GENERAL HISTORY. 



[217 



at which the different contending 

 powers had all experienced re- 

 verses, to set on foot negociations 

 for peace. He then proposed an 

 amendment to the address, which 

 consisted in omitting the warlike 

 part of it, and terminating by re- 

 commending to his Royal High- 

 ness the Prince Regent, in the 

 present state of affairs, when no 

 dishonourable object could be im- 

 puted to great Britain, Russia, or 

 France, the commencement of 

 overtures for the general pacifica- 

 tion of Europe. 



Sir George Heathcote seconded 

 the amendment, and some other 

 members joined in the debates, 

 after which the address was voted 

 without a division. 



On the question for bringing up 

 the report of the address in the 

 House of Commons, December 1st, 

 Mr. Creevey rose to notice the 

 omission in the speech of any 

 mention of the state of the revenue 

 and commerce of the country, and 

 after some observations on this 

 head moved, as an amendment, 

 that tlie address be brought up 

 this day week. It was seconded 

 hy Captain Bennett; and the 

 question being put, a desultory 

 debate or conversation ensued, in 

 which a number of members gave 

 their opinion on various topics 

 sujjgested by the address ; as, war 

 and peace, the finances, the dis- 

 pute with America, &c. These, 

 on the present occasion, could be 

 discussed only in a very cursory 

 manner ; for, as Mr. Ponsonby 

 remarked, addresses were now 

 merely complimentary echoes to 

 the speech, and were no more 

 pledges to any specific measures 

 to be proposed by ministers, than 



the signature of " your very hum- 

 ble servant" to a letter, pledged 

 thesubscriber to a particular service. 

 Two facts, however, were stated by 

 the Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 which may deserve recording : that 

 in 1809 the sum of 2,800,000/. 

 had been granted for the service 

 of the Peninsula, and during the 

 eleven corresponding months of 

 the present year, no less than 11-| 

 millions had been applied to the 

 support of the Spanish cause; and 

 that, while the exports of the king- 

 dom were in the last year but 8| 

 miUions, in this year they were 13 

 millions. He also explained a sup- 

 posed idea thrown out by him 

 concerning a tax on capital, to 

 have been no more than an as- 

 sertion, that if the necessity of such 

 a tax should occur, the nation 

 would bear it rather than submit 

 to au insatiableand insolent enemy. 

 The address was then read and 

 agreed to. 



Thanks to Lord Wellington, and 

 a grant to him of 100,000/. to be 

 laid out in land, were the subjects 

 which next engaged both houses 

 of parliament ; but as they exer- 

 cised the oratory rather than the 

 argumentative powers, of the dif- 

 ferent speakers — since there was 

 scarcely any other contention than 

 which party should most highly 

 extol the merits of the illustrious 

 general — it is unnecessary in this 

 place to record any particulars. 

 The votes on both questions passed 

 unanimousl}'. 



A second reading of the renewed 

 gold coin bill being the order of 

 the day in the House of Commons 

 on December 8th, Mr. Creevey 

 rose to state his objections to the 

 Bill. He said, that when the 



bullion 



