4] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



French nation, he said, that in- 

 stead of having reduced its power 

 within moderate limits, we had 

 generated in them an implacable 

 spirit of animosity, the end of 

 which would probably be, that 

 liaving placed and supjjorted the 

 present family on the throne of 

 France, that family nmst ultimate- 

 ly re-establish its ])ovver by going 

 to war with this country. 



His lordship then went on to 

 consider, what he I'egardtd as the 

 most impoitant subject of atten- 

 tion in our present circumstances, 

 our intejnal situation. This he 

 contrasted with all that had taken 

 place in former cases, in order to 

 shew the much greater difficulties 

 we had now to encounter ; and 

 this led him to the q\jestion of a 

 reduction of the national expen- 

 diture. After various views on the 

 subject, he said, this and the other 

 House of Parliament must impose 

 on the ministers the duty of re- 

 trenchment. We must insist on 

 a retrenchment very ditferent from 

 that adverted to in the speech 

 from the throne. We must insist 

 upon a rigid unsparing economy, 

 an economy founded not on what 

 sound policy requires, but on what 

 necessity will admit ; not on what 

 government would have, but on 

 what the country can afford. Jf 

 vve cannot extend the means to 

 meet the expense of the establish- 

 ments, we must contract the es- 

 tablishments to meet the means. 



His lordship concluded a long 

 speech, by proposing the follow- 

 ing amendment : 



" That we have seen with the 

 deepest concern the continued eni- 

 bairassments of oui' agriculture, 

 manufactures, and commerce ; the 

 alaiming deficiency of the revenue, 

 and the unexampled and increas- 



ing distresses of all classes of his 

 Majesty's faithful subjects. 



" That we are wiiliuH: to indulge 

 the hope that these distresses may 

 be found, in part, to liave ori- 

 ginated from circumstances of a 

 tempoiary nature, and that some 

 alleviation of tiiem may be pro- 

 duced by tlie continuance of peace; 

 but that we should ill discharge 

 our duty to his Royal Highness, 

 and be guilty of countenancing a 

 most dangerous delusion, were we 

 to conceal from him our opinion, 

 that thepressure which now weighs 

 so heavily on the resources of the 

 country, is much more extensive 

 in its operation, moie severe in 

 its effects, more deep and general 

 in its causes, and more difficult to 

 be removed, than that which has 

 prevailed at the termination of any 

 former war. 



'■' Tiiat we are firmly persuaded 

 that the same exemplary patience 

 and fortitude with which all ranks 

 have hitherto boine the difficulties 

 under which they labour, will 

 continue to support them under 

 such burthens as may be found 

 indisjjensably necessary for the 

 unavoidable exigencies of the pub- 

 lic service ; but that to maintain 

 this disposition, it is incumbent 

 on parliament, by a sevei'e and vi- 

 gilant exercise of its powers to 

 prove that sacrifices, so painfully 

 obtained, are strictly limited to the 

 real necessities of the state. 



" That while we acknowledge 

 the gracious dispositions announ- 

 ced in his Royal Highness's speech 

 from the throne, we cannot help 

 expressing our regret that his 

 Royal Highness should not have 

 been sooner advised to adopt mea- 

 sures of the most rigid economy and 

 retrenchment, particularly with re- 

 spect to our military establish- 

 ments. 



