majority. Subsequently, Pitt brought in a bill to enable French
royalists and emigrants to enlist in the service of the king of Great
Britain on the continent of Europe, and to employ French officers as
engineers, under certain restrictions. Two amendments were offered: one
by the attorney-general, to exact the oath of allegiance from those
who enlisted; the other by Sheridan, to limit the number of such French
troops at any time stationed in the kingdom, to 5,000. Both these
amendments were adopted; and, notwithstanding the opposition of Fox and
his party, the bill was carried in the commons by the usual majority,
and it subsequently passed the Lords. About this time, parliament was
informed, by royal message, that a large subsidy had been granted to the
King of Prussia. This was criticised and condemned by opposition in the
severest manner, as were all the subsidiary treaties concluded with
some of the powers of the coalition, who were too poor to maintain the
expenses of the war without English money. But every motion on these
subjects was carried by a large majority. On the other hand, every
motion tending to put an end to the war was negatived by overwhelming
numbers. Thus, when, on the 30th of May, the Duke of Bedford moved a
series of resolutions to this end, in the lords, and Fox in the commons,
the former was defeated by one hundred and thirteen against twelve, and
the latter, by two hundred and eight against fifty-five. By this time
opposition had still further reverses on the theatre of war to urge
against its continuance, but these arguments were rendered futile by the
intelligence which came, at the same time, of the augmented and still
augmenting atrocities in France, which encouraged members of parliament
to believe that such a system could not sustain itself for any length of
time. And this feeling was prevalent among the people. On hearing of the
reverses, opposition, and men of the same principles in private life,
made great efforts to get up popular petitions for a peace; but the
majority of the people had conceived a horror of the French republicans,
and, except among some political clubs, no progress was made in this
business; and the petitions got up among such clubs were, of course,
unheeded.

SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT.

On the 12th of May a royal message was delivered, referring to the
seditious practices of democratic societies, and intimating the
necessity of taking measures f