THE present year opened, as the last had closed, amid the violent agitation excited by the prosecution and issue of proceedings against an illustrious member of the Royal House. The national ferment, instead of abating, might be said to have augmented; yet its symptoms had undergone a pretty decisive change. At the first opening, and during the continuance, of these unfortunate proceedings, the Queen, as a personal object, absorbed all the feelings and enthusiasm of the nation. The regular train and objects of political pursuit, both among whigs and reformers, were all forgotten, and merged in her single cause. This intense personal interest, in itself somewhat foreign to the habitual feelings of the age and nation, had now very sensibly abated. The leaders of faction resumed their usual train of objects, and sought only to avail them

selves of the unpopularity contracted by those in power, to forward against them their own favourite designs. Throughout the whole country, meetings were called, of the same persons who had formerly covered reams of paper with signatures of addresses to the Queen. They were now invited to follow up that measure, by petitions for restoring her to all her rights and dignities; but more especially to pass votes of censure on ministers, with earnest petitions for their immediate dismissal. The impulse still continued so far as to make these meetings be attended by the majority of the people, and to give to that party, in all open and promiscuous assemblies, a great numerical superiority. They could no longer, however, carry their measures with the same sweeping and unresisted success, as when the Queen's cause first appeared to

carry before it all the vows and feelings of the nation. The friends of government, and the aristocracy in general, who had looked on with disdainful indifference, or had considered it vain to attempt to stem so impetuous a tide, now took the alarm. The Queen's party, emboldened by the current of popular favour, had not merely given vent to indiscriminate abuse of all in power, without excepting those whom the constitution shielded most entirely from personal responsibility. They had more over taken the opportunity of introducing all the most violent and revolutionary topics, which derived new importance from the unqualified assent with which they were echoed by the misjudging object of this adulation. This class, therefore, now met in all quarters, for the purpose of preparing loyal addresses, and stamping with their reprobation, the doctrines of an opposite description, which had become so general. Every city, every town, and almost every village in the empire, was agitated by these eddying tides of political conflict. The movers of the loyal addresses endeavoured to disarm opposition, by avoid. ing all allusion to the Queen, and even all introduction of the names of the ministers. They proposed addresses, containing merely general expressions of loyalty, of attachment to our glorious constitution, and abhorrence of the attempts so industriously made to propagate the principles of sedition and irreligion. In proof of their assertions, they referred particularly to the licentiousness of the press-to the abuse heaped on the most respectable characters and to the blasphemous publications so zealously circulated among the lower orders. If any of the more zealous speakers could not be restrained from thrusting into their harangues an expression of their conviction of the Queen's guilt, this was

not at least allowed to find a place in the address or resolutions. On these occasions, the whigs declared, that they were in no degree conscious of yielding in loyalty to the movers of the resolutions; but they were wholly at a loss to conceive what reason there could be at the present moment for coming forth with so ostentatious a display of these sentiments. They were not aware of any general prevalence, either of disaffection or irreligion. They considered the allegation as a libel against the people of England. Considering all circumstances, they could no longer doubt, that however studiously the name of ministers was kept back, the real object was to attempt to shelter them from the public odium under which they laboured, and to defeat the universal cry of the nation for their removal. They must, therefore, object to the address or resolution, unless there were appended to it an expression of entire conviction of the Queen's innocence, a solicitation for her full restoration to rank and dignity, and, above all, a prayer for the immediate dismissal of those ministers, who, by their defiance of public opinion, had shewn themselves unworthy of their situations. The results continued to be such as were observed in the assemblies at the close of the former year. In all privileged and aristocratic corporations-in almost all the Scotch, and in many of the English counties, the motions, though vehemently opposed, were carried by large majorities. But wherever general meetings of inhabitants were called, the movers were dismayed by the entrance of an unbidden and unwished for crowd, against whom, if they attempted to make head, they were quickly outvoted. In general, therefore, a secession took place, and, in most places two several petitions lay for signature in the same town; in the issue

of which the loyalists boasted that their deficiency of number was compensated by superior respectability of character and property. In several of the English counties, the amendment was carried.

The most tumultuary proceeding took place in Ireland, at the meeting of the county of Dublin. The address being proposed, a member on the other side began to oppose it; when the Sheriff, insisting that indecorous language had been used, call ed to order, and closed the debate. Then, taking the vote, he declared it, upon the mere show of hands, to be carried on the side of government. On which side the majority really lay, became a matter of vehement controversy, each party declaring that they were a hundred to one of the other. The Sheriff then abruptly dissolved the meeting; but the whigs, indignant at this certainly very irregular course, mustered, and calling Lord Cloncurry to the chair, began forthwith to frame a counter address. The Sheriff, however, conceiving that such conduct, after the dissolution of the meeting, was an illegal invasion of the court-room, and having in vain summoned the members to depart, introduced a body of troops, who effected a forcible clearance. The expelled body retired to a neighbouring inn, where they passed their counter address. Another meeting was afterwards held, in which Mr Hamilton Rowan being called to the chair, resolutions were entered into, expressive of the strongest indignation at the conduct of the Sheriff, and where deliberation was held as to the mode of appealing to the legislature for redress.

All this conflict of parties had one object in view, that of acting upon the meeting of Parliament, which was now approaching. The whigs were prepared for a most active campaign.

They had to propose a series of resolutions in favour of the Queen, which, notwithstanding the sensible abatement of enthusiasm in her favour, might still be considered as popular; and which, if carried, would soon be followed up by others, more directly tending to effect the grand objects of their policy. On the other hand, the friends of government predicted, that in this parliamentary warfare, the whigs would not only have to encounter the influence by which administration was usually supported; but that though the termination of the bill of Pains and Penalties had been accepted by the multitude as a full acquittal, different feelings had been cherished by the higher classes. These had been equally manifested by the adherents of both political creeds. Even the most zealous of whig mem bers continued to decline family introductions; and all the efforts of the Queen's partizans had been unable to collect a female court, which bore even the appearance of respectability. It was alleged, moreover, that by this new alliance, formed with a party that had proceeded to such extremes, the whigs would lose more on one side than they gained on the other; in consequence of the terror struck into all that numerous parliamentary body, which was attached to established order, and fearful of revolution.

Under these circumstances, Parliament were assembled on the 22d January. Ministers had prepared a speech, in which every thing that could irritate the present state of the public feeling, was carefully omitted. It was as follows:

"My Lords and Gentlemen, "I have the satisfaction of acquainting you, that I continue to receive from foreign powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country.