would foon, and certainly like all their predeceffors in the fame predicament, gather knowledge from experience. Which of them had not felt the capricioufnefs and treachery of men who had no responsibility? He defired the House to remember the hiftory of Lord Chatham. With how much honeft confidence had that great man entered the Royal clofet! He thought his own elevated fentiments superior to all the duplicity which he could any where encounter. He confequently was equal to the tranfcendent abilities and virtues which he poffeffed, and to thofe aftonishing actions and achievements which marked their exercife in the fervice of his country. But he had done too much to be forgiven. It was his ruin, not his honour, the fecret advisers of Majefty confulted. This he was not long in perceiving, though he did not perceive it till the injury meant had taken effect; and it was well known how it had operated both on his character and popularity. Having gone over an infinite variety of topics, he obferved, that he had always ftated it as his opinion, that the House could advise the removal of Minifters without giving their reasons. This was a moft important queftion, but he dreaded the trial of it, as the confequence might be dreadful. It ought however to appear to the House and the public, what the real debate was, and on what it hinged. There was nothing in it perfonal. The Houfe was the object to be degraded, and there was not another step neceffary to complete the catastrophe of the conflitution. He was not a little forry that the House was referred in the answer to the addreffes. This he thought a language, at leaft, by no means conftitutional, and regretted that it had been used from the Throne; for, in his mind, there was a great difference between ufing it in Parliament and arguing from it as far as it would go, and putting it in the King's answer to the addrefs. This was giving it a confequence which he was not ready to admit, and he would, on all occafions, be extremely fhy of eftablishing any thing like an appeal to the people against their reprefentatives. He was averfe from adverting to precedents, where the iffue was fo unfortunate to all the parties concerned; but the reigns of the Stuarts alone furnished the only ones which could apply to the prefent difpute; and who that had read and confidered the hiftory of thofe mifguided and ill-advised princes, could help obferving, that they were buoyed up with addreffes in the very moment when they were virtually profcribed by the hearts and fentiments of their people. He was not very

willing

willing to fay any thing about the addreffes, either how they were procured, or to what extent; but he would say that there were certain conftitutional queftions on which they were by no means competent to advise the House; and whatever their opinion might now be of the matter pending between prerogative and privilege, he did not doubt but they would one time or other be in a capacity to distinguish their friends from those who had all along endeavoured to make them their dupes. He begged gentlemen would only look to both fides of the House, and confider with themselves who were the people most likely to form the government fo much wanted. He had never faid any thing of the present Minifters with regard to their abilities, as he wifhed in the event of an union taking place to say nothing which could retard its progress. But now that this great object was apparently at an end, he would fay that a right honourable gentleman over against him poffeffed very eminent talents. This was a tribute which he thought his due, and which he had never been backward to pay. He would not, however, go over the arrangement alphabetically, nor fingle out the feveral individuals of whom it was compofed. But to speak of their abilities collectively was abfolutely ridiculous; and therefore he might be allowed to think them not of ability equal to their fituation. But this was not his only or his greatest' objection to them. He did not know how he might be able to act with men who might poffefs the confidence of the fecret advisers of Majefty. He and his friends, as they had lately experienced, might then have to ftruggle at once with public diflike, on account of what it was their duty to do, and fecret influence, confequently they could never be fure; and this was an obstacle of fo ferious a nature, that it deferved the attention of the Houfe, as it appeared to him almost infuperable. He had difcuffed the fubject difpaffionately, as men's minds were already but too much fermented to judge of it coolly. He knew and maintained the power of the House of Commons, but as the country was circumstanced, he ftill thought intermediate measures most eligible. These he always had, and ever would prefer. His intention therefore was to move an ad dress, in which no reference was made to any thing which might appear ungracious, and fuitable acknowledgments returned for whatever, in any part of it, would bear a favourable interpretation. This task had devolved on him, VOL. XIII.

I i

not

not because many on his fide of the Houfe were not equal to the task, or perhaps from perfonal circumstances might not have done it with more delicacy and propriety; but the train in which he had thought on the fubject, and the constant attention he had ever given it, befides the fatisfaction of avowing his ideas fairly and openly, as well as the large fhare he had hitherto taken in the debate, were all motives with him for ftanding forward in the bufinefs. He had used as much delicacy to Minifters as he thought confiftent with his duty, while the probability of fome of them acting as his colleagues in office remained. That probability, however, in his opinion, now ceafed; and he faw nothing for the future to forbid his, giving way to thofe feelings and reflections which from every view of the fubject were unavoidable.

Mr. Fox then moved,

"That an humble addrefs be prefented to His Majefty most humbly to represent to His Majesty the fatisfaction his faithful Commons derive from the late moft gracious affurances we have received that His Majefty concurs with us in opinion, that it concerns the honour of his Crown and the welfare of his people that the public affairs fhould be conducted by a firm, efficient, extended, united Adminiftration, entitled to the confidence of his people, and fuch as may have a tendency to put an end to the unhappy divifions and diftractions of this country. To acknowledge His Majefty's paternal goodness, in his late moft gracious endeavours to give effe&t to the object of our late dutiful reprefentation to His Majefty. To lament that the failure of thefe His Majefty's most gracious endeavours fhould be confidered as a final bar to the accomplishment of so falutary and defirable a purpofe; and to exprefs our concern and disappointment, that His Majefty has not been advised to take any farther step towards uniting in the public service thofe whofe joint efforts have recently appeared to His Majefty moft capable of producing fo happy an effect. That this Houfe, with all humility, claims it as its right, and on every proper occafion feels it to be their boundén duty to advife His Majesty touching the exercife of any branch of his Royal prerogative. That we submit it to His Majesty's Royal confideration that the continuance of an Administration which does not poffefs the confidence of the repre- fentatives of the people must be injurious to the public fervice. That this House can have no intereft diftinct and

feparate

feparate from that of their conftituents, and that they therefore feel themselves called upon to repeat thofe loyal and dutiful affurances they have already expreffed of their reliance on His Majefty's paternal regard for the welfare of his people, that His Majesty would graciously enable them to execute thofe important trufts which the Constitution has vefted in them, with honour to themselves and advantage to the public, by the confirmation of a new Administration, appointed under circumftances which may tend to conciliate the minds of his faithful Commons, and give energy and ftability to His Majefty's Councils. That as His Majefty's faithful Commons, upon the matureft deliberations, cannot but confider the continuance of the present Minifters as an unwarrantable obftacle to His Majefty's moft gracious purpose, to comply with their wishes in the formation of fuch an Adminiftration as His Majefty, in concurrence with the unanimous refolutions of this House, feems to think requifite in the prefent exigencies of the country, they feel themselves bound to remain firm in the wifh expreffed to His Majefty in their late humble address, and do therefore find themselves obliged again to befeech His Majesty, that he would be graciously pleafed to lay the foundation of a strong and ftable government, by the previous removal of his prefent Minifters."

The Earl of Surrey feconded the motion.

ton.

Mr. Hamilton entered on the argument without any pre- Mr. Hamilface. Among other things, he adverted to the management which had been adopted by the other fide of the House. He praised the conftancy of Minifters, and urged them to perfevere. He dared the oppofition to criminate their conduct, to impeach their characters, to leffen their popularity; not even, faid he, a group of armed ruffians hired on purpose to affault the friends of the Minifter, can fucceed in effecting their wishes. He trufted, however, that things would appear in their own light, and that a very short time would bring the argument to an iffue. He juftified the exertion of His Majesty's prerogative, and faid, that the Conftitution had many obligations to them.

Sir Horace Mann owned that he came from the Royal Sir Horace presence with fentiments very different from thofe in which Mann. he approached it. He reprobated the mode of conduct which had been used to gentlemen on his fide of the House. He inveighed in ftrong terms against the various and improbable calumnies which had been fo induftriously forged

Ii 2

Mr. Wilberforce.

forged and propagated. These were the means by which Minifters fupported themselves on the ruins of their characters and principles, who had virtue enough to oppose them. In his opinion, the people on this occafion were deluded, and it was the duty of the Houfe to undeceive them. It was a difpute between the powers of the Crown and those of the people, and if this Houfe did not take part with their conftituents, it would not anfwer the end.

Mr. Wilberforce expreffed his approbation of the addrefs, as it seemed to him to be more full and explicit than the former, and to exprefs the fentiments of the House in the ftrongest terms. He thought this was fair and honest, and he hoped gentlemen would view it in this light. He could not, however, give it his confent, as he thought it tended, in all its various circumftances, to establish a power hitherto unknown to the Constitution, and which tended to deftroy that mixture of government which was the glory and the boast of this country. He made a comment on the addrefs, and contrasted it with the former one, and with the refolutions of the Houfe on which it was founded. He hoped no perfon, whilft he profeffed a constitutional attachment to the prerogatives of Majefty and the rights of the Sovereign, would believe that he favoured the principles of fimple monarchy, or was unfriendly to the privileges of the House of Commons. He hoped gentlemen would recollect, that it had been his object on a former occafion to fupport the dignity and to maintain the purity of that Houfe; he had refifted the undue influence of the Crown then, and had done all in his power to effectuate its diminution. He now, however, faw a power endeavoured to be erected equally unfriendly to the existence of the Constitution; he faw a House of Commons attempting to wrest the prerogative from the hand of the Monarch, and to trample on the rights of the Sovereign; he faw, perhaps what was worse, a dangerous faction exifting in that Houfe, and every accommodation of circumftances rendered fubfervient to the views of that cabal. If therefore there was on a former occafion danger to the Conftitution from the undue influence of monarchy, there was furely equal danger in the prefent cafe from the existence of a faction which wifhed to level all diftinctions, and especially to prostitute every thing to what was falfely denominated the dignity and the honour of the Houfe of Commons.

The

ambition