HL Deb 20 June 1832 vol 13 cc900-4
Earl Grey

said, that he rose to perform a necessary act of duty, in calling upon their Lordships to express their horror and indignation at the outrageous and flagitious attack which was yesterday made at Ascot upon the sacred person of his Majesty. Unfortunately, there were precedents for the proceedings to be adopted on occasions of this kind; and upon referring to them, he found that the two Houses of Parliament had generally, by a joint Address to the Throne, expressed their indignation and abhorrence at such outrages, and declared their sentiments of affection and loyalty to the Prince on the Throne. The first case of this kind occurred in the year 1787, when an insane woman, of the name of Nicholson, made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate his late most gracious Majesty, George 3rd. That attempt was made during the recess of Parliament. But, on the first day after the assembling of Parliament, though the subject was not even so much as alluded to in the Speech from the Throne, a paragraph was inserted in the Address of both Houses, expressive of the grateful feelings which they, as loyal subjects, experienced at the providential interposition of the Almighty in the preservation of a life so valuable to the British nation. The next case occurred in the year 1795, when, on the 3rd of October, an attack was made on the carriage in which his Majesty, George 3rd, was returning from the House of Lords, after opening the Session of Parliament in State, either by a stone or by a bullet—it was uncertain which—proceeding from some person unknown, but under circumstances which left it in doubt whether the outrage was confined to an individual, or was the result of some secret but organized conspiracy. On that occasion the House of Lords proceeded immediately to examine witnesses as to the extent of the outrage, and, after its examination was concluded, requested a present conference in the Painted Chamber with the House of Commons, on a subject materially affecting the safety of his Majesty's person, and the honour and dignity of the Crown. The conference was held, and a joint Address was in consequence presented to his Majesty, expressive of their loyalty to his person, and of their indignation at the treasonable attempt to injure and destroy him. The third, and by far the most serious case, occurred in the year 1800, when a person of the name of Hatfield, who had been in his Majesty's military service, and had received several dangerous wounds in the head, drew a pistol in the theatre, and fired it at his late Majesty. This precedent, though differing much in the degree of danger, was the precedent most in point upon the present occasion. At that time, on the very day after the outrage was committed, an Address was voted to George 3rd by the two Houses of Parliament, without any other evidence having been sought, that the outrage had been committed, than the mere notoriety of the fact. Another precedent occurred in the year 1817, when his late Majesty, George 4th, then exercising the powers of the Sovereign as Prince Regent, was exposed, on his return from opening the Session of Parliament, to a similar attack to that which his august father, George 3rd, had been exposed in the year 1795. The precedent set in 1795 was followed in the year 1817, and a joint Address of condolence at the attack, and of congratulation at the escape from it, was presented by the two Houses to his late Majesty. These were the precedents to which he was desirous of calling the attention of their Lordships; and in following those precedents on the present occasion, their Lordships would see, that they were only performing their duty to a Sovereign who was well entitled, on every account, to the affectionate attachment and loyalty of all his subjects. The precedent the most in point on this occasion was that of Hatfield, in the reign of his Majesty's august parent, George 3rd. The circumstances of that case were matter of public notoriety; so also were the circumstances of the present. Here a stone was thrown from a person in the crowd against his Majesty with great violence. The stone struck his Majesty, and would have done him great injury, but for the protection which his hat afforded his head. The person who committed this extraordinary outrage was immediately taken into custody. He had seen the depositions which had been taken against this individual, and, upon reading them, it seemed to him that the outrage in question, was the act of a man with a mind perverted by derangement, or by excitement of some description or other, and that it had no connexion with any thing but the sense—no matter how created in the man's mind—of individual injury. The man was at present in custody, and in custody on a charge of high treason. He had assigned his motives for committing this outrage—they were such as could only have proceeded from a mind excited by liquor or derangement—and there was not even the shadow of a shade of ground for supposing that they were connected with any political reasons whatever. This was to him, and he had no doubt but that it would prove to the country, a source of great consolation. But he had also another ground of consolation, and that was, the great and universal feeling which had been displayed by the people on this occasion—a feeling which it was natural to expect from any loyal people, and still more so from a people like that of England, whose loyalty was based on their affection to a King who himself revered the law. He thought that this outrage, which, though it was in itself treasonable, had fortunately not assumed the appearance of dangerous treason, was such as would make every noble Lord feel it to be his duty to concur in voting an address to his Majesty, expressive of that feeling of attachment to his person which was justified by his Majesty's attachment to the principles of the Constitution, and to the interests of his people, and by his desire to bestow upon the nation all the blessings of a mild and just government. He would not do their Lordships the injustice of saying more to induce them to concur in the appeal which he had just made to them; he would, therefore, without further preface, conclude by moving,

"That an humble Address be presented to his Majesty, to express to his Majesty our horror and indignation at the late atrocious and treasonable attempt upon his Majesty, and our heartfelt congratulations that his Majesty escaped from it without injury to his sacred person.

"To express to his Majesty the deep concern which we feel at there having been found within his Majesty's dominions, a person capable of so flagitious an attempt; and that we make it our earnest prayer to Almighty God, that he will preserve to us the blessings which we enjoy under his Majesty's just and mild government, and continue to watch over and protect a life so justly dear to us."

The Earl of Eldon

said, that he should have regretted that this Motion was not made in a fuller House, had he not been certain that men of all parties would join in this loyal and affectionate Address. It was a duty which their Lordships owed to his most gracious Majesty to present this Address—it was a duty which they owed themselves, to assure their Sovereign that they were ready to protect him against every outrage that might be attempted against his sacred person. He made this declaration upon his own part, and he believed that he might also make it on behalf of every noble Lord, a member of that House, absent or present.

The Lord Chancellor

was glad that his noble and learned friend had called the attention of the House to the thinness of the attendance on the present occasion. That was owing to its being Wednesday, a day set apart by common compact in both Houses for relaxation—a compact, however, which, he was sorry to say, by some strange and lamentable fatality, had of late been more honoured in the breach than in the observance. If this Motion had been delayed till to-morrow, the House would never have presented a more gratifying spectacle than would have been presented in the numerous attendance of Peers, all eager to testify their pride and gratification at hearing that his Majesty had escaped in safety from the flagitious outrage attempted to be committed on his person. But, under existing circumstances, it was quite evident that such delay was totally inadmissible.

The Earl of Eldon

believed that his noble and learned friend on the Woolsack had stated the case fairly. None of his own noble political friends and associates would have absented themselves on the present occasion, had they been aware of the probability of such a motion being made as had just been submitted to the consideration of their Lordships. He believed that none of his noble friends who were then absent would have thought it right to let the proposition of this Address be postponed for a single night in consequence of their absence.

Earl Grey

assured the House that he was out of town when he first heard of the commission of this outrage. On hearing of it he had come to town with the utmost speed; but he had not arrived in time to give notice to their Lordships of his intention to move this Address to-night. If this Motion could have been deferred till to-morrow, which he was sure their Lordships would deem impossible, he was certain that it would have assembled one of the fullest Houses that had been ever known.

Resolution carried nemine contradicente.

Earl Grey then moved, that a Committee be appointed to prepare the Address to his Majesty.—The Motion was carried, and an Address, which was the echo of the Resolution, was then proposed to, and adopted by, their Lordships.

Earl Grey then moved, that the said Address should be sent to the Commons for their approbation, and that a message should be sent to the House of Commons, desiring a present conference in the Painted Chamber, on a subject materially affecting the safety of his Majesty's sacred person.—Motion carried unanimously.

The House of Commons agreed to the Conference, which was accordingly held; and the Commons signified their concurrence in the Address, which was ordered to be presented to his Majesty by the whole House.