The Sun.
London, England, 1818-04-17 00:00:00

TnE DUKE OF CUMBEIMAND.

Lord CASI.LI:REAGH ►iOW rose, merely to dO an
act of justice towards an illustrionsindividual,
against whom he bad never heard charges founded
On public grounds sufficient to deprive him of the
Advantages granted to the other Members of his
Family. His mai riage had received the full con-
sent of the Crown, and since it had taken place
Lis conduct bad been such as to gain the appro.

. . .
bation ofthe most virtuous persons. He lamented
to observe, that many of the individuals who hat!
opposed the former graut, were not disposed to
retract their opposition, and that, they seemed to
think that by their former vote Parliament were
placed in a situation which did not leave them at
liberty to proceed on the subject. He -sliOnhi
not certainly iiress it, todesS he could collect front
the sense of the House more encouraging, omens
than he owned he had yet perceived. He con-
cluded by proposing a grant_ of 6,0001. per annum
to the Duke of Cht»berland, to take place flow
the 5111 of April last.
Mr. BROUGHAM opposed the grant, on the same
grounds as on the former occasion. But he ',,i)ed
that would licit prevent the Noble as he un-
derstood it had -been his intention, moving such a
grant to the Duchess of CuMberland as a dower,
in case she should become a Widow. He believed,
trout what he had heard, that her conduct since
she had been in this country had been irreproach-
able, and it would be ungenerous and unmanly to'
deprive her of the reward of her virtue.
Lord FOLKESTONE added his testimony to that of
his lion. and Learned Friend. He hoped that if
the present grant were not adopted, some provi-
sion would be made fur her Royal Htliness.
Lord CASTLEREAGH stated, that he held a Re-
solution in his hand to that effect, which he
should propose as soon as the former should have
been disposed of. He was happy to find that
justice was done to the conduct of her Royal
Highness.

Mr. IlittoTTesLEY could not conceive on what
grounds, if her Itoyal Highness was entitled to have
that dower, the Royal Duke, her Husband, could
be debarred from enjoying the grant on account of
the marriage which he had contracted. If amiable
manners in domestic life, nigiiity of sentiment,
and excellence of conduct were to be regarded, no
person deserved the approbation of the public
more. truly than hrr Royal Highness. He consi-
dered the House to be at full liberty to discuss
the subject, notwithstanding the tormer vote; and
he caller: on them not to act harshly against me-
ritotious individuals.

11ItFoases had been surprised and disappointed
at the manner in which the Noble Lord had intro-
duced the question. If the grant were refused to
the Duke of Cumberland, he should not be a party
to insulting her Royal Highness with the offer of
a dower, which site could only receive when her
sole anti natural protector should have ceased to
live. He trusted, that under such circumstances
she, would have spirit to refuse it. lie entreated
the House to reconsider the subject. They owed
it to the country, whose sense he had had more
opportunities of knowing than many Members.—
He should insist on a division, for he should
despise popularity, and even a seat in that House,
if either required that he should compromise with
his conscience.

Lord CASTLEREAGH declared he had not heard
a speech for a long while which had given him
greater pleasure ; but .lie could assure the Hon.
Gentleman, that so far-from wishing to avoid any
division that might be useful or honourable to
the individual, that he was persuaded his case
would not be prejudiced by it. He wished it to
be understood, that he did in no degree abandon
the idea of a division,

Sir W. SCOTT, in allusion to what had been
said of the Duchess of Cumberland, observed that
no man could dewy that while she. 11,..d been in this
country she had discharged, in the most distin-
guished manner, the duties of her situation ; and
therefore, he observed, with peculiar satisfaction,
tl►e disposition of the House in her favour. He
was confident that what had been rumoured never
had any rational ground whatever, and therefore
mus; be rejected by every honourable mind as un-
deserving of the leis( attention. The only ground
on which the House on a former occasion refused
the grant was, that its opinion had not been taken
on the marriage, and that there was a suspicion
as to character ; but after that character had been
so fully justified, he would say that the House
would not now act with consistency if it disap-
proved of the proposition ; and with this view he
would call on the House to make that provision
which was generally given to the other branches
of the Royal Family. . .

Mr. PROTHEROE argued strongly against the
proposition, and insisted that if ever there was a
vote which was sanctioned by the general sense of
the country, it was that that negatived the same
resolution two years ago. If the House should
be induced by any thing they had heard to retract
that vote, it would fill the country with disgust.
He would say that some Gentlemen, had stated
the former arguments most unfairly. But it
would seem there had been consistency in a certain
high quarter; and l►e hoped the House w;,,uld imi-
tate that consistency, and thus entitle themselves
to general respect. _ _ _

Mr. \VROTTRSLEY, in expbtuation, defended his
previous observations, and denied that he had
matte any misrepresentation of the Hon Baronet's
opinion. He was proceeding to allude to what
had occurred on the occasion in •question, when
he was called to order by the Chairman, who re-
presented that no refereuce.could be made to the
language of n former debate.

Sir T. ACLAND was of opinion, that if any thing
were calculated to prejudice the question, it was
the part that had been taken to bring it to a di►'i-
cion, decidedly contrary to the general opinion of
the House. It was an example set by those ill-
juding friends to prevent the House from retain-
ing its proper feeling. He wished the House to
consider whether it was likely the settlement could
be obtained if a division took place. He should
abstain entirely from using any argument to which
tl►e Hon. Gen•len►a4) had so sedulously invited
hin►. If he had erred last night it was uninten-
tionally, and be must be excused from observing,
that he believed what lie had said was perfectly
consistent. Ile could not consent to this motion,
tro►n the motive of wishing to keep in a consis-
tent path, and he .would not be led away by the
overwatinth of any misinling friends of_the- mo-
tion.

Lord STANLEY said, he was not in the House at
the time this question was decided before ; but if
he had been, he should most decidedly have voted
against Government. He held the same opinion
as strong as ever. He would not be induced to
go into a topic so extremely unpleasant ; but .the
example that had been held oot was not one

which he wished to see followed in this conntry ;-
and he felt most deely for !be situation of the
Roy ,ti Di c. Ile was ready ho allow lb,:t the
Conduct. of his Royal Lady had been unexcept.,
tionable sio'ce her :!!-li‘al in England, but this
in.ide nn :lteration, in his opinion, respect-
ing the vote that had been come to on a fin Eller
occasion..

Mr. Dotrof,Ns felt it his duty to give his
vote for ilLe questi,m, hi, Royal Highne—, came
to thefloase under vcry different circumstances
from his 40v,d ltirol her, and he deemed it inctun,
bent on the Hoube to put this Personage in (be
saufe degree of credit as the others who had
married.

Mr. GuitN Y argued, that after the grant to the
Duke w Canibridie had been carried, it %void(' be
the height of injustice !o 'refuse that to thy. Duke
ut Cumberland. He :p;.6teSted against the most
cruel and unfair lani.viage that, it appeared to him,
had been made use of.

,
expressed his opinion that
there was no ground for oppOSl3g the vote He 1-tad
bad an opportunity of knowing the circumstances
which led to the marriage ; for the Illustrious In-
dividual had desired at the time that ire would
peruse the coi'respondenee, and he had never re-
ceived a more striking impression of the neces-
sity of justice being done to that individual.-7 The
Hon. Gentleman was pi oceedin; to detail the
particulats of the correspondence, when he Wag.
called to order by Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Brog-
den, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
then said he bowed to the set‘:,e of the 1-louse,
but that he wished, by stating certain facts, to re'
move an injurious impression which seemed tO
have prevailed respecting that Illustrious Lady.
Col. BunTON %vas understood to say, that-tront
a sense of dirty he should have opposed this-mo-
tion, if-there had not been a majority in favour of
that for the. Duke of Crmbridge.

Mr. W. ELLIOT said, that no man was more
anxious than he was to see every member of the
Royal Fat'Oy suitably provided for.. But if it
was necessary to consider their situation, it was
necessary to consider also the means of the coup-,
try. In smaller States, the provision made for
the Governments of them were in proportion to
their ability. This country was certainly a great
anti an opulent country, but at the present mo-
ment it laboured under severe distress.—lt had
nobly sustained a long and an unparalleled con-
test, and it surely deserved a better return from
the House than the imposition of new and un-
necessary burthens. Wheo he stated this view
of the condition of the country, he knew it was
capable Q f emerging frotn it ; but great distress
still existed, anti there was no way -of inducing
the people to bear with it patiently, but a s=ympa-
thy for, and a p,rticipation in, it on the part -of
those who were in ernin,nt stations. The nonce
should never for.;et the principle of that duty
which they owed to the country. He confessed.
that, -in the case of the Duke of Clarence, there
was some necessity for tic provision which was
made ; but ai to the junior Oranches of the Royal
Family, he thought they were provided for with
sufficient liberality. In this view they certainly harl
no claim for an additional provision upon their
marriage. The same principle which had induced
him to vote before against a grant to the Duke of

Cumberland still operated tipon him. The pre-
sent proposition was certainly not advised dis-
creetly, and he was sure that it would not be for
the character of the House to retract the vote
which they had formerly given upon this subject.
He was actuated by no motive, save a conscien.,
Lions one, in his vote ; lie was not detracting
from the splendour of the Royal Family, for he
sincerely thought, that the loss of any extraordi-
nary state uould be amply compensated by that
solid and stable dignity which they would acquire,
by being venerated more highly throughout the
country. He should vote for the rejection of the
proposition.
Sir E. BRYDGES said, he would not detain the
House a moment ; but he could not give quite a
silent vote. He had by an accident been exclud-
ed by business in a Committee Room when the
grant to the Royal Duke had been lost on a di-
vision three years ago. If he should have voted
for it then, he saw numerous additional reasons
for doing so now. However unpopular it might
then have been been, he would always avoue,
what -he felt.

Mr. CANNING said, uncpsestionably if Ministers
could have chosen, by any wish of their's, a time
fur bringing such questions forward, it would have
sbewn a very ill taste in their councils to select
the present year for agitating the subject of Royal
Marriages. But there was a necessity for taking
those steps, in order to preserve the Succession
to the Royal F,mily, in consequence of the ca-
lamitous event that had lately happened—an event
which no human foresight could hare anticipated
or averted : and it was easy to believe, that if
Nlinisters had suffered this Session to pass awaF
without taking those steps to supply the line which
had been broken down, they would have been.
more heavily charged with a breach of duty,
than they were now incOlpated for acting
as-they had clone. Such grants had hitherto met
the approbation of the House, when not only one,
but more than one of the branches of the Royal
•Family were on the point of contracting, or hact
actually contracted, matriages. But be saw not
how it.would have been 'possible, without making
an individual selection, to have brought forward.
one case only for the approbation of the House ;
nor did he see how the selection could have been
made. But the vote now before the [louse was
made on the very opposite ground to that of
selection; because the adtiption of it wool;(
not be a preference, but the exclusion of it
would have been a stigma. He was not one
who would weigh precisely the degree of
influence that the former vote ought to have
on this occasion. The circutustanc(s were en-
tirely diffetent, not only as to that individual,
but as to one of the mat ried sons of the King
and if the House omitted to improve his condi-
tion, they must ground their refusal on some par-
ticular incidental to himself. His Noble Friend
could do no otherwise, on bringing forward these
propositions, than to state that he had to submit
to the consideration of the House the question re-
lative to the Duke of Cumberland ; because, if he
had omitted it, it would have been taking on hint
the exclusion and the affixing of thy stigma. Yet,

, be expressly stated, that it was not his intention
o press the que'slion to a division, unless he col-
lected that the sense and feeling of ther'Hduseran
that way. He put it to the House, whether that
konditiou bad not been met far beynd his expec-
tation.- It would have been impossible 'to have
kept this Royal individual back without stigma-
tiiing him as an exception to the whole of his
• family ; but, atter what had passed, there was
Ito alternative, to Gentlemen but to give their
votes, together with their opinions, on the subject.
,Sir JOHN NEWPOET referred to the votes on the
progress of the proposition on the former occa-
sion, to shoW how the numbers increased till the
Bill was rejected. liihat, he asked, were the
cumstauees that could now induce the House to
rescind that vote -Had the pressure on the coon-
. try lessened ? If the vote were retracted now, it
would be a decided stigtna on the-House, and in
what situation would Gentlemen then appear in
the eyes of :their constituents ? He wished them
always to preserve their owocoUsisteocy•and cha-
racter ; but this would stamp their inconsistetiey
more flagrantly than ally other act, because it
-wouldn-be a departure from the: economy they had
professed to .adopt all their proceedings. Llt
felt himself bound, in defence of the House, to
oppose the proposition. •
- Mr. 13. BATIIURSTi amidst loud calls for the
question, argued in favour of. the resolution, and
. deprecated the personal allusions that had taken
place. The knowledge -of her Royal Highness's
character had corrected the-erroneous impressions
.that Lad gone abroad respecting her. Alter the
vote that bad pased _ it, favour pf the II:ke of
• Cambridge; he put it to the liberality and justice
of the House, whether the other branch of the
Royal Family on; ht b 2 passed over
Mr. W-..WvsNn:was surprized- to bear- it as-
serted that no imputation was .cast upon the pre-
"Rut- propositioo,. because the objections made be-
fore had not been re-urged in the hearing of the
&lulu Parliament. It was saitl.to be degrading to
,thi, i:otintly, that one of_ its Princes received an
.allowance front a foreign country—but that al-
lowance was. given not to- him, but to a Dowager
Princess of Prussia, -in which circumstance he
saw nothing degrading 'to this country. The
great, ground upon which the grant was refused
beTore was, the departure from all-precedent in
the marriage, inasmuch as it was without the con-
sent of the Crown. It was impossible also for
-.the moment to recollect the decided objection
,which the. Queen- expressed to -t its marriage, by
her excluding the Duchess of CuMberland from
Court ; an&itwas a. decision at ooce satisfactory
to the-country, aod-useful to the cause of morzah
in general. The best 'panegyric of the Duchess of
-Cumberland was, that nothing was heard about
ber.

Mr. J. P. CITTLETON contended, that there was'
„nmeh difference
.between. the present and the for-
mer occasion; as at that time we were at a net sod
of the greatest distress, greater perhaps than was
ever paralleled ; but Irons this we were now
emerging. One of the arguments in opposition
to the grant on the flormer occasion was, that the
Royal Personages were not likely to continue to
teside in this couw ry ; but now it was seen that
thuy were, With regard to the insinuations that
lead been made Against the character of the Rbyal
Dulier.for proofs had never been. offered, .he ILIt
fullest-conviction that they were totally un-
fotzaded.

Sir JonN NE‘lpor,T explained ; after Mikh the
116abe divided
Ayes .
Nocs

136
Majority ;Against 'Ministers.... -7
As soon a 3 the ritimbers were deckled, they weN
received with loud -titans from the Oppo,ition
ISO e.

On our, return -to the Gallery, we found the House in a
Cnniatittee on the question of tl►e Dower of GOOul. to be
panted to the Duchess of Cumberland, in.the event of her
surviving the. Royal ►);tke.
- Mr. FORBES was on -his legs, accusing, as it appeared,
Me. Brougham of inconsistency, in having, as lie supposed,
said, that in the event of the p ant to Iby Duke-of Caa►bridge
being carried, he would not rote against that for the Duke of
*
Mr. BROUGHAM denied that he had said any such words-.
He really wondered how the Hon: Gentleman, possessing such
a clear understandi►ng, could have made such‘ a Anistahe.
What he meant-to do was, to give a vote which, he trusted,
would he almost unanimous with the House, namely, to vote
fur the dower to the • Duchess of Cumberland.—Here Mr.
CaratEß having made a significant motion, which the Hor►.
and Learned Gentlentan took to be an implication that
Mr. Forbes was right in his conjecture, he 'observed that he
saw the Honourable St.eretary opposite seeming to-think
he had an oppeatunity of catching him in an inconsistency.
But he,wiihed he would'-come forward Manfully, and not act
in strch an indirect n:anner as prevented him from urnierstand-
ing what he meant. Let him meet him with his charges face
to face, and he pledged himself to overwhelm him with in,
stant confu.;io-n. What he had said was, that they who had
supported the vote for the Duke of CaMbridge were called 'on
to support that for the Duke of Cumberland; and he put it to
the judgment of every man who heard him, except the Se,
cretary of .the Admiralty, whether be did not say, that his
vote tast•he a repetition of his negative, fur the same reason
as. induced'him to oppose one grant woul►f influence him to
oppose the other?

kr. CROKEIt declared, that be had underitood thelhin.
and Learned Gentleman to hare expressed the same senti-
ments as the Hon. Gentleman -above him had attributed In
him; and when he (Mr. C.) gave that mark of attention, be
'vOis ohly endeavourjng to point it out to him, without the
least personal allusion whatever. But he was pleased to say,
that he (Mr. C.) was anxious to catch him in inconsistencies.
If, however, he was at all desirous to ask, or thought it worth
his while—(Hear, hear!)—he would do so either now or here-
after. But he would state, that tot he hest of his knowledge,
such insinuations as the Honourable and /Learned Gentleman
had thrown out- were absolutely_ unfounded. He did not,
know,. that either in public or in private, or in any writing
which he had signed, he had ever mentioned the Honourable
Gentleman's name; and what sort 'of troubled conscience it
was that made him imagine he was watching his life arid
/narking his inconsistencies he could not divine. -But he
would say; that Isis insinuations were false, and he knew not
what he. meant by them.—(Hear, hear !)
' Mr. BROUGHAM appealed to the Chairtuan whether this
was Parliamentary language? He alluded to the charge of
-falsehood. •

•
• Mr. CROKErt explained, that he meant to say the insinua-
tion was unfounded, and he meant the answer to be conveyed
in.the same manner as that in which the insinuation Was
made.

Air. BROUGHAM gave a bow of satisfaction.
An Hot. Member said he hoped the matter would proceed
no fu,ther. Another answered, Certainly not: the Learned
Gentkola!' is satiiited.

The question for the Dower was teen put, and carried
unanimously:

• - .CALL OF THE HOUSE. -
Mr. PROTHEROE-said, that in consequence-of the voters
of. last night and in-night taking it for granted there was no
intention .of providing otherwise than accoroling to the usual
.course with the Resolutions that had been agreed to, he should
move die discharge of the Order for having the House called
ever on Friday, the 24th.

Mr. M. A7TAYI.OIt could not consent to withdrawing the
Call, as he would never agree to give one shilling of the pub-
lic money in the way proposed.
'After some conversation between Mr. Protheroe and Mr.
T:erney, the Order was discharged. - •
Mr. TIERNEY wade a few observations, in a low roice, on

the Resolution relative.to the grant to the Duke of Clarence.
He wished to know how it was to be entered on the Aonrnals
that the grant had been refused. He thought some-entry
bbould he made of the grounds of the refusal.
'Lord CASTLEREAGH gave some explanation across the
table, which could not he heard.

The Other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and
the House adjourned at Eleven o'Cloa.

-~,
f..- -

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The Letter from Our Correspondent at Paris, dated April 13,
tame too late fu: insertion this day, but shall appear To-

morrow.
Mum VoLcAN-us also To-morrow.

THEATRICAL' REGISTER.
Per Armed Lost Night.' • ,
THEATRE ROYAL, Datrar-LoNg.—The Iron rbes:t : Sir Ed-
ward Mortimer, Mr. KeAti ; fiele:l, Mrs. Knight. After
which, The Sleeping Dranglit. •
THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN.—(t6I.II time), Rob Roy
Macgregor : Era/Isis' Osbardistone, ' My. Sinclair ; Diana
Vernon, Miss Stephens. After which, Who's Nl)` Father ?.