32 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



Leave was given to bring in the 

 bill. 



On Mr. secretary Yorkc rising to 

 move ttie second reading of the bill 

 for consolidating the volunteer laws, 

 on the 27th of February, sir Ro- 

 bert Lawley rose, and said, tliat 

 ever since the 14th of the present 

 month, the house, in common with 

 the public, had been in possession 

 of the melancholy information, that 

 his majesty had been confmcd by a 

 dangerous and doubtful illness. — 

 Without wishing to enquire minute- 

 ly into this delicate and distressing 

 subje(^t, he thought, that parliament 

 Lad a right to some explicit commu- 

 nication. No hope was held out, in 

 the medical reports*, of a speedy 

 termination of the disorder. lie, 

 therefore, wished some satisfactory 

 answer, or he should feel it his duty 

 to move, that the house do now ad- 

 journ. 



TheChancellor of the Exchequer, 

 (Mr. Addington) denied that any 

 such communication could be at- 

 tended with the , effect the last 

 speaker hoped from it; and that 

 any proceeding, founded upon com- 

 munications, now made to the house, 

 by ministers, would be contrary to 

 the duty that parliament owed to 

 the king, and to the country ; that 

 it would be indecent, unprecedent- 

 ed, and unwarrantable. 



Sir Robert Lawley immediately 

 moved, that the house should ad- 

 journ. 



Mr. Fox did not see, that any 

 just notice of delicacy could be an 

 obstacle to a fair and liberal discus- 

 sion. He should, therefore, state 

 the reasons, why the answer of the 

 right hon. gentlemrn, (Mr. Adding- 

 ton) was not satisfa<5tory. The 



right honourable gentleman had 

 said, that it appeared to his majes- 

 ty's confidential servants, that no 

 communication to parliament was 

 necessary ;— that a communication 

 would be indecent ;— that no pro- 

 ceeding couid be grounded on it. 

 In answer to these extraordinary as- 

 sertions, he should say, that he 

 knew nothing, and that the consti- 

 tution knew nothing of any body of 

 men, calling themselves the confi- 

 dential servants of the king. He 

 knew of persons employed in the 

 executive ijftces of government, and 

 holding high oifices in his majesty's 

 service, but he did not know who 

 these confidential servants were, 

 lie did not know that there was a 

 distinction superior to that of the 

 privy council. While the sovereign 

 was in health, he consulted more 

 with his ministers, than with any- 

 other privy counsellors, but when, 

 from illness, or any other cause, he 

 Mas unable to discharge the func- 

 tions of royalty, then, persons,call- 

 ing themselves confidential servants 

 of the crown, were no n)ore than 

 ordinary privy counsellors. Hut it 

 was a matter of serious importance 

 to know, whether the opinion which 

 the right honourable gentleman 

 had professed about the propriety 

 of a communication, were, or were 

 not founded, on the knowledge of 

 his majesty's present state of Ileal th, 

 or the probability of a speedy reco- 

 very ? As to the probable duration 

 of his majesty's illness, or his abili- 

 ty to resume the ordinary functions 

 of royalty, there was no informa- 

 tion given either to parliament or 

 the country. It was clear, from the 

 reports that were published, that 

 the sjieedy recovery of his majesty's 



Vide the bulletins in the " Chronicle," for February and Jlarch. 



health 



