gumed down at one end, in form of a little web of cotton wadd. The stuff as wove into cloth there was no coming at a morsel of; as the samples were all fastened down with gum, at both extremities, and arranged as said above, - with great neatnefs for the emprefs, as were the coloured thread; so that it was only with much address that I cut off a corner of the rough and purified materials, which are indeed the most efsential, for if you pofsefsed the last, Paisley would laugh at the difficulty in making cloth of it.

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY

THERE has been lately discovered near Wanlock-head in Dumfries fhire a rich vein of antimonial ore, that has every appearance of affording that mineral in abundance to supply the whole demand of Europe, for an indefinite time. This has been known to the Editor for some time past; but he did not think it proper to announce it to the public, till he could do it with a reasonable degree of certainty. He is now enabled to say, on the very best authority, that the regulus as now prepared at that work is not only abundant, but superior in quality to any that could, for many years past, be obtained in any part of Europe. What renders this discovery of the greater importance, is, that the mines in Hungary, from. which alone this mineral has been obtained for a long while past, have exhibited of late, symptoms that indicated they were likely soon to be exhausted, which, together with the increasing demand for regulus, now so much used in the composition of type mètal for printing, not only enabled the proprietors of the old works to bring it to market very imperfectly refined, and oven

1

July 3. in that state the quantity brought to market was so small as to give many of the principal type founders in Britain, the most serious alarm, lest they fhould be obliged to give up their businefs for want of it; as without that article they are unable to form a single type with propriety.

This mine was discovered, not in consequence of a re, gular search, but by mere accident. A piece of the fhining ore, which had been exposed by accident on the surface of the earth, having been picked up, and fhown to a person well skilled in mineralogy to examine, was found to be a very fine ore of antimony. This will prove a discovery not only highly useful to the progress of arts in general, but peculiarly beneficial to the proprietor in particular; and ought to prove a powerful incentive to every proprietor of land, to be careful in examining the bed of running streams, or earthy matter washed bare by land floods in gullies, or other wise, by which means mineral substances of great value are frequently discovered without expence.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

In answer to the inquiries of B. C. concerning the account promised some time ago respecting the poors laws, nothing has prevented it but a fear that the Editor might be accused of fatiguing his readers with his own lucubrations, while so many of the communications from others, must be kept back for want of room, The Editor has every pofsible desire to oblige this, and every other correspondent who takes the trouble to favour him with his lucubrations, but he must deal small, and try to serve all.

The poem on Hansel Monday, is received, and under consideration. It is evidently too long for complete insertion.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22. 1793.

FOREIGN.

FRANCE.

DISPUTES still run very high in the National Convention. Some weeks

ago the moderate party, which, in the technical language of the times, is called the Valley, obtained the ascendancy; and at that time MARAT the champion of the violent, or Jacobin party, called the Mountain, was denounced. The party on that occasion exerted itself to the utmost to regain its power, and seem for the present to have succeeded. Marat has been tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal and acquitted. The power of the Jacobin party has been, at all times, great in Paris, so that the Convention has been overawed by it on many occasions, and forced to make decrees that were evidently contrary to the wishes of the majority. To get free from that restraint they have moved, that the Convention shall be transported from Paris to Versailles. The Mountain opposes this motion. This important question is now in agitation. If it shall be carried in the Convention, which seems extremely probable, unless the sense of immediate danger fhall overawe it, there seems to be no doubt great danger will attend the carrying of that resolve into execution; as a violent struggle will be made by the Mountain to oppose it. So sensible are those who favour this measure of the danger that will attend it, that they have proposed that no notice fhall be given of the day when the question is to be brought to the vote, and that if it shall be carried for the adjournment, the decree shall be instantly executed by the members, even with sword in hand, were it necefsary. In this case one of two things may be looked for,-either a violent conflict, that may probably end with the mafsacre of the whole of the members who constitute the party called the Valley; or, if that should be avoided, a schism, like that which long prevailed in the Papal church, when two Popes held their respective courts, the one at Rome and the other at Avignon. In this case, there may be two Conventions, one at Paris and the other at Versailles.

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The nation itself seems in like manner to be divided into two opposite parties, which carry their animosity against each other to very great lengths, though the intelligence from France has been so much interrupted of late, that we cannot learn what is the exact state of that country with so much certainty as on some former occasions. The Spaniards have entered R

sillon with a great rce, which by one account is represented as being ander the guidance of able commanders, and so successful in all its attempts, as to be deemed almost irresistible; by another account, it is said to be a mere rabble, who have been brought thither merely for plunder, and incapable of standing a single shock of the forces that are marching against it, which are so numerous, as to authorise the Convention to order, that only one half of what troops had been ordered for that service shall be embodied; so that nothing for certain can be at present said respecting these arma

ments.

The most recent accounts also represent the city of Marseilles as being in a state of actual insurrection, and proceeding with great ardour against the democratic party, declaring loudly in favour of royalty, and calling for a king. From several other places similar accounts have been obtained; but the most formidable power that any where has appeared, in favour of that cause, is in Brittany, as in the following representation,

April 27th, Extraordinary Deputies from the Departments of Mayenne and Loire pronounced the following discourse at the bar of the Convention :"An extent of country, of fifty leagues in length, and eighteen in breadth, is pofsefsed by the rebels. It can be no longer supposed that these men are easy to be conquered. As brave as superstitious, habituated to every species of hardship, commanded by experienced chiefs, they sustain regular battles, make well conducted retreats, and know how to repair their lofses. Led away by their fanaticism, they blindly throw themselves upon the troops that are opposed to them: they witness numbers of their companions fall without being daunted, and end in triumphing. They have just obtained two victories:-In the first battle they repulsed the left wing of our troops, and took 155 grenadiers prisoners. In the second, they beat the right wing, and took possession of a great quantity of artillery and ammunition, made a number of prisoners, and repulsed the army to the Loire. If they once país that river, it will not be pofsible to resist them in the environs of Saumur and Angers. Notwithstanding all this, the generals disdain communicating with the administrative bodies; they waste their time in ridiculous parade, and occasion their own defeats by the bad choice of their dispositions, and the imprudence of their movements. We earnestly demand money, ammunition, provisions, well armed troops, and safe and experienced generals "-Referred to the Committee of Public Safety.

One of the Secretaries began to read a letter, dated Tours, 25th April.

"Not a moment is be lost in our country.—General Berruyer would not follow the advice given him. The corps commanded by Beauvillers has been beaten by the rebels, who took five pieces of cannon, and killed several people." [Here there was a cry that no more of this letter fhould be tead.]

Private letters from France represent this insurrection in a still more formidable light; but these at present cannot be relied on.

On the borders of the Rhine, Custine still makes head against the combined armies; and several actions have taken place, in which, though the French have been in general defeated, and obliged to retreat, yet they are y no means dispersed. The following very singular letter from Custine

deserves to be preserved; another of a later date, to the same purport, has been sent to the Convention from him.

On the 13th a letter was read in the Convention from general Custine in which he complains very bitterly of the contradictory orders he has received, and of the want of discipline in the French armies. He tells the Convention, that nothing can save the republic, but to place the whole executive Power in the hands of one man; that if the Convention will entrust HIM with that power, he will undertake to save the republic; if it will not, he desires to have his successor appointed. Differing from Dumourier, he observes, that should a KING be proclaimed, he will instantly emigrate from the country.

The seige of Mentz is still carried on with vigour, but not concluded. The garrison some time ago offered to capitulate upon terms which were not granted. Several vigorous sallies have been made; but the French have always been repulsed. The bridge of boats which formed the communication between Cafsels and Mentz has been destroyed by the besiegers; and as the heavy artillery has lately arrived, they entertain hopes that the place will soon be carried. In the mean while, the inhabitants must suffer great hardships from the demolition of their houses, and other ravages of war.

The French seem, for the present, to have laid aside all thoughts of foreign conquests; their troops have been therefore ordered to retire from Switzerland, and preparations seem to be making for the evacuation of Savoy. It would seem that they had determined to make the most vigorous effort in their power to repel the combined forces in the neighbourhood of Conde and Valanciennes, suspecting, no doubt, that should they be able to succeed in carrying these two strong places, Paris, itself, which is at such a small distance from thence, would be in danger; they therefore made two very vigorous attacks on the combined forces, one on the 1st, and the other on the 8th instant, in a great many places at once, extending almost the whole length from the Scheldt to Conde, in which, it is said, they brought 90,000 men into action. Their attacks seem to have been well concerted, and carried into execution with that vigour which usually characterises the attack from the French armies: but they were received every where with the most determined intrepidity; and after a well fought engagement during the whole day, the French were every where repulsed with great slaughter, as the accounts of the Allies bear, and totally failed in effecting the object intended; so that the Allies have now occupied the strong posts the French formerly held in the Ardennes and at Maubege, and all communication is cut off between Valenciennes and Conde. The few British troops that were in that action, the Coldstream Regiment of Guards in particular, acted with great intrepidity, and had a considerable share in the honour, as well as the dangers of the day; they lost on that occasion 35 men. The lofs of the French in both these actions is alleged to be very great, and that of the combined forces not inconsi rable, though greatly inferior to the former. General Dampierre is