be crowned as the King had; and with that view he should move an address to his Majesty, praying that the Queen might be permitted to a participation in those honours of the Coronation. He did not intend now to go into the question of her Majesty's right; his object was to show the good policy of their presenting an address to the throne on the subject. They were now within eight days of the Coronation, and yet it was not known whether her Majesty was to be allowed to appear at the Coronation, even as a spectator. Surely they would not exhibit to the public such a spectacle as that of turning the Queen away from the Coronation altogether. The honourable member concluded by moving, "That an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he will be graciously pleased to issue his Royal Proclamation for the coronation of her Majesty, thereby consulting the true dignity of the Crown, the tranquillity of the metropolis, and the general expectations of the people."

Mr. Hume had not commenced the reading of his resolution, ere the Black Rod was heard at the door, and before he had concluded he was called to order by the Speaker. The Black Rod then informed the House that the Lords bearing his Majesty's Commission were in the House of Peers, whither the Speaker immediately repaired, attended by a great number of members.

The Speaker, on his return, read the speech at the table, after which the House separated.

It has already been stated, that the prayer of her Majesty's petition to be heard by her counsel in support of her claim to be crowned was granted; we may now, therefore, proceed to give the substance of the legal arguments for and against that claim, as given before the Privy Council.

The Council assembled on Thursday morning, at ten o'clock, at the Cockpit, Whitehall, to hear counsel in support of her Majesty's claim of right to be crowned with the King at the ensuing Coronation. The Council Chamber was greatly crowded; among the Privy Council were the Dukes of York and Clarence, the Duke of Wellington, Lords Liverpool, Eldon, Harrowby, Westmorland, Sidmouth, and Londonderry, one or two Bishops, and several of the Judges, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Peel, &c. &c.-The King's Attorney and Solicitor-General, Messrs. Brougham and Denman, and Dr. Lushington, who were in attendance, were called in about a quarter past ten. The several memorials which had been presented by the Queen to the King, praying to be heard by counsel in support of her claim, were then read, and also the Order in Council for a committee to take her Majesty's claim into consideration.

The following is the principal memorial:

"To the King's Most Excellent Majesty in council assembled. "The memorial of her Majesty the Queen

"Sheweth, that your Majesty has, by your royal proclamation, bearing date at Carlton-house, the 9th day of June instant, declared your royal will and pleasure to celebrate the solemnity of your royal coronation upon Thursday, the 19th day of June next, at

your palace at Westminster; but that directions have not been given for the coronation of the Queen, as hath heretofore been accustomed on the like occasions.

"That divers of your Majesty's subjects, by ancient customs and usages of these realms, as also in regard of divers tenures of sundry manors, lands, and other hereditaments, do claim, and are bound to do and perform divers services on the day and at the time of the coronation of the Queen-consort of these realms, as in times precedent of their ancestors, and as those from whom they claim have done and performed at the coronation of the Queenconsort in times past.

"That the Queen most dutifully claims, as of right, to celebrate the ceremony of her royal coronation; and to preserve, as well her Majesty's said right, as the aforesaid lawful rights and inheritances of others of your Majesty's subjects.

"The Queen respectfully prays, that your Majesty will be graciously pleased forthwith to issue your royal proclamation, thereby to appoint the same: 19th day of July next, at Westminster aforesaid, to celebrate the ceremony of her coronation as Queen Consort, and to direct that all such as by the said customs and usages and tenures are bound to do and perform the services aforesaid, do duly give their attendances accordingly at the said day and time of the coronation aforesaid, in all respects furnished as to so great a solemnity appertaineth, and answerable to the dignities and places which every one of them holdeth and enjoyeth; and further, that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to issue your royal commission under your great seal, appointing commissioners to receive, hear, and determine, the petitions and claims which shall be made to them in this behalf.

"And the Queen as in duty bound shall ever pray."

Mr. Brougham stated that he had been refused a piece of evidence which it was of importance for him to possess, and which was in the custody of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster ;-he meant the Liber Regalis, a book that contained the formula of the ceremonies performed at the coronation of the Kings of England. But the Dean and

Her

Chapter of Westminster refused to produce it unless they were ordered to do so by the highest authority, the King, or a Court of Law. Majesty's counsel then applied to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, but he said that he had no power to command the book to be given. The Dean and Chapter, however, did not require an order, they wished only the sanction of the highest authority, but the noble lord could not interpose. As to the other alternative, of applying to the Court of King's Bench for a mandamus— this would have been attended with great delay. He begged that their lordships would either order him the Liber Regalis, or allow him to have such access to it as was necessary for his purpose; and he referred to an order of Council of the 23d of February, 1684, when, in preparing for the coronation of James II. the Dean and Chapter of Westminster were called on to bring in the Liber Regalis, containing the formula of the ceremony. After some conversation it was determined to send for the book, and that Mr. Brougham might in the mean time proceed with his case.

The following is the substance of the argument used by her Majesty's counsel, Messrs. Brougham and Denman, on this highly important question:

The question referred to the decision of the Privy Council is, Whether or not the Queen Consort of this realm is entitled as of right to be crowned when the King celebrates the solemnity of his coronation: and this is a question of consti

tutional law, to be determined by the principles which regulate public rights; but it may derive illustration from those which regulate the rights of private persons.

First of all, the history of the ceremony must be examined, not as a matter of antiquarian curiosity, but because coronation is the creature of precedent, and rests rather upon practice than principle, although the reason of it also may be traced. If it shall be found that the custom of crowning Queens Consort has been uniform and uninterrupted, or (which is the same thing) that the Queen Consort has always been crowned, unless in cases where there existed some insuperable obstacle, and in cases where she voluntarily declined it, the right will be established in the largest sense. But for the purpose of the present argument it would be sufficient to demonstrate a more limited proposition of fact, viz. that the Queen Consort has in all cases been crowned, if married to the King at the time of his Coronation-a proposition not the less true, if a case should be found where, from peculiar circumstances, she declined it.

In an ordinary question it would not be necessary to go back beyond the reign of Richard I. the period of legal memory; but for the present purpose it is better to ascend as high as authentic history reaches. Some have doubted whether the Saxon Queens, in the early stages of the Heptarchy, were crowned; no one denies that they were so in the later periods. There is no occasion