The National Register.
London, England, 1812-03-01 00:00:00

SITNDAIr, MARCIII,

N° 214.

POLLY 'CAL DISQUISITION.

No. 2044

OPPOSITION AND MINISTER.

!I

The opposition ought at last to: be satisfied. Their
doubts respecting the continuance of their opponents in
dice, and the grounds on which they were retained, are
now at an end. last fortnigh(had been for them a
period of hope, anxiety, and alarm. The termination of
the restrictieecon, the PRINCE REGENT approached ; and
the prospeci'of enjoying power created feelings of tumul-
tuous joy, %filo], though mingled with apprehension, be-
trayed themselves in all their speeches in the House of
Commons. These half-smothered bursts of exultation at
last drew from the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER the
cbservation, that the golden dreams of the Honourable
Gentlemen-might prove deceitful. This remark changed
their hopes into terror, which they vainly attempted
to conceal under the mask of indignation. In vain
did they exclaim against the. assuming audacity of
the Minister: In vain di,4 they recal the former
acts and expressions-e114,8.Aw...eas tc demonstrate
that it was impossible he shotiki not admit ttiiiiintO his
Councils, as soon as he shoutcb4ve been freed from the
yoke of the :Restrictions., Thellepuld not quiet their own
apprehensions, and only exposed'tbe nature and avidity of
theirambition. The fatal periodarrived, and, instead of
that loud call into office which they expected, a partial and
indirect offer was made to the two.-14vbIbmen at their hea44,
not to form a new, but to ioin.th6. existing Administra-
tion. They wefe made acquainted, at'the same time, with
the line of policy which his ROYAL HIGHNESS, intended
to pure*, in order that they might ascertain at once
Whether they Tilt disposettto 'second; his intentions. The
• •
answer oCthe k.loble Peers was, •however, of an unfit-
.—
vourable tendency. They disclaimed all personal objec-
tion to acting :With the men in power, but ckarly stated
their disapprobation of the measures ihe PRINCE REGENT
proposed to adopt ;• and, unless their politics were allowed
to resume their .overbearing influencetiver his mind, and
in the Councils of the State, they refuSed to constitute
part of his government. They imagined, perhaps, that
his Royal Highness. thought ,himself :bound to give them
a share in the manageMerit'of public affairs, and that, by
rejecting the firlt, teritia'Affered, 'they virOuld secure others
till more advantageoUsli;i4 more gratifying to their am-
bition. The resignatibi).7-c;f. Niaiquis WELLESLEY, and.
the opening which it left in -die Cabinet, awakened fresh
hopes in their minds. They eXpeCtedthet'a divided
Admi-
nistration
would not stand, and that deprived of one of
No. CCX /7///. Vol. V.

PRICE 94.

its most powerful s7;.:porters, it would soon vanish from
the political stage. Hence the variety of rumours with
which the town has .been overflowed," and which per-
plexes the judgment of the wisest. Hence, the many
imaginary appointments mode, and contradicted by party
spirit.—Reality has at last crime to the assistance of the
public mind. A Noble Lord, whom calumny has
aspersed with her hundred tnngnes, has accepted the
Seals of the Foreign Office, and although other changes
of an inferior nature may take place, the grand business
of an efficient AdministratiOn is now settled.
The Opposition had no sooner ascertained this point,
thin they vented their rage and disappointment, not in
the most chosen terms of Pa:liamentary abuse. The
Put Noe, who for so many years had been the idol whom
they vorsh:pped, suddenly lost the privilege of commit-
ting no error, and sinking into a fallible being, received
his full share of unfounded reproof. The friends of the
Noble Lords represented the application made to them as
an insult. It required them to abandon the opinions which
they 'had for years maintained. It was an open attempt
to bribe them into the adoption of a new system ; and hall
they yieldettt6..itib invitation, they must have relinquished
all claim to consistency and honour, Call regard for their
'rharatter. Such are the,iOurces of .consolation of those
who lately aspired to tlie-ligtiest*.posts of Government in
the land. They pretend..that the' OfriPr made to ineludf
them within the sphere of Administration, was not 'sin-
cere; but that it wits purposely attended with such pro-
posals or conditions as mint render its being accepted im-
possible. Unwilling to break niT all connection with his
ROYAL HIGHNESS, however, they avail themselves' of that
constitutional maxim—,, that Jiings can do no wrong,"
and attribute the step . which has kited so much)n-
dignation in their breasts to his supposed • adviieris--,-..
These, they charged with having perverted Ile judg-.
•
merit and seduced theaffections of the PRINCEi and- •
they would prcibahry iniy,e persevered in such accu.
sation, had it not called forth from Mr. *.PEACEIrAr„
the following manly avowal of
.the-rounds on which
he and his colleagues have been remelted ; grpuo s iyhidi
are most honourable to their political inteitqfalfli6444.
and will not fail to add tenfold poignancy to the griq' of
their opponents. As to
,the causes of the changa...Wlii-ch
had taken place in the PRINCE REGENT'S opitidn,
respect to himielf, during the
_last twelve months, be eel--
tainly never did alltempt, nor never should attempt, with
respect to this question, to make any impression one
-way or the other on the Royal mind. The 'PRINCE had
had thought proper to retain him in his service, with all
those prejudices which he had entertained at the com-
mencement of the limited Regency, against the I."..at,'s