the new year and century was to ther in a new form, and a new Like of government, his majefty, before he retired, ordered the chancalor to read a proclamation, decaning that the individuals, who competed the expiring parliament, fhould be the members, on the part of Britain, of the parliament of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and that this imperial parliament should affemble on the 2d day of January, 1801. Immediately after leaving the houfe of lords, he held a grand council, in which fome arrangements required by that great event were fettled. A proclamation was iffued on the 1ft of January, 1801, the forty-firft year of his majefty's reign, declaring his majesty's pleafure concerning the royal ftyle and titles appertaining to the imperial crown of Great Britain and Ireland, and its dependencies, and alfo the enfigns armorial, flags, and banners thereof. The royal style and titles were to be expressed, in the Latin tongue, by thefe words: "GEORGIUS Tertius, Dei gratia, Britanniarum rex, fidei defenfor;" and, in the English tongue, "GEORGE the Third, by the grace of God, of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, king, defender of the faith." The arms or enfigns armorial of the united kingdom were ordered to be quarterly: first and fourth, England; fecond, Scotland; third, Ireland.

There was to be borne therewith, on an efcutcheon of pretence, the arms of his majefty's dominions in Germany, enfigned with the electoral bonnet. The ftandard of the united kingdom to be the fanie quartering that was declared to be the arms or enfigns armorial of the faid united kingdom, with the efcutcheon of pretence thereon described. The union flag to be azure, bearing the croffes of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. On the fame day, January 1, 1801, a roval proclamation declared the enfign or colours to be borne at fea in merchant-fhips belonging to any of his majefty's fubjects of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the dominions thereunto belonging. That the royal fhips might be clearly and eafily diftinguifhed from veffels belonging to any of the king's fubjects, an enfign, accurately defcribed, was appointed for all merchant-fhips or others not in his majefty's fervice. A new great feal was made, of courfe, in conformity with the alterations that had taken place in the royal titles and arms.

In honour of the union many promotions were made, and many new titles conferred, on noblemen of Ireland: a confiderable number of whom either received advancement of rank in their own order, or were created peers of the united kingdom.

CHAP.

A

TH

HE parliament of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, otherwile called the imperial parliament, was opened, by commiffion, on the 22d of January, 1801, when the lord chancellor ac quainted the houfe of commons, that it was his majefty's pleafure that they fhould immediately proceed to elect a fpeaker. The commons then withdrew,, and elected their late fpeaker, Mr. Addington. This election was, on the next day, confirmed in the fame manner by the royal approbation. The king, however, did not meet the parliament till the 2d of February. In his fpeech from the throne, his majefty adverted to the happy accomplishment of the legiflative union of the two kingdoms; the unfortunate courfe of events on the continent; and the conduct proper to be obferved in confequence of it. The reprefentations which he had directed to be made to the court of Peterfburgh, respecting the outrages committed against the fhips, property, and perfons of his fubjects, had been treated with the utmost difrefpect; and the proceedings of which he had complained, had been aggravated by fubfequent as of in

juftice and violence. Under thefe circumftances, a convention had been concluded by that court with thofe of Copenhagen and Stockholm, the object of which, as avowed by one of the contracting parties, was, to renew their former engagements for re-establishing by force a new code of maritime law, inconfiftent with the rights, and hoftile to the interefts of this country. He had taken the earliest measures to repel the aggreffions of this hoftile confederacy; at the fame time, that he had given fuch aflurances, as manifefted his difpofition to renew his ancient relations with thofe powers, whenever it could be done confiftently with the honour of his crown, and with a juft regard to the fafety of his fubjects. He expreffed his confidence, that both houfes of parliament would afford him the moft vigorous and effectual fupport in his firm determination to maintain to the utmoft, against every attack, the naval rights and interefts of his empire. From external relations, he paffed to the internal or domestic state of the united kingdom. He expreffed his confidence, that their deliberations would be uniformly directed to the great ob

ject

Jd of improving the benefits of at happy union, which, by the gof Providence, had now been efted, and of promoting, to the Brod, the profperity of every part of his dominions. He trufted, alfo, that they would refume the inquiries, which were fo diligently profecuted in the laft feffion of parliament, as to the best means of reieving his fubjects from the preflure of the prefent high price of provifions; and of preventing, as far as it could be done by human for fight, the recurrence of fimilar difficulties: and he affured them of his difpofition to embrace the earlieft opportazity of terminating the prefent conteft with fecurity and honour.In the houfe of lords, the addrefs was moved by

The duke of Montrofe. In this circumftance, at the commence ment of the important æra noticed in the speech from the throne, there was much propriety, as the family of Montrofe was highly inftrumental in promoting the union between England and Scotland, which has proved fo fortunate for both king doms. The union between Britain and Ireland, the firft topic touched on in the fpeech from the throne, in the judgement of the noble duke, reflected the highest honour on both countries. It was of the greatest importance to the general interests of the empire; and would tend to promote the wealth and profperity of Ireland, in a greater proportion than that of Britain. It would augment and confolidate the ftrength and refources of the empire, and cement and connect

more closely the interefts and affections of both countries. The anticipation of thefe advantages it was reasonable to form from an example within our own bofom. Scotland, notwithstanding the affertions and prophecies of the advocates against the union, had foon attained to a degree of ftrength and wealth very little expected even by her warment friends. Those who oppofed it had conceived, that the rights of Scotland would be facrificed to thofe of England. The English, however, to their immortal honour, inftead of taking any unfair advantage from the union, acquitted themselves with that friendthip and generofity, for which they had always been dif tinguifhed. Inftead of circumleribing the commerce of the Scots, they cherished their fpirit of enterprife, by the moft liberal fubfcriptions for the improvement of their fisheries, and the improvement of their agriculture and their manufactures. As to the northern confederacy, the next object of attention in the fpeech from the throne, there was no caufe for the gloom and defpondency with which many worthy individuals were now afflicted. Our courage and capacity were univerfally acknowledged, Activity and perfeverance would crown our laudable efforts with the defired fuccefs. We were ftrong in energies, and ftrong in the juftice of our caufe. This laft polition the duke confirmed by reafon, the authority of civilians, and the acknowledgment and practice of all maritime powers. On the fubject of the high price of provifions,he faid, we might expect much falutary aid from

foreign

foreign fources. There were also confiderable tracts of land, of little or no utility, which the legislature might render highly beneficial to the community. The bent of his own mind was greatly in favour of a general enclosure bill, and the culti vation of the fen lands. The addrefs, correfponding to his majefty's fpeech, being moved by his grace, was feconded by lord Lucan, who rejoiced, that, at a moment when the courfe of events required all our exertion, we had thus fecured the co-operation of our fifter kingdom.

The earl of Fitzwilliam lamented that the course of events had made 1o momentous a change in the aspect of Europe, and the affairs of this kingdom. He had deeply felt the confequences of the fpirit that had broken out in France, and the deftruction to which it led. The people of France had been called on to rally round the standard of order, and to reinstate the ancient family of their kings. The nations of Eu rope had felt it to be their juft and wife policy to join this caufe. No man would go further than himself, even yet, in combating for the caufe; but he must own the thing was hopelefs. His hopes had been difappointed. The anarchy, however, to a great degree, was gone. France was now, in fact, eftablished into a monarchy, under republican forms, and under a new ruler. It did not depend on the opinion of an individual, and, he feared, it no longer depended on the power and energies of the nation, to withstand the organization of the new order of things in France. The die was caft: he must fubmit. But, he could not think it poffible for that houfe, confiftently with their duty, to omit an inquiry into the caufes

of the failure of our efforts, when fuch large and almost unbounded powers had been intrusted to minifters, and when they had all Europe in friendship with them in the common caufe; and why, instead of fucceeding in this great object, they had all at once plunged us into a conteft with our new allies. As to the union, he lamented that he could not this day rife to join in an unanimous vote of thanks to his majefty for his moft gracious fpeech from the throne, on the occafion of that event, on which his ideas were fufficiently known. As the event was now past, he would exert himself to fupprefs all the emotions which he felt, and fincerely wished that the very fanguine expectations of the noble duke might be fulfilled. He could not, however, withhold his aftonishment, that, at a crifis fo awful, when we were about to be plunged into a new war, his majefty's minifters, inftead of giving information to the house, had called on them for new confidence and new fupport. The war, into which we were now to be plunged, was a war of our own feeking, as far as Sweden and Denmark were concerned. We had it in our power to fufpend the difcuffion of the queftion dif pofed of in the neutral code; for it was fufpended, without any evil confequences, in 1780, when, furely, this country was not in the very difficult fituation in which the stood at prefent. In conclufion, lord Fitzwilliam, declaring that he could not give his fupport to men who had proved themselves fo unfit for the fituations they filled, moved, as an amendment to the addrefs, the following addition: "And that this houfe will proceed with all poffible difpatch to make such inquiries into

the