a4 
often difcuffed before, and that he was 
goinz to town ?? Refpecting an affertion 
which had been made, that events had 
declared in favour of the two Bills, Mr. 
Fox obferved, that he regarded this as 
one of the many inftances of the total ig- 
norance of human nature, and of the 
utter incapacity invariably evinced by the 
prefent adminiftration. He, faid, the 
firength of the Executive Government 
could not be increafed without weaken- 
ing every other part, and making the 
government itfelf pay a fine for its in- 
juftice, and-a mulét for its weaknefs. 
“That wife legiflators fhould not fo ftop 
up the current, as to make It, at fome 
future period, burft upon us like a tor- 
rent—they fhould open new channels— 
they fhould be in a conftant habit of in- 
creafing the privileges of the people— 
they fhould, at leaft, yield to neceifity, 
and endeavour, by an able direction of 
the ftreath, to prevent it from being 
clogged and checked"in its career, and 
from breaking like a torrent, and over- 
whelming us. He concluded with mov- 
ing for leave to bring in a Bul for the 
repeal of the Aéts in queftion. Mr. 
Serjeant ADAIR replied, at great length, 
to the eloquent and imprefiive {peech of 
Mr. Fox; he conten’ed for the necef- 
fity there was of paffing the Treafcn and 
Sedition Biils, and for the ialutary con- 
fequences which they had produced. 
The learned Serjeant was followed on 
nearly the fame ground, by Major 
Evcrorp, Colonel FULLARTON, Lord 
MORPETH, and Mr. Er.iison. To 
the obfervations made by thefe gentle- 
men againft the motion, Mr. Fox made 
an argumentative and energetic reply. 
When the Houfe divided, there appeared 
for the motion, §23; againft it, 260. 
‘This was the laf motion Mr. Fox made 
in the Houfe; but in afew days after- 
wards, he jupported Mr. Grey. 
On the 26th of May, that great na- 
fional queftion,a PARLIAMENTARY RE- 
FORM was again agitated in the Houfe 
of Commons; Mr. Grey prefaced his 
motion for this purpofe, with a fpeech of 
great and imprethve eloquence, in the in- 
troduétion to which, he obferved, that 
after recolleéting the fate which every 
propofition from that fide of the houfe 
had met with, he had not very fanguine 
hopes of fuccefs, but a determination to 
do, his duty prevailed over every other 
confideration. While he preffed upon 
the houfe the necetlity of reform, he did 
not go upon natural’ and imprefcriptible 
tights, but avowed himfelf an enemy to 
State of Publie Affairs.—Great Britain. 
‘[June, 
_univerfal fuffrage. Before he could give . 
his confent to that principle, the advo- 
cates for it muft prove, to his conviétion, 
that they will ever be able to derive thofe 
advantages from it- with which they flat- 
ter themfeives. After examining the 
component parts of the Englifh confti- 
tution, he took his firft data upon this 
interefting fubject from the following 
propofition or queftion—“ What is the 
end and objeé&t of the Houfe of Com- 
mons.” The Houfe of Commons was 
intended to be a real reprefentation of 
the great body of the people. As fuch, 
it was meant by thofe who framed it, to 
be an efpecial check upon the executive 
government, to have the ftrongeft and 
moft efficient controul over the public 
purfe, and to be a true and watchful 
guardian over the rights and privileges 
of the people. But for fome years paft, 
the parliament has certainly not been 
what the confitution appointed it to he. 
In the conduét of the American war, 
the Houfe of Commons, initead of prov- 
ing itfelf a check upon the executive go~- 
vernment, and a watchful guardian of 
the purfe of the nation, had placed an 
implicit confidence in the aiiertions and 
promies of minifters, and had opened 
the purfe-ftrings of the nation, to a yery 
lavifh expenditure. The prefent minif- 
ter, on his fi ft appearance in that houfe, 
had attributed the difprace and misfor- 
tune of that war, the lofs of the Ameri- 
é€an Provinces, the dreadful flaughter of 
a hundred tchoufand brave, but unfor- 
tunate fubjects. and the fcandalous ex- 
penditure of mcte than a hundred mil- 
lions of money,'to the want of a due and 
fair reprefentation of the people in the 
Houfe of Commons, yet, firange to re- 
late, the fame man, the prefent Chance}- 
lor of the Exchequer, had not only lived 
to fee this country brought to a much 
more melancholy ftate than it was at the 
end of the American war, but had had a 
large and principal fhare im brihging on 
that -almof intolerable load of difgrace 
and misfortune himfeif, and had perfifted 
and ftill perfiits in following thofe fteps 
which he had deprecated in thofe who 
had conducted that war; and refufed and 
ftill refufes to the people a free and fair 
repreientation in parliament, to the want 
of which, he himfelf had attributed all 
the misfortunes brought upon this coun- 
try, by the minifters of tha: period. In- 
ftead of being a check upon the ¢xecu- 
tive government, “the laft and prefent 
parliaments had continually fanétioned all 
the meafures of minifters, by their ap- 
NYoRe ene probation, 
