The National Register. — London, England, 1812-06-14 00:00:00

14 • Nr " THE NATIONAL REGISTER. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. TIOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY, JUNE 8. Tr. Perceval ' s Family Pruvision Bill was read a third time, and ADMINISTRATION. Earl of LIIIERPOOL." Before I move the question of adjournment, I think it right to inform the House, in consequence of the questions rut i:pon a former night, that this day his Royal Highness the Prince it, , gent has been pleased to appoint me First I .ord of the Treasury, and to give me directions for the formation of a Ministry." Earl of MOIRA.--g In 'consequence of what has fallen from the Nob' • FA, I wish to make a few statements to the House. His Royal highness the Prince Regent gave me the power of forming an Admini stration. ; I undertook the office he had graciously imposed upon me, but, in the present state of the country, I could not consider it an ordi vary trust. In the formation of a Government composed of men of talent, there could be no difficulty, the selection would be easy ; but, in the present state of feeling in the courtry, it behoved every man,in whom a'simitir trust might be imposed, to beware of being guilty of a devia tion from those great political principles which he had often publicly avowed. On this ground I proceeded to the formation of a Cabinet, and unfortunately I slid not succeed. I lament my failure, for the sake of the people; because, in these times, those who , have the manage ment of pablic affairs, should possess the country s confiden c e . In the course of my negotiations, I met with the most perfect frankness, and I return my thanks accordingly to the Noble Lords with whom I'treated. I wish also to state, that his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the power he vested in me, exerted himsOf to the utmost to satisfy, with out reservation of any kind, the wishes of the public, imparted to him through the House of Commons. I have rather to declare, that I feel it my bounden.duty to give my support" to any body of men, in whom the Prince Regent will place his confidence, When they do not interfere with the great political principles 1 have always awowed in the House." The Duke of NORFOLK said, that it . was, asserted in another .plaCe, that the present Ministtrs only held their situations ad interim; it now appeared that they stilrpossessed the confidence of. the Prince Regent. One 5/eject agitated, the public mind, which an hour's delay = gin render fatal to the country. He alluded to the recent appearances of a war with Americi. It•was his intention to propose, in a short time, tirat an Address be presented to the Prince Regent, praying that, he would give directions for rescinding the Orders in Council; he there fore asked the Noble Lard, now 'the Prince Regent s Minister, tier he would object to such a proposition ? • EARL OF LITER POO L....." The Noble Duke has not correctly stated the proceedings ,of another place. The Address that was presented, prayed for an. efficient Administration; in consequence of this, I felt it ray duty to state to the Prince Resent that my colleagues- and myself were anxious to be no bar to any arrangements for forming astrong.6d ministration. From that period to the present I haire been nisi% anxious, he no obstacle to any arrangements which might be saisfactory to the Prince Regevit, and gratifying to the country. After :.I.l.that had passed, however, I should c onsid e r myself as .shrhilting frsim my duty to the . Prince, and to the country, if I refused to accept the office which his Royal Highness has this day been plea Sea to confer 'en Me. Respeitiog karica, I am aware that her Governmenthas pasied an Act of a- nature, hostile to this country ; but, from all the .informaithii I have been ena bled to obtain, I assure the Noble Duke that he his mistaken in fili sup wsitions respecting the immediate hostility of her measures. On the %object of the Orders in Council an inqui.-y is alreiely before your Lord ships, the result of that inquiry will best inform your I ord hips wle tit your duty to do, Ip t oth with- respect to the interests of the power to whom it principally relates, and to the satisfaction of the *country." The DUKE of iNfoIt7OLK said, in a low tone pf.voice a few ‘s ords in explanation. • Marquis WELLESLEY rose. He had understood that some words, Supposed to have occurred in the speech which he had lately the lion ce.r of add ress i ng to t h e i r L or d s hi ps , h a d b ee n thought by the Houie ate:veartis to require explanation. That he was absent on that day when such explanation seemed desirable, was because he thought his absence would be convenient for the discussion of the great subject in question ; an d , i n or d er to t h e term i nat i on o f it, in that amicable way vilich the HouNe appeared desirous of. lie had before stated to their brrthliip;, that he had the authority o! the .Prince - Regent for entering ill.) any explanation which the House might desire respecting those rernsactions. He had that day the same hig w h authority fur entering point r by point i nto t h e d eta il o f it. As to the words uponwhich so much had sail " dreadful animosities," he had not been aware of their having D•en uttered by himself, until he saw thnn in a printed report of , what he h i d spo k en, so f a i r l y an d correct l y g i ven , that he could not IlLsitat e to b e li eve that t h ose were tru l y hi s, neither did he feel any stlire, or perceive any reason for disclaiming them. The words he was folly p ersua d e d were his, for noth i ng cou ld h e more true or just, than their application—and that application he had no scruple in placing to the Nob!e Earl opposite (Lord Liverpool) and his friends ; and he would appeal to the recollection of the Noble Lord himself, whe- Ter thefact which occurred in the course of .the negotiations did not warrant anti appro2riate the charge w lz a and his associates I pi WWI 357 appealed to that Noble Earl, whether on the day he (the Marquis) humbly and earnestly pressed for an explanation. he was not told by that Noble Earl, that neither be pot those with whom he acted;cotild join in any Admiektration with,elte Marquis- We e kseey-A, If such a de claration did not Warrant the use arid'apeficetion sir the-terms " per. sonal animosity," he did noticnow what could—(ii r e . nri hear.) ' Lord HARROWSY could not admit that " personal animosity" could, with any justice or fairness, be applied to his Noble Friend, or to those with whom he acted • and instead of the high tone assumed by the Noble Marquie, be thought it would bitter have become him to explain and reconcile his conduct in the overtures which' he bad made to that side of the House, with the acquiescence which he had given to the terms, spirit, and object of the address whi.'h had' passed in ano ther House of Parliament, and likewise with the facility with which he had been willing to compromise with two Noble Lords (Grey and Grenville), on the state and conduct of the war in the Peninsula, and other great leading topics on which they had before been at variance. The Marquis WELL eseey appealed to the House, whether the Nolee Lord who had just sat down, did not give ample evidence that the words " personal animosities" were by no means misapplied When be first entered on the discharge of that duty which the commands of the Prince Regent had imposed on him, he perceived that there were certain great leading principles upon which any Administration whieis he could form, or be connected with, must depend. Thoae princi ples, whatever might in other lesser points be the opinions of differing parties, he deemed essential and indispensible. Those principles were stated to the Noble Lords opposite, and he should read to the House the answer which they made to them. [Here the noble Marquis read terms df the propositions which he had made to the Earl of Liverpool, and that noble Lord s answer, which stated that he apd his colleagues could not agree to act with the Marquis Wellesley.] His Lordship did not wish to pursue the subject unnecessarily, or enter into further detail on a question involving private feeling; but if the Noble Lord, whom he was still willing to call his Noble Friend, was desueaus of a fuller explan ation, he was perfectly ready to afford it. .• Lord HARROwBY was not at all satisfied by what the Noble Marquis had stated, how a reluctance to joie a particular Administration should be construed in' 4i personal or dreadful animosity;" but he would more particularly call upon the Noble Marquis to explain how a Paper, even in a very early stage of the negotiation alluded to, a Paper called A State.nent, a Paper which rendered the negotiation at once disgraceful to them to whom it wee proposed, and tolint who proposed it. Who could 'have dreamt' of finding the Noble Marquis,. after all that their Lordships, and tele P e tsblic'ehad known of his public conbct and public opinions - , associating with the Noble Lords oppusitelG7ey . and Gren 'ville” How cOuld-the Noble Marquis defendor justify the publication • of theerisper 'to 'which he had alluded, and in- which a most aionoure able Person, Wen no more (Mr: Perceval), had.heen treated with dis esteem and obloquy ? The Marquis isVeeeesery was unwilling to enter minutely into all that the Noble Lord' had - shi4 : Ile evould sloe - insist On "animosities. since the ;word appeeeee t o b e so unpleasant, betel ehing'eould he deer. r than that something of distaste . (sr dislike towards him existed in the of the Neble - Lorde *opposite ; btit, waviieetliat, rose then ehiefiseto.ploteteageieet tha eharee set forth against him by the Noble Lord c oncerning that paper called A'State-deilt ; a'paper, of u•sitamp and ,character theele was encapeble•of giving cuuntenauce to; and before .that Noble Loidlizei prettlmsd to, hazard sush ..n accusation, it. would have become rum .to - be well informed and assured Of the fact. But though he could never authorize the publication of the paper alluded to, yet, called on as be had been fey the Noble Leed, he'should diseain to conceal or deny the truth contain: d in that statement, howsoeVer inipro erly.it was introduced. Was it becaining, was it mannerly in Mr. Per.. ceval, iiid he: app, to the Noble tart (LiVsseiCoOle after he (Lard Wellesley.), had communicated to the 'Prineteeßegeeseehis readiness to resign the office which be •then - held, to en to the' Prilsce fir the pure pose of superseding him: idsrantly ? 'Far'his ow,t, Rkrt,iiVvas . his sincere and anxious wish to be released frone siteecr itelieewhich he was placed, and in which it was impossible tor hihao co-operate with others. When he resigned- there were marry.:Matevee`for tleat step, which it would have been improper then to publigh - , 'und - tree' vilest arts were then employed to discolour and 'distott those motives. So little consciousness had he of the existence of -such a paper as that ' which had been alluded to, that he' was - horror-stesick esben he saw it. But while he stated that, he must add, he did. dot derire Void of it ; yet it was a eransection that he never had. intended To make public. As to Mr. PerCeeal, there was no one more ready "illieleliienself to ac knowledge the Mildness of temper, the graektul benevolence, and the many amiable and endearing virtues with which he essaie,asturned ; bet while he admitted and admired those virtues, he must acktthat he (Id mat possess those talents and that capacity of mind whictreetre neces sary for a Prime Minister; nor was his failure, in point, any reproach. But for the office which he held, he was not only not the fittest person, but not fit in any degree. • Well ttic.Noble Loid will say s but you served under him. True; butit was only while I (said the Marquis) knew no more of him than inclined me to esteem and respect hen, and before I discovered the deficiemsy of his public talents. He did esteem the purity of his privatecharacter, and regarded the manner of his death as a sort of martyrdom. But with respect to his (Lord Wellesiey's) having once bsee asieeeiated with the 4slobte Lords opposite, he Could ou ich de. •in• ?If elf er• I LI IR