ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



Tast volunteer force, and the gene- 

 ral ardour manifested by every class 

 of Ills sii"biccts, which, iri their united 

 effect, liad completely checked, and 

 had been abundantly sufficienttode- 

 ter him from so desperate and hope- 

 less an enterprise. Ciu, while such 

 •was the actual state of alfairs, it must^ 

 te jreraembered, that the security of 

 the country had arisen from tlie 

 prompt and resolute determinations 

 of the government, and which tq 

 preserve in their full vigour, must 

 Bot be relaxed, even for a moment. 



His majesty then poceeclcd to 

 state that the conduct of tl^e court 

 of Spain, under the direct influence 

 of French councils, had been such, 

 as to compel him to take decisive 

 measures to guard against hostility 

 from that quarter, at the same time 

 that every eifort had been made by 

 him to avert the calamities of Mar 

 "with a country so circumstanced. 

 The refusal, however, of satisfactory 

 explanations on the part of that 

 power, had obliged the Knglish mi- 

 nister to depart from INIadrid, and 

 ^•ar had since been declared by 

 Spain against this kingdom; — all 

 the papers respecting which event 

 ?hould speedily be laid before par. 

 Ijament. 



His majesty next adverted to the 

 general conduct of tJie French go- 

 Yernment to\\arQS the continent, 

 as being recently marked by every 

 «pecies of outrage, and the most 

 amequivocal determination ^f that 

 yower to violate every principle of 

 public law or civilized usage, which 

 impeded the career of the present 

 Tuler of I'^rance, towards an uncon- 

 trolled predominance in Euroiic, if 

 not to universal dominion. — That 

 he had lately received a communica- 

 tion from that government, con- 

 taining proiessions of a paciiic ten- 



dency, to which, ho\\ ever, his ma- 

 jesty had been pleased to reply only 

 in general terms, expressive of his 

 wish for the rtstOiation of the bles- 

 sings of peace to the afflicted world, 

 but declining any riio'rc particular 

 explanations, without previous com- 

 munications with those powers to 

 whom he was cngagt'd in condden- 

 ticri interconrse and connection, 

 with a view to that important ob- 

 ject ; and especially with the empe- 

 ror of Russia, who had given tho 

 strons;est proofs of the most dig- 

 nified sentiment, and of the strongest 

 interest in the independence and 

 happiness of Europe. 



To the commons, his majesty ex- 

 pressed his sorrow for the additi- 

 onal burdens he was forced to impose 

 upon them, at the same time that he 

 expressed his conviction in their 

 willingness to support him in the 

 present arduous but necessary con- 

 test; and to both houses his ma- 

 jesty expressed, generally, his con- 

 viction that their most strenuous 

 efibrte would not be wanting to en- 

 able bira to prosecute the war with 

 vigour, and thereb}' conduce, in the 

 most etYec'ual manner, to its termi- 

 nation by a safe and honourablB 

 peace. 



After his majesty and the cora- 

 mons had withdrawn, and a copy of 

 the speech having been read by the 

 lord chancellor, — Lord Elliot moved 

 an address in answer, which, how- 

 ever, he did not think it necessary 

 to enforce, othcryjisc than by a 

 slight review of the diiTerent topics 

 to which it adverted. He appeared 

 to doubt the sincerity of the French 

 government in the late overtures for 

 negociai ion, and observed, with pride, 

 that the presumptuous busat made; 

 at the commencement of the war, 

 that this country was no longer able 



to 



