1806. j 



State of Public Jffairs in Jul\). 



ufually called, the Vaccine Inoculation, which 

 had checked in a great degree the progrefs of 

 a dreadful malady which had fpread ravage 

 and d?fol2tioD over the world. He ihould not 

 go into anv length of detail upon the hiftory 

 of this dii'covery ; he fliould only ftate, that 

 the difcovery itfelf, as well as the eftefts 

 which have (ince been derived from it, were 

 the refults of the conftant labour of an emi- 

 nent phyfician (Dr. Jenner), who had devo- 

 ted above thirty years of hii life to this fingle 

 objetl. This difcovery was made in 1777, 

 but it was not until the year 1788 that Dr. 

 Jennerrecommended the exten:iing oi the cow- 

 pox by means ofimcu/nlicn : in 1798 he wasenu- 

 bleJ, from a long coiirfe of fucccfsful cxpcri- 

 nivnts.t'i recommend the difcovery to die people 

 o: this country, and to Europe, in fuch a manner 

 as to excite univcrfal attention : in 1799, it 

 Vi-as very generally introduced into America, 

 not only among the more civilized inhabitants, 

 but even among the Indians. In 1801 it was 

 praclifed all over the continent of Europe with 

 the happieft etfeft. Certain prejudices he faid 

 had greatly obllruifted the progrefs of this moft 

 ufefiil difcovery in this country, and in con- 

 fequence of thefe prejuiiices, the number a£ 

 annual deaths from the fmall ])0x in London, 

 which had been reduced from l.Oll to 6J"2, 

 had again rifen to 1,685, fo that they were 

 fail appro.iching to their original amount. 

 The meafure he had now to propofe was, 

 •' that an humble Addrefs be prefcnted to his 

 Majerty, praying him tj direft his crdle;je of 

 phylicians to inquire into the ftate of Vaccine 

 Inoculation, and its effeil in deftroying the 

 fmall pox, and to report tl:»c evidence upon 

 the lubjeit, and the caufes wliich have retard- 

 ed its progrefs in the united kingdom ; and 

 that this report fliou W be laid before parliament. 

 He hoped that this report would be ready before 

 the commencement of t!>e next feirion ; and 

 Ihould it be favoarablc,a3 he hlJ every reafon ;o 

 expeft, it would become a ferio^s confider^tion 

 with the houfe, what ftep fiiouU be taken to 

 n'like the difcovery as beneficial to this coun- 

 try as it had been to other nations. It would 

 alfo be u fubjcii for their confideration, whc- 

 tber any reward at all adequate to the impor- 

 tance of the difcovery, or v\ orthy the character 

 .iml liocralityof chiscountry, had bCea i'v.\:n tJ 

 3 man who, by the ent'.re applicnion of his 

 mind to thi'j fuiijeft, had been enabled t'j ren- 

 der iu^h Important fervices, not only to t'.is 

 country and tc Europe, but to the world; fer- 

 viccs which would not be con.'inedto thepie- 

 fent gencrafion, but which would be felt as 

 long as t!ie human race exii^ed " 



Mr. Matthews, Mr. "Wilbsc.'ljrce, Mr. 

 WImlham, Mr. Banks, Mr. W. Smith, and 

 Mr. I'jul, fpok? j.i fjvoar of the addrefs 

 whi;h Was 3gr>;?d to npnir.e c^ntradkcntc- 



Oiitlie 1 111), a loHgcicbuLC taokplacnori 



luotiou iiinite by i<u- II. Mildmav, I'jt 



\"i>te of 'Ih'uiks to tlic V'oluntet'is, iLir 



thea- zeal and patriolilju in the fervic« of 



JMoaiuly iMAC No. l-lo. 



tlicir country. Lord Oflulflon oppofcd 

 tin; motion, ami mo-, cti tiie previous qud- 

 tion, which was fupported by L(>rd How- 

 ick and Mr. Windlniin. Tl.o Vote of 

 Tlijtiiks was enforced hy fcvoral ^'] em- 

 bers, particularly by ^Ir. Shorid m, who 

 ddivercd an auunated fpcech in favour 

 of the V.jluutceis. lie defeudeil the 

 conduct he liad hitherto adopted, and de- 

 clared liis intention to adiiere, umlcr all 

 circuniilances, and in all lituutions, to 

 tbe fame prniciplcs Ijy which lie had been 

 guided, witJi reiiard to that meritorious 

 body of men. We regret to fay that the 

 previous cjueftion was carried by a majo- 

 rity of 75 to 41. Mr. 8l:cridan after- 

 wards moved, that this Houfe continues 

 to retain its opinion of tlie zeal of the 

 Volunteers and Yeomanry of th(> United 

 Kmirdom, and liighly approves t!ie patri- 

 otiliii wliieh induced tiiem to embody 

 themfelvcs for the defence of the coun- 

 try, which was nejratived by a maiority of 

 09 to :;0 ! ! ! 



Parliament was proroi^ncd on the CSd. 

 of July by special commission, when the 

 foilov.iagfpeech was delivered, in his ma- 

 jclly's name, by the Lord ClianceUov: — 

 ' * My Lordi nnd Gc ntlcmcn^ 



" His M.ijefl:y has connnandad us to ac. 

 quaint you, that the ftate of the public bu- 

 finefs enables his Majesty to clofe this felTion 

 of Parliament. 



" We are, at the fame time, dircfled to 

 exprefs to you the great fatis.'jftioh which his 

 Maje.ly has derived from your unremitting 

 zeal and diligence, and from that a'-tcntion to 

 the moft important interefts of his Empire, 

 which has hecn fo confpicuoufly mani.'illed in 

 all your proceedings. 



" The mcafurcs which have been adopted 

 for the permanent; i.nprove.ment of the vari- 

 ous branchzs of our military fyftem, your at- 

 teniiou to combine thefe arrangements with 

 tbe great ol>ject of public economy, and tha 

 regulations which you liave eftab'.ilhed for the 

 fpeedy and efVeftua! audit of the public ac- 

 counts, CiU for his Majefty's particulat ac» 

 kwo'.vledgments, 



" Gint/dmen nf the Houfe ofComvims, 



" We have it in command from his Ma- 

 jely to thank you ii>r the proviilon which you 

 have made for the various exigencies of ti-.e 

 public lervice, particularly by raifing, within 

 the year, l"o very large a proportion of tsjie 

 riaceffary fupplics ; a meafure in Itlelf highly 

 aJvantAgeoui, and wiiich muft create, both 

 at jiomc and ab". oad, the moft favourable im- 

 predion of our a-.:.jnat rcfourccs, and of the 

 fpirit which animates the liririih people. 

 You may be aiiured that the utnio;}. attention 

 Ihall he paid to the irugal adminilbatuj:! of 

 thofe fupplics v/!iich yuu have ^> libeiallf. 

 gran'.ej. 



ft «<HJ* 



