The National Register.
London, England, 1812-06-14 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

TIOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, JUNE 8.
Tr. Perceval's Family Pruvision Bill was read a third time, and

ADMINISTRATION.

Earl of LIIIERPOOL." Before I move the question of adjournment,
I think it right to inform the House, in consequence of the questions
rut i:pon a former night, that this day his Royal Highness the Prince
it,,gent has been pleased to appoint me First I .ord of the Treasury, and
to give me directions for the formation of a Ministry."
Earl of MOIRA.--g In 'consequence of what has fallen from the
Nob' • FA, I wish to make a few statements to the House. His Royal
highness the Prince Regent gave me the power of forming an Admini-
stration. ; I undertook the office he had graciously imposed upon me,
but, in the present state of the country, I could not consider it an ordi-
vary trust. In the formation of a Government composed of men of
talent, there could be no difficulty, the selection would be easy ; but, in
the present state of feeling in the courtry, it behoved every man,in whom
a'simitir trust might be imposed, to beware of being guilty of a devia-
tion from those great political principles which he had often publicly
avowed. On this ground I proceeded to the formation of a Cabinet,
and unfortunately I slid not succeed. I lament my failure, for the sake
of the people; because, in these times, those who, have the manage-
ment of pablic affairs, should possess the country s confidence. In the
course of my negotiations, I met with the most perfect frankness, and
I return my thanks accordingly to the Noble Lords with whom I'treated.
I wish also to state, that his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the
power he vested in me, exerted himsOf to the utmost to satisfy, with-
out reservation of any kind, the wishes of the public, imparted to him
through the House of Commons. I have rather to declare, that I feel
it my bounden.duty to give my support" to any body of men, in whom
the Prince Regent will place his confidence, When they do not interfere
with the great political principles 1 have always awowed in the House."
The Duke of NORFOLK said, that it.was, asserted in another .plaCe,
that the present Ministtrs only held their situations ad interim; it now
appeared that they stilrpossessed the confidence of. the Prince Regent.
One 5/eject agitated, the public mind, which an hour's delay = gin
render fatal to the country. He alluded to the recent appearances of a
war with Americi. It•was his intention to propose, in a short time,
tirat an Address be presented to the Prince Regent, praying that, he
would give directions for rescinding the Orders in Council; he there-
fore asked the Noble Lard, now 'the Prince Regent s Minister,
tier he would object to such a proposition ? •
EARL OF LITER POO L....." The Noble Duke has not correctly stated
the proceedings ,of another place. The Address that was presented,
prayed for an. efficient Administration; in consequence of this, I felt it
ray duty to state to the Prince Resent that my colleagues- and myself
were anxious to be no bar to any arrangements for forming astrong.6d-
ministration. From that period to the present I haire been nisi% anxious,
he no obstacle to any arrangements which might be saisfactory to the
Prince Regevit, and gratifying to the country. After :.I.l.that had passed,
however, I should consider myself as .shrhilting frsim my duty to the.
Prince, and to the country, if I refused to accept the office which his
Royal Highness has this day been plea Sea to confer 'en Me. Respeitiog
karica, I am aware that her Governmenthas pasied an Act of a- nature,
hostile to this country ; but, from all the .informaithii I have been ena-
bled to obtain, I assure the Noble Duke that he his mistaken in fili sup-
wsitions respecting the immediate hostility of her measures. On the
%object of the Orders in Council an inqui.-y is alreiely before your Lord-
ships, the result of that inquiry will best inform your I ord hips wle tit
your duty to do, Iptoth with- respect to the interests of the power to
whom it principally relates, and to the satisfaction of the *country."
The DUKE of iNfoIt7OLK said, in a low tone pf.voice a few ‘s ords in
explanation. •

Marquis WELLESLEY rose. He had understood that some words,
Supposed to have occurred in the speech which he had lately the lion-
ce.r of addressing to their Lordships, had been thought by the Houie
ate:veartis to require explanation. That he was absent on that day
when such explanation seemed desirable, was because he thought his
absence would be convenient for the discussion of the great subject in
question ; and, in order to the termination of it, in that amicable way
vilich the HouNe appeared desirous of. lie had before stated to their
brrthliip;, that he had the authority o! the .Prince-Regent for entering
ill.) any explanation which the House might desire respecting those
rernsactions. He had that day the same hig
wh authority fur entering point
rby point into the detail of it. As to the words uponwhich so much had
sail " dreadful animosities," he had not been aware of their having
D•en uttered by himself, until he saw thnn in a printed report of
,what he hid spoken, so fairly and correctly given, that he could not
IlLsitate to believe that those were truly his, neither did he feel any
stlire, or perceive any reason for disclaiming them. The words he
was folly persuaded were his, for nothing could he more true or just,
than their application—and that application he had no scruple in placing
to the Nob!e Earl opposite (Lord Liverpool) and his friends ; and
he would appeal to the recollection of the Noble Lord himself, whe-
Ter thefact which occurred in the course of .the negotiations did not
warrant anti appro2riate the charge w lz a and his associates I pi

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357

appealed to that Noble Earl, whether on the day he (the Marquis)
humbly and earnestly pressed for an explanation. he was not told by
that Noble Earl, that neither be pot those with whom he acted;cotild
join in any Admiektration with,elte Marquis- Weekseey-A, If such a de-
claration did not Warrant the use arid'apeficetion sir the-terms " per.
sonal animosity," he did noticnow what could—(iire.nri hear.) '
Lord HARROWSY could not admit that " personal animosity" could,
with any justice or fairness, be applied to his Noble Friend, or to
those with whom he acted • and instead of the high tone assumed by
the Noble Marquie, be thought it would bitter have become him to
explain and reconcile his conduct in the overtures which' he bad made
to that side of the House, with the acquiescence which he had given to
the terms, spirit, and object of the address whi.'h had' passed in ano-
ther House of Parliament, and likewise with the facility with which he
had been willing to compromise with two Noble Lords (Grey and
Grenville), on the state and conduct of the war in the Peninsula, and
other great leading topics on which they had before been at variance.
The Marquis WELL eseey appealed to the House, whether the Nolee
Lord who had just sat down, did not give ample evidence that the
words " personal animosities" were by no means misapplied When be
first entered on the discharge of that duty which the commands of the
Prince Regent had imposed on him, he perceived that there were
certain great leading principles upon which any Administration whieis
he could form, or be connected with, must depend. Thoae princi-
ples, whatever might in other lesser points be the opinions of differing
parties, he deemed essential and indispensible. Those principles were
stated to the Noble Lords opposite, and he should read to the House the
answer which they made to them. [Here the noble Marquis read terms
df the propositions which he had made to the Earl of Liverpool, and
that noble Lord s answer, which stated that he apd his colleagues could
not agree to act with the Marquis Wellesley.] His Lordship did not
wish to pursue the subject unnecessarily, or enter into further detail on
a question involving private feeling; but if the Noble Lord, whom he
was still willing to call his Noble Friend, was desueaus of a fuller explan-
ation, he was perfectly ready to afford it.
.• Lord HARROwBY was not at all satisfied by what the Noble Marquis
had stated, how a reluctance to joie a particular Administration should
be construed in' 4i personal or dreadful animosity;" but he would more
particularly call upon the Noble Marquis to explain how a Paper, even
in a very early stage of the negotiation alluded to, a Paper called A
State.nent, a Paper which rendered the negotiation at once disgraceful
to them to whom it wee proposed, and tolint who proposed it. Who
could 'have dreamt' of finding the Noble Marquis,. after all that their
Lordships, and tele Petsblic'ehad known of his public conbct and public
opinions-, associating with the Noble Lords oppusitelG7ey . and Gren
'ville” How cOuld-the Noble Marquis defendor justify the publication
•of theerisper 'to 'which he had alluded, and in- which a most aionoure
able Person, Wen no more (Mr: Perceval), had.heen treated with dis-
esteem and obloquy ?
The Marquis isVeeeesery was unwilling to enter minutely into all
that the Noble Lord' had -shi4 : Ile evould sloe- insist On "animosities.
since the ;word appeeeee to be so unpleasant, betel ehing'eould he deer. r
than that something of distaste. (sr dislike towards him existed in the
of the Neble- Lorde *opposite ; btit, waviieetliat, rose then
ehiefiseto.ploteteageieet tha eharee set forth against him by the Noble
Lord concerning that paper called A'State-deilt ; a'paper, of u•sitamp and
,character theele was encapeble•of giving cuuntenauce to; and before
.that Noble Loidlizei prettlmsd to, hazard sush ..n accusation, it. would
have become rum .to -be well informed and assured Of the fact. But
though he could never authorize the publication of the paper alluded to,
yet, called on as be had been fey the Noble Leed, he'should diseain to
conceal or deny the truth contain: d in that statement, howsoeVer inipro-
erly.it was introduced. Was it becaining, was it mannerly in Mr. Per..
ceval, iiid he: app, to the Noble tart (LiVsseiCoOle after he (Lard
Wellesley.), had communicated to the 'Prineteeßegeeseehis readiness to
resign the office which be •then -held, to en to the' Prilsce fir the pure
pose of superseding him: idsrantly ? 'Far'his ow,t, Rkrt,iiVvas.his sincere
and anxious wish to be released frone siteecr itelieewhich he was
placed, and in which it was impossible tor hihao co-operate with others.
When he resigned- there were marry.:Matevee`for tleat step, which
it would have been improper then to publigh-, 'und- tree' vilest arts
were then employed to discolour and 'distott those motives. So
little consciousness had he of the existence of -such a paper as that
' which had been alluded to, that he' was- horror-stesick esben he saw it.
But while he stated that, he must add, he did. dot derire Void of it ;
yet it was a eransection that he never had. intended To make public.
As to Mr. PerCeeal, there was no one more ready "illieleliienself to ac-
knowledge the Mildness of temper, the graektul benevolence, and the
many amiable and endearing virtues with which he essaie,asturned ; bet
while he admitted and admired those virtues, he must acktthat he (Id
mat possess those talents and that capacity of mind whictreetre neces-
sary for a Prime Minister; nor was his failure, in point, any reproach.
But for the office which he held, he was not only not the fittest person,
but not fit in any degree. • Well ttic.Noble Loid will says but you
served under him. True; butit was only while I (said the Marquis)
knew no more of him than inclined me to esteem and respect hen, and
before I discovered the deficiemsy of his public talents. He did esteem
the purity of his privatecharacter, and regarded the manner of his death
as a sort of martyrdom. But with respect to his (Lord Wellesiey's)
having once bsee asieeeiated with the 4slobte Lords opposite, he Could