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CHAPTER IX.

Assassination of Mr. Perceval, and Parliamentary Proceedings thereupon.

THE Public business was at this time interrupted by a very extraordinary and tragical event, the assassination of the prime minister. As Mr. Perceval, on May 11th, was entering the lobby of the House of Commons at a quarter past five o'clock, a person of the name of Bellingham, who had placed himself at the side of the door for that purpose, fired a pistol at him, the ball of which entered his left breast. Mr. Perceval immediately staggered and fell. He was taken up by Mr. W. Smith, and with the assistance of other members was conveyed to the Speaker's apartments; but ⚫ before he reached them, all signs of life were gone. The assassin had taken so sure an aim, that the ball passed through his heart at the centre.

bar of the house, which had been sitting in committee on the orders in council. The Speaker resuming the chair, General Gascoyne said, "I think I know the villain," and on stepping up, called him by his name. The Speaker then proposed that he should be committed to the prison-room, not leading him back through the lobby, lest a rescue should be attempted by accomplices; for the first idea naturally seems to have been that the murder was perpetrated on a public ground, and in consequence of a conspiracy. All proper precau tions being taken, both to prevent injury to others, and that the crimina! might not destroy himself, and a committee being appointed to examine and give evidence on the facts, the house adjourned.

In the House of Lords, as soon as the rumour of the event arrived, the greatest agitation was manifested. At length, their lordships re

As soon as the horror occasioned by this catastrophe had somewhat subsided, a person exclaimed, "Where is the villain who fired "suming their seats, the Lord ChanBellingham stept forward and coolly replied, "I am the unfortunate man." He made no attempt to escape; and being interrogated as to his motive for the deed, he said, "My name is Bellingham; it is a private injury-I know what I have done-it was a denial of justice on the part of government." He was then searched, and carried to the

cellor addressing them, said that he felt it his duty to apprise their lordships that he should take care to give orders that none should go out of the doors of this house till their lordships were fully satisfied that they had not the means of doing further mischief. This was anderstood as a determination that all below the bar should be searched

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to see that they had no weapons; but the alarm of conspiracy having now probably subsided, this resolution was not persisted in. The

fact of Mr. Perceval's death, and the adjournment of the commons being then ascertained, the Earl of Radnor moved, "That an humble address be presented to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, stating, that the house had heard with horror of the attack made upon, and the assassination of, the Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, one of his Majesty's most honourable privy council, and praying that his Royal Highness would be graciously pleased to direct such steps to be taken as he should deem expedient for the apprehension of the offender or offenders."

This motion was agreed to nem. diss. and the house adjourned.

The Prince Regent sent a correspondent answer to this address; and on the following day a message was received from him by both houses, recommending a provision for the numerous and afflicted family of Mr. Perceval. Lord Castlereagh opened the business in the House of Commons, and paid a very feeling tribute to the virtues and merits of the deceased minister. Amidst his distress on this occasion he was, however, happy to mention, that as far as they had been enabled to investigate the subject, government were of opinion that this was an insulated act, and confined to the individual by whom it was perpetrated. With respect to the extent of the provision, he doubted not that the house would be anxious to protect all who bore the name of his lamented friend from the danger of poverty. conclusion, he moved an humble

address to the Prince Regent, expressing their participation in the severe loss sustained by his Royal Highness and the public, and their abhorrence of the crime committed, and assuring him of their ready compliance with his recommendation.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Ponsonby; who said, that although no one thought Mr. Perceval's political opinions more erroneous than he had done, yet he always entertained the highest idea of his honour, and the greatest affection for his person. He had known him in early life, and had never known a man of greater worth, or more exemplary in the domestic relations of life.

On

Mr. Canning and Mr. Whitbread joined in the same sentiments, and the address was agreed to nem. con. and ordered to be carried up by the whole house. the suggestion of Lord Castlereagh, a committee of the whole house was ordered for the morrow, to consider the message; and it was determined that the house should be adjourned from day to day.

After the house had delivered its address to the Regent on May 13, it was resolved into a committee for considering the provision to be made for Mr. Perceval's family. Lord Castlereagh stated that the right honourable gentleman, besides a widow, had left twelve children to the protection of the public, and that the property he had left was so moderate as to afford no possibility of their living in a style suited to their rank. With respect to the nature of the grant, he thought it would be most eligible to vote a substantive sum of money in the first instance

for

for the children, and afterwards an annuity for their mother. The sums which he proposed were 50,000l. for the first purpose, and 20001. per annum for the second; and he moved a resolution for the former grant. Some members regarding this as too little for the services of the father, and mentioning a larger sum, Mr. Wilberforce rose, and after making a warm eulogy on the character of the deceased, observed, that however general the sense of his claims on account of private merit might be, yet that his political opinions were known to have had many opponents; and as it was highly desirable that the vote should be cordial and unanimous, he thought the sum mentioned was a proper medium. The same opinion was held by Mr. Whitbread; and the first resolution being put, with the addition by Mr. Bankes, that the sum should be paid without fee or deduction, it passed

nem. con.

The second resolution, for an annuity to Mrs. Perceval of 2000l. without fee or deduction, being put by Lord Castlereagh was carried nem. con.

This unanimity was disturbed, and the debate unfortunately assumed somewhat of a party aspect, by Mr. H. Sumner's motion, "That the annuity of 20001. payable to the Hon. Jane Perceval for her life, shall, after her decease, be paid to such male descendant of the Right Hon. Spencer Perceval as shall be at that time his heir, for the term of his natural life.”

Mr. Whitbread declared his dissent from this proposal; Mr. Wilberforce expressed his apprehension

that such a vote would be suspected to have originated from the political opinions of those who had usually supported the deceased minister; Lord Castlereagh moved an amendment upon it which went to set it aside; and other members spoke against it. When, however, the division took place, Lord Castlereagh's amendment was rejected by 107 against 67, and Mr. Sumner's motion was carried by 136 against 23.

The report being brought up on the next day, the first and second resolutions were read and agreed to nem. con.

Mr. Huskisson then rose, and after some observations respecting the situation of Mr. Perceval's eldest son, now at the university, who would come out into the world with a slender pittance, proposed that the third resolution should be recommitted, and a grant included in it of 10001. a year to the eldest son on his reaching the age of 21, without prejudice to his reversionary right to the sum already voted. A debate then ensued, in which, unanimity being no longer the consideration, the friends of the late minister showed a determination to maintain the ground they had gained, and carry the national bounty to his family as far as the feelings of the house would permit; whilst the members in opposition seemed to think that enough had already been done for justice, and that augmentations would only be an abuse of the public generosity. Regarding the particulars of this discussion as neither pleasant nor instructive, we shall only state its result. This was, that after the original resolution, and a motion

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for postponement, had been negativen, Mr. Huskisson's motion for a recommittal was carried.

On May 15, Lord Clive rose to move for an address to the Prince Regent for a monument to the memory of Mr. Perceval in Westminster Abbey. This was opposed by Mr. Lambe as a clear recognition of his public services, which could not be acquiesced in by those who had disagreed with him in his political measures. Mr. Whitbread, Mr. Wynn, and Lord Milton, spoke to the same effect. Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Canning, Mr. Wilberforce, and others, supported the motion, which was carried on a division by 199 votes agaitst 26.

Mr. Huskisson then, upon a recommittal of the resolution proposed by Mr. Sumner, moved his amendment upon it relative to the grant of 1000l. a year to the eldest son of Mr. Perceval, which was agreed to without opposition.

On the bringing up of the report of the committee on May 20, Mr. Whitbread rose to make his final objections to the resolution, on the ground that any thing further than what had been done by the first resolutions must be considered as a reward for public services, in which he could not concur. He also mentioned some particulars of the circumstances of the family, to show that such an addition was not necessary. The debate was then

resumed, at no great length, and terminated in a division, on which the resolution was carried by 171 against 16.

The only other parliamentary proceeding immediately consequent upon Mr. Perceval's assassination arose from a circumstance in Bellingham's trial. That criminal, in justification of his act, which he always defended as vindicative of the injury he had sustained from the ministers in refusing him compensation for wrongs which he asserted that he had undergone in Russia, particularly complained of the conduct of Lord Granville Leveson Gower, then ambassador in that country, and Sir Stephen Sharp, the consul general. His lordship, therefore, on May 20, moved in the House of Commons for the production of a letter from himself to the secretary of state for the home department, Lord Castlereagh, stating all the circumstances relative to the case of John Bellingham. An address to the Prince Regent was agreed to for this purpose, and the letter was read before the house. Of its contents no more needs here to be said, than that it completely exculpated his lordship and Sir Stephen with respect to that unhappy man, whose passions appear entirely to have obscured his reason as far as concerned his transactions in Russia.

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CHAPTER X.

Mr. Wortley's Motion for an efficient Administration-Negotiations for a New Administration; and Discussions in Parliament on that Subject Repeal of the Orders in Council.

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THATEVER might be the general opinion of Mr. Perceval's talents as a statesman, no one denied his ability as a skilful leader in the House of Commons. His loss to the existing administra tion was therefore considered as a stroke which they could not possibly survive; and it immediately set in motion all that mass of political intrigue and speculation which never fails to be called into activity upon a prospect of change in the government. The first operation of the parliamentary campaign opened on this occasion, was the motion of Mr. Stuart Wortley respecting a strong and efficient administration.

This honourable gentleman rose on May 21, to submit to the House of Commons a motion for an address to the Prince Regent, praying his Royal Highness to take such measures as might be best calculated to form an efficient administration. He said, it was notorious that an administration was upon the eve of being formed which no disinterested man thought adequate to meet the exigencies of the times; and he thought it a more manly part to resist in limine the formation of such a government, than to look on idly, and afterwards commence a systematic opposition to

it. His object then was, to address his Royal Highness to form an efficient administration, thereby implying that the persons now about to be called to, and to be continued in the management of public affairs, did not possess the confidence of the country. With respect to the grounds of his motion, they might be stated in these three questions. Whether at the present crisis, an efficient government, possessing the full confidence of the people, was not absolutely necessary? Did the present government possess that confidence? Had all been done that might have been done to form the desired administration? The first of these positions was too self-evident to require an answer. The second was in his mind equally true and certain. If the present government had not been very strong even with the aid of Mr. Perceval's great talents, they were certainly worse than weak without it. As to the third, he thought that little, very little, had been done towards the furtherance of an object so desirable. He then alluded to the abortive attempt which bad some time ago been made to enlarge the basis of the adminstration, and said that he was convinced nothing effectual could be done in this

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