9. To express out concern, thất when his Majefty's paternal goodnefs has graciously inclined his Majefty to be fenfible of the advan tage to be derived from fuch an adminiftration as was pointed out in our refolution, his Majefty fhould ftill be induced to prefer the opinions of individuals to the repeated advice of the reprefentatives of his people in parliament affembled, with refpect to the means of obtaining fo defirable an end. I did not confider the failure of my recent endeavours as a final bar to the accomplishment of the purpofe which I had in view; if it could have been attained on those princis ples of fairness and equality, without which it can neither be hondur able to those who are concerned, nor Jay the foundation of fuch a strong and ftable government as may be of lafting advantage to the country. But I know of no further steps To represent to his Majefty, which I can take, that can be effectual to remove the difficulties which obftruct that defirable end. I have never called in queftion the right of my faithful commons to offer me their advice on every proper Decafion, touching the exercife of any branch of my prerogative; I sthall be ready at all times to receive fit, and give it the most attentive confideration; and they will ever -find me difpofed to fhew my regard to the true principles of the conftitution, and to take fuch meafures as way beft conduce to the fatisfaction and profperity of my people." that a preference of this nature is as injurious to the true interefts of the crown, as it is wholly repugnant tó the fpirit of our free conftitution, That fyftems founded on fuch a preference are not in truth entirely new in this country; that they have been the characteristic features of thofe unfortunate reigns, the maxims of which are now juftly and univerfally exploded; while his Majefty and his Royal Progenitors have been fixed in the hearts of their people, and have commanded the refpect and admiration of all the nations of the earth, by a conftant and uniform attention to the advice of their commons, however adverfe fuch advice may have been to the sopinions of the executive fervants of the crown, bu ich Refolutions voted by the House of ComAmons to be laid before his Majefty by fuch of the Members of that houfe as" To affure his Majefty, that were Privy Counsellors. we neither have difputed; nor mean in- any inftance to difpute, much lefs to deny, his Majesty's undoubte sed prerogative of appointing to the executive offices of ftate fuchu perfons as to his Majefty's wifdom fhall feem meets. But at the fame time that we muft with all humility again fubmit to his Majefty's royal wif sdom, that no adminiftration, however legally appointed, can ferve his Majefty and the public with 20. Ak was Toul hon effect, ་ effect, which does not enjoy the confidence of this house! d "That in his Majefty's prefent adminiftration we cannot confide; the circumstances under which it was constituted, and the grounds upon which it continues, have cre ated fuch fufpicions in the breasts of his faithful commons, that principles are adopted; and views enter tained, unfriendly to the privileges of this house, and to the freedom of our excellent conftitution. That we have made no charge against any of them, because it is their removal, and not their punishment, which we have defired; and that we humbly conceive we are warranted, by the ancient ufage of this houfe, to defire fuch removal, with out making any charge whatever; that confidence may be very prudently withheld when no criminal process can be properly inftituted; that altho' we have made no criminal charge against any individual of his Majefty's minifters, yet with all humility we do conceive, that we have ftated to his Majesty very diftinct objections and very forcible reafons againft their continuance. That with regard to the propriety of admitting either the prefent minifters, or any other perfon, as a part of that extended and united adminiftration, which his Majefty, in concurrence with the fentiments of this houfe, confiders as requifite, it is a point upon which we are too well acquainted with the bounds of our duty to presume to offer any advice to his Majefty, well knowing it to be the undoubted prerogative of his Majefty to appoint his minifters, without any previous advice from either houfe of parliament, and our duty humbly to offer to his Majefty our advice, when fuch appointments hall appear to us to be prejudical to the publie fervice. "To acknowledge with gratitude his Majefty's goodnefs, is not confidering the failure of his recent endeavours as a fitial bar to the aecomplishment of the gracious purpose which his Majefty bas in view; and to exprefs the great concern and mortification with which we find ourselves obliged to declare, that the confolation which we fhould naturally have derived from his Majefty's most gracious difpo fition is confiderably abated, by uns derftanding that his Majefty's advifers have not thought fit to fuggeft to his Majefty any farther fteps to remove the difficulties which ob→ frue fo defirable an end. "To recall to his Majesty's recollection, that his faithful come mons have already fubmitted to his Majefty, moft humbly but most diftin&ly, their opinion upon this fubject-That they can have no interets but thofe of his Majetty and of their conftituents; whereas it is needless to fuggeft to his Majesty's wifdom and difcernment, that individual advisers may be actuated by very different motives. ، To exprefs our moft unfeign. ed gratitude to his Majefty for his Majefty's royal affurances, that he does not call in queftion the right of this houfe to offer their advice to his Majefty on every proper oecafion, touching the exercife of any branch of his royal prerogative, and of his Majefty's readiness at all times to receive fuch advice, and to give it the most attentive confide. ration. ،، To declare that we recognize in thefe gracious expreffions, those excellent and conftitutional fentiments, which we have ever been accustomed to hear from the throne fince the glorious æra of the revolution, and which have peculiarly characterised his Majefty, and the princes of his illustrious house; but to lament that thefe moft gracious expreffions, while they infpire us with additional affection and gratitude towards his Majefty's royal perfon, do not a little contribute to increase our fufpicions of thofe men, who have advised his Majefty, in direct contradiction to thefe affurances, to neglect the advice of his commons, and to retain in his fervice an administration, whofe continuance in office we have fo repeatedly and fo diftin&ly condemned. "To reprefent to his Majefty, that it has anciently been the practice of this houfe to withhold fupplies, until the grievances were redreffed; and that if we were to follow this courfe in the prefent conjucture, we should be warranted in our proceeding, as well by the moft approved precedents, as by the fpirit of the conftitution itself. But if, in confideration of the very peculiar exigencies of the times, we fhould be induced to wave for the prefent the exercife in this inftance of our undoubted, legal, and conftitutional mode of obtaining redrefs, that we humbly implore his Majefty not to impute our forbearance to any want of fincerity in our complaints, or difiruft in the juftice of our caufe... "That we know and are fure, that the profperity of his Majefty's dominions in former times has been, under Divine Providence, owing to the harmony which has for near a century prevailed. uninterruptedly between the crown and this houfe. That we are convinced, that That we feel the continuance of the prefent administration to be an innovation upon that happy fyf tem-that we cannot but expect, from their existence under the difpleasure of the house, every miffortune naturally incident to a weak and diftracted government. "That if we had concealed from his Majesty our honeft fent ments upon this important crifis, we should have been in fome degree refpontible for the mischiefs which are two certain to enfue. 3 but "That we have done our duty to his Majesty and our conftituents, in pointing out the evil, and in humbly imploring redrefs; that the blame and refponfibility muft now lie wholly upon thofe who have prefumed to advise his Majefty to act in contradiction to the uniform maxims which have hitherto governed the conduct of his Majelty, as well as every other prince of his illuftrious houfe; upon thofe who have difregarded the opinions, and neglected the admonitions, of the reprefentatives of his people, and who have thereby attempted to fet up a new fyftem of executive adminiftration, which, wanting the confidence of this houfe, and acting in defiance to our refolutions, must prove at once inadequate, by its inefficiency, to the neceffary objects of government, and dangerous, by its example, to the liberties of the people, His Majesty's Speech from the Throne, on proroguing the late Parliament, previous to his diffolving it. ON "My lords and gentlemen, Na full confideration of the prefent fituation of affairs, and of the extraordinary circumftances which have produced it, I am induced to put an end to this feffion of parliament: I feel it a duty which I owe to the conftitution and to the country, in fuch a fituation, to recur as speedily as poffible to the fenfe of my people, by calling a new parliament. "I trust that this means will tend to obviate the mifchiefs arifing from the unhappy divifion and dif tractions which have lately fubfifted; and that the various important objects which will require confideration may be afterwards proceeded upon with lefs interruption, and with happier effect. "I can have no other object, but to preferve the true principles of our free and happy conftitution, and to employ the powers entrufted to me by law, for the only end for which they were given, to the good of my people." Then the earl of Mansfield, lord chief justice of the court of King's Bench, fpeaker of the houfe of lords, by his Majety's command; faid, 56 His Majefty's Speech to both Houses, on the Meeting of the New Parlia ment, May 17, 1784. 'I My lords and gentlemen, Have the greatest fatisfaction in meeting you in parliament at this time, after recurring, in fo important a moment, to the fenfe of my people. I have a just and confident reliance, that you are animated with the fame fentiments of loyalty, and the fame attachment to our excellent conftitution, which I have had the happinefs to fee fo fully manifefted in every part of the kingdom. The happy effects of fuch a difpofition will, I doubt not, appear in the temper and wifdom of your deliberations, and in the difpatch of the important objects of public bufinefs which demand your attention. It will afford me peculiar pleasure to find that the exercife of the power entrusted to me by the conftitution has been productive of confequences fo beneficial to my fubjects, whofe intereft and welfare are always nearett my heart." "Gentlemen of the House of Commons, "I have ordered the estimates. for the current year to be laid before you; and I trust to your zeal and affection to make fuch provi fions for their furher fupply, and for the application of the fums: granted in the laft parliament, as may appear to be neceffary.. My lords and gentlemen, It is his Majesty's royal will and pleafure, that this parliament "I fincerely lament every addiprorogned to Tuefday, the tion to the burthen of my people; fixth day of April next, to be but they will, I am perfuaded, feel "here holden; and this parlia- the neceflity, after a long and ex"ment is accordingly prorogued to penfive war, of effectually providTuefday, the fixth day of Apriling for the-maintenance of our national faith and our public credit, next." fo fo effential to the power and pro- lords fpiritual and temporal, in parfperity of the flate." "My lords and gentlemen, "The alarming progrefs of frauds in the revenue, accompanied in fo many instances with violence, will not fail on every account to excite your attention. I muft, at the fame time, recommend to your most ferious confideration, to frame fuch commercial regulations as may appear immediately neceffary in the prefent moment. The affairs of the Eaft India Company form an object of deliberation deeply connected with the general interefts of the country. While you feel a just anxiety to provide for the good government of our poff ffions in that part of the world, you will, I truft, never lofe fight of the effect which any measure to be adopted for that purpose may have on our own conAtitution, and our dearest interefts at home. You will find me always defirous to concur with you in fuch measures as may be of lafting bene fit to my people: I have no with but to confult their profperity, by a conftant attention to every object of national concern, by an uniform adherence to the true principles of our free conftitution, and by fupporting and maintaining, in their juft balance, the rights and privileges of every branch of the legifJature." liament affembled, beg leave to rereturn your Majefty our humble thanks for your moft gracious Speech from the throne. "Deeply fenfible of the bleffings we enjoy under your Majesty's government, we defire to exprefs our fatisfaction and gratitude, that in the exercise of the powers vested in you by the conftitution, your Majefty has been graciously pleased to recur to the sense of your people at a conjuncture when the fituation of public affairs called loudly for that exertion. Animated with the trueft fentiments of loyalty to your Majesty's perfon and government, of attachment to our excellent conftitution, and of regard for the public welfare, your Majefty may fafely rely, that we will enter upon the important objects of public bufinefs, which call for our attention, with temper and affiduity, and that we will profecute them with all the difpatch of which their nature will admit. "In pursuit of thofe objects which your Majefty has been plealed to recommend to our confidera. tion, we beg leave to affure your Majefty, that we fhall apply ourfelves with industry to the topping the alarming progrefs of frauds in the revenue; and that we fhall be ready to co-operate, with the other branches of the legislature in framing fuch further commercial regulations as the present circumftances may require: Convinced, as we are, how materially the fituation of the affairs of the Eaft India Company is connected with the general interefts of the country, and that it forms a most important fabject of delibera tion, |