against the Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill....... 1385 VIII. LISTS. 229 LIST of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Lord Al- of the Minority in the House of Commons on the Second Reading of the Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill...... 678 of the Minority in the House of Commons on Mr. Fowell Buxton's Motion to limit the Duration of the Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill to three Years .................. 804 of the Minority in the House of Commons on Lord Al- thorp's Motion for limiting the Operation of the Sedi- tious Meetings Prevention Bill to certain Counties...... 878 of the Minority in the House of Commons on the Third Reading of the Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill...... 1083 of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Mr. Hut- of the Minority in the House of Commons on the Seizure of the Minority in the House of Commons on Sir W. de Crespigny's Motion respecting Mr. Owen's Plan......... 1217 of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Third Reading of the Seizure of Arms Bill........................ 1233 PARLIAMENTARY THE Parliamentary Debates During the Second Session of the Sixth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, appointed to meet at Westminster, the Twenty-third Day of November 1819, in the Sixtieth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King GEORGE the Third. HOUSE OF LORDS. Tuesday, November 23, 1819. THE PRINCE REGENT'S SPEECH ON OPENING THE SESSION.] This day, at two o'clock, his Royal Highness the Prince Regent came down in the usual state, and, being seated on the Throne, his Royal Highness opened the Session with the following Speech to both Houses : "My Lords and Gentlemen; "It is with great concern that I am again obliged to announce to you the continuance of his Majesty's lamented indisposition. "I regret to have been under the necessity of calling you together at this period of the year; but the seditious practices so long prevalent in some of the manufacturing districts of the country have been continued with increased activity since you were last assembled in parliament. "They have led to proceedings incompatible with the public tranquillity, and with the peaceful habits of the industrious classes of the community; and a spirit is now fully manifested, utterly hostile to the constitution of this kingdom, and aiming not only at the change of those political institutions which have hitherto constituted the pride and security of this country, but at the subversion of the (VOL. XLI.) [Sess. 1819-20. rights of property and of all order in society. "I have given directions that the necessary information on this subject shall be laid before you; and I feel it to be my indispensable duty, to press on your immediate attention the consideration of such measures as may be requisite for the counteraction and suppression of a system which, if not effectually checked, must bring confusion and ruin on the nation. "Gentlemen of the House of Commons; "The estimates for the ensuing year will be laid before you. "The necessity of affording protection to the lives and property of his Majesty's loyal subjects has compelled me to make some addition to our military force; but I have no doubt you will be of opinion. that the arrangements for this purpose have been effected in the manner likely to be the least burthensome to the country. "Although the revenue has undergone some fluctuation since the close of the last session of parliament, I have the satisfaction of being able to inform you, that it appears to be again in a course of progressive improvement. "Some depression still continues to exist in certain branches of our manufac(B) tures, and I deeply lament the distress which is in consequence felt by those who more immediately depend upon them; but this depression is in a great measure to be ascribed to the embarrassed situation of other countries, and I earnestly hope that it will be found to be of a tem porary nature. "My Lords and Gentlemen; "I continue to receive from foreign powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country. "It is my most anxious wish, that advantage should be taken of this season of peace to secure and advance our internal prosperity; but the successful prosecution of this object must essentially depend on the preservation of domestic tranquillity. "Upon the loyalty of the great body of the people I have the most confident reliance; but it will require your utmost vigilance and exertion, collectively and individually, to check the dissemination of the doctrines of treason and impiety, and to impress upon the minds of all classes of his Majesty's subjects, that it is from the cultivation of the principles of religion, and from a just subordination to lawful authority, that we can alone expect the continuance of that Divine favour and protection which have hitherto been so signally experienced in this kingdom." His Royal Highness then withdrew, and the House adjourned till 5 o'clock. THE ADDRESS ON THE PRINCE REGENT'S SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF SESSION.] The Prince Regent's Speech having been again read by the Lord Chancellor, and also by the clerk at the table, Earl Manvers rose to move an address to his Royal Highness, in answer to the most gracious speech which had then been read. He hoped he might be permitted to observe, that he had never before had the honour of addressing their lordships, and that he felt himself unable adequately to discharge the important duty which he had undertaken. He found it necessary, therefore, to appeal to that indulgence which their lordships usually granted to persons placed in siIn the sorrow which his Royal Highness tuations similar to that in which he stood. expressed on account of his majesty's continued indisposition, their lordships must all partake. His Royal Highness next adverted to the causes which had induced him to convene parliament at this early period, and recommended it to their lordships, to direct their early attention to the adoption of such measures as might be necessary to suppress those sefor some time back. That the country ditious meetings which had been prevalent was in a situation of extreme danger, he believed few of their lordships would deny; and though he did not anticipate it was intended to propose, he hoped they the precise nature of the measures which would prove sufficiently energetic to meet the exigencies of the case. He was aware that much had been said out of that House, and that much would be said the people; but their lordships must be within its walls, respecting the rights of cautious, lest, whilst they were protecting the liberty of the subject, they should compromise the security, of the state. offering any remarks on the other subjects He was aware that in abstaining from adverted to in the speech of his Royal Highness, he left a wide field untouched; but he did so with the less regret, as he done to those topics by the noble lord felt assured that ample justice would be who was to follow him. The noble lord concluded by moving an address, which was an echo to the speech from the throne, and similar to that moved in the House of Commons. Lord Churchill rose to second the address of his noble friend, of which he said for some time, but in a tone of voice inauhe highly approved. His lordship spoke he said, as an independent peer of parliadible below the bar. He came forward, ment, to give his feeble but honest support to the government of his royal highness the Prince Regent at a crisis like the present, which was undoubtedly one of great difficulty and danger. Earl Grey rose. He said, that had he not been aware of the state of the country, which had been moved in reply to it, and the speech from the throne, the address the language used by the noble lord who moved, and the noble lord who seconded that address, would be sufficient to convince him that parliament had never as 51 his confidence was far from being so great at the Opening of the Session. sembled at a more important crisis, or when there were greater difficulties and dangers to be overcome. He did not, however, think the line of policy pointed out in the speech from the throne, and recommended by the two noble lords, was such as ought to be adopted in the present situation of the country; or that the reasons urged in support of the address, ought to induce the House to concur in it without the fullest information. He had attended with the greatest care to every thing that had been stated in that House and elsewhere respecting the situation of the country. He had heard strong observations on the progress of sedition and treason, and on the necessity of adopting measures of coercion calculated to avert the danger which threatened the country. But he had as yet heard no recommendation to avert the danger, by relieving the people from some part of the heavy burthens which oppressed them. Neither of the noble lords had recommended that course which was best calculated to remove the cause of the existing discontents. It was by conciliarity of the country. Some extraordinary tion, by a reduction of the enormous circumstances must have occurred, before public expenditure which weighed down any considerable portion of the people of the country, and by a system of timely England ceased to respect those institureform and economy, that the threatened tions which were heretofore their pride. danger should be met: for such a system The danger in such a state of things must would in its result speedily suppress all doubtless be great; but if their lordships the seditious practices referred to in the were satisfied that the danger was rightly address, or in the speeches of the noble described, the next object of their conmover and seconder. Having said thus sideration must be the causes which had much in the way of general objection to led to it. The causes, he was confident, were to be found in that system of policy the line of policy which had been recomwhich he had already condemned-that mended to their lordships, he had now to observe, that neither the noble lord who system which refused to look at the danmoved the address, nor the noble lord ger which was most pressing and present, who seconded it, had described the dan- and which neglected to make those progers and difficulties of the country in visions by which it could alone be effecstronger colours than he was disposed to tually averted. To one part of the noble view them. It was not with respect to mover's speech he had no objection, the situation of the country that he was namely, that in which he urged the neinclined to differ from them, but with cessity of resisting plans of innovation, No noble respect to the causes which had pro- tending to the subversion of the constiduced it. It was the continued operation tution and the state of society. who of those causes which was the great lord could be more inclined than he was the plans of those to oppose subject of alarm. The internal situation of the country was most afflicting, and were endeavouring to lead the people to even its external was not in his opinion their ruin-men who, if not all equally perfectly satisfactory. The speech from criminal, some perhaps acted from ignothe throne, it was true, stated, that his rance or zeal, while others might expect to attain distinction by introducing conroyal highness the Prince Regent continued to receive from foreign powers the fusion into the country; but they were strongest assurances of their friendly dis- all equally mischievous in their proceedposition towards this country; but evenings. To the plans of innovations alluded with respect to that part of our situation, to he felt the necessity of opposing the persons |