"ferreed by him on that king. "civil eftablishment, which he "dom." "would fhortly caufe to be laid While measures were thus hap-before the House, and defiring pily pursuing for reftoring order" their affiftance towards carrying and tranquillity in the fifter king- "the fame more fully into exedom, administration was not lefs "cution. He declares he has anxiously intent on maturing and "no referve with his people, on bringing forward thofe plans of "whofe affections he reits with a economyand reformation at home, fure reliance, as the best fupport for the execution of which they "of the true honour and dignity ftood pledged to the public. The "of his crown and governbills for diiqualifying revenue of "ment." ficers from voting in the election of members of parliament, and for rendering contractors incapable of fitting in the Houfe of Commons, paffed the lower House, after a feeble oppofition. In the Houfe of Lords they were more ftrenuouffy combated by the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Mansfield, and other lords; but at length were carried by very large majorities, and received the royal affent. At the fame time that thefe bills were in their progrefs, the great plan of reform in the civil lift expenditure was again brought forwards by Mr. Burke, who, upon the recent change of administration had been appointed paymafter-general of the forces. This important object, in which the principles of future economy were combined, with the abolition of an enormous weight of influence, in both Houfes of parliament, was introduced by a mefApril 15th. fage from the King, in which he recommends to the Houfe," the confideration of an "effectual plan of economy "through all the branches of the "public expenditure; and ac"quaints them, that he had taken "into his actual confideration, a "reform and regulation in his The addrefs was moved by Mr. Burke, and feconded by Mr. Powys, who both fpoke with figns of great emotion, declaring themfelves unable to give utterance to the feelings which fo hap-. py and glorious an event had excited. The papers mentioned in the meflage were not laid before the Houfe until the beginning of May, when Mr. Burke was called to the chair of the committee ap◄ pointed to take them into confideration, and was directed to move the Houfe for leave to bring in a bill to enable his Majefty to pay off the debt on his civil lift, to prevent the like in future, and to carry into a law the retrenchments which his Majefty had gra cioufly propofed to make in his houfehold." This bill being a part of that large and comprehenfive plan of regulation which had been fubmitted to parliament by Mr. Burke two years before, it is unneceflary to enter into a detail of it on the prefent occafion. It fhall fuffice to remark, that a number of offices, ufually held by members of parliament, were now abolifhed; and that the annual faving arifing from this retrenchment, and which would be yearly increafing, amounted to 72,3681. It being made a fubject of com- the Middlefex election. plaint by fome members, but efpecially by thofe who had formerly oppofed the bill in toto, that it was not fo extenfive as it had been originally framed, Mr. Burke entered into the grounds of thofe omiflions, which had been made either from a compliance with the opinions of others, or from a fuller confideration of the partitular cafes. At the fame time he pledged himself, that he should at all times be ready to obey their call, whenever it appeared to be the general fenfe of the House, and of the people to undertake, and go through with a more complete fyftem of reform. This bill was followed by another, for the regulation of his own office. The principal object of the latter act, was to prevent the poffibility of any balance accumulating in the hands of the paymafter - general. Thefe, he faid, had fometimes amounted to the enormous fum of 1,000,000 1. the intereft of which would be annually faved to the public. He allo ftated, that as Treasurer of Chelsea Hofpital, he enjoyed the profits arifing from the clothing of the penfioners. The profit of this contract had ufually amounted to 7001. a year; but by the bargain he had made with a contractor, who was not a member of parliament, it would amount to 6001. more. This fum of 1,300 1. a year, he meant to refign his claim to, and to appropriate it to fome public fervice. A motion was made May 3d. by Mr. Wilkes, for expunging from the Journals of the Houfe, the famous refolution of the 17th of Feb. 1769, relative to Mr. Wilkes, after fo long a fucceffion of annual defeats, now triumphed at laft; there being, on the divifion, ayes 115; noes 47. Both Mr. Fox and Lord North Spoke and voted againft the question. On the feventh, Mr. William Pitt brought May 7th. the fubject of a reform in the conftitution of parliament again before the Houfe. The infupera ble difficulties that had occurred in bringing the friends of fuch re formation to agree in any specific propofition, induced him on the prefent occafion to vary the mode of proceeding, and to move, "That a committee be appointed "to inquire into the ftate of the "reprefentation in parliament, "and to report to the House their "fentiments thereon." The debate was long and ably fupported by the mover, Mr. Sawbridge, Sir George Saville, Mr. Fox, and others, on the fide of a reform; by Mr. Powys, Mr. Thomas Pitt, and the Lord-Advocate of Scotland, against it. On a divifion, the motion was rejected by a majority of 161 to 141. June 18th. The latenefs of the feafon not affording time for the completion and perfection of all the plans of reform and regulation which were in the contemplation of the new miniftry, in order to prevent their being neglected or forgotten in any fubfequent change of cir cumftances, Lord John Cavendish moved, in a committee of the whole House, ten refolutions, the grounds of which, as well as the intention with which he acted, will beft appear from the following, by which they were closed :-"That [M] 3 66 the fecurity of its own independ ence, for healing the breaches of the conftitution, and relieving the burdens of the people, an heavy calamity was approaching, which again darkened the profpect that had fo happily opened to the na tion. This was the lofs of the Marquis of Rockingham; whofe health had been for fome time gradually declining, and, at length, funk under the increafing weight of public cares and bufne. it appears to this committee, the most effectual measures for "that it is too late in the prefent feffion of parliament to carry "into effect a well confidered and permanent regulation in the feveral offices mentioned in the "foregoing refolutions; but that "it will be highly neceffary, for "the advantage of the public, "for the increafe of the revenue, "and for the honour of this "Houfe, that early in the next "feffion of parliament, this Houfe "fhould enter upon the confider"ation of thofe fubjects, and "fhould adopt fuch meafures in "the reduction or regulation of "ufelefs or expenfive offices, as "fhall appear moft confiftent with "that plan of economy recom"mended to this Houfe by his Majefty, in his meflage of the 15th of April laft, and which "has been fo gracioufly adopted by his Majefty in the reform "and regulation of his civil “'establishment.” The first of thefe refolutions related to the collection of the land, house, and window taxes. The fecond, to the confolidation of various tax-offices. The four following, to the offices of the paymafter-general, and the treafurer of the navy. The feventh and eighth, to the regulation or abolifhing of fundry offices in the exchequer. The last, was a felf-deny ing refolution, by which the minifter bound himfelf, in cafe of a vacancy in any of the afore-recited offices, during the enfuing prorogation of parliament, not to difpofe of the fame, without fubjecting them to the future regulations of that House. Whilft parliament was thus fuccefsfully engaged in profecuting The first step taken by the Court after his death, which happened on the 1ft of July, was the appointment of the Earl of Shelburne to be his fucceflor in the treafury. Lord John, Cavendifh and Mr. Fox foon afterwards refigned their offices, and were followed by the Duke of Portland; by Mr. Montagu and Lord Althorpe, from the board of treafury; by Lord Duncannon and Mr. J. Townshend, from the admiralty; by Mr. Burke, and by Mr. Lee the Solicitor-General. Mr. William Pitt was made chancellor of the Exchequer; Mr. T. Townfhend and Lord Grantham, fecretaries of ftate; Mr. Pepper Arden fucceeded Mr. Lee; the Lord Advocate of Scotland fucceeded Mr. Barré, who was removed to the pay-office; and the Earl of Temple was appointed to the lord-lieutenantcy of Ireland. The feceffion of fuch a weight of talents and integrity from the fervice of government, could not be regarded with indifference. The motives which were fuppofed to have actuated them, were variously reprefented; and fome infinuations being thrown out, highly injurious to the public mons. July 9th. Accordingly, a debate having arifen on a mation relative to the penfion granted to Mr. Barré, the divifions that had prevailed amongst his Majefty's fervants were ftrongly retorted on those who had formed the laft, by a member of the old adminiftration; and this difcord was alleged to be the more culpable at prefent, on account of the very critical and alarming fituation of the country. On this occafion, Mr. Fox faid, that he had undoubtedly been amongst thofe who condemned, in the ftrongest terms, the want of unanimity and mutual confidence amongst the members of that cabinet. But, it was not their having entertained different opinions from each other, that he blamed them: he had condemned the noble lord in the blue ribbon, for remaining in place when he found himself at the head of diftracted councils, and for becoming refponfible for meafures of which he did not approve. After having thus cenfured that minifter for continuing in office under fuch circumftances; after having fo often, he faid, charged him with the bafenefs and criminality of his conduct, he asked, what remained for him to do when he found himself in a fimilar fituation? He could not, for obvious reafons, enter into a detail of the matters on which a difference of opinion had arifen between himself and others who had retired from, and thofe who remained in the Mr. Fox was followed by Gen. no This called up Mr. Fox again; cufe who begged the Houfe would ex[M] 4 cufe him for rifing a fecond time to exculpate himself, not only from the heavy charge of having quitted the fervice of the public without caufe, but against an infinuation of having done it upon pique, and from difappointment in a conteft for place and power. He faid, he was happy in being able to answer the latter charge effectually, and to appeal to the right honourable general himself for the truth of his affertions. He then declared, that before the death of the noble marquis, and at a time when his recovery was hoped for with great confidence, he had in a full cabinet declared his intention of refigning, if certain measures were not adopted. He was out-voted in that council; different measures were adopted; and as he looked upon those meafures to be to the laft degree dan gerous, he owed it to himself and to his country not to remain any longer in a fituation in which he could not act without renouncing his principles, or betraying his truft with the public. With refpect to the principles which his right honourable, friend had enumerated as the political creed of the prefent cabinet, he could only fay, that was the first time of his having ever heard that the Earl of Shelburne had fubfcribed to those articles of faith. On the contrary, the firft had been the very point on which the difference of opinion alluded to fub fifted. If the noble earl and the cabinet had fince that time been induced to adopt a different fyftem of measures, he was happy to find that he had much more weight in the cabinet when out of office, than he ever had in it. He was alfo unhappy to fay, that there were other most material points on which he and his friends differed with the Earl of Shelburne. That noble perfon was inclined to skreen from juftice and punishment thofe delinquents who had deftroyed our poffeffions in the East, and who had involved us in thofe calamities which that Houfe was labouring fo earnestly to remedy. He had been described as a friend to the reduction of the influence of the crown; but had · he not at the fame time threatened parliament with the exercife of the prerogative of its negative? With refpect to the objects of Mr. Burke's bill, who that had heard the noble perfon's loud fpeeches, did not know that he profeffed to treat that bill with the utmost contempt, and called it trifling and infignificant? It was indeed an infant, a pigmy, in comparison of the promifes of that noble earl; but he was convinced it would be a giant in comparison of his performances. This brought him to state another reafon for his retiring, which, he faid, he fhould not difguife; and that was the appointment of the Earl of Shelburne to the office of first lord of the treafury. It was naturally to have been expected in an administration form. ed on the principles on which that great body of Whigs who had at tached themselves to the Marquis of Rockingham had uniformly acted, that on the decease of that great perfon, whofe virtues had kept them fo long bound together, the man would be fought and ap pointed to fucceed him who moft refembled him in character, in influence, in popularity; fuch at leaft |