HISTORY OF EUROPE 
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“CH A P.- Vir. 
Meeting of Parliament.—His Majesty’s Speech.—Delates on the Ad- 
_-. dress in the House of Lords.—And in the House of Commons.— French 
© Invasion threatened.— Measures proposed Ly the Minister, for the De- 
+> fence of the Country.— Debates thereon in LothHouses of Parliament.— 
+ Bills for augmenting the Militia, Army, and Navy, passed into Laws, 
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{0 \N the sixth of October, 1796. 
XJ his Britannic majesty addressed 
_ a new parliament on, the state of 
the nation, in both its external and 
_ anternal relations, and the corres- 
pondent measures of -his govern- 
ment. He told them, that he had 
“omitted no endeavours for setting 
_on foot negociations to restore peace 
' toEurope, and to secure, for the 
future, the general tranquillity.! But 
nothing, he observed, could contri- 
Rocte so effectually to this end, as to 
manifest that we possess, both the 
+ determination and resources to. op- 
e€ with encreased activity and 
_Anergy, the farther efforts with 
‘which we may have to contend. 
“This was peculiarly. necessary at 
-@ moment when the enemy had 
| openly manifested the intention of 
attempting a descent on these king- 
_ doms. Whe flourishing state and 
a perous exertions of the navy 
next noticed, and our mili- 
tary operations in the East and | 
est Indies, which had been highly 
onourable to the British arms. 
caking of the fortune of the war 
the continent, his majesty took 
) > Bill passed into.a Law for raising a Militia in Scotland, 
an-opportunity, with the most per- - 
fect propriety, to pay a public tri- 
bute of -praise to the archduke 
Charies, under whose auspicious 
conduct such a turn had Jately been 
given to the course of the war, as 
might inspire a well-grounded con- 
fidence; that the final result of the 
campaign would prove more dis- 
astrous to the enemy than its com- 
mencement and progress, for atime, 
were. favourable to their hopes. 
With regard to the apparently hos- 
tile dispositions and conduct of the 
court of Madrid, the final result of 
these was yet uncertain. His ma- 
jesty proceeded to notice the flou- 
rishing state ofthe commerce, ma- 
nufactures, and revenueof this coun- 
try; the prospect of returning plenty; _ 
the repression of anarchy.and confu- 
sion ; and the continuance of the 
public tranquillity. An address to 
his majesty, in answer to the speech 
from the throne, was moved by the 
Earl of Bathurst, who, after cus- 
tomary apologies for himself, and 
some observations on the import- 
ance of the subject on which he 
was about to offer a motion to their 
lordships, 
