GENERAL HISTORY. 



[143 



topics which had unfortunately 

 been brought forward iu that house, 

 and the only tendency of which was 

 to disturb the public mind. His 

 lordship then, in a long speech, 

 which seemed intended to supply 

 the deficiencies of the ministers in 

 the former debate, touched upon 

 the subjects in the Princess's let- 

 ters to the Queen and Regent, and 

 contended against any right be- 

 longing to her of demanding ad- 

 mission to her Majesty's drawing- 

 room. He said, her Royal High- 

 ness had been made the vehicle of 

 direct insult on the character and 

 conduct of the Prince Regent, and 

 defied any person to shew that his 

 Royal Highness ever betrayed 

 any thing of a vindictive nature 

 towards her. He entered into the 

 particulars of the pecuniary ar- 

 rangements between the Prince 

 and Princess, and proved that he 

 had made her a large allowance 

 compared to his own income. He 

 warmly deprecated any counte- 

 nance given by that House to an 

 attempt to degrade, in the eyes of 

 the nation, that family " which 

 brought liberty with it into the 

 country." With respect to the 

 suggestion of the hon. member, he 

 said, he had no objection to meet 

 any proposal which might here- 

 after be made on the part of the 

 Princess of Wales ; but he must 

 object to the present motion, as 

 being little calculated to lead to 

 the object which the mover pro- 

 fessed to have in view. One fact 

 brought forward in his lordship's 

 speech deserves notice ; it was, 

 that there is in existence an in- 

 strument, dated in 1809, signed 

 by the Prince and Princess of 

 Wales, approved of by his Majes- 

 1 ty» and to which his signature and 



that of most of the ministers of 

 the time, is applied, which pro- 

 vides for a distinct establishment 

 for the Princess, and admits the 

 fact of the separation as inevita- 

 ble. 



Mr. Whitbread began a speech 

 with disclaiming, on his part, and 

 on that of the other friends of the 

 Princess, any objects which they 

 dared not avow, and particularly 

 the purpose of obtaining money ; 

 and he also declared, that as far 

 as he had an opportunity of know- 

 ing her sentiment, such was not 

 the object of the Princess. He 

 then replied to the topics dwelt 

 upon in the speech of the noble 

 lord, and reminded him of theho- 

 nourable part he himself had taken 

 about a year since, in rescuing the 

 Princess from a cabal threatening 

 her life and honour. He made 

 various observations on the noble 

 lord's assertion, that nothing vin- 

 dictive appeared in the treatment 

 she had experienced. With regard 

 to his attributing the liberty of 

 the country to the house of Bruns- 

 wick, he said, that the noble lord 

 seemed to forget that we possessed 

 liberties before that house was 

 called to the throne ; and that it 

 was selected not to bestow, but to 

 maintain our liberties. He affirm- 

 ed, that the injuries and indigni- 

 ties which had been heaped upon 

 the Princess of Wales were the 

 sole consideration that had influ- 

 enced his conduct respecting her ; 

 and concluded with saying, " If 

 the house assents to a grant of 

 money, I shall be rejoiced at this 

 testimony of its approbation, but 

 it shall not silence me, if, on any 

 future occasion, I shall think the 

 Princess of Wales aggrieved. 

 Lord Castlcreagh-dnd Mr. Whit' 



