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The noble lord, who prefided in this council, to whom years have added the wisdom of experience, without abating the vigour and fire of youth; and who was himself as bold a minifter as ever directed the affairs of this nation, made him this reply. I find the gentleman " is determined to leave us, nor "can I fay I am forry for it, fince "he would otherwise have certain"ly compelled us to leave him; "but, if he be refolved to affume "the right of advifing his majefty, "and directing the operations of "the war, to what purpose are we "called to this council? When he' "talks of being refponfible to the "people, he talks the language "of the houfe of commons, and "forgets, that at this board, he is

only refponfible to the king. "However, tho' he may poffibly "have convinced himself of his infallibility, fill it remains that "we should be equally convinced "before we can refign cur under

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ftandings to his direction, or "join with him in the measure he proposes."

On the divifion, the minifter himfelf, and a noble lord clofely connected with him, were the only voices in favour of the immediate declaration of war; the rest of the board were unanimously against it.

The reader will obferve, that together with those matters, which have been published, relative to this very important deliberation, with fome appearance of authenticity, we have added fuch arguments as have been agitated among the people; a liberty neceffary to place the matter in its full light.

Mr. Pitt and lord Temple, adhering to their first opinion, and, having delivered their reafons in' writing, refigned their employ

ments. This refignation feemed equal to a revolution in the ftate. An univerfal alarm was spread; a thousand rumours flew abroad, and the first fuggeftions were, that this great minifter, endeavouring to avail himself by his firmness in negotiation of the advantages he had acquired by his vigour in war, was oppofed by the whole council, who were refolved to have a peace at any rate, and that this oppofition had driven him to refign the feals. But the true caufe of the refignation very foon came out; and on this point a violent conflict enfued, in which the popular caufe was worfe fuftained, and the minifterial better, (that is, with greater effect) than is usual in fuch difcuffions. Some circumftances contributed not a little to this fuccefs.

When Mr. Pitt refigned the feals, the great perfon to whom they were delivered, received them with eafe and firmness, without requesting that he should refume his office. His majefty expreffed his concern for the lofs of fo able a fervant; and to fhew the favourable sense he entertained of his fervices, he made him a moft gracious and unlimited offer of any rewards in the power of the crown to beftow. His majesty at the fame time expreffed himself not only fatisfied with the opinion of the majority of his council, but declared he would have found himfelf under the greateft difficulty how to have acted, had that council concurred as fully in fupporring the measure propofed by Mr. Pitt, as they had done in rejecting it. A fentiment (in the light in which his majeft confidered this meafure) grounded upon the firmeft principles of integrity and honour, and which muft raife the higheft veneration for

his

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his royal character not only among his own fubjects, but amongst all nations, when they fee a power which has fo little to fear from any human effort, fe very fearful of the leaft infringement of the stricteft and most critical rules of juftice. Mr. Pitt was fenfibly touched with the grandeur and condefcenfion of this proceeding. I confefs, Sir, I had but too much reafon to expect your majefty's difpleasure. I did not come prepared for this exceeding goodness. Pardon me, Sir, it overpowers, it oppreffes me. He burst into tears. We are far from an attempt to add any colouring to fo exquifitely affecting a picture. We are indeed far from being able to do juftice to perhaps one of the most pathetic and elevated fcenes which could poffibly be difplayed, the parting of fuch a prince, and fuch a mi

nifter.

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The next day a penfion of three thoufand pounds a year was fettled on Mr. Pitt for three lives, and at the fame time a title was conferred upon his lady and her iffue; a penfion the best bestowed, and a nobility the moft honourably acquired, and moft truly merited. Immedi, ately the Gazette gave notice to the public of all these transactions. The refignation made the first article; the honours and rewards the next; and they were followed by a letter from our ambaffador in Spain, containing an account of the favourable and pacific language of that court, and of the ftrong affurance they gave of a defire to accammodate all differences in an amicable manner.

It must be owned that this manoeuvre was very killfully executed, For it at once gave the people to underftand the true motive to the re

fignation; the infuffiency of that motive, and the gracioufnefs of the k. notwithstanding the abrupt departure of his minifter. If after this the late minifter fhould chufe to enter into oppofition, he must go into it loaded and oppreffed with the imputation of the blackest ingratitude: if on the other hand he should retire from búfinefs, or fhould concur in fupport of that administration which he had left, because he difapproved its measures, his acquiefcence would be attributed by the multitude to a bargain for his forfaking the public, and that the title and his penfion were the confiderations.

These were the barriers that were oppofed against that torrent of po pular rage, which it was apprehended would proeeed from this refignation. And the truth is, they anfwered their end perfectly; this torrent for fome time was beaten back, almoft diverted into an oppofite courfe; and when afterwards it returned to thofe objects, against which it was originally directed, and where it was most dreaded, it was no longer that impetuous and irrefiftible tide, which in the year 1757 had borne down every thing before it; it was weakened, divided, and ineffective.

On this occafion the clamorous and inferior members of each party went lengths, which undoubtedly were neither authorised nor approved by their leaders. The friends of Mr. Pitt raised the most violent clamours for difplacing a minifter, whose measures had raised the nation from the most abject ftate, to the higheft pinacle of glory. They faid, that he was in "fat difplaced, when he was com

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"pelled

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pelled to refign, by not being "fuffered to carry into execution those measures which he knew to be neceffary to the honour and "fafety of his country. That the "check which this minifter had received, would most unfeafonably revive the drooping hopes of "France, funk by the vigour of "our military operations, and the "firmnefs of our councils under his "adminiftration, and would fhew Spain with what impunity the might infult the honour of the Britifh crown, and violate the property of its fubjects. They reckoned 6 up the difgraces which the nation "had fuffered before Mr. Pitt had "entered into the management of "affairs, and the victories and con

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quefts which were the fruit of his ** councils.

In confequence of these reafonings, addreffes, refolutions and inftructions were fet on foot in the great corporations; and it was believed, that the example would be followed, as on a former occafion of the fame kind, by all the other cities and boroughs of the kingdom. But the progrefs of this meafure, though commenced with much alacrity, was flow and languid; a few only of the corporations entered into it, and fome even of thofe few in a manner lefs warm than was expected. A ftrenuous defence was made on the part of the remaining miniftry.

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"the more justly to be difliked, as
perhaps inconfiftent with the true
fpirit, either of abfolute monar-
chy, or of limited government.
"Let the merit of this minifter be
what it will, fhall his mafter
"therefore be forced to receive him
upon any terms? Muft his prince
" to gratify his ambitious views,
or, if
you pleafe, his virtuous
"intentions,

"

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difmifs his whole "council, and annihilate his pre"rogative as a king, his reafon "and judgement as a man? Was "it ever heard before, that a coun"fellor has profeffed without any "referve or any mask, that becaufe " he could not guide in a govern"6 ment, he would not co-operate? "This has unquestionably been the "true motive for the conduct of

many minifters, but never was "the avowed motive until this oc"cafion. Mr. Pitt has had the "freeft fcopefor the exertion of

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his genius; he was, perhaps, the

only English minifter that never "met with the flighteft oppofition; "he has had the treasures and the "forces of the nation at his moft "abfolute command: let him, in "his turn, do that juftice that has "been done to him; let him, if "the favours of the crown confti"tute no obligation, be bound at "leaft by the rules of equity; and "if he will not partake in the con"duct of the prefent most intricate "and difficult bufinefs of adminif "tration, let him not render it ftill

more intricate and more difficult "by his oppofition; and let him

"Was it ever heard, faid they, that a fovereign has been cenfu"red for liftening to the whole body of his council, in preference" not ftudy to find a juftification of to the particular opinions of a fin- "his meafures, from the ill fuccefs gle man? On the contrary, "of those whom he has left, when "this uncontrouled fway of a fin"that ill fuccefs will be owing to gle minifter has been often thought "his own devices." dangerous, and was always odious "in our free conftitution; and is

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Thus far the points feem to have been urged with propriety and

weight.

weight. A torrent, however, of low and illiberal abufe was alfo poured out on this occafion. His whole life, public and private, was scrutinized with the utmoft malignity, to furnish matter of calumny against him. The fucceffes of his administration were depreciated; his faults were monftruously exaggerated; and the reward and honours fo justly conferred on him by his fovereign,were by every trick of wit,ridicule, and buffonery, converted into matter of degradation and difgrace. Without prefuming to take any part in a controverfy, which (how ever unequally) divided the royal council, or without entering into the fentiments of any faction, which we have always fhunned, we may affirm with truth and impartiality, that no man was ever better fitted than Mr. Pitt, to be the minifter in a great and powerful nation, or better qualified to carry that power and greatness to their utmost limits. There was in all his designs a magnitude, and even a vaftness, which was not eafily comprehended by every mind, and which nothing but fuccefs could have made to appear reasonable. If he was fometimes incorrect, he was never vulgar.

His power, as it was not acquir. ed, fo neither was it exercifed in an ordinary manner. With very little parliamentary, and with lefs court influence, he fwayed both at court and in parliament with an authority unknown before to the best fupported minifters. He was called to the ministry by the voice of the people; and what is more rare, he held it with that approbation; and under him for the first time, adminiftration and popularity were feen united. Under him Great Britain carried on the most important war,

in which the ever was engaged, alone, and unaffifted, with greater fplendour, and with more fuccefs than fhe had ever enjoyed at the head of the most powerful alliances. Alone this ifland feemed to balance the rest of Europe.

In the conduct of the war he never fuffered the enemy to breathe, but overwhelmed them with reiterated blows, and kept up the alarm in every quarter. If one of his expeditions was not fo well calculated or fo fuccefsfully executed, amends was made by another, and by a third. The fpirit of the nation once roufed, was not fuffered for a moment to fubfide; and the French, dazzled, as it were, by the multitudę aud celerity of his enterprizes, feemed to have loft all power of refiftance. In fhort, he revived the military genius of our people; he fupported our allies; he extended our trade; he raised our reputation; he augmented our dominions; and on his departure from adminiftration, left the nation in no other danger than that which ever mult attend exorbitant power, and the temptation which may be, to the invidious exertion of it. Happy it had been for him, for his fovereign, and his country, if a temper lefs auftere, and a difpofition more practicable, more compliant, and conciliating, had been joined to his other great virtues. The want of thefe qualities difabled him from acting any otherwife than alone : it prevented our enjoying the joint fruit of the wifdom of many able men, who might mutually have tempered, and mutually forwarded each other; and finally, which was not the meanest lofs, it deprived us of his own immediate fervices.

Thofe

Those who cenfured his political conduct the moft feverely, could raife but few exceptions to it; none of them fingly, and perhaps, the whole united, of no great weight against a perfon long engaged in fo great a scene of action. Whether the part, which under his administration we rather continued to act than newly took, with regard to the affairs of Germany, be for the real intereft of Great Britain, is a queftion of the utmost difficulty, and which perhaps will never admit a fatisfactory folution. To condemn him on this head, we must be fure of this folution. It has been obferved in favour of that contested measure, that Frence demonstrated, through the whole progrefs of the late treaty, the moft earneft defire, that we should abandon that German connection; no trifling argument, that our enemy did not look upon it to be extremely prejudicial to our interefts. If he has carried on that war at a vaft expence,a prodigious ftand has been made against the entire power of France; had lefs been expended, the whole expence might have been loft. How far this part of his conduct was agreeable to his former declarations, is a difcuffion which can avail but little. He found the nation engaged in thefe affairs; it was more eafy to push them forward, than to extricate himself from them; as he proceeded, he difcovered by experience the advantages of that plan of action, and his opinion was changed.

But even admitting, that, to at

tain the ends of oppofition, he had once fallen upon popular topics, which even then he knew were not tenable, it can form but a very fmall blemish in a public character, however wrong it may be by application to the strict rules of morality. Ill would it fare with statesmen, if this fort of confiftency were to be expected from the most consistent of them.

With regard to the penfion and title, it is a fhame that any defence should be neceffary. What eye cannot diftinguish,at the first glance, the difference between this and the exceptionable cafe of Titles and penfions? What Briton, with the smallest sense of honour and gratitude, but muft blush for his coun try, if fuch a man retired unrewarded from the public fervice, let the motives to that retirement be what they would? It was not poffible that his fovereign could let his eminent fervices pafs unrequited; the fum that was given was undoubtedly inadequate to his merits; and the quantum was rather regulated by the moderation of the great mind that received it, than by the liberality of that which bestowed it.

The conduct of Mr. Pitt when the parliament met, in which he made his own juftification, without impeaching the conduct of any of his collegues, or taking one meafure that might feem to arife from difguft or oppofition, has fet a feal upon his character.

Lord Egremont was oppointed to fucceed him as fecretary for the fouthern department.

CHAP

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