The National Register.
London, England, 1811-01-06 00:00:00

SUNDAY, JANUARY 6,1811.

PO)LITIC'Ai DISQ

No. 150.
PROCEEDINGS OF PARLIAMENT.

mr•••••••••
. The importance of the parliamentary proceedings
during the week, so loudly calls for the deep consi-
deration of every friend to his King, Country, and
Constitution, as to compel us to delay the conclu-
.sion of our yearly political retrospect .to our next
number. We shall therefore confine ourselves, for
the present, to the mighty changes which the lapse
of a few days has effected in the relative situations
(if parties ; .to the propriety or impropriety of the
.Resolutions passed, and to the consequences which
they are likely to produce.
. A week ago Ministers stood on the broad basis
cif the Constitution, a firm unbroken band. Aware
of the necessity of restoring the exercise of the royal
functions, they adopted a line of proceedings which
maintained the dignity and independence of Parlia-
rnert, and tended .to invest the Regent, not with
hered►tary authority, which he might claim as his
• right, but with powers created and delegated by
: the people, through the medium of their Representa-
. tives. This measure, though strongly opposed by
the inconsistent, not to say corrupt, advocates. of
. popular rights, . which. in this instance they vainly
attempted to abridge, was carried by a large ma-
. joi-ity.; and initead of an Address, a Bill was pre-
pared as in 1783, to authorise the Pzince of WALES
to perform the suspended functions of the Crown.
Dive Revolutions, similar to those passed during his
Tvlajesty's first illness, were laid bettire a Committee
‘,l the whole House. They appointed .his Royal
Highness Regent, with such restrictions and limi-
tations as the wisdom of Parliament might deem
proper; r to .secure the restoration of the Kingly

power to the Monarch by whom it had been so long
and prosperously wielded, as soon as he should have
• regained .his mental health. They allowed -his re-
Fl esentatime, not successor, to ncr.rard. military aild
Laval achievements with peerag►es, and only de-
layed hisvonferring bucli distinguished honours on
nien who did not expose their lives to the unter-
taintrof war in the service of their country, for the

*, ':pace of a year. Such a delay could not deptive
them of their splendid reFEkuneration, for they shared
only the. conuntka 401tifts of mortality.with Lir
Vol. 1•17.- No.. Gje vat. • • • I

Regent himself : hitt it would prey -lit the latter
from acquiring such an accession of supporters in,
the House of Peers, as might enable him, should
the sceptre at any time revert to our Moi..trch's
hand, to perplex the Councils of the State, and,
check The springs of Administration. His itoyal
Highness's virtues'and patriotic di,position readered,
it is true, such fears chimerical : but it was neces-
sary to guard against possibility itself, and to avoid
forming a precedent which in fwure years, and
with a Prince less dutiful towards his Royal Parent,
and less disposed to promote the welfare of his
country, might endanger the possession of the
Throne, and the peace and liberties of our descend,
ants. The other Resolutions allowed him to dispose
of all places during his Majesty's pleasure; placed
the private property of the King in the hands of
trustees, and gave to the Queen the care of his
person, .and the right of removing from, or appoint-
ing to,. the several offices of his Househoid, with
a council to advise her Majesty, and from time to
time examine the King's Physicians.

Such was the nature of the Bill which on Tues-
day last was submitted to the consideration of a
Committee of the whole House. The attacks of
the Opposition were made on the three most import-
ant points : the restrictions, and the .witholden
rights of granting Peerages, and of appointing his
Majesty's Household.

To impose restrictions on a Regent, they said,
was to impair the Royal Authority itself, of which
be exercised the functions. As well might they
have pretended, that to lay a veil over the cyy of a.
picture, was to conceal the beauties of the original.
A Regent is the reflected image of a King, whose
place he supplies by convention. Ought therefore
ParliaMlent, acting in politics as we are told the
Romiin Catholics do in religion, to have attril,uted

to the image, all the powers of the Monarch wlu m
it vas to represent ? It may be said that a Regent
iy not a mere lifeless figure, clad in purple, and

•- seated On a Throne, the &My 7:ot. a King: that
he is alt active agent, whose duty is to hold.
in trust the Regal Authority, and exert it as
.suits the necessities of the State.—But is he
to mit it as he chooses, or as the study
and esterience of the past tell him the Mo.
parch 'whom he represents would have done, hftd
not illtiess chained his faculties Is he to- have a
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