ment affembled ; and the commons of England in corporation and county meeting difperfed an artful minifter would craftily play off the one after the other: he would make use of a pliant houfe of commons to opprefs the people; and of a deluded people, to awe a refractory or independent houfe of com. mons. If the proceedings of the late parliament had been really difagreeable to the people, why had they not petitioned that boufe against thofe proceedings? If they had petitioned, and their prayer had been difregarded, or treated with contempt, the addreffes to the throne for a diffolution of parliament would have been extremely proper. When public economy became the general with of the people, petitions were prefented, not to the crown, but to the house of commons; but means had been contrived of late fo to delude the people, as to make them the very inftruments of the degradation of that branch of the government; the destruction of which must neceffarily be attended with the lofs of their liberty. The Eaft India bill had been made the fpecious pretext of the diffolution: it was reprefented as a violent attack upon the franchifes of the people, an invafion of the royal prerogative, and a medium through which the late minifters intended to have fecured to themfelves a power paramount to every power in the kingdom. In defence of that bill, he faid, that it did not appear reasonable, that the proprietors of Eat India flock fhould in future retain in their hands a power which they had fo grofsly abused; by which they bad plundered and Jendered miferable many millions of perfons, who were under the pro tection of this nation: a power which had enabled them to enter into the most unjuft and impolitic wars, the confequence of which brought very heavy expence upon this kingdom. As to the invation of the royal prerogative, he was furprized to hear that brought as a charge laid at the door of the Eaft India bill: the power of mak. Ing war, and of carrying it on where and in what manner he pleased, was certainly one of the greateft prerogatives of the crown; and yet the late houfe of commons not only addreffed the king not to carry on the war on the continent of America, but went fo far even as to vote that man an enemy to his country, who fhould advife the carrying it on, or who fhould affitt in it; fo that though Sir Henry Clinton, for inftance, was bound by the mutiny act to obey the king's orders, and was even liable to be fhot, if he fhould refufe to obey them, ftill the refolutions of the houfe of commons fhould attach upon him, and fufpend the whole fyftem of military fubordination; and yet that refolution had been fupported by the warmest friends of the prefent minifter, and by himfelf; and no one ever thought of making it a ground for the diffolution of the parliament. As to the patronage of the Faft India company, which it was faid minifters intended to make the means of rendering themselves paramount to the crown, he observed, that those who were at this moment in full poffeflion of that patronage (the company) were very far from being independent of the crown, fo far from being paramount to it; and he could affure the house on his confcience, and on his honour, that the perfons who were to have been at the head of the company's affairs, * He then produced a reprefentation to be prefented to his majefty, which confifted of many fhects of paper, folded like a lawyer's brief, and fet the houfe into a fit of laughter. He obferved, that he meant his motion as an epitaph on his de-parted friend, the last parliament: that he had on fome occafions written long epitaphs to the memory.. of thofe that he honoured and refpected; and on the prefent occafion he chofe to follow the corpfe to the fepulchre, and go through the 66 afhes to ceremony of faying, "afhes, and duft to duft," in fure and certain hopes, through the merit of the good works of the latt parliament, that it would have a glorious and joyful refurrection, and become immortal. No reply was made to this fpeech; but as foon as the remonftrance was read, and the question put by the fpeaker, there was a loud cry of No! and the motion was accordingly declared to have paffed in the nega.. tivet. On Probably alluding to an epitaph, faid to be written by him, on the Earl of Chatham. + As the great importance of the fubje&t of this propofed addrefs, and the light which it throws upon matters that do not feem to have been in general well understood, would render its omiffion inexcufable, we have thought it advitable to infert it as a note, in order rot to interrupt the courfe of our narrative.After fome general expreffions of duty and refpect to his majesty, it reprefents, that, in the fpeech from the throne, his minifters have thought proper to ule a language of a very alarming import, unauthorized by the practice of good times, and irreconcileable to the principles of this government. That it is the privilege and duty of this houfe to guard the conflitution from all infringement on the part of minifters; and, whenever the occation re quires it, to warn them against any abufe of the authorities committed to them; but it is very lately, that, in a manner not more unfeemly than irregular and prepofterous, minifters have thought proper, by admonition from the throne, implying diftruit and reproach, to convey the expectations of the people to vs, their fole reprefentatives; and have prefumed to crution us, the natural guardians of the conftitution, against any infringement of it on our parts. Ste king's fpeech, Dec. 5, 1782, and May 19, 1784, [K] 4 This On the 21st of June, the chancellor of the Exchequer moved fe veral refolutions, as the foundation of the act, fince known by the name of This dangerous innovation we, his faithful commons, think it our duty to to mark; and as thefe admonitions from the throne, by their frequent repetition, feem intended to lead gradually to the establishment of an ufuage, we hold ourselves bound thus folemnly to proteft against them. This houfe will be, as it ever ought to be, anxiously attentive to the inclinations and interefts of its constituents: nor do we defire to ftraiten any of the avenues to the throne, or to either houfe of parliament. But the antient order, in which the rights of the people have been exercifed, is not a reftriction of these rights. It is a method providently framed in favour of thofe privileges, which it preferves and enforces, by keeping in that courfe which has been found the moft effectual for answering their ends. His majefty may receive the opinions and wifhes of individuals under their fignatures,' and of bodies corporate under their feals, as expreffing their own particular fenfe: and he may grant fuch redrefs as the legal powers of the crown enables the crown to afford. This, and the other houfe of parliament, may alfo receive the wifhes of fuch corporations and individuals by petition. The collective fenfe of his people his majelly is to receive from his commons in parliament affembled. It would defuoy the whole fpirit of the conftitution, if his commons were to receive that fenfe from the minifters of the crown, or to admit them to be a proper, or á regular channel for conveying it. That the minifters in the faid fpeech declare, "his majefty has a juft and con*fident reliance, that we (his faithful commons) are animated with the fame "fentiments of loyalty, and the fame attachment to our excellent conftitution, which he had the happiness to fee fo fully manifefted in every part of the kingdom." To reprefent, that his faithful commons have never failed in loyalty to his majefty. It is new to them to be reminded of it. It is unneceffary and inviduous to preis it upon them by any exan.ple. This recommendation of loyalty, after his majetty has fat for fo many years, with the full fupport of all defcriptions of his fubjects, on the throne of this kingdom, at a time of profound peace, and without any pretence of the existence or apprehenfion of war or conspiracy, becomes in itself a fource of no finall jealousy to his faithful commons; as many circumftances lead us to apprehend that therein the minifters have reference to fome other measures and principles of loyalty, and to fome other ideas of the conflitution, than the laws require, or the practice of parliament will admit. No regular communication of the proofs of loyalty and attachment to the conftitution, alluded to in the fpeech from the throne, have been laid before this houfe, in order to enable us to judge of the nature, tendency, or occafion of them: or in what particular acts they were difplayed; but if we are to fuppofe the manifef tations of loyalty (which are held out to us as an example for imitation) confift in certain addreffes delivered to his majesty, promifing fupport to his majefty in the exercife of his prerogative, and thanking his maj fty for removing certain of his inifters, on account of the votes they have given upon bills depending in parliament,-if this be the example of loyalty alluded to in the fpeech from the throne, then we must beg leave to express our ferions concern for the impreffion which has been made on any of our fellow-fubjects by mifreprefentations, which have feduced them into a feeming approbation of proceedings fubverfive of their own freedom. We conceive, that the opinions delivered in thefe papers were not well confidered; nor were the parties duly informed of the nature of the matters on which they were called to determine, nor of thole proceedings of parliament which they were led to cenfure. M'e of the Commutation A. He ftated the country had of late increased to to the houfe, that the illicit trade of fo alarming a height, as to endanger almoft We shall act more advifedly.-The loyalty we fhall manifeft will not be the fame with theirs; but, we trust, it will be equally fincere, and more enlightened. It is no flight authority which shall perfuade us (by receiving as proofs of loyalty the mistaken principles lightly taken up in thefe addreffes) obliquely to criminate, with the heavy and ungrounded charge of difloyalty and difaffection, an uncorrupt, independent, and reforming parliament. Above all, we fhall take care that none of the rights and privileges, always claimed, and fince the acceffion of his majefty's illuftrious family conftantly exercifed by this houfe (and which we hold and exercise in trust for the commons of Great Britain, and for their benefit) fhall be conftructively furrendered, or even weakened and impaired, under ambiguous phrafes, and implications of cenfure on the late parliamentary proceedings. If thefe claims are not well-founded, they ought to be honeftly abandoned; if they are juft, they ought to be fteadily and refolutely maintained. Of his majesty's own gracious difpofition towards the true principles of our free conftitution, his faithful commons never did, or could entertain a doubt: but we humbly beg leave to exprefs to his majesty our uncalinefs concerning other new and unufual expreffions of his minifters, declaratory of a refolution" to "fupport, in their juft balance, the rights and privileges of every branch of the "legiflature." It were defirable that all hazardous theories concerning a balance of rights and privileges (a mode of expreffion wholly foreign to parliamentary ufage) might have been forborne. His majefty's faithful commons are well inftructed in their own rights and privileges, which they are determined to maintain on the footing upon which they were handed down from their ancestors: they are not unacquainted with the rights and privileges of the house of peers; and they know and refpect the lawful prerogatives of the crown: but they do not think it fafe to admit any thing concerning the exiftence of a balance of thofe rights, privileges, and prerogatives: nor are they able to difcern to what object minifters would apply their fiction of balance; nor what they would confider as a just one. Thefe un authorized doctrines have a tendency to ftir improper difcuffions; and to lead to mischievous innovations in the conftitution. That his faithful commons most humbly recommend, inftead of the inconfiderate fpeculations of unexperienced men, that on all occafions refort fhould be had to the happy practice of parliament, and to thofe folid maxims of government which have prevailed fince the acceffion of his majesty's illuftrious family, as fürmithing the only fafe principles on which the crown and parliament can proceed. We think it the more neceffary to be cautious on this head, as, in the laft parliament, the prefent minifters had thought proper to countenance, if not to fuggeft, an attack upon the most clear and undoubted rights and privileges of this houfe. Fearing, from thefe extraordinary admonitions, and from the new doctrines which feem to have dictated feveral unutual expreffions, that his majefty has been abufed by falfe reprefentations of the late proceedings in parliament, we think it our duty refpectfully to inform his majefty, that no attempt whatever has been made against his lawful prerogatives, or against the rights and privileges of the almoft the very existence of feveral branches of the revenue, and more particularly that of tea. It had ap peared before the committee on fmuggling, peers, by the late houfe of commons, in any of their addreffes, votes, or refolu. tions; neither do we know of any proceeding by bill, in which it was propoed to abridge the extent of his royal prerogative; but if fuch provifion had existed to any bill, we proteít, and we declare, against all speeches, acts, or addrelles, from any perfons whaticever, which have a tendency to confider fuch bills, or the pertons concerned in them, as juít objects of any kind of cenfure and punishment from the throne. Neceflary reformations may hereafter require, as they have frequently done in tormer times, limitations and abridgments, and in fome cafes an entire extinction of fome branch of prerogative. If bills fhould be improper in the form in which they appear in the houfe where they originate, they are li able, by the wildom of this conflitution, to be corrected, and even to be totally fet afide, cliewhere. This is the known, the legal, and the fafe remedy; but whatever, by the manifeftation of the royal dipleafure, tends to intimidate individual members from propoling, or this houfe from receiving, debating, and paffing bills, tends to prevent even the beginning of every reformation in the ftate, and utterly deftroys the deliberative capacity of parliament. We therefore claim, demand, and infilt upon it, as our undoubted right, that no perfons fhall be deemed proper objects of animadverfion by the crown, in any mode whatever, for the votes which they give, or the propofitions which they make, in parliament. We humbly conceive, that befides its fhare of the legislative power, and the right of impeachment, that, by the law and ufage of parliament, this houfe has other powers and capacities, which it is bound to maintain. This houfe is ailured, that our humble advice on the excrcife of prerogative will be heard with the fame attention with which it has ever been regarded; and that it will be followed by the fame effects which it has ever produced, during the happy and glorious reigns of his majesty's royal progenitors; not doubting but that, in all thofe points, we thall be confidered as a council of wildom and weight to advife, and not merely as an accufer of competence to criminate. This houle claims both capacities; and we truft that we fhall be left to our free difcretion which of them we fhall employ as beft calculated for his majefty's, and the national fervice. Whenever we thall iee it expedient to offer cur advice concerning his ma jefty's fervants, who are thofe of the public, we confidently hope, that the paton I favour of any minifter, or any fet of minifters, will not be more dear to his majeíty, than the credit and character of an houfe of commons. It is an experiment full of peril to put the reprefentative wifdem and juftice of his majefty's people in the wrong; it is a crooked and desperate defign, leading to mischief, the extent of which no human wildom can forefce, to attempt to form a prerogative party in the nation, to be reforted to as occafion thall require, in derogation from the authority of the commons of Great Britain in parliament affembled: it is a contrivance full of danger, for minifters to fet up the reprefentative and conflituent bodies of the commons of this kingdom, as two separate and diftin&t powers, formed to counterpoite each other, leaving the preference in the hands of fecret adviters of the In fuch a fituation of things, thefe advifers, taking advantage of the dif ferences which reay accidentally arife, or may purpofely be fomented between them, will have it in their choice to refort to the one or the other, as may best fuit the purposes of their finifter ambition. By exciting an emulation and contufi be crown. "I obferve at the fame time, that there is no charge or complaint suggested against my prefent ministers?"-The king's answer, 25th February, 1784, to the address of the beje of commons. tween |