[ [!-- Note Anchor 168 --][Footnote 168: "Life of Sheridan," ii., 425.]
[ [!-- Note Anchor 169 --][Footnote 169: Pearce's "Life of Lord Wellesley," iii., 276. All the letters which passed between Lord Grey, Lord Grenville, Lord Moira, and Lord Wellesley himself are given at full length by Mr. Pearce in that chapter.]
[ [!-- Note Anchor 170 --][Footnote 170: Stapleton's "George Canning and his Times," p. 202.]
[ [!-- Note Anchor 171 --][Footnote 171: Mr. Stapleton affirms that his Royal Highness actually did adopt this plan on this occasion: "His Royal Highness adopted the unprecedented course of commanding his servants to elect the First-minister. Their choice fell on Lord Liverpool."—George Canning and his Times, p. 208. Mr. Stapleton, however, gives no authority for this assertion, and he was probably mistaken, since Lord Liverpool's papers afford no corroboration of it, but rather tend to disprove it.]
CHAPTER VII.
The Toleration Act.—Impropriety of making Catholic Emancipation (or any other Important Matter) an Open Question.—Joint Responsibility of all the Ministers.—Detention of Napoleon at St. Helena.—Question whether the Regent could Give Evidence in a Court of Law in a Civil Action.—Agitation for Reform.—Public Meetings.—The Manchester Meeting.—The Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill.—Lord Sidmouth's Six Acts.
The war was daily becoming of more exciting interest, and, so far as our armies were concerned, was rapidly assuming greater proportions. While the Duke of Portland was still at the head of affairs, Napoleon, by his unprovoked attacks on both the Peninsular kingdoms, had at last opened a field of action to our armies, in which even the most sanguine of those who placed a loyal confidence in the old invincibility of English prowess could not have anticipated the unbroken series of glories which were to reward their efforts. For four years Lord Wellington had contended against all the most renowned marshals of the Empire,[[172]] driving them back from impregnable lines of defence, defeating them in pitched battles, storming their strongest fortresses, without ever giving them room to boast of even the most momentary advantage obtained over himself; and he was now on the eve of achieving still more brilliant and decisive triumphs, which were never to cease till he had carried his victorious march far into the heart of France itself.
At such a time it may well be supposed that the attention of the new ministry was too fully occupied with measures necessary for the conduct of the war to leave it much time for domestic legislation. Yet even its first session was not entirely barren.