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Untitled Article
quires the assent of three parties ; the King , the Lords , and the Commons . To preserve its consistericy , the place of the king must be supplied , and this might
have been done either by the heir apparent assuming the regency and calling , together the parliament , or by being called upon by other persons to assume it , or by certain persons determining any
other mode by which the deficiency should be supplied . As the two houses of parliament are bodies of the greatest importance in the kingdom , and the people naturally look up to them in
such an emergency , it was obviously to be expected that they would be the person ^ to take upon themselves the supplying or ^ ie defect in the legislature * On
the mode of doing it , a difference of opinion was , from the constitution of these two bodies , and particularly from the present , constitution of the House of
Commons , to be apprehended ; and 4 he debates on this subject , however they might arouse the reader of a morning newspaper , will be very little interesting to the future historian .
Two modes were proposed ; tfce one by address to the Prince of Wales to assume the regency , the other by bill to empower him to assume it . The mode by address was the simplest , for it
implied the difficulty of the situation ; but the mode , by bill , a most dilatory mode of proceeding was adopted . In proceeding by bill sotne things must be taken
for granted , which will not bear the test of reasoning . A bill re * quires for its completion the up * qent of the King , Lords , and Commons , and Without the asserit of
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the king it remains as many have done , invalid : it is not an &fct of parliament ; it has no authority . In fact , the two houses rrieeting without the presence of
the king in person , or by com * mission , are not parts of a parliament , but must be considered merely as a convention . ' In this dilemma what was to be done ?
The following'plan was devisedthat after the consent of the Pritfce to assume the regency was obtained , a bill should be passed , authorizing the Lord Chancellor to fix the seal to a commission ,
empowering certain persons in the king ' s name to open the parliament , and to give the royal assent to a bill for the regency . The former point being settled , the Chancellor addressed the two housed in the usual forrti , which
separated as usual , and the Commons went to frame a bill , arid every thing ribw weRtf on as in a parliament regularly assembled *
The nation may be said to acquiesce in this proceeding , as petitions against it were sent only from the city of London and the town of Nottingham ; but die
precedent of supplying the royal authority in this manner is subject to so many objections , that every man who has the least regard to the constitutiQn of hi * country , must hope that this is the last time that recurrence \ vill
be had to such a mode , and that a wise act of the legislature , hereafter constitutionally assembled , will set aside the necessity of adopting a fiction .
In carrying the plan the ministers adopted , ' \ % ey metrwiih very strong oppositvot ) ix > tti ift ^ the Lords aria Commons , Befetfe tlie bill was Formed , it was necessary
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52 State of Fvtblic Affair * .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1811, page 52, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2412/page/52/
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