THE Parliamentary Register; OR, HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS; CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF The most interefling SPEECHES and MOTIONS; accurate DURING THE THIRD SESSION of the FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT GREAT BRITAIN, IN SEVENTEEN VOLUMES. VOL. V. LONDON: RE-PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY By S. Gofnell, Little Queen Street. THE HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES Of the THIRD SESSION of the HOUSE of COMMONS OF THE Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain; Appointed to meet at Weftminster, on Thurfday, the 31ft Day of October 1776. THE King opened the feffion with the following speech : My Lords and Gentlemen, Nothing could have afforded me fo much fatisfaction as to have been able to inform you, at the opening of this feffion, that the troubles, which have fo long distracted my colonies in North America, were at an end; and that my unhappy people, recovered from their delufion, had delivered themTelves from the oppreffion of their leaders, and returned to their duty but fo daring and defperate is the spirit of those leaders, whofe object has always been dominion and power, that they have now openly renounced all allegiance to the crown, and all political connexion with this country; they have rejected, with circumstances of indignity and insult, the means of conciliation held out to them under the authority of our commiffion; and have prefumed to set up their rebellious confederacies for independent states. If their treafon be fuffered to take root, much mischief must grow from it, to the fafety of my loyal colonies, to the commerce of my kingdoms, and indeed to the prefent fyftem of all Europe. One great advantage, however, will be derived from the object of the rebels being openly avowed, and clearly understood; we fhall have unanimity at home, founded in the general conviction of the justice and neceffity of our measures. VOL. V.. B I am |