58] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



in boxes was to be the duty of a 

 private secretary, it could not be 

 requisite that he should be a privy 

 counsellor.or have a salary of 2,000/. 

 a year. But, in fact, the place of 

 Colonel M'Mahon was of much 

 greater consequence : and the ho- 

 nourable gentleman affirmed, that 

 he was really a sworn adviser of 

 the crown, and in the eye of the 

 law was responsible for the con- 

 tents of every paper laid before the 

 regent. The office was either a 

 public official one, or it was not: 

 if the first, let the person who held 

 it be appointed a secretarj' of state ; 

 if the latter, let him not be a privy 

 counsellor with such a salary. 



The Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer observed, that the question 

 could be considered only in two 

 points of view, either as the office 

 was illegal, or as it was inexpe- 

 dient. As to the first, was it con- 

 tended, that the crown had no 

 power to create a new office ? He 

 would refer to the statute book for 

 proof that such power was consti- 

 tutional. Further, he would deny 

 that this was a new one, as that of 

 Colonel Taylor was exactly simi- 

 lar. It had been asserted that the 

 private secretary of the Regent 

 was the organ of his pleasure to all 

 his subjects ; but if it were meant 

 by that phrase as signifying his ap- 

 probation or disapprobation of any 

 state act, it was not true that Co- 

 lonel M'Mahon was competent to 

 communicate the pleasure of the 

 Regent in any way that could au- 

 thorize any subject in the land to 

 attend to it. This was no state of- 

 fice, but simply an appointment to 

 relieve the bodily and manual la- 

 bour which the prodigious influx 

 of public business attached to the 

 royal functions. The right honour- 



able gentleman, to shew the ex- 

 pediency of the appointment, then 

 entered into some particulars of the 

 vast mass of business which came 

 before the Regent, and which af- 

 forded abundant occupation for 

 such an officer to alleviate his la- 

 bour ; and he drew a comparison 

 between the condition of bis Ma- 

 jesty, inured from early youth to 

 habits of diligence, and the routine 

 of government, and that of the 

 Prince Regent, who came to the 

 task at a so much later period of life. 

 He concluded with some sarcasm 

 on the affected importance attach- 

 ed to the subject. 



Mr. Ponsonby asked what was 

 to be inferred from the argument 

 of the necessity of the appoint- 

 ment? Why, that it was to be a 

 perpetual, a permanent office. 

 Every future sovereign might claim 

 the same privilege, if the prece- 

 dent were established. He would 

 then beg the house to look a little 

 to the future. We might have a 

 monarch whose debilitated frame 

 would render assistance of that 

 kind dangerous, or one whose love 

 of indolence and abhorrence of 

 public duty would equiiUy dispose 

 him to employ it. Would that 

 private secretary have no influence 

 on the government under such cir- 

 cumstances ? Was it not likely 

 that the sovereign would some- 

 times lean upon his opinions and 

 suggestions i* It was not in the 

 nature of things but that such an 

 officer must be a powerful instru- 

 ment in the administration. It 

 became, therefore, the duty of par- 

 liament rigidly to hiquire into the 

 nature and duties of such a post. 



Several other gentlemen follow- 

 ed on each side, some supporting the 

 appointment on account of its uti- 

 lity. 



