2] ANNUAL REGISTER, I8l6. 



their co-operation for carrying 

 them into effect. The House of 

 Commons was next congratulated 

 on the flourishing condition of the 

 manufactures, commerce, and re- 

 venue of the kingdom, and assur- 

 ed that they might rely upon every 

 disposition on the part of his 

 Royal Highness to concur in such 

 measures of economy as would be 

 found consistent with the se£urity 

 of the country, and the station 

 which it occupies in Europe. No- 

 tice was then taken of the com- 

 mercial treaty with America ; of 

 the termination of hostilities in 

 Ceylon, and the subsequent ar- 

 rangement with respect to that 

 island ; and of the armistice pre- 

 paratory to a negociation for peace 

 in India : and the speech con- 

 cluded with expiessing the Prince 

 Regent's determination, by the 

 justice aad moderation of his con- 

 duct, to endeavour to maintain 

 the high character whicli this 

 country has acquired with the 

 world, and his hope that the same 

 union among ourselves, which 

 has brought tiiis eventful strug- 

 gle to so happy an issue, will con- 

 tinue to promote the public pros- 

 perity. 



The usual address on the speech 

 was agreed to without opposition 

 in the House of Lords. In the 

 House of Commons, after the ad- 

 dress had been moved and se- 

 conded, Mr. Brand rose to move 

 an amendment, the substance of 

 which was to censure the minis- 

 ters for not having, without un- 

 necessary delay, convened parlia- 

 ment for the purpose of commu- 

 cating those important treaties 

 which were now to be laid before 

 them, after having been acted 

 upon for several months ; and to 



assure his Royal Highness that 

 the House would speedily under- 

 take a revisal of our civil and 

 military establishments, and also 

 would at an early period take into 

 serious consideration the present 

 state of the country. 



The amendment having been 

 seconded by Lord John Russet, the 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer in re- 

 ply began with refuting the charge 

 of delay respecting the treaties, by 

 the assertion that the treaty of 

 peace was only signed on Novem- 

 ber 20th, and that the exchange 

 of the ratifications did not take 

 place till the 20th of January, so 

 that only ten days had elapsed be- 

 fore the communication was made 

 to parliament, from which period 

 was to be deducted the time of 

 its transmission from Paris, and 

 of printing the papers. With re- 

 spect to the other topics of the 

 amendment, he maintained that 

 tl»e speech contained every pledge 

 which the House could reasonably 

 desire. After a few financial ob- 

 servations, he then took occasion 

 to a\ow the intchtion of ministers 

 to continue the income tax at the 

 rate of fi^ c per cent. 



In the debate on this occasion 

 several members on each side 

 took a part ; but as it was no 

 more tlian a kind of preludial 

 contest, in which a variety of to- 

 pics were touched upon in the way 

 of conversation, there is no ne- 

 cessity for entering into parti- 

 culars. When the division on the 

 amendment took place, the House 

 was so much thinned, that the 

 members were no more than For 

 the Amendment 23, Agahist it 90: 

 Majority 6T- Neither the mover 

 nor seconder appeared in the 

 division. 



When 



