§ The Speakerannounced to the House that having on Saturday, attended by several hon. Members, waited upon the King with the Address, agreed upon by the House, his Majesty had made the following gracious reply.
"I thank you sincerely for the assurances which you have given me, in this loyal and dutiful Address, of your disposition to co-operate with me in the improvement, with a view to their maintenance, of our institutions in Church and State.
"I learn with regret that you do not concur with me as to the policy of the appeal which I have recently made to the sense of my people.
"I never have exercised, and I never will exercise, any of the prerogatives which I hold, except for the single purpose of promoting the great end for which they are intrusted to me—the public good; and I confidently trust that no measure conducive to the general interests will be endangered or interrupted in its progress, by the opportunity which I have afforded to my faithful and loyal subjects of ex- 469 pressing their opinions through the free choice of their Representatives in Parliament."
The Chancellor of the Exchequermoved that the thanks of the House be returned to his Majesty for this, his most gracious reply.
§ Mr. Humethought that the reply, which the right hon. Baronet characterized as most gracious, scarcely called for any specific vote of thanks. The Address to his Majesty, which he, in common with a majority of the House had agreed to, contained specific mention of Reforms in the Church and Corporations, which that majority desired to have effected, but which his Majesty in his gracious reply did not even notice. The reply, in fact, was no reply at all, and the only plea on which the vote of thanks could be carried, would be that it was a matter of custom. It would be, however, most desirable that, on the other hand, a custom should be established, that in the speeches and replies from the Throne, there should be something to the purpose.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid that a vote of thanks on these occasions was a form established by uniform custom, and he was very far from seeing that there was anything in his Majesty's reply which should induce the House to depart from the usual course.
§ Mr. Humeagreed that there was nothing in the reply which called for observation; what he complained of was omission. He was not, however, going to disturb the unanimity of the House upon this occasion; he bad merely risen to express his individual opinion on the subject.
§ The vote of thanks was agreed to.