84 
On the 14th day of March, the 
Prince of Wales’s annuity bill was 
read a second time in the house of 
lords ; previously to which,lord Pel- 
ham made some observations on the 
length of time, the prince had lived 
in a state of comparative obscurity ; 
and the universal wish that seemed 
iow to pervade the house, and the 
public; that he should be relieved 
from his difficulties, 
Lord Moira stated, that on ac- 
count of debts, which the prince 
‘found binding upon him, both in 
honor and in justice, he was_pre- 
vented even now from resuming his 
state and dignity; but felt grateful 
_ to parliament, and content with the 
allowance they had made him; 
and had instructed his counsel to 
drop the proceedings respecting 
Cornwall. 
The earl of Carlisle felt, that this 
“provision, was not sufficient to ena- 
ble his royal highness to resume 
his state; but in the present cir- 
cumstances of the country, he 
thought no more could be done. 
The earl of Darnley was of the 
Same opinion, but did not consider 
the situation of the country so peri- 
lous as to justify despondency. 
- The duke of Norfolk thought, the 
allowance for the prince insuffici- 
ent; and that a person of his ele- 
vated rank in the state, ought not 
to be left in a situation, where he 
was eclipsed by many lords and 
many commoners: he knew how- 
ever, that votes for a grant of money 
must originate in the other house. 
Lord Caernayon disapproved of 
the bill, as inadequate to its object, 
and as unconstitutional, in getting 
rid of the Cornwall claims, which 
was a civil list debt, without any 
mnquiry, ; 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 41803. 
The earl of Moira, in explana 
tion, denied that the abandoninérit 
of the Cornwall claims was at afl 
the eflect of a compromise : his 
royal highness had only made that 
claim for the benefit of bis credi- 
tors, but when he found that the 
allowance now proposed would ett 
nable him to Satisfy his debts, with- 
out recurring to it, he abandontd 
it with pleasure. The bill was 
then read a second time, and or- 
dered to be committed, 
The original proposition which 
had been made by ministers, for 
giving the prince of Wales an an- 
nuity of £60,000 per ann. for three 
years was the final settlement of 
this important business: for in a 
few days after, an event took place, 
which caused the prince to signify 
to the house by Mr. Erskine, (his 
chancellor) that he could not think 
at such a time, of increasing farther 
the burdens of the country; and 
, that he was perfeetly satisfied with 
what parliament had done. 
This large division against Mr. 
Addington, in the house of com- 
mons, the greatest he had yet en- 
countered, sufficiently manifested 
the sense of the house, to be with 
the prince of Wales; and the 
public beheld, in the minister’s 
conduct upon this oceasion, either 
a mystetious ambiguity, or a low 
spirit of chicane, equally unworthy 
the hich situation he filled. It was 
recollected, with surprize, that ad- 
ministration had refused to enter- 
tain, in the course of the last ses- 
gion of parliament, a proposition for 
consideting the amount of his royal 
highness’s claims, as the creditor 
of the publie; and the reference he 
proposed to make upon them to the 
“judgment and wisdom of the legis- 
lation, 
