The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-05-08 00:00:00

Capable of defending us from the dangers -that
surround us, or whether, on the contrary,
the existence of these dangers, the crisis in•
which we find ourselves at the present moment,
when our • all is at stake, are not mainly t%
be attributed to the misconduct of the Minister,
to whom the government of the country has been
entrusted ? If any man, in the course of the discus.
lion, does mean 'to take that extensive view of the
situation of the country, which can alone enable
you, or, if you carry an Address to the Crown,
can alone enable the Crown to judge of the meant,
of averting the impending dangers, and their con-
sequences, one of rho principal considerationhi
must b.., the rashness, misconduct, mistaken 'kw*,
and utter ignorance of the true primbples of OM
Constitution, which have marked the whole eon;
duct of those a ho, unfortunately for the country:l
have had the administration of the public &Mrs. I
agree with the Noble Lord, it is not from that
quarter only we are menaced with danger. lam
sensible, that while, on the one hand, we have
a Government that rashly plunges into difficulties
end measures, without considering how they are
to extricate themselves from those difftculties, or
bow the measures they adopt are to be supported ;
you have, on the other hand, a disposition rising
in the country, not against any particular act of
Government, not against any particular mode of
exercising the powers of Government, but against
the exercise of the legal powers of the Constitution
itself. It is this situation of things, that calls
upon every man, who knows and venerates the
Constitution of the country, to rally, not round
the present Government, who have violated the
Cousinu ion, but to rally round the Constitu-
tion itself ; but, above all, to rally round that
which is the main source of all the blessings
this country enjoys; to which alone we can
look for security against danger—more prosper.
ous, happy, and secure times —I mean, to rally
round the Parliament of the country. My Lords,
whenever the moment shall arrive—when persons
of any description shall attempt to violate the• in.
dependence of Parliament...when attacks shall be
made with a view to destroy the confidence of the,
country its its Parliament; I mean not the con 6. i
(knee of the country in this or that description of:
persons, who compose the Parliament, and who may
fornetperts of this or the other House of Parliament;
but I mein of the Parliamentary Constitution of
the country ; if elrer: the people are taught to
look. fur relief; for safety, for hope, but to,
the Parliamentary safety, and the relief and
hope to be derived from that source, it re.
quires but little gift of prophecy to tell them that
they will be deluded to their destruction. For,
my Lords, from Parliament, the liberty of the coon.
try originally sprang. All the wealth, power, and
prosperity of the country, have arisen from Par.
!lament, and are to be attributed to Parliament.—
Whatever can be done within the walls of Perlis.-
client, to promote the interests of the country, and
to Selects its constitutional liberty, ought to bedew,
by Partiatoinr. lam convinced, that 9 by Perlis.
went, it may be done. But, my, Losll4, for, the
faithful discharge of that duty which. Perlisinent
owes to the country, it is the lint and priegipast
duty of Parliament to maintain and used these
privileges which were given for the beuefit of the
country—privileges which have• uniformly been
exereised for the benefit of the country, uod
Cannot, without a species of treachery, -be
abandoned. Without those privilegee, the ex-
ercise of which the people have been deluded to
contest, a free and independent Parliament starer
could have existed. Whoever knows any thing of
the history of the country, trust be convinced, that•
an Independent Parliament never could have ex-
isted, without the privileges and the means of ester.
'isles them, which are now disputed. Without
twee powers, which are inherent to Parliamentrand
serene of the particular privilege, which, it is
!slow said, it Is for the benefit of the people to pre-
'teat the exercise of, Parliament could never have
' ifeldeved fur the country what it has. If! the per,
sons who oppose this privilege should succeed is
depriving Parliament of a privilege so necessary to
its smietestee, it will preveut its asserting its own
independence, and of Maintaining its own dignity.
If they should succeed in depriving the House of
Parliament of their privileges, and of driving them
• to other quarters for protection and security, from
that moment Parliament ceases to exist as an Ingle.
pendent Parliament. Under such a system, Par-
liament never coal] have raised this country to
what it is. At the period when our ancestor!
established the freedom of Parliaments, at the
commencement of the reign of the Stuarts, at
'that particular time it was that this instrument of
"larliamentary power, which is now contested, was
the means by which the freedom and liberty of the
chuntry were effected; and, if ever Parliament roe
linquishes that principle, they despoil elmaseekell
of the means of affording to the Crown that nee;
City which it will receive, rather from Parliament
than from those who profess to be better f 1
rio
to the Crown. They will deprive Parliament;
the means of doing that which Parliament has ever I
done; I mean, of -maintaining that liberty whiny',
Parliament alone has established, and can alone
secure the continuance uf. Whatever oircum-
'Made* arise in this country, I will never desert
the studard of Parliament—round that I will rat-
-Iy, because I know, and am convinced, that, upon
the independence of Parliament, depends the best
interests, the prosperity, the tranquillity, the free.
dom, and the independence of the country."
Lord EItSKINF said he felt himself called
upon to say a very few words to their 'Lordships,
although he was afraid irregularly, as there was no
question before the House. [Lord IL •was here
told that there was a question, theft!, of form,
that the house should be sammorsoCthat day
three weeks.] —That being so, he cupid speak
with more freedom upon what Appeared to
hint to be a most momentous subject. He
said he entirely agreed with his Noble Friend
who gave the notice, that notwithstanding buy
imperfections with which time might have visited
oar happy Constitution, it was the best and wisest
upon the face of the earth, and wider whicb theta
was the greatest enjoyment of happiness and free-
dom ; but it was impossible to contemplate that
perfection without adverting to the principles