GENERAL HISTORY. 



[[S3 



the stamping of a stigma on an 

 administration, the whole of which 

 was not j'et before the house, and 

 throwing discredit on a govern- 

 ment when there was Httle pros- 

 pect of substituting a better in its 

 room. 



Sir John Newport made an 

 animated attack upon the last no- 

 ble lord, as having violated the 

 promises by which he carried the 

 union. 



The house at length divided on 

 the amendment, when there ap- 

 peared for it 170, against it 174 ; 

 majority against ministers, 4. 



Mr. Wortley's motion was then 

 carried without a division. Mrr* 

 W. next moved that the address 

 should be presented by the whole 

 house; but Mr. Yorke having 

 declared his intention of moving 

 the previous question upon it, Mr. 

 Wortley altered his motion to that 

 of its being presented by such 

 members of the house as are of 

 his Majesty's privy council. A di- 

 vision ensued, in which the motion 

 was negatived by 176 to 174. Mr. 

 Wortley expressed his utter sur- 

 prize that a motion of such high 

 importance should by any manage- 

 ment of finesse be suifered to re- 

 main a dead letter. A debate fol- 

 lowed in which the Speaker was 

 appealed to in order to extricate 

 the house from the disagreeable 

 embarrassment it had got into. 

 After some discussions on the point 

 of order, Mr. Wynn moved " that 

 the address be presented to his 

 Toj'al highness the Regent by Mr. 

 Stuart Wortley and Lord Viscount 

 Milton." This proposal was agreed 

 to without a division ; Mr. W. 

 asserting that he should consider 

 the day on which he presented 

 the address as the proudest of his 

 life. 



The address was accordingly 

 presented, and on May 22Md Mr. 

 VVortley reported the following 

 answer from his royal highness : 

 " 1 shall take into ray serious 

 and immediate consideration the 

 address which I received from the 

 House of Commons." 



A change m the ministry now 

 became the most interesting topic 

 of the time : and as it occasioned 

 much discussion and conversation 

 in both houses of ])arliament, we 

 shall proceed to give a succinct 

 and uninterrupted relation of the 

 most remarkable circumstances at- 

 tending it, to its final close. 



Mr. Brougham first incidentally 

 introduced the subject on May 

 26th, when, making a motion for 

 an account of the London dock 

 duties, he took occasion to observe 

 that it was then understood "that 

 the same vigorous and efficient ad- 

 ministration as guided the councils 

 of the country during the last 

 week, possessed again the confi- 

 dence of the Prince Regent, and 

 expected to regain the confidence 

 of the House of Commons." 

 He also had been informed that 

 there was an intention of moving 

 an adjournment of the House this 

 day, which he greatly deprecated. 



Mr. Whitbread followed with a 

 direct address to the noble lord 

 (Castlereagh) requesting from him 

 some distinct information respect- 

 ing his own situation and the pro- 

 gress made in forming an efficient 

 administration. 



His lordship in answer said, 

 that he knew of no intention of 

 moving an adjournment; and that 

 his own situation was now precise- 

 ly what it was last Friday (22nd), 

 he and his colleagues still retaining 

 their offices during the interim oc- 

 cupied in concerting arrangements, 



[G 2] on 



