severed to insult and mock the dignity of the house, stronger measures must be resorted to.' He said that, though 'Mr Pitt's haughtiness, obstinacy, and temerity might hereafter justify such proceedings, still at present he recommended moderation.' Mr Dundas (having as good a scent for a peerage as any man in parliament;-and the subsequent conduct of this gentleman will justify us in using this coarse phrase) had early set himself side by side with Mr Pitt, had most faithfully followed him between treasury and opposition benches, and now, in this hour of need and despondency, rose up manfully and ably to defend him. Dr Tomline has inserted the whole of an able speech spoken by him in this debate, but we have no room for an extract.

During these transactions, addresses from the corporation and merchants of London, and from various parts of the country, were presented to the king, expressing strong confidence in the present ministry, and condemning the violent proceedings of the house of commons. An attempt at union was also made about the same time by a meeting of patriotic and public spirited individuals at the St Alban's tavern.

Fifty-three members of the house of commons, chiefly independent country gentlemen, attended; and it was unanimously agreed, that a written communication, signed by all who were present, recommending an union of parties, should be made to the duke of Portland and Mr Pitt. Conformably to this resolution, Mr Grosvenor, the chairman, who was member from Chester, the honorable Mr Marshman, sir William Lemon, and Mr Powys, who were county members, as a committee, waited upon the duke and Mr Pitt, with the following statement:-" We whose names are hereunto signed, members of the house of commons, being fully persuaded, that the united efforts of those, in whose integrity, abilities, and constitutional principles, we have reason to confide, can alone rescue the country from its present distracted state, do join in most humbly entreating his grace the duke of Portland, and the right honorable William Pitt, to communicate with each other, on the arduous situation of public affairs; trusting, that by a liberal and unreserved intercourse between them, every impediment may be removed to a cordial co-operation of great and respectable characters, acting on the same public principles, and entitled to the support of independent and disinterested men." To this communication Mr Pitt replied, "That he should be very happy to pay attention to the commands of so respectable a meeting, and co-operate with their wishes to form a stronger and more extended administration, if the same could be

done with principle and honor." And the duke of Portland replied, "That he should think himself happy in obeying the commands of so respectable a meeting, but the greatest difficulty to him, and he imagined a still greater to Mr Pitt, was, Mr Pitt's being in office." "

Several meetings were held, and many votes passed, but Mr Pitt refused to resign and the duke of Portland refused to treat with him in his ministerial capacity. An old member of the commons said, that this diplomacy of the duke of Portland reminded him of the fable, in which the fox said to the raven, sitting on the branch of a tree-Monsieur Corbeau, come down from that branch, and we will settle the terms of our alliance together, on the ground. The gentlemen of St Albans, however, agreed to meet at least once a week, for the purpose of availing themselves of any opportunity which might present itself of promoting the great object, which they deemed absolutely necessary at that particular juncture.'

In consequence of the eagerness for an union of parties, repeatedly expressed by these gentlemen, and also by many others in the house of commons, Mr Pitt, desirous that no backwardness upon the subject should be imputed to him, thought it right, as the most probable means of accomplishing the wishes of so many respectable men, to advise the king to propose an interview between the duke of Portland and himself (Mr Pitt,) for the purpose of endeavoring to form an administration, including themselves and their respective friends. This suggestion was received by his majesty with considerable surprise and agitation; and the next morning he wrote to Mr Pitt the following letter, dated Feb. 15th, 1784.

"Queen's House, 30m. past 10 A. M. "Mr Pitt is so well apprised of the mortification I feel at any possibility of ever again seeing the heads of opposition in public employments, and more particularly Mr Fox, whose conduct has not been more marked against my station in the empire, than against my person, that he must attribute my want of perspicuity in my conversation last night, to that foundation; yet I should imagine it must be an ease to his mind, in conferring with the other confidential ministers this morning, to have on paper my sentiments, which are the result of unremitted consideration, since he left me last night, and which he has my consent to communicate, if he judges it right, to the above respectable persons.

"My present situation is perhaps the most singular that ever occurred, either in the annals of this or any other country; for the house of lords, by a not less majority than near two to one,

have declared in my favor; and my subjects at large, in a much more considerable proportion, are not less decided; to combat which, opposition have only a majority of twenty, or at most of thirty, in the house of commons, who, I am sorry to add, seem as yet willing to prevent the public supplies. Though I certainly have never much valued popularity, yet I do not think it is to be despised, when arising from a rectitude of conduct, and when it is to be retained by following the same respectable path, which conviction makes me esteem that of duty, as calculated to prevent one branch of the legislature from annihilating the other two, and seizing also the executive power, to which she has no claim.

"Should the ministers, after discussing this, still think it advisable, that an attempt should be made to try whether an administration can be formed on a real, not a nominal, wide basis, and that Mr Pitt, having repeatedly, and as fruitlessly, found it impossible to get even an interview on what opposition pretends to admit is a necessary measure, I will, though reluctantly, go personally so far as to authorize a message to be carried in my name to the duke of Portland, expressing a desire that he and Mr Pitt may meet to confer on the means of forming an administration, on a wide basis, as the only means of entirely healing the divisions which stop the business of the nation. The only person I can think, from his office, as well as personal character, proper to be sent by me, is lord Sydney; but should the duke of Portland, when required by me, refuse to meet Mr Pitt, more especially upon the strange plea he has yet held forth, I must here declare, that I shall not deem it right for me ever to address myself again to him.

The message must be drawn on paper, as must every thing in such a negotiation, as far as my name is concerned; and I trust, when I next see Mr Pitt, if, under the present circumstances, the other ministers shall agree with him in thinking such a proposition advisable, that he will bring a sketch of such a message, for my inspection. "GEORGE R."

In consequence of this permission from the king, which was evidently given with great reluctance, lord Sydney, on the same day, wrote to the duke of Portland, signifying, "his majesty's earnest desire, that his grace should have a personal conference with Mr Pitt, for the purpose of forming a new administration, on a wide basis, and on fair and equal terms." The duke of Portland considered this message as tantamount to a virtual resignation on the part of ministers, and therefore as a removal of the obstacle which had hitherto prevented an interview between himself and Mr Pitt. But no sooner was this difficulty removed, than another was started by the duke of Portland. The royal

message spoke of "forming an administration on fair and equal term;" his grace did not object to the word "fair"-it was a general term, and he and Mr Pitt, in framing the arrangements, might discuss what they considered to be fair: but the word equal" was more specific and limited; and as a necessary preliminary, he required Mr Pitt to inform him, what he understood by the word "equal." Mr Pitt said, he thought the meaning of that word would be best explained at a personal conference. The duke replied, that he could not meet Mr Pitt, till the word was explained. Mr Pitt declined explaining it; and thus the negotiation was finally broken off. Mr Powys and Mr Marsham were the persons, through whom these communications, relative to the meaning of the word " equal," passed; and the other gentlemen of St Alban's tavern, finding from their stateinent, that recent endeavors to accomplish an union of parties were as fruitless as former ones; that the "earnest desire" of the king had no better effect than the unanimous resolution of the house of commons; and utterly despairing of success from any farther application, after various consultations, at last came to this concluding resolution :- This meeting having heard with infinite concern, that an interview between the duke of Portland and Mr Pitt is prevented by a doubt respecting a single word, are unanimously of opinion, that it would be no dishonorable step in either of the gentlemen to give way, and might be highly advantageous to the public welfare." No notice whatever was taken of this resolution, and the meetings were discontinued.'

The motives and conduct of those gentlemen, who were at such infinite pains to unite the great talents of Mr Pitt and Mr Fox in the cause of their country, were entitled to all praise, and cannot be too much commended. But such schemes at all times are obviously impracticable. The ambition, which generally accompanies great talents, covets rule and dominion in an exclusive and unreasonable manner, and the jealousy and enmities, which these contests for power create, would always render an administration, composed of such materials, inefficient and transitory. Conciliation and reconciliation are words often heard in politics, and often employed by the best men, inspired by the most patriotic and generous motives, but we believe that they will never produce any practical good effects, that they will never cease to be an artifice in the hands of the strong to the disadvantage of the weak, until an art is discovered for rooting out that ambition and those jealousies and dislikes and prejudices, with which all men, engaged in political contests, become imbuNew Series, No. 9. 23

ed and imbittered. There was a broad bottom administration formed by Mr Pulteney (afterwards lord Bath) and another by Mr Fox; but both were inefficient and of short duration.

Having departed somewhat from the course of these memoirs, we shall now return to the proceedings in the house of lords, to which the king refers in his letter. It appears that Mr Pitt was consulted as to the course of conduct which should be pursued by the lords on this occasion, and he recommended a moderate and ample acknowledgment of the prerogatives of the crown, in the appointment of ministers, and a declaration of the determination of that body to support his majesty in the just exercise of those prerogatives. The lords were desirous to avoid a return of that struggle between the two houses, the cause of such mischief and confusion in the last century, and therefore confined themselves to moving two resolutions, setting forth that the attempt of one house of parliament to assume a discretionary power, and thereby suspend the execution of a law, was unconstitutional, and repeating that construction of the royal prerogative which we have already mentioned. This doctrine was embodied in an address and presented to his majesty. It passed in the lords by a vote of one hundred to fifty three; some evidence, in our opinion, that the opposition was not supported by the aristocracy, and that the declaration of a nobleman of high rank was not founded in fact, viz. that Mr Pitt beat the whole aristocracy of the country,' especially as at this time not a single peer had been created by the new administration. We hope hereafter to have an opportunity of examining this subject, and presenting a statement of it to our readers. We rejoice that Dr Tomline has given us, on this occasion, an opportunity of quoting from other letters from the king, for we think the character of a monarch who could manifest such undeviating firmness, such remarkable good sense, and such devotedness to the constitution of the country, deserves to be recorded and published.

"I trust the house of lords will this day feel, that the hour is come for which the wisdom of our ancestors established that respectable corps in the state, to prevent either the crown or the commons from encroaching on each other. Indeed, should not the lords stand boldly forth, this constitution must soon be changed; for, if the two only remaining privileges of the crown are infringed, that of negativing bills which have passed both houses