Page images
PDF
EPUB

the most unhandfome manner; to aggravate offence, and to. treat the House with unparallelled infult and contempt. Befides, what end could fuch conduct anfwer? The House had come to a refolution (and that refolution, he recollected, had paffed unanimously) that for any Minifter to apply the public money to answer the votes of Supply, in case of a prorogation or diffolution of Parliament, before an ap◄ propriation act had paffed, would be guilty of a high crime and misdemeanour. That Government had acted contrary to the directions of Parliament, in cafes of emergency, and that their conduct had not in that particular provoked cenfure, he was ready to admit, but then the emergencies had been unforeseen. In the prefent cafe, the emergency was forefeen; it was known, that money must be had to pay the army; it was known, that money would be wanted to pay the ordnance. To diffolve the Parliament, therefore, and by that means wilfully to create the emergency, would be highly criminal. There never had been an instance of fuch a rash, inconfiderate act, and if it was attempted, and it was proved by the refult that public money could be applied to the votes of fupply, before ways and means were provided to answer the Supplies already voted, before an appropriation act had paffed, and in defiance of the refolutions of the fame Houfe of Commons that had voted thofe fupplies, he should contend that the law and the conftitution of this country were at an end. His Lordfhip reasoned much at large, and very forcibly upon the feveral points we have mentioned; and after having held up in glaring colours, how highly criminal, and how flagrantly unconftitutional it would be for Minifters to advise His Majesty of a fudden, in the midst of a session, and without the existence of a poffibility to affign a fingle public reafon for fuch a conduct, to diffolve his Parliament, concluded with faying, that he fhould fit down with his mind eafy, under the conviction, that it was impoffible for Minifters to have any fuch intention, notwithstanding the general credit given to the report that Parliament was to be diffolved in a day or two.

General Conway faid, much as it was the habit of the right Gen. Con honourable gentleman oppofite him to fneer at any man who way. prefumed to talk of the dignity of that Houfe, and to make a jeft of every expreffion of a with to preferve its importance in the fcale of the Conftitution; he would nevertheless venture to fay a few words refpecting the report of an approachVOL. XIII.

Rr

ing

[ocr errors]

ing diffolution, and to add one more reason to the many that had been already affigned in proof that such a measure ought not to take place, and that it could not be adopted without infinite inconvenience and hazard to the country. The matter he meant to allude to fell within the fphere of his profeffion, and thence impreffed his mind the more forcibly. When the Ordnance estimate had been under the confideration of that Houfe, an honourable and refpectable friend of his (Mr. Huffey) had propofed to curtail the estimate and to vote a fum fhort of it to the full amount of one hundred thoufand pounds. This propofition had, the General obferved, been made in one of the thinneft houses that ever perhaps fat upon fo very important a subject, and it was acceded to. He had the best authority however for faying, that it had been intended by the right honourable gentleman at the head of the Exchequer to bring the matter forward again and obtain a reconfideration of it. Great part of the fervices left unprovided for by the curtailment of the eftimate that he had mentioned, had flood ftill ever fince, and were, to his knowledge, fervices not only of indifpenfable but of immediate neceffity. He meant the works carrying on for the defence of the kingdom. Many of these were works that abfolutely required the utmost dispatch in their completion, a fact which he well knew, and which was equally well known to the noble Duke, his noble relation, at the head of the Ordnance Board. The General dwelt for fome time on this circumftance, and pointed out the great mischief that might arife from Parliament's being diffolved before the works in queftion were provided for. He afterwards urged a great variety of remarks, to fhew the extreme inconvenience that would attend a diffolution under the present circumftances of the country. Among other things he faid, he did fuppofe in the new Parliament the right honourable gentleman would have a majority to fupport him as a Minifter. In that cafe he only wifhed, he might ufe his power for the fervice of his country; in that cafe, he cared not who was the Minifter. He declared he had himfelf no perfonal ambition; no anxiety for place or emolument. In the late conteft, he had gone much farther than he had ever gone in party before; but he had done fo, because he faw the importance of that House was endeavoured to be trampled upon, and the Conftitution was endangered. Let them be preserved, and let the country be benefited, and all his ambition was gratified. He reafoned for a confiderable time in this manner."

The Report being read a first time, and a motion made to read it a fecond time,

4

Lord

1

Lord North faid, as it was a new question, he would fay a few words more refpecting a diffolution. His Lordship then took notice of the fecrecy and filence of the Minister, and faid, he fuppofed, it was defigned to have a Parliament of queftion, and another Parliament, in like manner as it appeared to be intended to have one Parliament for voting fupplies, and another Parliament for providing ways and means, and paffing an appropriation bill. But notwithstanding that no anfwers had yet been given, and that no answer was likely to be given till the next Parliament, when all the queftions that had been then propofed muft neceffarily receive their answers, he would ftate one more question. To put the cafe hypothetically, and without faying either that Parliament would or would not be diffolved, he would ftate it thus: If Parliament were to be diffolved, he would then afk upon what principle of law, upon what opinion of the Conftitution, upon what argument, or upon what authority would Minifters iffue the money for the fubfiftence of the army for the month of May? His Lordship reasoned upon this question for fome time.

No answer was given, but a smile from the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The report was read a second time and agreed to.

Mr. Huffey then put a queftion relative to the Committee Mr.Huffey on a private bill's being brought forward, and changed to an order for the next (this) day,

The Speaker ftated to the Houfe that it was contrary to The Speatheir Order fo to accelerate it; but said, they had it in their ker. power to do it if they thought proper.

cellor of the

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, the House might act The Chanas it thought proper, and gentlemen might make what Exchequer. fpeeches they chofe, he would not fay a word one way or

the other.

The order for the commitment of the bill was discharged, and it was committed for this day.

March 24.

The King came in perfon to the Houfe of Lords, and
having given his Royal affent, clofed the Seffion with at
Speech from the Throne, for which vide Lords' Debates.
The Parliament was then prorogued.

And next day, the 25th of March, it was diffolved.

[blocks in formation]

We infert the following Lift of a Divifion, as being the most authentic of any of thofe that were taken during the Seffion:

Houfe of Commons, Jovis 27° Die Novembris, 1783.

A LIST of the MINORITY and MAJORITY on the Second Reading of a BILL for vefting the Affairs of the EASTINDLA COMPANY in the Hands of certain Commiffioners, for the Benefit of the Proprietors and the Public, brought into the Houfe by the Right Honourable Charles-James Fox, Member for Weftminfler, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and feconded by the Right Honourable Lord North, Member for Banbury, and Secretary of State for the Home Department.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »