Memoirs of the Life of the Right Hon, Wm. Pitt. 



6^4 



first coming into parliament, aiid never 

 were expectations more completely an- 

 swered. They were indeed much more 

 than answered ; such were the fluency 

 and accuracy of language, such the 

 perspicuity of arrangement, and such 

 the closeness of reasoning, and manly 

 and dignified elocution, — generally, 

 even in a much less degree, the fruits 

 of long habit and experience — that it 

 could scarcely be believed to be the 

 first speech of a young man not yet 

 two-and-twenty. 



On the following daj-, Mr. Pitt, know- 

 ing my anxiety upon every subject 

 which related to him, witli his accus- 

 tomed kindness, wrote to me at Cam- 

 bridge, to inform me, that " he had 

 heard his own voice in the House of 

 Commons ;" and modestly expressed 

 his satisfaction at the manner in which 

 his first attempt at parliamentary 

 speaking had been received. Before 

 Mr, Pitt had a scat in parliament, he 

 had been a constant attendant in the 

 gallei-y of tlie House of Commons, and 

 near the throne in the House of Lords, 

 upon every important debate; and 

 whenever he heard a speech of any 

 merit on the side opposite to his own 

 opinions, he accustomed himself to con- 

 sider as it proceeded, in what manner 

 it might be answered ; and when the 

 speaker accorded with his own senti- 

 ments, he then observed his mode of 

 arranging and enforcing liis ideas, and 

 considered whether any improvement 

 could have been made, or whether any 

 argument had been omitted. To this 

 habit, and to the practice already men- 

 tioned of reading Greek and Latin into 

 English, joined to his wonderful na- 

 tural endowments, may be attributed 

 his tixlent for reply, and that command 

 of language, for which he was from the 

 first so iiighly distinguished. At what- 

 ever length he spoke, he avoided repe- 

 tition ; and it was early and justly ob- 

 served of liim, fliat " he never failed to 

 put the best word in the best place." 



THE CHAMPION OF REFORM. 



During the administration of Lord 

 North, many of his principal opponents 

 had complained thattlie people of Eng- 

 land wei'e very imperfectly represented 

 in the House of Cdmmons, and associa- 

 tions were formed in different parts of 

 tile kingdom, for the purpose of obtain- 

 ing what was called a reform of parlia- 

 ment.* It was urged, that the counties 

 sent a very inadequate number of mem- 



* These associations began in 1779. 



bers,andthatmanyvei'ysmaU boroughs 

 had eadi two representatives, in mi»st 

 cases chosen through the inllucnce of 

 some pew' or person of large property, 

 or l)y means corrupt and disgraceful, 

 while some of the most populous and 

 important tov;ns liad no representative. 

 All this was said to be a gross depar- 

 ture from t!ie original principles of the 

 constitution, and as calling aloud for 

 correction. The present M-as thought a 

 favourable time for bringing this ques- 

 tion before the legislature, and a gene- 

 ral meet iiig of the frier.ds of parliamen- 

 tary reform was held at the house of the 

 Uuke of Ricliniond in London, at which 

 it was def(^rniined, that a motion upon 

 the subject should be immediately sub- 

 mitted to the House of Commons. Mr. 

 Pitt was fixed upon as the fittest person 

 to make this motion ; and the selection 

 of him for the conduct of a business, 

 wliich had excited an eager anxiety 

 both in and out of parliament, and 

 which from its delicacy and importance 

 required no ordinary qualification, is 

 another proof of the high opinion whicl» 

 was already entertaiuea of his judgment 

 and abilities. 



On the 7th of May, after the call of 

 the house liad taken place, (which was 

 appointed for that day in order to secure 

 a full attendance,) Mr. Pitt brought 

 forward this interesting question, in a 

 speech of considerable length. Having 

 apologized for underlfiking atask wliich 

 required so much greater ability andex- 

 perience than he possessed, he proceed- 

 ed to observe, that the inadequate re- 

 presentation of the people in parliament 

 had long engaged the attention of the 

 public, and that men the mostcniighfen- 

 ed had maintained the necessity of a 

 calm revision of the principles of the 

 constitution, and of a moderate and 

 substantial refoim of those defects, 

 which had gradually and impercepti- 

 bly stolen in to deface, and now at last 

 threatened to destroy, the most beau- 

 tiful fabric of government in the world. 

 He particularly mentioned his father, 

 who was not apt to indulge vague and 

 chimerical speculations inconsistent 

 with practice and expediency, as a de- 

 cided friend to parliamentary reform ; 

 and upon these authorities he entreated 

 gentlemen not to be deterred from at- 

 tempting to remove the acknoM'ledged 

 abuses of the constitution by a fear of 

 injuring what they so much and so de- 

 servedly loved and reveied ; they ought 

 rather to be anxious to apply a timely 

 remedy, lest this nation, with the best 

 capacitic'i 



