means of supplying the defect in the personal exercise of the royal authority, under such regulations as the present circumstances may seem to require; and that the committee be directed to inform his Royal Highness, that the commons express their hopes, that his Royal Highness will accept the said charge, as soon as an act of parliament can be passed for carrying into effect the said purpose."

In the course of the debate an irregular conversation took place on the subject of addresses, which had been obtained in different parts of the country, approving of the conduct of the ministry; and several members were called to order.

Mr. SHERIDAN, having premised that he did not mean in the least to advert to that part of the debate which respected the question of order, nor to go at large into any argument to prove that there was an evident want of system, though upon this ground, he must agree with his honorable friend near him; and likewise in his assertion, that the measure then proposed would cause delay. He added, that there were two things which, he owned, would incline him to agree to the address; and that one of these was, that it had been understood the idea, so hastily suggested on a preceding evening, of limiting the duration of the regency was abandoned; and the reducing the form of the constitution to a republic, by making the election of a supreme governor annual, would no longer be insisted upon. He declared, that when this idea was first started, the right honorable gentleman seemed to be ready to embrace it; he could not, therefore, but wonder at the sort of acquiescence manifested by the house to a proposition of so monstrous a nature, pregnant with such extensive mischiefs, and tending in the first instance to change the form of the constitution. Mr: Sheridan reverted to what he had mentioned the day before; and again remarked that the resolutions, upon the face of them, appeared to be final and permanent; since they contained nothing which pointed out that they were calculated merely to subsist for a limited time, and to answer an emergency of only a temporary nature; although upon that single ground, urged

again and again by the right honorable gentleman himself, and other gentlemen, in debate, had the house been called upon to vote the resolutions. He enforced the necessity of accompanying the resolutions, when laid before His Royal Highness, with some intimation of this very material circumstance; and, before he sat down, declared, that he would move an amendment to the motion, in order to add words to that effect. Another point was, that the scheme of setting up what had been properly enough termed a phantom and a shadow to represent the third estate, was to be abolished;—if the fact was so, he should rejoice exceedingly; because he could not but regard the resorting to such a mode of obtaining the royal assent as a fallacy, and a violation of the rights of the third estate, by an assumption of the exercise of those rights in the two houses of parliament, to whom it did not constitutionally belong. The right honorable gentleman opposite to him, thought proper to contend that the house had already determined on that point; but he begged leave to say, that they had not determined it; they had, indeed, talked of it; and loose hints had been given in the course of debate of the nature of the thing intended to be put in practice; but all they had decided was, that it was necessary for the two houses to determine on the means by which the royal assent should be given to a bill; and, most certainly, there was a wide difference between resolving that it was necessary for the two houses to determine on the means; and the means themselves. Another matter, which still remained unexplained, was the degree of state and attendance, which the right honorable gentleman had observed that he meant to move to be annexed to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in the room of that power and patronage, which, by the fifth resolution, he had proposed to take away from him. As the right honorable gentleman seemed to mean to retain that office, and give up every other,

he wished that at the time when the restrictions were laid before His Royal Highness, the right honorable gentleman would insert something in the address to apprize His Royal Highness of the intention, that he might know what he was to expect would be contained in the bill, and that it was to contain something else besides the restrictions. Mr. Sheridan concluded with moving, by way of amendment, to add to the motion, "That the restrictions were formed on the supposition that His Majesty's illness was only temporary, and might be of no long duration." These words, he said, he had taken out of the right honorable gentleman's letter to the Prince of Wales, which was already before the public; and, therefore, he did not imagine that any objection could be made to his amendment by the right honorable gentleman, or any other member.

Sir James Erskine, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Grey, Mr. Burke, and Mr. Pulteney followed.

Mr. Sheridan then rose again, and observed, that in such a case the house would perceive the want of system. The honorable gentleman had, on a former night, suggested on a sudden an intention to propose a limitation of the existence of the regency, which he had just told the house he meant to persist in, and should state more fully hereafter. It was upon this occasion, that the right honorable gentleman had professed an acquiescence; and after having stated, that his mode of proceeding was a mode which was not to be changed; he had in a manner agreed to receive the honorable gentleman's proposition, and to change it hereafter. To what end then vote the proposed address to the Prince of Wales? If they adopted any additional regulation, or made any alterations, they would necessarily have to do the business which they were now about, over again; and to send up a second address to the Prince, to learn, whether in the altered state of the

restrictions, his Royal Highness was yet willing to accept the regency. Mr. Sheridan pressed this argument, and then said, that, in order to obviate the right honorable gentleman's scruples, he should propose an alteration to his amendment, to which he did think that the right honorable gentleman could object. If he had understood what the right honorable gentleman had said before upon the subject, he had signified that his objection to the amendment was, that it proved what the right honorable gentleman had termed a partial selection from a paragraph in his letter to the Prince of Wales; and that he had left out certain words of importance. He could not, Mr. Sheridan remarked, consider those omitted words in any other light than as words of surplusage; but, in order to satisfy the right honorable gentleman, and to remove all his doubts, he had now taken those words of the right honorable gentleman's letter, that the right honorable gentleman had complained were omitted in the motion. The matter would then go clearly, and without reserve, to his Royal Highness, and they would see by his Royal Highness's answer, what steps they ought next to take. The words Mr. Sheridan meant to add to his motion, were these, "but, if unfortunately His Majesty's recovery should be protracted to a more distant period than there is at present reason to imagine, it will be open hereafter to the wisdom of parliament to reconsider these provisions." Mr. Sheridan said, that he must beg leave to read that part of the motion, on which the right honorable gentleman had relied, as marking in the right honorable gentleman's mind that the restrictions were calculated merely for the present exigency, and were consequently only of a temporary nature. He asked, if those words conveyed so clearly, distinctly, and intelligibly, that the restrictions were permanent, and not temporary, as the words of his amendment warranted such a conclusion. Why then, would the right honorable

gentleman use dubious words, when he might speak plainly and directly? The right honorable gentleman had before declared his letter was partially quoted. He had now taken the part which was omitted, and added it to the other; and, therefore, if the right honorable gentleman meant to do justice to the public, and to the Prince, he could not, with the least consistency, persevere in his objections.

Upon the question being put, that the house do give leave that the first amendment might be withdrawn, in order to give Mr. Sheridan an opportunity to join the first and second, and move both as one amendment; leave was given, and the question was then put on the whole of the conjoint amendment, which was negatived without a division, and the main question carried. Mr. Pitt next moved, "That the resolution, which relates to the care of His Majesty's person, and the management of His Majesty's houshold, being in the Queen, should be communicated to Her Majesty with an address, humbly desiring Her Majesty to take under her care those important trusts, as soon as an act of parliament can be passed for that purpose." This was agreed to.

JANUARY 29.

REGENCY RESTRICTIONS.

Mr. Pitt moved, "That the order of the day for going into a committee on the state of the nation be discharged." This having been agreed to, he next moved, "That the house resolve itself into a committee on the state of the nation, on the ensuing Monday." As soon as the Speaker had read this resolution,

Mr. SHERIDAN rising immediately, remarked that he felt it impossible to remain silent concerning the situation in which the house stood. The right honorable gentleman had, on the preceding Tuesday, declared, that there would not be the delay which an honorable friend of his, as well as he, had expressed their apprehensions of, during the course of the debate, but that on that day the house would have to proceed in the committee on the state of the nation. They now found themselves no nearer to the object than they were on Tuesday last. He wished therefore, before the question was put, to