compel him to do justice by the ftricteft regulations? He had a very different view of the fubject. The best dignity, and the trueft greatnefs, was, in his judgment, that which was founded upon integrity of character, without which no refpect for rank or station would long avail. The best means then, which it appeared to him that they could pursue, was to grant to the Prince of Wales whatever income they might think fuitable, and to mark their disapprobation of the debts by a direct refusal to enter into any difcuffion on the subject. The Right Hon. Gentleman had stated the inconvenience to which the Prince of Wales would be fubject by fuch a decicion on the part of the Legislature. He was fenfible of the inconvenience, but he lamented, along with the Right Hon. Gentleman, that he had only a choice of evils. Unfortunately he could not fee the Prince of Wales in that situation of rank and dignity, which belonged to him. He had then only to look to that which was the next beft, to see him in the fituation of lamenting his errors, and making the best preparation which he could for the liquidation of his debts. Would any man tell him that if the Prince of Wales were to retire to a fituation, where he might qualify himself by reflection for the duties of his future ftation, after having made a compofition with his creditors, who, no doubt, would be fatisfied with eafy terms, that there would not ftill, out of the income which he propofed, be left a fufficient provifion for the eafe and comfort of two perfons, who had other resources to which they might look? The Right Hon. Gentleman, however, had urged, that the fupport of the monarchy was interested in the provifion at prefent to be made, and that whatever was given, was given for public purposes. He granted that fuch was the cafe with refpect to whatever was given for the purpose of real and useful splendour, but exprefied his fears, that if the debts were fubmitted to the fecret Committee, there perhaps might not be one, which ought not to furnish to the House a fubject of regret. It was alfo to be remembered, that whatever was given to profligacy and extravagance, fo far from going to the fupport of monarchy, went to its overthrow and the deftruction of the constitution, as had been recently proved in a neighbouring kingdom, the fubverfion of the monarchy of which, and the evils which - had there arifen, had in a great measure been caused by extravagance on the part of the Princes, which fhocked the feelings of the people, while it infulted their diftreffes. Mr. Grey concluded with moving, that inftead of 65,000l. an additional fum of 40,000l. fhould be granted to his Royal Highness,

Mr.

Mr. Montague confidered the question to be of the utmost importance, and exhorted the Houfe to act gravely and deliberately.

Mr. Lambton faid, that he felt his prefent fituation doubly painful, as he was under the neceffity of differing from his Hon. Friend, whom he highly refpected, with regard to the amendment which he had made, and of fupporting the original motion. That motion he conceived to include every advantage which could be derived from the prefent difcuffion. With refpect to the amendment of his Hon. Friend, it must either put the Prince in the fituation of incurring new debts, or be followed up with a Bill to exile him from the metropolis, and expel him from Carlton House. The queftion then was, whether or not it was neceffary that his Royal Highness, in the fituation in which he ftood, fhould preferve an intercourfe with different ranks of people. He was fenfible that the bufinefs was highly unpopular. The Right Hon. Gentleman had not been able to bring it forward without expreffing thofe feelings of regret, and even difapprobation, which he felt on the occafion. The income propofed was to be granted, not from any confiderations perfonal to his Royal Highness, but from loyalty to his illuftrious Houfe, from gratitude for the fervices which they had done the country, and from attachment to the conftitution, which had fo long flourished under an hereditary monarchy. Bafe and unprincipled muft that fycophant be, who would poifon the ear of his Royal Highness with an infinuation that he has a right to fquander the money of the people of England for any purpofe, however idle, fantaftic, and extravagant. He could not, however, admit all the blame, which had been attached to this accumulation of debt. Part of the evil refulted from an ill-judged parfmony in the first inftance. When the Prince was twenty-. feven years of age, and his income only fifty thousand pounds, they paid his debts; from the estimate of which they might perceive that he was then spending a hundred thousand pounds; yet, notwithstanding, they granted him only an income of fixty thousand pounds, thus leaving him with the certainty of contracting a fresh debt of thirty thousand pounds a year. Those who had once got into the habit of incurring debt, felt how eafy it was to fupply, by their credit, the deficiency of their finances, and were more and more inclined to plunge into the vortex, a maxim, for the truth of which he appealed to many who were prefent, and qualified to decide on the point from their own experience. Mr. Lambton faid, he thought the minister on the present occafion had performed a difficult duty in a manner which did him honour. He had

done

done all in his power to extricate the Prince from his difficulties, at the fame time ftating in the ftrongest manner his difapprobation of his conduct. He here referred to an allufion that had been made on a former day, to the extravagance of the French Princes. None, he faid, who had been prefent at the court of Verfailles, would have conceived that there exifted the fmallest degree of comparison. He quoted the example of the Count d'Artois, who was accustomed every night to ftake thousands on the fortune of a die; who spent enormous fums in decorating a small apartment, and kept up, through the whole of his expenditure, the fame ftyle of profufion. As well might they compare the French minifter, M. Calonne, who had been but too eafy in complying with the demands of the Princes, to the prefent minifter.

Mr. Lambton faid, that if the extravagance of the French Princes had occafioned the revolution, we did well to avert from this country the danger of fuch an evil. If it were true that the extravagance of the court of France had brought on the difafters of that uphappy country, he thought it became the duty of the Houfe to endeavour to extricate the Prince from his difficulties, and prevent the poflibility of his running into the fame error. He was of opinion, that the interest of the country was connected with the fplendour of the mo narchy and the family. If it was wifhed to keep up the mo-. narchy in the country, he thought the fplendour and dignity, fhould also be maintained, left the monarchy fhould be reduced to a nullity.

At fome period or other the burdens of the Prince must fall on the Public; for when he came to the Crown, his first object would naturally be the difcharge of thefe debts. If it could be fuppofed that it was poffible to endeavour to prevent this, the confequence would be violent convulfions in the ftate, which might even ruin the conftitution. He wifhed at the fame time to obtain fomething for the people; he hoped that a Bill would be brought in to abolish, as far as poflible, the undue influence which large establishments neceffarily introduced into the Legislature. Of the three branches compofing the ftate, he had no hesitation in faying, that he preferred the democratic branch, as that which held in its hands the intereft and happiness of the community; yet he would not wish to reftrain the just prerogative of the Crown. He thought that the Princess of Wales ought to be confidered on the prefent occafion. He fhould think it would be inconfiftent with British generofity, that the fhould be expofed to the taunts of creditors; it was more hondurable to them to afford her, after

fhe

the had been invited over, the means of living in affluence and eafe.

He stated that the enonomic government of America was peculiarly fitted to the foil where it originated, and did not at all apply to this country. After fome other obfervations, he concluded with giving his approbation to the original motion.

Mr. Curwen laid, "Sir, if the Hon. Gentleman, who has just fat down, had been prefent on a former day's debate, to which he has alluded, he would have known that I neither did, nor was it ever my intention, to draw a comparison between the Royal Perfonages he has named. I then faid, what I till think, that the lavish expenditure of public money by the royal family of France, loft them the affections of the people, and led the way to all the calamities which have fince befallen that unhappy country. The example of France being quoted to us on all occafions, I cannot but regret that the confequences which produced that revolution feem fo little attended to. If they had, Sir, we fhould not have been under the neceflity of difcuffing the prefent queftion; and one more pregnant with mischief was never brought forward; and of this opinion there are few, either in or out of this Houfe, who are not agreed. I can view the question in no other light than as it affects the happiness of the country. It does not enter my mind to confider the perfon or his conduct; nor matters it whether one Prince lavifhed thoufands in building a fummer-houfe, or the other fquandered them on the plains of Newmarket. I wish to fee adopted fuch measures as may avoid the fatal confequences of the lofs of public opinion and affection. For a fituation fo clofely connected with monarchy, Sir, I can neither agree to the plan of the Right Hon. Gentleman, nor with the amendment of the Gentleman near me. Such is the dilemma we are involved in, that we have only the choice of difficulties. Numberlefs are the objections to every expedient I have yet heard propofed. I cannot but heartily deprecate the Right Hon. Gentleman, who fo folemnly pledged the Royal word, and his being fo fhamefully inattentive in looking to the obfervance of it; had he done his duty, a remedy might have been applied, and means found to have extricated his Royal Highnefs out of his difficulties, without impofing fresh burdens on the Public, or expofing his Royal Highness's character. Sir, that the country are difinclined, diflatisfied, and unwilling to be charged with one penny on account of the Prince's debts, will not be denied: That a more unfavoura ble moment than the prefent, for bringing forward fuch a charge, could not have been found; labouring, as the country is, under fuch accumulated diftreffes. On the other hand, VOL. III.

Hh

by

by refufing to extricate his Royal Highnefs, you fubject him to infults, which may leffen and difgrace royalty in the opinion of the people, and produce mifchiefs of the most dangerous kind. The momentary diffatisfaction of the people, from the payment of the debts, weighs lefs with me, than the confequences which may refult from continuing his Royal Highnefs in his prefent embarraffed fituation; and I truft, after the first feelings of refentment are over and forgotten, the country will fee it in a different point of view. I am therefore, Sir, for the payment of the Prince's debts; and fhall vote for the larger fum, with a view of forming fuch a finking fund, as may, in a reasonable time, liquidate the debt: With this view, thould the larger fum be adopted by the Houfe, I fhall move, in fome fubfequent ftage of the proceedings, that the fixty-five thousand pounds, and the Dutchy of Cornwall, be applied to the liquidation of the Prince's debts. On the part of the Prince facrifices ought and must be made; his Royal Highness ought to relinquish his court, and retire for a feafon into privacy, there to regain the good opinion and regard of the people: Little, indeed, is the facrifice, when compared with that which will be obtained. The intereft of the Prince and the people are the fame; as he acquires the affections of the people, they gain fecurity; for, without the affections of the people, no government is fecure. I approve of the commiflion to inquire into, and fettle the debts; I with a veil to be thrown over them, and that the future conduct of his Royal Highnefs may make us forget the past.. I cannot conceive how royalty can in any respect be injured by fuch a proceeding: On a large calculation, not one thirteenth part of the nation can receive any gratification from the Prince's court; but I am fenfible that the relinquifhment of it would be felt and acknowledged by every fubject in the kingdom. No country, furely, ever afforded fuch an inftance of what perfonal virtue and integrity can effect: View this reign, commencing with an attack upon the right of elections-proceeding, from step to ftep, till we lost one quarter of the globe; with a minifter fo callous to the dif treffes of the people, that he had the audacity to come forward, with an unblushing front, to Parliament, in the midft of that ruinous and deftructive war, for the payment of the King's debts, to the amount of upwards of fix hundred thoufand pounds, and one hundred thousand pounds to be added to the civil lift: And was it not granted?-Involved at this moment in a war, the end or confequences of which no one can pretend to foretel-deprived of the great palladium of liberty, the Habeas Corpus Act-and yet, Sir, notwithstand