E N G J 
which he complimented the two houfes on their great at¬ 
tention and liberality. 
Soon after the recefs of parliament, the king, who had 
been for feme time indifpofed, was advifed by his phy- 
ficians to try the mineral waters of Cheltenham, which 
he was believed to drink in too profufe a quantity. On 
his return to Windfor, late in the hummer, his illnefs re¬ 
turned with new and alarming fymptoms. By the end of 
Oftober, it could no longer be concealed that the malady 
of the king was of a nature peculiarly afflictive and dread¬ 
ful. A mental derangement had taken place, which ren¬ 
dered him totally incapable of public bufinefs. 
The fituation of affairs was at this period fingularly cri¬ 
tical. The prince of Wales, into whofe hands the go¬ 
vernment of the country was then likely to fall, had con¬ 
ceived a deep refentment againft the minifters ; and he 
took no pains to conceal his decided predilection for the 
perfon and politics of Mr. Fox. This didinguifhed datef- 
man, on the earlied intelligence of the king’s indifpofi- 
tion, had returned from a hummer excurlion to the con¬ 
tinent with incredible expedition ; and in contemplation 
of an approaching change, a new arrangement of admini- 
dration was already believed to be formed, confiding of 
the principal members of the former coalition minidry, 
lord North only excepted, and of which the duke of Port¬ 
land was to be once more the odenfible head. The po¬ 
licy of oppofition feemed evidently repugnant to every 
idea of unneceffary delay. Yet doubts were darted by 
Mr. Fox, Mr. Burke, and others of the fame party, whe¬ 
ther parliament could in this momentous cafe difpenfe 
with that fort of evidence on which they had been accuf- 
tomed to proceed. The validity of the objection was 
very faintly conteded, and a committee of twenty-one per- 
fons in each houfe, after no long debate, appointed to 
* examine and report the fentimenls of the king’s phy- 
licians. The report of the committee was laid upon the 
table of the houfe of commons on the roth of December; 
when Mr. Fox advanced, as a propofition deducible from 
the principles of the conditution, and the analogy of the 
law of hereditary fuccedion, “ that whenever the fove- 
reign was incapable of exercifing the functions of his high 
office, the heir apparent, if of full age and'capacity, had 
as indifputable a claim to the exercife of the executive 
authority, in the name and on the behalf of the fovereign, 
during his incapacity, as in the cafe of his natural demife.” 
On this affertion, Mr. Pitt rofe with much apparent 
warmth, and declared, “ that the fpeech of Mr. F'ox was 
little fliort of treafon againd the conditution. And he 
pledged himfelf to prove, that the heir apparent, in the 
indances in quedion, had no more right to the exercife 
of the executive power than any other perfon ; and that 
it belonged entirely to the two remaining branches of 
the legillature to make fuch a provifion for fupplying the 
temporary deficiency as they might think proper.” Thus 
was this famous quedion at iffue between thefe two great 
political rivals ; in which it was remarkable, that Mr. 
Fox, the great advocate of the rights of the people, be¬ 
came the defender of prerogative; and Mr. Pitt, who had 
been loudly accufed of deferting the principles of liberty, 
appeared in the advantageous light of their zealous af- 
fertor. All the popular arguments and axioms'of go¬ 
vernment, were upon this occafion urged by Mr. Pitt. 
“ When, (faid lie,) the regular exercife of the powers 
of government was from any caufe fufpended, to w hom 
could the right of providing a remedy for the exiding 
defeCt devolve, but to the people, from whom all the powers 
of government originated? To ajfert an inherent right in the 
prince of Wales to afume the government, was virtually to revive 
tliofe exploded ideas of the divine and indefeafible authority of 
princes, which had Jo jufly funk into contempt, and almojl into 
oblivion. Kings and princes derive their power from the 
people; and to the people alone, through the organ of 
their reprefentatives, did it appertain to decide in cafes 
for which the conditution had made no fpecific or pofi- 
jivfv provifion.” The difeuffion of the abdraft quedion 
Vol. VI. No, 390. 
• AND. 773 
of right being perceived to afford a great and unexpected 
controverly, the duke of York, foon after this debate, in 
the name of the prince, mod nobly and ingenuoufiy ex- 
preffed his willies, “ that the quedion might be waved. 
No claim of right, (his highnefs laid,) had been advanced 
by the prince of Wales ; and he was confident that his 
brother too well underdood the facred principles -which 
feated the houfe of Brunfvvick upon the throne, ever to 
affume or exercife any power, be his claim what it might, 
that was not derivedfrom the will of the people exprejfed by their 
repreje'ntatives." 
Thefe debates were at length happily arreded in their 
progrefs, by an intimation from the lord chancellor, that 
the king was declared by his phyficians to be in a date of 
convalescence. This was followed by a declaration on 
the iotli of March, 1789, that his majedy being perfectly 
recovered from his indil'pofition, had ordered a commillion 
to be iffued for holding the parliament in the ufual man¬ 
ner. The tidings of the king’s recovery diffuled the mod 
general and heartfelt fatisfaCtion. A national thankfgiving 
was appointed, and the king himfelf went in folemn pro- 
cedion to the cathedral of St. Paul’s, to offer up his 
grateful devotions on this event; which was celebrated 
throughout the kingdom by fplendid illuminations, and 
every other demondration of joy. In this feffion Mr. W i 1 - 
berforce brought forward his long-expeCted motion, re¬ 
lating to the abolition of the African dave-trade, which 
was now become the theme of public execration. See the 
whole of this intereding fubjeft amply difculfed under 
the article Slave. 
The trial of Mr. Hadings was now refumed ; and the 
third article, refpefting prefents illegally and corruptly 
received, was brought forward by Mr. Burke. In his 
opening fpeech in fupport of this charge, in which the 
fatal bufinefs of Nund-comar, who was laid to have fallen 
a victim to the rapacity of Mr. Hadings, dood mod con- 
fpicuous, Mr. Burke made ufe of the following indifereet 
expredion : “ that man Mr. Hadings murdered by the 
hands of Sir Elijah Iinpey.” This afforded a ground of 
petition from Mr, Hadings, that this allegation diould 
be profecuted in fpecific articles, or that the houfe diould 
grant him fuch redrefs as to them diould feem meet. 
After a long debate, the houfe of commons refolved, 
“ that no authority had been given by the houfe for the 
purpofe of making any criminal charge refpefting the 
death of Nund-comar, and that the words complained of 
ought not to have been fpoken.” 
Mr. Grenville, fpeaker of the houfe of commons, being 
advanced, upon the relignation of lord Sydney, to the 
office of fecretary of date, was fucceeded, after fitting in 
the chair of the houfe fcarcely fix months, by Henry 
Addington, efq. This new fpeaker foon acquired great 
reputation, for dignity, integrity, and impartiality in the 
diicharge of-his office; and the feffion was terminated 
Augult 11, 1789, by a fpeech from the lord chancellor in 
the name of the fovereign ; in which it was obferved, 
“ that although the good offices of the king and his 
allies had not been effectual for the redoration of the 
general tranquillity, the fituation of affairs promifed to 
this country the uninterrupted enjoyment of the blellings 
of peace.” This was an alfurance highly and peculiarly 
grateful, in conlequence of the recent events which had 
taken place in the different kingdoms of Europe. A war 
had been kindled between Ruliia, Audria, and the Turks, 
which gradually diffufed itfelf from the Euxine to the 
Baltic—from the fnow-clad mountains of Norway to the 
arid wades of Tartary : while the foundations of a great 
and dupendous revolution had been laid, which, almoft 
indantly expanding itfelf into gigantic growth, became 
the fubjeft of terror, no lefs than of adonifhment to the 
furrounding nations. This was no other than the French 
revolution: for the rife, progrefs, and fatal circumdances 
of which, fee the article France, in our feventh volume. 
In this date of things, the parliament of Great Britain 
was convened January the 21ft, 1790. The king’s fpeech 
9 L contained. 
