e house a second estimate of supplies, and to
make a further demand of more than L3,000,000, which was readily voted,
as were also a new increase of taxes on salt, tea, dogs, horses and
carriages, &c. to meet it. Late in the session Mr. Wilberforce renewed
his motion for the abolition of the slave-trade; and though his
proposition was rejected, several regulations were enacted for
alleviating the sufferings of the wretched Africans on their passage.
These were the principal measures taken into consideration during this
session. Parliament was prorogued on the 29th of June.

IRISH REBELLION.

During the sitting of parliament a rebellion had broken out in Ireland.
Discussions on this subject had been entered into with closed doors; and
in the month of June, when the Irish insurgents had attacked and beaten
several detachments of the king's troops, a message was delivered to
parliament from the king, desiring that he might be enabled to take
all such measures as might be necessary to defeat any enterprise of his
enemies. The chief object of this message was to allow the officers and
privates of different militia regiments, who had made a voluntary tender
of their services to assist in the suppression of the rebellion, to go
to that country and act with the royal troops; and a bill was brought
in and carried for that purpose. The rebellion, which was one of a
formidable nature, had its origin in the association of United Irishmen,
first instituted for obtaining universal suffrage. This association was
afterwards re-organized for the accomplishment of a revolution and
a separation from Great Britain: parliamentary reform and catholic
emancipation being demanded only as pretexts to cover ulterior designs.
A correspondence had long been maintained between the leaders of this
association and the French directory, and notwithstanding the failure of
Hoche, and likewise of a design of another armament, an agent was still
resident in Paris. Application was made to the directory for a loan to
assist the revolutionists; but the French rulers refused to grant it,
unless they were permitted to send sufficient forces to effect the
conquest of the country. It was evident that they wanted Ireland for
themselves; but the Irish "patriots" wanted to rule themselves, and not
to exchange masters; whence they expressed themselves averse to this
plan of invasion. The Irish indeed prepared for an insurrection without
waiting for continenta