The National Register. — London, England, 1812-05-24 00:00:00

MAY 24. the Prince Regent to form an Administration among themselves, with out taking in the talent of either party, be should to-morrow move that an humble Address be presented to his Royal Highness the Prince Re gent, praying that he would be graciously pleased to form a strong and effective government. Lord G. L. GOWER moved for the copy of a letter from himself to Lord Castlereagh, dated the 7th of May, 1812, stating all the circum stances of the case of John Bellingham, as they occurred in Russia, and the steps taken by him thereon. He made this motion for the purpose of clearing his character from the aspersions thrown upon ft by Belling ham. The motion was agreed to without any observations. Mr. LUGHINOTON brought up the Report of the Committee of the House on the Prince Regeni's Message, relative to making provision for Mr. Perceval's family. On the third resolution, for granting Wool. a year to the eldest son, being read, Mr. Whitbread contended, that the grant, under all the circumstances, was too much, when the property already possessed by Mrs. Perceval, or her expectations from the fa mily, were considered. Sir F. BURDETT would not have said any thing respecting the cha racter of Mr. Perceval, deeming it highly improper at this particular time, did lie not owe it to himself, after what had passed, to say, that all the Right Honourable Gentleman's measures, deserved not public aNtobation, but public reprobation. He did not think he should dis caarge his public duty, if he were to approve of this additional grant required from the exhausted pockets of the people. He could not but lament, estimating Mr. Perceval's virtues as he did, and the, pecuniary loss that must have resulted to the family, and above all, the present situation of the country, that some other way bad been thought of to alleviate the situation of the widow and children. Had a private sub scription been opened, he should have gladly made a large demand upon his private purse; but in the performance of public duty he could not approve this additional demand upon the public purse. Mr. HOME Sumrieß observed, that in the Bill introduced by an Hon. Gentleman opposite, it was provided, that the Chancellor of the Ex chequer should, after three years' service, be entitled to a pension of :sOOOl. per annum. Mr. Perceval's - service bad exceeded that period, and if he had died in possession of such provision, it could have been assuredly considered no more than fair to transfer it to his widow. The House then divided, when there appeared for the Resolution,l7l ; Against it, 16.—Majority, 155.—Adjourned. THURSDAY, MAY 21. ADDRESS FOR AN EFFICIEN ADMINISTRATION. Mr. Wow' . LET rose in pursuance of the notice he had given yes terday. The object and the intention of the motion whirl' he was now about to submit to the House, was to contribute, as far as his hum ble effarts could, to prevent the formation of a Government, which no person could look upon as sufficient, and •.Which appeared to him, instead of being capable of leading the nation out of its present difficulties, much more likely to create new and heavier ones. He hopeU that the speedy manifestation of the feelings of the country, through the agency of that House, would prevent an event which could not but prove highly datrimental to the public service. He did not mean by this motion to pledge himself to the support of any men who may be called to.power, and still less was he disposed to interfere with the privileges of the Crown. 1114 motion would merely call upon the House to say, that a strong and efficient Administration was necessary, under the present circum stances of the country. He would therefore move, that an humble Address be presented to his Royal Highness, praying, that he would form such an Administration as would be calculated to gain to itself the confidence of the country. .l.ord_Mivrot4 seconded the Motion. Mr. EYRE thought, that a motion of this kind was unprecedented in P . triianientary history. If, indeed, the Administration were actually twined, such an Address might, consistently with the principles of the ltiistitution, be pr es ent e d. The ground of the motion, was the in ettlziency of the present Administration. Under the circumstances of the country, he him , elf was convinced that all the abilities of all parties shiAi:d be united, and the Public were now convinced that the attempt e - 7,s made of bringing into the public service the talents of certain ciauctit persons ; but they thought vroper to refuse, unless great public questions were conceded to them which could not be given up. He did net place much reliance on the pr o phetic d e nunciations of incapacity which he frequently heard in that House. He recollected what high ex,iectations were formed from a set of men who were supposed to pus all the talents of the country, and he recollected also, how greatly stick expectations were disappointed. He would therefore move, " That tile other Orders of the Day be now read." lord MILTON said that his Hon. Friend (Mr. Wortley) bad made a !notion, to which, in his mind, it was impcssible not to agree. He col:Id not foretell what would be the result of the motion, hut whatever be Cie result of it, he thought that a mere change of men, without c.'anige of measures, would produce nothing highly beneficial to the county, Sir F. BURDETT agreed with the Noble Lord who just sat down, that r, r) change 'of men, without a change of measures, could give any thing '_ l `te security to t h e country. The men who could hope to gain such c k l nfidence, sho u ld b e men w h o h a d p l e d ge d themse l ves to app l y t h e national resources t o no ot h er t h an nat i ona l objects—it:en who had made ti t , their minds to admit, without exception, all religious persuasions to ... 311 the full enjoyment of the Constitution ; and who were determined to re- store to the kkople a full, fair, and free representation, without which, in his mind, all other changes were to no purpose. They had seen Administrations of all kinds—made up from all parties ; Administra tiosis of every species of mixture, from that of Mr. Pitt down to that of Mr. Fox, not omitting theone of Mr. Perceval. There had been those Administrations, but they had invariably increased the burdens of the people, without doing.Auy thing fur the permanent prosperity of the country. But such must be the fate of all Administrations, unless there was a total change of system, founded on a reform in the representation of the people. That corruption must be rooted out, with which every Ministry bad teen hampered and surrounded—a change of sy.item could only effect this which was so necessary for the salvation of the country. Such being his sentiments, he could not approve the Address, because it did not go far enough; it pretended to remove evils, but it only went to extirpate mere specks from the surface of an excellent Constitution. fie, however, not deeming the Address to go far enough, firmly be lieving that nothing but a change of system would benefit the country, had inteoded to move an Amendment. The SPEAKER stated, that the motion already before the House being covered by an amendment (that of Mr. Eyre), the 'inn. Baronet's could not be put until the previous motions had been disposed of. Sir F. Bela) e . rT then read his Amendment, to give the House an idoa of what he had intended to move. It said in effect, that it was highly necessary to listen to the distresses and complaints of the people, for tile purpose of redressing them ; that .he resources of the country ought to he applied to natioeal objects; and that above all things, there ought to be a reform in Parliament, to give t.; the people a full, fair, and free re presentat ion. Mr. WILBERFORCE could not approve of the Address, because it went to attack a most valuable prerogative of the sovereign, that of being free and unconti ouled in the choice of his Ministers. beeteing the Address an entrenchment upon a great constitutional principle, he certainly should resist it; and he trusted that the House would not be induced to set so dangerous a precedent. As to the men who might • guide the reins of Government, it was quite immaterial t him trout what party they were selected. He, for one was ready to support any Administration whatever—(Hear haw, hear ! )—that evinced by its con duct that it had the public benefit in view.—(Heetr, hear !) 1 lie Hon. Mr. WARD admitted, that if the motion were in any way hostile to the Constitution, any temporary advantage that might be de rived from it ought to be forgone, in order that our constitutional prin ciples might be preserved entire. He however could-not agree that it was contrary to all precedent, and a violation of the Constoutien ; and if ever there weie a time when the advice of Parliament respecting an Administration was necessary, it the privilege of addressing the So vereign were not -to be denied altogether, it was the present moment. This was a time of great public difficulty and national danger, and the Administration which had to conduct affairs at such eventful and Mi. ' portant crisis was one of acknowledged weakness.—(Hear !) This was admitted on all hands—it was the general feeling of the country. Wth such a glari ;g fact before their eyes, critically situated too as was the country, with respect to its internal situation and external relations, was not this a time when they ought to address the Prince Regent, if they might address him at all ? But without reverting to the - general feeling of the country as re the weakness of the preseot Administration, what vas the universal opinion of it before the cahe mitous death of Mr. Perceval ? Why, that he was the main support of it; and even the frieas of that Right Hon. Gentleman were wont to maintain, that his talents and his character were sucti, that they were sufficient to cure the defects of all the parts of the Administration. lie had been withdrawn, and it would be but an ill compliment to his memory, if his friends were now to maintain that the present Ad ministration could go on when the main support was gene. But pos. sibly they should he told that an at tempt had been made, without SW C. cess, to strengthen the present Administration. 'True; but what sort of an attempt was it ?—(Hein !)—lt was like the attempt made three or four months ago, with this exception, that the recent offers were more inadmissible, more insincere, and inure disgraceful than those made on a former occasion —(freer, /sear !).—'l•o ri:o,e acceded to- the recent offers would have demonstrated, mat nitre place was all that was wanted, for acceptance of them would have been obtained by a total surrender of principles. Uoder all the ci..cunistances, be could not hat approve most cordially of ihe Address, as must the tioase, he thought, except it was ready to cringe to a _most destructive system of favouritism. Lord WALPOLE opposed the motion for an Address, as did Mr. HERBERT, they COlllit_te•ring that it went to make a t:an,;erous attack on the prerog,tive of the Crown. Mr. RirDXit opposed the motion at some length. The Government as at present formed, he considered the most likely to conciliate the people, and to have its general approbation, inasmuch as it w s composed of persons who had supvorted those measures which had had the approbation of a majority of the house- Though. he could not longer continue of his Majes. ty's Ministry, for reasons which he woulctiiot then state, he could not out express his firm conviction, that the offers rcCetltly Maur to two in. dividuals to join the Administration, were fl de willyperfect sincerity. He would appeal to a Right Hon. :I!fknd ar. Qauning), whether bucb was not his belief. In fact, sincerity, actuated the conduct of those who made them, nor was it wislikiti, • dist either of the individuAs should abardon their prircip!es, or sacrifice -their honour for mere THE NATIONAL RECISTER. • ~;