"duty to advise your Majefty touching the exercise of any branch of your royal prerogative. 66 "We fubmit it to your Majefty's royal confideration, that the "continuance of an Administration, which does not poffefs the con"fidence of the reprefentatives of the people, must be injurious to "the public fervice. 66 66 "We beg leave further to fay, that your faithful Commons can "have no intereft diftinct and separate from that of our conftituents, and that we therefore feel ourfelves called upon to repeat those loyal and dutiful affurances we have already expreffed of our re"liance on your Majefty's paternal regard for the welfare of your people, that your Majefty would graciously enable us to execute "thofe important trufts which the Conftitution has vefted in us, "with honour to ourselves and advantage to the public, by the for"mation of a new Administration, appointed under circumftances "which may tend to conciliate the minds of your faithful Commons, "and give energy and ftability to your Majefty's Councils. 66 "Your Majefty's faithful Commons, upon the matureft delibera❝tion, cannot but confider the continuance of the prefent Ministers 66 as an unwarrantable obftacle to your Majefty's most gracious purpose, to comply with our wifhes in the formation of fuch an “Administration as your Majefty, in concurrence with the unanimous "Refolution of your faithful Commons, feems to think requifite in "the prefent exigences of this country. We feel ourselves bound to "remain firm in the with expreffed to your Majefty in our late hum"ble Addrefs, and do therefore find ourfelves obliged again to be"feech your Majefty, that you would be gracioufly pleafed to lay "the foundation of a strong and ftable government, by the previous "removal of your prefent Minifters." To which his Majefty returned the following Answer: "I have already expreffed to you how fenfible I am of the advan66 tage to be derived from fuch an Administration as was pointed out "in your unanimous Refolution; and I affure you that I was defi"rous of taking every ftep moft conducive to fuch an object. I "retain the fame fentiments-but I continue equally convinced that "it was an object not likely to be obtained by the difmiffion of the prefent Ministry. I must repeat that no charge of complaint, nor any specific objection is yet made against any of them. 56 66 66 "If there was any fuch ground for their removal at prefent, it ought to be equally a reafon for not admitting them as a part of "that extended and united Administration which you ftate to be requifite. 66 I did not confider the failure of my recent endeavours as a final "bar to the accomplishment of the purpofe which I have in view, if it "could have been attained on thofe principles of fairnefs and equality, "without which it can neither be honourable to thofe who are con"cerned, nor lay the foundation of fuch a strong and ftable Govern-* "ment, as may be of lafting advantage to the country. But I know "of no further fteps which I can take that are likely to remove the difficulties which obftruct that defirable end. 66 “I have never called in queftion the right of my faithful Com→ "mons to offer me their advice, on every proper occafion, touching "the exercife of any branch of my prerogative. I fhall be ready at "all times to receive it, and give it the moft attentive confideration: they will ever find me difpofed to fhew my regard to the true principles of the Conftitution, and take fuch measures as may best "conduce to the fatisfaction and profperity of my people." 66 March 5.] Sir George Yonge moved, "That the order of the day for going into a Committee on the Mutiny Bill be then read." Mr. Fox oppofed it, upon the ground that it would be improper to proceed upon it until the Royal Answer had been taken into confideration, which was fixed for Monday. He therefore moved, "That "the Houfe do on Monday next form itfelf into a Committee on the "faid Bill." The Houfe divided for the motion of adjourning the order of the day to Monday. 66 46 For the question Majority against the Minifter March 8.] Mr. Fox moved, 171 162 9 "That an humble Reprefentation be prefented to his Majefty, moft humbly to teftify the furprize and affliction of this Houfe, on receiving the Answer which his Majefty's Minifters have advised to "the dutiful and feafonable Addrefs of this Houfe, concerning one "of the most important acts of his Majefty's government. •To 66 "To exprefs our concern, that when his Majefty's paternal good"nefs has gracioufly inclined his Majefty to be fenfible of the advantage to be derived from fuch an Adminiftration as was pointed out "in our Refolution, his Majefty fhould ftill be induced to prefer the "opinions of individuals to the repeated advice of the reprefentatives "of his people, in Parliament affèmbled, with refpect to the means "of obtaining fo defirable an end. 66 66 "To reprefent to his Majefty, that a preference of this nature is as injurious to the true interefts of the Crown, as it is wholly repugnant to the fpirit of our free Conftitution: That fyftems, "founded on fuch a preference, are not, in truth, entirely new to "this country: That they have been the characteristic features of "thofe unfortunate reigns, the maxims of which are now justly and univerfally exploded; while his Majefty and his royal progenitors "have been fixed in the hearts of their people, and have commanded the refpect and admiration of all the nations of the earth, by a conftant and uniform attention to the advice of their Commons, “however adverfe fuch advice may have been to the opinions of the "executive fervants of the Crown. .66 .66 66 66 66 "To affure his Majesty, that we neither have difputed, nor mean in any inftance to difpute, much lefs to deny, his Majefty's undoubted "prerogative of appointing to the executive offices of State fuch perfons as to his Majefty's wifdom may feem meet; but at the fame time that we muft, with all humility, again fubmit to his Majefty's Royal wifdem, that no Administration, however legally appointed, can ferve his Majefty and the public with effect, which "does not enjoy the confidence of this Houfe: That in his Majesty's prefent Administration we cannot confide; the circumstances under "which it was conftituted, and the grounds upon which it conti"nues, have created juft fufpicions in the breafts of his faithful "Commons, that principles are adopted and views entertained unfriendly to the privileges of this Houfe, and to the freedom of our excellent Conftitution: That we have made no charge against ❝ any any of them, because it is their removal, and not their punish"ment, which we have defired; and that we humbly conceive we are warranted, by the ancient ufage of this Houfe, to defire fuch "removal, without making any charge whatever: That confidence may be very prudently with-held, where no criminal procefs can "be properly inftituted: That although we have made no criminal charge 66 66 G 2 66 "charge against any individual of his Majefty's Minifters, yet, with "all humility, we do conceive that we have ftated to his Majefty "diftinct objections, and very forcible reafons against their continuance: That with regard to the propriety of admitting either the prefent Minifters, or any other perfons, as a part of that extended "and united Administration which his Majefty, in concurrence with "the fentiments of this Houfe, confiders as requifite; it is a point upon which we are too well acquainted with the bounds of our duty to prefume to offer any advice to his Majefty, well knowing "it to be the undoubted prerogative of his Majefty to appoint his Minifters, without any previous advice from either Houfe of Parliament; "and our duty humbly to offer to his Majefty our advice, when such "appointments fhall appear to us to be prejudicial to the public fervice. 66 66 66 To acknowled, with gratiude, his Majefty's goodness, in not confidering the failure of his recent endeavours as a final bar to the accomplishment of the gracious purpose which his Majesty has in "view; and to exprefs the great concern and mortification with which "we find ourselves obliged to declare, that the confolation, which "we should naturally have derived from his Majesty's most gracious difpofition, is confiderably abated, by understanding that his Majesty's advisers have not thought fit to fuggeft to his Majefty any farther fteps to remove the difficulties which obftruct fo defirable ❝ an end. 66 66 "To recall to his Majesty's recollection, that his faithful Commons “have already fubmitted to his Majefty, most humbly, but most diftinctly, their opinion upon this fubject; that they can have no "interefts but thofe of his Majefty and of their Conftituents; "whereas it is neednefs to fuggeft to his Majefty's wifdom and difcernment, that individual advifers may be actuated by very dif"ferent motives. 6. "To exprefs our moft unfeigned gratitude for his Majefty's royal "affurances, that he does not call in queftion the right of this Houfe "to offer their advice to his Majefty on every proper occafion, touching the exercife of any branch of his royal prerogative, and of his Majefty's readiness at all times to receive fuch advice, and to give it the most attentive confideration. 66 "To declare, that we recognize in thefe gracious expreffions, thofe "excellent and conftitutional fentiments, which we have ever been "accustomed to hear from the Throne, fince the glorious æra of the "Revolution, : "Revolution, and which have peculiarly characterifed his Majefty and the Princes of his illuftrious Houfe; but to lament that these "moft gracious expreffions, while they infpire us with additional af"fection and gratitude towards his Majesty's Royal Perfon, do not a little contribute to increase our fufpicions of those men, who have "advised his Majefty, in direct contradiction to these affurances, to neglect the advice of his Commons, and to retain in his fervice an "Administration, whofe continuance in office we have fo repeatedly and fo diftinctly condemned. "To represent to his Majefty, that it has anciently been the prac"tice of this Houfe, to with-hold fupplies until grievances were re"dreffed; and that, if we were to follow this courfe in the present 66 conjuncture, we should be warranted in our proceeding, as well by "the most approved precedents, as by the fpirit of the Conftitution "itfelf; but if, in confideration of the very peculiar exigencies of the "times, we should be induced to wave for the prefent the exercife, "in this inftance, of our undoubted, legal, and conftitutional mode "of obtaining redress, that we humbly implore his Majefty not to "impute our forbearance to any want of fincerity in our complaints, * or distrust in the justice of our caufe. "That we know, and are fure, that the profperity of his Majefty's "dominions in former times has been, under Divine Providence, "owing to the harmony which has for near a century prevailed uninterruptedly between the Crown and this Houfe: That we are convinced that there is no way to extricate this country from its prefent difficulties, but by pursuing the fame fyftem to which we have been indebted, at various periods of our hiftory, for our fucceffes abroad, and which is at all times fo neceffary for our tranquility at home: That we feel the continuance of the prefent Ad"miniftration to be an innovation upon that happy fyftem: That we cannot but expect from their existence, under the displeasure "of this Houfe, every misfortune naturally incident to a weak and "diftracted government: That if we had concealed from his Majesty "our honeft fentiments upon this important crifis, we fhould have "been in fome degree refponfible for the mifchiefs which are but "too certain to enfue. "That we have done our duty to his Majefty and our constituents, "in pointing out the evil, and in humbly imploring redrefs: That "the blame and responsibility muft now lie wholly upon those who |