The National Register.
London, England, 1811-03-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

entrusted with a place where he might impose on them, nor trem-
ble for detection. He would beg leave only to enquire of the
Hon. House if that the King could be said with truth to inherit
all his mental faculties unimpaired, if he could be said to have
any thing even like the lucid interval of a slay when he needed to
be held m restraint, and had to employ others to guide his pri-
vate affairs, could he be managing his Council in the morning,
and be constrained and watched in the evening ? The House of
Peers in their inquiries were very urgent, and guided themselves
by more than the Physicians' knowledge. Dr. Reynolds was
asked if he considered his Majesty capable ? and the answer
which he 'gave shewed that he did not altogether think him
recovered. Dr. Willis answered in the affirmative ; and Dr.
lieberden replied in a most determined tone, that he believed
him capable. Notwithstanding all these assertions, his Majesty
was not in a condition to become visible to his inquiring and
faithful subjects ; and the House of Peers was nut altogether
satisfied with the Physicians' Report. With Lord Eldon, there-
fore, the business rested ; he was the gusrdian of the King
He declared that he took not nor haeded not the Physicians'
Counsel, but that he rested his evidence of the King's capacity
entirely on the feelings of his own conscience, and on the dictates
of his own soul. lle would ask him who said his Majesty was
well on the 23d of April. Don't you know that Physicians were
attending, and had a controul over the King, and therefore,
might admit you at a favoured moment of the mind; and of
what avail is that evidence ? Did the Lord Chancellor not
knave that his Majesty was under controul, and that he could
not keep the keys of his private scrutoire ? He had the best ces
ieforination, that his Majesty was under constraint on the 10th
of June following to his being declared sound in his intellect.—
It was extremely proper fur Lord Eldon and Lord Sidmouth to
come forward, and either prove or siisapprave the statements
which he was making. Dal the nation know how much their
tiovereign's rights nad been abused, and how much they them
selves had been imposed on, their feelings would revolt, and they
could hardly deem those persons trust worthy who had so sadly
received them. If the King's authority be thus abused, it comes
lower in the public estimation, and the sacred allegiance to
Kings is violated whenever it is discovered that they are tricked
wittethe show of a Monarch.; and he was aware that when the
doings of Lord Eldon were discovered, it would bring his Ma-
'sty's prerogative down in the national esteem. What was the
oninion of that Lord in 180, on a case of a Lady who was a
luaatic, and it wast pleaded to put her under the protection of
guardians ? The guardianship had been extended from lunacy
to exercise jurisdiction over weak and infirm minds—the Noble
Lord carried his opinion, in that ease' much beyond Lord Thur-
low : for he said, that no person could look in that Lady's face
without believing it to be proper to have guardians appointed to
her ! He only wanted the Ministers to defend themselves who
were then in office, and he would give them a fair opportunity.—
He could not forbear saying that he, conscious of what he had
stated was truth, would be glad to see Lord Eldon removed
from his place of the Queen's Council. The Hon. House would
consider on the extent of his political crime ; and he would hear
what they had to propose when that motion which he proposed
was made.
The motion was then read, in substance as follows :
"'That a Committee be appointed to examine the Journals of
the Lords House of Parliament, touching the examination of
the Physicians be ore a Committee of that House, relative to his
Majesty's, indisposition of 1804,"
Lord CASTLEREAGH rose to offer a few observations on the
highly important question now under discussion, yet still more
delicate than important. -tie would give the Hon. Gentleman
who had opened the debate every possible credit for the purity
of intentions; he believed that his animadversions had been
made in a liberal, not an invidious spirit. The Hon. Gentleman,
in preferring the charge against a former Ministry, had not libe-
rally, but naturally pointed at the present Lord Chancellor as
peculiarly merged in whatever guilt might attach to them, as it
was through the more immediate interference of that Nobleman
that the factious exercise of the Regal Functions had been per-
formed ; but he considered every other Member of the Cabinet
a-; called on equally with him to defend himself against the alle-
gation. Feeling thus, he would endeavgur to repel charges which
affected himself, as having been aco ague of Lord Eldon 's i
end he felt confident that it was in his power to disapprove, to
the satisfaction of the House, many of the supposed facts upon
which the Hon. Gentleman had grounded his attacks. lie was
now ready to state to the, House what were the real principles
upon which the Administration had framed their conduct with
respect to his Majesty's indisposition ; and in stating them, he
would not merely sue for exculpation, he would go on higher
grounds, and challenge for his colleagues and himself the applause
of their country. It was on the 12th of February, that the illaess
of his Majesty, in 1804, was first communicated to the Pub)ic
through the medium of a Bulletin. The state of affairs at that
period would have mule is a brew of iluty is% Uiaiaters to lAave

stood still? and before they woul
of the PhysicianN wtis kiKitV'n, to
of I.)trlian,ent on every question
add inv to the obstacles necessaril

lie business t the indisposition oi
arise from entangling the executive Power- by a.. ,tppeal _
lament- before it every mornent.. The country WAS etenutt=d
with invasion, and it was judged expedient that the pArtieniars:
servant of the Crown, who from the nature ofisofEce was Moss.
in habits of communication with his Majesty:, should be sotlpred
to perform a certain Act of Royal Authority; but far thia. hO had
obtained his Majesty's consent, an'd wished =Ph tp atfres3;
the attention of the House to the proofs he should adduce WC
such consent was properly obtained. On the Physittana heat
consulted as to his aptitude for, business, their answer was of
such a nature as to induce the transaction in question. The
Hun. Gentleman has endeavoured, by drawing a parallel be.
tween the case of his Majesty and that of a private individual,
attacked by a malady of a similar description, to chew the im-
propriety of any act being done by his consent ; but such
parallel will by no means bold public acts being essentially dif-
ferent from private ones ; the Ministers who perform them
taking upon themselves the responsibility, and trusting for pro-
tection to those for whose service they have been perlortne(l.—,
On the 122 d of February the Physicians were again examined,
when they stated, that an improvement had taken place in his
Majesty's health. A third examination took place on the 27th,
when a still more considerable improvement was announced, no
act was done, notwithstaniing it being deemed proper to ab-
stain from fatiguing his Majesty's mind, which yet stiffest d
from protracted discussion ' • this forbearance was continued till
the sth of March. His Majesty's Coiernment had obtained so-
lemn assurances from the Physicians, that if an act of the Exe-
cutive should become necessary his Majesty %vas competent
to its performance. He wished to have it remembered, that no
act of Government had been performed from the of Fe-
bruary till the sth of March following ; on that day the Lot el
Chancellor had access to him on business, and Gentlemen would
do well to recollect before they pointed peculiar indignation
against him, that his office binds him in a more peculiar manner
t i advise his Majesty. His Lordship had acted with consume
mate caution and discretion, he had interviews with his Majesty
on the 4th and sth of March, and private consultations with the.
Physicians, with a view to the satisfaction of his mind, If Mi-
nisters, by actin4 on a system of caution and timidity, had suf-
fered, while taking the sense of Parliament, the Mutiny Act to
expire, and that the public were in conseauoice exposed to all
the evils which a want of subordination in the army wouldbeget
he would ask, whether, in such a case, they would not have tin-
dolorw, and deservedly, the severest reprehension. Ministers
Were far from being actuated by a selfish or sordid spirit, a trust
of a most delicate 'lam' e had been reposed in them, which .cir-
cumstances prohibits(' their giving up if sa intuited. They
had exercised that trust with all due diligence and circumspec
Lion, and looked without appretenslon to the result.
Mr. YoRKE having formed a part of the Administration under'
Lord Sitinionth, felt it incumbent on him to say a few words in
vindication of himself, and r:.; the proceedings of those with
whom he then acted. Henrreed with those who bad gone be-
fore him, that all the Ministers for the time being (in MA) were
equally responsible for the tact ,of which the lion. Gantletrian
oppeeite (Mr. Whitbread) now came forward to complenne-
Though Lords Eldon and Sidrnouth could, te: virtue of their
office, go to his Majesty when othk rs were excluded, yet the act
complained of had not been done without the pertect concur-
rence of lal his Majesty's Ministers. That being the fact, 441
were all equally concerned in the performance of that act.-,..
They had done their duty by acting as they did; and had they
omitted to perform it, they would not have been worthy of res-
tainingt4ir situations. Approving of the Act as he did, know-
ing that it was performed with the concurrence of all the Mi-
nisters, he conceived the motion of the Honourable Gentlee_
man to be completely unnecessary, therefute he shoUld vote
against it.
Sir F. 13u RDY.TT supported the argument o- f Mr. Whit/V:4
at some length. He could not b netioe the inset:tufty • of7tho
Right Hon. Gentleman who had attempted to turn the charge,
which the Hon. Gentleman below him (Mr. Whitbread) ha
brought for and into a clu.rgc against himself. The Hon. Eat
adverted to.several Acts of Partiament hey which it is rzt d
treason in those who keep the King under improper FORTI4
By the Act of the Minister in 1804, the Hon. Dart. eflllP2ilLi
the kingly authority had been undermined. The AC a qt%
the Minister had been guilty, were highly criminal, t
to undermine the Constitutiot. itself.
Lord CAST LER/LaGli and Sir F. BVIMT.TT
.phained.
Mr. "Wriera EAD replied j r`support of hie previo
The House would. dispoi Di his motion as t
helad go doubt, howeve;,

rid. venture to act after the o
to bay waitedfOr •an'a •
n however pressing, ;hits super
thrown in the way of the pub'
1 of his Majesty, all such as must
Itive rower by an appeal to Par 7