The Sun. — London, England, 1804-02-28 00:00:00

possible to support it for a moment, for it was di reetly contrary to the principles of our Constitution —He might hear, in answer to. this from Mini sters—" We are_ willing to take upon ourselves the responsibility of all this."—He did not like to talk of responsibility in any case ; it was an inade quate thing in comparison to the danger of trust ing, and wholly- inefficacious after any disaster had . befallen us, in any case ; but here, the case was so grave, so important, of so much magnitude, so tre zriendoos, that it was trifling With- the Public to , talk of the responsibility of any as a reason for the House to omit any thing that might be considered as its duty ; something more than responsibility must be looked to. But, upon what principle, he asked, could the House proceed, without some provision for the exercise of' the Royal Authority now, more than it had lore for the last fortnight ?--If the House went on for a fortnight longer, 'what was to hinder it from going on f . or another fortnight, and so on while it might think fit ? Where were the limits ? What was the principle, by which they were to be guid- . ed ?—Did the Right Hon. Gentlemen state any one point on which- the Proceedings of the House were to rest ?—Nothing like it.—What then was to he dOne ?—Let an inquiry be made into the State of His Majesty's Health—Let the examination he as secret as any bOdy pleased ; but let some irquiry be made ; and let the result of it come to the House, as an authentic communication, and then the House would have some means of considering what would be Et to be done ; otherwise the House could know no thing of whatit ought to do. Who were 'the'proper persons to judge of what was expedient to be done at this momentous crisis ? The two Houses of Parlisa 'tient, after they had the Report of the Privy Coon. cif. The House could not constitutionally ask those who called themselves the King's Confidential Ser. vants,any questions whatever upon this grave and portant matter, much less cotild they-receive the gra tuitous sentiments of such Gentlemen; they hart no constitutional means of conveying authentic infor mation to the House more than any other Gentle. men, nor indeed could the body of the Privy Colin_ oil, with any propriety, make a Communication to that House without consulting others whose profes sional experience and education qualified them bet ter than any to form an opinion upon that subjea,-- If the House went on with the Bill now before the }louse, it might go on with any other Bill, and that at a period When we were allowed to be in -a state of imminent danger of the attack of the Enemy by means of invasion, when preparations for that purpose arc not only formidable, but the attempt expected to be almost immediate, and when we ma) , within an hour have occasion for the exercise of the most important part of the Royal Prerogative Therefore it appeared to him that the House oughr not to proceed on any other business until that which was most momentous should be first provided - tor in some way or other : for these reasons he sbOuld support the Motion, of the Honourable Baronet . behind him, unless , some better •reasons were assigned than the Right Honourable Gentleman had submitted to the House. He really did not see -any other course for the House to follow in the pet.- formance of its duty to the Public The mischief which wastsupposed to attend discussida he did not see in the same light as some others did ;' however, whatever it :vv, it was unavoidable, and wishitig that it should not be discussed at all, when it became absolutely necessary ro discUss it, was a false deli cacy; for it was under the notion of delicacy to with hold from the Public the duty which that House owed to the Public, and perhaps exposing us to an invasion of a foreign enemy without being - provid ed with the means necessary for supporting the Royal Authority, to give order and method to our natural force.. The CILINCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,-that before he adverted to other parts of the Hon. Gentleman's speech, - he wished to take some notice of the attentintrhe had been pleased to be stow on the terms which he (Mr. A D D tiGION) used as descriptive of those who hold official situations in His M ;jesty's Government ; he had described that situation in a manner well known to that Hon. Gentleman, as His Majesty's Confidential Servants." That was not 'a description which justified the oh servatlons made by that Hon. Gentleman upon that subjeft ; but that description was given to spew the sense Ministers had of the responsibility attaching on them, as being more peculiarly so than - at any other time, for every step that play be taken or may not be taken in the present state of affairs. That Hon. Gentleman seemed to think. there was a wish to conceal from the House and the Public that which it was material for the House and the Public to know. There was on the part of His Majesty's Mini. sters no unworthy wish of concealing any thins that it was material should be known : there certainly were considerations of delicacy, -which would justify Ministers in abstaining from Communication to the House at present, not that false delicacy, of which the Hon. Gentleman spoke ; Ministers would never suffer any considerations of false' delicacy to impose on them any restriction in the discharge of Their pub lic duty ; but he was well satisfied that . Ministers vinuld have afted consistently with the feelings and the wishes of a great majority of that House and of this Country, if they abstained from all pre mature Communication en that delicate and most interesting subject ; but Ministers knew that what ener may be due to considerations of delicacy, and a great deal was due to them, yet that they should make way whenever they should happen to be op posed to their public duty, a dilemma which, hap. pity. for them, had not yet occurred ;- but the argu. ment of the Honourable Gentleman who spoke last went to this, that if the Sovereign was disabled from exercising personally the Royal Fun lions fo-r ever so short a time, immediately there was to be a Communication made to that House, and then some probable proceeding instituted upon it. The Hon. Gentleman did not mean to contend that—he could .tot mean to contend any thing so extravagant, but he m tintained that his arguments of necessity went to that conclusion. Now, it was a question of extreme delicacy and difficulty to determine how long the interval should he before the Communica_ tion should he made to the House ; he had said, that he felt a petfeCt persuasion that whatever the opi nion of that Hon. Gentleman might be, that the prevailing wish of the majority of that House, and IA the Public was, that no uommunication suoulo yet be Made on the part of the Servants of the CrOwn.' What was the Communication of yester day ? He apprehended that Communication to he very different from what • the consequence of His Majesty's real situation would have indicated—the Hon. Gentleman seemed to say that His Majesty's illness was not likely to be of a short duration. That it had been stated, that the reported amendment was not to be expeded soon, and that to-day it was Only, that His Majesty was gradually advancing. towards recovery.' Now, said Mr. ADDING TON', " am very much inclined,, from information whiCh the House will allow me to advert to, because I ant ii possessed of it, and others are possessed of it, though the House is not—l think myself bound to state, that the Physicians in . making that communication rather referred to the anxiety of the Public than to the conjecture made by them of the duration of the complaint, and I have the satisfalion of stating, on their authority, comparing the present situation with the situation of His Majesty at corresponding occasions, on two former occasions, they are unani. mously convinced that His Majesty's illness will be of shorter duration. Now, perhaps, the Hon.-Gen tleman may think that I have-yielded up my re. ludance to• milking any comMunication upon subject roc readily : He cannot think that I 'do not consider the present situation of the Country, hut he mistakes if he supposes that His Majesty's Sign Manual is necessary' to call forth the Volunteers—but I am ready us admit there may he circumstances in which it would be necessary that the Royal Authority should be exercised by His Majesty—l have ihe happiness of stating that if such a6eeessity existed at the present MOrritmt v there would be no ohititktion whatever to the ptd business ; that at the moment in which I am speaking, I am justified in contraditt ing, not the statement, but the supposition of the ff Hon. Gentleman ; I cannot enter into a stateMent with the particularity 'which the anxiety of Gen_ tlemen might call for, but if at the •present mom e nt the necessity existed for the exercise tf the Royal • Fundions, any interruption from die supposed situation of His Majesty would not exist. Now let me implore the House to believe, that until we have given it reason to the contrary, those w horn - I • still beg leave to call His Majesty's •Confidential Servants will not mislead • it, .or in any degree shun a responsibility the most tremendous . that ever attached to any body of mein and under J circumstances which will admit of 'no justification if they are wrong: That they 'wilt at tend to, the calls of their duty, and will consider also what may be the duty of others ; that tiley will not suspend communication longer than they conceive it - to be incumbent on them to do it, not on any points rif .delicacy upon sentiments of public duty. At the present moment I think in such circumstances that a comweication on the part of the Confidential -Servanos of His Majesty would he indecent and on. warrantable, and what every Man in this House, and '• in thbs Country would for ever lament , . Orilliese grounds I most object to: the Motion' of the - lion. Baronet, r• ;t without observing that it is wholly inapplicable to our situation. Indeed the aitua ! tibia of affairs owing to , the state of His Ma ! testy, appeared to me to render it lather fleets- , nary that the House should continue sitting, in. stead of adjourning. So much so, that -instead of an adjournment,' I thought .some proposition should have been made against the House ad journing to this day, when the adjournment was moved on Friday. I feel iiimportant that the House should continue. sitting ; • and how the Hon. Gen tletuan opposite to me, wi'o is so desirous of a cam monication being made to the House, who calls so earnestly for information, can reconcile it with a Motion fur an Adjournment, leave to him to ex plain. I hope now that the Motion for the second reading of the Volunteer Bill will be carried, there being no circumstances to justify any- further delay of that measure." • Mi.. PITT said, he had not the good fortune to• be in the House when the- Hon. Baronet made his Motion, and he was•not quite sure that he now per fedi}, understood what the object of it was. He had, :however, been informed, that the Hon. lia r(lnt had made a Motion for Adjournment, and that the ground he assigned for it was, that no regular conimunication had been made to the House upon a subjed which so much interested the feelings of all classes of the Community. He confessed that what ever opinion he might entertain, upon the whole of that critical and anxious situation in 'Which the Country was now placed, and a more critical and anxious one never existed' in the history of this Country, he could not think that the Motion for Adjournment was one, which, in any possible view of the subject, could he either expedient or proper. He certainly did feel, that if unfortunately the mo ment should come, which lie most earnestly hoped would never be the case, when Parliament should lie obliged to take cognizance of .a suspension in the. exercise of the Royal Fundions, - from that moment he thought, on the constitutional grounds stated by the Hon Gentle Man opposite to him (Mr. Fox), that Parliament should be precluded from doing any -, at except that 'of taking the necessary measures for supplying the deficiency in the Executive Branch of the Constitution. This was an opinion be had al ways entertained, and this was the conduit which was adopted by Parliament on a former melancholy occasion ; - and although-at the period to which lie alluded, there was very considerable difference of opinion as to 'the particular mode which ought to be adopted, yet he believed the general principle which had now been . laid down was universally approved of. But' he certainly did not think that a mere ge neral apprehension anti impression, however well founded they might appear to be, that the personal exercise of the Royal Atethority had been suspended, would justify Parliament in-suspending all, its other functions, unless that fad was communicated to them in -a way that would render it necessary for them to take notice of it. If, however, the regu lar Reports of the Physicians appointed to attend His Majesty should indUce Gentlemen to think that it was the duty of Ministers, under all the circum stances of the case, to take immediate steps for making a Cemmunication to Parliament - upon, the subject, it was not only proper, but it was the duty of those Members who entertained that opinion, to in quire of Ministers why they had not made such Com municatinn to Parliament. Ne confessed he felt Inn II VV:IV P. 17105( WITICUIt altu Treal :3u5 .rspon SIDI. liry for Ministers to determine haw long the Com muniCation ought to be delayed, and at what mo— mant it might to.be made. Whatever his opinion of Ministers might br on other points, he was sure there was no man in . His Majesty's Councils, who did not feel that responsibility which, great as it must he at all times, and under any circumstances, was in the present state of the Count!) , increased tenfold. Looking, as he dial for one, with the feel. ings he had always cherished, to the possibility of • reaching the moment of the complete restoration of His Majesty's health without the necessity of any' interference on the part of ParliaMent, - yet he tier_ tainy did feel that in the present critical situa. tion of the Country, they must count days, and even hours, in judging of the interval that ought to be allowed before the interfe rence of • Parliament became necessary. He must, therefore, say, that it would become Ministers., well and maturely to consider the situation of the Country in deciding upon the line of condud they ought to adopt. Ministers ought, and of course did know more of the state of affairs than other persons ; they ,might be acquainted with ciacutn. stances which might warrant them in thinking that a delay of a few days might be hazarded, but every Member in that House, every man in the-Coun: try, knew that the, Country was threatened with a danger which might prodtice the most awful crisis it ever experienced. He, however, did not know in whom (unless upon a supposition of criminal negligence), except those persons who, in - conse. quence of this calamitous event, were left in the si. N Mation of Hia-ajesty's aaual Ministers, he did not, he said, knoi l v to whom, except to them, be longed in the first instance the responsibility of communication. It was undoubtedly a very nice and difficult paint to decide what the aaual situa: tion of Ministers was, because they were left in a 's:atiation for which the Constittiiion has made no provisioo. Without at ; present ,enreririg into that discusion, he was clear that, they being, up to the moment'td the supposed inability of His Majesty to exercise his royal functions, entrusted with the ma rt:Vl-Dent of r tiltlio affairs, it was not possible that they could be displaced from their situations, or aba solved from the clatiespf. their - offices, .until the taa Was ascertained by Parliarrierti. - He. would•not take upon himself to say hoW long the Communication might be delay edam at what Moment it (igh: to he made, but tindOubted;y the danger and•pressure of the moment might, even agaiost men's wishes 'and feelings, create a sort of imparieoce upon this point, -anti make it• a piebiic duty to calli for dired Corn.- municatiort to Parliament. Hs stid there-fort' hope, that Ministers• ivoitld ocit; 'both. for the. sake of .the Sovereign and 'of' - the Country, posh any feelio , ,ta- of.. • delicacy, and sentiments of reverence. and , which they in common withevei y loyal man in the Country must feel; he hoped, he said, they would:not push. those sentiments to the 'extent of • endan:. gering that, which had , always been the dearest objet of His Majesty's. care, viz. the safety of those SuhjeAs whose happiness it had been the study of his life to promote. Having said this, God for. bid that he should anticipate the melancholy too: ment of their being obliged, by the continuance . of His Majesty's Illness, anadopt any measures upon . the subjed ; but at present he was of opinion that the responsibility of making the communication ' ought to be left where it was now placed ; and whatever might be his opinion of the condua of Ministers upon other points, he could not believe• that they would push to a dangerous and criminal - excess, that awful responsibility which belonged to them. In the mean time there did •notappear to him to exist any circumstances which called upon them to suspend all their Parliamentary duties, until that communication-to which he had before alluded was made to Parliament (and which he most fervent ly hoped it, would never be necessary to make) they were bound by the duty which they owed their country, especially in the arduous situation 'in which it was now placed, not to abandon their funiftionS, or to negled their duties; for if any thing could aggravate • the feelings of public aflliaion, or place the country in a state of real ,dahger,.. it would 'be if any sudden alarm should occur in the interval when the exercise of the Royal Functions was suspended, and-when Parliament had abandoned its duty, and abstained from proceeding with the . necessary measures, because, by preparing them for the Royal Assent, they might accelerate the effect of any Legislative measure which it might be flea . cessary to adopt to strengthen the Country in the present crisis. He felt the - measure which had - been .appointed -for discussion' this day, viz, the Volunteer Bill, as coming under this description ; not indeed the measure itself, at least in its pre. sent shape, but the subjed with which it was con. nedcd, because he thought it might be made the means of giving us .more substantial and effeaual means of defence than those we now possessed. He did not mean to say that we had not now great and sufficient means of defence, but that they. might' still be more completely organized and consolidated. He, was therefore most clearly of opinion, than is hat. ever else it might become their duty to do, whether it might become necessary for them to institute A Parliamentary Inquiry or not; still that in the mean time !hey ought not to abandon their fun6tions, but to proceed as far as possible with those meastires„ which were .calculated to add to the Defence and Security' of the Country ; by which means they would avoid the mischief of unnecessary delay, .and would dimipish the evil which must exist even from the interval of interruption of the Royal Fundions, which had already taken place. If, then, there was any weight in these considerations, he hoped they would not now adjourn ; indeed they ought not to adjourn, even upon the principles of the Hon. Baronet who made' the motion ; because, if further communication was necessary,a most • un ouestianably the House ought to sit to put them in a situation of hearing it. If any further. interval .was to elapse -before a .communication took place, still there was the same objection to the Motion for Adjournment; because, though he did not mean to throw,out any insinuation against. Ministers, and though they had no temptation whatever to ad , wrong, yet it could not for a moment be doubted, but at such a moment, and tinder such circumstances, it was the duty of Parliament to continue sluing.— Under these circumstances he entertained a strong iMpe, Mat tocy WiAIICI mut: taispassionately •--- h sent state of public affairs, because it was one which ought to suspend every idea of party dissention; this was not a moment for any man, or set of men, teen deavour to obtain a triumi h over their oppone nts ' The crisis was mucfr too serious and awful. T he danger with which the Country was threatened was, great enough, without aggravating it by perso ns ' animosities or party 'dissentions. In Mentioning, the danger with which the Country was threatened, he'wished to be understood, that in his opinion ho i thing could render that danger fatal but a spirit e animosity prevailing among men of weight a n d consideration in the Country. Unanimity w as now more than ever desirable ; he meant as t ° great and essential measures ; as to the ordinary ba' sines of Parliament, he saw no reason why ther might not debate them now as well as at any °the period, and therefore he was desirous that tiler should now enter upon the business appointed fog discussion that day ; Air. W DH A' rose to submit a few obser"" tions to the House, in - consequence of what had fat o i len from different Gentlemen in the course, this most interesting discussion. His Right blot Friend who - had just sat down, had 'argued thTw'' question, as if it had been proposed to adjourn fo = some days, and to stispend ahe Fontlions of Par lia ;f ment, but certainly that was not the intend:in a • the Hon. Baronet who made the Motion, becauseeP, it w as , h e certainly wou ld not g i ve i t hi s The Motion merely meant, as he understpod its adjournment hir this day.. fie could not helps b" fore he proceeded any farther, rettnning. lois , tha'S ' to the Hon. 13;1rOrtet who made the Motion, for - ` 1; charging that which he considered to be a t ithst in" portant duty, and the omission of which might b u :: been attended with the most dangerous consequen c , e ; He had often, in-the course of his Parliamentary heardaliscussions about Confidence, and had throw ; often argued upon the necessity of reposing a r e t ;; sonable degree of confidence in Ministers, ut i ; s never heard it argued-for to the•exterrt that it ; been argued for this night by the Chancellor of Exchequer. The substance of his argu men t ansou'; ed to this, that upon,every ques t i on o f t hi s s ort . 1 10 7 c, ever important it might be, the.. Ministers hops:o r liament would repose implicit confidence i OE O ' l 4. that upon no other seem ity than their own re l f'lis. bilitys. Now, without Meaning to say a n y tit"g, - ,, c a risspeelful or harsh to Minister:, that w as a confit` e- pi s which, in his opinion, ought not to be reposed to Ministers. -The Chan e .of the Exchequer had svhet her they would contend that upon-e very °ll 11 4 racy illness of the ,Icing, by w hi c h h t w as disabl 4vas frinn exercising the funetions of Royalty, r k t necessary to slyly • ; for the int er fe ren ce of r ar r ft melt ? If he 'were bonrid to answer th a t quebti°r stria conformity to the theory of the Constituttl his answer would be, " yes." But it was very known that-general theories silted) s admitted of s° T ig tnitigation, and in certain cases Parliament Irlig o •connive at . a-short -ne g l e a o f its duties,, bit( v i bur such a point there m ust ex i st son' n t ssi-tariof" roe . how was Parliament to aseer t e i t t s what.Y;as r " 3 _o_ per point of liMitation if, as in th e presibi 0 7 i v! they were deprived of all regular informatio n . • the SatisfaClion that Parliament coulti obtainsapat- i Ministers was this "we know our ,duty,' a n upon,ounresponsibiliey, and therefore you, the, e "; ) , mons of England, must. wait sill we tell 1" . 0 4. it is right anti fit you •shouid interfere." ihr: jo t. this doctrine he entered his protest ; it was a tripe pregnant with the most serious tniSc.ld'„%tr. It was one that had never bef or e been 100 ced; that whenever the Sovereign cease`' whatever cause, to have his reguliir a' ; ','h o ut - that Ministers should keep the contour - sr ss' ike sl, an Executive Government as long as theY er se or until circumstances required an actual e x.,, of the Royal Authority. IF this prineinl e e pt once admitted, how long might the Country be without an Executive Government ; He say/ it reaso n why, upon the principle now laid tloW il :',l i s might not be kept so for six months. Psis It ~lte Hon. Friend (Mr. PITT) certainly did not ago e , to j • question to that extent ; he had displayed his:'"4l, judgment upon this question, but still he sonsn e ss) could not contor with him in oPt ° t i e r because he seemed to'Vvish to defer the period ° . b le, Cotntnunication - to Parliament as 'long as P°'sliicsa The question now was, whether the proper for Communication was come or not ? tots ha' said, why should we interfere now, when. "'; pre not interfered before ? His answer was thissi o liatnent did not interfere now, when was l c as tile' terfere ? The time that had elapsed'alreadY W it Wi' s strongest reason for - interfering at. present. 00 01" true, as his Righ t Hon. Friend hail , Said, theY c es t4 ed the days and hours upon this most inte r c olt' subject, but the time must come when they Isc f count no more. This question told been arg`:etioo if the irthnediate consequence of a Communs. OE 0 to Parliament must be the immediate aciOn ti° c ue s ti o v m e e G in , e )v a e stre rinmsestiolts,uhp)upilytitiihsewdeafiscnieontct}i'leotc. toshee;E:ji; not call for any. Parliamentary precteding , , f th at inquiry, audit would depend upon the re sult 0 6 4 inqniry whether a nyfurther proceeding were '''' c ic iogr, or not. With regard to the Reports of-the co uP by which atone that House arid the Pobl ic , 1 3 form any judgment upon the suhi - tt, the (.' sel n de° of the E;tCH FI2U Eit had t a ken unv ,, e ; ' ' to' say,' that, Pailiatnent ought to he go. j t hs him, and 11Q1 by them; he had toot only 0 % 1 , 0 0 the House was not only to believe him in pre' o. they! to the Physicians, but even in coniradiElion tiO , tP o • The Right lion. Gentleman had undertaket , ic foe give the meatoirg of the words contained in ,ieisisy' ports, of the Phy.sicians, but the meamogo t sicians themselves. .This was znesort o t co which the Right Hon Gentleman had c4" 111 e ' he believed it was :a degree. of confidence' `wheels 110' never been claimed by any Minister before• of or reiy House and the Public thou flit they c (Ate v ie t a the'RepOrts of the Physicians,' but now the ite; informed .that they were only to rely of'" ,y. - 10" ports, a nhe Ministers. About fo"l•rt" e o f they received the alarming notific , tt i°3 o rov c e King's Indisposition. Th as .yers notification r o on j that the illness could net he a • su ides ones, 00 foolY' that was likely to terminate very 8 rt t hat t po undoubtedly • the general opinion wasp v ixas of a nature that would Preore fit 11 i nati ° lexercise of tote Royal Fun 'lions. Wha t In i