On the fourth fide, the Genius of War will be fhewn in all his majesty, attended by Defolation, Murder, and Famine. Peace is feen, flying from the British coast, and conducting Commerce and Plenty to the shores of America. The epitaph is as follows: Hic conduntur reliquiæ GUL. PITT, ARMIG. QUI SUMMUM POTERTIA CACUMEN ATTIGIT, AC PER MULTUS ANNOS RETINUIT; (QUIPPE IISDEM ARTIBUS VICTUS EST,) QUAM DEORUM IRA IN REM BRITANNICAM. Telegraph. PITT'S GHOST. HE moft dreadful confternation prevails about Downing-street and Whitehall, in confequence of the re-appearance of the late Prime Minister in that neighbourhood. This alarming apparition is faid to have been firft feen about eight days ago by Robert Smith, who had ferved the Minifter feveral years in the capacity of coachman. At first his report was but little attended to, as he is unfortunately addicted to drinking; but, now that the fact is put beyond all doubt, we think it our duty to lay before the public the particulars he has given us. The poor fellow, who is still extremely agitated, relates, that on the 10th of this prefent September, after fmoking his pipe at the Bunch of Grapes, he walked home, and went to bed in the hay-loft as ufual. He had not been long afleep, as he fuppofed, when he was awakened by a dreadful trampling of the horses in the ftable. But, on looking up, who can defcribe his terror, when he beheld the revered image of his deceased mafter mafter standing before him! A blueish light proceeded from every part of him, but particularly from the nofe, by means of which Robin was enabled to mark his deplorable plight, as he ftood fhivering, wringing his hands, and crying in all the bitterness of anguifh. His body was bare, and his hands feemed ftained with blood; the drops of which, as they fell on the floor, were transformed into hideous fpectres, that glared on the dismayed Minister, and vanished, each in its turn, with a frown of indignation. They feemed to be the ghofts of men, women, and children, of various nations; all of them bearing the marks of deadly wounds or of famine. The Premier often turned round, as if to avoid the horrid fight, and as often fhewed his back, all gashed and torn with stripes. But whichever way he turned, the horrid phantoms still continued to rife and torment him. At length, he feemed addreffing himfelf to fpeak but a fudden noife arose, and a mighty hand, feizing him by the hair, removed him in an inftant, leaving the coachman petrified with horror. Though this account may be heightened by the imagination of the relator, yet we have no reafon to doubt the truth of the ground-work of it, because it is confirmed in moft points by the testimony of several refpectable individuals, who were witneffes to the like appearances, in Downing-street, last night and the night preceding. What we have collected, by a diligent inquiry, is, that the apparition has paid feveral vifits to the different offices about the Treasury, alarming fome of the clerks, and impofing on others, who believe it to be the Minifter himfelf. But Rofe, and others, who faw his body committed to the ground, are fatisfied that it must be his perturbed spirit, fuffered to walk the earth for a while, to contemplate the benefits it has derived from his happy administration. They are fatisfied he cannot have "burft his cearments" to point out any thing "rotten in the State ;" because in this State there is nothing rotten, except the rotten boroughs, which (like the blue mould in cheese) are deemed by the intelligent the choiceft portion of the whole mafs. It has been remarked, however, that thofe philofophical gentlemen have lately appeared much dejected, and avoid all converfation with the fhade of their former Coadjutor; afraid, perhaps, that he might" a tale unfold," not, fuitable to the ears of flesh and blood. What follows may explain this matter farther. The gentlemen, who were witneffes to the first appearance of the spectre, in Downing-street, all agree that he wore a red night-cap. In other refpects, they concur pretty nearly with the coachman. They know not from whence he came; but he seemed extremely weary, and would have lain down in the ftreet, had not a tremendous figure, who walked behind, continually goaded him on with a pitch-fork. The reluct ant Minifter carried a burden on his back, of enormous bulk, which his tottering legs were hardly able to fuftain. It confifted of a number of packages, which were entitled War, Corruption, Deception, Perfidy, and the like; the weight of which, to appearance, would have funk a navy. He had alfo a rope faftened round his body, by which he dragged after him many large weights of iron, infcribed Taxes, Poor-rates, Oppreffion, Excife, and National Ruin. Whilft he moved along in this woeful condition, he met no pity from the crowd of apparitions that furrounded him, who feemed, by their frequent fhouts, rather to take pleasure in beholding his fufferings. Some of them would ask him, whether the French were all farved yet? others, how he liked the exifting circumstances, and what window-tax he paid for his new lodging? To all which he replied only with a grin of rage.. One fellow asked him, why he had not brought a hamper of wine with the reft of his luggage? when another archly obferved, that he fuppofed he had been refused a permit! The wretched Premier, aggravated aggravated by thefe multiplied indignities, would have made an appeal against them; but his guide reminded him, that, amongst spirits, there was no Habeas Corpus. The difmal proceffion advanced as far as his own houfe, when it difappeared. The ceremony was repeated laft night, with fome alterations. His load confifted chiefly of ambiguous Acts of Parliament, Commiffions of Bankruptcy, and ponderous Lifts of Spies and Informers. Every few fteps he was forced to eat one of his own fpeeches, which (if we may judge by the contortions of his face) must have been exceedingly unpalatable. Whether this portentous vifion is to be continued every night, we pretend not to conjecture. But what has been already feen, we truft, will ferve to convince the present and future Minifters, how dangerous it is to indulge too frequently in the sport of arming nations to cut each others throats, and (on pretence of religion and order) to fill the world with mifery and blood.-Telegraph. SCARCITY OF IDEAS, AND A PLAN FOR PUTTING THEM IN REQUISITION. A Ta meeting in Downing-ftreet yesterday, Mr. Pitt declared to feveral of his friends, that he found himfelf entirely deftitute of any ideas to meet Parliament with, for the purpose of finance, peace, or war. It was held advifeable to send to the Duke of Portland's office, and enquire if any were to be had there. The clerks returned for anfwer, that they were totally unprovided: the last two ideas that were left in the Treasury had been fent, by Mr. Cox, to the Emperor, on Saturday; which, it was confeffed, fhould not have been done without the consent of parliament, but that it was thought the fafety of Germany depended upon it. Mr. Pitt then enquired, if the Right Honourable S vefter Douglas had brought any ideas with him, when he fo lately took his feat at the board? and was informed, that the few he had were, by accident, packed up for the Cape of Good Hope, and had failed with Lord Macartney. Lord Mornington declared, upon his honour, he had put his whole ftock into a pamphlet three years ago; and Lord Hawkesbury and Mr. Canning faid they loft all their's, with a variety of speeches, and other light baggage, in a forced march to Paris. Mr. Rofe fuggefted a plan of putting ideas in requifition, which he had found very fuccessful at a Verdurer's meeting on the New Foreft Bill; and propofed, as the moft intelligible mode, the plan of the new Cavalry Alt. Gentlemen, who are fupporters of the miniftry and the war, might be claffed according to the number of ideas they poffeffed, or were fuppofed to poffefs, refpectively. Ten in a clafs, for inftance, where each gentleman had only one idea apiece; fo, in proportion, if any fuch gentleman happened to poffefs more. That The life of this gentleman has been of rather a fingular tenor. He was originally bred to phyfick; and being reckoned a man of liberal accomplishments, was chofen to attend a youth of his own name, called by way of eminence the Douglas, in his travels on the Continent of Europe. When they refided at Paris, it fometimes happened, that while the pupil was engaged in foft dalliance with one opera-girl, the tutor made it up a partie carrée by careffing another. So, at leaft, it is faid. It is, at any rate, certain, that by some kind of indiscretion he loft his occupation, and found a temporary retreat both decent and convenient. Accordingly he took his abode in fmall chambers in the Temple, where he ftudied the law, and eked out his scanty means by a tranflation of Beccaria's work, Su'lli delitti é fulle pene, and other literary labours. His focial talents, and the affurance for which his countrymen are noted, introducing him once more to genteel fociety, he found a richer harvest in a marriage with Lady Cecelia North--a lady by no means remarkable for her perfonal accomplishments. This was his first step to eminence. The means by which he has rifen to a feat at the Treasury, are less public though not difficult to divine---It seems rather unjust to have given him a place in the above article. The want of ideas is not the greatest reproach that may be made to S---- D-- the |