them and their measures, I dare say that all the purposes of administration, aimed at by the address, will be fully answered, and entirely to their fatisfaction. But this is a fort of union, which I hope never will, which I am satisfied never can, prevail in a free parliament like ours. While we are freemen, we may disagree; but when we unite upon the terms recommended to us by the administration, we must be flaves."

Thus it was that Mr. BURKE, in the early stages of his parliamentary career, penetrated into and expofed the dark intrigues of the cabinet,---that weak, that wicked system of divifion and corruption, which was introduced by BUTE, and has fince been uniformly adhered to by his creatures, his tools, his fucceffors. But how fhall we exprefs our astonishment and indignation, when we afterwards find the eloquent detector of such plots and confpiracies brought over to give them his most zealous fupport---brought over to exert his great talents in framing the like pieces of political patch-work, in giving plaufibility to the like deteftable expedients of state-craft, in endeavouring to feparate friend from friend, brother from brother; and in effecting those unnatural coalitions which have fo often difgraced the history of our own times, and destroyed public confidence!

The above speech might be confidered as a renewal of hoftilities between the ROCKINGHAM party and the ministry. No overtures were therefore made to the former on the subject of some changes which took place during the Christmas recefs. The treaty with the duke of BEDFORD's friends was at length concluded, in confequence of which lord GowER was induced to accept the prefident's chair, vacated by the earl of NORTHINGLord NORTH had been promoted fome days before to the late CHARLES TOWNSHEND's fituation as chancellor of the exchequer ;

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chequer; THOMAS TOWNSHEND fucceeded lord NORTH in the office of joint pay-master of the forces; and CHARLES JENKINSON, the earl of BUTE's confidential agent, was made a lord of the treasury in the room of THOMAS TOWNSHEND. Lord WEYMOUTH was foon after nominated fecretary of state for the northern department, in the room of general CONWAY, who was raised to a higher rank in the military line; and the earl of HILSBOROUGH was appointed to the new office of fecretary of state for the colonies. The earl of CHATHAM, whose bodily infirmi ties still prevented him from taking any share in public business, was not confulted in these new arrangements, nor in the plan of measures now resolved upon with respect to America and Europe. The fecret junto were determined to employ force in fubduing what they called the refractory fpirit of the colonists; and to remain quiet spectators of the king of France's invafion of the island of Corfica. On this latter point the earl of SHELBURNE remonstrated very warmly with his colleagues, urging in forcible language the fupineness, the cowardice, the treachery, the befotted stupidity of permitting LEWIS to rob the Corficans of their inalienable rights, and to overturn the balance of power by annexing to his dominions an island that would give him confiderable influence in the affairs of Italy, and a dangerous extenfion of controul over the trade of the Mediterranean. His fentiments were over-ruled in the cabinet; and both he and the earl of CHATHAM refigned a little before the meeting of the new parliament in November 1768. Lord SHELBURNE's place was then fupplied by lord WEYMOUTH, from the northern department; the earl of ROCHFORD, late ambassador at Paris, was appointed fucceffor to lord WEYMOUTH; and the privy feal was given to the earl of BRISTOL.

Never,

Never, perhaps, had any general election been carried on with greater heat and obftinacy than that of the year 1768. The arts of intrigue, the weight of perfonal and official influence, the utmost stretch of interest and authority were exerted in the struggles between rival candidates. Even corruption threw off her ufual disguise, and ftalked forth with unblushing front and extended arm, to lead, or rather to force men away from their duty. The elections in London, Westminster, and Middlesex, were particularly turbulent and riotous. Mr. WILKES had just returned from the continent; and though he still lay under the sentence of outlawry, declared himself a candidate to represent the city in parliament. He was received by the populace with loud acclamations, and a great majority of hands appeared in his favour; but he flood lowest on the poll. He had no reason, however, to abandon himself to defpair, in confequence of this firft defeat. He was fully consoled for his failure in the city by a subscription which had been opened for the payment of his debts, and by the earnest he had received of the attachment of the people. He set up immediately for Middlefex; and obtained a signal triumph over fir W. B. PROCTOR, one of the old members. The exceffes of tumultuous joy and popular outrage that followed, the alternate indecifion and violence of the ministry, the various proceedings in the courts of law relative to WILKES, his confinement in the King's Bench, the melancholy events in St. George's. Fields, his expulfion from the house of commons, and the contest in which that house was unfortunately involved with the electors of Middlesex, would now appear very uninteresting in the detail, though they engaged at that time the attention of the whole nation. Not a week, fcarcely a day paffed without fome difcuffion in parliament arifing out of thofe occurrences; and as Mr. BURKE took a

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share in every debate, his character as an orator, his excellencies and defects were foon more nicely afcertained than they could have been from his former occafional and ftudied exertions.

A complete account of all Mr. BURKE's fpeeches even during that one feffion, which opened in November and closed in May, would fill a volume. We fhall therefore confine ourfelves to the memorable debate on Mr. WILKES's expulfion, which took place February the third 1769. A motion to that effect, made by lord BARRINGTON, the fecretary at war, was oppofed by the united ftrength of the ROCKINGHAM and GRENVILLE parties, Mr. BURKE the great organ of the one, and Mr. GRENVILLE the leader of the other, being the principal speakers. Though these gentlemen differed widely on fome important topics, yet from a casual coincidence of dislike to many of the late measures of government, they often acted as if they belonged to the fame pha-. lanx. But on whatever fide of the question they spoke, their stile and manner always afforded a very remarkable and amufing. contraft. Mr. BURKE's eloquence was fplendid, copious, and animated, fometimes addrefling itself to the paffions, much, oftener to the fancy, but very feldom to the understanding, it feemed fitter for fhew than debate, for the school than the fenate,, and was calculated rather to excite applaufe than to produce conviction: Mr. GRENVILLE'S was plain, yet correct, manly, argumentative, trufting more to genuine candour, to the energy of reason, and the well-difplayed evidence of truth, than to the rainbow colours of fine imagery, or the blaze of artificial declamation. The one appeared always dreffed in a rich wardrobe of words, to dazzle the beholders: the other made ufe of language, as a modest man does of clothes, for the purposes of convenienceand decency. The former could enliven the dullest debate by

the

the fallies of his wit; but he was too fond of exerting that talent upon every occafion, and frequently debased it by an intermixture of low ridicule: the latter, full of the importance of his subject, and attentive to the becoming gravity as well as dignity of the fenatorial character, never let himself down, nor attempted any thing like vulgar jefts, or unfeasonable pleasantry. Mr. BURKE, naturally ardent, impetuous, and irafcible, took fire at the smallest collifion; and the fudden bursts of his anger or his vehemence, when all around him was calm, could only be compared to the rant of intoxication in the prefence of a sober and difpaffionate company: Mr. GRENVILLE, even when attacked with the utmost afperity, fhewed a perfect command of temper, and neither betrayed any symptoms of alarm himself, nor hurled the thunder of wrathful oratory at his adverfaries. This. diffimilitude of genius and character between both was strongly marked in the debate on lord BARRINGTON's motion. Mr.. BURKE poured forth a torrent of invectives against the folly and. wickedness of the minifters of the crown: he enlarged on the dangerous confequences of an affumption and abuse of a difcretionary power in the commons; and called the propofed vote of expulfion the fifth act of a tragi-comedy, performed by his majesty's fervants, at the defire of feveral perfons of quality, for the benefit of Mr. WILKES, and at the expence of the conftitution. Mr. GRENVILLE confined himself to two decifive points, the injuftice and imprudence of the measure. But neither the force of his arguments. nor Mr. BURKE's powers of ridicule could make any impreffion on the dead majorities of the minister.

In the course of the fame year (1769) thofe gentlemen published: two pamphlets, in comparing which Mr. GRENVILLE appears to much greater difadvantage than in the above debate. His per

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