acles and predictions of amendment,
which were merely meant to serve the purposes of Pitt and his party. But
though Pitt at first opposed this measure, he ultimately acquiesced in
its course, and a new committee of the house was appointed to re-examine
all the physicians. This examination, which ought to have been brief,
was prolonged by the frivolous questions of opposition members, and by
frequent altercations, so that the report was not brought up before the
13th of January. As the committee had not examined into the grounds
of the different opinions held by the physicians, Burke moved that
the report should be re-committed; but this was negatived without a
division, and it was ordered that it should be printed, and be taken
into consideration, in a committee of the whole house, on the 16th of
the month. On that day Pitt introduced his plan of a restricted regency.
On the 30th of December Pitt had, in a letter, submitted to the Prince
of Wales the heads of a plan arranged by the cabinet, and though the
prince, acting under the influence of his advisers, had expressed
his entire disapprobation of the plan, he nevertheless consented
to undertake the regency with the proposed restrictions. What these
restrictions were, Pitt now explained to the house. After expressing
his great satisfaction at having consented to the re-examination of the
physicians, the event of which had justified his sanguine expectations
of the king's recovery, he observed, that under these circumstances,
what parliament had to provide for was, a deficiency in the executive
government for an interval which he trusted would be brief, and against
any embarrassment in the resumption of the royal authority, when his
majesty should be able to resume that authority. This was all that was
required, he said, for the present; but if contrary to expectations his
majesty's illness should be protracted, then a more permanent plan of
government might be arranged. He moved, therefore, that the Prince of
Wales should be invested with the whole regal authority, subject
to certain necessary limitations. These limitations were, that his
authority should not extend to the creation of new peers; that he should
not grant any pension or place for life, other than such place as, from
its nature, must by law be held for life, or during good behaviour: that
he should not have any power over the personal property of the king;
and that he should have nothing to do with his maje