The Sun.
London, England, 1819-05-19 00:00:00

STATE OF THE NATION.

Mr. I'IEIII4EIY rose, pursuant to his notice, to
call the attention of the House to the State of the
Nation, and to retitiest a portion of that
indul-
gence. which be had so often eeperieueede and
which, he trusted, would not be now denied. The
best return which he could make would be to oc-
cupy as little of its time es possible. The ques-
tion which he should peopoie for the adoption of
the House would bee. that it resolve itself into a
Committee' to consider the State of the Nation.
He was aware that if he was eating as a mere
party man,, he should abstain from making this
He knew that in point of party/ co‘osie.
derations he waS giving sip some considerable ad-
eantages. He could hardly conceive that the
party to which he and his friends stood opposed,
could ever be pieced in, a less enviable situation
than it at present occupied. He had never seers
a set of men'tnore cubed and kicked about, and
bearing all with more patience than the Gentle-.
men opposite, with the Noble Lotd at their head.
He could not comprehend, if it werehis wish to
close the Session by a party triumph; a more ef-
fectual mode than leaving things as they stood.
For who had ever beheld an Administration more
lowered than the present ? • More deaden all just
feeling of Government More solely attached to
keep itself in office I They had brought
,forward •
no public measures whatever, whilst those which
the Opposition bad proposed had all been carried
in spite of the declenotions of Ministers, who re-
presented thai the country would he ruined by their
adOption.`An,Hon. and Learned Friend of his had
introduced the subject of the penal lews: If the
motion' be curried, skid the Hon. Gentlemen op-
posite, the very !emulations of the Legislature are
shaken. But the motion was carried, and Mini-
sters immediately made up their minds to the..
measure. Atainquiry was proposed by another
Noble Friend of ids ,into the abuses of Scotch
Royal Burghs. if you agree to it said a Right
Hon. Gentleman, whoni• he did not now see
his place (Mr. Canning), nothi'ess is secure its
the empire ; property is not safe, arid the Revolts-
lion is commeneed. • That measure was also
carried, and all remained quiet on side 'of his
Majesty's Ministers. He was not so dell, there-
fore, as not to see the vetutage ground on wbich
be stood, if perty triumph were his sole object.
But he had higher duties to !serf°, tn, and was will-
ing to abandon all the advantages Which he possess-
ed, to diScharge, aed he was discharging, a great
and imoortant duty. its the country. IF .Ministers,
goveresiog he Empire, would-not take care
of their own dignity, the House must promect her
OWII. The issue of his motion, however, was
scarcely doubtful ; for when it was considered
that on one title zeal stood alone;" and on the -
other all time weieht amid inffeemice of the Crowe;
.01,c/could entertain army sanguine Wipe of success ?
He spoke, however, to a Eloise of Commons (hav-
ing sat in many) to whiee more Niembers beloog-
ing to no party, and reelly voting In- measures
and not -foremen, had been returned than he had
ever yet witnessed. And he keew and trusted
that it he could succeed in making out his \case,
they would he lotted with their votes et theset-
tliug of the balance and the close of the discus-
sion. He had two positions to eirehlish.
had to prove, first, -that the state of 'while al-
files was full of difficulty, danger, and, alarm, and
required the utmost vigour in Council ;
that it was the duty of the House to interfere, and
resolve itself ioto a-Committee on the State of the
Nat ipn. He did not meats Alit officious parry ine
eerference, but such a one as was called for by_
ibe situation of public affairs. Ile did not
ask Honourable Gentlemen to lend
_their- as-
sistanceeo embarrass the wisdom and energy of
the Ministry ; bat when they could neither 'find
wisdom nor energy, he called upon them to
interpose between. a weak Administration, and
a tottering country, and to perform
_the -most
important duty that could devolve upon them.
All nations had lately been engaged ineuaking up
the inroads which neer had effected amongst
them, and improving the state of their finances.
.We alone, of all nations, had not devoted our
tention for a moment to that most -important of
'all subjects. lit treating the present question, he
should as much as spossiWe himself to time
arrangements of our finances, without bearing on
foreign affairs any more than they bore on the.
question. Time world was now blessed by Hea-
ven with a profound peace. Ile hopel it might
long continue. But Europe, notwithstanding the
`assertions of the Noble Lord opposite, was sot
in that state, its which we could look forward to
duration and stability. Its whole system, as far
as we were concerned, was changed. le was en-
tirely new to this country. Hitherto we had had
our separate alliances with this or with that
Power its order to counteract the hostility of
others. But now we had become One of\she five,
Powers who took upon themselves, he Would not
say improperly, to settle the destinies of the Con-
tinent. -Whether we had any Allies parti-
cillally counected with ourselves, he did not
know, but by time adtilission of France to the'
l-I',ly Alliance, five instead of four Powers now
soled the fate of Earimpe. - The conduct of mince
during the occupation of her territories tad-beets
so satisfactory to the Allies, that Ste bad !seem, in-
vited to. join tile Holy Alliance, in which lie sup-
posed we had one vote' and no more. But the
whole of that Stateesppeered most uncertain. It
was humid by nothinee bet professions. Whets
the furs:teen troops had beets
,withdraw“ from