The National Register. — London, England, 1817-02-03 00:00:00

Ilelaved his speech fin- a time,and,atter turning over his books fir authorities, and revolving the argument again in his mina, gave, On the next night, a masterly reply to the eminent civilian ; by which he appeared entirely to remove the impression that had been made on the House. Sir Wm. GRANT has never married, and appears to. inlulge but little in the luxuries of life. He is more often to be seen walking than riding through the streets, and is almost always alone. In person, he is thin ;in his walk grave and quiet ; and, judging front the picture of Doctor Blair, the celebrated author of the Sermons, we should think his appearance on the Bench not wholly unlike that of the elegant Preacher in his gown. The tidlowing are, we believe, the dates of his pro motions. In 1793, he became King's Counsel; in I 798, he was nominated Chief Justice of Chester, vice Ser jcant Adair. In 1799, he succeeded Sir Julie :Milliard, now Lord Redesdale, as Solicitor General ; and on May oth 1801, in consequence of the promotion of Sir Pepper Arden, afterwards Lord Alranky, to be Chief' Justice of the Common Pleas, he was nominated Mas ter of the Rolls. Sir WILLIAM was a representative in Parliament fir the county of Banff in &alkyd, where, at Beldurnry, he has a residence. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. TUESEIVI,JANUAItIi 28. This being the day appointed by the Prince Regent for the meeting o • b.ath Houses of Parliament, his Royal High ness came Joan in stale, anal entered the House of Peers at two o'clock, witii !ii , Royal Suite; in which the Sword of State was borne by the Earl of Liverpool ; the Cap of Alain tenanc• by the :Mar l ins of Winchesteri the Imperial Crown of .a ! a, Lord J. Murray ; and the Prince of Wales's tin• Earl ad Yarmouth. In a few minutes alter the Regent had taken his seat on the :'flit one the Cummins appeared at the Bar of the Hun" of P 'Cr., with their Speaker at their head ; when his Royal H zhaiess denvered to both Houses of Parliament the follow speecil " 1.03.11 AND GENTLEMEN—It is with deep regret that I am again oohed to announce to you, that no alteration has occurred in the state of Ms Majesty's lamented indisposition. " I continue to receive from Foreign l'owers the strongest smsu rances of their friendly disposition towanls this Country, and of their earnest desire to maintain the general tranquillity. " The hostilities to which I was compelled to resort, in vindication of the honour of MI country agaimu the Govemmmt of Algiers, have been attended with the mo , t complete success. The splendid achievement of his Majesty's fleet, in conjunction with a sinadmn of the King of the Netherlands, under the gallant and able conduct of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, led to the imme diate and unconditional liberation of all Christian Captives then within the territory of Algiers, and to the renunciation by its Go vernment of the practice of Christian Slavery. • " I am persuaded that you will be duly sensible of the importance of an arrangement so interesting to humanity, and reflecting, from the manner in which it has been accomplished, such sigr,al honour on the British name. " In Indic, the refusal of the Government of Nepaul to ratify a Treaty of l'ea;:e which had been signed by its Plenipotentiaries, oc casioned a ienewul of military operations. " The judicious arrangements of the Governor General, seconded by the bravery and perseverance of his Majesty's forces, and of those of the East India Company, brought the campaign to a speedy and iniceessful issue; and Peace has been finally established upon the just and honourable terms of the original Treaty. "GE STLEIIF.g OF THE 1101:9}: OF COMMONS—. 4 have direct. ed the Estimates for the current year to be laid before you. " They have been formed upon a full consideration of all the pre sent circum.tanees of the Country, with an anxious desire to make every Reduction in our Establishments which the safety of the em pire and ,t,und policy allow. _ _ _ 66 I rtxxnumen-I the State of the Public Income and Expenditure to your early :uul serious attention. " I regra to be under the necessity of informing you, that the has been a deficiency in the produce of the Revenue in the last year; but I trust that it is to b., ascribed to temporary causes ; and I have the consolation to believe that you will find it practicable to provide for the Public Service of the year, without making any addition to the hurthens of the People, and without adopting any measure inju rious to that Syst. m by which the puLlic Credit of the Country has been sustained. " My LORDS AND GE NTLEMEN—I have the satisfaction of in- fornuit,4 boa, t ..t the arrangements which were made in the last Ses sion of Parliament, with a view to a new Silver Coinage, have been completed with unprecedented expedition. " 1 have given directions flir the immediate issue of the New Coin, and I trust that this measure will be productive of considerable ad vantage to the trade and internal tr.:;isaetions of the country. •' The distresses consequent upon the termination of a war of such unusual extent and duration, have beta felt with greater or less se verity throughout all the nations of Europe, and have been consider ably aggravated by the unfavourable state of the season. " Deeply as 1 lament the pressure of these evils on this country, I am sensible they arc of a nature not to admit of an immediate reme dy. lint whilst I observe with peculiar satisfaction die thrtitude with which so many privations have been borne, and Cie active benevo lence which has :Jeen employed to mitigate them, I am persuaded that the great sources of our national prosperity arc essentially unim • paired ; awl I entertain a confident expectation that the native energy of die Country will, at no distant period, surmount all the difficulties in which we arc involved. " In considering our internal situation, you wiil, I doubt not, feel a jut indignation at the attempts which have been made to take ad vantage of the distresses of the Country, for the purpose of exciting a spirit of sedition and violence. •" I am too w;11 convinced of the loyalty and good sense of the bthly Nt, • to believe them capable or be- lc teducv Chem ; but 1 great bo.ly hie Majesty'N subject, to lx tog, pervertol by the artb wLich arc onrlo TILE NATIONAL REGISTER. stn determined to omit no precaution., for prestrving the public peace, and for counteracting th designs of the disaffected : and I rely with the utmost confidence oa your cowlial support and co-ope ration in upholding a syst , An of Law and Government, from which we hav_• derived inestimable advantages, which has enabled us to conclude, with unexampled glory, a contest whereon depended the hest interests of mankind, and w:tich has been hitherto felt by our selves, ati it is acknowledged by other nations, to be the most perfect that has ever fallen to the lot of any people." Rid Stanhope, Lord E‘ninuill and Lord Prudhoe (late Loud Algernon Percy), took the oaths and their seats. The HMl'se then adione m4l daring plea,itt'e ; and Ft five o'clock the Lord Chancellor holm took his scat on the Wool sack. Lord Sitlmouth said, that before he moved that the Speech deli‘ercil from the Throne that day should be Ii i ;1(1 from the Woolsack, he hail a subjec t of very Erent Minot vine(' to com municate to the Howe tor which reason he moved that strangers be orilv , eil to withdraw. Daring the excliolon, the Home hail a conference with the Conummt: and, at nine o'clock, adjourned the debate on the Adikress Lill nest day. WFUINESOI%, JAN. 0. The House of Commine , ' by x Me,soze delivered at the Bar, acquainted their Loril• I, ps. that that House had ac quiesced in the grounds upon 0 Inds the House of Peers had sent a Message on the preceding day by the Clerk, and not by the Masters in Chancery, declaring at the same time that it should not be drawn into a precedent on future occasions. THE PRINCE REGENT'S .INSW ER TO TuE ADDRESS ON THE OHMAGE OFFERED TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS. The Lonn CHANCELLOR read to their Lordships the Answer which his Royal Highness the Prince Regent was graciously pleased to make to the Address presented to hi ii on the outrage offered to his Royal Highness on his return from opening the Session of Parliament. It stated--" That the additional proof of duty and feeling conveyed in the Ad dress unanimously voted by both Houses of Parliament on chat occasion, was to him highly gratifying; that, relying on the loyalty of the great mass of his Majesty's subjects, he had nothing to regret but the occurrence of such a violation of the laws, and that he should direct the best legal means fiir bringing to justice and to punishment the person, or persons, who had committed an offence so injurious to the interests and character of the nation at large," THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE. The Speech front the Throne having been read, Lord DARTMOUTH moved the Address, which was second ed by Lord Bullies. (It is unnecessary to give these speeelies of the Noble Lords, as they were in substance similar to those delivered on the same occasion in the House of Com mons, for which see the Commons debate.) Earl °trey rose and said, no one more cordially than him self concurred in the praise so justly bestowed upon the skill, enterprise, and courage of the Noble Admiral, and the fortitude, coinage, and exemplary resolution of the officers and seamen who so successfully execnted the attack upon Algiers.—( hear!)—Yet lie regretted the necessity of imposing hurtful) in times like the present, upon an already exhausted and suffering nation. The Speech also alluded to the war in India. He was surprised that an opinion should be asked upon the merits of the war, before their Lordships were made acquainted with the causes by which hostilities were produced. lie concurred in the sentiments expressed respecting the prospects of a continuance of peace. But he entertained doubts as to the policy of those arrangements which the • Government had made for the preservation of peace. The next topic in the Speech, was the intermit situa tion of the country; a topic at this moment most interesting indeed—a moment of public distress in his view imp' eye dented, and admitted to be extreme even by the Noble mover and Ministers, whilst they pronounce it temporary, and of a nature to be speedily surmounted by the employ ment of the skill, industry, and capital of our people. Flom this even a new era of wealth and prosperity is expected to proceed. These anticipations are so congenial to the inter ests and feelings of all, that the first sentiment they excite is the hope of their being realised. He was ready to declare his belief that some of the causes of the pressure at the pre sent moment were temporary. But still, when, he would ask, had the same degree of distress, and iii every branch of cony coerce,--(Hear, hear!)—been felt at the end of any former war? Was it at the close of the American war? Was the comity): then suffering, as now, under the want of food and clothing—the landed interest on the brink of absolute po verty—commerce decayed in every branch, and the CO111111(1- nity weighed down by a grievons buratt) of taxation? 'l•he whole amount of taxation at the close of the American war was only 12,000,0901. At present it was five times that amount. •- The sliver]) mentioned retrenchment consistent with the salty of the country and a sound policy. This phrase of " sound policy" was lunch too louse. Will the Noble Lord give the House and the country a specific and definitive pledge? Will the Noble Lord reduce the peace es tablishment to 19,000,0001. exclusive of permanent charges on the Consolidated Fund? He had stated to their Lordships the deficiency of the revenue. He would ask what were the :,.emus to meet it:. 't he !speech declared that there should be no new hurthen, and that the Sinking Fund should be un touched, for such probably was the meaning of that part of the Speech which alluded to the sources of public credit as they now existed. Was the deficiency to be met by a loan or by Excheuuer Bills? Hut this would ultimately prose a borate!) to the• public. It was therefore not cm reef that ne new buriben would be imposed. —(tear, Atm . !)—He wished he could giie any credii to the promises of retrenchment contained in the Speech. But Alinisters had, in ill last Session, declared the Peace Establishment at one momeut•on the lowest scale possible —set Parliament forced theui to re duce it much lower, and abandon what they committed them selves with, as absolutely necessary for the public safety.— (ilea?, kear!)—Of what value were their professions of eco nomy even at present, wheal in some lesser articles there was a degree of inattention and extravagance, as if they meant to insult and irritate are nation. The whole matter rested upon this —" If you cannot raise your means to your establishment, reduce your establishment to your means.•• (Hear, hear!)—Let the splendour of the Crown appear, as it will most honourably appear at the present moment, not in the trappings of the Court, out in sacrifices to the wants and wishes of time people—( near, hear!)--iie would not encou rage the delusion already so general, that emoluments of a particular description were the causes of the public distress, however odious some of them may be; but he wont,' admit that the pelvic had aver here a right to some sacrifice. Ae regretted that any allusion had been made by the Noble mover and secOuticr of the Athircss to any attempt to excite FETIIMARY 3. sedition; or the unfortnnate occurrence which had recently taken place. No one felt more deeply than himself the in dignation excited by this outrage, but lie rejoiced in the be lief, that however criminal the act, let there appeared no design against his Royal Highness, of a nature so atrocious as had been supposed. Its stated as his belief noon the evidence. and lie trusted Nlinist-rs would not make it the ground of any new measure which would affect the public liberty of the subjects 11 f the 'vain). No one oas more ob noxious, or inure attacked than hillISCIf by some persons, to whom daugerous views orlon the Coostit were ascribed. Vet he should be more charitable. and o bilst he considered their opinions erroneous anti destruetive, acquit them of soy ci j og i tia l designs„ or seen t etillopirill':" The Noble Lord concluded with observing, that he did not approve the vi nit of the Speech, and the vague pledge of economy which it held out t and moved an Amendme-t to the Address, the Same as that tooted b' 3lr. Poilsonby in the Hothe of Corn- IIIOIIA. Earl Han aoWn v said, no argunient had been urged by the Noble Karl sufficient. in his judgment, to justify their Lot il- Itips in adopting the Amendment. Even the most enlight e n. ed persons of the present day tilt the same degree of de. spondency as existed now during the period of distre-s subsr queut to the close of the American war. The analogy be tween both periods was clear, and the results would be the same. He admitted that the ta was greater now than iu 1183, but denied that it foi owl any !mit of the pi esent (oises of distress, and in respect to the observations of the Noble Earl, he woitld say, that if a balance were struck be t Wavn the disadvantages produced by it and the facilities which it afforded to insore the safety and add to the glory of the country, he tsr one should nat hesitate to decide for the latter. He certainly thought the situation of the country was one which called for the most serious attention of Parliament, an d l ie t riu n e( ' th a t the noose wonhl shortly inquire how far the existing laws were sufficient to avert the es ils by which we were threatened. However Noble Lorik might differ as to degrees of measures and restrictions, time was one point on which there could be ins ditlerence of opinion, which was, that when they beheld the magnificent edifice that had lasted for so many ages, they would- all feel unanimous ill supporting it. Eat I GaOsVENOIt observed, that the only conclusion he could draw from what he had heard on the colter side of the House was, that although the situation of this country at the conclusion of the AMCOR:aII War was very bail, it was much worse now, in as much as our income hod exceeded our ex penditure in a much larger proportion than it slid at the for mer period. Ile never rose in that Idolise with feelings sit greater pain than at that moment, not only on account of th e distress, the poverty, and the misery of so many thousands of people then out IA ettoplontent, but on accomit of the dis tresses suffered by the country gentlemen of England. Those most respectable classes of people, who had mire diffused comfort and happilll ,, around them, wets. now Hearty ex tinct. He still had a nitwit inure gloomy view of the country, when he considered the opinions entertained by the present Government, who appeared determined in every way to re sist th e wishes of the people; and on that Very account, he • looked with greater alarm at the sit nation of public aft ars, because the opinion of Government appeared likely to be come the establ:shed system of the country ; a system tli ft must end either in the dissolution of our whole political stro tine, or in a military despotism. Lord Sr. Joan considered the Members of that House PA the Counsellors of the Crown, whose duty it was not to offer, tip incense and flattery, but to give wholesome advice ; and whoever should say they came. there for any other pur pose than that of giving their real opinion on the state of the country, must be guilty of a great crime. He most say. that he never witin %sett stuck a disregard to the feelings of the public as was now shown by Ministers at the opening , of Parliament. Economy, which had berm recommended la,t year from the Throne, and soon after abandoned, was Stow to be considered as a State crime, and t h erefore the Speech was silent on the subject. Nothing could relieve the coon try from her present difficulties lost a total change of system, the most have a new era in truth as well as wortk. Lad BATHURST, ill jllStifteati in of the of Ministers last year, declared that they hail made the reductions in ex penditure as low as possible; and they had other reductions still in contemplation. The Marquis WELLesuev Observed, t h at there was no ex ample in the history of this country of a speech delivered Irmo the throne, or any address moved in answer thereto, which were so inadequate to what the country required, :is the Speech and Address then before the lions( . The difference between our former anti present situation was so great, that the present lutist be a very unfit occasion for paying compli ments to the Crown. This was a crisis which demanded a very ditkrent line of conduct. The delay of the meeting of Parliameht under the peculiar circumstances in which the country stood, was a mitter of regret and astonishment, mud • merited the ses crest censure. And then, alter the Parlia ment hail at length met, the Address in answer to lb:, Speech did nut contain a single expression respecting the calamitous state of the t'untitry, nor hold out n single pledge that any inquiry should be made into the relations, tlw hearings, and original causes of our present misfortune.. Such a pled,:e should have been given: such an inqnity should hal e been entered into, and the result sent forth, not accompani , d by any desponding opinion, but to lay the real until before the country and at the same lime to signify a determination to investigate every matter connected with the - subject, with a view elfin:ling Out a Mlle! ly. Hoe', he asked, contd it cast despondency on the public mind, if an ini:Mry was to be instituted into the state of the natlou ? What would be the character of this nation in the eyes of the would, if such a low opinion was known to have actuated the Parliament.? if it was known that we were so paralyzed, as to be afraid to meet a full inquiry into the whole of our distresses ? He shonld next come to a topic on which much had been said —the supposed efforts of th , atfeeted persons to inflame the public tam!. On this subject the ,Ministers ought to have laid kome documents before the 114.1645 C, to skew whether, and how far, there existed in the country a disposition to over ture the Constitution; some evidence to that effect ought to have been laid before Parliament. If such dangers as were stated did exit, why, he asked, was not Parliament called together at au earlier period? Utile country was appueheu sive of danger from the designs of seditious men, why not as semble the •Legislature in order to determine win-t liet. ally new measures of precaution were necessary ; or, at least, to adapt some ameliorations that should repel the attempts Of those per-ons, by quieting the minds of the people? Were the Ministers certain that the delay in. calling Parliament hail not encouraged those persons in their attempts? On the subject of the monstrous plans of reform that had lately been put forth, he must observe, that every one of them was dia metrically opposite to the whole substance, and even to the spirit WI the Constitution of England. To give nniverso