The National Register. — London, England, 1811-03-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. entrusted with a place where he might impose on them, nor trem ble for detection. He would beg leave only to enquire of the Hon. House if that the King could be said with truth to inherit all his mental faculties unimpaired, if he could be said to have any thing even like the lucid interval of a slay when he needed to be held m restraint, and had to employ others to guide his pri vate affairs, could he be mana g ing his Council in the morning, and be constrained and watched in the evening ? The House of Peers in their inquiries were very urgent, and guided themselves by more than the Physicians' knowledge. Dr. Reynolds was asked if he considered his Majesty capable ? and the answer which he 'gave shewed that he did not altogether think him recovered. Dr. Willis answered in the affirmative ; and Dr. lieberden replied in a most determined tone, that he believed him capable. Notwithstanding all these assertions, his Majesty was not in a condition to become visible to his inquiring and faithful subjects ; and the House of Peers was nut altogether satisfied with the Physicians' Report. With Lord Eldon, there fore, the business rested ; he was the gusrdian of the King He declared that he took not nor haeded not the Physicians' Counsel, but that he rested his evidence of the King's capacity entirely on the feelings of his own conscience, and on the dictates of his own soul. lle would ask him who said his Majesty was well on the 23d of April. Don't you know that Physicians were attending, and had a controul over the King, and therefore, might admit you at a favoured moment of the mind; and of what avail is that evidence ? Did the Lord Chancellor not knave that his Majesty was under controul, and that he could not keep the keys of his private scrutoire ? He had the best ces ieforination, that his Majesty was under constraint on the 10th of June following to his being declared sound in his intellect.— It was extremely proper fur Lord Eldon and Lord Sidmouth to come forward, and either prove or siisapprave the statements which he was making. Dal the nation know how much their tiovereign's rights nad been abused, and how much they them selves had been imposed on, their feelings would revolt, and they could hardly deem those persons trust worthy who had so sadly received them. If the King's authority be thus abused, it comes lower in the public estimation, and the sacred allegiance to Kings is violated whenever it is discovered that they are tricked wittethe show of a Monarch.; and he was aware that when the doings of Lord Eldon were discovered, it would bring his Ma 'sty's prerogative down in the national esteem. What was the oninion of that Lord in 180, on a case of a Lady who was a luaatic, and it wast pleaded to put her under the protection of guardians ? The guardianship had been extended from lunacy to exercise jurisdiction over weak and infirm minds—the Noble Lord carried his opinion, in that ease ' much beyond Lord Thur low : for he said, that no person could look in that Lady's face without believing it to be proper to have guardians appointed to her ! He only wanted the Ministers to defend themselves who were then in office, and he would give them a fair opportunity.— He could not forbear saying that he, conscious of what he had stated was truth, would be glad to see Lord Eldon removed from his place of the Queen's Council. The Hon. House would consider on the extent of his political crime ; and he would hear what they had to propose when that motion which he proposed was made. The motion was then read, in substance as follows : "'That a Committee be appointed to examine the Journals of the Lords House of Parliament, touching the examination of the Physicians be ore a Committee of that House, relative to his Majesty's, indisposition of 1804," Lord CASTLEREAGH rose to offer a few observations on the highly important question now under discussion, yet still more delicate than important. -tie would give the Hon. Gentleman who had opened the debate every possible credit for the purity of intentions; he believed that his animadversions had been made in a liberal, not an invidious spirit. The Hon. Gentleman, in preferring the charge against a former Ministry, had not libe- rally, but naturally pointed at the present Lord Chancellor as peculiarly merged in whatever guilt might attach to them, as it was through the more immediate interference of that Nobleman that the factious exercise of the Regal Functions had been per formed ; but he considered every other Member of the Cabinet a - ; called on equally with him to defend himself against the alle gation. Feeling thus, he would endeavgur to repel charges which affected himself, as having been aco ague of Lord Eldon 's i end he felt confident that it was in his power to disapprove, to the satisfaction of the House, many of the supposed facts upon which the Hon. Gentleman had grounded his attacks. lie was now ready to state to the, House what were the real principles upon which the Administration had framed their conduct with respect to his Majesty's indisposition ; and in stating them, he would not merely sue for exculpation, he would go on higher grounds, and challenge for his colleagues and hi mself the applause of their country. It was on the 12th of February, that the illaess of his Majesty, in 1804, was first communicated to the Pub)ic through the medium of a Bulletin. The state of affairs at that period would have mule is a brew of iluty i s % Uiaiaters to lAave stood still ? and before they woul of the PhysicianN wtis kiKitV'n, to of I. ) trlian,ent on every question add inv to the obstacles necessaril lie business t the indisposition oi arise from entangling the executive Power - by a.. ,tppeal _ lament - before it every mornent.. The country WAS etenutt=d with invasion, and it was judged expedient that the pArtieniar s : servant of the Crown, who from the nature ofisofEce was Moss . in habits of communication with his Majesty : , should be sotlpred to perform a certain Act of Royal Authority; but far thia. hO had obtained his Majesty's consent, an'd wished =Ph tp atfres3; the attention of the House to the proofs he should adduce WC such consent was properly obtained. On the Physittana heat consulted as to his aptitude for , business, their answer was of such a nature as to induce the transaction in question. The Hun. Gentleman has endeavoured, by drawing a parallel be. tween the case of his Majesty and that of a private individual, attacked by a malady of a similar description, to chew the im propriety of any act being done by his consent ; but such parallel will by no means bold public acts being essentially dif ferent from private ones ; the Ministers who perform them taking upon themselves the responsibility, and trusting for pro tection to those for whose service they have been perlortne(l.—, On the 122 d of February the Physicians were again examined, when they stated, that an improvement had taken place in his Majesty's health. A third examination took place on the 27th, when a still more considerable improvement was announced, no act was done, notwithstaniing it being deemed proper to ab stain from fatiguing his Majesty's mind, which yet stiffest d from protracted discussion ' • this forbearance was continued till the sth of March. His Majesty's Coiernment had obtained so lemn assurances from the Physicians, that if an act of the Exe cutive should become necessary his Majesty %vas competent to its performance. He wished to have it remembered, that no act of Government had been performed from the of Fe bruary till the sth of March following ; on that day the Lot el Chancellor had access to him on business, and Gentlemen would do well to recollect before they pointed peculiar indignation against him, that his office binds him in a more peculiar manner t i advise his Majesty. His Lordship had acted with consume mate caution and discretion, he had interviews with his Majesty on the 4th and sth of March, and private consultations with the. Physicians, with a view to the satisfaction of his mind, If Mi nisters, by actin4 on a system of caution and timidity, had suf fered, while taking the sense of Parliament, the Mutiny Act to expire, and that the public were in conseauoice exposed to all the evils which a want of subordination in the army wouldbeget he would ask, whether, in such a case, they would not have tin dolorw, and deservedly, the severest reprehension. Ministers Were far from being actuated by a selfish or sordid spirit, a trust of a most delicate 'lam' e had been reposed in them, which .cir cumstances prohibits(' their giving up if sa intuited. They had exercised that trust with all due diligence and circumspec Lion, and looked without appretenslon to the result. Mr. YoRKE having formed a part of the Administration under' Lord Sitinionth, felt it incumbent on him to say a few words in vindication of himself, and r:.; the proceedings of those with whom he then acted. Henrreed with those who bad gone be fore him, that all the Ministers for the time being (in MA) were equally responsible for the tact ,of which the lion. Gantletrian oppeeite (Mr. Whitbread) now came forward to complenn e - Though Lords Eldon and Sidrnouth could, te: virtue of their office, go to his Majesty when othk rs were excluded, yet the act complained of had not been done without the pertect concur rence of lal his Majesty's Ministers. That being the fact, 441 were all equally concerned in the performance of that act.-,.. They had done their duty by acting as they did; and had they omitted to perform it, they would not have been worthy of res tainingt4ir situations. Approving of the Act as he did, know ing that it was performed with the concurrence of all the Mi nisters, he conceived the motion of the Honourable Gentlee_ man to be completely unnecessary, therefute he shoUld vote against it. Sir F. 13u RDY.TT supported the argument o - f Mr. Whit/V:4 at some length. He could not b netioe the inset:tufty • of 7 tho Right Hon. Gentleman who had attempted to turn the charge, which the Hon. Gentleman below him (Mr. Whitbread) ha brought for and into a clu.rgc against himself. The Hon. Eat adverted to.several Acts of Partiament hey which it is rzt d treason in those who keep the King under improper FORTI4 By the Act of the Minister in 1804, the Hon. Dart. eflllP2ilLi the kingly authority had been undermined. The AC a qt% the Minister had been guilty, were highly criminal, t to undermine the Constitutiot. itself. Lord CAST LER/LaGli and Sir F. BVIMT.TT .phained. Mr. "Wriera EAD replied j r`support of hie previo The House would . dispoi Di his motion as t helad go doubt, howeve;, rid. venture to act after the o to bay waitedfOr •an'a • n however pressing, ;hits super thrown in the way of the pu b' 1 of his Majesty, all such as must Itive rower by an appeal to Par 7 1