person, being a private individual, had by any accident happened to come at a certain knowledge of the state of the king, and so certain as to be able to produce proof of it on oath, he would not have dared to make it known through the means of the press, unless willing, to subject himself to utter pecuniary ruin, and to a great chance of losing his life. But, at last, the fact of the derangement of mind and absolute insanity of the king could be disguised no longer; and, in the month of November, 1810, out came the fact.

94. It is of the greatest importance that the English people, at the important crisis in which I am writing, be enabled to call to mind the circumstances attending the disclosure of this insanity of the king. It was not announced in any official manner, until the month of November. The king had prorogued the parliament by commission, on the 21st June, 1810; but now, when the fact of the insanity could no longer be denied, it was declared openly in Parliament that the king had been incapable of affixing his signature to the commission for their further gation. In order to disguise the true state of the king from the people, fabricated stories were incessantly promulgated through the newspapers. In the month of October, and so late as the 25th of that month, it was stated that the king's daughter, the Princess Amelia, died; and it was related of her that, just before her death, she

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had ordered a ring to be made, which she herself had placed on the finger of her father. This account was published, as I have observed before, on the 25th of October. On the same day, it was declared through the same channels, that the king was in perfect health. The words of this announcement or declaration are so remarkable, that they must find their place here, taken from a public paper, called the Morning Chronicle,' of the 25th of October. "This day his majesty enters into the 51st year of his reign; and we rejoice to learn, that he possesses perfect health, "and promises the enjoyment of many years in "the bosom of his family and people." Battles, sieges, even conquests, are of little consequence when compared with the means by which a nation is duped and deluded on to its ruin. This same, this very same instructor of the public, on the 2nd of November, that is to say, seven clear days only after the former announcement, announced to the public, that the king had been in a state of great 66 agitation from the date of three weeks before that 2nd of November. Nay, it announced to the public that, on the 25th of October, the very day when it before announced that the king was in perfect health, the king was in so dangerous a state that his attendants had thought it necessary to communicate the intelligence to the prime minister; that a council was held accordingly, and that the king was even then

powers that belonged to the king. The prince, his brothers, and all his party, contended stoutly for the possession of these full powers; but the other party contended for the contrary, and finally they prevailed, owing to the great distrust which the country entertained, and justly entertained, of the Whig faction. The prince and the whole of his brothers signed a protest against any regency that should not give to the prince all the powers of king; but this had very little effect upon the people: indeed, it rather strengthened the hands of Perceval and his party, and tended to enable them finally to effect their regency was, therefore, at last established by law for a limited period with limited powers.

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96. This act was passed on the 5th of Feb. 1811, and the provisions were as follows: 1. That the Prince of Wales should be regent. 2. That he should sign, "George, Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of his majesty." 3. That his power should cease when the health of the king should be restored. 4. That the acts passed and the orders and appointments made by the regent should remain good, unless countermanded or reversed by the king. 5. That no act of the regent should be valid unless done in the name of the king, and according to the provisions of the act. 6. That the regent should, before he entered on his office, take three oaths; first, an oath of allegiance to the king; second, that he

would faithfully execute the office of regent, according to the provisions of the act; and third, that he would inviolably maintain and presreve the Protestant religion, which oaths he was to take before the privy council. 7. That he should further, at the time of taking these oaths, make, subscribe, and audibly repeat the declaration of the 30th of Charles II., for disabling papists from sitting in the Houses of Parliament; and should produce to the privy council a certificate that he had taken the sacrament of the Lord's supper, in some one or other of the royal chapels, which certificate should be signed by the person administering the same. 8. That, until the 1st day of February, 1812, he should be restrained from granting peerages, or summoning heirs-apparent, or appointing to titles in abeyance. 9. That he should be restrained from granting offices in reversion, or for a longer period than during his majesty's pleasure, except those which by law are granted for life. 10. That he should not be restrained from granting pensions under the 1st of George the Third, and the 43rd and 45th of George the Third, which relate to certain little matters connected with the sea service and the colonies. 11. That he should not have power to give the royal assent to the repeal of the act for the settlement of the crown, the act of uniformity, or the act of union with Scotland. 12. That, if the regent did not reside in the

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kingdom, or, if he married a papist, his power should cease. 13. That the care of the king, and that the appointment of a part of the household, should be vested in the queen. 14. That no officer of the household should make any ap pointment but during his majesty's pleasure; that a council should be appointed to assist her majesty, of which JOHN Lord ELDON was to be one. 16. That these councillors should take an oath promising to assist her majesty faithfully. 17. That this council should have all the powers relative to the care of the king, and should have power to notify his restoration to health. 18. That, on the king's declaring, by proclamation, his resumption of the royal authority, the powers of the regent should cease. 19. That, in case of the death of her majesty, the care of the king's person should be vested in her council. That the letters patent and of privy seal for the issues of money from the civil lists to her majesty should continue in force. 20. That 60,000l. a should be issued out of the civil list to the year keeper of his majesty's privy purse, part of which sum to be placed at her majesty's disposal, and that the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster should be applied in somewhat the same manner. 21. That the care of the king's real and personal estate and property should be committed to trustees; and that these trustees should be answerable to the queen as well as to the regent, for the keeping of these for the use of his majesty. That