The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-04-16 00:00:00

-

_

y, .r .

drawn into a precedent, because they had in a great
measure arisen from the union with the Court of
Prussia, and the Treaty with Prussia was at the same
time referred to the Committee that was to consider
the proposed provision. The Noble Lord, after a
few observations to the same effect, moved an amend-
inent, that to the Address should be added the words--
" Tbe.liosse at the same rinse expresses its eantidentinoe
that such prosisloi may be mate willoontereadolc It hlir
of laving nay additional hardens a: 1111 l the People. -
The Marquis of BUCKINGHAM ruse with.coo!
siderable pain, not trim the duty he hid to perform,
but from the manner in which the House had been,
called upon to perform its duty. He should.. bile
had no objection to the words of the
.oat
Address, but for certain circumstances of general
notoriety which bad lately transpired, :It was un-
derstood that the original, intentievwes to ropose
to Parliament a much greater demand. , The.ifouse
should therefore look to the circurnetaticep thet
caused the change In that determinations an with
jealousy to the present
,plan. The Noble Meyquis.
observed, that with respect to the alleged, necessity
of supporting the splendour of the Throne, that
mould never be attained. more effectually then by
promoting the comforts and happiness of the People.
er--[ifeetr, heurq . .
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said, it was im-
possible for him to let the question go to the vote with-
out expressing a few words on the measure before
their Lordships. He perfectly assented to the
opt
%ions contained in the Address, sad as the splendour
of the Crown was necessarily associated with the wel-
fere of the People, Parliament was bound to main-
tain it. But in considering the amount of the sum
proposed to he granted, theilouse should not forget
what was due to the welfare of the People .and
should endeavour to conciliate those good feelings
and opinions of the People, from which the tie scull-
lug the People to the House of Brunswick derived
their consistency, end the continuance of which he
uo less ardently desired than any of the Prince Re-
gent's most confidential advisers. As the Nobli Earl
who had moved the Address had not stated his rest...,
sons for altering his original opinion upon this sub,.
ject, he should be extremely unwilling to press that
point further; but the objection he had to make re-
specting the mode of bringing the subject before Par.
liament, and uniting the two marriages• in one Mes-
melte, had been obviated by what had fallen from the
Noble Earl, namely, that it had been dune for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the general prlucipie, and that the
individual cases were still open for the consideration
of the House. Raving stated that he assented to the
principles contained in the Address, he thought it ne-
cessary to say, be should also vote for the amendment.
lie allowed that arrangements should be made, but he
trusted he could show that sufficient provision could
be made for the Royal Dukes without increasing
the hoidens of the People. Ile alluded to the utt.
necessary escort of the establishment at Windsor,
which lied been originally granted in the hope, as
was expressed by Mr. Perceval, that his Majesty
might recover from his lamented indisposition, if not
sufficiently to resume the reins of authority, at least
so as to enjoy every comfort which it was possible to
bestow upon him. While that hope lasted, nothing
should be detracted from the establishmeist, but he
thought some deductions might be effected, if that
hope were now felt to be altogether illusory. The
recurrence to every means of reducing the. public ex-
penditure was the more to he desired, inasmuch as
there was passing through Parliament A measure of
eitreme severity, which nothing could justify but
the sense of estivate .suffering on the part of the
People—he meant a Rill for depriving the widows of
officers of their pensions, in case it was found that
they drew a pittance for their support from any other
source whatever.
Lord ERSKINE said, he should trouble their
Lordships with a very few words on the present
occasion. It was his wish and his belief that such
provisions as the Noble Lord proposed to make,
might be effected without any addition to the public
hardens, but though this was his opinion, he did not
feel himself, therefore, bound to agree in the amend.
•ment. It appeared to him, and, indeed, was to be
inferred from the arguments of those who went be-
fore him in the debate, that there might be a better
season for the discussion of that itnportant subject, to
which the amendment referred.—[!leer, !]—
He the present moment improper and incon-
venient. No man could lament more deeply than lie
did, the unfortunate situation of the count ry ; no matt
could be more conscious of its distress, or more deeply
impressed with, those feelings, which the contempia.
lion of that distress was calculated to inspire, nor
could any one be moreative to the impolicy arol injus-
slice of adding to the burdens of the People. But this
was not the time to take any measure, or express
any opinion on the subject, it was not at the very
moment when they were providing for the branches of
the Royal Family, that they should pledge themselves
by a Resolution to prosecute economy.—Ulear 11—
lt the words of the Address bound him to any thing
beyond an expression of respect, and a pledge to con-
cur in granting a suitable provision for those Mem.
bets of the Royal Family, he would have felt it his
duty to resist it ; but the Address contained nothing
more than an assurance of their isms iahle attach-
ment to the Illustrious House, and a prnntise to
agree in such arrangements as were consistent with
the dignity and honour of the country. It was the
otitity of the other House of Parliament. to make those
provisions, without adding to the burdens of the
People, if it,was possible. If, the Noble Lord should
lteresfter ineve Au:Address to the Crown upon. the
subj.,cvlsow under trinsideration, and should embody
in mat-A-areas & proposition, which tended to its.,
cresse the burdens of the People, thetas would be the
time for ltis Ni;bieleriend to move an amendment
such as the present, but this stab not the occasion on
which it would be proper to agree to P.—[l./car 1]
The Duke of.ATIIOL said, that if the sum tie-
tlicated to the paymentot the Prince of Wales's debts.
ts es e inteuded.to meet the proposed arrangements, it
ought to hate hee4sidelaytd until these debts had been
paid, end the fundi h-ad become available. With re-
spect to the establishment at Windsor, it, Wii, as the
Noble Marquis had said, founded on a hope of our
revered Monalch's recovery, but w hirls if the country
%sere polled from the Land's' Red to ,lohe-o!-Croars
house, there would, lor believed., be found no inii-
vidtral willing to resign it. lie had stoOd:by.his So.
NPreizn in Isis provperity, and should not diesel, him
it. his 4dVersity, nor should he ever unseat to nith-