SCOTS MAGAZINE; OR GENERAL REPOSITORY OF ITERATURE, HISTORY, AND POLITICS FOR THE YEAR M,DCC,XCVIII. Ne quid falfi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. 1 The domeftic occurrences of the pat year have not been remarkable. in Parliament, the moll important fubpect of difcuffion has been the Minif ter's tax on income. The chief foreign cvents are the following: A popular commotion in Rome, excited by the extremity of want to which the lower claffes of the people were reduced by the ravages of the Freach, furnished a pretext for entirely overthrowing the papal power in that eity, and forming what is called a madera Roman republic. The feals of the French Republic were fixed on the mufeums and galleries, and whatever they contained was confifcated for the benefit of the Great Nation; even the Pope's private library, collected by himfelf, which he earnestly requested to be allowed to retain, was not withfranding fold to a bookfeller in Rome fur 12,000 crowns. March. The commotions in Ireland during the last year rofe to a moft a larming height. On the 31st of March, a proclamation was iffued by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, declaring that a traiterous confpiracy exifted within the kingdom, for the fubverfion of the authority of his Majefty and the Parliament; the deftruction of the establish ed conftitution and government. On the 24th of May it was announced, that open rebellion exifted in the counties of Wicklow, Carlow, Dublin, Wexford, Antrim, Meath, and Kildare; and it afterwards appeared, that on the 25th, Lieut. Gardner, at the head of a detachment of the Antrim militia, had encountered between three and four thousand of the infurgents, whom he defeated, killing three hundred of them. On the 26th, another confiderable body of infurgents supposed to amount to 4000, cut off 100 men of the Cork Militia-At Monfteraven, the infurgents loft 400 men; and 50 at Carlow. A fquadron of fhips and tranfports, Commanded by Captain Home Popham, having a body of troops on board, under the command of MajorGeneral Coote, failed from the Nore, for the purpofe of blowing up the bafon-gates and fluices of the Bruges canal, and deftroying the internal navigation between Holland, Flanders, and France. On the 18th the troops were landed, amounting to about 1400 men, and the deftruction of the fluices was in fome degree effected, but the wind fuddenly fhifting and blowing very hard, the troops were not able to re-embark, and the whole furrendered themselves prifoners to the detachment of French troops which marched against them.— Sir Sydney Smith, who had been long a prifoner in the Temple at Paris, (having been taken on the 18th of April 1796, on board the Diamond frigate which he commanded), was liberated, by a plan concerted in England, and effected his escape to this country on the 13th of May. June. Lord Edward Fitzgerald died of the wounds he received, in refifting Meffrs Ryan and Swan, when they ap prehended him on a charge of high treafon. Mr Ryan also died in confequence of the wounds he received from his Lordship. There was a terrible conflict between the regulars under Lieut.-Gen. Lake, and the infurgents at New Rofs; in the event of which the latter were defeated with great flaughter-Lord Mountjoy, on the part of the regulars, fell in the beginning of the engagement. 20. Marquis Cornwallis arrived at Dublin, as Lord Lieutenant and Commander in Chief of the armies of Ireland. On that and the fucceeding day, a fquadron under the command of Sir Thomas Williams in the Endymion, in two attacks on the harbour of Wexford, gained poffeffion of the town, drove the infurgents. out of it, and took prifoners two of their generals, Hay and Roche. An attack was made on Hacketstown, by feveral thousands of the infurgents; which was fo completely repelled by troops under the command of Lieut. Gardner, that thirty cart loads of their killed and wounded were faid to have been carried off by them in their retreat; and thirty of their dead were found in the streets and ditches. On the fide of the regulars, there were only only ten killed and twenty wounded. Amongst the former was Captain Hardy of the Hacketftown yeomanry. An attack was made on 5000 of the infurgents, near Kilkenny, by the troops under Sir Charles Afgill; when Murphy the prieft, (their leader), was killed, and upwards of a thousand others Their colours were taken, with cannon, arms, cattle, &c.-On the fide of the regulars, it is not publicly known that more than seven were killed and wound ed. The conduct of the French Directory to the United States of America having been of the most haughty and infulting nature, the United States paff ed a bill, declaring the treaties fubfifting between France and America null and void. It was carried 14 to 5. Another French fquadron from Breft, appeared off the coaft of Ireland; the next day, Sir John Borlafe Warren fell in with them; an engagement took place, in the event of which the French were defeated, with the lofs of one ship of the line and three frigates.-Three other frigates that had difperfed were taken by our cruizers. The French made another attempt upon Ireland (in the neighbourhood of Killala), with two brigs, two corvettes, and a luggar, fuppofed to have been equipped at Dunkirk, and having 1200 troops on board; but, on learning the fate of the other expeditions, they put to fea without landing. Of the leaders in the Irish revolt, fome have fallen; others have been difperfed; and several have fuffered the pu nifhment of the laws.-From the information derived in the courfe of the trials, it is very evident that the object was never clearly afcertained between the chiefs of the rebellion and their foreign allies: The former wishing to reftrict the number of the latter to A large fleet having been fitted out at Toulon with numerous tranfports, on board of which 40,000 troops are faid to have embarked, General Buonaparte being the Commander in Chief; he arrived off Malta on the 9th of June, and the island furrendered on the 12th. As foon as the neceffary arrangements a body only fufficient to affift them were made, the General quitted Malta, in breaking their connection with Great leaving a garrison of 4000 men, proceed- Britain, and then to withdraw themed to Alexandria, and from thence to felves; whilft their pretended allies, Cairo. in conformity to their general views, were anxious to avail themselves of the difaffection of a part of the inhabitants, to aid them in fubjugating the whole. On the 1st of August, Admiral Nelfon attacked the French fleet in the bay of Aboukir, and atchieved a glorious victory. A Ruffian fleet paffed the Dardanelles, and a formal declaration of war was made againft the French by the Grand Seignior.-In October 60,000 Ruflian troops entered Bohemia. The French have made themselves mafters of the Swifs Cantons, after many fevere conflicts with the brave but unfortunate natives, on whom the moft unqualified depredations have been committed. A fmall French fquadron landed a bout 8co men, under the command of About the beginning of December, Gen. Humbert, at Killala, where they hofilities commenced between the were joined by great numbers of the Neapolitans and the French; the adinfurgents, and engaged in fome petty vantage being (according to their own fkirmishes with the regulars. They re- accounts) in favour of the latter. Ofmained in the country till the 8th of ficial accounts were received in DecemSeptember, when they furrendered to ber of the furrender of Minorca to the column under Gen. Lake.-During the British troops; alfo of the capture the refidence of the French in Ireland, of the island of Goza, adjoining to vast numbers of the infurgents are re- Malta. ported to have fallen. Sold by JAMES WATSON & Co. No 40. South Bridge. |