your royal highness have contemplated the full extent of your declaration? Has your royal highness forgotten the approaching marriage of our daughter, and the possibility of our coronation? I wave my rights in a case where I am not absolutely bound to assert them; in order to relieve the queen, as far as I can, from the painful situation in which she is placed by your royal highness, not from any consciousness of blame, not from any doubt of the existence of those rights, or of my own worthiness to enjoy them.

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Sir, the time you have selected for this proceeding is calculated to make it peculiarly galling. Many illustrious strangers are already arrived in England; amongst whom, as I am informed, the illustrious heir of the house of Orange, who has announced himself to me as my future son-in-law; from their society I am unjustly excluded. Others are expected, of equal rank to your own, to rejoice with your royal highness on the peace of Europe. My daughter, will, for the first time, appear in the splendour and publicity becoming the approaching nuptials of the presumptive heiress of this empire. This season your royal highness has chosen for treating me with fresh and unprovoked indignity; and, of all his majesty's subjects, I alone am prevented by your royal highness from appearing in my place, to partake of the general joy; and am deprived of the indulgence in those feelings of

On the 1st of June, Mr. Methuen, in his place in the house of commons, rose, in consequence of the correspondence which had been laid before the public, to ask the right honorable gentleman, Mr. Bathurst, which of his majesty's ministers it was, that had advised his royal highness the prince regent to take those measures, which had been taken to prevent the princess of Wales from appearing at her Majesty's drawing-room?

Mr. Bathurst said, he was aware of the convenience of the practice which had been adopted of answering and asking questions in that house, by which means the necessity of making motions, was frequently obviated; but as to the question which the honorable gentleman put, he could only say, that it did not appear to him that the circumstances and character of the transaction warranted him in giving any answer.

Mr. Methuen then gave notice that he should on Friday next, (June 3,) bring forward a motion on the subject. The purport of his motion would be, that an humble address be presented to the

1

prince regent, to inquire who was the person that advised his royal highness to adopt the measures which had been taken to prevent her royal highness the princess of Wales from appearing at her majesty's drawing-room.

Mr. Ponsonby rose to say a few words on a subject connected with that respecting which notice of a motion had been given. He was a friend, as much as any man to the liberty of the press, and was not at all inclined, for personal or private considerations, to interfere with this liberty; but he should read, for the purpose of contradicting it, a statement which had been recently published. In the paper called The Morning Herald, of Friday, May 27, the following paragraph had appeared :

"Several opposition councils have been assembled on a well fomented variance between her majesty and the princess of Wales, respecting the well advised non-appearance of the latter at the next drawing-room at Buckingham house. The last of these councils was holden yesterday afternoon, when Mr. Brougham, as her royal highness's advocate general, laid before it copies of the correspondence which had recently passed between the illustrious parties on this unfortunate subject. A debate immediately took place on the expediency of giving immediate publicity thereto. The majority contended that it was too great a PARTY CARD to be shuffled away at so critical a moment

unplayed. It was opposed, however, by the more temperate few, as an improper appeal to the public opinion on a domestic misunderstanding of such extreme personal delicacy. This rational argument, however, was soon over-ruled by an appeal to numbers; for, on a division taking place, we understood they stood thus -” "After this, continued Mr. Ponsonby, there was a list of names, so printed that they could not be mistaken, the last of which was his own. He could vouch, and his honorable friend near him could vouch that there never was a more unfounded falsehood uttered for the purpose of being palmed on the British public, a more impudent lie was never told or printed. It was untrue, that he, or any of those with whom he was in the habit of consulting, had ever held any "councils" or communications on the subject. There was no one who regretted more than he did the scandal which arose from improper publications, but no innocent persons should be involved in the disgrace of them, but the infamy should be laid at the door of those to whom alone it was due.

Mr. Whitbread said he could vouch, as his right honorable friend had done, that the publication which had been read was altogether false. He was exceedingly surprised that the right honorable gentleman, (Mr. Bathurst) the only minister of the rank of cabinet councillor in the house, should,

though he had spoken, be virtually silent on the subject, respecting which a question had been put, (Hear! Hear!). He (Mr. W.) could only infer from that silence a disavowal of the transaction, or that the act being done, he or his colleagues were ashamed of the advice they had given. (Hear! Hear!) If the house did what it was its duty to do, it would extort that answer which had been refused. As it was a matter of such urgent importance, he thought to-morrow should be preferred as the day for the discussion of the question, not only because it was the nearest day, but because it was that on which the insult was intended to be practised, not only on her royal highness the princess of Wales, but on the king in his infirmity. (Hear! Hear!) He hoped, therefore, the honorable gentleman would bring forward his motion to

morrow

Mr. Methuen said, that he had fixed his motion for Friday on account of the drawing-room to mor

row.

Mr. Whitbread-"That is the very reason why it should be brought forward."

On the 3d of June, the speaker said he had to acquaint the house, that since the house had met, he had received a letter from her royal highness the princess of Wales, which he was desired by her royal highness to communicate to the house. With