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sented a fruitful subject to his ardent mind. But a month eince and he was an orphan, whose only patrimony was unsullied charac ter, and the scanty subsistence of an officer in the service of Spain. Honor, with him, was a principle not a passion. Unambitious, the limit of his desire was a competency sufficient to remove him

from want.

He sought independence less for his extrinsick advantage, than to have the painful severity of being indebted to another. Educated in the school of adversity, he had been taught to place-confidence only in himself. With his rudiments he imbibed, as it were, a presentiment of his future destiny. Destitute of the Destitute of the prospects as well of birth as of fortune, he had not been nurtured in 'the lap of expectation. Blessed with a robust constitution, an open countenance, and a fine symmetry of person, he had grown up to the estate of manhood, a perfect specimen of the scholar and the gentleman. In the period of one short month a novel transition of fortune awaited him, equally remarkable for the sudden change, and the distressing incident which produced it. He was to acquire the friendship and protection of the first and most powerful grandee of Spain!

the anguish of his wound-but
now, that no medicinal virtue was
likely to avail, he grew restless
and impatient. Laoguishing un-
der the afflictions of body and of
forsook
nind, all his fortitude
him and he was fast sinking a vic-
tim to his hopeless state. Happy
and composed when Alfonso was
ever
in his presence, he was
wretched when absent a moment
from his apartment. In Alfonso
was concentrated all his consola-
tion.

One morning as he had entered the room, from whence he had escaped during a short slumber of his patient to taste the fresh puri ty of the air, the duke called him to his bed-side, and grasping hima by the hand, thus began:

My son, for by such an epithet I feel disposed to call you, whither have you been? I know I am troublesome, but the goodness of your heart will incline you to pardon my importunities. From you have I experienced kindness and attention I had not to expect such as 1 can only appreciate, never repay. About to close my eyes upon the world; to yield up an existence no longer enviable, I mean to put your friendship to a trial. Young and unprovided, the eharge I am about to confide to The duke had now been too you may not be wholly unworthy long a sufferer without any posi- your attention. It will, at best, tive relief. Hitherto the natural be a poor equivalent for the inconvigor of his constitution had im-venience I have borne you; and parted strength to struggle agains as it is likely to invol ve you in ad

ditional concern, I have only to hope you will execute my last desire without reluctance. Apology I have none, and though I repeat that no reward is commensurate with the debt I owe to you, the issue will at least accelerate your advancement in your profession.

(To be Conitnued.)

MEMOIRS

the LIFE of the late Honorable,

WILLIAM PITT,

weeks time, however; the left foot was laid up, attended with a goed deal of inflamation and excessive pain. The latter he would never confess; and even when large drops were trickling down his face. from torter, he said, smilling-We who kave got the gout must expect to suffer something but if this be all, I can bear it very well and much more.

Before the attack came to its height he went, one dar in a chair to the pump-room, te take a glass of water. As he limped across the por a good-natured quaker came up to him and said-Thou seems't rather lame, friend; wilt thou permit me to assist ihee?" With a good natured smile, but pebut peculiar energy, Mr. Pitt, replied.-No thank you. sir; I can... stand upon my own legs yet.

About the same time, he had a few friends to dine with him, among whom was a general officer who hae been wounded in the, sarvice. 'General,' said he, if I were lame from the same, cause.

The surrender of the Austrian army under general Mack at Ulm and the defeat at Austerlitz, compelled the emperor of Austria to sign the peace dictated to him at Presburgh. These disastrious events could not but make a deep impression on the mind of Mr. Pitt, whose health about, this time began visibly to decline. For its recovery he went to Bath, where on his first arrival he drank the waters very freely, twice a day, saying that he knew he must have a fit of the gout, in order to be well that he came there two years be-that you are I might shoulder my. fore, and tried to bring it on then but could not; and that it attacked him very inconveniently, after his return to town, which he wood now endeavour to avoid, by hastening the fit. The gout very soon appeared first in his right foot, and then had every appearance of going off with a regnlar fit. He was well enough after this to go oat in his carrage. In about three

crutch aad show how fietds were won. But it is my fate only to shew by what damnable treachery: they have been last.- Come,' said he, I am the youngest man in he company, and will be gayest, man in the gout you ever met with yet. This he amply veriffed for not one of the company ever. recollected him so jocular oo facetious.

In a few days, however, his appetite totally left him, for the first time, under any circumstances of his life; and he shewed evident marks of extreme weakness and exhaustion. his very anxious friends, and, unknown to him, an express was sent to sir Walter Farquhar, who went down to Bath immediately. Sir Walter declared that the Bath waters had produced a greater tendency to gout than his constitution had strength to bear; but would not undertake the responsibility of removing him from Bath, without the sanction of two other physicians. Drs. Haygarth and Parry were therefore called in, and they concurred in the necessity of a change of air, to try if it would restore his appetite, more particularly as the house which had been chosen for him in Bath was in a very low, damp, and exposed situation, from which he sustained material injury.

This first alarmed

The violence of the gout had now partly left him, and nothing appeared to remain but extreme debility. Sir Walter Farquhar having suggested that if he preferred staying in Bath, a house more convenient for him might be procured, and that he had no doubt but arrangements might be ade for postponing all business parliament, and parly hinting that he was authorised to make ove states for that purpose, Mr. Pat replied No, I will not consent to a moment's delay, when

my conductis in question. I will go to the house, though I should be carried to it in a litter. I feel from the strength of my own mind that I shall be well enough for that.

The

He was not however, able to enter the House of Commons again. About the middle of January 1806, he returned from Bath to Putney, and though extremely fatigued by the journey, flattering hopes of his recovery continued to be for some time entertained. Parliament met on January the twenty-first, but the day before he had a very serious relapse. next day his disorder seemed to have taken a more favourable turn, and the fever was aparently so much abated, that the physicians encouraged hopes of his recovery; but towards the evening, when the physician who chiefly attended him paid his visit before taking leave of his patient for the night, he found that the fever had ree turned with increased violence,

and every symptom was so aggravated that all hope was at an end. It became now necessary to declare. an opinion and to acquaine Mr. Pitt himself with the imminent danger.

The bishop of Lincoln, the oldest and fondest friend of Mr. Pitt, was called out of the room, and the following opinion was expresshim nearly in these

ed to words.

'He cannot live 48 hours; the disorder has now taken a mortal

turn; any attemp to rouse him from his present lethargy would be attended with instant death. He is not strong enough for medicine or any restorative application. If If he lingers a few days more it will

astonish me.'

The bishop of Lincoln now saw the necessity of intimating the danger to Mr. Pitt. He fulfilled this painful office with firmness. Mr. Pitt was hardly sensible; this dreaded shock had scarcely power to dissipate his lethargy ; but after a few moments he waved his hand and was left alone with the bishap.

and good-will towards all mankind. He had received no sustenance from Teusday the twenty-first.. His will was made in a calm interval between that and the following day. He had signified a desire to write a few lines, but his exhausted condition deprived him of the power..

During the night his fever continued, and the strong convulsions in his stomach more than once threatened to break up his frame..

The bishop of Lincoln sat up with him. The physicians had discontinued medicine, On Wednesday the twenty-second in the morning, lady Hester Stanhope his niece, and Mr. James Stanhope, had an interview with him, and received his last adieu. His brother, the earl of Chatham, took his last farewell late in the afternoon; Mr. Pitt was scarcely sensible. He could speak nothing: he could

He had desired that some papers should be brought to him to which his signature was necessary. He then desired to receive the sacrament from his venerable friend, and it was accordingly administered. In the most composed and collected state, he afterwards expressed to the bishop his perfect resignation to the will of Hea-express affection, gratitude, and ven; and his mind bore up under hope, only by signs..

his nearly exhausted body with

The bishop of Lincoln continu

such manly fortitude, that he entered into a conversation on reli-ed with him all night. The mortal

gious subjects, speaking of him- symptoms were now approaching self with Christian humility, tho' to a crisis. His extremities were with pholosophic firmness--a firm- already cold, and bis senses began ness indeed that must rather be to fail. As a last and desperate referred to that spirit of devotion effort to protract life, blisters were which was always a leading senti- applied to the soles of his feet. ment in his mind. A long time, they restored him to something of for such an awful crisis, was passlife and recollection, but they could ed in the solemn duties of religion; arrest nothing of the progress of and almost the last words he utter-death. It is said that he continued ed signified that he died in peace clear and composed till a short

time before his dissolution, which took place, without much addition of suffering or struggle, at halfpast four o'clock in the morning of Thursday, January the twentythird, 1806.

a nation during a most unprece dented peried, opinions will be more divided with respect to the conduct of Mr. Pitt. The nature of things renders, it impossible to appeal to facts and demonstrations in the same manner, because, in this case, though we know what he did do, and we know the consequences, we are ignorant of the motives, in some cases; and in all we are ignarant of what the consequences would have been had he acted differently.

With respect to the character of this great statesman, his great financial abilities seem scarcely ever to have been contested. It has been observed, apparently with justice, that had the same plans of finance which he carried into execution been adopted from the beginning of the seven years war till the present time, our debts would not have amounted to one-third of what they do; and had they not been begun by Mr. Pitt, our debis would now have been at least onc third more than they are. When When we consider his abilities in this respect, we admire them the more, since nearly all the finanical projects attempted in other nations have failed and we regret the loss of those abilities the more, that our having occasion for them again is far more than merely possible. Let us, however, hope that a system which has now been persevered in for twenty years has made so neany converts to its advantage, that it will not be aban-imitable marks of originality. doned; and that if difficulties occur, men of abilities and genius will be found who will imitate the disinterested and firm conduct of William Pitt.

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As an orator in the senate Mr. Pitt was almost unrivalled. On this subject we shall borrow the words of a confidential friend and admirer of him, who has himself taken and still continues to take a very active part in public affairs.'As a debater in the house of commons his speeches were logical and argumentative; if they did not often abound in the graces of metaphor, or sparkle with the bril liancy of wit, they were always, animated, elegant, and classical. The strength of his oratory was intrinsic; it presented the rich and abundant resource of a clear discernment and a correct taste. His speeches are stampt with in

When replying to his opponents, his readiness, was not more con spicuous than his energy. He was always prompt, and always dignified. He could sometimes have recourse to the sportiveness. of irony, but he did not often seek any other aid than was to be de

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