The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-13 00:00:00

ADDRESS OF CONDOLENCE TO HIS MAJESTY.

The Earl of LIVERPOOL, in rising to move the
Order of the Day for an Address of Condolence to his Majesty,
said, he was so persuaded that the Address he felt it his melan-
choly duty to move was in accordance with the general feelings
of the country, that he deemed it useles,, in proposing his
motion, to enter into any detail. But, my Lords, continued the
Noble Earl, I feel it a duty imposed on me, by recollections both
phasing and painful, in proposing the Address of Condolence to
his Majesty, which I shall have the honour' to submit to your
Lordships, to say a few words, and to bear my testimony to the
merits of the Illustrious Individual unfortunately now no more.
My Lords, on this occasion of the loss of the first subject of the
realm—of the loss of him who was the Heir Apparent to the
Throne, it is impossible to approach his Majesty's Throne with
the expressions of our sympathy and condolence, without recol-
lecting the close and near relation in which the illustrious per-
son stood to his Majesty. My Lords, no man acquainted with
his Majesty's feelings can ever have any doubt as to his affection
for all the members of his family; but, perhrps, his affection
was stronger in this particular instance, on account of the illus-
trious deceased being near his Majesty's time of life, they hav-
ing been brought up together; pfinder . the same governors, and
instructed by the same preceptnrs they passed through life
together, and their mutual friendship has never been disturb-
ed by more than those coolnesses, which will, as their Lordships
know, occasionally exist between the best friends. In approaching
his Majesty with an Address of Condolence, my Lords, we shall
first express our sympathy with that brotherly affection which had
never before known separation. With respect to ourselves, my
Lords, we have to contemplate the late Illustrious person, not
only as a Member of the Royal Family, but also in the relation
in which he stood towards the public, he having for more than
thirty years filled the high and important situation of Commander-
in-Chief of the Army. I, my Lords, at the time of the ap-
pointment of l.is Royal Highness to this high office, was so cir-
cumstanced that I had an opportunity of knowing what was then
the state of our Army; and any man must have known who had
not been sable- to form a correct idea of the utility of all the mea-
sures adopted by the Illustrious Prince, that it was impossi-
ble, both with a view to the consideration of the Army, and
the public interest, that such an appointment should not have
excited much discussion, and that danger should not have been
apprehended by such a high office being filled by a person so near
the Throne. If this question is looked at as an abstract question,
it is impossible to come to any general conclusion as far as the
interest of the public is concerned ; but I have no difficulty in
saying, that less mischief would arise from the appointment of an
inferior person, than from the appointment of a Prince of the
.Blood, were he unfit for the office. But as a question of
experience, I am sure that it must be the opinion of the
whole British army, and it is the public opinion, that the interest
of the country was studied and promoted by the administration of
the army under his late Royal Highness.—(Hear, hear.)—Hie
Royal Highness did, all the good he could, and he was able to do
more on account of his high rank than any other individual. My
Lords, if we look at the state of the army, as it was before his
Royal Highness took the command, and as he left it, we shall be
more convinced of his merits. Let us look first at its efficiency.
We all recollect what it was when he became its chief; and that
army, as he formed and constituted it, turned the fate of a war
which endangered the existence of every civilized country of
Europe, and promoted the best interests of England—with that
army his Noble Friend near him had earned some glorious
triumphs. He had saved the Peninsula from the worst conse-
quences of war, and had been enabled to carry his triumphant
arms into the interior of France. If we look, my Lords, after
regarding the efficiency of the army, at the comforts of the
soldiers—at the comforts, indeed, of all descriptions of persons
connected with the army, many improvements have been made—
and there is none of your Lordships who do not know that every
attention was paid to this subject, and every thing done that
could be done to promote the comfort of those who were defend-
ing the country from danger, by the illustrious Duke.—(Hear.)
—lf we look, my Lords, to the patronage and promotion, it is
impossible to find any service in which promotion has been more
impartially distributed, and neyer were there less complaints or
fewer grievances arising from partiality than under the adminis-
tration of his Royal Highness.—(llear.)----In the post he filled he
possessed great power, I admit ; but he exercised that power for
30 years in such a manner, that I may fairly say that never
was it exercised with more moderation, and 'lever was it more
efficient than in his hands. I may add also, that in the exercise
of this power, as must be known to many of your Lordships who
may have had business to transact with his Rbyal Highness, there
never was a public man in any situation more easy of access than
his Royal Highness—more frank, snore plain, and I may say,
more simple in his mode of conducting business. Having said
thus much, on public grounds in relation to the noble deceased
Duke, I feel it would he an intrusion in me to take up much of
your Lordships' time in speaking of other parte of his Royal High.
ness's conduct; I feel it impossible, however, not to say that he
possessed all the characteristics, the peculiar characteristics, of an
Englishman. Whatever may have been the fault saf his character,
his openness, sincerity, and fidelity were so striking, that no per-
son could be-admitted into his society without being powerfully
impressed with these distinguishing features of his character. It
has been truly said of him, that he never broke a promise, and
never deserted a friend, and a higher character no man can have.
I may yet add, my Lords, and it weighs much as to his character
in my mind, that although in his high public situation, no man