The most urgent question now before Parliament was the continuation or repeal of the Orders in Coun• cil. The distress of the manufacturers had become general, and had led, among the lower orders, to com motion and riot, among the higher, to petitions to Parliament complaining of our pertinacious adher ence to these Orders as the causb of the loss of the great market of the United States. An inquiry was instituted on the motion of Mr Brougham. It was conducted by him, with astonishing knowledge and talent, during several weeks, and every step in its progress gave the evidence a more serious aspect. Still there was a prevailing disposition to cling to those measures, when the accession of Lord Liver pool to the leading station in the Cabinet produced their repeal, though unfortunately too late to pre vent the American war.
Though Parliament had sat during five years only, the victory of Salamanca and our other successes in Spain afforded ministry a favourable opportunity for appealing to the people. A dissolution was pro claimed on 29th September, and on 30th November the new Parliament was opened by the Regent in person, who spoke for the first time from the throne. Our partial reverses in the close of the campaign in Spain, and the murmurs of Marquis Wellesley and Mr Canning at the inadequacy of our financial con tributions to the Peninsular contest, were silenced-by the cheering intelligence from Russia, whence Bona parte was now retreating with great loss. • In the progress of the session, the attention of the House and the public was strongly excited by an appeal from the Princess of Wales to Parliament, demand ing an investigation of her conduct. This led to a motion for a copy of the Report delivered by the noblemen charged with the inquiry of 1806 ; and this motion being negatived, the result was the publica tion, in the newspapers, of a succession of papers re lating the whole transaction. These papers, how ever indicative of want of discretion on the part of her Royal Highness, produced, on the whole, an impression in her favour, as unjustly attacked in her honour. The most interesting debates of the session related to the Catholic question, and the renewal, with important changes, of the Char.
Bast India ter of the East India Company. The new Char. • Charter.
ter, granted for twenty years from 1814, reserved to the Company the exclusive trade to China, but laid open to the public, with slight qualifications, the trade to all otherparts of the east. Among the minor proceedings of the session were an act for lessening the endless delays of Chancery by appoint ing a Vice Chancellor ; and an act, which, if it did not enforce Clerical residence, held out a strong in ducement to it, by obliging incumbents to increase the stipends of their curates. After granting mini
sters a liberal vote of credit, Parliament was pro rogued on 22d July, amidst a general hope of fa• vourable intelligence from the Continent ; Spain be ing nearly delivered from the invaders, and the Ger mans having risen with ardour to assert their inde pendence.
These cheering expectations were happily realized in the course of the autumn, and Parliament reas sembled on 4th November with the knowledge that the victories at Leipsic had secured the independence of Germany, and enabled our allies to shake the throne of the usurper. There was but one opinion, that at such a juncture every exertion, whether fi nancial or military, should be made to complete the deliverance of the Continent. All the propositions of ministers were adopted, and on 17th November Parliament adjourned to 1st March ; evidently in the hope that, before that period, the advance of the al lied arms into France would lead to a general paci fication. This result, justified by sound calculation, was delayed by the precipitancy of the Prussians, and the consequent checks received by them and their allies ; so that Parliament, on meeting on 1st March, adjourned to the 21st, and, on their assembling at that date, Lord Castlereagh being still absent on the Continent, the business transacted during several weeks was of inferior interest. Next eame the discus sions on the corn trade; the budget of the year, and an additional measure for the preservation of tran quillity in Ireland. A general pacification had by this time taken place, and the arrangements of mi nisters afforded little opening for animadversion, except as to the compulsory transfer of Norway from Denmark to Sweden. That question was warmly debated in both Houses, and a motion relative to it, made in the House of Lords by Earl Grey, in a speech of uncommon eloquence, received the sup port of 81 votes against 115. The farther proceed ings of the session were an address, praying the Re gent to interest himself with foreign powers for a prompt and general abolition of the slave-trade; a vote of L. 400,000 in addition to the L. 100,000 of the preceding year to the Duke of Wellington; and grants, but on a far smaller scale, to Generals Graham, Hill, and Bereaford, now raised to the peerage. On the Princess of Wales a settlement of L. 35,000 was definitively made.