Al^mom ^fiU^i.if&o^ eiie ki^hi'Hon. 'mn.-pM 6X1^ 



About this time the state Of Iijs Majesty 

 became genet allj' known, and excited 

 the greatest consternation, and most 

 lively grief among all classes and de- 

 ^iptions of his loyal and affectionate 

 si^bjccts* Those wiio, from their rank 

 Aj)(] situation in the country, were uioSt 

 interested in the event, and called 

 upon to take a part in this new and 

 q^Uainitous exigency, hastened to the 

 capital. 



■ II is Majesty's ministers had intended 

 \,^al parliament should not meet till 

 after Christmas ; but it having been 

 prorocued till the 20tli of November, 

 and tiieKiup, although bis life was no 

 longer considered in immediate danger, 

 being, from the unabated continuance 

 qf his mental disorder, incapable of 

 ordering a commission to be issued for 

 a, farther prorogation, its meeting took 

 place on that day as a matter of course. 

 The ordinary forms of opening a session 

 could not indeed be observed ; but the 

 Speaker of the House «sf Commons, at 

 the req^uest of the meml>ers present, 

 took the chair, and several new mem- 

 |iexs were sworn. 



{, Mr. Pitt then staled the cause of 

 mrliament being assembled without 

 tnc u.sual previous notice or speech 

 jfrom the tlirone, and expressed a hope 

 that the impropriety of discussing any 

 public business, under present circum- 

 stances, would be readily admitted. 

 t^e proposed that the house should ad- 

 j^ru for a fortnight; and intimated, 

 ^t would then be indispensably neces- 

 s^y, if his Majesty's disorder should 

 continue, to take into consideration 

 <«^hat nieaiJures ought to be adopted. 

 Tfl give their proceedings all possible 

 "Wfeight and solemnity, be farther pro- 

 ved, that <■>. call of the House should 

 take place on (he 4th of December, and 

 ihkt the Sj>eaker should write circular 

 Cetters requiringthe attendance of e%'ery 

 Bijember. AH the motions for these 

 pur^wscs passed without a single obser- 

 yaiion from any person. Similar mo- 

 jtious proposed by the Lord President* 

 ^Hscd in the House of Lords. 

 ^. That some authentic information re- 

 laiive to the situation of his M.ajesty 

 niight be obtained, a privy council was 

 held at M'hitehall on the 3d of Decem- 

 hen, to which all the members, with- 

 out any discrimination or exception, 

 at^ie j»uinmoned,t and the five physi- 



d tttri " — ^— — . — — ^ - 



f-r •" * Lord Canid«n, 



f Of .34 who att^niledi tt vcre^of' the 

 >I>ai:(y of opi'onitioa. 



cians*\dio had attended his Majesty dnf- 

 ing his illness, were called before tbem, 

 ana examined upon oath. The suT;- 

 stance of the answers "nhich thej' gave 

 to the questions put to them, was, that 

 his Majesty's indisposition rendered 

 him incapable of meeting his parlia- 

 ment, unci of attending to any sort of 

 public business ; and that judging from 

 their experience in similar cases, tiierc 

 was a fair pix>babHity of !iis recovery, 

 but that it was impossible to fix any 

 time when that event Diight be eSL-^ 

 pected. '"'9 



On the following day, Mr. Pitt pf^- 

 sented the rejKirt of ■this examination 

 to the House of Commons, and moved 

 that it should be taken into considera- 

 tion on the 8th, at tlir same time giving 

 notice, that he sliould on that day pro- 

 pose the appointment of a committee io 

 search for precedents, in any degrfte 

 applicable to the present melaiicholy 

 state of public affairs. After this mo- 

 tion was unanimously agree<l to with- 

 out any remark, Mr. Vyner suggested 

 a doubt, whether it suited the dignity 

 of parliament to make a report from 

 the privy council the grountl work 'of 

 their proceedings : he was inclined to 

 think, that the house ought to order 

 the attendance of his Majesty's physiv 

 cians for the purpose of their being ex- 

 amined at the bar, or in a committee 

 above stairs, before any measure should 

 be adopted or proposed. 



Mr. Pitt observed, tliat nothing 

 could be farther from his intention 

 than t-o preclude the house fiom pur- 

 suing a-ny mode, which might be judged 

 most proi>er for procuring the necessal^' 

 information. He was, however, of 

 opinion, that Avhen gentlemen reflected 

 upon the delicacy of the subject, they 

 would think, they might act upon the 

 report of the privy council, without 

 any infringement of the dignity of par- 

 liament. It should be remembered, he 

 added, that the examination of tlie 

 physicians by Tiie privy council, had 

 been upon oath, which could notbetlie 

 case before that house.t Mr. Fox ex- 

 pressed his approbation of flie ste^s 

 wtjich had been taken,* concurring, 



* Dr. Warren, Sir George Bakeivj 

 Lucas Pepys, Dr. Reynolds, and Di:,,> 

 dinglon. . .",\ 



t The House of Comtnous lias no pq^y^^ 

 to administer an oath to a witness,, .,,, "^ 



I When, the nature iof the KiugJs.'Jnol?- 

 position was first known, Mr. Fpx, wasjn 

 Italy, not expcciiug llmt parliamcut wouH 



meet 



