The objects of our deliberations fully demand that temper and moderation which your Majefty fo gracioully recommends; and we intreat your Majefly to accept our moft humble thanks for the confidence your Majelty has been pleafed to exprefs in our unanimous defire to direct all those deliberations to the honour of your Majefty's crown, the fafety of your dominions, and the profperity of your people; and we affure your Majefty, that we will ufe our beft and utmoft endeavours to demonftrate by our conduct, that a confidence fo honourable to us has been well founded. Friday, Nov. 14. The Speaker reported to the Houfe his Majefty's Anfwer to their Addrefs. "Gentlemen, "I thank you for this very dutiful and affectionate addrefs, and for the freth mark you give of your attachment to me and my family in the congratulation on the happy recovery of the Queen, and the birth of another princefs. "I receive with the utmoft fatisfaction your affurances of promoting fuch meatures as may tend to the fupport of the national credit, and to the welfare of my people. And I confider the unanimity with which they are offered as a happy earnest of the fuccefs of your endeavours." Addrefs of the House of Lords to his Majefty, Feb. 6, 1784. "Moft gracious Sovereign, tiful and loyal fubjects, the lords fpiritual and temporal, in Addrefs of the Houf of Commons, to to the King, on the 20th Feb. 1784. "To the King's Moft Excellent Majefty, WE, your Majesty's most faithful commons, impreffed with the molt dutiful fenfe of your Majefty's paternal regard for the welfare of your people, approach your throne, to exprefs our reliance on your Majesty's paternal wifdom, that your Majefty will take fuch measures, by removing any obstacle to forming fuch an administration as the houfe has declared to be requifite in the prefent critical and arduous fituation of affairs, as may tend to give effect to the wishes of your faithful commons, which have already been moft humbly reprefented to your Majefty." His Majefy's Answer to the above "Gentlemen, "I am deeply fenfible how highly it concerns the honour of my crown, and the welfare of my people, which is the object always neareft my heart, that the public affairs fhould be conducted by a firm, efficient, extended, united adminiftration, entitled to the confidence of the people, and fuch as may have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divifions and diftractions of the country. Very recent endeavours have been employed, on my part, to unite in the public fervice, on a fair and equal footing, those whose joint efforts appear to me moft capable of producing that happy effect; thofe endeavours have not had the effect I withed. I fhall be always defirous of taking every ftep moft conducive to fuch an object, but I cannot fee that it would in any degree be advanced by the difmiffion of thofe at prefent in my fervice. "I obferve, at the fame time, that there is no charge or comminifters, nor is any one or more of plaint fuggefted against my prefent them fpecifically objected to; and numbers of my fubjects have expreffed to me, in the warmest manner, their fatisfaction of the late changes I have made in my councils. Under thefe circumstances, I truft my faithful commons will not with that the effential offices of executive government fhall be vacated, until I fee a prospect that fuch a plan of union, as I have called for, and they pointed out, may be carried into effect." The Second Addrefs prefented to his Ma jefly by the Houfe of Commons, on March the 4th, 1784, as moved in the House of Commons, March ift. HAT an humble address be prefented to his Majefty, moft humbly to reprefent to his Majefty the fatisfaction his faithful commons derive from the late moft gracious affurances we have receiv ed, that his Majefty concurs with us in opinion, that it concerns the honour of his crown, and the welfare of his people, that the public affairs fhould be conducted by a firm, efficient, extended, united adn iniftration, entitled to the confidence of his people, and fuch as may have a tendency to put an end to the unhappy divifions and distractions of this country. "To acknowledge his Majefty's paternal goodness in his late moft gracious endeavours to give effect to to the object of our late dutiful reprefentation to his Majefty. "To lament that the failure of this his Majefty's moft gracious endeavours fhould be confidered as a final bar to the accomplishing fo falutary and defirable a purpofe; and to express our concern and difappointment that his Majefty has not been advised to take any farther ftep towards uniting in the public fervice thofe whole joint efforts have recently appeared to his Majefty moft capable of producing fo happy an effect. "That this houfe, with all humility, claims it as its right, and on every proper occafion feels it to be their bounden duty, to advife his Majefty touching the exercife of any branch of his royal prerogative. "That we fubmit it to his Majefty's royal confideration, that the continuance of an adminiftration, which does not poffefs the confidence of the reprefentatives of the people, must be injurious to the public fervice. "That this houfe can have no intereft diftinct and separate from that of their conftituents, and that they therefore feel themfelves called upon to repeat thofe loyal and dutiful affurances they have already expreffed of their reliance on his Majefty's paternal regard for the welfare of his people, that his Majefty would graciously enable them to execute thofe important trufts which the conftitution has vefted in them, with honour to themselves, and advantage to the public, by the confirmation of a new adminiftration, appointed under circumftances which may tend to conciliate the minds of his faithful com mons, and give energy and ftability to his Majefty's councils. "That as his Majefty's faithful commons, upon the matureft deliberations, cannot but confider the continuance of the present minifters as an unwarrantable obftacle to his Majefty's moft gracious purpofe, to comply with their wishes in the formation of fech an adminiftration as his Majefty, in concurrence with the unanimous refolution of this houfe, feems to think requifite, in the prefent exigencies of the country, they feel themfelves bound to remain firm in the with expreffed to his Majefty in their late humble addrefs; and do therefore find themfelves obliged again to befeech his Majefty, that he would be gracioufly pleafed to lay the foundation of a ftrong and ftable govern. ment, by the previous removal of his prefent minifters." His Majefty's Anfwer to the foregoing Addrefs, March 4, 1784. "Gentlemen, "I have already expressed to you how fenfible I am of the advantages to be derived from fuch an adminiftration as was pointed out in your unanimous refolution; and I affured you that I was defirous of taking every step moft conducive to fuch an object-1 remain in the fame fentiments-but I continue equally convinced, that it is an object not likely to be attained by the difmiflion of my prefent minifters. "Imuft repeat, that no charge or complaint, nor any fpecific objection, is yet made against any of them. If there were any fuch ground for their removal at present, it ought to be equally a reafon for not admitting them as a part of that extended and united adminiftration, [X] 4 niftration, which you ftate to be requifite. "To exprefs our concern, that when his Majefty's paternal goodnefs has graciously inclined his Majefty to be fenfible of the advantage to be derived from fuch an adminiftration as was pointed out in our refolution, his Majefty fhould ftill be induced to prefer the opini "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 thofe principles of fairness and equality, without which it can neither be honour-ons of individuals to the repeated able to those who are concerned, nor advice of the reprefentatives of his Jay the foundation of fuch a ftrong people in parliament affembled,with and ftable government as may be refpect to the means of obtaining fo of lafting advantage to the country. defirable an end. But I know of no further steps which I can take, that can be effectual to remove the difficulties which obftruct that defirable end. "To represent to his Majefty, that a preference of this nature is as injurious to the true interefts of the crown, as it is wholly repugnant to 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 adverse fuch advice may have been to the opinions of the executive fervants of the crown. effect, which does not enjoy the confidence of this house. "That in his Majesty's prefent adminiftration we cannot confide; the circumstances under which it was conftituted, and the grounds upon which it continues, have created fuch fufpicions in the breafts of his faithful commons, that principles are adopted, and views entertained, 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 procefs 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 against 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 Majesty, in concurrence with the sentiments of this houfe, confiders as requifite, it is a point upon which we are too well acquainted with the bounds of our duty to prefume to offer any advice to his Majefty, well knowing it to be the undoubted prerogative of his Majesty to appoint his minifters, without any previous advice from either house of parliament, and our duty humbly to offer to his Majefty our advice, when fuch appointments fhall appear to us to be prejudical to the public fervice. "To acknowledge with grati tude his Majefty's goodnefs, is not confidering the failure of his recent endeavours as a final bar to the accomplishment of the gracious purpofe 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 should naturally have derived from his Majefty's most gracious difpofition is confiderably abated, by underftanding that his Majesty's advifers have not thought fit to fuggeft to his Majefly any farther fteps to remove the difficulties which ob ftruct fo defirable an end. "To recall to his Majefty's recollection, that his faithful commons have already fubmitted to his Majefty, mott humbly bat molt diftinctly, their opinion upon this fubject-That they can have no interefts but thofe of his Majefty and of their conftituents;- whereas it is needless to fuggeft to his Majefty's wisdom and difcernment, that individual advisers may be a&uated by very different motives. 66 To express our most 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 Majesty on every proper occafion, 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 expreflions, thofe excellent and conftitutional fentiments, which we have ever been accuftomed to hear from the throne |