The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-04-14 00:00:00

the npp:4ite pretrnd not tn Le ignorant of the
events. an I of those cirturns.ances which immed-
ately lel to the result. With soch inturnitti.es,
they assisted in executing the threat which vivs held
not to obtain th- ,sritten assurance (nisi's-the late

Minim) ; and. elm:tore, in my orinian. the re-
sponsibility upon them is nitwit stronger. 1 vcii!l
go further. and contend, that the •ery accept-
ance of their u:Bces. after the knowledge they ad

mit to have, iit such a pledge being ileininded,
is, in the sou:id do9rine of tf, Constirution, a suffi-

ci.nt ground (or holding His tultittstv's present
Ministers responsible, blth for the entinges which

have taken place, and the plibige which has been
required. Were His Ntajesty's present Ministers
even to say, it Is tree we know that such a reqaisi-
bon was nude, but we were not parties to it, and
even for ourselves have refused ; still the Consti-

tution considers them responsible. In the good
times of this country, when rho strong lestUng of Con-
sti.utional jealotisy anusted every M. 471 in the State,
there was nn argument, rio excuse, no palliawm, for
rty inroad on the yu.t and acknowl-dved privi-
leges of the people. When my Lord Somers him-
self, that able Stotesmin, to whose taletns and pa-

triotiun the c-:unt-y was so peculiarly indebted,
when even he, I say, pleaded to Parliament, upon
the discussion of the Partition Treaty, that he was

. -
no petty to the measure, it refused to listen to the
justification. It spoke in the sound, stern, and sa-
lutary language of toe Constitution, that he who

th.;ilen—ds his name and s..naion and charafter

to cArry it into execution, is the responsible person.
A: whatever period it might bx ascertained that he
prigaged in it, or whether there were others who
had previously introduced it, was not a matter of
much consequence. The Country hes a concur-
rent judgment against them all, might bring them
to the Bo tit t"is or the other House of Parliament,

and arraign thews for the mischiefs %elite, were
the result. Offer hear!) What was Lord Gran-
by's case ? In his own defence he produced
letter, that was written by the King's order. But
it did not avail hint; wlierevr it originated, he was
responsible for the execution. The pre-sent Minis.
tees might say, we have not agreed to any such
pled4e. 'PA* answer was, that in receiving
their offices, they were bound by the spirit
-4 that requisition, that they bad virtually given
it. Having sheen the late Administration as
a warning, the Executive could say, you know
the conditions upon %ankh you are called to my
Councils; you are aware of the kindest- men suited
to my opinions. In LA, the very nature of the
trans./lion, proves to the most common widerstand-
ing, that His Majesty himself felt he was aCting un-
der advice, and of course with his advisers, subjeaed
to constitutional responsthility. The Noble Lord
himself, who sits nn the Wo •Isack, must feel, that
His Majesty was of that opinion, and therefore ws
may account for the expeditious cleterrein Mon, in
two hours, of that Noble Lord-4 snorter interval
of time than he was usually expected to make up
his mind. But, to advert to the Administration so
lately formed, I am at a toss to judge in what
moaner the cnntradiaory opinions of the cern-
reein parts can be reconciled ? flow reconcile
the opinion of tha Secretary of State fir
re.gn Affairs (Mr. Canning), as fotmatly express-
ed, with his vulvae:lion with the Nible Secretary
Or the Home Department ? , Or in what mat.ner
reconcile the immutals:e opinion of the latter Noble
Secret ary, with the repeated pledges of his celleozue
at the head of the Colonial Oepirtmcnt (Loral Cas-
tlereagh) to the Catholics of Ireland ? Were these
centradiai sus to be g t rid of, in what way can we
conceive the repeated and long-continued attach-
ment and prnrnises of the Noble Duke (l'ortlnnd) at
the head of His Majesty's Councils ? Consider the.
present Ministry, my Lords, in their individual chat.
rafters, or in their collcaive capacity, and you must.
conclude in one of these two opinions, either this
there is no principle or cement of union amongst,
them. cr that they have agreed to give up every
&Brine and opinion to which t ey were most sa-
credly pledged. The Noble Earl here took a re-
, trospalive view of the Pailiansentary opinions
of some of the leading Members of the present
Calsiner. and on the views they entertained
the necessity of Catholic Elm incipation. It that
eilestion seas not now discussed, or brought fur.
word beinre Parliament, it was not owing to the
exertions or delicacy of the present Ministers, but
to the genuine loyalty and unfeigned affeaion of
His Majessy's late Mtnisrers. The Noble Earl con-
cluded, by putting it to the House •' Whether that
acknowledged maxim, that the King can do no
wrong, was an absurdity or not ? Do those. who
argue upon the right of tie King to ail without
advice, delude themselves or the country with the
folly. that he is not equally a participator of that
nature which is characteristically marked with im-
perteeion. I trust there are rune to encourage
this delusion ; and hence it is, that the sound lain
euane of the Constitution alines of no writing in
y, hecause there is some strUj ell responsible."
/on; MULC.:R AWL observed, were was nothing
in the hivnry of the country to which the ;resent
mvion, or indeed the whole conduft of the late Mi-
ne tern, affitrtt.'d a parallel. He instanced the array-
ed Opposition of the year 1783; and the case of
the Duke of Marlliarough. when though in the
midst of his triumphs and viaories, was stripped of
all his offices, yet iiever condesiterided to mention the
King's name. The present Ministers had proposed to
His Majesty, what they know to be clutrary to his
conscience, and had brought themselves into the
tlilemmr, either to give a pledge, as to their future
piocredingi, or to rehrignish their situations. He
rem irked on the discordant materials of which die
late Administration was termed, asserting that no
such direiences 'Winne,* amongst the present
hlititsics, as could cause the most delicate Imhof s
to decline ecaing one with another. His Majesty's
present Government were united no principle, and
trod in the footsteps of that great Statesman ( Mr.
Pitt ). He trusted that the instances et I,ltire former
Administrations would not be a guide to the claw
daft of the late Ministers, by changing into a vio.
lent and taaious opposition ; and at:er Jeclarins
his disioterestedness in coming into ()Ice, and emit'
Umlaut; the principles and conduct of the present
with former Akin iiii istratinns, de concluded with
giving his decided insects* to the mociun
Lords Holland and Lnurrick rose at the same
time. bin the former having given way.
Lord LINIEMILI pnxelklad, sod severely ems