The Speech delivered yest...
The Times, 1824-06-26T00:00:00

The Speech delivered yesterday by His MAJESTY, on clos- ing the session of Parliament, considered as a communicationr on matters of business between KING and nation, was a very temarkable one. The sentences of which it consists are just eight in number. Two of these contain thanks- one lamentation-one is approbatory-one.congratulatory. one exhortative-one only communicative; and what it communicates amounts, like all the rest of this oration, to somewhat less than nothing. The passage to which we allude, is that wherein His MAJESTs has been authorized by his Ministers to inform us, that he conttinues to receive from Foreign Powers " assurances'^ of their disposition to remnain at peace with this country. Now; siidh assuraneess taken by themselves, are worth just the paper on which they are written. They derive the sole value which ever can belong to them from collateral facts and circumstances, not glanced at bv the advisers of His MAJESTY in this their cold farewell to the people of England. Had ani American PaESIDENT been- talking of " assurances," he would have followed up the subject by particularizing the relations of the country to which he addressed'himself with each foreign Government in its turn; and this, if for no other purpose, to satisfy his fellow-citizens how far they might be justified in depending on tbe words of peace to which their attention had been invited. France, for instance, had assured Spain, as well as Europe, th5t she was most paci-. fically disposed towards the Peninsulz but a very few wesks before her General crossed the Pyrennees with loo,OOO men. Is it in French ' assurances- that we ought to repose our confidence ? Aussia, no doubt, has gerged 1Mr. CANNING with protestations of her kindness and friendship towards the British Empire. We say nothing of her tariffs, for she has a right to interdict her subjects from as many civilized enjoyments as they are tame enough to forego. WVe say nothing of her' plans or movements towards the East, since she is noto- rioasly straitened in point of territory, and may be excused for seizing a rich spot of land where she can find it. But we would suggest a temperate question with regard to. Russia, and ask, what may be the value of her pacLific "assurances" to this Government, when put in contrast. with her known decrees for debarring British subjec?s from. the whole North-west coast of America-for sweeping the British flag from the face of the Pacific Ocean, and robbing this nation of a lucrative and lawful commerce which its citizens have foragescarried on? Thisis a matteruponvrhich we "respectfully insist" (as the lawyers tell the Judges) that some sort of light ought to have been throwvn by the,o9reign Secretary,whenheintroduced the pacific assurances of ntigh& bouing States toEniland. What, then'a we tol'Uponan. other most interesting topic ? Not one word with respect to South America. The session opportunely closes ust-at the tmoment in which intelligence was looked for, of a nature to attest the truth ajid rectitude of tlie Miniisters. They new have the ball at their foot. There is no busy mem- ber to interrogate-no cross-grained motion to molest them. The intrigues of -thg Holy Alliance may riperr into a new harvest of civil distractions throaghout'thli mvhole Ameri- can continent, and the natur4a effect of our duplicity may again bepleaded in bar of our-return to duty., iAs for the sess'on thu abruptly terminated,. it. t lan. gti-i and ineffective, as it was brief. No taxes lavein fact been reiuiTte&,- no reform execim infie. 1drik niusurtion of austice; no great measpalic economy enrouraged, no tbold-a-nd ennoblbiz? ofoxeign poIic. traced out-, one disgracef'nl trea),h en concluded-;; and |the Irish nation finds still' p titat.rediess*bic its: ,srongs so loudly cafl for.; ;JIl are the fruiits of the ses- sxon ending--oi June;~thK l:2q, anld this the form in which its last stage h co :jcnducted.