PROTEST.-Against the Rejection of Lord | King's Motion for omitting the name of "John Lord Eldon," as one of her Majesty's Council.

retained such marks of indisposition about business at any period of any day, he still him as made it expedient that some one of his Physicians should be about his person for some months afterwards; and that Dr. Heberden was in attendance on his Ma

DISSENTIENT, First, Because it is of the bighest importance, that in the ap-jesty so late as the end of October;" and pointment of her Majesty's Council, the it was stated in debate, and not denied, public should have every security, which that, during this latter period, and partiprevious conduct can afford, that the per- cularly' on the 10th of June, 1804, when soas composing the same will not act under it was understood and believed both by any undue bias, but that whilst they fol- this House and the public, that his Majesty low the course prescribed to them by their was perfectly recovered, his Majesty duty for restoring his Majesty to the public not only continued in a state which reexercise of his Royal Functions, whenever quired medical guidance, but that both he shall be in a capacity to resume them, Dr. Simmons and his assistants still were in they will neither expose his Majesty to attendance on, and possessed a controul the danger of a too early pressure of bu- over his Majesty; yet, that nevertheless, siness, nor concur in representing his Ma- while his Majesty was still subject to such jesty as qualified to act in his high office, personal controul, the said John Lord Elbefore his recovery shall be complete.-don, as Lord High Chancellor of Great Secondly, Because it appears by the evi- Britain, did receive his Majesty's pleasure dence of Dr. Heberden, taken on oath be- on divers important matters of his Mafore a Committee of this House, "that hejesty's Regal Government, and did, in virwas first called upon to attend his Majesty tue of his said office, perform various pubon the 12th of February 1804; that he lic acts requiring the sanction of the believed his Majesty presided at Council King's authority.-4thly, Because John on the 23d of April following; and that Lord Eldon, having so conducted himself, he should consider the interval between is not, in our own judgment, a person to those periods as constituting the duration whom the sacred trust of acting as one of of his Majesty's disease at that time." her Majesty's Council in the care of his Yet, nevertheless it appears from the Jour- Majesty's person, and in the discharge of nals of this House that between the two the other most important duties,.by this days above-mentioned, John Lord Eldon, Act committed to the said Council, can being then Lord High Chancellor of with propriety or safety be committed.Great Britain, did, on the 5th of March, GREY, LAUDERDALE, VASSAL HOLLAND, 1804, receive, and in his Majesty's name ERSKINE, ROSSLYN, DERBY, ASHBURTON, signify his Majesty's consent to a Bill, PONSONBY, PONSONBY, (of Imokilly.) intituled," An Act to enable his Majesty to grant the inheritance in fee-simple of certain manors, messuages, lands, and hereditaments, in the parishes of Byfleet, Weybridge, Wallin, Wallinleigh, and Chertsey, in the county of Surrey, to his Royal Highness Frederick Duke of York and Albany, for a valuable consideration;" and that he did also put the Great Seal to a Commission dated 9th March, by virtue of which 15 Bills received the Royal Assent; Die Martis, 18 Decembris 1810.` as well as to a Commission dated March 23d, under which 17 other Bills received the DR. ROBERT DARLING WILLIS Royal Assent; although his Majesty was, called in and examined. at that time, as appears by the evidence YOU are desired to acquaint this Comabove recited, afflicted by a malady of mittee, whether the state of his Majesty's the same nature and character with that health is such as to render him incapable which has now occasioned a suspension of of coming in person to his Parliament, or the Regal functions.-Thirdly, Because it of attending to any kind of public busi further appears from the same evidence, ness?-His Majesty is incapable of com"that after the period when his Majestying to parliament, or of attending to any was so far recovered as to be able to transact public business.

KING'S ILLNESS.

Evidence of Drs. WILLIS and HEBERDEN, as given in the Lords? Comanittee, appointed to examine the Physicians, who have attended his Majesty during his illness, touching the state of his Majesty's health. December 18th, 1810.

What are the hopes you entertain of his Majesty's recovery?-I entertain confident hopes of his Majesty's recovery; the protraction that has hitherto taken place, though it lessens considerably the expect ation that the recovery will take place in a very short time, is not sufficient to diminish my confidence that his Majesty will ultimately recover.

that it would, provided the recovery is complete. Relapses have not been produced after former illnesses in his Majesty's complaints.

When Dr. Willis agrees with the other physicians, who have been examined, in assigning the immediate occasion of his Majesty's present illness, does he mean to assign it as the primitive cause of the complaint, or only as having brought into action a disease to which his Majesty had been before subject?-Certainly as bringing into action a disease to which his Ma

Do you found the opinion given in your answer to the former question, upon the particular symptoms of his Majesty's disorder, or upon general experience in other cases of the same nature, or upon both?-jesty has been before subject. I form my opinion upon both, upon my general experience in cases of mental disease, and upon the particular symptoms of his Majesty's complaint.

Whether in that particular species of the disorder his Majesty has been afflicted with, it has been found from experience that the greater number of persons so affected have been cured?-Confining myself strictly in my answer to that particular class of the disease under which his Majesty now labours, I should say that a very large proportion recover.

Can you form any judgment or probable conjecture of the duration of his Majesty's illness?—No, I cannot.

When Dr. Willis expresses this confident expectation of his Majesty's recovery, does he mean his final recovery, without the probability of a recurrence of the same indisposition?-Certainly not.

Should his Majesty recover, so as to fulfil all the expectation, which Dr. Willis means to express, is it in his opinion more or less probable that his Majesty would be subject to similar indispositions?-His Majesty having already laboured under four attacks, it is more probable he will continue liable to repeated attacks.

His Majesty's illness having been immediately preceded by and constantly ac companied with fever, arising from extraWhether so far as experience enables ordinary susceptibility and nervous irrita. you to judge of his Majesty's disorder, you tion, is not such a complaint more likely think it more probable his Majesty will or to be re-produced from external circumwill nor recover, so as to render him capa- stances and causes, than other indisany ble of attending to public business?I position of the same class-It is, perpresume that my answer to a former ques-haps, a medical question of very little tion is an answer to that. I consider re- moment, whether his Majesty's complaint covery as including a full capability of is attended with fever or not; in my opitransacting all business. nion there is no fever present, the whole depending upon an extreme nervous irritability; but I am not aware that his Majesty will be more subject to relapse on that account, than he would be if it arose from any cause in the constitution itself; it appears always to require some external cause to excite it.

Whether you can state to this Committee any particular cause to which you ascribe his Majesty's present indisposition? I presume the extreme distress for the illness of the Princess Amelia.

Whether any change has taken place in his Majesty's indisposition since your last examination before the Privy Council? can hardly state that any material alteration has taken place. It is extremely difficult in cases of this description to measure accurately the degrees of amendment.

Has Dr. Willis attended his Majesty in the former attacks of this disorder - attended his Majesty in the year 1801.

In case of a cessation of the disorder, would great interruptions, or such as would probably arise in the exercise of his high station, be likely to produce a return of the disorder I have no reason to think

Whether, when the complaint is accompanied with that extreme nervous irritability described by Dr. Willis, it is not more subject to be acted upon and increased by external circumstances and causes, than a similar complaint not so accompa similar nied ?-I was not aware of any complaint that can take place without being accompanied with a similar nervous irritability.

How many relapses have taken place in his Majesty's present disorder since his. Majesty was taken ill in October last ?There have been two relapses.

State the periods of those relapses ?-1 The 15th Nov. and the 5th Dec. were the periods at which a considerable degree of increase of the symptoms took place, which have been denominated relapses.

Dr. Willis has stated that his Majesty's disorder arose from extreme distress for the illness of the princess Amelia, the Committee wish to know if Dr. Willis considers these relapses to have arisen in the ordinary course of the disorder, or whether any extraneous causes have contributed to occasion those relapses?--In that extreme state of nervous irritability very trifling causes are sufficient to produce an occasional increase of symptoms till the recovery has advanced beyond a certain period; it may be difficult to say, therefore, whether this increase of symptoms may have arisen in the ordinary course of the disorder, or from trifling circumstances which may have produced them.

Did not the first relapse occur about the period of the princess Amelia's funeral?On the following day, or the day after that. When Dr. Willis speaks of relapses, does he mean relapses after a cessation of the disorder, or after a remission of the disorder?-Certainly after a remission, his Majesty's disorder has never ceased.

Were there not exacerbations of his Majesty's disorder on the 15th November and the 5th December ?-Certainly, on the evening of both those days.

Does Dr. Willis consider the exacerbations which took place on each of those days to have been relapses properly so called, or such paroxysms as commonly occur in a disorder of this description? I consider them merely as paroxysms which belong to the disorder itself.

Are, or are not the remissions of his Majesty's disorder impeded, and the paroxysms renewed or increased, by his consideration of, and reflection upon his own, case, under all its circumstances?-I am not aware of any particular effect that has taken place from such considerations.

On a comparison of the symptoms of his Majesty's present disorder with those of his disorder in the year 1801, is Dr. Willis of opinion that the paroxysms of the present case are more or less severe either in degree or duration than those of the former?-The paroxysms in this disorder have been more frequent but not more severe than in 1801, nor of longer duration.

Have the remissions in the present disorder been of longer or shorter duration than those of the disorder of 1801 -Hitherto they have been shorter.

Whether the remissions have been more or less complete in his Majesty's present disorder than in 1801 ?--I think less complete.

Whether the disorder, under which his Majesty now labours, is of the same class as that in 1801 ?-It is of the same class.

Whether from the facts which Dr. Willis has collected from the physicians, and other medical attendants on his Majesty, he deems this disorder to be of the same class as his Majesty's other attacks, in which Dr. Willis did not attend his Majesty?-I believe all his Majesty's attacks have ben similar.

How far in these disorders the experience of former attacks in the case of the same patient affords an indication of the probable time of the cure, supposing that a cure shall be ultimately effected?—It becomes probable where the symptoms of one attack resemble the symptoms of a preceding one, that the progress to amendnient, will be similar also.

Whether the progress toward recovery has hitherto been the same in this, as in former attacks?-It has rather been more prolonged than in 1801, but it is further advanced than in the first attack in 1788: I cannot speak as to the attack in 1804.

Whether the difference is such as to afford Dr. Willis any ground for judging that this recovery will or will not be delayed longer than in the former attacks?

The difference is not sufficient to enable me to form any judgment on the subject.

Whether in the course of Dr. Willis's experience in disorders of this kind, he has had occasion to observe that the age of Whether referring to his answer given the patient is a consideration of weight to a former question, Dr. Willis can state in forming expectations of recovery?what degree of protraction in recovery Where the traces of age can be discovered in the symptoms of the disorder, it is certainly a matter of great consideration; but in his Majesty's situation I have not discovered any traces of age in the symptoms; I therefore infer that his Majesty's age is not a matter of moment.

would be sufficient to diminish his expec tation of ultimate recovery? My opi nion would be rather guided by the symptoms which should attend that protraction than the protraction itself.

When the approaches towards recovery are more likely to manifest themselves by

jects, the general health may be little or not at all impaired. Taking these two points, as extreme points, derangement will lie somewhere betwixt them, partak-respectively, and the comparative proing more or less of one or the other. The gress made in them respectively towards derangement, which is the object of this recovery; you are desired to state, wheinquiry, I consider partaking of delirium, ther a due regard to any or all of such cir but never partaking of insanity. cumstances does or does not diminish the contidence, which you expressed in the beginning of your examination, that his Majesty will ultimately recover with a full capability of transacting all business?

nature and number of those disorders, the symptoms, paroxysms, and remissions which have occurred in the course of them

From which of the different species of mental disorder that Dr. Willis has described is recovery most probable?-From that species of derangement which partakes most of delirium, provided the patient survives the bodily disease.

Dr. Willis having made this division in his own mind, the Committee wish to understand, whether he considers that these three species all differ from each other in kind or in degree?-The three are perfectly distinct in themselves; they may occasionally run one into the other. rangement, for example, may become complete delirium. Delirium may pass through derangement in its progress to recovery, though not necessarily.

De

According to this distribution of the subject, by what term does Dr. Willis describe that general class of disorder of which these are species?—I never have sufficiently considered this subject with a view to classification, and am not prepared to give a decisive answer to the question.

Do not all these three species fall under the general and popular designation of insanity?--I believe in the general acceptation of the term, delirium would be exempt. Perhaps the other may not have been sufficiently distinguished.

My confidence that his Majesty will ultimately recover so as to transact all public business is not diminished; but this opinion must be subject to the uncertainty which attends all medical prognostics.

DR. WILLIAM HEBERDEN

called in and examined.

You are desired to acquaint this Committee, whether the state of his Majesty's health is such as to render him incapable of coming in person to his parliament, or of attending to any kind of public business?-I think his Majesty's present state renders him incapable of coming in person to his parliament, or of attending to public business.

What are the hopes you entertain of his Majesty's recovery?—I entertain the greatest expectation of his Majesty's recovery.

Do you found the opinion given in your answer to the former question, upon the particular symptoms of his Majesty's disorder, or upon general experience in other cases of the same nature, or upon both? Could Dr. Willis give any precise defi--I found my opinion upon the progress nition of delirium?--Your lordships will his Majesty has already made towards resee the extreme difficulty of giving a defi- covery, upon the present unimpaired state nition unpremeditated. I cannot venture of his Majesty's faculties, and upon the to do it. experience afforded by his Majesty's previous attacks of a similar kind.

Is there any distinction between delirium generally, dependent upon fever, when it has arisen to a great height, and delirium not dependent upon such a degree of fever?-As far as the symptoms can be perceived they are precisely the

sàme.

Whether in that particular species of the disorder his Majesty has been afflicted with, it has been found from experience that the greater number of persons so affected have been cured?--I believe they

have.

Having due regard to all the circum- Can you form any judgment or probastances to which your attention has been ble conjecture of the duration of his Macalled in the course of this day's examina-jesty's illness?—I can form no judgment tion, and especially to all such circum- with regard to any precise period for the stances (as far as you are acquainted with termination of his Majesty's indisposition. them) which relate to his Majesty's time of The experience of his former attacks aflife, and the state of his bodily health, his fords a presumption that the period may present and former disorders, which have not be very 'distant. been mentioned in this examination, the

Whether, as far as experience enables