The New Hampshire Gazette

PORTSMOUTH, July 2.

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in Ireland to his friend in this town, dated April 25th, 1796.

"Foreign news briefly thus, there is another campaign this summer to be carried on by the different powers against France. We have been much amused with various reports of peace between England and France, but always without foundation, there is a peace expected immediately between the French and Austrians. The war in La Vendee is happily terminated in favor of the French republic owing to the entire defeat and death of the two chiefs Stofflet and Charette. The French has made preparations this season upon the Rhine for the purpose of invading Germany, they have an army there of 500,000 men completely equipped with stores of every kind. A negotiation for peace was attempted between the Emperor and France, but by the influence of Pitt has been frustrated, he has granted the Emperor four and half millions to carry on the war this campaign. Domestic news is such as you may reasonably expect, every step poor Ireland takes to emancipate itself, is a sure step to add more and more slavery on its subjects: our unanimous parliament has passed an Act, whereby all arms of every kind in the kingdom must be registered by the first of May next; when the bill was passed we were in hopes it would not be executed, but contrary to our expectations the magistrates is advertising in every place throughout the kingdom for the people to come in and register their arms, or they will be fined in 10 l. as the law directs. but very few it is thought will comply with this arbitrary act; every person who has a gun is thinking of some safe place to hide it, rather than to give up to such an act of tyranny; great power is given to the magistrates, they can take up any person they please and put them on board a man of war, and by an act of indemnification the magistrate cannot be punished for any offence he may commit in this way. Trial by jury is almost done away ; every thing that tends to prevent the union of the people here is countenanced by our house of commons, and not a single thing thought of to relieve the poor. A great number of respectable families is about embarking for America, partly owing to a dislike of the present government, by reason of the oppression it is daily heaping on the heads of the people, which serves to irritate and inflame them against the government what the consequences of all this abuse will be, God only knows, time will determine; you ought to think yourself happy, notwithstanding all you have suffered on your passage, in getting away from a land inhabited by a set of Tormentors, and arriving safe in a country, the only one on the globe where liberty and peace seems to reign triumphant, that it may continue so for ages to come, is the sincere wish of your friend, who longs to be with you."