117] ey Sa 
STATE PAPERS. 
His Majesty’s most gracious Speech 
to both Houses of Parliament, 19th 
May, 1796. 
My Lords and Gentlemen, 
HE public business being now 
concluded, [ think it proper.to 
close this session, and at the same 
_ time toacquaint you with my inten- 
tion of giving immediate direétions 
for calling a new parliament. 
The objeéts: which haye engaged 
your attention during the present 
session, have been of peculiar im- 
portance; and the measures which 
you have adopted, have manifested 
your continued regard to the safety 
and welfare of the people. 
The bappiest effeéts have been 
experienced from the provisions 
which you have made for repress- 
ing sedition and civil tumult, and 
for restraining the progress of prin- 
ciples subversive of all established 
government. 
The difficulties arising to my 
subjeéts from the high price of 
corn, have formed a principal ob- 
jeét of your deliberation; and your, 
assiduity in investigating that sub- 
jeét, has strongly proved your anx- 
ious desire to omit nothing which 
could tend to the relief of my 
people, in a matter of such gene- 
ral concern. 1 have the greatest 
satisfaction in observing that the 
pressure of those difficulties is in 
@ great degree removed. 
_ Gentlemen of the House of 
Commons, 
I must in a more particular man- 
ner return you my thanks for the 
liberal supplies which you have 
granted to, meet the exigencies of 
the war.—While I regret the ex~ 
tent of those demands. which the 
present circumstances necessarily 
occasion, it is a great consolation 
to me to -observe the increasing 
resources by which the country 
is enabled to. support them. These 
resources are particularly manifest- 
ed in the state of the different 
branches of the revenue, in. the 
continued and progressive state: of; 
our navigation and commerce, in 
the steps which have been taken 
for maintaining and improving the 
public credit, and in the additionak 
provision which has been made 
for the reduétion of the national 
debt. 
My Lords and Gentlemen, 
I shall ever refleét with heartfelt 
satisfaétion on the uniform wise 
dom, temper, and firmness which 
have appeared in all your proceed- 
ings since I first met you in this 
place. Called to deliberate on the 
publi¢ affairs of your country in a 
period of foreign and domestic 
tranquillity, you had the happiness 
of contributing to raise this kings 
dom to a state of unexampled prose 
perity. You were suddenly com- 
pelled to relinquish the full ad« 
vantages of this situation, in order, 
to resist the unprovoked aggression 
of an.enemy whose hostility was 
direéted against all civil society, 
yl more ‘particularly against the 
3 happy 
