194] ANNUAL REGISTER, 
the wisdom of parliament might 
seem expedient.* 
The duke of Bedford contended 
for the necessity of appointing a. 
select committee, in crder to in- 
quire into the causes of the present 
embarrassments. He had an objec- 
tion to a secret committee, being 
of opinion, that,in order to restore 
the confidence of the nation, the 
greatest publicity ought to be given 
to its proceedings. His grace there- 
fore moved, ‘* That aselect com- 
mittee, of fifteen peers, be appoint- 
ed to inquire into the causes for is- 
suing the order of council of 26th 
of February last.’? 
Lord Grenville differed from the 
noble duke, not on the propriety 
of an.inguiry, but on the distinc- 
tion he made between a secret and 
a select committee, He was of 
sicterts that asecret committee was 
pier he therefore moved, as 
an’ amendment, that for select, the 
word secret should be substituted. 
‘The duke of Norfe!k had no 
objection to a secret committee, 
if it was openly appointed: but 
he objected to the mode of cheo- 
sing a committee by ballot, be- 
cause it was well known that 
such committees’ were chosen by 
the minister's friends. In the last 
cominittee, there were no fewer 
than three cabinet ministers, who 
were the very persons who signed 
the order of council in question, 
and two of whom were near re- 
Jations of the minister. After a 
short ste eee. that ensued be- 
1797. 
tweén the duke of Bedford and 
lord Grenville, his lordship’s mo- 
tion was agreed to; on which he 
moved, that the committee be cho- 
sen by ballot. 
The duke of Bedford observed, 
that it was notorious, that the last 
committee was composed of those 
very persons whose conduct was 
implicated in the inquiry; and 
shameful, that men should be ap- 
pointed judges of their own acts. 
He was, therefore, of opinion, that 
the committee should be openly 
nominated by their Jordships, and 
madea motion to that effect. But, 
ona division of the house, the ap- 
pointment of a committee by bale 
lot was carried.+ 
The report of this committee 
was taken into consideration, in the 
house of peers, on the fifteenth of 
May. The duke of Bedford said, 
when he first read the order of 
ccuncil, ascribing the drain of cash 
from the bank to unfounded alarms 
of invasion, he doubted the truth 
of the allegation. But when he 
found that a committee, appointed 
by ballot to inquire into the cir- 
cumstances which rendered. that 
order necessary, was composed not 
only of the zealous supporters of 
administration but of members of 
that very cabinet on whose conduct 
they were appointed to decide, his 
doubtswereconfirmed. He therefore 
thoughtit his duty to move for ano- 
thercommittee, with more extended 
powers than the former, which was 
agreed to. But the commitiee, as 
* The whole of the report, from which these particulars are extracted, will be found 
in the Chronicle, in this volume, page 96. 
+ These are the names of the committee chosen. 
The lord president, [earl of Chat- 
ham, |the dukeof Bedford, the earl of Derby, | the earl of Westmorland, the earl of Win- 
chelsea, lord Graham, lm uke of Montrose,] 
the earl of, Guildford, the earl of Hard- 
wicke, the earl Bathurst, the earl of Liv erpoal, lord Sydney. lord Roney, lord Auck-- 
land, lord Gwyder, and lord de Dunstanville. } vi, 
before, 
