ations in the Household, but they took the greatest pains to publish their determination. He assured the House he might greatly strengthen this declaration if he were to appeal to gentlemen to whom this determination had been communicated. He entered his protest against quoting Members of that House for opinions or expressions loosely given by them in conversation out of it. It was not by such means as these that gentlemen were likely to improve either the debates in that House, or private conversation. No man felt greater pleasure than he did in the speeches of the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Tierney), but that pleasure must be greatly diminished if the subject was to be the conversation of two brothers, of whom he was one, as to the conduct of their third brother. If the right honourable gentleman had had such information as that with which he had favoured the House, communicated to him by him (Lord R. Seymour) personally, he was certain he would not have thought it fit that he should make it a subject of discussion in the House; and hearing it, as he did, at second hand, he thought the right honourable gentleman might have doubted the truth of it. In establishing his main point, however, the right honourable gentleman had forgotten what was due to him (Lord R. Seymour) and his brother.

Mr. Tierney said he was rather in an unpleasant situation, as he felt an impression had been made on the mind of the noble lord, that something had fallen from him in a former debate, which was beyond the usual line of courtesy observed in that House. He assured the noble lord, that in what he had said, or might say, on the subject alluded to, he was actuated by no personal disrespect to the noble lord, or to the noble marquis. Neither was he aware that he had exceeded in any measure the usual courtesy of the House. He did not volunteer the statements he had made; they were forced from him. A noble lord not now present (Yarmouth) made a speech which had, or seemed to have, a great effect on the House, from the triumphant cry with which it was received-and by which it seemed to be imagined that the failure in the late overtures was attributable to Lords Grey and Grenville, who had shewn a disposition to extort humiliating concessions from the Prince Regent. The speech of the noble lord went boldly to assert, that it was and must have been known that the Chamberlain and Deputy Chamberlain, &c. were willing to resign, but that VOL. III.-1812. 2Y

the two noble lords, not contented with this, insisted on their removal; and that this intention on the part of the Members of the Household had been communicated to his right honourable friend near him (Mr. Sheridan). Beingly strongly attached to those two noble lords (particularly one of them) from his earliest childhood, the observations he had then made were forced from him, and he having been brought in contact with his right honourable friend, and having understood from him that such was not the impression on his mind, this naturally led him to what had been the statements of the two brothers; one of whom, it was stated, had, on the Thursday, distinctly said that they were to resign; and the other had said directly the reverse. In stating these circumstances to the House, he hoped he had thrown out no imputation on either of the two brothers -nor had he been guilty of any breach of private confidence. He then came to the question he had put to his right honourable friend, on Friday the 5th of this month, whether he had any information on this subject, or did believe the fact of their intention to resign? His answer was—and, though he had, as usual, succeeded in treating the subject with pleasantry, he had not been able to gainsay a word of it-that he would bet 500 guineas that no such thing was in contemplation. If his right honourable friend would not admit that this was so, then he (Mr. Tierney) must concede himself to have been in error, but still must vindicate himself against the charge of betraying private friendship. His right honourable friend must have known, that to have betted 500 guincas with him (Mr. T.) would have been absurd; and of course the words were used only in common parlance; but he must still say he had fairly quoted the words of his right honourable friend, and if they gave offence to any one he was sorry for it. After consideration, he thought he had found out a way of reconciling both stories, but he did not think it necessary to trouble the House with doing so. His right honourable friend might not think that it was their intention to resign-(Mr. Sheridan here dissented.)-Then he was mistaken, and had to apologise for having misled the House. He wished, however, that being the case, to learn from his right honourable friend what he did mean, because the wager was admitted.(Hear, hear!)-He hoped he had now set himself right with the noble lord, and that he had done nothing unbe coming a gentleman. All he wished was to set the two

noble lords (Grey and Grenville) free from the clamour which had been raised against them, and to have it established and admitted that they never had any communication made to them, that any such resignations as these in question were in contemplation. He now came to the questions put to him by his right honourable friend. He (Mr. Tierney) did not ask for any such authority from Earl Moira to Lords Grey and Grenville, as that which his right honourable friend's question implied. His right honourable friend asked him, what would satisfy Lords Grey and Grenville? To which his answer was, but not from authority, that matters should be conducted in the old established way, namely, by the Crown giving authority to some one person to go to the formation of a new Administration; and in illustration of his meaning, instanced the authority given by his Majesty, about eight years ago, to Mr. Pitt. He contended that the removal from the offices of the Household was not a preliminary stipulation by the two noble lords. (Grey and Grenville) with Lord Moira, but a preliminary question put by them to that noble lord, which having been answered in the negative, there was then an end of the matter, and the negociation broke off. If Earl Moira had said he had authority to that effect, then the negociation would have gone on, and neither they nor his Royal Highness would have known that any such thing had passed. As to the contents of the paper, to which his right hon. friend objected, he (Mr. Tierney) knew nothing of them. On the former day on which his right honourable friend brought forward the present question, he professed himself to be a friend to the liberty, or even the licence of the press; and it appeared that he made only one objection to this rule, and that was, so far as it extended to himself. His right honourable friend then gave them a great deal of the Catholic question. Then he expressed his dislike at coalitions, though he seemed to be more than usually fond of them when he proposed a coalition between gentlemen on the side of the House on which he sat, and gentlemen on the opposite side of the House. He then proceeded to pass an eulogium on Lord Sidmouth, and boasted of the support he had given to that noble lord's Administration. He (Mr. T.) did not recollect of his right honourable friend ever giving a vote in support of that Administration, though he recollected well he willingly sneered at them; and particularly that he once applied a translation of an

epigram of Martial to the noble lord-(a laugh.)-He could conceive no other purpose for which his right honourable friend bad brought forward the present motion, except that it afforded him an opportunity of expressing his disapprobation of the conduct of the two noble lords (Grey and Grenville), who, however, he (Mr. T.) contended could have acted no other way than they had done. As it was, the gentlemen opposite were continued in the Administration for want of better, and, as had been observed to him the other night by one of their friends, they might say, I think we shall now live happily and contentedly together. You carry all the questions-we keep all the places.

Mr. Ponsonby declared, if the letter alluded to by his right honourable friend as a letter by which Earl Moira wished to renew the negociation, was really meant for that purpose, the words of the letter did not express that meaning, though indeed the negociation was afterwards renewed. He heartily concurred in the propriety of the line of conduct adopted by Lords Grey and Grenville. If they had agreed to come into office on the terms proposed, he, for one, would not have consented to hold office with nor under them.

Mr. Martin (of Galway) said, the Catholics of Ireland would as soon accept of emancipation from the present as from any other Administration.

Mr. Whitbread confirmed the statement of Mr. Sheridan, as to the facts to which he was stated to have been privy; and declared that the greatest anxiety had been shewn by his right honourable friend through the whole of the nego ciation, as far as he had an opportunity of observing, that Lords Grey and Grenville should form part of the Administration. He (Mr. Whitbread) went out of town before the negociation was put an end to. He had freely expressed his opinion on the subject of its failure, but did not think it necessary to press that opinion on the House.

Mr. Sheridan in reply expressed his astonishment that his right honourable friend (Mr. Tierney) should be able to ascribe the present motion to nothing else but a desire to express disapprobation of the conduct of Lords Grey and Grenville. Did his right honourable friend think so lightly of his own character as to suppose that he (Mr. Sheridan) could hold his so cheap as not to vindicate it against the aspersions of a publication under the influence and controul of those with whom he had been accustomed to act; when so

far from meriting the charges thrown out against him, he had used every exertion in his power to have the two noble lords alluded to included in an Administration which should present a firm and united front against the arch enemy of the country.

Mr. Tierney explained, when,

Mr. Sheridan observed, that he did not believe the fact of the resignation of the Officers of the Household, because the contingency on which alone it was understood their resignation would be necessary, was then more distant than it had been.

Mr. Tierney-"Then my right honourable friend admits he did say that there was no conception of their resigning." Lord Castlereagh hoped the motion would not be pressed, as it was unbecoming that such discussions should receive the approbation of Parliament.

Mr. Sheridan had no intention of pressing the motion, which conveyed the strongest censure on the practice, by calling for official documents on the subject, of which there could be none.

Sir F. Burdett thought nothing could be more candid than the conduct of the Prince Regent throughout the whole business, for which, in his opinion, he was intitled to the thanks of the House.

Mr. Hutchinson thought the wishes and expectations, and still more, the wants of the country, had not been attended to in the formation of the present Administration. He should not say in what quarter the blame lay. But if he had only one day to live, he should say, that he was certain there had been bad faith in the negociation somewhere; and he had no hesitation in saying, that he believed in his conscience that Lords Grey and Grenville had not been fairly dealt by.

The motion was then negatived.

ADMIRALTY REGISTER-OFFICE BILL.

Mr. Henry Martin rose to bring in his promised Bill for the purpose of regulating the Office of Registrar of the High Court of Admiralty. The honourable and learned gentleman, in a speech of considerable length and ability, stated the grounds on which he rested the introduction of this Bill, and recommended it to the adoption of the House. The professed object of it was to secure to the suitors in the Courts of Admiralty that property which, on their behalf,