The National Register.
London, England, 1816-02-04 00:00:00

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1816.

No. OS.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.
--wow-

muting COMMENT on the REGENT'S SPEECH as matter of
HISTORY. The true meaning of COMMERCIAL PROSPE-
RITY The Cause of an Increase of COMMERCIAL Ex-

PORTS.

THE REGENT'S SPEECH, at the opening of Parliament, on
the first of February, 1816, demands our strict attention, as the
Register of Political Events occurring during each interval
of our publication. It will be remarkable in our history, as
the view which the British government professes to take of
its own conduct, in a war which em only be considered as a
concluding episode; 4r, in the theatrical phrase, a short,
splendid, and noisy finale to a long and frightful drama, of
five-and-twenty years, in which all the strength of all the
great houses of Europe has been engaged. •
The forms of the two Houses of Parliament afford a very
inadequate mode of expressing the sense of the country upon
this ministerial manifesto. It is laid before them suddenly • 7
.
most of the members are unprepared ; and a great majority,
unwilling to counteract all the proceedings of Governintnt, are
rearly to make every possible concession, and to construe its
ineaning•most favourably to their own private views of political
expediency: As a document for. hiStory, 'it may be examined,
however, with more deliberation; and, being criticised with
acuteness, may, we hope, be judged with perfect sincerity,
with impartiality, and with moderation. This important
document consists of three parts. The first, addressed to the
Lords and Commons, is a review of our Continental success et
of which it speaks with remarkable modesty; a plain congra-
tnlation‘upon the fortunate result.of all our victories, and all
our expenditure in replacing the house of RoURBON upon
the thrbne of France, and the care with which it seems neces •
spry to guard and protect it in that situation, without which,
it is declared, the lasting repose and security of Europe could
not be obtained. This, it alleges, has been effected by measures
of firmness and moderation.
The union of the Powers of Europe, it declares, ha 3 " twice,
delivered the nations of the Continent." To our understand-
ings, we should have thought the phraseology more apt, if for
Powers of Europe had been substituted the word Monarchs;
who alone have any authority, that is to say, constitute any
Powers en the Continent ; and if, after the word delivered, it
had been explained from what the nations, as contradistin-
guishe-d from, or •..nited with, those Powers had been deli-
vered. The deliverance of Europe—we confine ourselves
entirely to the Continent—is, we know, an object of the utmost
anxiety with the great niass of the People of Great Ilritain ;
and, as this lias been effected, we also most sincerely congratu-
late them. But we would w:sli them to understand, for what
it, is we return our thanks. Simply, good readers, that they are
delivered from the immediate scourge of BoNAPARTE, and
at tile incessant wars in wliicb, (me with.another, t-

PnrcE 91d.

have for 2.5 years been engaged. For any other deliverance, we
shall reserve our thanksgivings until wesee something effected
for the liberties of the People.
The *Treaties and the Conventions are then noticed ; and,
when they arc !aA before the House, we shall be able to cx
amine them : and we shall be parti,War, amongSt other things,
to enquire whether it is true, as is stated in.an•evenin..z• paper,
that GREAT BRITAIN is to support all the foreig'n troops, by
which the King is to be guarded against his pe4le, or whe-
ther they are to he paid by that people, who have occasioned'
to us so much exi:ence, and to the Powers of Eusope so much,
alarm.

. ,
The concluding paragraph of this first portion of the Speech
takes a„partingglanceat the I:RENON REV° L UTI ON ; de.
daring that this placed the PowERS of EutidTE in an exttaor.
dinary situation, pronounces that either rrot cotifiding in the
,prgfessions of the King of FRANCE, or, what is inosl
not trusting to his power, the Allies have, for their•An s.s,rety,'
been compelled.to take military occupation of -tlle-icift; 'AndSet
a strong-guard over the people of France. The justice and
the policy of this conduct is so obvious, that it is hoped the Bat.
TISH PARLIAMENT wilt, as Representatives of the *British 'Po-
pie, co-operate in carrying it into effect.- • •
The practicability of the fueasures necessary to lie adopted
will depend upon the extent in which we are requireirto con-
-1 • in
tribute to the pay or support of the troops necessary to hold
subjugation the active population and the mental iiitelligbneti
of FRANP E.' But as the speech is wholly silentnPohllAshead,
it behoves us to wait until it is explained ftirtheiwhat utay
be deemed necessary for the just and politic -Proyisioh of. am' '
Allies for their security.
We must not, however, quit the last sentence''of 'this TieaCt
of the Speech, without declaring, that if.it should'be'Outia•that
neither France nor the Allies can aflioal `troops,
and we should be called upon to do it, ,the..g6n4it,j, of the
terms now used by his Iklajesty's Atingtea4;ilid 'deprive these
who have echoedback the words of the Speech in ati _LiddTess,
t.
from the right of refusing, on the part' o. '
f pie peoPle.4*(Jrcat.,
Britain, to pm; the Whole cost of the -(69,00 •
the liberality of the Allies have placed under cninknitncl Of.
the DUKE Or WELLINGTON, to hold the
• ..-re
in subjection. • •
The second branch of the Royal giwech'is addrell.e.,Ytd,:tbe
House of Commons alone, as the purse-bealc"rs of thc
• • • • -.• 'ft
In this pact of the Speech. there are two rentcucesWhich .r_g.. •
quire c-mment or explana'tion..
The first informs us that a'ith*c manufactu-res, coliiincree 'my
• -
revenue of the United Kiiidoin arc in a flotnisnitig copchtion
For this information we are 'really' incsiiiiaTrdiftd;
thought that tfie commerce of 'the (oVntr.?,..c.vai*;ic.-i,..jyi;o.t.iwsh..,
extensive as it has been when'otif
q
uiteso great; and as for the niantifacliturers, \re thotiglit That
the Spitalfields Society had given a pretty fair account of their
~metal distress. Whether it be, therefore, that all we have