GENERAL HISTORY. 



[G3 



it safe and convenient to bring 

 those preparations under tlie view 

 of tliat House. Tlie best plan to 

 pursue was, to allow the Bank to 

 proceed silently and cautiously 

 in the progress of its preparations. 

 Into the circumstances which had 

 since occurred, or were likely to 

 occur, to postpone that resump- 

 tion, he was not then disposed to 

 enter; but he M'ould maintain 

 that the Bank was entitled to con- 

 fidence for the rectitude of its 

 conduct, and its disposition to 

 comply with the wishes of parlia- 

 ment and the public, as soon as 

 it should be deemed advisable 

 to remove the restriction. He 

 could not, therefore, sanction 

 any measure which implied doubt 

 as. to this institution ; and he felt 

 it his duty to oppose the noble 

 lord's motion. 



Mr, Grcnjhll remarked, that 

 the motion was more interesting 

 to the cause of the Bank than to 

 that of the public; and therefore 

 he was surprised to find that no 

 director rose to speak upon it, 

 especially as he had lately seen 

 no less than four directors in the 

 House. The chancellor of the 

 exchequer was always ready to 

 step forward as the champion of 

 the Bank, without the aid of a 

 single speech from any of the 

 Directors of that institution ; of 

 the votes of all of whom, how- 

 ever, he was of course fully 

 assured, especially upon any 

 question connected with their 

 own interest. As to the motion 

 of his noble friend, the chancellor 

 of the exchequer's objections 

 were the same, he perceived, as 

 those which he had advanced to 

 a similar motion in July last. The 

 case of the country, as well as 



that of the Dank, were, however, 

 rather different at the present 

 time. In July the chancellor of 

 the exchequer observed, that to 

 accede to his noble friend's mo- 

 tion would only serve to gratify 

 an idle curiosity, as the Bank had 

 virtually resumed its payments in 

 cash. But this was a statement 

 w4uch the right hon. gentleman 

 would hardly venture to make on 

 the present occasion. The mo- 

 tion of his noble friend, against 

 which the right hon. gentteman 

 had advanced neither fact nor 

 argument, was such, in his opi- 

 nion, as the House ought to 

 adopt, especially with a view to 

 obtain such information as was 

 peculiarly necessary to guide its 

 judgment upon the discussion of 

 the bill, which was soon to be 

 expected for the farther conti- 

 nuance of the restriction upon the 

 payment of cash by the Bank. 



The House divided : Ayes, 1 1 ; 

 Noes, 34. 



Mr. Tierncy then rose to de- 

 clare his purpose of moving for 

 the production of certain papers 

 connected with the issues of the 

 Bank of England, to which, he 

 understood, no objection was in- 

 tended. The motion went to the 

 farther continuation of the weekly 

 accounts of issues of the Bank 

 from the third of February to 

 the third of the present month 

 (Mai-ch). It was necessary for 

 him to advert to some circum- 

 stances in order to put the House 

 in possession of what was his 

 object in moving for the produc- 

 tion of the accounts of the weekly 

 issues, and of the course which it 

 might be his duty to take respect- 

 ing the engagements of the Bank 

 with the country as to the re- 

 sumption 



