Wesley Corpus

George Grenville's. Therefore the whole merit of these measures belongs to him, and not to the present ministry. “But is not the general dissatisfaction owing, if not to any of the preceding causes, to the extraordinary bad conduct of the Parliament, particularly the House of Commons?” This is set in so clear a light by a late writer, that I need only transcribe his words: “The last recess of Parliament was a period filled with unprecedented troubles; and the session opened in the midst of tumults. Ambitious men, with a perseverance uncommon in indolent and luxurious times, rung all the changes of popular noise for the purpose of intimidation. The ignorant, who could not distinguish between real and artificial clamours, were alarmed; the lovers of their own ease wished to sacrifice the just dignity of the House of Commons to a temporary relief, from the grating sound of seditious scurrility. “Hence the friends of the constitution saw the opening of the session with anxiety and apprehension. They were afraid of the timidity of others, and dreaded nothing more than that panic to which popular assemblies, as well as armies, are sometimes subject. The event has shown that their fears were groundless: The House supported its decisions against the current of popular prejudice; and, in defending their own judicial rights, secured the most solid part of the liberties of their constituents. “Their firm adherence to their Resolutions was not more noble than their concessions in the matter of their own rights was disinterested and generous. The extensive privileges which, in a series of ages, had accumulated to the members of both Houses, were certainly inconsistent with the impartial distri bution of justice. To sacrifice these privileges was not only diametrically opposite to the idea of self-interest, with which some asperse the Legislature, but it has also thrown a greater weight into the scale of public freedom than any other Act passed since the Revolution. And it has reflected honour on the present administration, that a bill, so very favourable to the liberty of the subject, was brought in and carried through by them. “The arbitrary manner of determining petitions about elections has been a serious complaint, and of long continu ance. I shall not deny to Mr.