*90 LON 
council, was negatived by a majority of 2. The addrefs 
was preferred, therefore, by Mr. Wortley and lord Mil- 
ton, the next day ; and the prince-regent directed negotia¬ 
tions to be opened for effe&ing the purpofe of the addrefs. 
Marquis Wellefley was the firfl perfon to whom this im¬ 
portant and delicate commiffion was intruded ; but,after a 
fhort interval, he tendered to his royal highnefs his refigna- 
tion of the authority veiled in him. The fame powers were 
next transferred by the regent to lord Moira, who treated 
with lords Grey and Grenville upon a bafis that feemed 
to remove all difficulties to a final adjuftment. The fail¬ 
ure of this treaty, in confequence of a difference refuell¬ 
ing the houfehold appointments, with the very extraordi¬ 
nary conduit of lord Moira on the occasion, engroffed at 
that time the whole attention of the public ; but thefe 
mighty conflicts have long ceafed to be interefting ; we 
tfiall therefore proceed to relate, that, on the 8th of June, 
the earl of Liverpool fluted to the lroufe of lords, that the 
prince-regent had on that day appointed him firft bom- 
'jniffiorier of the treafuiy, and authorifed him to complete 
the arrangements for the miniftry—and thus a termina¬ 
tion was put to all expectations of a change of men or 
meafures, at leaft to any confiderable extent. The majo¬ 
rity in parliament, actuated either by an habitual'con¬ 
currence with eftablifhed power, or by the conviction that 
the pad contefts had been merely for place and emolu¬ 
ment, immediately reftored their fupport to the minifters, 
and no further cry was heard for “a ftrong and efficient 
adminiftration.” The principal acceffions made to the 
minifterial lift were, lord Sidmouth, as fecretary of ftate 
for the home-department; the earl of Harrowby, lord pre- 
fident of the council; and Mr. Vanfittart, chancellor of 
the exchequer. 
Whilft this political ferment- was agitating the different 
parties of candidates for minifterial power, the examina¬ 
tions in reference to the effeCts of the orders in council 
upon the commercial and manufacturing interefts in the 
kingdom were going on with little interruption in both 
boufes of parliament. A vaft mafs of evidence being at 
length collected, Mr. Brougham, on June 16th, brought 
she matter for final decifion before the houfe of commons. 
Ke began his fpeech with obferving, that the queftion, 
though of unexampled intereft, was one of little intricacy. 
Its points were few in number, and involved in no ob- 
feurity or doubt. At a diftance, indeed, there appeared 
3. great mafs of details; and the eight or nine hundred fo¬ 
lios of evidence, together with the papers and petitions 
with which the table was covered, might caufe the fub- 
~jeCt to appear vaft and complicated ; yet he did not doubt 
in a fhort time to convince his hearers that there had fel- 
dom been one of a public nature brought before that houfe 
through which the path was fhorter, or led to a more ob¬ 
vious decifion. He then took a general furvey of the fe- 
vere diftrefs which was preffing upon fo many thoufands 
of our induftrious fellow-fubjeCts, proved not only by 
their petitions, but by the numerous fchemes and devices 
■which had been reforted to as a remedy for the evils caufed 
by the fuppreffion of their accuftomed fources of employ¬ 
ment. He reminded the houfe of the general outline of 
the inquiry. Above a hundred witneffes had been ex¬ 
amined from more than thirty of the great manufacturing 
and commercial diltriCts. Among all thefe there was only 
one fingle witnefs who liefitated in admitting the dread¬ 
ful amount of the prefent diftreffes. Birmingham, Shef¬ 
field, the clothing-trade of Yorkfhire, and the diltriCts of 
the cotton-trade, all deeply participated in them. He then 
adverted to the proofs by which this evidence was met on 
the other fide of the houfe; and took into confideration 
the entries in the cuftom-houfe books, and the fubftitutes- 
and new channels of commerce faid to compenfate for 
thofe that were clofed. He next touched upon the topic 
Jfo often reforted to by the defenders of the orders in 
council, that of the dignity and honour of the nation, 
and the neceffity of aflerting our maritime rights $ and he 
D O N. 
maintained that every right may fafely be waved or abatv. 
doned for reafons of expediency, to be refumed when 
thofe reafons ceafe. He laftly dwelt upon the great im¬ 
portance of the American market to the goods produced 
in this country, and the danger of accultoming the Ame¬ 
ricans to rely on their own refources, and manufacture 
for themfelves. After a long and eloquent harangue on 
thefe and other connected fubjeCts, Mr. B. concluded with 
the following motion : “That an humble addrefs be pre¬ 
sented to his royal highnefs the prince-regent, reprefenc¬ 
ing that this houfe has for foine time palt been engaged 
in an inquiry into the prefent diftreffed ftate of the com¬ 
merce and manufactures of the country, and the effects of 
the orders in council iffued by his majelfy in the years 
1807 and 1809; alluring his royal highnefs that tin's houle 
will at all times lupport his royal highnefs'fo the utmoit 
of its power in maintaining thofe juft maritime rights 
which have effentially contributed to the profperity and 
honour of the realm—but befeeching his roy$l highnefs 
that he would be gracioufly pleated to recal or Impend 
the faid orders, and adopt luch meafures as may tend to 
conciliate neutral powers, without lacriticing the rights 
and dignity of his majefty’s crown.” 
Mr. Role acknowledged that a very confiderable degre© 
of diltrefs did exifl among our manufacturers; but would 
not admit that it was fo much owing to the orders in 
council as the lion, gentleman had reprefented. He cor¬ 
rected feveral Itatements made by him ; and lhovved that 
the commerce of France had buffered in much greater pro¬ 
portion from the effects of thefe orders. Our fhipping- 
intereft, he afferted, had been benefited by them; and, it 
they were repealed, the Americans would come in for a 
large fliare of our carrying-trade, efpecially to South Ame¬ 
rica. Upon the whole, he would not deny that our ma¬ 
nufacturers were likely to obtain fome relief from the re¬ 
peal ; but government was-placed between difficulties on 
both fides, and it was their duty to adopt the meafures 
which would be lead detrimental. In his opinion, til® 
preponderance of argument led to the conclufion that th© 
repeal of the orders would be more prejudicial than their 
continuance. The great body of merchants held the fame 
opinion. Four-fifths of thofe of Glai'gow had petitioned 
in fupport of the orders; thofe of Briltol were unanimous 
in their favour ; and fo were a majority of thofe of Liver¬ 
pool : there was no petition from London againft them, 
whilft a great number of London merchants had peti¬ 
tioned in their favour. 
Mr. Baring, after a warm eulogy on the enlightened 
view of the fubjeCt taken by the honourable mover, faid 
that the houfe had two queftions to decide s 1. Whether 
thefe diftreffes were attributable to the orders in council C 
2. Whether any benefits had arifen from them in any 
other quarter to compenfate for thefe calamities? Mr. 
B. made a number of particular obfervations relative ta 
thefe two points; and concluded with giving it as his 
conviction, that by our orders in council we loft the moll 
fubftantial commercial advantages for an objeCt we could 
never obtain—that of forcing our trade with the continent. 
Lord Caitlereagh began with lamenting the precipitation 
of the honourable gentleman in bringing forward this mo¬ 
tion, and preffing to a hafty difeuftion a queftion than 
which none more vital ever came before the confideration 
of parliament. He deprecated any interference on the 
part of the houfe in a queftion in which commercial con- 
iiderations were mixed with thofe of iparitime right, and, 
pending a delicate negotiation, dictating to the executive 
government the courie it ought to puriue. After various 
obfervations in defence of the policy and juftice of the 
orders in council, and in anfwer to fome of the mover’s 
fiatements, the noble lord came to the point, by faying, 
that Great Britain would confent to Impend her orders m 
council, provided America would fuJpend her non-im¬ 
portation act. The experiment might then be tried of 
the practicability of reftoring things to their ancient fyf- 
