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From denying the prerogative of the Crown. The appointment of minifters was one of its undoubted prerogatives but thofe minifters muft poffefs the confidence of that Houfe. That Houfe was the guardian of the public treasure, the holder of the pubfic purf, and fhould they grant fupplics to minifters in whom they had no confidence. · Almost all the inoney voted by that Houfe was voted in confidence; the army, the navy, the ordnance, every fhilling was granted in confidence. Could the minifter then expect that the Houfe would immediately proceed to vote a fupply; he muft furely imagine that before the Commons could gratify his expectations_on that head they must forget the meflage they had just received, they muft lofe every fenfe of their own honour and of their confequence in the conftitution. He was of opinion that the right of that Houfe in refufing fupplies ought very rarely if ever to be reforted to, and in cafes only of the moft unfurmountable difficulties but to poftpone a supply for a while was not totally and ultimately to refufe it, and there might be cafes in which it was wife for the Houle to paufe a little before they proceed ed to vote it. If ever fuch a cafe exifted it was the prefent; for, in the very moment that the Houfe had been infulted by a meffage which his Majefty had been fo ill advifed as to fend, it was called upon to vote a fupply.

He wished therefore for time to reflect; he wished for a delay to confider; he with ed for time to digeft the meffage he had heard; and to let his indignation cool; he would not truft his own temper, to proceed this day to the confideration of that difgraceful meffage; nor ought even the Houfe to trust itlelf; he was afraid that their refolves at this moment would be too intemperate; dictated more by their refentment and indignation, than by that calm firmoefs, which ever attends the cool ⚫deliberations of a wife affembly: he withed to preferve temper and moderation; and therefore intended moving to poftpone bringing up the report.

Affairs now wore a ferious afpect, and the House ought not to take a single step that was not marked with unexampled moderation; he would recommend even the extreme of moderation; for in a conflict like the prefent, where they had to contend for the very exiftence of the conftitution, for all that was dear to Englishmen, whose ancestors had, at the hazard of their lives, fettled it on what they fondly imagined a permanent and folid bafis;

gentlemen ought no to trust too much to their temper; it might forfake them in the debate, after fuch provocation as they received: The meffage which had been this day delivered from the King, was, in effect, a declaration on the part of his Majefty, that he would not comply with the withes of his Commons: it was a complete negative to all they looked for. However, he did not with to give vent then to his feelings ou that head, he would paufe for a while; the delay of a couple of days might operate a change in the mind of his Majefty and of his Minifters: The gracious head of the illuftrious House of Brunfwick would not long leave his faithful Commons a prey to the affliction which they must feel at the metfage which had been received from him, fuch as had never been fent before by a Prince of his illuftrious houfe, to the Commons of England. He would therefore propofe a delay of two days; the nature of the fupply now called for by the Board of Ordnance was by no means preffing; a delay of a few days, or of a week, could not in that department of the public be attended with the fmalleft inconvenience; but the delay of two days, or even of one day, might be the means of averting calamities, the very idea of which filled him with horror. He faid it had been the object of the prefent Miniftry to render that Houfe infignificant and to establish it as a principle that their confidence was not effential to minifters. He muft ever maintain the reverfe of this doctrine. Filled with these ideas, he fill wished for a union and for a strong adminiftration whofe bafis must be the confilence of that Houfe and of the people. Such a union had been strongly recommended by fome of the moft refpeciable members of that Houfe, and a refolution had been unanimously voted that it was abfolutely neceffary. But as it was a uni on upon principle, that could alone be defireable, did not the Right Hon. Gentleman throw an infurmountable obstacle in the way, by ftanding upon grounds, that muft neceffarily prevent all union? For furely no union could poffibly exift between the Right Hon. Gentleman and him, when one of them laid it down as a principle, that a Minifter might hold his place againft the opinion of Parliament, merely because there was no law to declare it cri minal in him fo to do; while the other as firmly maintained that no minifter could, or ought to ftand, who did not enjoy the confidence of Parliament, or more particularly of the House of Commons. If Bb 2

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they both agreed on this point, then other matters might be easily accommodated. But when they differed on a principle which ought to be the bafis of all others, it was abiolutely impoffible that an union could exift between them, while fuch a difference fubfifted. He did not believe that the Right Hon. Gentleman would continue to differ on that point: he was not without hopes, that time and reflectiwould work a change in him, and convince him that his perfonal honour was no way interested in the question, and that confequently it ought not to ftand in the way of a relignation, which would at once demonftrate his refpect for that Houfe, and his regard for the conftitution. He hoped the Houfe would agree with him in the propriety of putting off the vote of fupply for forty eight hours that there might be time to reflect deliberate and determine upon the measures that ought to be purfued. Thofe meatures he trufted would be founded in moderation, but fupported with firmnets. He concluded with moving that the word now be left out of the queftion, and the words on Friday next inferted in its room.

Mr. Eden feconded the amendment. Mr. Powys approved of the amendment, and applauded Mr. Fox's moderation. The vote he fhould give that night he doubted not would fubiect him to calumny and cenfure, but fatisfied he was purfing the true intereft of his country, he would with pleasure facrifice every perfonal confideration. He then adverted to the answer which he faid was inconclufive and merely a ftatement by the minifter, not a meffage from the Crown to that Houfe. What likelihood was there then that fuch an administration as the Houfe had unanimoufly refolved to be neceffary would be formed. He faw little indeed from the anfwer that had been given, but ftill he was not without hopes that the refolutions would be reconfidered and the wishes of the House gratified. Rumour faid that his Majefty's wishes were for a strong adminiftration, and that he had the goodness to interpofe in order to bring about a conference between the Right Hon. Gentleman and a noble Duke. If fo his Majefty deferved the thanks of the Houfe. He withed the Right Hon. Gentleman to ftate what were the real bars to an union which every body wifhed for. Did the India bill ftill alarm him? The Right Hon. Gentleman below him had profeffed himfelf ready to gratify even the prejudices of the public with respect to that, and why

would not the Right Hon. Gentleman on the other fide of the Houfe follow his example. Where then was the ground of objection to a refignation for the purpose of union. If the leaders of oppofition fly from their late declarations of a readiness to coalefce, after he had refigned, he might appeal from them to the people; then he fhould have his fupport; he should have the fupport of every man in that Houfe, and in the nation. But in office he could not remain without danger to the constitution.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, before the Houfe decided upon the prefent queftion, he trusted they would maturly confider its import. He wondered not that the fplendid abilities of the Right Hon. Gentleman oppofite to him, joined to his profeffions of prudence fhould have been able fo to obfcure and veil the true object of the propofed amendment. Suppoling for a moment there was nothing concealed under it, what did it go to? The Right Hon. Gentleman had expressly defired the Houfe to do nothing, and that in a cafe where a fupply was actually neceffary. With regard to the grand conftitutional question, whether that Houfe had or had not a right to refufe Supplies in cafes of great public danger, he would not be the man to deny the existence of fuch a right. The only thing that could be matter of queftion was, when and what grounds of necellity it might be proper and juftifiable to use it upon. Were the Houfe ripe to fay that it ought to be used then? His Majefty's not having difimiffed his Minifters, because that House, without a trial had thought proper to condemn them, he fhould contend was no reason whatever for calling it into exercife. Every man he obferved, would come reluctantly to the queftion, and no man would vote for it, unlefs convinced it was a duty he owed his country.

On the fubject of union, he spoke very explicitly and faid his wishes had been fincere for that object, and he was still ready to comply with the wishes of the House in general, if, as he had often faid, an union upon principle and honour could be effected. With regard to refigning, in or der to negotiate for the formation of a miniftry, in which he might be admitted to a fhare, he never could think of it for a moment. The feelings of honour could not be facrificed. There were fubjects upon which men could not even talk with a friend, and therefore he fhould not prefume to trouble the House with an attempt

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to describe them; but this he was prepared to fay, that whether it were to be called pride or obftinacy, or whatever other term the malice or calumny of the invidious and malevolent might annext to it, he never would quit his office, merely to negotiate. Refpecting what the Hon. Gentleman had fuggefted in his fpeech, relative to the rumour of his Majefty's having interfered to effect the purposes of the refolutions. The rumour, he faid, was undoubtedly true; his Majefty had been ready to fubmit on his part a plan of a permanent adminiftration, and had endeavoured to bring about a conference between a noble Duke and himself. This plan Mr. Pitt faid was the belt calculated for union of any that had been devifed, fince it did not proceed on the idea of the prefect miniftry's going out of office, but was profelfedly a plan for a new, broad and permanent Adminiftration. The impediment to the furtherance of this plan had not lain with him, but with the other party, the noble Duke in queftion having refufed in the first place to have any conference with him previous to his refignation, and fecondly, refufing to treat, unlefs his Majefty would first fend for him and give him authority to form an Adminiftration. Thefe were conditions that could not be complied with, because they could neither refign to put themselves in the power of any other fet of men, nor could they depend upon them for a fhare in any miniftry.

Mr. Fox role to reply. He declared the Duke of Portland had not objected to the conference through any principles of his own, but as a principle of the Houfe of Commons, to which he held himself bound to pay the utmost deference. As to the Duke's having defired to have his Majefty's authority to act in the business, the reafon was obvious; without fuch an authority there could be no fafety, no confidence. He charged Mr. Pitt with flying in the face of the refolutions, and faid it was no degradation to him, or to any minifter to give way to the House.

Lord North ftated the obftinate refufal of Mr. Pitt to refign, as the only bar to the union fo much called for, and contrafted his conduct with that of the other party, who were ready to meet even the wishes of the minority of that Houfe, and called upon the Houfe to determine where the obftacle lay. With refpect to the motion then before the Houfe, for amending the original motion, he lamented the caufe that produced this neceffary effect. As

this was the first time fince the acceffion of the House of Brunfwick, that the Commons of England had received a refufal to any requett fent up to the Crown;-he was doubly forry that fuch a refufal should have come from fo amiable a Prince as our prefent moft gracious Sovereiga; and that it thould have been in his reign the first fince the acceffion of the Hanoverian line, that the Houfe of Commons had ever thought of poftponing the Supply. Sorry he was that the advice of Minifters had not fuffered the Houfe to exprefs its gratitude to that gracious Sovereign who had fhielded the Houfe from the enmity of thote who fo often petitioned for the diffolution of the two laft Parliaments; but forry as he was that all this fhould happen, he was ftill more forry that duty to the conftitution called upon the House, not indeed to refufe the Suppy (though he was not one of thofe who thought the Houfe might not do it) but fimply to fufpend it.

Lord Nugent declared himself an avowed enemy to the amendment, believing it to be big with the most disastrous events. He gave a fhort hiftory of the oppofition to Sir Robert Walpole, when he was a young man, the withholding the fupply, he faid, appeared to him and to the young memb. rs who intended to have fupported him on that occafion, so defperate a measure, that though they all thought that Sir Robert Walpole was the father of corruption, and a most infamous minifter, yet they agreed fooner to fupport fuch a minifter than let the fupply be postponed. He concluded with withing to fee an end of all divifions; to see the right honourable gentleman over the way restored to his office: his tranfcendent abilitics would be of great ufe in administration; in oppofition they did infinite prejudice.

The Solicitor-General was against the motion: he said the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox) had faid that this was the first time fince the Revolution, that the Crown had refused to comply with the defire of the House of Commons. (here there was a cry of no, no, from the oppofite fide) But Mr. Solicitor General still maintained that the Right Hon. Gentleman had used the expreffion; and he would prove to him that it was not founded in fact for the Houfe of Commons in the reign of King Willian, once addreffed the Prince to remove from his prefence and councils for ever, Lords Somers and Halifax, and the Earls of Portland and Oxford. The King took no notice of the addrefs for above a

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month, after which an aufwer, by no means fatisfactory was given. The House proceeded, on the 13th of May, 1701, to addrefs his Majefty, a fecond time, to pray him to give a more effectual answer to their request; and to the fecond addrefs the King replied, that he would not difinifs his Minifters. What was the confequence? Did the Houfe proceed to ftop the fupplies The very reverfe: for, on the day after this flat negative was given by the Crown to the requitition of the Commons they voted the ordinary fupply for guards and garrifons.

Mr. Erskine faid that the learned gentleman, in order to make a difplay of his reading in the Journals, had infifted, that a right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox) had faid what he did not fay, or what if he did fay, he immediately checked him fulf in: for he did not fay abfolutely that this was the first time fince the revolution, that the crown had given a flat réfufal to the request of the Commons; but having faid it fo at fift, he inflantly corrected himself by faving, "at leaft fince the acceffion of the Houfe of Hanover." The learned Gentleman might therefore have 1pared himself the trouble of producing a precedent to prove, what no body had denied.

In the courfe of his fpeech,he juftified the Refolutions of the House against the Minifters, from the famous work of Lord Somers, written in answer to the declaration of King Charles the Second, to the people of England, on the Diffolution of the Parliament in 1681-reading feveral paffages, which took up the distinction between impeachments to punifh, and Addreffes and Refolutions to remove Minif ter. The first requiring accufation and trial-the latt refting on that opinion which may depend upon matters palpable and certain, though beyond the reach of legal proof, and which may be deftructive of all confidence though not a foundation for punishment.

Sir William Dollen declared himfelf a friend to the original motion. The anfwer that had been that day given as the import of his Majefty's determination refpecting the two refolutions he conceived to be proper and fuch as ought to be fatis factory. To the firft refolution, that declaring it to be the opinion of the Houfe, that there ought to be a firm, efficient, extended, united adminiftration, it was plain his Majefty had been gracioufly pleased to attend, having had the goodcefs to endeavour to procure a conference

between the right honourable gentleman and a noble duke. With regard to the fecond, declaring the continuance of the prefent adminiftration to be an obftacle to that, the declaration of the right honourable gentleman that day, he thought was a fificient anfwer; for he faw no reason whatever for the right honourable gentleman's refigning. He complimented Mr. Fox on his abilities. He faid he believed his ambition was to do good and that he had it in his power to do a great deal to fave his country, but wifhed he would let others participate in the glorious work of falvation. He faid, if the argument prevailed, that the Houfe had a right to negative the King's nomination of Minifters, while it was admitted on all hands that it was the undoubted prorogative of the Crown to name its own Minifters, it was reducing the prerogatives of the Prince upon the throne to a mere ftate of empty pageantry, and putting them upon the footing of Governor Sancho's feaft, ferving them up with pomp, and 'announcing their names in form, in like manner as the dishes were fet before the Governor of Barataria, but not suffering the King to exercise any one of them, any more than Sancho was permitted to taste and enjoy the viands that were brought to his table. This was treating his Majefty fhamefully. It was

To keep the word of promife to his ear,
And break it to his hope.

He hoped that union fo carnestly defired would be effected, but he thought it extremely wrong to ftop the supplies, and he could confider the prefent amendment in no other light.

Mr. Scott fpoke against the amendment. He acknowledged the great authority of the Houfe, and that if they infifted Minif ters fhould go out they must go. If they were to refign for the purpofe of negotiat ing he fhould not be forry, but if it was merely for the purpofe of gratifying the vanity of the other fide of the Houfe, or to lower the prefent Minifter in the estima tion of the public, he would advife them not to think of a refignation; at prefest they had the people on their fide, many of whom in the addreffes to the throne, poke very different language from that of their reprefentatives in that Houfe.

The queftion was called for and the Houfe divided,

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Mr. Powys after a short speech, moved "that this Houfe impreffed with the moft dutiful fenfe of his Majefty's paternal regard for the welfare of his people, relies on his Majefty's royal wildom to take fuch meafures, as may tend to give effect to the wishes of his faithful Commons, which have been moft humbly reprefented to his Majefty, and which his Majefty has been graciously pleafed to affure this Houfe, that he will take into his confideration." After a thort converfation Mr. Powys withdrew his motion, and at half paft twelve o'clock the Houfe adjourned.

HOUSE of LORD S.

Thurfday, February 19.

Lord Effingham made fome obfervations on the refolutions pafled in the Houfe of Commons on Monday laft, and commented upon the report of the Committee appointed to fearch the Journals for precedents. The refolutions, he obferved, were of an alarming nature, and to what length they meant to go he was unable to conjecture. The majority, he observed, was a very fmall one, and he doubted not but a fufficient number of them to turn the fcale, would fhortly recover their fenfes.

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Lord Bathurst, on whofe motion the Lords were fummoned faid, that as the bufinefs which he meant to introduce was great importance, it would be proper to give fome intimation of its nature, previous to its being brought forward. The motion he had intended to make, refpected the reports made by the Commiffioners of Accounts; by thefe reports matters were brought forward which called aloud for reformation. On the eighth, tenth, and eleventh reports he intended to make fome obfervations, in order to ground fome motion to be approved of by the Houfe. To give them therefore, an opportunity of confidering fully the importance of the fubject, he would delay entering upon it until Thursday, when he should with the Houfe to be fummoned again.

Lord Gower thought an earlier day might be appointed, and propofed Monday.

Several of the Lords repeatedly preffed Lord Bathurft to ftate the nature of the motion or motions he meant to bring forward, but his lordship declined giving any explanation. In compliance however, with Lord Gower's with he agreed to bring it forward on Monday, for which

day the Lords were ordered to be fummoned, and the House adjourned to that day.

HOUSE of COMMON S. Thursday, February 19.`

Mr. Powys gave notice, that he would to-morrow before the Houfe proceeded to vote the fupply, move a fimilar motion to that which he moved laft night, which he would endeavour to model in fuch a way, as to remove the ambiguity to which that motion feemed liable in the opinion of fome gentlemen.

A short converfation took place refpe&ting the vote of last night, one party contending that the gentlemen on the other fide had withheld the fupplies, and those gentlemen pofitively declaring that they never meant to withhold them, but had voted for the poftponement of a single fupply for two days.

The ftate of the nation was deferred till Monday next, and at five o'clock the Houfe adjourned till to-morrow.

Friday, February 20.

ADDRESS ON THE REMOVAL OF MINISTERS.

Mr. Powys obferved, that it had been imputed to the majority on the division of Wednefday laft, that they had abfolutely refufed the fupply. This he pofitively denied to be a fact; he never confidered that the idea of an absolute refufal, had even for a moment been entertained by any one of the majority. For himself he could fpeak with certainty; and he begged from candour what he flattered himfelf he had a right to demand from justice, ' to be permitted to put his own fenfe on his conduct, and to give his words that meaning which it was intended they fhould convey. In the motion he should' thortly have the honour of laying before" the Houfe, though he acted in fome fort in concert, he acted not in confequence of confulting, or in concurrence with that refpectable body of men who had flood forth as mediators between the contending parties. He ufed many arguments to prove, that the intent of thofe with whom he had concurred was not to withhold the fupplies; for his own part, he faid, fo far was he from intending to ftop the supply with a view to refufe it, that if the propo fition which he was about to fubmit to the confideration of the House should be ac

cepted,

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