XVII. Lord North, in a strain of allufive pleafantry declared, "That, while fome with Lear, demanded an hundred knights, and others with Goneril, were fatisfied with fifty, he with Règan exclaimed, No, not ONE.” His lordship, entering into a graver and more argumentative vein, proceeded to deny," that the houfe of commons had not its full and proper weight in the fcale of government; his political life was a proof that it had. It was parliament that made him a minifter. He came amongst them without connection. It was to them he was indebted for his rife, and they had pulled him down ; he had been the creature of their opinion, and of their power; his political career was confequently a proof of their independence; the voice of the commons was fufficient to remove whatever was difpleafing to the fentiments and wishes of the country; and in such a situation to parade about a reform was idle, unneceffary, inexpedient, and dangerous."

XVIII. Mr. Fox, whofe opinion on this great national question, was totally irreconcileable with that of his brother fecretary's; ve y honorably for himself, preferred the confiftency of public character to every confide. ration, either of private friendship, or parliamentary attachments. "In his opinion the conftitution required innovation and renovation. Its nature exposed it to change; and its beauty did not confift in theory but in practice. The contrary opinion he knew to be common; but he was not the lefs attached to his fentiments, because they were fometimes fingular. He thought the English conftitution admirable in practice, and very faulty in theory; and he regarded it as one of its chief excellencies, that it was capable of renewed improvements by involving in itself a renovating principle. It might thus be gradually carried to perfection."

XIX. While the difcuffion of this important fubject expofed the absurdity of one coalition; it is very remarkable that it paved the way for another in every view certainly as fingular and extraordinary. The Lord Advocate for Scotland, who had all along distinguished

himfelf

himfelf by his zeal for high prerogative, fufpended upon the prefent occafion his natural fentiments, became at once a convert to the doctrine of reform, and afferted his entire approbation of Mr. Pitt's refolutions. He ftood up boldly the advocate of the people, and affirmed, "that the yielding to their wishes would be the happieft means of putting an end to their complaints; and would certainly give a fresh infufion of fine blood into the conftitution of the house of commons." Though the lord advocate and Mr. Pitt had been in office together during the fhort-lived Shelburne administration, they had continued until now rather fhy than familiar, but this unexpected fupport and patriotic effufion effected a cordial and lafting union between those two celebrated characters. But after all the fupport Mr. Pitt's motion and refolutions met with, they were loft by a majority of 293 to 149.

XX. Whatever may be the language or views of party, it must be evident to every impartial mind interested in the welfare of Britain, that the house of commons is far from answering all the falutary ends of its inftitution. If on the one hand, we contemplate the extent of power delegated to the reprefentative; and on the other, furvey the temptations to abufe that power, to which he is confeffedly expofed; the defects of the prefent fyftem will appear obvious, and the neceffity of placing in the hands of the people an additional check, and a more effectual control over his parliamentary conduct, must be felt and acknowledged. While it is admitted that most of the boroughs are the property of individuals, who can only look to the crown for honors and emoluments; the minifter must poffefs a power in the house of commons incompatible with the general interefts of the people. No political truth has been more completely afcertained by experience than this; and the bold affertion of lord North" that his administration was a proof of the independence of the houfe of commons" might perhaps have had fome degree of weight, could it be loft to the public recollecB

tion,

tion, that the noble lord was originally advanced to the premiership by the fiat of the executive power, and was continued in office, during the firft and last years of his administration at least, by the influence of the fame power, in daring contrariety to the clear, unanimous, and decided fenfe of the nation. His lordship's compulfive refignation at laft, proved only that there are limits, beyond which, even the complaifance of the representative body does not extend.

4

XXI. Mr. Pitt having failed in his attempt to improve the constitution of the house of commons, the inflexible patriot Mr. alderman Sawbridge brought forward, May 16, his motion for fhortening the duration of parliaments. He obferved" that he had heard the British constitution characterized on a former day, as the moft glorious fabric, the work of ages, and the wonder of the world. To him fuch a defcription appeared most abfurd; and he was happy that no foreigners had been prefent at the time, as they might have been too much diverted at the expence of the member who had indulged himself fo extravagantly in panegyric. It was his rooted perfuafion, that the British conftitution, till the decollation of that tyrant Charles the first, was a fyftem of the most wretched defpotifm. No gleam of liberty had ever shone out till after that æra. Antecedently to the domination of Charles, the country had been a monarchial tyranny, or an ariftocratical tyranny. Under both these descriptions it was miferable; and the people were no better than flaves. In antient times there had indeed, existed violent contentions and feuds; but thefe were experiments for power between the king and the barons; between the crown and the great men of the realm. The people took no real interest in them. They never felt their dignity, never inquired into their rights, and never afferted them; till they were thrown into combuftion by the atrocious tyranny of the firft Charles. It was of confequence, in late times only, that the flame of public liberty illuminated the conftitution. was in late times only that our conftitution had become

It

the

the wonder of the world. To talk of it as having been fo for ages, was to falfify records and hiftory." The motion of Mr. Sawbridge was feconded by Mr. alderman Bull, and warmly supported by the earl of Surrey and others, but was loft by a majority of 123 to 56.

XXII. A bill for regulating the trade of the African company, being introduced towards the clofe of the feffion, with a claufe prohibiting the officers of the company from exporting negroes, that humane, intelligent, and refpectable clafs of citizens, known by the appellation of quakers, convened in their annual af fembly in the metropolis, embraced this favourable occafion to petition the house of commons, "That the claufe in queftion might be extended to all perfons whatfoever, profeffing themselves deeply affected with the confideration of the rapine, oppreffion, and blood attending this traffic: under the countenance of the laws of this country, fay the petitioners, many thousands of thefe our fellow-creatures, entitled to the natural rights of mankind, are held as perfonal property in cruel bondage. Your petitioners regret, that a nation profeffing the chriftian faith fhould fo far counteract the priciples of humanity and juftice." This petition awakened in a remarkable degree, the compaffion of the house, and of the public, for those unhappy beings to whose wretched lot it has fallen, "to plough the winter's wave and reap despair;” and laid the foundation of the subsequent noble and generous, though hitherto unsuccessful efforts, to effect a total abolition of this deteftable and inhuman

commerce.

XXIII. A variety of bufinefs comprehending details not fufficiently important to claim a place in history, having been completed; the parliament was at length prorogued, July 16, by a fpeech, in which his Majefty declared his intention of calling them together at an early period, in order to refume the confideration of the affairs of the Eaft-Indies, which would demand their most serious and unintermitted attention.

XXIV. In the courfe of the fummer, few material

events occurred deferving of particular notice. The king, by virtue of an act paffed for that purpose, iffued an order in council, limiting the commerce between the continent of America and the British Weft-India islands, to fhips British built. This was conformable to the grand principle on which the act of navigation was originally founded; and though this reftriction gave extreme offence to the inhabitants of the United States; they had certainly no just reason to complain, as they could have no poffible right to claim the advantages of dependence and independence at one and the fame time.

XXV. On the 3d of September the definitive treaties of peace with France, Spain, and America, were with fome alteration figned; and alfo preliminaries of peace with the States General, by which all the conquests of England were restored, except the town of Negapatnam on the coft of Coromandel, which their High Mighti nefles were at last most reluctantly compelled to cede.

XXVI. The unexpected and uncommon events connected with the hiftory of the enfuing feffion, require for their better elucidation, a fhort characteristic sketch of the state of parties at the convening of parliament. The coalition adminiftration was univerfally acknowledged to be able, powerful, and active. All men agreed to look up to them for fomething bold, enterprifing, and decifive. It certainly embraced a happy combination of native genius and matured experience, of fpirited adventure and fagacious hesitation. Nor were thefe qualities unattended with that circumftance, without which, no qualities can avail in fuch a fituation, a just mass of weight, connexion, and interest. Their friends therefore thought, that fuch an administration comprised in it all that was requifite, to heal the wounds, reftore the profperity, and recover the honor of Britain.

XXVII. But the very faine confiderations that infpired their advocates with hope, were regarded by their opponents, as the fruitful fources of terror and misfortune. Their ability would be found only an ability to plan the destruction of their country; their in

Auence