twenty-one was appointed, Pitt, himself, being their chairman. A similar
motion was made and carried in the upper house, and a committee of peers
was appointed for the same purpose. The report of the committee was
presented by Pitt in the commons on the 10th of December, which was
favourable to the king's ultimate recovery; and after it was ordered to
be printed, the premier, whose object it was to delay decision on
the subject of the regency, moved that another committee should be
appointed, to inspect the journals for precedents of such proceedings as
had been adopted in former instances, when the sovereign authority was
suspended by sickness, infirmity, or any other cause. This called
forth the opposition of Fox, who objected to the motion as nugatory and
productive of unnecessary delay. Pitt knew well, he said, that there
were no precedents which applied to the present case. He contended that
all that was requisite for their decision had been done by the report
just laid on the table; a report by which the incapacity of the
sovereign had been fully ascertained. Fox then advanced, as a
proposition deducible from the principles of the constitution and the
laws of hereditary succession, that whenever the sovereign was incapable
of exercising the functions of his high office, the heir-apparent, if
arrived at maturity, had as indisputable a claim to the exercise of the
executive authority, in the name and on the behalf of the sovereign,
during his incapacity, as in the case of his natural demise. In
advancing such a proposition as this Fox committed a great blunder, for
by it he became the advocate of prerogative, in opposition to the rights
of the people. Pitt instantly perceived his error, and he took the
utmost advantage of it, by taking up the cause which Fox had suddenly
deserted. With an appearance of patriotic indignation, Pitt declared
that the assertion which Fox had made was little short of treason
against the constitution; insisted that the heir-apparent had no more
right, in the case alleged, to the exercise of the executive power than
any other person in the realm; and asserted that it belonged to the
two remaining branches of the legislature to make such provision for
supplying the temporary deficiency as they should think proper. He
asked, when the regular exercise of the powers of government was from
any cause suspended, to whom could the right of providing a remedy for
the existing defect devolve, but to t