the late deliberations of parliament on the affairs of Ireland. This is a subject, above all others, important in itself, and connected with the most pressing dangers. Far from concurring in the sentiments which his majesty's ministers have, on that occasion, so recently expressed, we entertain opinions directly opposite: we are firmly persuaded of the necessity of a total change in the present system of that country, and of the immediate repeal of those civil disabilities under which so large a portion of his majesty's subjects still labour on account of their religious opinions. To recommend to parliament this repeal, is the first advice which it would be our duty to offer to his royal highness, nor could we, even for the shortest time, make ourselves responsible for any further delay in the prospect of a measure, without which we could entertain no hope of rendering ourselves useful to his royal highness, or to the country. We have only further to beg your royal highness to lay before his royal highness the Prince Regent, the expression of our humble duty, and the sincere and respectful assurance of our earnest wishes for whatever may best promote the ease, honour, and advantage of his royal highness's government, and the success of his endeavours for the public welfare.

We have the honour to be, &c. &c.

(Signed)

GREY.-GRENVILLE.

109. Every one saw that the Whigs were thus excluded, let what else might happen, for the remainder of the life of the PRINCE, whether as REGENT or KING, unless, indeed, they should choose to call in the people, by the means of a reform of the Commons' House of Parliament; and this they were then told; of this they were then warned; this warning they did not take, and the consequence was, that they had to undergo exclusion to the end of this prince's life.

110. In February, 1811, the pretended reason for keeping PERCEVAL and his colleagues in power, was, that by dispossessing them of that power, the prince might possibly risk the prevention of a complete recovery of his father, if he should happen to be restored to reason, and find his favourite servants discharged. That pretence could avail no longer; the season for making that pretence was now passed; now the king's malady had become confirmed; now, therefore, another pretence was necessary; that pretence, is, as stated in the letter to the DUKE OF YORK, that, in so critical a situation of the war, the PRINCE fears that turning out his ministers may lead his allies to suppose that he means to part from the present system of upholding his alliance, and carrying on the war." That is to say, he is afraid to turn out PERCEVAL, ELDON, and their colleagues, lest his allies on the continent should suspect that he has ceased his

66

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desire to aid them in the war in the manner that they have been aided, while he has been guided by the councils of these ministers. Never was pretence so bald and so barefaced as this. Just as if his new ministers could not have declared their readiness to carry on the war with as much vigour as the old ones! Just as if Lord GRENVILLE, who would naturally have been the new prime minister, had not carried on the war in conjunction with PITT and DUNDAS; and just as if he and Lord GREY had not carried on the war with renewed vigour when they became ministers in 1806! Just as if the making of these men his ministers, and Lord GRENVILLE especially, who was one of the great authors of the war itself, and who had signalized himself by the haughty and insolent state-paper, in which he rejected the proposition of the FIRST CONSUL to treat for peace; just as if the appointment of these men to office, instead of keeping in PERCEVAL, would have made the allies suspect his warlike propensities, and thereby have broken up or weakened the alliances !

111. But, look at the cool insult offered to Lord GREY, and, through him, to Lord GRENVILLE, in the last paragraph but one, in the prince's letter to the DUKE of YORK. In the foregoing paragraph, the PRINCE expresses his determination not to turn out his ministers, for the reasons there alleged. Then follows this

paragraph, which drops in almost incidentally, in which he expresses a wish that "some of those persons with whom the early habits of his public life were formed, would strengthen his hands and constitute a part of his government."

This

letter he authorizes the duke to communicate to Lord GREY, and says that he has no doubt that he will communicate the contents of it to Lord GRENVILLE. Never was insult so great as this before offered to mortal man. These two lords are told that they may come, if they will, and serve, in some capacity or other, under PERCEVAL and Lord ELDON! The answer of the two lords is any-thing but dignified. Indeed, the dignified course would have been to give no answer at all. Such a letter, addressed to men worthy of being ministers, and standing in the situation in which these two lords stood, should have received no answer; or, at the most, should have been sent back with a few words, intimating to the duke that he must certainly have made a mistake with regard to the persons to whom he had sent his letter. Be this as it may, however, most bitter were the reproaches which the Whigs bestowed on the prince, to whom they ascribed almost every quality that men in general are anxious to be thought not to possess; and, in short, he who had for so many years been the object of their fawning flatteries, now became

cole, and

112 Ext me Pear, the nation, Tit faire le shocked at the presing itening the reiting of PERCEVAL # NOVEL TILLI bre mely sled with them; TIL THE Fat would have found mrse race aimsed Eat, the Whigs hai, vale power. St m2 1857, rendered derseiras si pāris to the people, that their present maced seered to give general satisSecon. The indie mire than twenty years, berne vidi time they had been out of office, been professing their busty to Part`s wastefulress in the pulle apeime, and to all his

CS Canes & the liberties of the

people. They had been preaching economy, and investing artist the taxes; and, above all things they had been demanding a reform of the parliament. They began their ministerial career by an act the most shameful, the most barefaced, the most fagrantly profligate, and containing in it the greatest insult that had ever been offered to public opinion, in any country calling itself free. Lord GRENVILLE was, as has been before observed, the prime minister of this Whig ministry; he was, as has been the custom for a long time, the first lord of the Treasury; but, here arose a difficulty; for, he was already