THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1797. HIS Day, pursuant to his Majesty's Royal Proclamation for that Purpofe, the Three Eftates, conftituting the Eighteenth Parliament of Great Britain, affembled at Weftminfter, when the Second Seffion of the fame was opened, with the ufual Solemnities, for the Difpatch of Public Business. HOUSE OF LORDS. Lords Northwick, Bolton, Wellesley, and Wodehoufe took the oaths and their feats. KING'S SPEECH. AT Half past Two o'Clock his Majefty came down to the Houfe of Peers, and being feated on the Throne, and the Commons attending, his Majefty was pleased to deliver the following moft gracious Speech: "My Lords and Gentlemen, "It is a Matter of great Concern to Me, that the earnest Endeavours which I have continued to employ, fince I laft met you in Parliament, to reflore to My Subjects the Bleffings of Peace, on fecure and honourable Terms, have unhappily been rendered ineffectual. "The Declaration which I have caufed to be published, and the other Papers which I have directed to be laid before you, will, I am confident, abundantly prove to you, and to the World, that every Step has been taken on My Part, which could tend to accelerate the Conclufion of Peace; and that the long Delay and final Rupture of the Negotiation are folely to be ascribed to the euafive Conduct, the unwarrantable Pretenfions, and the inordinate Ambition of thofe with whom we have to contend, and, above all, to their inveterate Animofity against thefe Kingdoms. "I have the fulleft Reliance, under the Blessing of Providence, on the Vigour and Wifdom of your Councils, and on the Zeal, Magnanimity, and Courage of a great and free People, fenfible that they are contending for their dearest Interefts, and determined to fhew themselves worthy of the Blefjings which they are fruggling to preferve. Compelled as we are, by the most evident Nec fity, to perfevere in the Defence of all that is dear to us, till a more juft and pacific Spirit fhall prevail on the Part of the Enemy, we have the Satisfaction of knowing that we poffefs Means and ReSources proportioned to the Objects which are at Stake. A 2 "During "During the Period of Hoftilities, and under the unavoidable Preffure of accumulated Burthens, our Revenue has continued highly productive, our national Induftry has been extended, and our Commerce has furpaffed its former Limits. "The public Spirit of My People has been eminently difplayed; My Troops, of every Defcription, have acquired fresh Claims to the Efteem and Admiration of their Country; and the repeated Succeffes of My Navy over all our different Enemies, have been recently crowned by the fignal and decifive Victory with which Providence has rewarded the Exertions of My Fleet under the Command of Admiral Lord Duncan. "No Event could be attended with more important and beneficial Confequences, or form a more brilliant Addition to the numerous and heroic Exploits which, in the Courfe of the prefent War, have raifed to a Pitch hitherto unequalled the Naval Glory of the Country. "Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons, "I have directed the Eftimates of the enfuing Year to be laid before you. The State of the War, joined to the happy Confequences of our recent Succefs, will, I truft, admit of fome Diminution of Expence, confiftently with the vigorous Efforts which our Situation indifpenfibly requires. In confidering what may be the best Mode of defraying the heavy Expence which will still be unavoidable, you will, I am perfuaded, bear in Mind that the prefent Crifis prefents every Motive to animate you to the most effectual and fpirited Exertions; the true Value of any temporary Sacrifices which you may find neceffary for this Purpofe, can only be estimated by comparing them with the Importance of Supporting effectually our Public Credit, and convincing the Enemy that, while we retain an ardent Defire for the Conclufion of Peace, on fafe and honourable Terms, we poffefs the Means, as well as the Determination, to fupport with Vigour this arduous Contest, as long as it may be neceffary, for maintaining the Safety, Honour, and Independence of thefe Kingdoms. "My Lords and Gentlemen, "After the Experience I have had of your Loyalty and Attachment to Me, and of your anxious Regard for the Interefts of My Subjects, I have only to recommend to you a Perfeverance in the fame Principles and Conduct. "The Events of every Day muft more and more impress you with a juft Senfe of the Bleffings we derive from our civil and religious Eftablishments, and which have fo long distinguished us among all the Nations of Europe. Thofe Bleffings can only be preferved by inculcating and enforcing a due Reverence and Obedience to the Laws, by repreffing with Promptitude every Attempt Attempt to disturb our internal Tranquillity, and by maintaining inviolate that happy Conftitution which we inherit from our Ancefters, on which the Security and Happiness of every Clafs of My Subjects effentially depend." ADDRESS. The Earl of Glafgow rofe to move the Addrefs of Thanks. He prefaced his fpeech by obferving, that however inadequate he might be to the object which he undertook, he felt himself impreffed with the Speech from the Throne, and was willing to embrace the first opportunity of expreffing his explicit acquiefcence in the magnanimity and patriotifm it avowed; and he doubted not but the public would approve of it to the fame extent and with the fame complacency he did. It proved to him, and certainly alfo to their Lordfhips, that the confidence of Government in the object of the conteft, their refources to carry it on with vigour, and the profpect of bringing it to an honourable conclufion, was in no degree diminished, or different from what it originally was. This he confidered as an example to the country at large, which takes its feelings and opinion for the most part from thofe at the head of its councils, as well it ought. For thus eminently occupied, they are in the centre of intelligence, and embrace, at one glance, the whole complete machinery of our domestic and foreign politics. And when men who had every fource of knowledge open to their view, and were not interested in difguifing the truth, but much otherwife, came forward with fuch a declaration of facts and circumftances as had been now announced in his Majefty's name, the people of England could not but rejoice that their cafe was not worse, and repofe themfelves contentedly in a Government thus enlightened, and happily difpofed to do every thing for the beft. The Declaration which his Majefty had caufed to be publifhed, and his moft gracious Speech, pointed out, in the ableft manner, the actual ftate of the war, and it plainly appeared, from every confideration, that the enemy had left us no alternative whatever, but in the union and vigour of the country, to prevent its falling a victim to inordinate ambition. From the very beginning of the war, his Majefty had loft no opportunity that prefented itself in any poffible shape, of obtaining the bleffings of peace for his people, but he wished to establish an honourable and lafting peace; for his fubjects, though highly defirous of peace, could not receive it at the expence of the honour of their Sovereign, of their own glory and independence, and by the facrifice of all their real and permanent advantages. His Majefty had felected for the purpofe of negotiating with the enemy, enemy, a nobleman whofe acquirements, wisdom and character, qualified him in a moft eminent manner for fo arduous a fituation. Yet the treatment of that nobleman was such as might have juftified, in the eyes of Europe, his Majefty for breaking off the negotiation in various flages of it. Were it afked to whom the continuation of the war was to be imputed? could any candid man hesitate to answer, that it was to be afcribed to the undifguifed ambition of the enemy, who, under the name of peace, difplayed fentiments of the most inveterate hoftility. Their pretenfions, in the outfet, he confidered as arrogant and unjuftifiable in the extreme, requiring an unqualified reftitution of all the fruits of our hoftile exertions taken from their allies as well as themselves. He fhould have en tered into the difcuffion of the negotiation on a larger scale, but he trufted, that the fingle ground which he had ftated was fufficiently strong to fhew the haughty pretenfions of France, the only object of which was the complete degradation of this country. If the preliminaries to which our confent had been required, were of fuch an unprecedented and unwarrantable nature, and what was ftill more extraordinary, if we were de manded to acquiefce in them, not as the price of peace, but as the price of negotiation, the country fhould expofe its last stake in oppofition to the enemy. But at what period did France make thefe demands? When our fucceffes were greater than at any former period. When the naval glory of Great Britain was raised to the most unrivalled eminence; and when the gallant Admiral who ferved his country fo effentially in a late action, was adding a new luftre to their Lordship's House. If, therefore, all our victories proved fruitlefs in teaching the enemy to adopt more moderate conditions, what were we not to expect from their demands; and were we not authorized to confider their defigns as of a most destructive and fatal tendency? He thought there could exift but one fentiment in the minds, not only of their Lordships, but in all the country, on this conduct of the enemy. It clearly left us no alternative, but that wifely and spiritedly adopted by his Majesty's Minifters; and in fuch policy he thought the circumftances of the country fully warranted them. He had none of those gloomy apprehenfions which, he conceived, fome, but very few in the country, were impreffed with: its commerce was extenfive, its great financial refources unimpaired, generally fpeaking; our military operations fuccefsful, and the triumph of our navy great and fignal beyond any former example. A nation thus circumftanced, had no ground for defpondency: he therefore was decidedly of opinion, that the conduct of Minifters was politic and |