Star.
London, England, 1807-04-10 00:00:00

tional, was not the foliciting an addrefs or petition,
but the ufe that was made of his Majelly's name to
procure it.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER re-
fumed his fpeech. He was glad the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had interrupted him, as he would much rather
have his Hate ment correded, than perfift in an error.
He allowed that it was highly unconftitutional to make
tfe of his Majelly's name in that Houfe, for the pur-
pofe of influencing Members in their votes; but he
could not fee that there was any thing fo uncon-
flitutional, in making ufe of it for the purpofe of
procuring an addrefs or petition. In order to rave
the time of the Houfe, he fhould not go into any length
in dircuffing either the merits of the late Adminia ra-
tion, or of the difgraced [late (as it was called) of the
prefent. If he were to enter upon that fubjed, it
Would not only take up an evening, but the greater
part of the Sefton, to difcufs again the merits of
thofe meafures, which had already been fo often dif
cuffed. He could nor, however, confine himfelf to the
mere words of the Motion. The propofition, which
was now fubmitted to the Houfe, was merely abarad,
and which it would be idle todircurs by itfelf. It
MA be taken (as confefred by the Mover of it) as
connefted with all the circumflances of the cafe;
it mull be confidered, not only what was expreffed
in the words of the motion, but alfo what was
intended and implied by it ; and if the circumflancea
by no /twang juftified what was implied by it, he mutt
oppofe it. The firtl thing which was meant to be
implied by it was a fort of cenfure upon his Majefly
for his conduit in diforiffing his late Minitlers, and
in the circumflances which led to that difmiffal.--.
This was a propofition to which he could never
confenr, both as he thought it indecent to bring the
King in a manner before the bar of that Houfe, and
becaufe he thought nothing could be more unfair
than to decide upon a cafe where they had no ma-
terials to go upon, except the Ratement of one of the
parties. There was another thing, which was meant
to he implied in this Refolution. and which he could
Rester admit, namely, that his Majetly's prefent Mi-
nitters had, upon their coming into office, given any
pledge, either expreffed or implied, that they would
abflarn from propofing any particular meafures. It
would be an extraordinary way Weed of difcuffing
this quellion, to 114 it of all thofe circuinflances
which were fo materially connefted with it, and to
confider it as a mere abftra& queftion, which might
be true in general terms, and yet which s ould not at all
apply to that motion of which notice had been given,
nor to the real merits cf the cafe. If this refolution
could not be fairly conftrued as meaning any thing
but a vote of cenfure, it would be manifeflly unjutt
to pars refoluticns that refleded on the conduit of
any individual in the country, without having at leaft
heard the cafe Rated on the other fide. If this would
be unjutt in the cafe of the humbleft individual, how
much more unjutt and indecent was it in the cafe of
our beloved Sovereign! Was it right that he fhould be
brought before the Bar of the Houfe, and his conduit
examined there ? (loud cria, No, no, his aelvifers only).
As to thofe fecret advifers, which Gentlemen pleafe
to.affume, merely for the purpofe of Parliamentary
debate, as far as his knowledge and belief went, his
Majetty had no Such advifers, but afted purely from
the didates of his own mind. (Crier of Hear! Hear!)
He did not mean to Cay, that in the difmitral of his
former Miniflers, or in the formation of a new Ad-
miniaration, he was without advifers : but he meant
to fay, that in requiring a written pledge from his
late Minitters, he acted purely from the fuggettions
of his own mind. He was lure, when he Hated this,
that the Houfe and the country would be fully con-
vinced, that he had, in point of fad, none of thofe
fecret advifers which were fuppofed by thofe who
brought forward the prefek 11‘1,aian. When the
dilmiffal of Miniflers was abfolutely refolved on,
then certainly his Majelly did confult with other per.
Eons, about the formation cf a new Adminiftration.
—ln the confederation of the circumaances conneded
with the pledges demanded, the time fhould be divi•
ded into three diltinft periods. The firft was, that
prior To the introdudion of the Bill ;, the fecond, after
its introdudion, and prior to its being withdrawn ;
and the third, fubrequent to its being withdrawn.
As to the firft period, his Majefly mull have con&
tiered it to be the intention of his Miniflers, merely
to bring in fuch a Bill as would sorry into full effed
the intention of the Aft of 1793. This conceffion
was granted by his Majefly with great reludance,
and merely upon his Minitters pofitively afferting it
to be a meafure .of the molt indifpenfible neeeflity.
Thole who brought in the gill had inferred feveral
words, which enlarged the terms 'Of it far beyond
'the Aft of 1793. In that Ad the 'word 4' Corn-
soigioiers was mentioned, which clearly did not
Itpply to the appointment upon the Staff. In
'the BM, ifoirevcri introduced by the Noble Lord
(Howick) not only the word Commillimis" was
• tared, hut warrants and appointments. When his Majef-
tyatrithdrew his content to any Bill which wentfarther
than the Aft of 1793, but agreed to a Bill exactly to
that extent, he expreffed a hope, that his forbear.
mice in this refpeft would have the died of prevent-
ing his being again applied to on the fubjeft of farther
conceffions, as his mind was unalterably made up
upon that rubjeft." Indeed it was impoffible to (up.
pole that his Majefly could have conceived the mea-
lure, when propofed to him, as going any thingbeyond
the Aft of '793. It did not even appear that the pro-
pofers of it meant that it fhould go farther; for when
an Honourable General moved for a delay of only
two days, on the principle of its being neceffary that
the Iriffi Members fhould be prefent, a Right Ho-
nourable Baronet (Sir JOHN NEWPORT) raid, that that
was quite unneceffary, as the hills Gentlemen could
have no objeftions, inafmuch as it was nothing more
than what was already law in Ireland. There were
alfo no lefs than three of the Cabinet Miniflers who
confidered it in the fame light, and who oppofed it,
when they found what was the nature of the Bill [.el
cry of no, non He raid he had conceived that Lords
Erfkine, Ellenttorough, and Sidmouth had oppofed it.
One of thole Miniflers (Lord Erfkine) appeared not
evento have been fummoned to the Cabinet at the time
that the meafure was dircuired previous to its being
propofed. This was indeed a molt extraordinary cit.-
cumaance--that the Lord Chancellor, who by his
office is fuppofed peculiarly the keeper of the King's
confeience, fhould not be fummoned npon a queftion
where it wa; necelLo y to addrefs diredly the con-
fcience of the Sovereign, and to endeavour to remove
the fcruples which exited in the Royal mind. It
Amused ltrange, that the diffeating Members cf tht