28] 
withstanding the admonition of con- 
stant experience, daily proving, in 
the face of Europe, that they had 
undertaken what was impracticable, 
or, at least, what they had not abi- 
lities to execute. The connection 
between the meetings, and the in- 
sult offered to the king, instead of 
being supported by the least evi- 
dence, was totally disproved by 
every circumstance. But ministens 
wanted a pretence for depriving the 
people of that privilege which they 
most dreaded, that of exposing their 
incapacity, their imprudence, or 
their evil designs. Which of those 
impulations lay heaviest on ministry 
it was hard to decide; but the pub- 
lic, at large, loudly charged them 
with every one of them. The stand- 
ing laws were of sufficient energy to 
reach and to punish conspiracy and 
sedition. To what end were addi- 
tional ones to be enacted, unless to 
arm ministry with powers unknown 
to the constitution ; and which, from 
their incompatibility with its na- 
ture, must unavoidably affect its 
destruction. 
cumbent upon every friend to the 
constitution to oppose the bill with 
the firmest perseverance, aS ihe pas- 
sing of it would prove the surest 
step towards that uncontrollable 
situation, wherein ministers had so 
long, and so visibly, made every 
effort to place themselves, After a 
few other remarks, on each side of 
the question, the motion for bring~ 
ing in the bill was carried by two 
hundred and fourteen against forty - 
two. 
The propriety of a call of the 
house, previously to the decision of 
so weighty a matter, being insisted 
on by Mr. Fox, he was told, by 
Mr. Dundas, that-he. had so litile 
objection to tis demand, that, urless 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
It was, therefore, in-~ 
1796. 
it could be made spparent, that e 
plurality of the people sided with 
ministry on this occasion, the bill 
ought certainly not to pass, but he 
was fully satisfied of rts being gene~ 
rally approved. He had, he said, 
‘* been besieged in his office, for 
months past, with applications for 
such a bill.” It was in concurrence 
with the desire of a great number of 
persons of weight with ministers, 
that they had “been persuaded to 
bring it into parliament. 
The speech of Mr. Dundas gave 
occasion to Mr. Sheridan of making 
some pointed observations. Minis- 
ters, he said, had, in the first in- 
stance, grounded the necessity of 
the bill upon the outrageous beha- 
viour of the populace; but the force 
of truth had now*compelled them 
to acknowledge, however imadver- 
tently, that this bill had long before 
been resolved upon: thus the pro- 
fessions of ministers were unwerthy 
of credit, and their arguments stood 
upon no justifiable grounds; they 
made the first in defiance of truth, 
and they used the second with un~ 
deniable consciousness of their im- 
propriety. Mr. Sheridan concluded 
by intimating that ministerial re- 
sentment, at their disappointment 
in the trial of Hardy, and the other 
members of the corresponding so- 
ciety, had, ever since, been brood 
Ing over the means of obtaining re- 
venge. 
Mr. Maurice Robinson, and Mr, 
Grey, seconded the motion of Mr. 
Fox for a call of the house, before 
a final decision took place in a bu- 
siness of such universal concern to 
the nation: the motion was ayreed 
to accordingly, and the call ap- 
pointed for that day fortnight. 
Jn a committee of the whole house 
of peers, on the eleventh of No- 
vember, 
a I et 
ee ee 
