176 
Speaker. The Commons. then withdrew, 
and elected Mr. Addington, their late 
épeaker, ~ , ; 
The King, however, did not meet the 
Parliament ull the 2d of February. In 
the fpeech from the throne, his Majefty 
took notice of the happy attainment of the 
legiflative union of the two kingdoms,and 
of the unfortunate courfe of events on the 
Continent, and the confequences which 
muft be expected to refult from it; thefe, 
centinued his Majefty, eannot fail to be 
matter of anxiety and concern to all who 
have a juft feeling for the fecurity and in- 
dependence of Eurcpe. 
The Duke of Montrofe moved the Ad- 
Grefs in the Houfe of Lords. The Earl 
of Lucan feconded the motion. Earl Fitz- 
william oppofed the Addrefs, and moved, 
2s an amendment to the Addrefs, ‘* That 
all the words of it be omitted after the 
fiith paragraph, and in lieu of them be 
inférted general and ftreng affurances of 
iupport againit his Majefty’s enemies, 
witha declaration of the determination of 
the Houfe to enquire into the condud&t of 
his Majefty’s Minrfters.”” 
Lords Moira and Holland fpoke for the 
, amendment, and Lords Mulgrave and E!- 
on again it; and at twelve o’clock the 
Houfe divided on the Addrefs.—Contents 
»*92—-Non-contents 17. 
In the Howie of Commons Sir W. W. 
Wynne moved an Acdrefs to his Ma- 
jelty. “The Addrefs being read from the 
cencir, Mr. Grey then moved the fol- 
lowing amendment, to come in after the 
fifth paragraph: ‘* And that this Houfe, 
will proceed with all poffible difpatch to’ 
make fuch enquiry into. the general {tate 
of the nation, but more efpecially into our 
relations with foreign powers, as may en- 
able us to offer to his Majefty fuch advice 
as we may think moft conducive to the 
honour of his crown, and to the general 
interefts of his dominions. And further, 
to affure his Majefty that if, owing to any 
unjuft and unreafonable pretenfions on the 
part of the enemy, peace cannot be ob- 
tamed on fuch grounds as are confiftent 
with our fecurity—if the differences which 
appear unhappily to have arifen between 
his Majefty and the Northern Powers, are 
of a nature which prefs for immediate de- 
eifion—if the reprefentation which his. 
Majefty has dire&ted to be made to the 
Court of Peterfburg, in confequence of 
the outrages committed againft the fhips,, 
property, and perfons of his Majefty’s fub- 
jects—fhould not be effeétual in obtaining 
iuch reparation as the nature of the cafe 
will require ; and if the poffibility of any 
. State of Public Affairs in February, 1801. 
{ March Fy, 
equitable adjuftment fhall render a. new 
and more extended war inevitable, we wil 
give his Majetty every fupport which the 
means of this country can afford; in the 
juft hope and confidence that his Majefty’s 
paternal care for the welfare of his people 
will induce him to take fuch meafures, as 
fhali hence-forward prevent a calamitous 
wafte of their remaining firength and re- 
fources, by improvident and ineffeétual 
projects, or by general negligence and pro- 
fufion, and fhall fecure a wife and vi- 
gorous adminiftration of their affairs,under 
the unexampled difficulties in which they 
are involved.” 
Mr. Pitt began by adverting to the very 
fingular affertion of the laft Speaker, 
«That the minority in that Houfe were 
generally to be underftood as {peaking the 
fenfe of the peonle.”* Jf this were fo be 
taken literally as the pofition laid down, 
it would then moft paradoxically’ appear, 
that every effort which had been made by 
that Houfe, to fuftain the honour and in- 
tereft of the mation—all the exertions by 
which they had fo fuccefsfully withflood 
the inroads of the French ufurpation—al} 
the firmnefs and determinaticn which had 
aftonifhed Europe, and rendered this ifland 
a fplendid exception from the principles 
and tyranny of France—all muft have been 
exerted and exhibited againft the fenfe of 
the people. This was ftriétly the paradox 
which the Hon. Gentleman endeavoured 
to maintain ; for all thefe efforts had been 
made againft the inclination of that mi- 
nority which he had quoted as {peaking 
the fenie of the pecpie.—** As to all-thofe 
cenfures which had been thrown out 
againft his Majefty’s Minifters, and the 
neceflity of effeéting a change of adminife 
tration ;* (he added) ‘ we fhall have a 
time to go into thefe confiderations, and 
we fhall meet them with readinefs and 
fatisfaction, but this is not the: proper 
moment.”? He had the confolation of 
knowing that he had often heard fimilar 
reproaches, and fhould have the confola- 
tion of their being followed by the fame 
confeguences as before. - pe 
The Solicitor-General entered into an 
elaborate legal difquifition of the laws, as 
eftablifhed by long prefcription for the re- 
gulation of marine affairs, as an anfwer to 
what fell from Mr. Grey, and contended, 
that the maritime rights claimed by 
Great Britain were effentially neceflary te 
our political exiftence. 
Mr. Tierney took a comprehenfive 
view of the progrefs of the war, and in- 
fifted, ‘* That the fyftem purfued by his 
Majefty’s Minifers, was fuch as muft 
entirely 
