THE 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 



For the Year 1813. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



CHAPTER I. 



Petitions presented to Parliament. — Declaration of the Prince Regent 

 respecting the Origin and Causes of the War with America, and Dis- 

 cussions on the Subject in both Houses. — Proceedings on the Bill for 

 appointing a V ice-Chancellor. — Debates on Sir Samuel Romillys 

 Bill respecting private Stealing in Shops, S^c. and on his Bills for 

 taking axeai) Corruption of Blood, and for altering the Punishment 

 for High Treason. 



ON the meeting of parliament 

 after the recess, February 2, 

 the tables were immediately crowd- 

 ed with petitions relative to the 

 two great subjects which were ex- 

 pected to receive their final dis- 

 cussion in this session ; the renewal 

 of the East India charter, and the 

 claimsoftheRoraanCatholics.With 

 respect to the first, it was merely 

 a contQBt between difFerentlocal or 

 particular interests; and whilst all 

 those places and bodies which were 

 at present excluded from the bene- 

 fits of East Indian commerce join- 

 ed in requesting that the monopoly 

 might be abolished, and the trade 

 \oi.. LV. 



thrown open, all those, on the 

 other hand, who were enjoj'ing 

 profits, either directly or remotely, 

 from the existing state of things, 

 equally concurred in opposing the 

 principle of alteration. Nothing 

 could be more simple than the 

 motives, or more uniform than the 

 strain of argument, on each side. 



The Roman Catholic question, 

 though agitated upon the whole 

 with great uniformity of language 

 and reasoning, was more varied in 

 its objects and principles. To the 

 obvious interests of the individuals 

 of that communion in freeing 

 themselves from degrading re- 



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