Star.
London, England, 1812-03-20 00:00:00

PRICE 6D. HALFPENNY.
.—.
administered, its resources were fully espial to meet
all the exigencies of its situation, not merely to work
out our own security, but equal to continuance*, and
even, if necessary, to the extension of succour to our
Allies. Under these circumstances it was, that
under an authentic, but not official document, his.
Royal Highness the Prince Regent bad b:en pleased
to express his gracious wish that a Govetams-nt fee
the country should be formed on au extensive and
liberal basis. While he thus mentioned the name of
his Royal Highness, he begged to be understood as of ,t
considering the Prince Regent to have acted without
the advice of others. Upon the failure of that new.
dation, the greatest possible calamities seemed to
impend with respect to our domestic situation and
circumstances. When be recollected the language
held, as he understood, in another place, by one of
the Confidential Servants of the Crown, who expres-
sed a wish that the College of Maynooth had never
existed, or words to that effect, what must be his
alarm as to the influence such language must have
on the minds of their fellow subjects in the sister
Icountry ; must it not, in the nature of things, induce
a maim( animas among them ? A Right Honestrable
. Gentleman, whose wisdom, talents and moderatiou,
Iwere never to be sufficiently applauded, had given
notice of a motion on the subject to which he jest
principally alluded, on the 14th of April—but by the
votes of the Commons on the table, he learned, that
on the 13th, that House tkttrmined on a call ; but
rumour said, that this call was proposed by a high
confidential servant of the Crown, whose continuance
in cffice was considered as a bar to the desired ar.

PARLI4.WEN7'ARr PROCEEDINGS.
HOUSE OF LORDS, MAReH 19.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
about the usual hour; and in the first Instance, a few of ,the.r
Lordships attended. Several of the Bids upon the table wute
forwarded, and some routine business disposed of. The House
then adjourned for some time., during pleasure.
About five o'clock the House resumed, when the Mutiny Bill
was read a third time and passed. The Royal Marine Mutiny
Bill was also forwarded.
Some Private Bills were brought up by Sir JAllte GILMAN
and other Members from the Commons, but it was nrauy mi-
nutes before this proceeding was at all practicable, so immento,
beyond all former precedent within our recollection, vra the
crowd of strangers who had obtained admission below the Bar.
'the greatest personal inconvenience was necessarily experienced,
and much noise, irregularity, and confusion prevailed below the
Bar, which prevented those intent on the business of the House
from hearing, or even collecting with any tolerable degree or ac-
curacy what passed among their I.ordships.
The difficulty of making way for the Members of the Corn- ,
mons to approach the Bar was so great, as to induce the Loan
Caancettoa to observe interrogatively to the House—t' Is it
to be endured, my Lords, that when the Commons come up to
present Bills to the House, that they shall be so obstructed by
,the crowds below the Bar ?"
A short conversation ensued lsetween Lord Renasnate and
the F.arl of MOIMA, on the subject of Insolvent Debtors, but
from the above causes we were Unable to collect its purport or
tendency.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE shortly called the attention of
the House to a circumstance which be 'deemed of the utmost
importance, and respecting which rumours were circulating
throughout the kingdom—he meant that a regular course of trade
between this country and France was about to be authorised;
respecting this he thought that it was incumbent on Noble Lords
opposite to give some explanation, and be announced his inten-
tion of bringing forward some further specific motions tending to
illustrate the commercial relations of the country under its pre-
sent critical circumstances.

Eart BATlitlitsT said a few words in reply, and stated that irangement. He was also credibly, he believed, in.
I
no agreement of the kind mentioned by the Noble Lord bad formed that several Members of the ecclesiastical
been
übj made between this Government and that of France upon
body had come forward on the occasion, in a way
the sect.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ME PRINCE REGENT not very consonant to the sacred nature of their se-
AND LORDS GREY AND GRENVILLE
cerdotic functions ; in this conduct, no doubts they
The Order on which their Lordships were sum-
were supported by others, These alarming sympo
moned being read, toms had principally occurred within the last five
Lord BORRINGDON rose to bring forward his .weeks. But these were not the only symptoms
which induced a marked deterioration in our affairs.
promised motion on this most interesting and itnpor-
tent subject. He adverted, in the first instance, to Their Lordships must be aware of the present situa-
I the infrequency of his coming forward, or of his taking tion both of the diurnal and the provincial press.—
any active part in the discussions of their Lordships'
Were the public prints not ranged on two sides 1—
House. It was usual for one so circumstanced, when Were they not doomed to read on one side of a I
o
urged to come forward on a great public occasion, by overweening, overbearing, ambitious aristocracy, that
a sense of duty, to expatiate upon the purity and pa- even sought possession of the Crown itself; and on
the other hand the most virulent and scurrilous triotism of his motive; : though he meant not to fol.
the head of the national Government ? (Hear, hear.)
lan-
low this example, he should in a word assure their gunge directed against the Illustrious Personage at
Lordships, such professions could 't possibly be
Could they be indifferent as to the effects which such
language might have on the minds of the community
made with more sincerity than by the indivieual who
bad now the honour of addressing them. The motion
be should have the honour to submit, he begged leave at large ? It was impossible, when they contempla.
ted the marked deterioration in the circumstances of
solemnly to assure the House, originated solely with
himself, and not from the suggestion of any men or the country, the recent conduct of Ministers, and of
any set of men either in that -House or out of it. It the motives, which rumour has assigned to the offer
of the highest honours and marks, of distinction to
arose solely from his firm conviction of the necessity
c
to avert the alarming and extensive dangers with certain leading characters; it was impossible he
which the country was surrounded, involving calami. thought, whatever personal feelings Noble Lords
ties, in his apprehension, of no less magnitude than an may have, a Parliamentary support could be giver;
insminent-eeparation of the two sister countries, and to the present servants of the Crown, 'sb far as to
I consequently, so far, a dismemberment of the Empire. what was strongly rumoured. But they knew it tes
Of these calamities, in his contemplation, the most be true, that on the 13th of February last, his Royal
'
alarming symptoms were developing themselves ; and Highness the Prince Regent, with a laudable anxiety,
these calamities were pending at a period beyond all highly becoming his illustrious character, had express-
former precedent of danger and difiiculty. Whether ed a wish that, in the present critical situation of affairs
in the Peninsula, RO measure should be adopted which
these conclusions were erroneous or not, they were
,the firm convictions of his own mind, and were• the should induce our allies to sespect that he meant to
sole motives of his thus coming forward to call ear depart from the system which had been adopted.—
the interposition of that House. The conduct of the Subsequently, however, to the expretsion of that
illustrious Personage who now governed the Coun- wish, his Royal Highness was placed in such a situa-
try, ota the occasion of the lamented indisposi. tion, as to induce a Noble Marquis (who he hoped
tion of our venerable Sovereign, must be fresh in would in the course of the debate state his reasons
the recollection of their Lordships. The anxious for so proceeding), to give in his resignation.--(A
sense of filial duty by which that Illustrious Per-
loud and pretty general cry offlearelear,hear,for some
son was penetrated, induced him on that occasion, moments.).—A Noble Marquis, who had for above
and as long as the hope of recovery existed, to con- two years and a half conducted the whole diploma•
tinue and adhere to that system of measures which tic correspondence of the Peninsula, so much to his
own honour and the advantage of the country, that
had received the sanction of his Royal Father, and
which, under the circumstances, it must be painful to Noble Marquis had previously represented his Mae
him to have done away. At length, when the con jetty is Spain, was no less -a person than a bro.
firmed nature of his Majesty's illness led to the inves. ther of the Earl of Wellington himself I—(Loud
titure of Es Royal Highness, by Parliament, with the cries of Hear, hear, hear.)—He bad already stated
full and unrestricted authority of the Crown, his that the great question of our domestic policy had,
Royal Highness was, necessarily,_ no longer in. in the course of the last few weeks, assumed a
liuenced by these considerations, which had so new and more decided character. Our prospects,.
honourably before distinguished his Royal Highness's which had in some sense brightened, were new plun-
conduct. What were then the bright and cheering ged into a deeper gloom ! And from what he had
prospects of the Island ' • and• what were now the stated, there were no other reasons, he thought that
gloomy clouds that overhung it? During the interval it followed as a matter of consequence that some.
he alluded to, the most important conquests were change should, if possible, be effected in the Adminis- '
wrested from the enemy, and added to the colonial tration of the government. A letter, signed by two
possessions of the British Crown. Though a formi. Noble Loris, one of whom was prevented from at-
dable navy had been constructed by the enemy, yet tending that evening, in consequence of a recent
every vessel that ventured to put to sea found its domestic calamity, had appeared in consequence of
way into a British port. The colonial power of the the document he had alluded to. One of those who
enemy Was, strictly speaking, annihilated. Portugal signed that letter, a Noble Lord, was present, and
was wrested from the military occupation of France; could sufficiently speak as to its authenticity, and the
in the 10th year of the war, and the 4th year of the construction, which in truth, it ought to bear. Front '
Peninsula war, not only had Portugal been recovered a view of those documents he thought hopes might '
from the grasp of the enemy, but the British arms, still be indulged, that by a continuance of the
on every occasion, shone with honour, in the terri. gracious endeavours of his Royal Highness, the coun-
tories of Spain, conducted by one of the first Gene- try may still be gratified by seeing an Adminisaation.
rals of the age. What were the prospects on the formed capable of rescuing the empire from the
pest-
other hand ? General commercial distress, multiply- ding dangers. These documents were in circuLi-
ing bankruptcies, the manufacturing system most se- tion from one end of the kingdom to the other ;--it
riously deteriorated, and new laws giving additional could therefore, be hardly asserted, they were not a
facilities to a paper currency, were recently passed. fit topic for Parliamentary discussion, or that any
In some of the principal provinces of the interior, Noble Lord should stand up and say, that that House
riot, disorder, and a coetempt of law prevailed, was the only place in the whole kingdom, wherein
almost amounting to insurrection. A new war on such a paper could not be discussed. On the 23th of
another Peninsula threatened us. In such arduous February, the Prince Regent expressed his wish that
and critical circumstances, notwithstanding nearly an administration should be formed on a broad and
the whole of Europe's population was contederated liberal basis. Such language be should take as an in-
against us—nctwithstanding the, small comparative ceutestible evidence of the wish of his Royal High.
population of our own Country, yet from the pale of mess in that respect. On this principle, what he should
the British Constitution was excluded one-fourth part have the honour to submit to their Lordships,
of the population of the United Kingdom. In giving ceeded. He should now come to consider those parts
to the House this general outline of the situation of of the Noble Lord's speech which referred to that
the national affairs, he felt extrtmAy anxious not to important point, and which, in his mind, bad been
be considered as stating with a spirit of passion, or greatly misrepresented; he spoke from his view of
with any sentiments of dismay os despair ;on the con- the general nature of the subject. His Lordship then
I
trary, he came forward under the conviction that were referred to the corresponding parts of the letter, to
the people united, and ta affairs of the country well the effect—o It is on these grounds we mast ea.

•