98] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



eluded on July 12th, with the 

 following speech from his Royal 

 Highness the Prince Regent. 

 " My Lords and Gentlemen ; 



" I cannot close this session of 

 parliament, without renewing my 

 expressions of deep regret at the 

 continuance of his Majesty's la- 

 mented indisposition. 



" The diligence with which you 

 have applied yourselves to the 

 consideration of the different ob- 

 jects which 1 recommended to 

 your attention at the commence- 

 ment of the session, demands my 

 warmest acknowledgments ; and 

 I have no doubt that the favour- 

 able change which is happily 

 taking place in our internal situ- 

 ation, is to be mainly ascribed 

 to the salutary measures which 

 you have adopted for preserving 

 the public tranquillity, and to 

 j'our steady adherence to tliose 

 principles by which the constitu- 

 tion, lesources, and credit of the 

 country ha\e been hitherto pre- 

 served and maintained 



" Notwithstanding the arts and 

 industry which have been too suc- 

 cessfully exerted in some pai ts of 

 the country to alienate the affec- 

 tions of his Majesty's suljjects, 

 and to stimnlate them to acts of 

 violence and insurrection, I have 

 had the satisfaction of receiving 

 the most decisive proofs of the 

 loyalty and public spirit of the 

 great body of the people; and 

 the patience with which they ha^e 

 sustained the most se\ ere tempo- 

 rary distress cannot be too highly 

 commended, 



" 1 am fully sensible of the 

 confidence which vou have mani- 

 fested towards me, by the extra- 

 ordinary powers which you have 

 placed in my hands : th< necessity 

 which has called for them is to me 



matter of deep regret ; and you 

 may rely on my making a tempe- 

 rate but effectual use of them, for 

 the protection and security of his 

 Majesty's loyal subjects. 



" Gentlemen of the House of 

 Commons ; 



" I thank you for the supplies 

 which you have granted to me ; 

 and for the laborious investigation 

 which, at my recommendation, 

 you have made into the state of 

 the income and expenditui'e of the 

 country. 



"It has given me sincere plea- 

 sure to find tlat yo\i have been 

 enabled to provide for every branch 

 of the public service without any 

 addition to the bxu'thens of the 

 people. 



"The state of public credit 

 afTords a decisive ])roof of the 

 wisdom and expediency, under all 

 the present circumstances, of those 

 financial arrangements which you 

 have adopted. 



" 1 have every reason to belie>e 

 that the deficiency in the revenue 

 is, in a great degree, to be as- 

 cribed to the unfavourable Jtate 

 of the last season j and I look for- 

 ward with sanguir.e expectations 

 to its gradual improvement. 



" My Lords and Gentlemen ; 



" The measures which were in 

 progress at the commencement of 

 the session, for the issue of a new 

 silver coinage, have been canied 

 into execution in a manner which 

 has gi\en universal satisfaction; 

 and to complete the sy.'item which 

 has been sanctioned by parlianjent, 

 a gold coinage of a new denomi- 

 nation has been ptovicied for the i 

 convenience of the public. 



"I continue to receive from 

 foreign ])owers the strongest as- 

 surances of their friendly disposi- 

 tion towards this country, and of 



their I 



