the behalf of his majesty, any office or employment whatever, in reversion, or to grant for any longer term than during his majesty's pleasure, any office, employment, salary, or pension whatever, except such offices and employ ments in possession for the term of the natural life, or during the good behaviour of the grantee or grantees thereof respectively, as by law must be so granted: Provided always, that nothing herein contained shall in any manner affect or extend to prevent or restrain the granting of any pensions under the provisions of an act passed in the 39th year of the reign of his present majesty, intituled, "An Act for the Augmentation of the Salaries of the Judges of the Courts in Westminster Hall, and also of the Lords of Session, Lords Commissioners of Justiciary, and Barons of Exchequer in Scotland; and for enabling his Majesty to grant Annuities to Persons in certain Offices in the said Courts of Westminster Hall, on their Resignation of their respective Offices ;" and of another act passed in the 48th year of his present majesty, intituled, "An Act for enabling his Majesty to grant Annuities to the Judges of the Courts of Session, Justiciary, and Exchequer in Scotland, upon the Resignation of their Offices ;" and of another act, passed in Ireland in the 40th year of the reign of his present majesty, intituled, " An Act to enable his Majesty to grant Annuities to the Lord High Chancellor, and to the Judges of the Court of King's Bench, Master of the Rolls, Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas and Exchequer, Judge or Commissary of the Court of Prerogative, the Judge of the Court of Admiralty, the Chairman of the Quarter Sessions of the County of Dublin, and Aistant Barristers of the several other Counties, on the Resignation of their respective Offices ;" and to amend an act passed in the 36th year of his pre

sent majesty, intituled, " An Act for increasing the Salaries of the Chief and other Judges of the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas, and of the Chief Baron and other Barons of the Court of Exchequer in this Kingdom;" or to prevent or restrain the granting of any pensions out of the revenues of the British territories in the East Indies, under the provisions of any act or acts of parliament now in force, to such persons as may have held the office of chief justice or other judge in the supreme courts of judicature at Fort William in Bengal and at Madras, and the office of recorder of Bombay.

X. Provided also, and be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall in any manner affect or extend to prevent or restrain the granting of any pensions under the provisions of an act passed in the 41st year of the reign of his present majesty, intituled, "An Act for the better Regulation of his Majesty's Prize Courts in the West Indies and America, and for giving a more speedy and effectual Execution to the Decrees of the Lords Commissioners of Appeals," and of another act passed in the 43d year of his present majesty, intituled, "An Act for the Encouragement of Seamen, and for the better and more effectual Manning his Majesty's Navy; for regulating the Payment of Prize Money, and for making Provision for the Salaries of the Judges of the Vice Admiralty Courts in the Island of Malta, and in the Bermudas, and Bahama Islands ;" and also of another act passed in the 45th year of his present majesty, intituled, " An Act for the Encouragement of Seamen, and for the better and more effectually Manning of his Majesty's Navy."

XI. And be it enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall extend or be construed to extend to empower the said Regent, in the name and on

the behalf of his majesty to give the royal assent to any bill or bills in parliament for repealing, changing, or in any respect varying the order and course of succession to the crown of this realm, as the same stands now established by an act passed in the 12th year of the reign of King William the Third, intituled, "An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject;" or to any act for repealing or altering the act made in the 13th year of the reign of King Charles the Second, intituled, "An Act for the Uniformity of Public Prayers and Administration of Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies, and for establishing, the form of making, ordaining, and consecrating Bishops, Priests, and Deacons in the Church of England:" or the act of the 5th year of the reign of Queen Anne, made in Scotland, intituled, " An Act for securing the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government."

XII. Provided also, and be it enacted, That if his said Royal Highness George Augustus Frederick Prince of Wales shall not continue to be resident in the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or shall at any time marry a papist, then and in either of such cases, all the powers and authorities vested in his said royal highness by this act, shall cease and determine. XIII. And whereas it is expedient that the care of his majesty's royal person should be committed to the queen's most excellent majesty, together with the sole direction of such portion of his majesty's household as shall be deemed requisite and suitable for the due attendance on his majesty's sacred person, and the maintenance of his royal dignity; Be it therefore enacted, That the care of his majesty's sacred person, and the disposing, ordering, and managing of all matters and things relating thereto, shall be,

VOL. IV. PART H.

"

and the same are hereby vested in the queen's most excellent majesty, during the continuance of his majesty's indisposition; and that the sole direction of his majesty's household, except the lord chamberlain of his majesty's household, the captain of the yeomen of his majesty's guard, and the captain of the honourable band of gentlemen pensioners, shall be and is hereby vested in her majesty ; and her said majesty shall have the full and sole power and authority, by any instrument or instruments in writing, signed and sealed by her majesty, to nominate and appoint, in case of any vacancies arising by resignation or death, all the officers and persons belonging to his majesty's household, in the respective departments thereof, whose appointment, nomination, or removal have heretofore been made by his majesty; except the lord chamberlain of his majesty's household, and the gentlemen and grooms of his majesty's bedchamber, his majesty'sequerries, the captain of the yeomen of his majesty's guard, and of the honourable band of gentlemen pensioners; and the nomination and appointment by her majesty, in manner and form aforesaid, shall be valid and effectual to all intents and purposes, as if the same had been made or done by his majesty in the accustomed manner; and the several persons so appointed, shall be entitled to the like precedence, privileges, salaries, wages, profits, and all other emoluments, as the several persons now holding and enjoying the same offices are respectively entitled to: Provided always, That the power and authority given by this act to her majesty to nominate and appoint such persons of his majesty's household as are not herein before excepted, shall continue in force until the said 1st day of February, or the expiration of such six weeks as aforesaid, and no longer : Provided also, That her said majesty shall not have any power or authority

Q

to remove any officer in any department of his majesty's household, by this act made subject to the nomina. tion or appointment of her majesty, who shall have been nominated and ap. pointed by his majesty : Provided also, That until the expiration of such period as aforesaid, no appointment shall be made to the office of lord chamberlain of his majesty's household, now vacant, but that all the duties of the said office shall be performed by the vice-chamberlain; and that during such period as aforesaid, no person holding the office of gentleman or groom of his majesty's bed-chamber, or being one of his majesty's equerries, shall be subject to be removed; and no vacancy which shall arise by death or resignation of any of the grooms or gentlemen of his majesty's bed-chamber, or of his majesty's equerries, shall be supplied or filled up, or any appointment or nomination made to supply any such vacancy.

XIV. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That it shall not be lawful for any officer in his majesty's household who is by this act put under the direction of her majesty, to make an appointment to any office to which such officer may have the power of appointment for any longer period than during his majesty's pleasure.

XV. And whereas the execution of the weighty and arduous trusts by this act committed to the queen's most excellent majesty, may require the assist ance of a council, with whom her majesty may consult and advise; Be it therefore enacted, That in order to assist and advise her said most excellent majesty, in the several matters afore said, there shall be, during the continuance of his majesty's illness, a council, consisting of Charles Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward Lord Archbishop of York, James Duke of Montrose, George Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, Heneage Earl of

Aylesford, John Lord Eldon, Edward Lord Ellenborough, and the Right Honourable Sir William Grant; which council shall from time to time meet as her majesty shall be pleased to direct, and shall also have power to meet in manner by this act directed ; and if it should happen that any of them the said Charles Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward Lord Archbishop of York, James Duke of Montrose, George Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, Heneage Earl of Aylesford, John Lord Eldon, Edward Lord Ellenborough, or the Right Honourable Sir William Grant, should depart this life, or by instrument in writing communicated to her majesty, signify their intention to decline to act, then and in such case it shall be lawful for the queen's most excellent majesty, from time to time, by an instrument in writing, signed and sealed by her majesty, revocable at her will and pleasure, to nominate and appoint some one person, being or having been a member of his majesty's most honourable privy council, to be a member of the said council, to advise and assist her majesty as aforesaid, in the room and place of each and every of the said councillors, so departing this life, or declining to act as aforesaid; which nomination and appointment shall be forthwith certified by an instrument in writing, signed and sealed by her majesty, to the lords of his majesty's most honourable privy council, and shall be enter ed in the books of the said privy council.

XVI. And be it further enacted, That each and every member of her majesty's council, shall within the space of five days after his appointment by virtue of this act, or by virtue of her majesty's nomination and appointment in manner aforesaid, take an oath before the lord high chancellor or keeper of the great seal, or commissioners for keeping the great seal of Great Britain, or the

lord president of his majesty's privy council, or the chief justice of the court of King's Bench, for the time being respectively, or either of them, who are hereby severally and respectively required and empowered to administer the same, when required so to do by any person so appointed a member of her majesty's council as aforesaid; and the person administering such oath, shall give to the member of her majesty's council taking the same, a certificate of the same having been so taken, signed with his hand; which certificate shall be forthwith transmitted to his majesty's privy council, and entered in the books of the said privy council; and such oath shall be in the form following: (that is to say,)

"I, A. B. do solemnly promise and swear, That I will truly and faithfully counsel and advise the queen's most excellent majesty, according to the best of my judgment, in all matters and things relating to the trusts committed to her majesty, touching the care of his majesty's royal person, and the resumption of the personal exercise of the royal authority by his majesty."

XVII. And be it further enacted, That her majesty's council, or any three or more of them, shall have power and authority at all times, when they shall judge it necessary, to meet, and call before them, and to examine apon oath, the physicians and all other persons attendant on his majesty, during the continuance of his illness, touching the state of his majesty's health; and all matters relating thereto; (which oath any member of the said council is hereby authorised and empowered to administer ;) and to as certain the state of his majesty's health, by all such other ways and means as shall appear to them to be necessary for that purpose.

XVIII. And be it further enacted, That three or more of the members of the council appointed to assist her ma

jesty in the execution of the trusts committed to her majesty by this act, shall, in case such trusts shall then be in force, meet on some day in the first week in April, 1811, and some day in the first week of every third month thereafter; and shall, whilst the said trusts shall continue in force, at every such meeting declare the state of his majesty's health at the time of each of such meetings respectively, and shall forthwith transmit a copy of such declaration to the president of his majesty's most honourable privy council, or, in his absence, to one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, who shall thereupon cause the same to be inserted in the books of the privy council.

XIX. And whereas it is necessary that effectual provision should be made that his majesty may resume the personal exercise of his royal authority, as soon as his majesty is restored to such a state of health as to be capable of resuming the same; Be it therefore enacted, That when it shall appear to her majesty the queen, and to any four or more of the council appointed by this act to assist her majesty in the execution of the trust committed to her majesty by this act, assembled at any meeting held in pursuance of her majesty's royal will and pleasure signifi, ed for that purpose, or assembled under the direction of this act, or in pursuance of his majesty's royal will and pleasure signified to her majesty and her council for that purpose, which council of her majesty is hereby required to assemble in the presence of her majesty, upon his majesty's royal will and pleasure being signified for that purpose, that his majesty is restored to such a state of health as to be сараble of resuming the personal exercise of the royal authority, it shall and may be lawful for her said majesty, by the advice of any four or more of her said council, to notify the same by an instrument under her majesty's hand,