settlement of whose domestic affairs was the ostensible cause, of the loss to the British empire of the union of the greatest and most brilliant assemblage of talents, she had ever witnessed, united in one administration; required more than ordinary attention. To attempt to trace the causes of her present discontents to their true source, and point out the most probable means to remedy them,' we hope we have exhibited in our chapter on that subject; which at least will have the merit (if no other can be found) of novelty to recommend it. Our colonial establishments, both in the East and West Indies, claimed a particular share of our attention, and which, to the utmost of our ability and extent of our information, we have bestowed upon those important subjects; nor will there, generally speaking, be found any matter which our "History of Europe" usually embraces, which we have not brought before our readers in their progressive and natural order, and with as much minuteness as consisted with the nature of the work. In our selections, we have been unusually attentive to what we conceived would be the taste and wish of our readers. Our "Chronicle" we have endeavoured to make more than usually interesting by the extent and variety of matter. In our extracts from the best works of the year, we have been particularly anxious to dwell on those which relate to Egypt, that very extraordinary country, which has been, from the remotest antiquity, the subject of of research and inquiry, and which on a late memorable occasion, was the theatre of the gallant exploits of our brave countrymen, and that of the humiliation and total discomfiture of our implacable enemy. In our Miscellaneous and Poetical Articles, some original unpublished pieces, of no ordinary share of merit, are inserted. We now dismiss our volume to the perusal and judgment of our kind, we hope partial, friends, the public. That public whom we have faithfully served for four and forty years; whose interests we have carefully guarded, and whose approbation and patronage has been the con-stant object of our unceasing and unwearied solicitude. THE THE ANNUAL REGISTER, For the YEAR 1802. THE HISTORY OF EUROPE. CHAP. I. Meeting of the Imperial Parliament meets at an earlier Period than usual. His Majesty's Speech from the Throne, announcing the Adjustment, by Convention, of the Differences with the Northern Powers of Europe-and of the Preliminaries of Peace being signed with France, &c. Addresses of Thanks moved in the Lords and Commons.-Debates. -Address carried in both Houses. all inclined the people of this country to believe that peace was still distant, when suddenly and unexpectedly, the signature of the preliminaries was announced, and very shortly after his majesty's proclamation appeared, appointing the parliament to assemble on the 29th of October, for the dispatch of weighty and important business. This weighty and important business was immediately known to be, the official communication to the great council of the nation, of the signature of the preliminaries of the peace. The mass of the nation, at first, expressed the most enthusiastic joy at hearing of the reestablishment of peace, without canvassing the terms of it, or considering whether it was such a peace as this country had a right to expect; but when the parliament was about to assemble, the attention of every one was turned to the opinions which should be delivered there, by those men, whose superior abilities and opportunities of forming a correct judgment enabled them to throw the greatest possible light upon the subject. Or the 29th of October, his majesty opened the sessions, by a speech from the throne: he announced to his parliament that the differences with the Northern Pow ers had been adjusted by a convention with the emperor of Russia, to which the kings of Denmark and Sweden had expressed their readiness to accede. He stated, that, in this convention, the essential rights for which this country contended, were secured, and provision made that the exercise of them should be attended with as little molestation as possible, to the subjects of the contracting parties. He next informed them that prefminaries of peace had been signed between him and the French republic, in which he trusted that this important arrangement would be found to be conducive to the substantial interests of this country, and honourable to the British character. He also expressed his gratitude to Divine Providence for the bounty afforded to his people in the abundant produce of the last harvest, and his acknowledgments to the distinguished valour and eminent services of his forces both by sea and land, the unprecedented exertions of the militia and fencibles, and the zeal and perseverance of the yeomanry and volunteer corps; and was persuaded that parliament would join with him in reflecting with peculiar satisfaction on the naval and military operations of the last campaign, and on the successful and glorious issue of the expedition to Egypt, which had been marked throughout by achievements, tending in their consequences and by their example to produce lasting advantages and honour to this country. He concluded by expressing his most fervent prayer, "that his people might experience the reward they had so much merited, in a full enjoyment of the blessings of peace, in a progressive increase of their commerce, credit and resources, and above all, in the undisturbed possession of their religion, laws and liberties, and in the safeguard and protection of that constitution, which it had been the great object of all their efforts to preserve, and which it was their most sacred duty to transmit unimpaired to their descendants." An address of thanks to his majesty, for his most gracious speech, was moyed toved, in the HOUSE of LORDS, by armies triumphant. It was a grand and magnificent triumph for Eng land to make a peace, when her navies and armies were every where conquerors from the frozen seas of the North to the pillars of Hercules; and from Africa to the reinotest shores of Asia and America. When the unexampled achieve had rescued Egypt from its in vaders, were made only to restore it to its rightful owner, and the triumphs of our armies were only accessary to that spirit of moderation, which dictated our appeal to amus. His lordship, after paying the highest tribute of praise to our commanders in Egypt, observed, that when the peace was made it was evident that the integrity, of Europe could not be preserved; hal it been possible to preserve it, it would have been effected by the power of Great Britain, Lord Bolton, who said he should not enter into ary detail of the preliminaries, as the papers were not thea before the house; but he could not avoid pointing tugir lordships attention to the sentim nts of paternal affection expressed by his majesty, in announcing the adjustments of that band of heroes, who ment of the differences with the Northern Powers, and the signing of the prelim nadies. As for peace itself, it had been so strongly felt to be desirable, that men did not allow themselves time to doubt of its being advantageous, but gave free and unbounded indulgence fo their joy the leading articles of the peace were universally know and approved of, but no circumstance attending it appeared to him more worthy of consideration than the fitness of the time at which his majesty's ministers had concluded the preliminaries of the peace. They had not done it at a time when a deficiency of supplies was felt; No, he saw with pride and satisfaction that ministers had chosen a time for making peace when our resources were in full vigour, and when the nation had displayed its ancient character, by the manly and determined posture of defence uto which it had voluntarily put itself when threatened by invasion. He admired also the fitness of the fine for concluding peace, because it was not at a time when we had any thing to fear for our security, when our arins had been unsuccessful, our strength exhausted, or our spirits broken. On the contrary, the peace was concluded at the moment the most auspicious to the British character, when our resources were unimpaired, and our Si Pergama dextrâ Defendi possint, etiain hac defensa fuissent. His lordship concluded by moving an address which, as usual, was an echo of the speech. Lord Lifford seconded the address, and compared the situation in which the country then stood, with that alarming situation in which it was at the time parliament was convened in the preceding year: when the war assumed a new terror from the menaced interference of the Northern Powers; while we had the gigantic force of France to con tend with nearer home, and the fate of Egypt still hung in suspense. Such was then our situa tion with respect to foreign powers. Our domestic situation was still. more melancholy: the sovereign B 2 was |