Star.
London, England, 1811-01-18 00:00:00

continue their eristence for sir months certain. The,
stibj,.:ct had beea so lunch debated already, that he
sientle content himself with proposing hie Amend-
mem wit!lont adding one word farther.
The question on the Amendment being then put,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
row
to say, that he would very shortly state his rea-
-50115 for opposing this amendment. The Committee
was now uron a point on which both Houses seemed
t„ he agreed, namely, that there should be some sus-
pension of the prerogative of creating Peers. The
resolution to that effect went up to the Lords quali-
tied with this, that the Regent might bestow the
Peerage as a reward for military or naval merit, but
it returned unqualified. On this point, therefore, the
two Houses might be considered as at one. The ob-
ject now was to cover the space of time within which
the probability was that the King might return to
the exercise of his authority, and find his Upper
House of Parliament in the same situation as when
he left it. The suspension was proposed to continue
only during a period within which the Parliament and
the country might entertain fond and reasonable hopes
of his 1%-lejeety's recovery. His hopes indeed were
ardent and sanguine that this happy restoration would
take place in a much shorter time. (Hear, Hear.)—
Was there not, then, a degree of indelicacy in run-
ning a race of time, as: it were, with his Majesty, and
limiting the period as much as possible which was to
be allowed for the removal of his calamity ? The
Committee was not to be guides solely by the recol-
lection of the former short duration of the disease.—
Was it not in evidence by the Physicians, that though
the radical strength of his Majesty's constitution
was not impaired, yet at his advanced time of life it
might belonger inrepellinga severe attack thanbefore?
Was it not proper to make a liberal allowance for
that consideration ? He must, also, beg leave to im-
press another circumstance on the attention of the
Committee. It had never yet been tried, what would
be the actual effect on the recovering mind of his Ma-
jesty, on finding that a Regency had actually been i
established : by the blessing of PROVIDENCE, the Royal
mind had never hitherto been subject to the feelings
which might, perhaps, arise on such an occasion.—
In every instance of recovery, his Majesty had found
things exactly as they were before. It was no un-
meaning assertion to suppose that the difficulty and
embarrassment of explaining to the recovering mind
of his Majesty all that had been done during his ill-
ness, might have a-very injurious effect in diminish.
ing the rapid progress of convalescence. Was it then
unreasonable that the Committee should give a more
extended period than that now proposed, within which
no alteration might take effect that could in any way
disturb the mind of his Majesty. It certainly appear-
ed to him important on many accounts, that the pe-
riod should expire while Parliament was sitting ;
but the six months now proposed would expire in
August next, when it was likely that Parliament
will have closed its session. For instance, he could
easily conceive that the prospect of complete con-,
valesceoce might be so near, that it might be a very
proper matter of consideration for Parliament, whe-
ther the suspension might not be extended to a few
weeks longer. He must say, it appeared essential to
him, that Parliament should be sitting when the limi-
tations were to expire ; and it would be highly incon-
venient to prolong their Session till August, after
all their other business would be finished. He confi-
dently hoped that the Committee would not think
that he asked for much, when he pit:posed that the
restrictions should continue for a twelvemonth.
Mr. WHITBREAD declared that he felt no incli-
nation to detain the House on a subject that had been
already so largely debated ; but as often as the Right
HonourableGentlemanre-urgedtheseunconstitutional
appeals to the feelings of the House, he felt it his
duty to notice them, and call back their attention
to principles and sober reasoning. The Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman had fallen into a gross error ;
his argument, if it proved any thing, prayed a great
deal ton much. If the establishment of a Regent
endangered the King's recovery, or at least threaten-
ed a relapse, he ought in consistency .to have pro-
posed that the House should have remained quiet,
and taken none of the steps which they had al-
ready done; that the Royal Authority should have
remained dormant' and the interests of the people
solely confided to himself and his colleagues. Such
was the natural tendency of the Right Honourable
Gentleman's argument. He had talked of the una-
nimity of the two Houses on the subject of restric-
tions ; and yet the power of confuting the peerage
for naval and military services, which he had de-
ribcd as so essential, had been thrown out by the
.ords, and was then abandoned by him.. Like
tatty more in similar circumstances, be affected to
lisdain what he could not get. The words of the
- Right Honourable Gentleman had strack him with
astonishment. The gist of his argument was, that
1 the clause was for the protection of the King.—
Against whom ? Why the Prince of Wales he must
rnean. Was it meant to be insinuated, that it was
the intention of the Prince of \V ales to abase the
prerogative, to endanger the rights of his Royal
Father, and eventually his own ? What was this but
degrading the character of the Prince by-covering it
with the most unjust suspicions. The truth was, that
it was the wish of the Right Honourable Gentleman,l
to bring the present limitation again under the view
of Parliament, and subject the character of the Re-
gent, at a future period, to the same degrading
Imputations that had been now thrown upon it.—
Was the discussion of such topics in Parliament
really so agreeable to some Gentlemen, that they
were anxious to have future opportunities of indul-
ging their inclinations ? Let the Committee reflect,
that he .who was for a restricted Regent, gave him
the whole power of dissolving Parliament • a power
which, of late years, was more important than most
people were aware of. Not that he (Mr.Whitbread)
hoped for any such event; but there was a Minister
tow in power, and- he might be again, who could
counsel the Crown to dissolve the Parliament merely
because it did not suit his purposes. (Hear, hear.)
It such a man was Minister to the Regent, it might
be easily supposed what advice he would give. The
Right Honourable Gentleman had talked of the pro-
tection of the King, but he had not convinced him of
any danger to result from the curtailment of the sus- I
pension. For one, he held the restrictions on the
prerogative essentially unconstitutional; and being
of that opinion, he must vote for the shortest possible
duration of them. ,
veANNLNG Contend:el, that the precedent of