596 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



STATE PAPERS. 



His yiajesf^'s Speech to both Houses 

 of Parliament, on the Meeting of 

 the second Se.-sio7i of the second 

 Parliament of the UnitedKingdom 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 and of the Kingdom of Great Bri- 

 tain the nineieeidh ; on the llud 

 Day of NovcmOcr, (AVh of the 

 King,) 1803. 

 My lords and _i;on(lemcn, 



SINCE I last met you in parlia- 

 ment it has been my cliief ob- 

 je6l to carry into eit'edt those mea- 

 sures, which your witdom hail 

 adopted for the dcionce of the 

 united kingdom, and for the vigo- 

 rous prosecution of the ^ar. In 

 these preparations I have been se- 

 conded by the voluntary exertions 

 of all ranks of my people, in a man- 

 ner that has, if possibli', strength- 

 ened their claims to my confidence 

 and atVection : they have shewn that 

 the menaces of the enen)y have only 

 served to rouse their native and 

 hereditary spirit ; and that all other 

 considerations are lost in a general 

 disposition to make those efforts 

 and sacritices which the honour and 

 safety of the kingdom demand, at 

 this important and critical conjunc- 

 ture. Though my attention has 

 principally been diredled to the great 

 object of internal security, no op- 

 portunity has been lost of making 

 an impression on the foreign posses- 



sions of the enemy. The islands 

 of St. Lucia, of Tobago,. oT St. 

 Pierre, and Miquelon, and tha 

 settlements of Demerara and Issi- 

 quibo have surrendered to the Bri- 

 tish arms. In the conduct of the 

 operations by which these valuable 

 acquisition* have been made, the 

 utmost promptitude and zeal have 

 been displayed by the officers em- 

 ployed on these services, and by my 

 forces acting nnder their command by 

 sea and land. In Ireland the lead- 

 ers and several inferior agents in the 

 late traitorous and atrocious con- 

 spiriicy, have been brought to jus- 

 tice, and the public tranquillity 

 has experienced no further inter- 

 ruption. I indulge the hope that 

 such of my deluded subjefts as have 

 swerved from their allegiance, arc 

 now convinced of their error ; and 

 that having comjjared the advantages 

 they derive from the protection of 

 a free constitution, with the con- 

 dition of those countries which ar« 

 under the dominion of the French 

 government, they will cordially and 

 zealously concur in resisting any at- 

 tempt that may be made against the 

 security and independence of my 

 united kingdom. 



Gentlemen of the house of commons, 



I have a perfect reliance on your 



public spirit for making such pro- 



Tision 



