52} ANNUAL REGISTER, .1815. 
éach member rose tospeak. Mr. 
W. Smith said that he apprehend- 
ed that the marriage of the 
duke of Cumberland was disa- 
greeable to the royal Family, and 
that it was reported that his new 
connection would not be received 
at court, and he wished to ask 
whether this were the fact. 
Tierney having repeated the ques- 
tion, Lord Castlereagh said that he 
should abstain from answering 
any interrogatories tending to vi- 
lify the royal Family, and that he 
did not think the right hon. gen- 
tleman had a right to put such 
questions. Mr. T. however per- 
sisted, and asked whether her 
Majesty had not declared that she 
would not receive the duchess of 
Cumberland at court; and whe- 
ther she had not decidedly disap- 
proved of a proposed marriage 
between the princess of Salms 
and the duke of Cambridge? 
These questions receiving no re= 
ply, the House first divided on the 
amendment, which was rejected 
by 74 to 62. A motion for bring- 
ing a bill conformably to the re- 
‘solution was then carried by 75 
to 62. 
The bill being presented on the 
0th by the Chancellor of the Ex- 
ehequer, and the first reading 
moved for, the opposition was re- 
sumed by Lord Archibald Hamil- 
ton, on theground of the uncontra- 
dicted report of the Queen’s hos- 
tility to the marriage; and Mr. 
Burrel who followed, moved an 
amendment for reading the bill 
‘on that day three months. It now 
appeared that the question had 
taken a strong hold on the public 
feelings; for, in a much fuller 
House than before, the first read- 
Mr. . 
ing was carried only by the mas 
jority of 100 to 92. 
The final decision took place on 
July 3rd, upon the motion of the 
second reading of the bill. On 
this occasion Mr. Wilberforce 
viewed the question as having a 
reference to the public morals. 
He said that the various rumours 
afloat respecting the person with 
whom the connection was formed 
in this marriage, was a strong 
corroboration of the report that 
she would not be received by the 
Queen. He conceived that par- 
liament was called upon to exer- 
cise a sound discretion on the 
subject before them; and if in 
expressing its opinion any pain 
was inflicted, the blame was attri- 
butable to those only who had 
brought the measure forward. 
The House ought to withhold its 
sanction to the connection, if it 
were such as the Queen refused to 
approve, which refusal they were 
justified in inferring. 
Mr. Western having moved fur 
deferring the reading to that day 
six months, his amendment was 
carried by the majority of one: 
the numbers being yeas126, noes 
125. Thus terminated a discus+ 
sion which will be memorable in 
parliamentary history, as one of 
those examples. of the preponde- 
rating influence of moral estimate 
in the British House of Commons, 
which, whenever they occur, can 
not but be regarded as highly ho- 
nourable to the national character. 
The high price of bread for 
some years past ‘had produced 
considerable research into the 
causes of a circumstance which 
pressed hard upon thé Jower 
ranks of society, anda committee 
ery bs | 
