5^4 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



their respective opinions on the va- 

 rious topics which the full discus- 

 sion of the king's speech naturally 

 embraced ; both to the sentiments 

 and arguments of those who 

 thought themselves still qualified 

 to govern the country, and to the 

 sentiments and arguments of those 

 who thought themselves better fit- 

 ted for that ardent situation. 

 And the result of the Avhole was, 

 to confirm more and more that 

 calm conviction of mind, with 

 which he had entered that House, 

 of the necessity, sooner or later, 

 of an entire change of system ; 

 and a thorough, constitutional, 

 and temperate reform in parlia- 

 ment. With respect to the lead- 

 ing complaints made against the 

 present ministry, never were men 

 in such a state of self-abandon- 

 ment. They had nothing to say 

 for themselves ; and could have 

 confidence in nothing but in that 

 assembly, in which there seemed 

 to be a mysterious something that 

 might justify the most culpable 

 in expectations the most extrava- 

 gant, not only of impunity, but 

 protection. Yet he could derive 

 no hope of any benefit to the pub- 

 lic from a change of ministrj. 

 Change of men could do nothing, 

 while they would be necessarily 

 obliged to act up to that fatal sys- 

 tem in whicli all our danger lay. 

 He enumerated several, among 

 the many acts of administration 

 since the commencement of the 

 recess, which had been the subject 

 of general complaint. Of these 

 hejre was one more immediately 

 growing out of the system to which 

 he had alluded, than the rest. 

 This was, the insult that had been 

 inflicted, in his ma-esty's name, on 

 the corporatioQ oi London. The 



king's speech, at the opening of 

 parliament, ought to be a gene- 

 ral exposition of every prominent 

 event and extensive operation that 

 had occurred du ring the recess, and 

 not a mere milk-and-water compo- 

 sition, turning merely on general 

 positions, not to be disputed, and 

 so cautiously shaped and modelled 

 by the apprehensions of ministers, 

 as to slide liarmlessly through dis- 

 cussion. The present speech said 

 nothing of the state of affairs in 

 India. While in this respect the 

 speech was defective, in another it 

 was redundant. He alluded to 

 what had been tacked to the speech 

 relative to the poorer order of the 

 clergy. He should be sorry to 

 oppose any method of relieving 

 their wants, if this could be ef- 

 fected without imposing additional 

 exactions on a burthcncd and al- 

 most exhausted country. If the 

 poor clergy were so indigent, they 

 could not derive relief from a fitter 

 source than tlie wealthy part of 

 their own calling. The higher 

 order of the established clergy 

 were, in all conscience, rich 

 enough to contribute to the poorer 

 class of their brotherhood ; and 

 while they were amply gifted with 

 the means, it would be invidious 

 to express a doubt that men of 

 their profession would be wanting 

 in the inclination. 



Mr. Yorke called on the House 

 to observe tlje remarkable words 

 made use of by sir Francis Burdett, 

 whenever he spoke of the House of 

 Commons, whom lie always called 

 " this assembly," " this room," or 

 " this meeting." If by this the 

 honourable baronet meant to insi- 

 nuate that they were not the legal 

 and constitutional representatives 

 of the people, he dissented from 



