which Mr. Fullarton's was comprised, the Ministers carried them in the House of Commons by a majority of nearly forty.*

The next day was appointed for consideration of the Petitions from the counties and towns; about forty of which, on vast parchments subscribed by thousands of names, were heaped on the table. The Opposition had kept secret their intended motions. The very first, made by Mr. Dunning, was a thundering one: The words were, "That the influence of the Crown has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished." The walls could not believe their own ears; they had not heard such language since they had a wainscot. The Ministers, as if this winter were at all like the five last, poorly tried that the chairman should leave the chair; but that would not take now. Thomas Pitt, who never spoke so well before, drew a terrible picture of the difference he had felt between his former journey abroad and his last; from what he knew of the dissimilar situations of his country, then so flourishing now so fallen! and from what he heard foreigners say of it. This apostrophe, addressed very bitterly to Lord North, threw him into a rage against the Opposition, that produced mighty tumult. The details of all this, and more, you will see in the papers. I have not room for particulars. In short, late at night Mr. Dunning's motion was carried by 233 to 215, and, as uncommonly, was instantly reported to the House.f

The blow seems to me decisive; for this committee is to continue sitting on the petitions, will exclude any other business, will extract from the petitions whatever propositions it pleases, may ground on those what charges it has a mind, and will carry along all those who have already voted on that foundation; so that, if the Ministers attempt to make a farther stand, nothing seems so probable as their being personally accused. To combat on the same field of battle. after being vanquished, will, in my opinion, be phrenzy. It is to prevent very great mischief that I heartily wish them to retreat before it is too late. The Constitution is vigorous enough, when a sudden turn of the tide can, in three months, sweep away a deep-rooted Administration. A torrent opposed may damage the foundation of the Constitution itself.

These are my apprehensions; but whoever would preach to two

* The numbers on the division were 102 against 66.-ED.

The motion made by Mr. Fox for immediately reporting the resolution, was opposed by Lord North, as being unusual, violent, and arbitrary; but the torrent was too strong to be resisted. The exultation and triumph on one side of the House was only equalled by the depression and dismay which prevailed on the side of Administration. 66 Indeed," says the able writer of the historical department of the Annual Register," when the nature and the tendency of the questions are considered, and the manner in which they were carried is attentively viewed, scarcely any thing more important seems to have been so proposed and carried since the Revolution. The system of the Court was shaken to its foundation. Without doors the joy and triumph in most parts of England were great and general; and, though not displayed in the same manner, would not perhaps have been exceeded on occasion of the most decisive victory over a foreign enemy."-ED.

heated antagonists is sure of being listened to by neither, and so am come hither quietly to ponder my own reflections.

Whoever has seen much, and has read a little, must know that human affairs are subject to these returns of troubles. Great or little, they strike the present spectator as infinitely more momentous than any greater crisis, of which he has only read coolly. I do not pretend that this is a common or small moment; nay, it may have very distant consequences. But one so calm as I am grown, and so retired as I live, knows that even the disorders of nations subside after a time, and therefore I have at least as much curiosity for the conclusion as observation on the events as they pass; though considering my age and caducity, my curiosity may happen not to be gratified. Well! all one's own time is but a portion of an unfinished history. One does not come on the stage precisely as a memorable period commences, nor quit it just when the curtain drops. Every one is to the history of his country like his own hairs to himself,-millions fall before the body is worn out.

The orator Dr. Jebb* is not the physician, but his brother. I shall stop here, because this is not to set out till Tuesday; and as I shall return to town on Monday which probably will be no neutral day, I shall reserve the rest of my paper for its contingencies. Oh! I had forgotten that in my last I spoke of Lord Shelburne and Mr. Fullarton as having been likely to fight. My letter was scarcely on horseback before they did fight, as you have seen in the papers. The Earl was wounded in the groin, just where Charles Fox was; on which Sir George Savile said wittily, that Adam and Fullarton had tried not only to cut off them, but their posterity. It was odd that the same pistols gave both wounds, for Adam had borrowed Fullarton's.

April 11th.

Religious prophets were more prudent than I; they commonly formed their predictions after events, not before. Would not one have thought that I, who have often denied myself guesses, should have been on my guard against soothsaying?-yet here am I already caught, and the dupe of my own penetration: not but the Administration was beaten again yesterday; yet only by twot-just enough to contradict this letter, and bring poor me to shame: in short, nothing is consistent for two days. Fluctuation is the ruling dæmon of the times-and

* Dr. John Jebb, eldest son of Dr. John Jebb, Dean of Cashel, and brother of Sir Richard, the physician, was a man much celebrated among the violent partisans for unbounded liberty, religious and political. He was a warm friend to the cause of the Americans, a strenuous advocate for annual parliaments and universal suffrage, a writer in newspapers, and a speaker at public meetings. He died in 1786, and, in the following year, his theological, medical, political, and miscellaneous works were published, in three volumes, by Dr. Disney.-ED.

The division on this occasion was 215 to 213. It took place upon Mr. Dunning's motion, that it was incompatible with the independence of Parliament, that persons holding certain offices at Court should be entitled to hold seats in the House of Commons-ED.

perhaps a propitious one! it may prevent a more mischievous devil from rioting at will. Take notice, that, while any of these Incubi reign, I will not be their Flamen and give out their oracles. I will henceforth only tell you where they have left prints of their footsteps.

LETTER CCCXXVIII.

Strawberry Hill, April 17, 1780. FLUCTUATION is the present mot of the House of Commons. Lord North had a considerable majority, considering the moment, on Thursday. The question was to read a second time the bill to disfranchise the Officers of the Revenue. As the increase of them, by the addition of taxes, has magnificently increased the influence of the Crown, the refusal of cashiering them as voters is not very consequential logic after the vote of the former week, that that influence ought to be diminished! The Court took a bolder step on Friday, and rejected the Bill for dismembering contractors, which the Commons had sent to the Lords, who threw it out.† This measure would have created a raging flame in the Commons this very day-but the Commons are laid up in the person of their Speaker. He declared himself so exhausted in the Chair on Friday, and so ill, that the tender House, to both sides which his alternate virtues must be dear, have adjourned to this day sevennight; however, it is said he designs to abdicate. A greater quantity of fuel, no doubt, will be prepared on the Contractors' Bill; but premeditated conflagrations do not always kindle like the combustibles of passion. The new tests of the Associations have been rejected by four or five counties. I am heartily glad. I like few or no tests, and not at all the changes of the Constitution at which they were aimed.

You say Prussia forbade Russia to assist us, to which she was inclined. Truly, she is a most passive or weathercock despot! Ladies

* Mr. Crew's bill for disabling Revenue Officers from voting at elections was, on the 13th thrown out by a majority of 224 to 195.—Ed.

On the 14th, the bill, which had been sent up from the Commons for preventing persons concerned in Contracts with the Government from sitting in the House of Commons, was rejected by the Lords by 61 to 41.-ED.

The adjournment of the House to the 24th was moved by Mr. Dunning. "Nothing," says the Annual Register, "ever happened more fortunately in favour of any Administration than the illness, at this peculiar juncture, of the Speaker. It seemed as if nothing else could at that time have saved them. The recess, indeed, was not long; but it produced extraordinary and unexpected effects. It afforded time and opportunity for using effectual means to bring the numerous deserters from the Court, who had been afraid to oppose the late popular torrent, back to their original standard. In effect, the meeting of the house, after this short recess, presented so new a face and appearance of things, and such a total change of temper and disposition, that it seemed no longer the same identical body."—ED.

too, that are forbidden to please themselves, are seldom so passive as to exceed the command of the prohibitor. And yet she has sent us a Memorial, or (in the modern phrase for a bitter potion) a rescript, that will mightily manacle the vivacity of our privateers. As all Europe is obdurate, I wish they would go farther, and one and all impose peace on us and our enemies. That would be mercy to mankind; but at what Ratisbon is there a precedent of such pacification registered? The D'Alemberts and Diderots, who are so lavish of incense to philosophic sovereigns, are forced to content themselves with mighty problematic sparkles of philosophy!

I begin this letter, because I am here idle: perhaps I shall not finish it this week. I am sorry my recommandét is so unwise for himself as not to cultivate you more. I am satisfied of his virtues, but am not so clear that he knows much of the world. I doubt his patriotism is a little of Spartan hue, that is, morose; at least I shall deem it so, if your humanity does not smooth it. Here, I believe, it will soon be dif-ficult to be allowed any moderation; but surely one has no occasion to wear one's badge constantly at the distance of above a thousand miles. Well; you have temper, and will not take notice of it. I am satisfied of your complaisance for my protégés; and, if they do not meet it as they ought, I am not so unreasonable as to expect or desire you to press it upon them. I remember Sir William Maynard was very impertinent on opposite politics. You must smile as I do when I content neither side. Methinks it is a desirable certificate. One should have charity for all sorts of opinions on religion and government; for no person can be absolutely sure he is in the right on either.. Were any mode in either self-evidently true, no body could dispute on them; but, as men have disputed, fought, nay died, for almost every mode and against every mode, their probabilities are but a peut-être. I am a settled Whig; for, if one thinks, one must before my age have fixed one's creed by the lamp of one's own reason: but I have much Quakerism in my composition, and prefer peace to doctrines. I have so much weakness and worldliness too in my nature,, that, having a poor opinion of my own infallibility, I can but suspect myself of as much prejudice and passion as I descry in others;one may be very sure of one's own faults, but one may judge rashly and unfairly on those of others.

22d.

I could not amass complement enough for my letter, and shall therefore reserve it to Tuesday next. The mountain has been delivered of a tooth; i. e. the Speaker has had one drawn, and will re

*This was the Manifesto of the 26th of February, issued by the Court of St. Petersburgh, which was the means of forming, under the name of an Armed Neu. trality, that formidable naval and military alliance and confederacy between the Northern powers to which most of the neutral states in Europe afterwards acceded. -ED.

Mr. Windham.

Sir William Maynard was a Jacobite.

turn to the House on Monday,-they say, for the rest of this session; though, they say, against the advice of the physicians. You see, when virtue seizes people late, it makes them risk even life itself in the service of their country!

25th.

I am but just come to town, and find that the livery of the House of Commons is still turned up with changeable, or rather is returned to the Royal colours. Dunning moved yesterday to address the King that the Parliament might not be prorogued or dissolved till the demands of the petitions are satisfied. The motion was rejected by 254 to 203. On this repulse, the Opposition adjourned their committee to that day sevennight, to have time to meditate one decisive. measure; which, if rejected, Charles Fox declared he should advise secession, as having no hopes of redress of grievances. That implies recourse to the people. As a new Parliament is so near, recourse to the people may imply that the people, if they will be relieved, must choose representatives accordingly. Such steps are constitutional; and, while we have those remedies, I hope we shall never have any other. The session will probably end much sooner than was expected; but when one guesses, from the sky, of the day, you must not depend upon such an almanac-maker.

LETTER CCCXXIX.

Berkeley Square, May 13, 1780.

My letters keep touch with the pulse of the times: they are redou bled, or intermitted, or periodic, according as the political inflammation increases, abates, or gives place to the common course of things. Of late I have been silent, because the daily papers told you the ordinary events, and that nothing singular had happened. The Ministerial recovery is confirmed; the rejection of the Contractors' Bill by the House of Lords occasioned no ferment, and in the country the Associations seem at least to doze. The Opposition are not very unanimous, and their leaders have no grounds for reproaching the Ministers with want of conduct. The session, I conjecture, will end sooner than is expected, from general weariness. The public is tired of attending to their debates; and the chiefs will be sick of disappointments; especially when not consoled by the thorough-bass of attention and applause without doors. In short, it is my opinion that the vigour of this country is worn out, and is not likely to revive. I think it is pretty much the same case with Europe. I remember that, some years ago, I used to tell you that this is an age of abortions. May not this be founded on a still more general truth? May not our globe be arrived at senility? Its youth animated Asia, and displayed