pelled to submit to the loss of Thuringia, Upper and Lower Lusatia, and Henneberg. This acquisition, in addition to Swedish Pomerania, and the recovery of her Polish provinces, restored Prussia to a high rank among the powers of the Continent.

In the East Indies some disputes between the British government and the state of Nepaul, respecting boundaries, broke out into hostility; and a force of 30,000 men, was ordered by the Governor-general, Lord Moira, to penetrate that mountainous and intricate country. Several gallant but unsuccessful at. tempts were made on the strong fort of Kalunga, in one of which General Gillespie, the commander, was slain the fort was at length, however, evacuated by its garrison; but a series of warlike operations was continued for several months, with great bravery and skill on both sides, and with various success. After a campaign of unusual difficulty, the result was, that the whole country from Kemaoon to the river Sutledge was ceded to the English company.

About this period the whole island of Ceylon came under the British dominion, the King of Candy, who possessed the interior, having driven the inhabitants, by a series of atrocities, to throw off his yoke. Early in the year General Brownrigg, the governor of the British possessions on the coast, issued a proclamation declaring that he made war on the tyrant alone, and promising protection, to his oppressed subjects. An adequate force then penetrated to the capital, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants; the king was delivered up, without the loss of a single man; and a treaty was concluded, by which the British authority was established in the whole island, the rights and immunities of the chiefs were secured, the religion, of Boodh was established, torture and muti

lation were abolished, and no sentence of death was to be executed without a warrant from the British governor. Thus was this fine and fruitful island, without bloodshed, and by the general consent of its inhabitants, added to "Britain's wide domain."

Among the domestic events of the year the sudden and distressing close of Mr. Whitbread's life, by his own hands, is the only prominent feature. He was a constant speaker on almost every subject that came before the House of Commons; and although not in the possession of office, he occupied a place in the British Parliament, as the active investigator of abusesį the ready advocate of the oppressed, and the liberal friend of all mankind, which made his loss a matter of deep and general regret.

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CHAPTER Xxxvi, 73 m 95A7 611969

PARLIAMENT assembled on the 1st of February, 1816, when, in consequence of the indisposition of the Prince-regent, the speech was read by the lordchancellor. His Royal Highness congratulated the two Houses upon the splendid and decisive successes obtained by his Majesty's arms, and those of his allies, by which he trusted that the lasting repose and security of Europe had been obtained; he lamented the heavy pressure upon the country which the late extraordinary exertions could not have failed to produce ; but he assured them that they might rely on every disposition on his part to concur in such measures of economy as might be found consistent with the security of the country, and with that station which it occupied in Europe. In the House of Lords the address was agreed

to unanimously; and in the Commons an amendment, moved by Mr. Brand, censuring ministers for the length of the late prorogation, which had caused a delay in producing important treaties, and in revising our civil and military establishments, was negatived by 90 against 23.

On the 9th of February Mr. Brougham moved for a copy of a treaty concluded at Paris, on the 26th of September, between the sovereigns of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, and which had received the name of the Holy Alliance. By this singular document, which was couched in the most devout and solemn language, and consisted of three articles, the three potentates, members of different Christian churches, declared their resolution, both in their domestic administration and foreign relations, to take for their guide the precepts of the holy religion taught by our Saviour. They bound themselves in a fraternity of mutual assistance, regarding themselves as delegated by Providence to govern three branches of one and the same Christian nation, of which the Divine Being was the sole real sovereign; and they declared that all such powers as should solemnly avow the sacred principles which had actuated them would be received with ardour into this "holy alliance." Mr. Brougham observed, that there was something so singular in the language of the treaty, as to warrant no little jealousy. He could not think that it referred to objects merely spiritual: the partition of Poland had been prefaced by language very similar to that now used; and the proclamation of the Empress Catharine, which wound up that fatal tragedy, was couched in almost the same words. Lord Castlereagh vindicated the motives of the Emperor of Russia, and stated that the Prince-regent, whose accession to this alliance had been solicited, had ex

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pressed his satisfaction in its tendency. He opposed the production of the document itself, on the ground that it was contrary to the practice of Parliament to call for copies of treaties to which this country was no party. From an abstract of the net produce of the revenue, in the years ending the 5th of January, 1815, and the 5th of January, 1816, it appeared that, in the former, it amounted to 65,429,9817.; and, in the latter, to 66,443,8021. Notwithstanding this enormous produce, the chancellor of the exchequer acknowledged, on the very first day of the session, that it was his intention to propose a reduced income-tax of 51. per cent., there being no mode of raising the necessary supplies less oppressive or so economical. This intention was, however, frustrated by the persevering opposition of the people to this attempted breach of public faith. On the 5th of March, the subject having previously undergone much discussion, Mr. Vansittart, with the view of gaining over the poorer classes, announced, amongst his proposed modifications, that incomes of less than 1507. and farms of less rent than 1507. were to be exempt from the operation of the tax; and that, upon farms of higher rent, the assessment was to be upon one-third, instead of three-fourths of the rent. On the reduced scale, Mr. Vansittart, in the first instance, estimated the tax to produce 6,000,000l. annually; it had been proved, however, that, according to the original plan, more than half of the tax had been paid by incomes of 1504, a year, and under. Estimating the net produce of the tax at ten per cent at 12,000,0001., at five per cent. it would indeed be 6,000,0007.; but, by taking away, at one stroke, half of the sources of production-incomes of 1501. a year and under-the produce of the remaining half could be only 3,000,0007., and by the reduction of farm rents, &c. the actual

produce would probably not have been more than 2,000,000l. On the final discussion of the subject, on the 18th of March, the motion for a continuance of the income-tax was negatived by 238 against 201. This important defeat rendering recourse to a loan unavoidable, the war tax on malt, which had been estimated to produce 2,000,000l. per annum, was also voluntarily relinquished by ministers, as the abandonment of the tax would be a relief to the agricultural interest, and the addition of that sum to the amount which it had become necessary to borrow would be of little importance. In bringing forward the budget, on the 27th of May, the chancellor of the exchequer announced the highly gratifying fact, that the surplus of the preceding year's grants in hand amounted to 5,663,7557. In their favourite object of maintaining a very large standing army ministers were successful; the situation of the Continent rendering it in some measure necessary.

Among the additional ways and means the sum of 3,000,0007. was advanced by the Bank, at three per cent. interest, on condition of being permitted to increase their capital by one-fourth; and on the 14th of March Mr. Grenfell moved for a select committee to inquire into the advantages gained by that corporation, from the public balances, since 1806, and observed that, in consideration of the extravagant profits made by the company, the sum of six millions, which had been borrowed from them, ought to have been obtained without any interest: his motion, however, was negatived. The restriction on cash-payments was subsequently extended until July, 1818; the English and Irish exchequers were consolidated; and a bill was passed for a new silver coinage, in which the denomination of the coin was raised by a small seig