Written at the Abbey of Fontevrault, the burial place of Henry II. and Cœur de Lion. WITHIN this antique pile-these so[smiles lemn ailes Where still o'er ruiu'd altars, Hatred Upon whose prostrate shrines, and shatter'd walls [worm crawls The bat clings pendant, and the slimeWhere holy reliques, and unholy things Commingling lie-once lay the dust of kings! Here rested He, whose sun in darkness set, Imperial England's first Plantagenet! And here, his perils and his triumphs done, The lion-hearted chief of Ascalon! Their graves have now no inmates !-there decay [away! Hath clos'd his work! and all hath pass'd And see their broken effigies! no name Heralds their rank no trophies mark their fame So short their period who on marble live! So brief the date that monuments can give! Time wastes the column, faithless to its trust, [their dust! And tombs are crush'd, or crumble o'er And vain such records - o'er the Hero's grave, In Fancy's eye, in dying laurels waveFor deeds of glory, like a comet's light For ever lost, imperishably brightGlowing, as seasons, centuries roll along, The theme of Story, and the boast of Song. VIATOR. EPITAPH On a Favourite Dog. IN this cold herse entombed lies, Superior to the great and wise, Yet number'd with the good; Of honest heart, of faithful mind, Friend to her own and human kind, And not of noble blood. Faithful attendant, when we stray'd How would her cheerful transports greet Returning friends with welcome sweet, And sympathising care. Grateful to Friendship's fostering hand, With fond allurements at command, And every art to please, Thro' life's mixt scenes serene she pass'd, When we her little feats recal, Could ne'er escape her chase; When thirteen years had o'er her roll'd, And eight declining moons been told, Here ended is her race. With fragrant violets deck the ground, Impressive Silence points that here Our once-lov'd DONEY lies. Aug. 50, 1766. FRUITS OF ADVERSITY. train, D. H. WHEN follow'd by her helpless orphan [ear, A widow'd Mother claim'd his listening To ease her tortur'd bosom of its pain EUGENIO shed a kind and pitying tear. Each anxious thought which in that bosom strove, [nightly rest, Harrow'd her couch, and broke her His earnest care then labour'd to remove, And soothe the sorrows of a heart opprest. While every effort he so well employ'd, Parental apprehensions to relieve, Philanthropy's reward he soon enjoy'd, Himself more blest to give than to receive. What sentiment impell'd the tear to flow? Led him the pangs acute of grief to heal? [woe?Bade him to sympathize with all their Misfortune first had taught his breast HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, June 14. The Royal Assent was given by Commission to 78 Bills, among which were the American Convention Bill, the Members' Qualification Bill, the Irish Fever Hospital Bill, the Benefice Dispensation Bill, and three or four other public Bills. The rest were private. A petition was presented from Mr. Owen, of New Lanark, in favour of the Bill for regulating the hours in cotton manufactories. On the question for the committal of the Bill, the Earl of Rosslyn strenuously opposed it on two grounds; first, that parents are the natural guardians of the health and morals of their children; secondly, that it was wrong to interfere with the free application of labour. Lord Lauderdale observed, that the Bill originated with Mr. Owen; his petition must therefore be regarded in the light of a recommendation from the father to his own child. On a division, the committal was carried by 27 to 6. In the Commons, the same day, Mr. Canning felt it his painful duty to call the attention of Members to a case in which their privileges were materially involved. The House would recollect, that on the debate on Tuesday last, an Hon. Member (Mr. Hume) had delivered an opinion upon the subject then before it. He (Mr. Canning) was not in the House at the time, but he came in before the debate was ended, and finding that, so far from any thing warm or personal having occurred, the House was in a state of languor, he could not of course imagine that any thing referring personally to him had been uttered, and therefore had no explanation to give. But what was his surprize, when on the following day he found that, in the report of the debate in The Times newspaper, the Hon. Member (Mr. Hume) had been made to say, what he (Mr. Canning) should then read to the House. The Hon. gentleman, speaking of the economy which should be observed, was made to say,-" Instead of that, he (Mr. Hume) saw a military mania prevalent, that cost the country incalculable sums; bands, trapped in scarlet and gold were daily paraded through the streets, as if to mock the squalid poverty of the lower orders." "Here," continued Mr. Canning, "the editor put in a remark of laughter from the ministerial benches.' The report then went on, and the Hon. member was made to say, Ministers might laugh, but let them look at the other side of the picture: let them survey that mistakes should not sometimes occur. We can only say, that it is our most anxious desire to send forth a just and impartial representation of what passes; and whenever we fail of success, such are still the pains we take, that we should hardly have to solicit indulgence upon the plea of incuria fudit:' our faiJure must be laid to the imperfection of our common nature humana parum cavit natura.' Mr. Hume spoke with much feeling and animation of the distresses of the poor, and observing, as we understood by our reporter, a smile upon the ministerial benches, is represented by us as taxing only one Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Canning) with indulging in laughter on so serious a subject. That Right Hon. Gentleman, we have since learned, was not present. We shall not now repeat the offensive passage for the sake of correcting it suffice it to say, that Mr. Canning was not attacked as described in our report. We are enabled, from the most authentic source, to lay before our readers the passage which was so misunderstood by our reporter." So far as himself and the House were concerned, this apology was a greater offence than the original misrepresentation. The House was to be thankful, forsooth, that its debates were so fairly and faithfully given; its gratitude was to be bestowed, because errors were so seldom admitted. Instead of complaining of them when they occurred, the House was to be indebted to the reporters for their general accuracy, and its members were to have no reason to complain of them, even though they were held up to the ridicule and detestation of the country. He wished to press upon the notice of the House what had been the effect of this error, this mistake, this imperfection of human nature. The paragraph had first appeared on Wednesday last, and had not been contradicted till this present Monday: in the mean time, every Sunday paper, and also every provincial paper, had copied the paragraph, with this lying representation, from which his reputation was in imminent danger. He had now discharged his duty in laying this case before the House, as also what had been said in extenuation of it: as it related to himself personally, he should not suggest to the House the mode in which they ought to dispose of it; but he trusted they would dispose of it in such a manner as would vindicate the privileges of the House, and secure to themselves those immunities on which the rights and liberties of the country depend. Mr. Hume maintained that he should never shrink from the avowal of any opinions which he had at any time or in any place avowed and advocated, and he hoped that he should never be induced to de scend to the slightest personality in debate, because such personality was cal culated to diminish the strength of the soundest arguments. He would state as concisely as he could to the House, the view which he had taken of the present question. On the night previous to the day on which he had received Mr. Canning's first communication, he had been in the House till a very late hour, and as he had occasion to attend an Election Committee that day at ten o'clock, he had left his home at nine. This prevented him from paying immediate attention to the Right Hon. Gentleman's communication; but when he did read its contents, he felt convinced that he could not have said any thing which could be construed into a personal attack upon that Right Hon. Gentleman. The remarks which he had made were directed against his Majesty's ministers in general, and not against any one of them in particular; what he had said was not said in anger-what he had uttered was uttered without malice, and came directly and sincerely from his heart. Mr. Hume then explained the particulars of his having called on the Editor of The Times, to contradict the calumnious statement. Mr. Wynn said there was no other course for the House to pursue than to order the Printer to appear at its Bar tomorrow; which, after some conversation, was agreed to. Sir I. Jackson presented a Report from the Committee on the Plague, stating it to be their decided opinion that there was no specific contagion belonging to that malady. Sir J. Coffin maintained a contrary opinion. June 15. The Publicans' License Bill was recommitted; and the clause prohibiting brewers from acting as licensing Magistrates with regard to their own houses, was negatived on a division, by 114 to 70. Mr. C. Bell, printer of the Times, appeared at the Bar. He stated that the reports of the Parliamentary Debates appeared on the responsibility of the reporters-that the constant instruction to them is, to be as impartial and accurate as possible in their accounts of what passes in the House, and that on no account would any deviation from the truth be tolerated. There are several reporters, who write upon small slips, which go into the hands of different compositors, rendering it almost impossible they can be seen by the editor. He then stated that the gentleman who reported the speech in question was in attendance to answer any question that might be put to him. This gentleman being called in, gave the following account: "I have been for some years ycars in the habit of reporting the proceedings of this House, and have always endeavoured to be as faithful and as accurate in their representation as I possibly could but I beg to remark, that owing to the confusion and disorder which sometimes prevail in the gallery, it is not always possible, even with the very best intentions, to give with accuracy what occurs. With respect to that part of the debate of which complaint is now made, I have to observe, that from the numbers of persons passing and repassing the seat which I occupied (a circumstance of very frequent occurrence), it was out of my power to follow the Hon. Member (Mr. Hume) regularly through his observations. Anxious to collect what had occurred during the confusion, to which I have alluded, I asked a stranger who was placed before me, and from whom I received, if not in exact words, at least the point which I afterwards embodied in my report. As to any intention of misrepresenting what occurred, I totally disclaim it; I had no sinister object in view; I had no passion to gratify; I had no political interest to second; and I beg to add, that this is the first time, during the ten years which I have been engaged in re. porting, that any objection has been made, either publicly or privately, against any report that came from my hands." This manly and candid explanation appeared to give general satisfaction; but as no doubt existed that the gentleman in question had been guilty of a breach of privilege, he was, as a lenient punishment, ordered into the custody of the Serjeant at Arms. Next day a petition being presented from him, expressing contrition for the unintentional offence of which he had been guilty, he was brought up, and after a reprimand from Mr. Speaker, liberated upon paying his fees. June 16. Mr. Peel obtained leave to bring in a Bill to establish further regulations respecting advances by the Bank of England upon Government securities. The prominent feature of the measure is, that no advances can be made so as to increase the unfunded debt, but under the special authority of Parliament, and that all such advances shall be brought under the consideration of Parliament within a given period. He subsequently brought in the Bill, which was read the first time. The Report of the Foreign Enlistment Bill was taken into further consideration, and the amendments agreed to. June 18. A motion by Mr. Vansiltart, for going into a Committee on the Excise Duties Bill, was met by an amendment by the Marquis of Tavistock, for committing the Bill this day six months. After a long and general discussion, the amendment was negatived by 208 to 90, and the House went into the Committee. A long discussion took place on the clause for taxing the stock on hand of maltsters, which, however, was carried without a division. Mr. Vansittart, in moving to fill up the blanks in the clause which followed, proposed that 3d. per bushel, in part payment of the new duty, should become due on the 10th of November next; 3d. further on the 10th of January, 1820; 4d. on the 10th February; and the residue on the 10th of April. Mr. Brande proposed that the first payment should be in December. The clause, as originally proposed, was carried, on a division, by 175 to 65.-A clause for making the whole duty on malt 3s. 6d. per bushel, was carried, on a division, by 171 to 82. On the clause respecting the tea-duty an amendment was adopted, on the suggestion of Mr. T. Wilson, for exempting from additional duty teas sold at the East India sales at or under 2s. per lb. The Customs' Duties Bill also went through a Committee, in which the clause for laying an additional duty on wool was carried, on a division, by 106 to 63. HOUSE OF LORDS, June 21. The Royal Assent was given, by Commission, to the Loan Bill, Marquis Camden's Bill, and 13 other Bills. Lord Harrowby moved for the committal of the Cash Payments Bill, and replied, at some length, to the objections urged on a former day by Lord Lauderdale against the present Mint system. The Marquis of Lansdown approved of the measures adopted for the resumption of specie payments, but disapproved of the imposition of 3,000,000%. of additional taxes, in the present distressed state of the country, merely to swell out the amount of the Sinking Fund. The Earl of Liverpool said, the reduction of 18,000,000%. of taxes on the termination of the war had occasioned the delay that had taken place in the resumption of cash payments, and all the difficulties that had been felt in our financial system. He then defended the measures which had been adopted for creating a sinking fund of five millions a year, for the present, with the prospect of its soon amounting to eight millions. Lord Lauderdale restated some of his objections to the Mint regulations, and condemned the imposition of fresh taxes, in the present distressed state of the country. The House then went into a Committee ou on the Bill, in which the different clauses were agreed to, without any amendment. In the Commons, the same day, Lord Castlereagh moved the third reading of the Foreign Enlistment Bill. Sir W. Scott supported the Bill, as necessary to the preservation of the faith of treaties, and that strict neutrality which we were bound to by the law of nations. He severely censured the aid which had been given by British subjects to the South American Independents; for there was no solecism more absurd in itself, or more mischievous in its consequences, than that two Powers should be at peace with each other, whilst the subjects of them were engaged in the most active hostilities. Mr. Scarlett reprobated the measure as being a departure from our neutrality, by altering our laws for the benefit of Spain, and to the injury of the Independents. In the sequel of the discussion, the Bill was supported by Mr. R. Grant, Mr. Shepherd, Dr. Phillimore, and Mr. Long Wellesley; and opposed by Lord Nugent, Mr. Smyth (of Cambridge), Mr. G. V. Vernon, Mr. Alderman Waithman, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Barnet; and, on a division, the motion was carried by 190 to 129, and the Bill was, accordingly, read the third time. Mr. Denman moved a new title to the Bill," and to enable custom-house officers to search and detain all ships which may be in his Majesty's ports." After an opposition from Mr. G. Lamb, the amendment was negatived, and the Bill passed. Mr. Vansittart moved for the receiving the Report on the Excise Duties Regulation Bill. Mr. Western, Mr. Scarlett, Mr. C. Calvert, and Lord Milton, opposed the motion. It was, however, carried, on a division, by 114 to 68, and the Report was agreed to. In a Committee of Supply, 189,5741. 14s. 4d. was voted for the disembodied militia of Great Britain, and 126,3851. 7s. 5d. for the militia of Ireland. HOUSE OF LORDS, June 22. The Royal Assent was given by Commission, to the Grand Junction Canal Bill, the Barnstaple Election Witnesses Bill, the Court of Session Bill, the Wager of Battle Bill, and the Naturalization Bill. In the Commons, the same day, Mr. C. Wynn, with the leave of the House, brought in a Bill to indemnify witnesses giving evidence before either House of Parliament, or Committees thereof, in cases of bribery at elections. Mr. D. W. Harvey presented a petition from Captain Bryan, of the Margaret, complaining of his having been exche quered. He arrived from Surinam in August, 1814. After a general conversation, in the course of which the Solicitor General and Mr. Vansittart defended the characters of the parties concerned in administering the revenue laws, the petition was received, and ordered to be printed. Mr. Hume stated that Mr. Hallett, who had disobeyed the summons to give evidence on the Camelford election, was in the custody of the Serjeant at Arms, and moved that he should be committed to Newgate; but, on the suggestion of several Members, he withdrew the motion until Friday, to afford time for presenting a petition from Mr. Hallett. Sir C. Burrell moved the third reading of the Penryn Election Bill. Mr. Holford opposed the Bill, and moved that it be read a third time this day three months. On a division, the amendment was negatived by 44 to 24, and the Bill was passed. HOUSE OF LORDS, June 23. A motion by the Duke of Rutland for committing the Framework Knitters' Bill was negatived by 15 to 13, and the Bill was thrown out. On the motion of Lord Harrowby, the Bank Cash Payments Bill was read the third time. Lord Harrowby moved a clause, that it be in the option of the Bank to pay either in gold coin or bullion after the 5th of July, 1822, if its issues of bullion previous should have raised the price of it above that of the Miut. The clause was agreed to. The Earl of Liverpool said, he had been misunderstood when he said, that no Loan would be required for the next year; he certainly did not mean to include in that the five millions required to make good the payments to the Bank. In the Commons, the same day, Mr. Wilberforce presented a petition from the Rev. Dr. Lempriere, complaining of his having been unhandsomely, and, as he alleged, unjustly dismissed from the mastership of the free-grammar school at Exeter, and that a son of one of the trustees had been appointed in his stead. Mr. W. Courtenay and Lord Greaves vindicated the conduct of the trustees, and the petition was rejected. On the question for the third reading of the Charitable Foundations' Bill, Mr. Brougham objected to the exception in favour of institutions having special visitors, as it would exempt about 2000 institutions from all inquiry. Mr. Peel, at great length, censured the conduct of the Committee on Education in 1816-17-18, and contended that they had, in several instances, exceeded their powers. Mr. |