"  The  outrages  committed  by  bands  of  desperate  and  aban>
d<Mied  men  in  various  parts  of  this  metropolis,  broke  forth  with
such  violence  into  acts  of  felony  and  treason, — had  so  far  over-
borne all  civil  authority — and  threatened  so  directly  the  im-
mediate Bubveffiioo  of  all  legal  power,  the  destruction  of  all
property,  and  the  confusion  of  every  order  in  the  state ;  that  1
found  myself  obliged,  by  every  tie  of  duty  and  affection  to  my
people,  to  suppress,  in  every  part,  those  rebellious  insurrections ;
and  to  provide  for  the  public  safety,  by  the  most  effectual  and
immediate  application  of  the  force  intrusted  to  me  by  parliament."

Here,  said  Mr.  Sheridan,  His  Majesty  takes  the  whole  upon
himself — and  rests  the  issuing  of  the  order  on  its  true  ground^
the  necessity  of  the  case.  If  His  Majesty's  ministers  had  fol-
lowed the  example  of  the  Sover«gn,  and  come  down  to  parliament
desiring  a  bill  of  indemnity,  the  house  would  have  added  pane-
gjrric  to  their  consent  i  and  would  have  praised  their  mode-
ration in  the  second  instance,  while  they  extolled  their  exertion
in  the  first.  He  entreated  the  house  to  forgive  him  for  having
dwelt  so  long  on  these  excesses,  which  were  all  that  could  be
urged  in  favour  of  ministers  for  acUng  as  they  did  on  that  occa-
Bioa.  Either  they  must  believe  that  the  whole  of  the  outrages
was  the  result  of  a  deliberate  plot  and  machination,  contrived  by
the  enemies  of  this  country,  and  aiming  at  the  overthrow  of  the
empire ;  or  that  the  substitution  of  the  military  was  a  safe,  easy,
and  proper  remedy,  in  all  cases  of  riot  and  tumult.  These  were
the  only  arguments  which  could  justify  ministers  in  the  orders
they  bad  given.  He  would  trouble  them  no  farther  than  by
offering  to  them  the  propositions  which  he  held  in  his  baud,  as
the  ground  of  a  remedy  for  the  evil  of  which  he  had  complained.
