GENERAL HISTORY. 



[151 



to inquire into all abuses of cha- 

 i-ities by which the property of 

 the poor had been dilapidated and 

 plundered by those who met with 

 the sanction of some, the fellow- 

 feeling of others, and the pro- 

 tection of many — as was obvious 

 from the vote of tliat night. 



Mr. Canning spoke to order ; 

 and several other members also 

 followed the same course, there 

 being no question before the 

 House. A desultory conversa- 

 tion ensued as to the subject of 

 form ; and at length, the motion • 

 for an adjournment being with- 

 dravra, on the motion of lord 

 Castlereagh the Lords amend- 

 ments to the bill were read, and 

 agreed to. 



At the close of the session, the 

 Prince Regent delivered the fol- 

 lowing Speech from the throne. 



" My Lords and Gentlemen ; 



" It is with deep regret that I 

 am again under the necessity of 

 announcing to you, that no alter- 

 ation has occurred in the state of 

 his Majesty's lamented indisposi- 

 tion. 



" I continue to receive from 

 foreign powers the strongest as- 

 surances of their friendly disposi- 

 tion towards this country, and of 

 their desire to maintain the gene- 

 ral tranquillity. 



" I am fully sensible of the 

 attention which you have paid to 

 the many important objects which 

 have been brought before you, 



" I derive peculiar satisfaction 

 from the measure which you have 

 adopted, in pursuance of my re- 

 commendation, for augmenting 

 the number of places of public 

 worship belonging to the Esta- 

 blished Church ; and I confidently 

 trust, that this measure will be 



productive of the most beneficial 

 effects on the religion and moral 

 habits of the people. 



" Gentlemen of the House of 

 Commons ; 



" I thank you for the supplies 

 which you have granted to me 

 for the service of the present 

 year ; and I highly approve of the 

 steps you have taken with a view 

 to the reduction of the unfunded 

 debt. 



" I am happy to be able to in- 

 form you that the revenue is in a 

 course of continued improvement. 



" My Lords and Gentlemen ; 



" On closing this session, I 

 think it proper to inform you, 

 that it is my intention forthwith 

 to dissolve the present, and to 

 give directions for calling a new 

 parliament. In making this com- 

 munication, I cannot refrain from 

 adverting to the important change 

 which has occurred in the situa- 

 tion of this country, and of Eu- 

 rope, since I first met you in this 

 place. 



" At that period, the dominion 

 of the common enemy had been 

 so widely extended over the con- 

 tinent, that resistance to his 

 power was by many deemed to 

 be hopeless : and in the extremi- 

 ties of Europe alone was such re- 

 sistance effectually maintained. 



" By the unexampled exer- 

 tions which you enabled me to 

 make, in aid of countries nobly 

 contending for independence, and 

 by the spirit which was kindled 

 in so many nations, the continent 

 was at length delivered from the 

 most galling and oppressive ty- 

 ranny under which it had ever 

 laboured; and I had the happi- 

 ness, by the blessing of Divine 

 Pr'ovidence, to terminate, in con- 

 junction 



