that he had been deceived at a most critical time, and upon a moft critical occafion. This is the more to be lamented, if (as many think) all the fubfequent misfortunes and calamities of the British nation and empire, have derived their fource from that deception. He will, however, at all times, hold an exalted rank, among the firft names of antient or modern ftatef men. The evening was pretty 11th. far advanced before the account of this nobleman's death was received in the House of Commons, and fome bufinefs, then in hand, rendered it late before the event could be publicly announced. That melancholy office was undertaken by Colonel Barre, who, with the ftrongest marks of the moft profound concern and grief, and with as much eloquence as agreed with fuch feelings, pronounced a fhort eulogium on the merits of the deceafed Earl, and then taking fuch a fketch of the obligations which the nation owed to his public virtues and fervices, as the time and fituation would allow, moved an addrefs to his Majefty for directions "That the remains of WILLIAM PITT, EARL of CHATHAM, be interred at the public expence. The motion was feconded by Mr. Townshend, and feemed to receive the most general approbation, It is fo well known as fcarcely to require obfervation, that for many years, the fervices of the late nobleman had been fo far from being acceptable at court, that his name was. not even frequently mentioned, by those who were well verfed in the etiquette of conversation proper to be obferved in fuch fituations. A gentleman, high in office, accordingly endeavoured, with his ufual addrefs, to get rid of the motion, by a propofal, which, without conveying the ungracious and unpopular appearance of directly oppofing the honour intended to the memory of the deceased, would, however, if adopted, ferve greatly to leffen its effect. After exprefling the greateft refpect for the unrivalled talents of the late ftatefman, and regret, that his country fhould be deprived of them at a time when they were fo much wanted by her, he said, that he would undoubtedly vote for the motion, if the honourable gentleman thought fitting to perfift in it; but he could not help thinking, that a monument to his me mory would be a more eligible, as well as a more lafting teftimony of the public gratitude, than the defraying of his funeral honours. This propofal produced a directly contrary effect, to that which was fuppofed to be intended. The oppofition received it with joy, as a happy recollection of what they had overlooked, in the paroxyfms of. grief excited by fo great a public and private loss. But instead of a fubftitution, they tacked it as an amendment to the original motion in the following words: "And "that a monument be erected in "the Collegiate Church of St. "Peter, Westminster, to the me mory of that great and excel"lent ftatefman, with an infcrip"tion expreffive of the fentiments "of the people on fo great and irreparable a lofs, and to affure "his Majefty, that this Houfe "will make good the expence." At this inftant the Minifter entered, who having quitted the Houfe Houfe for the night, before this fubject was introduced, and receiving afterwards intelligence of what was going forward, returned in the greatest hafte, in order to prevent the oppofition from carry ing away the whole credit and popularity of the meafure. He declared his happiness in arriving time enough to give his vote for the motion, which he hoped would pafs unanimously, and lamented that he had not breath enough, from the hurry in which he came, to exprefs himself with that degree of respect, which he wished to fhew on fo great an occafion. Thus both parties vied in the honours which they paid to the deceased Earl, and the amended motion was carried without a diffenting voice. but The ready compliance of the Crown with the terms of the addrefs, being, on the following day 13th. one, announced by the the Minifter, Lord John Cavendish arofe, and faid, that he hoped the public gratitude would not stop at what had been done. That great man, and invaluable minifter, he faid, had diflinguifhed himself as much by his difintereftedness, as by his zeal, ability, or any other of his great qualities. The confequence of this exemplary virtue was, that while he conducted the affairs of the public with unparalleled advantage and glory to them, he had fcorned or neglected all means of advantage to himself; fo, that with the greatest opportunities in his hands of acquiring an ample fortune, he had, notwithstanding, left his family deftitute of all fuitable provifion. His Lordship therefore hoped, that virtue should not in this inftance be merely its own reward; but that the gratitude of the public to Lord Chatham's defcendants, fhould be the means of exciting an emulation in thofe yet unborn, to copy fuch an example. The Minifter fell in with the fentiments of the noble Lord in a manner that did him honour; and the whole Houfe feemed to participate of a general pleasure in their approbation of them. A motion was accordingly made by Mr. Townshend, which, (contrary to the general course of that gentleman's fortune) was unanimoufly paffed, for an addrefs to his Majefty, "That he would be graciously pleafed to make fuch a lafting provifion for the family of the late William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, as his Majefty, in his wifdom and liberality should think fit, as a mark of the fenfe the nation entertains of the fervices done to the kingdom by that able ftatefman; and to affure his Majefty that the Houfe would make good the fame." Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke fpoke upon this occafion, in a manner which did equal honour to their abilities and their hearts, This meffage occafioned the bringing in and paffing of a bill, by which an annuity of four thoufand pounds a year, payable out of the civil lift revenue, is for ever fettled, on thofe heirs of the late Earl, to whom the Earldom of Chatham may defcend. This exalted inftance of national gratitude, and honourable reward, of departed merit, was followed by a grant a grant of twenty thousand pounds from from the Commons, towards difcharging the debts of the late Earl. All this bufinefs was conducted with a liberality which did the highest honour to the House: there not having been the fmallest altercation, nor a, fingle diffentient voice, upon any one propofition that was made on the subject. CHA P. IX. Sir George Saville's motion for a bill to repeal certain penalties and difqualifications to which the English Roman Catholics were liable, univerfally agreed to. Event of the Irish business. Debates relative to the Toulon papers; Sir William Meredith's firft motion, at length rejected. Motion of adjournment, by the Minifter, carried. Circumftances relative to the arrival of General Burgoyne. Motion by Mr. Vyner, relative to the Canada expedition. Amendment moved by Mr. V. Fox. Explanations of his fituation and conduct by General Burgoyne. Debate, Mr. Fox's amendment rejected on a divifion. Original motion fet afide by the previous question. Motion by Mr. Hartley against the prorogation of Parliament, after confiderable debates, rejected on a divifion. Similar motion by Sir James Lowther, meets the fame fate. Motion by the Duke of Richmond for withdrawing the forces from North America. Previous question moved and carried on a divifion. Great debates on the Earl of Effingham's motions tending to an enquiry into the ftate of the navy. Effective motions rejected; two others agreed to. Duke of Richmond clofes the enquiry in the general Committee on the state of the nation. Moves an addrefs of great length, founded on various matters of fact, which bad been established in the courfe of the enquiry. Debate broke off on the fudden illness of the Earl of Chatham, and adjourned to the following day. Addrefs rejected. Proteft. Refolutions, founded on the Toulon papers, moved by the Duke of Richmond. Juftification of naval affairs and conduct, by the noble Lord immediately concerned. Interesting particulars ftated by the Earl of Bristol. Motions fet afide, on a divifion, by the previous question. Proteft on the Chatham annuity bill. Earl of Derby's motion relative to the Saratoga bufinefs, fet afide by the previous question. Duke of Bolton's motion for deferring the prorogation of Parliament, after long debates, rejected on a divifion. Speech from the Throne. T HE latenefs of the feafon did not prevent Sir George Saville from endeavouring to profit of the lenient temper and liberal fpirit of the times, in favour of a long-oppreffed body of men, almoft forgotten in the patience and filence, with which for many years, they endured their grievances. However neceffary the penal laws against Roman Catholics originally were, whilft the conftitution was yet ftruggling into reformation, and afterwards confirming itself in that happy fettlement, as the caufe of perfecution had long ceased to operate, men of humanity could not avoid lamenting, as all true policy policy forbade, the keeping up of fuch ftanding memorials of civil rancour and difcord, and perpepetuating a line of divifion, by which one part of the people being cut off from the rights of citizens, could fcarcely be faid to poffefs any fhare in the common intereft, and were rendered incapable of forming any part of the common union of defence. Indeed thefe laws feemed calculated to compel a confiderable body of the people to hold an hereditary enmity to government, and even to wean them from all affection to their country. great terror, and fome under ac tual contribution, in confequence of the powers given by it. As an inducement to the repeal of thofe penalties, which were directed with fuch a violence of feverity againft Papifts, he ftated the peaceable and loyal behaviour of that part of the people under a government, which, though not rigorous in enforcing, yet fuffered fuch intolerable penalties and difqualifications to ftand against them on the ftatutes. A late loyal and excellent addrefs which they had prefented to the throne, flood high among the inftances which Sir George pointed out, of the fafety, and the good confequences, which were likely to attend this liberál procedure of Parliament. He obferved, that in that addrefs, they not only expreffed their obedience to the government under which they lived, but their attachment to the conftitution upon which the civil rights of this country have been established by the Revolution, and which placed the prefent fa Sir George Saville May 14th. moved accordingly for leave to bring in a bill for the repeal of certain penalties and difabilities provided in an act of the 10th and 11th of William the Third, entituled, An act to prevent the further growth of popery. He ftated, that one of his principal views in propofing this repeal was, to vindicate the honour, and to affert the principles of the Proteftant religion, to which all perfe-mily upon the throne of these cution was, or ought to be, wholly kingdoms. As a further guard adverfe. That this pure religion and fecurity, however, against any ought not to have had an existence, poffible confequence of the meaif perfecution had been lawful; fure, he propofed that a fufficient and it ill became us to practife teft might be formed, by which that with which we reproached they fhould bind themselves to the others. That he did not meddle fupport of the civil government by with the vast body of that penal law ef blifhed. code: but felected that act, on which he found most of the profecutions had been formed, and which gave the greateft fcope to the bafe views of interested relations, and of informers for reward. The act had not indeed been regularly put in execution, but fometimes it had; and he undestood that feveral lived under 5 The motion was feconded by Mr. Dunning, who, with his wellknown ability and knowledge in fuch fubjects, went into a legal difcuffion of the principle, objects, and paft operation, of the bill which was intended to be repealed. The following he ftated as the great and grievous penalties.-The punishment of Popish priests or Jefuits, Jefuits, who fhould be found to teach or officiate in the fervices of that church; which acts were felony in foreigners, and high treafon in the natives of this kingdom.-The forfeitures of Popish heirs, who had received their education abroad, and whofe eftates went to the next Proteftant heir.The power given to the fon or other nearest relation, being a Proteftant, to take poffeffion of the father, or other relation's eftate, during the life of the real proprietor. And, the depriving of Papifts from the power of acquiring any legal property by purchafe; a word, which in its legal meaning carried a much greater latitude, than was understood (and that perhaps happily) in its ordinary acceptation; for it applied to all legal property acquired by any other means than that of defcent. Thefe, he faid, were the objects of the propofed repeal. Some of them had now ceafed to be neceffary, and others were at all times a difgrace to humanity. The imprisonment of a Popish priest for life, only for officiating in the fervices of his religion, was horrible in its nature; and muft, to an Englishman, be ever held as infinitely worfe than death. Such a law, in times of fo great liberality as the prefent, and when fo little was to be apprehended from thefe people, called loudly for repeal; and he begged to remind the Houfe, that even then they would not be left at liberty to exercife their functions; but would fill, under the reftriction of former laws, be liable' to a year's imprifonment, and to the punish ment of a heavy fine. And although, he obferved, the mildness of government had hitherto foftened the rigour of the law in the practice, it was to be remembered, that the Roman catholic priests conftantly lay at the mercy of the bafeft and most abandoned of mankind; of common informers; for on the evidence of any of thefe wretches, the magifterial and judicial powers were of neceffity bound to enforce all the fhameful penalties of the act. Others of thefe penalties, held out the most powerful temptations for the commiffion of acts of depravity, at the very thought of which our nature recoils with horror. They feem calculated to loofen all the bands of fociety; to diffolve all civil, moral, and religious obligations and duties; to poifon the fources of domeftic felicity; and to annihilate every principle of honour. The encouragement given to children to lay their hands upon the eftates of their parents, and the reftriction which debars any man from the honeft acquifition of property, need, faid he, only to be mentioned, to excite the utmoft indignation of this Houfe. The motion was received with univerfal approbation, and a bill was accordingly brought in and paffed without a fingle negative, by which a confiderable body of our fellow-citizens were relieved from the preffure, of fome of the most intolerable of thofe grievances under which they had long laboured. In the mean time, counfel and evidence were more than once heard on different parts of the Irish bufinefs, and in confequence of fome compromife between the fupporters and oppofers of thofe |