Memoirs of the Life of ths Right Hun. IVm. Pitt. 



the business of the nalion. Tlie only per- 

 sou I can think, from his office, as well as 

 personal character, proper to be sent by 

 rae, is Lord Sydney ; but should the Duke 

 of Portland, when reqnired by me, refuse 

 to meet IMr. Pitt, more especially upon 

 the sirang-e plea he has as yet held forth, 

 I must here declare, that 1 shall not deem 

 it right for me ever to address myself again 

 to him. 



The messag-e must be drawn on paper, 

 as must every thiug in such a negociaiion, 

 as far as my name is concerned; and I 

 trust, when I next see Mr. Pitt, if under 

 the present circumstances, the other minis- 

 ters shall agree with him in thinking such 

 a proposition advisablf/, that lie will bring 

 a sketch bf such a liiessage for my iu- 

 spection. George. R. 



In consequence of tliis permis.sion 

 from the King, wliich was evidently 

 given with great rehictance, Lord Syd- 

 ney, on tlie same day, vrote to the 

 Duke of Portland, signifying '• his 

 Majesty's earnest desire, that his Grace 

 should have a personal conference witli 

 Mr. Pitt, for the puriiose of forming 

 a new administration on a wide husis, 

 and on fair and equal terms." 



The Duke of Portland considered 

 tliis message as tantamount to a virtual 

 resignation on the part of ministers, 

 and therefore as a removal of the ob- 

 stacle which had hitherto jjreveuted 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 ad- 

 ministration on fair and equal terms ;'' 

 his Grace did not object to the word 

 " fair," it was a general term, and he 

 and Mr. Pitt, in framing the arrange- 

 ments, might discuss what they con- 

 sidered to be fair ; but the word "equal" 

 was more specific and limited ; and as 

 a necessary preliminary, he reqnired 

 Mr. Pitt to inform him wliat he under- 

 stood by the word '• equal.""' Mr, Pitt 

 said, he thought the meaning of that 

 word would be best explained at a per- 

 sonal conference. The Duke replied, 

 that he could not meet Mr. Pitt till the 

 word was explained. Mr. Pitt de- 

 clined explaining it ; and thus the ne- 

 gociation was finally broken off. Mr. 

 Powys and Mr. Marsliam were tlie 

 persons, through wtiom these com- 

 munications, relative to the mean- 

 ing of the word "equal," passed; 

 and tlie other gentlemen of t!ie St. 

 Alban's Tavern, finding from their 

 statement, that recent endeavours to 

 accomplisii an union of parties were as 



627 



fruitless as former ones; that the 

 " earnest desire" of the King had no 

 better effect than the unanimous reso- 

 lution of the House of Commons ; and 

 utterly despairing of success from any 

 further application, after various con- 

 sultations, at last came to this conclud- 

 ing resolution; — " This meeting iiav- 

 ing heard witli infinite concern, that 

 an intervieAV between the Duk(' of 

 Portland and Mr. Pitt is prevented by 

 a doubt respecting a single word, are 

 unanimously of opinion, that it would 

 be no disiionourabie 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 lesolution, and the meet- 

 ings were discontintied. 



Without enquiring whether tliis as- 

 sociation, — w hicli, if it had succeeded 

 in its object, would, in reality, have 

 prescribed to tlie King, what per.sous 

 his Majesty ought to take into his couu- 

 cil.s, — was strictly reconcileable to the 

 principles of our constitution ; we may 

 pronounce, that the intention, with 

 Avhich it was formed, was truly laud- 

 able and patriotic. It originated in a 

 sincere desire, upon public grounds, to 

 see the great abilities of Mr. Pitt and 

 Mr. Fox, united in the service of their 

 country; and to accomplish that pur- 

 pose every exertion was made. But, 

 perhaps, it indicated no correct know- 

 ledge of human nature, to expect that 

 two sucii men, circumstanced as they 

 were, would co-operate cordially and 

 permanently. To compel persons to act 

 together with the same common views, 

 and to concur in promoting tlie same 

 common end, especially if the business 

 be complicated and arduous, is always 

 but a hopeless undertaking; and in 

 the present case, those wlio were most 

 aciiuaiuted with the characters of the 

 individuals, and best qualified to form 

 a right judgment of the probable re- 

 sult, looked upon the attempt from the 

 first, as idle and unpromising : the 

 little progress which was made, justi- 

 fied that opinion . The uegociation was 

 occasionally used as a pretence for de- 

 ferring the proceedings in the House of 

 Commons ; but at no one moment was 

 there reason to believe that it would be 

 brought to a successful termination. 

 Not even the preliminaries could be 

 adjusted. The men who were to act., 

 widi harmony and mutual confidence, 

 as members of the same administration 

 at the very outset of the treaty, betrayed 

 symptoms of jealousy, suspicion and 

 *" ■ " distrust. 



