers, agents, &c. as inhabitants, contributed to the affeffment for making good the damage. The learned Solicitor-General further argued, that the privileges granted by Parliament to the College of Juftice when firft inftituted, or at any time prior to the year 1579, could not be intended for establishing an immunity from affeffments for the maintenance of the poor, fuch affeffments being utterly unknown at that period; or if it could be fuppofed that the Legiflature meant, by anticipation, to confer upon that body a right to be exempted from all burdens to be impofed by future ftatutes for any particular purpofe, however interesting and beneficial to themfelves, the efficacy and continuance of fuch privilege muft, from its nature, have depended upon the terms in which the fubfequent ftatutes creating fuch burthens were conceived. If the enactment was fo broad as in plain conftruction to comprehend the College of Juftice, and contained no faving claufe; and ftill more, if the enactment was fpecially declared to be without exception of perfons, (as in the act 1579) this muft of course have operated as a repeal of the privileges, fo far as confiftent with this new enactment, as no act can be made in fuch terms as to bind or controul the will of the Supreme Legiflative body in time coming; and accordingly the exemption which the Lords of Seffion formerly enjoyed from paying fupply or land-tax, was repealed in no other way than by the general enactment of the Supply Acts, joined to the not inferting a fpecial exception in their favour. As to the acts in favour of the College of Juftice, fubfequent to the eftablishment of Poor Laws in Scotland, they can be of no avail to the respondents, being no more than a ratification, or a renewal from time to time, of the privileges granted to the College of Juftice by for

mer acts, upon the conftruction and effect of which original acts the prefent queftion muft neceffarily depend.

At fix, the Solicitor-General having finished his argument, the House adjourn ed the further hearing till to-morrow.

March 25.

Counsel were called to the bar upon the final hearing of the appeal, the Magiftrates of Edinburgh against the College of Juftice.

The Lord Advocate was heard for the appellants upwards of an hour. He par ticularly urged, that if the respondents prevailed and established an exemption from contributing to the poor, the charity would be materially injured.

The Lord Chancellor obferved, there was no doubt but that almost every exemption from public burthens was in itfelf odious; but in this cafe, the refpondents had clearly made out an ufage for near two centuries:-It would be a difficult matter to overturn a custom so eftablifhed. The cuftom moft likely originated when the members of the College had only tranfient habitations in the city, fuch as inmates; but when they became fettled householders, it certainly did ap pear partial to exempt them from parochial impofitions. On the other hand, there were feveral other acts of Parlia ment befides that for the support of the poor, from which they had continually claimed exemptions, and claimed fuccefsfully.-The argument, "That it would injure the Charity, was downright nonfense;" it was in other words to fay, that it would injure a fund for the fupport of idleness and diffipation. Voluntary charity was indeed a noble principle, inaf much as it diftinguished its object, and, by selecting the worthy, and rejecting the unworthy, became highly useful to fociety.-Upon the whole, the refpondents had met the appellants cafe in every part of it. His Lordship then took his feat upon the Woolfack, and moved that the interlocutor of the Court of Seffion be affirmed.—Ordered.

And thus all the numerous and wealthy members of the College of Juftice are, most likely, for ever exempted from contributing to the poor-rates of the city of Edinburgh.

April 15.

Counsel were called in upon the appeal, E. and M. Bruce verfus J. Bruce.

The Solicitor-General was heard for the former, and Meffrs Campbell and Hope for the latter.