I am

and stable government, in that most and was at great pains to impress the important crisis of public affairs, house with a belief, that he did

“ was impressed with the deepest re. really entertain the profoundest gret at the change which had lately reverence for God

and religion, taken place in his majesty's cóun- and for all professors of the Chris. cils ; and that this regret was lately tian protestant faith.

No inau increased by the causes to which the whatever, said his lordship, can be changes had been ascribed ; it being more religious than I am. the opinion of that house, that it sure that I need not except, even was contrary to the first duties of the worthy and pious prelates in the responsible ministers of the king, whose presence I make this solemn to restrain themselves by any pledge, and public declaration. I glory in expressed or implied, from submit. the opportunity of making it. ting to his majesty, faithfully and Would to God that my life could be truely, any advice, which in their

as pure as my faith! ile looked judgment, the course of circumstan. forward to the time when all the na. ces might render necessary for the tions of the earth should be collec. honour of his majesty's crown, and ted under the benigu shade of the the welfare of his majesty's domi. Gospel. It was this anticipation nions. The principal arguments that had restrained him from going pro and con, in the debate that en. the full length of catholic expecta. sued, were of course the same with tion. The Roman.catholic faith, those urged in that on Mr. he considered as a gross superstition, Brand's motion in the house of com. the result of the darkness of former mons. The motion was supported ages, but now falling into a visible by the earl of Hardwick, lord Er- and wholesome decline. He had skine, the earl of Jersey, lord Kin. never, therefore, thought to encou. naird, the earl of Lauderdale, lord rage the re-establishment of it, but Holland, lord Grenville, the earl rather wished that inconveniences of Darnley, the earl of Moira, should be felt, though no injustice and the duke of Norfolk.

suffered by its professors. Lord opposed by the earl of Aberdeen, E. by another distinction, justified lord Harrowby, the earl of Selkirk, the late ministry in abandoning a lord Borringdon, lord Sidmouth, measure, though introduced on a lord Mulgrave, the earl of Limerick, principle of both expediency and the earl of Westmoreland, lord duty, yet keeping their places. Hawkesbury, and the lord chancel. There was a plain difference, he lor, (lord Eldon.) Lord Erskine said, between the strongest era in the course of a long and eloquent pediency, and imperious necessity. speech, gave an historical account On the first branch of the motion, of the circumstances that led to the having been himself an humble mem. demand and the refusal of pledges, ber of the opinion it supported, he and took occasion to explain his own would be silent. He not only, how, sentiments with regard to catholic ever, subscribed to the second, but emancipation, as it was called, and, returned his thanks to the noble on the subject of religion in general.' marquis for having introduced it to He said a great deal of his own edu. the house. Lord Harrowby, in the cation and general maxim's and views, course of a long and animated VOL, XLIX.

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speech,

It was

a

speech, said, that a mutual copfie 'not to counsel.' Lord Mulgrare dence between the sovereign and his said, that if William III. or George servants, appeared so indispensable I. had said to any of the ministers to the good conduci of the public employed by them, “ I have no ob. business; that when once there was jections to your principles in geno. soittle confidence on either side, ral, except that I think you are at. that the ministers were reduced to tached to the bouse of Stuart; and demand a pledge from the king, therefore unless you give me a or the king from his ministers, there pledge in writing, I will not employ was little other option than either you as my ministers,” he appre. for him to dismiss them, or for them hended there would have been noim. to resign. Lord Boringdon con- propriety in ministers signing such a sidering that the motion included pledge. The earl of Limerick re. an inculpation of the king for the probated the practice of governing exèrcise of an undoubted perogative, Ireland by a faction, and recom. could by no means asseni to it, and mended not to discourage loyalty therefore concluded a speech against or to practise en the people for party it, by moving, that the house do purposes. The question being uni. now adjourn. Lord Sidmouth said, versally called for, at seven o'clock that neither the dispatch of the 9th in the morning, the house divided February to the lord lieutenant, on the motion of lord Boringdon, nor the reasoning on which it was that the house do now adjourn. recommended, was calculated to Contents

171 convey to his majesty's mind, a

Not contents

90 knowledge of its extensive import : nay, and that the wonder would

Majority 81 have been, if it had been understood The same subject, or rather subby his majesty, in any other than in a jects, the circumstances that led to limited sense.

The earl of lauder. the removal of the late ministers dale,from a retrospective view of the from their places, and the conseparliamentary conduct of the leading quences that might be apprehended members of the present cabinet, to follow, the responsiblity of the concluded, that either there was no advisers of the crown, and the ca. principle of cement or union among tholic claims, the ground.work, as them, or that they had agreed to it were, of the whole, were again give up every doctrine and opinion introduced into the house of comto which they were most sacredly mons, April 15. The first branch pledged. The present ministers, of the marquis of Stafford's motion he said, had come into office in di- in the house 'of peers, it will be re: rect violation of the principles of collected, was vot included in Mr. the constitution; and unless the Brand's, in the house of commons. house marked that act with its disap. The honourable W. H. Lyttleton, probation, the constitution would after stating the reasons why he be lost. Lord Holland observed thought it necessary that the house that sir William Temple had told the should express its approbation of king, that he doubted whether it were the conduct of the late ministers, not a contradiction to suppose that moved the resolution, “ That that he could make counsellors that were house considering a firm and efi.

2.

cient

cient administration as indispensa- tended for the support of a system bly necessary, in the present impor- of national education, to have been tant crisis of public affairs, had seen perverted for purposes of personat with the deepest regret, the late aggrandizement, and for the furtherchange in his majesty's couneils.”' ance of the most criminal views. The

" This motion was seconded by Mr. evils of the misapplication were la Hibbert, and farther supported by mentably felt in the decline and dea the honourable John W. Ward, gradation of those establishments Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Tighe, Mr. for the uses of which those funds Roscoe, Sir J. Newport, Mr. Tier. were originally appropriated. Funds ney, lord Howick, earl Percy, so appropriated, were absorbed in and Mr. Windham. It was oppo- private expenditure, calculated on sed by Mr. Milnes, who concluded as parts of the family estate, and his speech by moving the order of bequeathed to the descendants as the day, Mr. H. Browne, Mr. Ro. parts of the patrimonial inheri. binson, Mr. Gore, Mr. Bankes, tance.* -Of these charges lord Caslord Castlereagh, Mr. Bathurst, tlereagh did not take any notice.,

, tặe chanceller of the exchequer, and The master of the rolls observed the master of the rolls. Among the that many ministers had been dis. most impressive speeches in support missed from office, without any of the motion was that of sir John cause assigned, but that never un. Newport, among the most convin- til now had a minister come to parcing on the other side, was that of liament to complain of his sove. the master of the rolls. Sir John reign. Lord Somers was removed Newport, among a variety of re. without the shadow of a complaint; marks, observed, that when the late did he demand an investigation of administration directed their atten. the cause ? When the celebrated tion to an amelioration of the sys. Whig administration was removed tem of education in Ireland, the by queen Anne, did they breathe a first act of necessity was, to enquire whisper against their royal mistress into the state of those funds, in either house of parliament? In which were grossly misapplied. 1757, the dismissal of Mr. Pitt, and This charge of gross misapplication Mr. Legge, produced a great ferhe stated, not either without suffi. ment. But' was any thing said cient grounds of justification, or about that dismissal in parliament? with any inclination to avoid the If a minister were to secure to him. responsibility of his statement. He self the right of enquiry into the spoke it in the face of the noble lord cause of his removal, he would ap. opposite (Castlereagh). He char. proximate his situation to that of ged him with having known aud a judge, or any other officer for suffered those funds which were in life. Of a change in administration,

* These animadversions are also, with singular propriety, applicable to the existing abuses in the antient and most nobly endowed university of St. Andrew's ; the present chancellor of which is lord Melville. Into those abuses it was underslood, the late administration intended, had it heen continued, to institute an enquiry. They were not more indifferent to office and emolument than other men. But it was certainly a fortunate circunstance for the public, that they resird, in part, their claim to acceptation and popularity, on the correction of public abuses.

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parliament had no constitutional mittee be appointed to take into knowledge, and on such change consideration the several acts of could found no inquiry. The per- parliament relating to the building, mission given to a noble lord, to de. re-building, and keeping in repair, tail the transactions that led to the churches and glebe houses in Ire. dismission, was unconstitutional, as land, and to the purchase of glebe it was publishing the proceedings of houses and lands there, and requi. the privy council, which ought to be ring certain returns to be made con. kept sacredly secret. After six cerning the sufficiency, state, and o'clock in the morning, a division condition, of such churches, for the took place. The numbers were, regular performance of divine ser. For passing to the order of the vice therein; together with the day,

244 several reports and papers, relating Against it,

198 thereto, and to the unions of pa.

rishes, that were laid before this Majority in favour of ministers, 46 house in the years 1803 and 1806

respectively; and that they do con. In the mean time the Scotch ju. sider the said acts and papers, and dicature bill was not neglected, but examine how far the said acts, or after it had undergone several alter. any of them, have been found ina. ations, while others were in con. dequate, and in what respect, for templation, it fell to the ground, for the purposes thereby intended; and the present session, through the do report the same, together with sudden prorogation of parliament. their observations and opinions As something was thought wanting thereupon, to the house." After for the promotion of general edu. some conversation respecting the cation in England, and to the due population of Ireland, the necessity administration of justice in Scot. of consolidating livings in some in. land, so something was found want. stances, but the enormous extent ing in Ireland, to the support of re- to which à consolidation of parishes ligion. A motion was made on this and livings had been carried in subject, in the house of commons, others, Mr. Wickham's motion was April 20th, by Mr. Wickham, whó agreed to, and a selcet committee apasserted that the population of Ire. pointed accordingly. Lord Hawkes. land was half that of South-Britain ; bury, April 16th, having described that the number of parishes in South. the circumstances of the capture of Britain exceeded 10,000, while in Monte Video, moved the thanks of Ireland, the numher of parishes the house of peers to brigadier which had been originally only general sir Samuel Auchmuty, for 2, 136, by subscquent consolida.

consolida. that glorious achievement; and tions, was, in 1791, reduced to lord Mulgrave, after a warm pane. 1,120.' This reduction was highly gyric, thanks in like manner to rearinjurious to the protestant religion admiral Stirling, and the officers and and interest. In the late troubles men under luis command.- These in Ireland, rebellion raged most motions were carried nem. diss.--. violently in those districts in which On the same day lord Castlereagh, the reduction had been the greatest. after a suitable introduction, moved Ho then moved, “ that a select eom. w that the thanks of the house of 3

a

* See the whole speech.

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