MEMORANDUM. (Hansard, 19 June 1820)

Lord Castlereagh

said, that be felt it to be his duty to apprize the House, that his majesty, feeling that every effort should be made to prevent the necessity of proceeding farther with the delicate question which had recently been brought under their notice, had consented that it should be considered elsewhere. In consequence of the course adopted having failed to produce the desired effect, he was authorized by his majesty to present certain papers, by which the whole of the proceeding would be communicated to parliament. He felt great pain in stating that the course proposed and adopted had not led to any satisfactory arrangement on the subject. From the great importance and the extreme delicacy of the question, the discussion of which had been repeatedly deferred, he felt that it would be very improper on his part, and exceedingly unfair towards the House, to press the consideration of the subject until gentlemen possessed the most authentic information connected with it. By that means the House would be relieved from the painful situation in which it at present stood, and would be enabled to judge of the efforts that had been made to arrange this unfortunate business. The papers were now in the progress of being printed, and would be given out to gentlemen early to-morrow. He therefore felt it to be his duty to move that the House should adjourn over, till Wednesday, the consideration of this question. It was necessary, before they proceeded to the farther consideration of the king's message, that all the circumstances of the case should be laid before them; that they should be enabled, at once, to view it in all its bearings, before they determined how they were to dispose of a question surrounded by so many difficulties. His lordship then moved, "that the papers do lie on the table."

§ Mr. Brougham,

in seconding the motion, begged to express to the House his concurrence in the view the noble lord had taken of this subject. He assured 1161 the noble lord that he could not feel greater pain than he experienced, in consequence of the want of success which had attended the effort that had been made to adjust the unfortunate differences that had occurred between those illustrious personages. He was anxious that the papers should be printed; and he hoped, when they were in the hands of gentlemen, they would find no reason to award any blame to her majesty; there was nothing contained in them that could cast any censure on her. It was possible—barely possible—amongst the many other peculiarities of this distressing case, that the House might be induced to adopt the opinion that no blame attached to either party.