objects will be, on the one hand, to promote tranquillity, and secure the dignity and interests of the church-on the other, to comply, where it is safe, with the spirit of the age; and, as far as it may be practicable, to follow the wishes and conciliate the affections of the people. It is indeed impossible for an honest man to be neutral—as it is impossible for an honest man to be indifferent. But to be neutral is one thing-to be impartial is another. We shall not stand aloof from the contest, but we shall fight under our own banner. With regard, Sir, to your accusations against our individual conduct, we are of opinion that the best refutation of them must be to publish your letter, and refer to all that we have hitherto said. Let our appeal be made to our own statements: we have no fears as to the result. That any colourable charge can be fixed upon us of indecision or subterfuge, either on the subject of the church or on any other in which the welfare of our country is involved, we utterly deny. We are, Sir, Your most obedient humble servants, THE COUNCIL OF TEN. THE COUNCIL OF LADIES. In tasks so bold can little men engage? POPE. WE, the Ten, have got ourselves into a sad scrape :-that is the fact. The female community is up in arms against us: the very Council of Ladies, which we instituted for the most excellent purposes, threatens us with a civil war. Already are its members rebellious to our superior authority; and already would they declare themselves independent, like the American colonies, when they broke off their allegiance to the mother country. The great cause of a feud so much to be deplored, is the following. They are displeased with certain of the regulations, which we framed in an unlucky moment for their peculiar benefit. Indeed, on the subject of these laws, we have ourselves received some severe lectures; and on the same point, many letters of abuse upon us have passed through our medium to the assembly of ladies. Surely this is hard. We are, however, most anxious to conciliate matters, and make our peace. We shall, therefore, publish the first report of their transactions, precisely as they have been sent to us—and with the more pleasure in the present instance, as it happens to be a short one. The female parliament of Great Britain met, for the first time, on the 15th day of August 1822. The number of members present was twenty-three. Several letters were read relating to the constitution and regulations of their society. Of these, two are ordered to be printed. The first was addressed to the Council of Ladies, and runs in the following terms: REPORT FROM THE LADIES. FFMALE SENATORS OF ENGLAND! I almost tremble at the idea of addressing you, who are to give laws to the whole female sex ; but I consider that I am writing to English women, who will sympathize in the feeling which prompts my temerity, and will forget the weakness of my language, from a sense of the importance of my subject. You are intended, most august assembly, for the improvement of the female part of the world; but how can this end be obtained, if you act in subordination to men, who shew, by some of the regulations imposed on you, that they consider you as little superior to thoughtless school-girls, and vain coquettes. I allude particularly to the 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 19th, the latter part of the 23d, and the 24th of your regulations, which I am confident you will find, on re-consideration, insulting to your dignity, as English women, and ill-calculated to render your society the oracle of females. I entreat you, therefore, to call upon the Council of Ten to erase these rules from your statutes; and if they should reject your just appeal, tell them, that you renounce all dependence upon them, that you will choose your own subjects of debate, be judged by your own laws, and even presume so far, as to open your own letters without their interposition. You are proved in their last number, logically proved, to be the "loveliest, and noblest creatures in the universe;" shew them, by refusing to submit to their insults, that they have not mistaken your cha. racter. The Council of Ten call you, the "goddesses of their idolatry," do not prove yourselves unworthy of the title, by becoming slaves to your wershippers. I entreat you not to be deceived by the thin veil of fulsome flattery, with which they endeavour to conceal their contemptuous opinion of our sex, but assert your dignity, assert your right of being sovereigns in your own assemblies, and you will be respected, and sincerely valued by all your countrywomen, and will overcome the contempt even of the Council of Ten. If my sentiments have displeased you, I implore your pardon; attribute my error to my zeal for the dignity of my sex, and believe how sincerely I wish, that the female senate of Great Britain may add to the glory of our country, and contribute to the improvement of the world. I sign myself, with respect, Your Friend, Resolution, proposed by the Lady President, and carried unanimously," that Xantippe, in spite of her name, shall be invited to become forthwith a member of the female council." The second letter was directed to the Council of Ten; but that body had the candour and magnanimity to refer it to usthe Ladies in Council-as being more peculiarly connected with our affairs. GENTLEMEN, As the article, which is headed the Council of Ladies in your present publication, is professedly drawn up by yourselves, you will allow me to address a line or two to you, on some of its deviations from that consistency which your work cultivates, and without which it cannot succeed. As a female, I may say, that I shall not be over anxious for the instruction of the gossip, and I do not approve of your talking of ladies "taking oaths," or being gagged." Really your usual gallant and refined ideas left you, during the penning of that part of the laws for the female council, in which these gross stipulations are concerned. Again, if the female coun→ cil be, as described, a grave and weighty board of appeal, and legislation, for the affairs and interests of woman-kind, how, Gentlemen, can it be in need of provisions against "tossing of the head," "humming of tunes" while another is speaking, coughing, &c., which latter proceedings seem to be suggested to you by the conduct of members of parliament, rather than by any thing of the kind I ever heard of, as occurring in the company of well educated women. Really, Gentlemen, while there is a great part of your remarks, which I much admire, while by many of them, as a female, I am much gratified and complimented, in common with my sex; I am so much the more anxious as I am the more pleased, that you should not forget for whom you write, and spoil an excellent article, by a gross error. The gossip is no grave or weighty character, believe me; and in this age, when women read and think, is not fit for our instructress. I am, Gentlemen, The sincere well-wisher of your undertaking, ELIZA. Eliza's letter was, on the whole, approved. Poor Garrula indeed changed countenance two or three times during its perusal, and seemed afflicted with that unhappy disorder called "the fidgets." To prove, however, that she could be grave and silent upon occasion, she sat in solemn dignity for the whole evening, and never once attempted to make a speech. The members of the female council here think it due to themselves most explicitly, to declare that they never saw the regulations, which have been framed for their observance, until they were in print. They were then justly indignant at the majority of these laws; and, in consequence, sent a message to the Council of Ten, requiring that the name of the author should be given up; and that he should be delivered over in person to be tried before their tribunal for his offence. The Council of Ten complied with our request; but begged that it might be considered as a matter of courtesy on their parts, and not as a precedent. The Soldier was the delinquent. He accordingly appeared before us, abashed at our severe looks, and ashamed of his own impertinence. He earnestly declared, that he had never felt so much frightened on the field of battle, as in the presence of our offended council. He was arraigned on several charges-but especially on the subject of the regulations mentioned by Xantippe. He at first attempted to deny our right of jurisdiction, and the authority of our court. But this plea was overruled. His whole defence was evasive and unsatisfactory. He could only seek to justify himself by saying, that he could have no anticipation our assembly would be so select and reverend a body as it has proved; and that he therefore thought it necessary to impose some restraints upon the licence of debate, as is usual in all other popular assemblies. With regard to the word "gagged," he was guilty of a downright fib:-he declared it was a misprint. But when we examined and cross-examined him on the point, and asked him in mistake for what other word it was printed, the major was puzzled; and asserted, with a spirit of shuffling equivocation, altogether to be deprecated, that it was a misprint for any word whatever, which we might choose to substitute in its place. After a most impartial trial, which lasted for three hours, he was found guilty of "high treason against the majesty of woman." He will be brought up for judgment (as we hear that the lawyers call it) next month; when his sentence will be pronounced. A remonstrance will be presented to the Council of Ten, for intrusting the regulations of the female parliament to a single person, and not considering the subject of sufficient moment to engage the careful attention of their whole body. The Traveller was next summoned, and brought before us-but his trial has been postponed. He stands charged, first with heresy, in expressing a suspicion, "that women are not in general the best judges in matters of human nature, even when relating peculiarly to themselves :" and secondly, with unwarrantable impertinence in requesting, that " more than four ladies might not be allowed to speak at once." He is allowed some time for preparing his defence. With regard to his "Comparative View," it has been resolved, once for all, that the ladies of England fear no comparison whatever; and that they will never oppose any salutary investigation, however unfavourable or disparaging to themselves, which may throw a new light over the general interests of women, and contribute to the true dignity, honour, and happiness of the sex. They therefore gave their consent that the remainder of his interesting disquisition should be immediately printed. Be it known, that the female senators of Great Britain hereby declare their determination to frame a new set of regulations for themselves; and that they farther invite such ladies as are not members of their Council, to assist them in devising and compiling a complete code of laws, fit for the strict and universal observance of the sex throughout all future generations. The greater part of their other regulations it is unnecessary to mention. But they consider the last important. They unanimously agreed, before their meeting dispersed, that they would more particularly devote themselves, at this inclement season, to works of private charity and benevolencethat they would study to provide necessaries and comforts for the poor and do all that lies in their power to procure them "a merry Christmas and a happy new year:"-that they would visit their houses, look to the habits of their children, and discover, by sedulous inquiries, who are the most proper objects of beneficence, on account either of their indigence or their merits. They are sure, that it is quite needless to incite their fellow countrywomen to follow their example-to stimulate them by a single argument, to the exercise of that virtue for which they seem peculiarly designed, and in the performance of which they must always appear most amiable, and most estimable. Neither need they express the hope, that amid the festivities of the season, and the innocent familiarities which it |