The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-11-30 00:00:00

given. The testimony of a Minister had McNees!
!buns to adjourn for one fortnight ; and he could
toot help nottemg, without disparagement to theta
as men or gentlenaeo, but inertly from their situa-
tion as Ministers, that of all men living their
teetituouy ought to have least weight on an occasion
of this kind ! So far from directing the proceedings
of the House, the least possible atientieu simuld.be
given to their statements. Yet it was on that flimsy
examination that they were called ou to grant the
Sovereignty of Great Britain fur soother fel might to
Ministers ! Ile was sure, that if any of his comb-
teem* required of him why hr agreed to each an
adjournment as that now proposed, he should be
tumble to give them a reason for his vote. The
Hon. Gentletnau below hits (Mr. Whitbread.) had,
on the contrary, stated abunduot reason, why they
ought to adopt an opposite coarse. From other cir-
euenstatice, the eunutry had, indeed, long been de.
prived of the liingly Office. Miui.ters taking ad-
vantage of these. bed cut off the cotninunieation
between the Sovereign and the people. The right
of pentimi had become • mete fsice. Os that tic-
conat. therefore, as well as for a number of other
VvairOlie, they ought to proceed to some necessary
measure to retore the Executive. 'Tice age.of the
Sovcreiga and the nature of his inalody consider-
ed, he would have been much surori.ed had such
a propositiou been acceded to as that for soother
long adjournment, while the Executive functions
were ensoriided. Ile felt with the Right Hon.
Geed. opposite (Mr. Yorke), who had stated the mat-
ter very fairly and constitutionally, the difficulty in
which the Haase was placed ; but whatever in this
difficulty they resolved to do, of this he was sure,
that they must be wrong if they permitted mat-
ters to remain in th.ir present state. Delicacy to.
tweeds His Majesty had been introduced and ban-
died about, in his opinion re:y unfairly, to influ-
ence their decision and warp their opinions. On
poblie occasions this was most absurd. It might
do with Lolies and Geutlemen over • tea-trade,
hut session iii to bespoken of of thearduous affieirs
of a great nation. Delicacy indeed was a fine
phrase to prevent men in such a situation from du.
ingtheir duty, at a moment when a great empire
was crunthliug into dust from the pressure of calla.
unties'. In private life be bad ever observed that
the affectatiou of delicacy..~ was only to cover
rogio ry, mid from this he dojiked much to see it
introduced into public affair,. But at all events, the
Law aad the Constitution got over it, sod oheu
much depended on the issue, even delicacy it was
found could be dispensed with. Thus, for iestance,
on the lyiug-in of a Queen, vtiteesset were ordered
to be present, • mode of proceeding. which, in the
lower ranks of lite., would be thought very indeli-
eate. After all, these arguments went for nothing.
The Constitution knew nothing of Kiugly tufo-
abbe& It was a lumen mown,, that the King
never died; sad the moue piiiiciple which dictated
this maxim, also held, that the King was ever in
full vigour, and in posstesitin of all the abilities
necessary for the execut,ou his important
fuectione. Were not this the easy, the Executive
port of the Government !night be sullject to cease
fur iedifferetitseeiods. or 'morose •11.1 Onnouiab
eierasiunally. T jhe pretended pr. cedeot of lose,
on which so much stress was !ai i, s: ;stared to him
M afford them more a lesson of what ought
to he avoided, than of what ought to be
followed. It was • precedent without principle,
and an analogy without reason. Yet such es it was.
the Right Han. Gentlemen opposite (the M..
niaters) seetncd desirous of taking as much of
it as • precedent, as fruited the :move., and
enabled them to keep their places ; no doubt. from
the pure and disinterested motives stated by the
Right Hoo. G.lttleinint who spoke third in this de-
bate (dr. Yorke) ! Whoever moot to he Regent
he would net take upon himself to dictate either to
the noose nr to tin. Country ; but roinching ought
to he determined on, end lie *out, not consent to
the present ruinous system of delay and trial. If
the preeelent of 1786 was wise at that lime, it was
not so now, when mighty and siouderful clumps
had taken place iii the situation of the country and
the world. Then au univereal peace prevailed-
110w there was nothing but war. disorder, and
bloodshed ! At that time the Public.lbevenue ex-
eeeded the Public Expenditure by about a mil-
lion and a half—now the Expenditure exceeded
the Revenue by twenty millions ! At that time the
National Debt was about thirty-three
miliionr—
now he of-odd not be far wroug in staling it at
about eight hundred roiilions ! Then the coun-
try Wall reaping' the benefit of most advan-
tageous commercial speculations—now trade anal
roommereet were utterly ruined and destroyed !
Teets there was no depreciated paper currency
filling the country. but in its piece the sterling re-
presentatives of wealth were every where to he seen.
la tine, at that period all was pence, tranquillity,
and content at home, and accounts from abroad
icily brought tidings of siiniler blessings—now
they had only to look around them to see how woe-
fully altered their situation wee, and how inapplic-
al le every pomedeut must be. Could they then dire,
ii".er a month's delay, to aoree to another fortnight's
oelovernment, during which they would he without
a King, and be might almost say without a Con-
etitutioii ?
General M. MAYHEW said, that never since he
'bad a seat Is that House was he aware of a case of
such calamity as that Illitl-r which they now met.—
He was ober that 111.1 ought to take the word of
mother one or other as a ground of their prover/d-
-ittos. but particuierly the word of a west: and idiotic
Aoloodoistratioio—O t.: era of hear, and interruption.)
Every man of esin.i.terstoin (rover this to be rue,
and it aos proved by the imbecility of every mea-
sure mud act they hail adopted. Ile oppealed fir
Vie truth of what he advanced to the Mammy
Reuel, lastgB.)—Let ally one look over the
way at it, and they anent are a hit kind of a thing
it was. As to ability they had tiotie; as to charac-
ter they had wine; as to respectsbility they had
none; aad as to tho cootidence of the people, they
never had and never eould expect it! They had
„oly owe sous. Comity Member among them, and
nut one of them had laiadert, or indeed one (oiler
hod of property. There was on resoonsibility to
loe found eiireug them...a parcel of second-rate
I 4,1' tiers acid &seedy ad vent tirers--(Cries of torder)—
Iro caring fur the tate of nations, if they could only
c000•or. to keep their places Hear. hear.)—if
• Hold only rotative to retain their situations
said .La cusmosod of the public purse-strings le.e