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"A more unpleafant duty, Mr. Fox declared, he had never performed in Parliament. The illuftrious perfon whose honour and intereft, in conjunction with thofe of the Public, he was anxious to promote, would not perhaps much relish what he had faid, if it should be reported to him; but grateful as he was for the perfonal notice and kindness with which his Royal Highness had fometimes honoured him, he never had spoken, or would fpeak of him in that Houfe, but relatively to his ftation, not to his own private feelings. The fmallness of his income palliated his debts, and, had it not been for the promife in 1787, might have excufed them. All who knew him knew this to have been his conftant opinion upon that point. The Prince had not been fairly dealt with, as to the revenue of the Dutchy of Cornwall during his minority. What the Ac of Parliament gave to him from his birth, had been applied by fucceffive minifters to the purposes of the civil lift. It was a miferable plea to fay, that the amount had been expended on his education. Would any man of fortune, whofe fon had a diftinct income, charge him with the expences of his education? Mr. Fox concluded by obferving, that his plan was to facilitate the extinction of the debts, and fo was that of the Right Hon. Gentleman; but there was more rifk in the latter, and if the Public risks, the Public pays. This being the iffue, he repeated that he would vote for making the allowance to the Prince of Wales 125,000l. but that he would oppose taking any notice of his debts, unless a large fund for liquidating them were appropriated in fome fuch way as he had fuggefted.

Mr. Wilberforce began by obferving that though he must confider it as an unfavourable circumftance, that he was about to rife to deliver his fentiments immediately after the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox) who had juft fat down, on account of the comparison which must be drawn to his difadvantage; yet on another ground he could not but be glad that he had not caught the Speaker's eye, when he had rifen at an earlier period of the debate, for when the propofition which had been originally moved and enforced by his Right Hon. Friend, had been agreed to and fupported by the Right Hon. Gentleman, he was fure he had at least heard all that was to be urged in vindication of it: It was a propofition from which he must reluctantly diffent, but he trusted he was not acting under the influance of prejudice, or paflion, but determined on an impartial confideration of the important fubject before them, and earnest in the pursuit of truth.

He must begin by returning his thanks to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for bringing the bufinefs forward in to fair a way: It had been distinctly stated, that we were now to leave

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out all confideration of the Prince of Wales's debts, and that we had fimply to determine what, in the prefent circumftances of this country, was the allowance which we ought to make to him.

It would be afterwards for the Houfe to decide whether or not any, and if any, what proportion fhould be appropriated to the liquidation of the debts. But this was not the fubject then before them. That on which he had at prefent to make up his mind, without reference to the incumbrances, was merely what fhould be granted to the Prince of Wales. And furely it would be impoffible for him or for the Houfe not to feel the peculiar circumstances under which they were to deter mine on that point. Need he mention the immense debt which was already incurred during the present war, added to all our former burdens, and the indefinite amount of that which might yet remain behind? Need he infist on the diftreffes which at this moment the lower orders were experiencing from the unequalled price of every neceffary of life? He could not but obferve, that the Right Hon. Gentleman who had preceded him (Mr. Fox), had on the present occafion fomewhat flurred over this part of the fubject, which no man in general felt more ftrongly, or knew how to reprefent in more impreffive terms. Need he fuggest the endeavours which had been used to render a limited monarchy unpopular, by reprefenting it to be a mode of government, wherein the many were to be taxed and impoverished, to fupply the luxury and prodigality of a court, or urge the ufe which would be made in this connexion, of any grant upon the prefent occafion, which by moderate and reasonable men might be deemed in any degree extravagant? Surely it would be fufficient to remind the House of these feveral topics, and every Gentleman's own mind would fupply the various confiderations they were calculated to fuggeft.

Giving then their due weight to all thefe circumftances, the question to which he had to answer was this-what would be the proper allowance for the Heir Apparent to the Crown? He entirely agreed with his Right Hon. Friend, that this was no private or perfonal, but a public and a political question: They were bound indeed to grant to the Prince of Wales, as a man for whom it was incumbent on them to provide, whatever might be requifite for his perfonal comfort; but beyond this, and confidering him in his political capacity, it was their duty to investigate what allowance would beft promote the end in view, that of giving credit and fupport to the monarchy. He faid he thought that Gentlemen hardly went deep enough in confidering the fubject.

On looking at all attentively into history, and examining

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the principles of human nature, it would appear not only that fuch an allowance as they were now fpeaking of, ought to be different at different periods, and in different states of fociety, in order to render it most conducive to the intended end; but that as in more rude and barbarous times, when a general fimplicity of living prevailed, it might best support the honour and credit of the crown for the King and his immediate connexions to live in great fplendour and magnificence (for which therefore large revenues would be required); fo in times of general luxury and extravagance, a certain chafte and dignified fimplicity, when not finking into any thing mean. or fordid, would be likely to excite ftill greater refpect and veneration. This was a principle, of the truth of which he was firmly convinced, though it might feem a little fingular at first fight; and it would be found to hold true in every other instance wherein it was applicable as well as in that of the style of living: Every one would anticipate its application to works of literature and the fine arts, in which, at a more advanced period of society, a chafte fimplicity was fubftituted in the place of finery and taudry decoration. Taking this principle into account, and adding it to the former confiderations, drawn from the fituation of the country, he must fay that he thought the fum of 100,000l. per annum, exclufive of the Dutchy of Cornwall, which was estimated at 13,000l. more, was a fufficiently liberal provifion. Several arguments had however been urged to induce the House to accede to the propofal for the larger fum moved by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 125,000l. befides the Dutchy of Cornwall. It was stated in the first place, that the smaller allowance was the fame which had been made to his Royal Highness's grandfather, and that, from the decreased value of money, it would by no means go fo far now as formerly: But he must remind the House, that his Royal Highness's grandfather had a great family to maintain: And not to mention that this principle, of regard to the decreased value of money, or the increased price of articles, was not one which had been admitted in the cafe of the public eftablishment of this country (he need only fuggeft the army and navy as proofs of his affertion), he muft obferve that the principle applied lefs in the cafe of his Royal; Highness than in any other, because a confiderable part of his expences confifted in fixed falaries to the various officers of his court, which were the fame now as they had been in the time of his grandfather.

Mr. Wilberforce proceeded to obferve, that what he had a little before remarked concerning the greater fimplicity which became times of general pomp and luxury, would ferve in

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fome degree as an answer to another argument in favour of the larger allowance, that not only the price of every article increafed, but the style of living was itfelf extremely raifed with-in the last few years; whence it was contended, the Prince of Wales must spend much more now than a Prince of Wales formerly, to maintain his relative fituation. But he thought it was here alfo to be remarked, that the chief difference in the manner of living confifted in this, that from the ufual effects of increafing opulence, the lower and middle orders had gradually adopted the luxuries and refinements of the higher claffes, and he believed that to any one who would confult the page of hiftory, it would appear that in the cafe of perfons in the highest rank, like that of his Royal Highnefs, the ftyleof living was not only not increased, but that it was actually diminished: They had fewer retainers than formerly, they had: lefs numerous retinues, their entertainments were lefs coftly and magnificent. Any one might be fatisfied of these things, who would look into fome curious publications, concerning the manner of living in England in former times.

But the Right Hon. Gentleman, willing to bring forward the whole force of his artillery, had tried the effect of facetioufnefs as well as of ferious argument; and by a pleasant ftory had ridiculed the idea of the Members of that House prefcribing to the Prince of Wales that fimplicity and moderation of living, which they were themselves fo flow to practife; but the Lady in queftion, it was to be obferved, was acting in an individual, and not in a judicial capacity. What would the Right Hon. Gentleman fay to a Judge upon the bench, who should declare that he must change the fentence of that law which he was fworn to pronounce, because he knew he was himself in fome degree chargeable with the fame offence? And was a legiflative of lefs importance than a judicial function? He must remind the Houfe that they were then in the exercise of a folemn duty, deliberating on the proper provi fion for the Heir Apparent of the Crown, bound to maintain a due regard on the one hand to the claims of his exalted station, and on the other to the peculiar circumstances of the times, and the interest of the people. Strongly impreffed with a fenfe of its being incumbent on him to difcharge with fidelity. the duties of his important ftation, and knowing that it was one of his efpecial duties to watch over the interests of the Throne, he must go on to fpeak his mind with freedom: He could not help confeffing then, that in confidering the amount of his Royal Highnefs's allowance, he must take into his view the probable application of it; but it was more pleafing. to exprefs gratitude than cenfure, and it afforded him no small

fatisfaction, thus publicly to declare the deep obligations under which he lay to their Majefties upon the throne, for their exemplary conduct, by which they had arrested the progrefs of licentiousness in the higher claffes of fociety, and fultained the fainting morals of the age. If ever the scene should be changed in thefe particulars But he would only add that a French court would foon produce a French nobility, and a French capital, and thefe perhaps would be but too rapidly followed by a French revolution.

With regard to what had been infifted on of the Prince's increased expences, in confequence of his having become a married man, he thought 40,000l. a year was fully fufficient to cover that increased expence; he felt as much as any one the force of a topic, which had been powerfully urged, that of their being bound in honour to confider her Royal Highnefs the Princess, in this arrangement. He could not but believe however, that they gave her little credit for those feelings which he trusted the poffeffed, who conceived that she would not be moft gratified by her caufe being confidered as iden tified with that of her husband, and by receiving that which with most cheerfulness and cordiality the people of England would bestow: He could not but flatter himself indeed, that both their Royal Highneffes, whatever might be the firft emotions of the moment, would in the hour of recollection feel little obliged to those who could confider their interests and feelings as diftinct from thofe of the people, whom they were one day to govern, and that they would learn rather to refpect those who were too fenfible of the bleffings of a monar chy, to leffen the folid ftrength, by increafing the pageantry of the crown, and endanger the lofs of its beft fecurity, the cordial good-will and affection of the people at large. Mr. Wilberforce concluded with a few additional remarks, concern ing the fale of the Dutchy of Cornwall, as fuggefted by Mr. Fox, and the larger appropriation for payment of the Prince's debts, which if they were to be paid at all, he must certainly prefer to the fmaller one fuggefted by the Chancellor of the Ex chequer. He also approved in this cafe of Mr. Fox's idea of the Prince's living for a while as a private man, without a court, and remarked that to deprive their Royal Highneffes of this kind of ftate, would probably be to take away little or nothing from their happiness.

Mr. Fox, in explanation, faid a life-intereft in the Dutchy belonged to the Prince by Act of Parliament, and the rever fion to the Public. If then, as in cafes of private property, the parties agreed to fell, the life-intereft might be valued; and applying the amount to the immediate reduction of a debt VOL. III.

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