GENERAL HISTORY. 



[215 



CHAPTER XIX. 



l)omestic Occurrences.— His Majesty's State. — General Tranquillity of 

 Great Britain. — Disturbed State of Ireland. — Proceedings of the 

 Irish Roman Catholics. — Princess of Wales. — Princess Charlotte of 

 Wales. — Attempt to alter the Corn Laws. — Commercial Prospects. 



riiHE official reports respecting 

 ■^ his majesty's state during 

 the present jear have almost uni- 

 formly beenj that his bodily health 

 has remained unimpaired, and his 

 mental condition has been com- 

 posed and tranquil, but without 

 the least improvement in his intel- 

 lectual faculties. It cannot be 

 doubted that the case is now abso- 

 lutely decided, and that the regen- 

 cy is to all intents and purposes 

 constituted a reign. 



This jear, like the last, has been 

 little disturbed by commotions in 

 any part of the island of Great 

 Britain ; for a few outrages com- 

 mitted by the frame-breakers in 

 Nottinghamshire scarcely deserve 

 notice. It is even remarkable 

 how little the vast assemblages of 

 people in the metropolis and other 

 towns, drawn together by the fes- 

 tivities and unusual objects of cu- 

 riosity which the time has afforded, 

 have tended to excite a riotous 

 di8|)ositiou in the populace ; and if 

 the demeanor of the mob has 

 sometimes been marked with rude 

 famiiiaritj' towards the illustrious 

 visitants, it never put on the ap- 

 pearance of ill-humour or mis- 

 chievous propensity. The rejoic- 

 ings on account of the peace were 

 hearty and general, and frequently 

 otfiered very pleasing displays of 



coalescence between the superior 

 and inferior ranks, marked by 

 bounty in the former, aud decency 

 in the latter. 



In the sister island, however, 

 the year has been distinguished by 

 a very different state of things. 

 Such a spirit of outrage and law- 

 less violence was manifested in 

 several of the Irish counties, that 

 it was thought necessary to arm 

 the magistracy with extraordinary 

 powers for the preservation of the 

 public peace; and in our narrative 

 of parliamentary proceedings will 

 be found the particulars of the 

 measures adopted on this occasion, 

 as well as the discussions with 

 which they were attended. A 

 more full and unbiassed account of 

 these disorders and their causes 

 was however thought to have been 

 given in a celebrated charge from 

 Judge Fletcher, for which reason 

 we have presented it entire to our 

 readers. 



It was observed, in relating the 

 proceedings of the Irish- Roman 

 Catholics during the last year, 

 that a spirit of disunion had mani- 

 fested itself in that body, which 

 had operated unfavourably upon 

 the efforts towards an improve- 

 ment of their situation ; and the 

 same remark will apply to the pre- 

 sent year. In the beginning erf 



