attendance in both houses as possible. In the house of lords about thirty members assembled ; but in the commons there was a much larger number.

The lord chancellor, in the upper house, stated, that it was with the deepest concern and regret that he found himself under the necessity of informing their lordships, that such was, at present, the state of the personal indisposition of his majesty, that he had not thought it his duty, under the circumstances, to proffer to his sovereign a commission to receive the sign manual, His lordship proceeded at some length, and was followed by

The earl of Liverpool, who moved, 1st, That the house at its rising should adjourn to the 15th of November. 2dly, That for that day all the lords should be summoned. Sdly, That the lord chancellor should be directed to write to every noble lord, informing him that his attendance was expected on that day. These motions, after a few observations from lord Holland, were agreed to without a dissen

tient voice.

In the house of commons, the speaker spoke to the following ef. fect:

"This house is now met upon the day to which it was last prorogued. But I have to inform the house, that notwithstanding his majesty's royal proclamation in the Gazette, intimating his pleasure that parliament should be still further prorogued to a future day, we are not to expect any message from his majesty's commissioners on this occasion; no commission having been issued further to prorogue parliament. Under these circumstances, it becomes my duty to take the chair of this house, in order that this house may be enabled to

adjourn itself to such time as the house in its wisdom shall deem fit; and I do therefore take the chair accordingly."

The chancellor of the exchequer then rose, and said, he was persuaded it would be unnecessary for him to state, that the house was then assembled upon the day to which it had in the last instance been prorogued to a future day: the house would very naturally be anxious to hear, why, after such declaration of his majesty's pleasure, his majesty's servants were unable to carry into effect his majesty's wishes, and were not prepared with a royal commission for that purpose. To relieve that anxiety, it became his duty, his most painful duty, to state, that it was owing to the indisposition of his majesty that his majesty's servants had been unable to give effect to his royal proclamation that it was owing to the severity of that indisposition that the lord chancellor, whose immediate duty it was to take his majesty's orders on such subjects, could not obtain the royal signature to a commission further to prorogue parliament. It would not be necessary for him, he was persuaded, to inform the house, that, under such circumstances, it would not be consistent with his duty, or the principles of the constitution, for the lord chancellor to affix the great seal to such a commission, without the sanction of the royal sign manual. Perhaps the house would permit him, on that occasion, to add one or two observations on the actual state of his majesty's health. In doing this, he was persuaded that it would be wholly unnecessary for him to say any thing with a view to increase those feelings of anxiety and concern entertained by the public at

large

large respecting the disorder affecting his majesty; nor should he then mention the circumstance which he meant to state to the house, but that he was persuaded the public would derive from it very considerable consolation respecting the nature and duration of his majesty's present indisposition. If any thing could afford real consolation to the feelings of unfeigned affection and afiction which pervaded all classes of the public, it must be the consideration that the cause of his majesty's present illness was to be ascribed to his steady unremitting attention to the painful and protracted sufferings of a beloved daughter. He did not mention this circumstance as new to those who heard him; for it was notorious to the nation at large, that from that cause principally the illness of his majesty had arisen; but he could not omit to observe, that the knowledge of that fact must give rise to considerable and well-founded hopes of his majesty's early and complete recovery. He had the satisfaction also to inform the house, that the symptoms of his majesty's complaint were peculiarly mild, as well as that his majesty's physicians entertained and expressed strong and sanguine expectations of his recovery. Having said thus much upon this most interesting subject, it only remained for him to touch briefly upon the practical question, as to the course which it would be proper for the house to pursue on this occasion. They had, he said, a case in modern times, which, as it appeared to be analogous, should be considered a guide for their proceeding, and afforded a precedent of a similar adjournment (alluding to the case of his majesty's first melancholy indisposition, in 1788).

Upon this and various other considerations it was that he meant to propose an adjournment for a fortnight; and he trusted the house would feel them so forcibly as to go along with him in his motion. The house was aware that the object of the adjournment was to obtain a fuller attendance than in the present instance could possibly be expected; and in order to promote that object, he proposed to move for a call of the house; and to give the more effect to this call, he should also move, that circular letters be transmitted by the speaker to all the members of that house, to apprise them of the order for calling over the house on this day fortnight. Having thus put the house in possession of his views on the subject, he had nothing further to add, and should conclude with moving, that the house at its rising should adjourn to this day fortnight.

On the question being put,

Mr. Sheridan rose, and declared, that he concurred entirely in all the sentiments which had been so well and so forcibly expressed by the right honourable gentleman who had just sat down. He was most highly gratified, as he was convinced every gentleman present and every individual in the nation must be, at the consolation held out in the statement of the right honourable gentleman, that the most sanguine expectations might be entertained of the speedy reco very of his majesty. Impressed with such feelings, he should not take up more of the time of the house, but simply to say, that he should second the motion.

The motions were all agreed to. Nov. 15. The lord chancellor, in the house of peers, left the woolsack, advanced towards the table, and addressed the house :-"My A 3

lords,

lords, there being now a full at tendance of your lordships, I trust you will indulge me, in allowing me to restate from this place what I had the honour to state to the house on the 1st instant from the woolsack. It is my intention to conclude with a motion, and therefore I wish to make the statement from this place. My lords, when your lordships assembled on the 1st of this month, after it had been publicly notified that it was his majesty's royal will and pleasure that this parliament should be prorogued to the 29th of November, and that a commission for such prorogation should be issued under the great seal, I then stated, that in obedience to his majesty's commands I had prepared a commission for such prorogation, but that in consequence of his majesty's indisposition such commission could not receive his majesty's royal signature; and I had not felt it consistent with my view of my duty to put the great seal to that commission, without his majesty's sign manual. It is for your lordships to judge whether in this view of my duty I have committed any error. I do not mean to enter into the discussion of the question as to the legality of a commission having the great seal affixed to it, and purporting to have the king's sign manual, but which it had not ieceived. I only mean again to state, that in my conception of my duty I did not conceive myself authorized to affix the great seal to the commission to which I have alluded, without the king's sign manual. My lords, I then stated what I am now anxious to restate, that his majesty's indisposition arose entirely from the pressure of domestic affliction operating upon his paternal feelings, and that the phy

sicians then in care of his majesty entertained a confident expectation of his majesty's recovery. My lords, as the physicians then had a confident expectation of his majesty's recovery, so they now also entertain a confident expectation of his ma jesty's recovery, regard being had to his majesty's time of lite, and to his majesty's former state of health. This is the unanimous opinion (I am anxious to state their own words) not only of the physicians then in attendance, but of those whose care has since been thrown around his majesty, and is given with as much certainty as can be attached to prognostics upon medical subjects. These physicians also who now attend his majesty, and who attended his majesty on a former indisposition, state that they see in the present state of his ma jesty all the symptoms of approach towards recovery, and none of the symptoms which indicate the delay of recovery. Upon the statement which I made on the 1st of this month, one of your lordships moved to adjourn for fourteen days, the shortest period within which parliament can by law be assembled upon any emergency for the dis patch of business: your lordships are now assembled in pursuance of that adjournment, and it is for the house to determine what course it is proper to pursue. Under the circumstances which I have stated, I trust in God, from the favourable symptoms of his majesty's indisposition, that there will be no necessity for the adoption of any proceeding by this house to supply the defect of the royal authority; and I may be allowed to express my opinion, that the most delicate and proper mode of proceeding in the present instance, would be to adjourn for fourteen days, My lords,

it