GENERAL HISTORY. 



[5 



ments. That to prompt and effec- 

 tual reductions in this and every 

 other branch ot" the public expen- 

 diture, this House must naturally 

 look, as the first step to relieve 

 the distresses and redress the 

 grievances of which the people so 

 justly complain ; and that to ena- 

 ble themselves to assist his Royal 

 Highness by their advice in the 

 execution of a duty so imperiously 

 called fur by the present situation 

 of the country, they will lose no 

 time in instituting a strict inquiry 

 into the state of the nation." 



The speakers who successively 

 followed were the Earl of Har- 

 rowby, Earl Grosvenor, the Earl 

 of Aberdeen, Lord St. John, Earl 

 Bathurst, the JNIarquis W'ellesley, 

 Viscount Sidmouth and the Earl 

 of Darnley. It will scarcely be 

 necessary to remark that the mi- 

 nisters and their opponents widely 

 differed in the conclusions they 

 were led to draw • from the pre- 

 mises. The question was then 

 put, and the amendment being 

 negatived without a division, the 

 Address was agreed to. 



In the House of Commons an 

 amendment exactly of the same 

 import was movetl by IMr. Pon- 

 sonby, to an address to be pre- 

 sented to the Prince Regent. It 

 engaged, many of the piincipal 

 speakers on both sides, among 

 whom were ISlr. Bathurst, Mr. 

 Lamb, Mr. Charles Grant, Mr. 

 Curwen, Mr. Bankes, Mr. Canning, 

 Mr. Brougham, and Mr. Tierney. 

 The amendment was I'ejected by 

 2G 4 to 1 1'2, and th^; original mo- 

 tion vv:is then carried. 



ruiNCE regent's message. 



On Feb. 3d, the Prince Regent 

 sent to each House of Parlia- 



ment a message to the following 

 purpose : 



" His Royal Highness the 

 Prince Regent, acting in the name 

 and on the behalf oF his Majesty, 

 has given orders that there be laid 

 before the House papers contain- 

 ing information respecting certain 

 practices, meetings, and combi- 

 nations in the metropolis, and in 

 different parts of the kingdom, 

 evidently calculated to endanger 

 the public tranciuillity, to alienate 

 the affections of his Majesty's sub- 

 jects from his Majesty's person 

 and government, and to bring into 

 hatred and contempt the whole 

 system of our laws and constitu- 

 tion. His Royal Highness recom- 

 mends to the House to take these 

 papers into their immediate and 

 serious consideration." 



On February 4th, Lord Sidmouth 

 rose in tlie House of Lords to 

 propose an answer to this commu- 

 nication. If the answer should be, 

 as he did not question that it 

 would, an agreement with his 

 Royal Highness's proposal, it was 

 his own intention to refer the 

 message to a committee of secrecy ; 

 and all he had to desire, was that 

 their lordships would abstain from 

 making up their minds till they 

 were in possession of tlie informa- 

 tion which was to be laid before 

 them. One remark he further had 

 to make, which was, that the 

 present connmmici'tion was in no 

 degree the consequence of the 

 shameful outi-age on tlie Prince, 

 which was viewed, not only by the 

 parliament; but by the great body 

 of the people, with detestation 

 and honor. He concluded with 

 moving an address of thanks to 

 the Piince Retrent for his mes- 



In 



