-0 0 11 _ THE NATIONAL Our /king, Conotitution, anti tataz. . _ PRINTL D AND PUBLISHED AT NO. 5 1 PWEETT•STR ENT, STRAND, NEAR. TEMPLE EAR. SITNDAIr, MARCIII, N° 214. POLLY 'CAL DISQUISITION. No. 2044 OPPOSITION AND MINISTER. !I The opposition ought at last to : be satisfied. Their doubts respecting the continuance of their opponents in dice, and the grounds on which they were retained, are now at an end. last fortnigh(had been for them a period of hope, anxiety, and alarm. The termination of the restrictieecon, the PRINCE REGENT approached ; and the prospeci'of enjoying power created feelings of tumul tuous joy, %filo], though mingled with apprehension, be trayed themselves in all their speeches in the House of Commons. These half-smothered bursts of exultation at last drew from the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER the cbservation, that the golden dreams of the Honourable Gentlemen-might prove deceitful. This remark changed their hopes into terror, which they vainly attempted to conceal under the mask of indignation. In vain did they exclaim against the. assuming audacity of the Minister: In vain di,4 they recal the former acts and expressions-e114,8.Aw...eas tc demonstrate that it was impossible he shotiki not admit ttiiiiintO his Councils, as soon as he shoutcb4ve been freed from the yoke of the :Restrictions., Thellepuld not quiet their own apprehensions, and only exposed'tbe nature and avidity of theirambition. The fatal periodarrived, and, instead of that loud call into office which they expected, a partial and indirect offer was made to the two . -14vbIbmen at their hea44, not to form a new, but to ioin . th6. existing Administra tion. They wefe made acquainted, at'the same time, with the line of policy which his ROYAL HIGHNESS, intended to pure*, in order that they might ascertain at once Whether they Tilt disposettto 'sec ond ; his intentions. The • • answer oCthe k.loble Peers was, •however, of an unfit .— vourable tendency. They disclaimed all personal objec tion to acting : With the men in power, but ckarly stated their disapprobation of the measures ihe PRINCE REGENT proposed to adopt ;• and, unless their politics were allowed to resume their .overbearing influencetiver his mind, and in the Councils of the State, they refuSed to constitute part of his government. They imagined, perhaps, that his Royal Highness. thought ,himself :bound to give them a share in the manageMerit'of public affairs, and that, by rejecting the firlt, teritia'Affered, 'they virOuld secure others till more advantageoUsli;i4 more gratifying to their am bition. The resignatibi) .7 -c;f. Niaiquis WELLESLEY, and. the opening which i t l e f t i n -die Cabinet, awakened fresh hopes i n t h e i r minds. They eXpeCtedthet'a divided Admi nistration would not stand, and that deprived of one of No. CCX / 7 ///. Vol. V. PRICE 94. its most powerful s7; . :porters, it would soon vanish from the political stage. Hence the variety of rumours with which the town has .been overflowed," and which per plexes the judgment of the wisest. Hence, the many imaginary appointments mode, and contradicted by party spirit.—Reality has at last crime to the assistance of the public mind. A Noble Lord, whom calumny has aspersed with her hundred tnngnes, has accepted the Seals of the Foreign Office, and although other changes of an inferior nature may take place, the grand business of an efficient AdministratiOn is now settled. The Opposition had no sooner ascertained this point, thin they vented their rage and disappointment, not in the most chosen terms of Pa:liamentary abuse. The Put Noe, who for so many years had been the idol whom they vorsh:pped, suddenly lost the privilege of commit ting no error, and sinking into a fallible being, received his full share of unfounded reproof. The friends of the Noble Lords represented the application made to them as an insult. It required them to abandon the opinions which they 'had for years maintained. It was an open attempt to bribe them into the adoption of a new system ; and hall they yieldettt6 .. itib invitation, they must have relinquished all claim to consistency and honour, C all regard for their 'rharatter. Such are the,iOurces of .consolation of those who lately aspired to tlie-ligtiest*.posts of Government in the land. They pretend..that the' OfriPr made to ineludf them within the sphere of Administration, was not 'sin cere; but that it wits purposely attended with such pro posals or conditions as mint render its being accepted im possible. Unwilling to break niT all connection with his ROYAL HIGHNESS, however, they avail themselves' of that constitutional maxim— ,, that Jiings can do no wrong," and attribute the step . which has k ited so much)n dignation in their breasts to his supposed • adviieris--,-.. These, they charged with having perverted Ile judg- . • merit and seduced theaffections of the PRINCEi and- • they would prcibahry iniy,e persevered in such accu. sation, had it not called forth from Mr. *.PEA CE IrAr„ the following manly avowal of . the - rounds on which he and his colleagues have been remelted ; g rpuo s iyhidi are most honourable to their political inteitqfalfli6444 . and will not fail to add tenfold poignancy to the griq' of their opponents. As to ,the causes of the changa...Wlii - ch had taken place in the PRINCE REGENT'S opitidn, respect to himielf, during the _last twelve months, be eel-- tainly never did alltempt, nor never should attempt, with respect to this question, to make any impression one - way or the other on the Royal mind. The 'PRINCE had had thought proper to retain him in his service, with all those prejudices which he had entertained at the com mencement of the limited Regency, against the I."..at,'s _• • - • REGISTER. r ~,