Lord Mulgrave

Rt. Hon. Richard Ryder

Master-General of the Ordnance. Secretary of State for the Home

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Secretary of State for the Department of War and the Colonies.

Marquis Wellesley........

Earl of Liverpool

CABINET.

(now Lord Melville)

Right Hon. George Rose......

Viscount Palmerston...
Lord Charles Somerset
Right Hon. Charles Long..
Earl of Chichester
Earl of Sandwich
Richard Wharton, Esq.
Charles Arbuthnot, Esq.
Sir William Grant
Sir Vicary Gibbs

trol for the Affairs of India. Vice-President of the Board of Trade and Treasurer of the Navy. Secretary at War.

Joint Paymasters-General of the Forces.

Joint Postmaster-General.

Secretaries to the Treasury.
Master of the Rolls.

Attorney-General.

Sir Thomas Plomer

Solicitor-General.

I. BRITISH.

The Prince of Wales's Answer to the Committee of Parliament which waited on him and the Queen with the Resolutions respecting the Regency.

I

My Lords and Gentlemen, RECEIVE the communication which the two houses have directed you to make to me, of their joint resolutions on the subject of providing for the Exercise of the Royal Authority, during his Majesty's illness,' with those sentiments of regard, which I must ever entertain for the united desires of the two houses.

With the same sentiments, I receive the expressed hopes of the Lords and Commons, that from my regard for the interest of his Majesty and the nation, I should be ready to undertake the weighty and important trust proposed to be invested in me, under the restrictions and limitations stated in those resolutions.

Conscious that every feeling of my heart would have prompted me from dutiful affection to my beloved Father and Sovereign, to have shewn all the reverential delicacy towards him inculcated in these resolutions, I cannot refrain from expressing my regret that I should not have been allowed the

opportunity of manifesting to his afflicted and loyal subjects that such would have been my conduct.

Deeply impressed with the necessity of tranquillizing the public mind, and determined to submit to every personal sacrifice consistent with the regard I owe to the security of my Father's Crown, and the equal regard I owe to the welfare of his people, I do not hesitate to accept the office and situation proposed to me, restricted as they are; still retaining every opinion expressed by me upon a former and similar distressing occasion.

In undertaking the trust proposed to me, I am well aware of the difficulties of the situation in which I shall be placed, but I shall rely with confidence upon the constitutional advice of an enlightened parliament, and the zealous sup port of a generous and loyal people. I will use all the means left to me to merit both.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

You will communicate this my Answer to the two houses, accompanied by my most fervent wishes and prayers that the Divine Will may extricate us and the nation from the grievous em barrassments of our present con dition, by the speedy restoration of his Majesty's health.

HER MAJESTY'S ANSWER.

"My Lords and Gentlemen, "That sense of duty and gratitude to the King, and of obligation to the country, which induced me in the year 1789 readily to promise my most earnest attention to the anxious and momentous trust at that time intended to be reposed in me by parliament, is strengthened, if possible, by the uninterrupted enjoyment of those blessings which I have continued to experience under the protection of his Majesty since that period; and I should be wanting to all my duties, if I hesitated to accept the sacred trust which is now offered

"Of the nature and importance of that charge I cannot but be duly sensible, involving, as it does, every thing which is valuable to myself, as well as the highest interests of a people endeared to me by so many ties and consider ations, but by nothing so strongly as by their steady, loyal, and affectionate attachment to the best of Kings."

Abstract of the Regency Bill, as passed.

1. Declares the interruption in the exercise of the royal authority, and appoints the Prince of Wales, with the style and title of Regent

of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, to exercise the same in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, under the limitations, restrictions, &c. hereafter specified.

2. The Regent's sign manual of" George P. R." or "G. P. R." to be of the same force as the royal sign manual.

3. The powers and authorities given by the act, to cease when his Majesty shall be restored to a capacity of the personal exercise of the royal authority.

4. Provided that all persons holding offices or pensions from appointment of the Regent or her Majesty under this act, continue to enjoy the same after the resumption of the Royal authority by his Majesty, until he declares his will to the contrary; and the same respecting all orders and acts of government made by the Regent.

5. No acts of regal power during the regency to be valid, unless done in his Majesty's name, and according to the provisions of this act.

6. Enacts the oaths to be taken by the Regent; viz. to be faithful to the King-duly to exercise the office of Regent according to the powers of this act-and to maintain the settlement of religion as established in Scotland.

7. Enacts that the Regent shall repeat the declaration against popery, and produce a certificate of his having received the sacrament in one of the royal chapels.

8. Enacts, that until the first of February, 1812, if parliament shall be then assembled, and shall have been sitting six weeks previously; or if assembled, but not have

been sitting six weeks, then till the expiration of six weeks sit ting; or if not then assembled, then until the expiration of six. weeks after assembling and sitting next after the first of February, 1812, the Regent shall not grant the rank and title of peerage, or summon to the House of Lords by a title of heir apparent, or determine the abeyance of any peerage which now is or shall be in abey

ance.

9. Also, that he shall not till after the expiration of such term aforesaid grant any office or employment in reversion, or for any longer term than during his Majesty's'pleasure, except such offices and employment for life, or during good behaviour, as by law must be so granted; provided that nothing herein contained shall extend to prevent the granting of pensions to the judges, &c. according to acts here enumerated.

10. Provided also that nothing in this act shall extend to the grant ing of pensions under the provisions of some other acts enumerated.

11. Enacts that nothing in this act shall extend to empower the Regent to give his assent to bills for altering the succession to the crown, or for altering the establishment of the churches of England and Scotland, according to acts here enumerated.

12. Provides that the Regent shall continue to be resident in Great Britain or Ireland, and not marry a papist.

13. Enacts that the care of his Majesty's person shall be committed to the Queen during the continuance of his indisposition, and that the sole direction of his Majesty's household shall be

vested in her, except the lord chamberlain, the captain of the yeomen of the guard, and the captain of the band of gentlemen pensioners; and that she shall have power to nominate to all vacancies in the household, that may occur, except the lord chamberlain, the gentlemen and grooms of the bedchamber, his majesty's equerries, the captain of the yeomen of the guard, and the captain of the gentlemen pensioners; this power to continue till the expiration of the regency; provided, that her majesty shall not have power to remove any officer who shall have been appointed by his Majesty; also, that during this period no appointment shall be made to the office of lord chamberlain, now vacant, but its duties shall be performed by a vicechamberlain; also that no gentleman or groom of the bedchamber, or equerry to his Majesty, shall be removed, or vacancy in those posts filled up, during this period.

14. That no officer in the household put under the direction of her Majesty, shall appoint to any office under him, for a longer term than during his Majesty's pleasure.

15. Appoints a council for the Queen, names the present members (eight in number) and empowers her Majesty to fill up vacancies in the same, out of the privy council.

16. Appoints an oath to be taken by the council.

17. That the council shall have authority to examine the physi cians and other attendants on his Majesty, upon oath, and to take such other means of ascertaining the health of his Majesty as may appear necessary.

18. That three or more of them shall meet in the first week in April 1811, and on some day in the first week of every third month thereafter, and declare the state of his Majesty's health, and transmit a copy of such declaration to the president of the privy council, or, in his absence, to one of the principal secretaries of state, who shall cause the same to be inserted in the books of the privy council. 19. That when it shall appear to her Majesty, and to any four or more of her council, that his Majesty is restored to such a state of health as to be capable of resuming the personal exercise of the royal authority, the same shall be notified by an instrument signed by her Majesty and four or more of her council, and addressed to the president of the privy council, or one of the secretaries of state, who shall communicate the same to the Regent, and forthwith summon a privy-council, and cause the same instrument to be entered on the books of the privy council.

20. That if after the said instrument be thus entered, his Majesty shall think proper, by his sign manual, to require the president of the privy council, or one of the secretaries of state, to summon a council in his Majesty's presence of not less than nine privy-councillors named by himself (not members of the Queen's council) they are hereby required to assemble accordingly at the time and place appointed by his Majesty, for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.

21. That if his Majesty, by the advice of six or more of the privy council so assembled, shall signify his pleasure to resume the exer

cise of the royal authority, and to issue a proclamation declaring the same, such proclamation shall be issued countersigned by six or more of the said privy-council, and all the powers and authorities granted by this act shall thenceforth cease.

22. Enacts that if the Regent, or the Queen, should die during the continuance of this act, a proclamation shall be issued by the privy-council declaring the same; upon which, the parliament, if adjourned or prorogued, shall forthwith meet.

23. Provides that in case such proclamation shall issue subsequently to the expiration or dissolution of a parliament, and before the day appointed for the assembling of a new one, the last preceding parliament shall immediately convene and sit for six months, and no longer.

24. Enacts that in case of the death of the Queen, all the powers respecting the care of the royal person vested in her, shall be vested in her council, until due provision shall be made in relation thereto by parliament: provided, nevertheless, that nothing in this act be construed to empower the Regent or the council, to nominate or remove officers of the household subject to the nomina. tion or removal of her Majesty.

25. Enacts that the nominations to offices by the Regent or Queen, under this act, shall vacate seats in the House of Commons, as if made by the King.

26. That authorities of any kind issued by his Majesty, by virtue whereof sums of money are directed to be paid for the use of the Queen or royal family, shall con