on to the statement made by her
counsel. Her acceptance of it was necessary to her very existence, but
the inconsistency of this determination extinguished all her influence
over the public mind. By the issue of this trial, indeed, both the king
and the queen were lowered in the public estimation: the respect of the
nation for the throne and its occupant especially was greatly impaired.

DEBATE ON THE HOLY ALLIANCE

During this session the consideration of foreign affairs was brought
before parliament by motions from Lord Grey in the lords, and by Sir
James Mackintosh in the commons. The ostensible object of these
motions was the production of all communications between his majesty's
government and foreign states on the concerns of Naples. In reality,
however, the purpose of these motions was to elicit the minister's
sentiments concerning the conduct of the Holy Alliance, whose manifesto,
recently published at Troppau, had excited feelings of alarm among all
the friends of constitutional liberty throughout Europe. In his speech
Lord Grey adverted to a document published at Hamburgh, purporting to
be a circular of the allied powers, in which a claim was set up of a
general superintendence over European states, and the suppression of all
changes in their internal administration, hostile to what the alliance
deemed legitimate principles of government. These monarchs, his lordship
said, had assumed the censorship of Europe; sitting in judgment on the
internal transactions of other states, and even taking on themselves
to summons before them an independent sovereign, in order to pronounce
sentence on a constitution which he had given to his country. Ministers,
in their defence, said that our government was in no respect a party
to the league; and the motion for the production of the papers was
negatived. When the declaration against Naples arrived, however, the
subject was renewed by a motion made by Lord Lans-downe, for an address
to his majesty for a remonstrance with the allied powers. But this was
met by the pretext of a strict neutrality adopted by Great Britain; and
Naples was left to fall into the hands of the Austrians.

THE CATHOLIC QUESTION.

Grattan, the great advocate of Catholic emancipation, had recently
departed this life; but there were still men in parliament able to
advocate his principles. On the 28th of February the question was
brought forward by Mr. Plunkett, whose able and lucid speech e